Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-04-13


AND ENLIGHTENMENT OF THE AGE
Such ,oas the Patriots opinion Of the Law, " the
character - Of which if Mr.. GREEN had known
" he might have given ANDY good rubbing down
/ " Oh, Consistency, thou art jewel"
The Mountain Meadows BIassncre--Hor-
ribIe Confession.
The Salt Lake Valley Tan, Of February 18th COLI
tains statement from WIN. H. ROGERS. in regard
to the massacre at Mountain Meadows in Septem-
Der, 1851 when l2O men, women and children, emf
grants from Arkansas, were murdered by Nor
mons. In company with DR.. FoRyEY, Superintend-
ent of Indian Affairs for Utah Territory Mr. ROGERS
about year since traversed tine district of country
where the massacre occurred. The scene of the
! tragedy is thus described:
When we arrived here in April 1859, more than
a year and half after the massacre occurred, the
I ground, for a distance more than hundred yards
around a central point was covered with the skel-
etons and bones of human beings, interspersed in
places with rolls or punches Of tangled matted hair
which from its length evidently belonged to females.
In places the bones of small children were lying side
/ by side withtthose Of grown persons as If parent
and child had MT 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 of
/ those who wore them, beached from long exposure,
] but their shape was IN many instances enJre IN
8 gulch or hole in the ravlne by the side of the
/ road large number of leg and arm bones and also
Of skulls could be seen sticking about the surface,
as they had been buried there, bu5 the action Of
water and digging of wolves had again exposed
them to sight. The entire scene was one too hOrri
bic and sckening for language adequately to de-
scribe.
On the authority o. information communicated in
his presence to Judge CRADLEBAUGH, by 4 partici-
pant in the massacre Mr.. ROGERS describes the at
tack on the emigrants, the protracted siege which
they endured, and finally the treacherous artice by
which they were induced to surrender-when all
were brutally murdered. He says:
As soon as it became known that Judge c. intend
/ ed holding a court, and investigating the circum-
! stances of the massacre and that he would have
troops to insure protection and enforce his writs if
necessary, several persons visited him at his rooms
at late hours of the night and informed him of DIFF
| ferent facts connected with the massacre. All
these that called thus stated that it would be at the
risk Of their lives if it became known that they had
communicated anything TO him; and they requested
Sudge CradlebaUgh, IL he met them in public in the
day time not 70 recognize them as persons that he
/ had before seen.
One of the men who called thus on Judge Cradle
baugh confessed that he participated in the massa-
ere, and gave the following account Of it-PrevOus
/ to the massacre there was council held at Cedar
! City which President Halght and Bishop Highly and
Lee attended. At this council they designated or ap-
pointed large number Ofmen residing in Cedar City
ard other settlements around, to perform the work
Of dispatching these emigrants The men appointed
for this purpose were instructed TO resort we'll arm
ed, given time, to spring small stream, lying
short distance TO the left Of the road leading into
the Meadows, and not very far from Hamblins ranch
but concealed from it by intervening hills This
| the place Of rendezvous; and here the men. when
they arrived, painted and otherwise disguised them
selves so as to resemble Indians From thence they
proceeded early on Monday morning. by path or
trail which leads from his spring directly into the
Meadows, and enters the road some distance beyond
Hamblin's ranch. BY taking this rOute they could
not be seen by any any one at the ranch.
On arriving at the corral of the emigrants a num-
Der of the men standing on the outside by the
camp fires which from appearances, they had Just
been building. These were first fired upon, and at
the first discharge several of them fell dead or
wOunded the remainder of them Immediately ran
to the inside of the corral, and began terrifying
themselves, and preparing for defense as well as
they 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 striking
them. The attack continued in a desultory and IT.
regular manner for four or five DAYS. The corral
was closely watched, and II any Of the emigrants
showed themselves they were instantly fired at from
without If they attempted to 90 to the spring,
which was only few yards distant, they were sure
to fall by the rifles of their assailants In cOnsc-
quence of the almost certain death that resulted
| from any attempt to procure water the emigrants
before the siege discontinued, suffered intensely
from thirst The assailauts believing at length that
the emigrants could not be subdued by the means
adopted resUrtcd to treachery and stratagcm to &C
c0mplish what they had been unable TODD by force
They returned TO the spring where they had paint
ed and disguised themselves previous to commenc-
ing the attack, and there removed those disguises
and again assumed their ordinary dress.
After this. BISHOP Lee, with party of men, re-
turned to the camp of the cmigrants, bearing a
white flag as 4 signal of truce From the position
So al e..
some time before they reached it. As soon as they
discerned it. they dressed 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, arriving. were invited
into the corral, where they stad about an hour.
talking with them about the attack that bad 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 pro
perty he and his party would conduct them back to
Cedar City; but If they went out with their arms
the Indians would look upon it as unfriendy act
and would again attack them. The enigrants
trusting to Lees honor and to the sincerity of his
statement, consented to the terms which he prOpOS-
ed, and left their property and all their the
corral and, under the escort of Lee and his party
started towards the North in the direction Of Cedar
City. After they had proceeded about a mile on
their way. a signal gwen by Bishop Highly. who
one of the party that went to the corral with
Lee. the slaughter began.
The men were mostly killed or shot down at the
first fire and the women and children, who imme-
diatev fed in different directions were quickly
pursued and dispatched. Such the substance.
If not the exact words of a statement made bv a
man to Judge Cradlebaugh, in my presence who. at
the time confessed that he had participated in
the horrible events which he related lie also gave
Judge c. the names of some p 30 other men liy-
ing in the region. who assisted in the massacre He
offered also to make the same statement in court and
under oath, ifpr0tectOn was guaranteed to him. He
gave a for dvulgIng these facts. that they
had tormcnted his mind and conscience since they
occurred, and he expressed willingness to stand
trial for his crime
TRoTTNG RACES AT LExrNGToN-They had great
time at Lexington KY Monday the 9th inst. the
occasion being the horse show, auction sales, &c |
usually attendant upon County Court day. On the
Trotting Course were tests Of speed between stall
lions in two races. with the following result
Premium $50 silver pitcher for the best trotng stallion OF
in speed, style and action taken in
FIRST CLASS.
A. H. Brands bh Brigno 5 y o, by NIembfno Chief dam
sally WoodfOri by Woodford-J. S. MourOe-Tme, 2:3St
VIM Garrett'sb r b Iron Dnie o., by Cassius Clay
dam by Cleveland Bay Woodruf-Time, $40
A. g. Rsrmers br d Membrino WhaebOne, y O. BY Mem
brine Chief. dam BY --, VIM. Craft-Tme, 2:59'4
sEooSD CLASS.
DR.. UndsrwOOds lEnceh LewsD Morgan Chief, 4yo,
by Membrno Chief, dam Morgan mare--W. Peabody
II Brsna's Kentucky Chief Y by MsabrinO
Chief, dam sophy NoodOrlhy Woodf0rd-J 5. Mon
rhOs. W Lewis br Albion, ~ by Haoarn, dam by
The premium was AWARDED to Brgno as the fastest and best
'I In BE drst cass Iron Duke wa largely fnos in the
,etting ring, and in the second, Kentucky Caief
A CoysrrEAcY DrscoyEREp.-It is declared in a dis
,.,1, e., elm, Baltimore SIM that the Black Rcrub-