The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-16
THE END OF ELDER PRATT.
PURSUED AND KILLED BY MS SEY-
ENTH HIFE'S n USBAND.
The Trreedy that Led to tho Mountain |
meadow Massacre, Described by nm Eye |
Witness-A VI others Life Ended In Iunacv. |

The Tragedy that Led to tho Mountain
Meadow Massacre, Described by m Eye
Witness-A Mothers Life Ended In Lunscv.
FoRr SMITH, Ark, Sept. "a reader
OF THE SUN having seen an account OF the
killing OF Parley =. Pratt, second elder In
the Mormon Church, In 1855 or 1853, by the hus-
band Of the woman he abducted and made his
seventh wife, and knowing II to be erroneous In
many particulars, has requested me, as an
eye witness Of the tragedy, to writo you some-
thing In regard To 1t.
Mr.. Hector II. Mclean married Miss McCabe
In New Orleans, and nf'arward settled In San
Francisco. There he became connected with
the steamship companies, which brought him
an income Of about 10000 a year. lie had an
interesting, highly-educated. and accomplish
ed wife, and two children, boy bud q girl,
both intelligent beyond their yeprs. They were
living peacefully and happily together whom
Farley p. Pratt ABDUCTED Mta. Mclean, took her
To salt Like City, and made her his seventh
Wlie. 90 great was the shock to her husband
that II almost unsettled hts reason. He went to
New Orleans, talipu his children there TO his
:-tner-in. iaw and then returned To ssn rrap-
sise" ana resumed his 6n. iness. What was his
bad left salt Lake and were irving to steal his
children, aud, later, that they had accomplished
the abductor and recover his children. He gave
W his lucrative business and started for New
city, but he could not be found. A few days
later he learned by telegraph thot Pratt was In
- Louis, and he started Immediately for that
cityi but so well did the old scoundrel cover his
tracks that no trace Of him could be found.
Mclean then went to New Orleans, and there
learned that his wife and children were In the
northern part OF Texas with a large caravan
about to start for Salt Lake. He went TO Texas,
and there intercepted letters addressed to Mrs.
7. L. Parker, and written BY old Pratt in a pecu.
liar cypher, which he had to study long time
before he could read II. These letters proposed
n I'M eat Las At aR VAAr tHaAn L..
the Cherokee Nation.
Mr.. Mclean returned dispirited to his father
in-law's In New Orleans and concluded to give
up the chase. Resolving, however, to make one
further effort he started up the Arkansas river
unyer me assumed name OF johnson. Arriving
the officers there, and they Afforded him every
facility to trap the seducer. In this he sue
cessful nrst getting possession of his vile and
children. Having Pratt, as he thought, in the
hands OF the law he attempted no violence on
trin bs1ops abs n' 10 van Buren' Ark ios
was no United states law by which an abductor
could be punished, charge was made against
frdtt OF stealing the clothing Of the wife and
children when he abducted them. This charge,
however, would not stand. Pratt was tried be-
fore Judge John Is. Ogden, and there was great
excitement about him. when Mr.. Mclean re-
lated MS grievances on the witness stand, and
reld the clandestine correspondence between
Pratt and his wife, there was hardly dry eye
Ia the court room. Then when he began to un-
derstand that there was no law for the redress
scoundrel would be released, he became so ex-
cited that he attempted to shoot Pratt on the
spot, In the presence OF the Court. II was at
this time that the writer made McLean's ao-
quaintance. He caught hold OF Mclean and
stayed his arm as he was about 20 shoot, and
told hin that he must take no advantage OF a
man In custody. This led TO a statement Of all
the facts OF the case to me. Had there been at
have been summary hanged, so exssperated
were the citizens. Having. however, more re-
tpect for the United States authorities than
they might have had for the State s, no outrage
was committed, The Court put the case on for
dav, and had Pratt released early In the morn
log, so that he might escape, and he immedi-
ately left town on horseback. When Nc can
and his friends found this out, they started in
pursuit.
On my arrival in Van Buren, that morning I
was Informed that footman had Just come In
who had met Pratt and Mclean within 900 yards
of each other. Some half a dozen or M ore OF us
started out TO see what had happened. Five OF
not seem Pratt While TetarnSs MnV With Hia u, ne he hsd
gan following the track OF horse across to an
other road; Myself and another gentleman ac-
companied him, not knowing but that we were
following the track of one OF our men. We fol-
lowed pretty rapidly until. when about eight or
nine miles from Van Buren,, we got sight OF man
ahead. The writer being IN advance put spurs
TO his horse to see whether II was Pratt, aall to
get away from the expected rencontre. Mclean
followed rapidly, and Immediately after the
writer passed Pratt (for II was he), pistol ball
came whizzing by bis head. and he thought II |
best 10 get out OF the road. On looking back
saw two horsemen going rapidly through the
woods and bushes. heard the discharge OF fire.
arms, aud saw the smoke Of the powder. In q
short time Ill was still, and ventured to return
by the road. What was my surprise to find that
al the point or thereAbouts where the hrst firing
began, both Mclean and Pratt were dismounte
ana engaged in hand-to-hand struggle. | rode
right up, and In moment or 50 Mclean seemed
suddenly TO recollect that he had another pistol
Tor he stepped back anu drew one, and fred ap-
parenily right into the body OF Pratt, who soon
fell. Then Mclean m ade motion az though TO
draw knife, and rode on and found the gen
tleman whom we left behind. Presently Nc
Lean Joined US, and finding that he had dropped
his Deinger pistol, he got pistol of one Of us,
and returned To Pratt TO pick up his. We were
astonished at bearing another report Of pistol.
Lean, when he returned said he found the
. old scoundrel" sitting up, leaning on his ell
bow, and ne put pistol TO his head and shot |
him. lie was not struck by pistol ball at all, |
but was killed with knife. He lived long |
enough to send to town for Mrs. Mclean to 90 |
and see him: Mr.. Mclean left here with his |
children, feeling that he had done no more |
Than was right, and In this the community were |
with him. Mrs. Mclean was sent to an insane |
asylum. The above was the whole cause of the
Mountain Meadow massacre. SEBASTIAN.