Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-04-18

VIM. II. Rogers, in regard to the mas
acre at Mountaiu Medaows, in Septem-
Der, 1857, when 100 men, women and
children, emigrents from Arkansas, were
murdered by Mormous. In company
with DR.. Forney, Superintendent of In
dian affairs for Utah Territory, Mr.,
Rogers. about year since, traversed
the. district of country where the masa-
ere occurred. The same Of the TRAGEDY
10 thus described:
When we arrived here in April, 1850,
more than year and half after the
massacre occurred, the ground, for .
distance more than . hundred yards
around central point, was covered with
the skeletons and bones of human be-
ings, interpreted in places with rolls or
lunches Of tangled or matted hair, which
from its length, evidently belonged to
females. In places the bones of small
children we're lying side by side with
those of grown persons, as if parent
and child had met death at the same in
slant and with the same stroke. Small
bonnets and dresses, and scraps of fe-
male apparel we're also to be seen in
places on the ground there, like the
bones OF those who wore them, bleached
from long exposure, but their shape was
in many instances, entire. In . gulch
or hole in the ravine by the side OF the
road, large number of leg and arm
bones, and also of skulls, could be seen
sticking about the surface, a. if they
had been buried there, but the action of
water and digging Of wolves had again
exposed them to sight. The entire scene
was one to horrible and sickening for
language adequately to describe.
On the authority of information com
municated in his presence to Judge
Cradlsbaugh, by a participant in the
massacre, Mr.. Rodgere describes the at
tack on tho emigrants, the protracted
siege which they endured, and finally
the treacherous artifca by which they
we're induced to surrender-when all
we're qrutally murdered. He says:
As soon as it became known that
Judge c. intended holding a court, and
investigating the circumstances of the
massacre, and that he would have troops
to insure protection and enforce his
writs if necessary, several persons visit
ed him at his rooms at late hours of the
night, and informed him of different
facts connectedlwith the massacre. All
those that called thus, stated that it
would be At the risk of their lives if it
become known that they had commune
Gated anything to HIM and he request
ed Judge Cradlebaugh, it he met them
in public in the day time, not to recog-
nize them as persons that he had before
seen.
One of the men who called thus on
Judge Cradlehaugh confessed that he
participated in the massacre, and gave
the following account Of it Previous
to the massacre there was a council
held at Cedar City, which President
Haight and Bishops Highly and Lee at.
tended. At this council they designated
or appointed large number of men re-
siding in Cedar City, and in other set
Elements around, to perform the work Of
dispatching these emigrants. The men
appointed for this purposelwere instruct
ed to resort, well armed, at given time,
to . spring or snail stream, lying at a
short distance to the left of the road
leading into the Meadows, and not very
far from Hamlin's ranch, but concealed
from it by intervening bills. This was
the place Of rendezvous; and here the
men, when they arrived, painted and
otherwise disguised themselves so as to
resemble Indians. From thence they
proceed, early on Monday morning, by
a path or trail which leads from this
spring directly into the Meadows, and
enter the road some distance beyond
Hamlin's ranch. By taking this route
they could not be seen BY any one at
the ranch.
On arriving at the corral of the emf
grants, number Of the men were stand
ing on the outside by the camp fires,
which, from appearances, they had just
been building. These we're first fred
upon, and at the first discharge several
Of them fell dead or wounded; the re-
mainder Of them Immediately ran to the
inside Of the corral and began fortifying
themselves, and preparing for defence
as we'll as they could, by showing their
wagons closer together and digging holes
into which to lower them, 80 as to keep
the shots from going under and striking
them. The attack continued in desul-
tory and irregular manner for four or
five days. The corral was closely
watched, and if any of the emigrants
showed themselves they were instantly
fred at from without. If they attempt.
ed to 60 to the spring, which was only
q few yards distant, they were sure to
fall by the rifles of their assailants. In
consequence of the almost certain death
that resulted from any attempt to pro-
cure water, the emigrants, before tho
seige discontinued, suffered intensely
from thirst. The assailants, believing
at length that the emigrants could not
be subdued by the means adopted, re-
sorted to treachery and stratagem to &C
complish what they had been unable to
do by force. They returned to the
spring where they had painted and dis
guised themselves previous to common
cling the attack, and there removed those
disguises and again assumed their ordi.
nary dress.