The Kenosha telegraph and tribune. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1859-1860, 1860-04-19
The Mountain Meadows Massacre.
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY MEN, won
..rf AND CHILDREN MURDERED.


ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY MEN, WOMEN
H AND CHILDREN MURDERED - III
The Salt Lake Valley Tan of February goth,
the last number of that paper issued before its
suspension, contains statemeot from VIM. H,
Rogers, in regard to the massacre at Mountain
Meadows in Sept, 1857, when 120 men, women
and children, emigrants from Arkansas, were
murdered by Mormons. In company with DR..
Forney, Superintendent of Indian affairs for
Utah Territory, Mr. Rogers, about year since,
trayersed the district Of country where the mas
sacre occurred. TIE scene of the tragedy is thus
described
:" When we arrived here in April 1852 more
than year and half after the massacre occur
red, the ground for a distance more than hun
dred yards around a central point, was covered
witn the skeletons and bones of human beings
interspersed in places with rolls or punches OF
tangled Or matted hair, which, from its length,
evidently belonged to females In places the
bones of small children were lying side by side
with those of grown persons, as if parent and
child had met death at the same instant and with
the same stroke. Small bonnets and dresses and
scraps of female apparel were also to be seen in
places on the ground there like the bones ofthose
who wore them, bleached from long exposure.
but their shape was, in many instances, entire.
In gulch or hole in the ravine by tile side Of
the road, large number efleg and arm bones,
and also of skulls, could be seen sticking above
the surface, as if they had been buried there but
the action of the water and digging ofthe wolves
had again exposed them to sight. The entire
scene was one too horrible and sickening for
language adequately to describe" -ttEIrl.
On the authority Of information communicated
in his presenceito Judge Cradlebugh, by para
ticipant in the massacre, Mr. Rogers describes
'he attack on the emigrants, the protracted serge
which they endured, and finally the treacherous
artifice by which they were induced to surrender
when all were brutally 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 ensure protection, and enforce his
writs If necessary, several persons visited him
In his rooms at late hours of the night and in
4SAihON Nun VI ulHtICub idCiS connected with the
massacre All these that called thus, stated that
1T would be at the risk of their lives if it became
known that they had communicated anything to
him; and they requested Judge Cradlebaugh if
he met them in public in the day time not to rec
ognize them as persons he had before seen.
One of the men who called thus on Judge era
dlebaugh, 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 Haigh and
Higbee and Iced attended. At this council they
designated or appointed large number of men
residing in Cedar City, and in other settlements
around to perform the work of dispatching these
emigrants. The men appointed for this purpose
were instructed to resort, well armed, at given
time, to spring or small stream, lying a short
distance to the left Of the road leading into the
Meadows, and not very far from Hamblin's ranch.
but concealed from it by intervening hills. This
was the place Ofrendezvous; and here the men
when they arrived, painted and otherwise dis
guised themselves so as to resemble Indians
From thence they proceeded early on Monday
morning, by path or trail which leads from
this spring directly into the meadows and enters
the road some distance beyond Hamblin's ranc h
On arriving at the corral of the emigrants, a
number OF the men We're standing on the outside.
OF the camp fires, which, from appearances, thew
had just been building These were fred upon
and at the first discharge several of them fell dead
or wounded the remainder immediately ran to
the inside ofthe corral and began certifying them.
selves, and preparing for defense as well as thew
could, by showing their wagons closer together
and digging holes into which to lower them. so
as to keep the shots from going under and strik
ing them. The attack continued in a desultory
and irregular manner for four or five days.
The corral was closely watched, and if any Of
the emigrants showed themselves, they were in
stantly fired at from without If they attempted
to go to the spring, which was only few yards
distant, they were sure to fall by the rifles of
their assaiants. In consequence of the almost
certain death that resulted from any attempt to
procure water, the emgrants, before the siege
discontinued suffered intensely from thirst
The assailants, believing at length that the emf
grants could not be subdued by the means ad-
opted, rssorted to treschery and stratagem to &C.
comphsh what they had been unable to do by
force. They returned to the spring where they
had painted and disguised themselves previous
to commencing the attack, and there removed
those disguises, aud again assumed their ordina-
ry dress. After this, Bishop Lee, with party
of men, returned 10 the camp of the emigrants.
bearing white flag as signal of truce From
the position of the corral, the emigrants were
able to See them sometime before they reached
it. As soon as they discerned it, they dressed a
little girl in white and placed her at the entrance
of the corral, to indicate their friendly feelings
to the persons bearing the flag. Lee and his
party on arriving were invited into the corr al
where they stayed about an hour, talking with
them about the attack that had been made upon
them. Lee told the emigrants that the indians
had gone off over the hills, and that if they
would lay down their arms, and give up their
property, he and his party would conduct them
back to the Cedar City; but if they went out
with THAR ba Tpd;o1s Ioo1- $500