The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1875-02-06
THE JUNCTION DENIES.

,..o,c md forcible as can be employed in any
,.uae that the leaders Of the Mormon church
we're implicated in the Mountain Meadow mas
,acre. and for the credit Of humanity we w'sn
4 might DO shown that the function IL r'sn'
and the accusers of the Mormons wrong. II"
,ould b. coucmsively shown that that deed was
PLANNED and contaminated by Indians it would
greatly rebound to the credit of civilized man.
hood: but if it be true that participants In the
crime have confessed and that circumstances
corroborate their confessions. We d" not sec
how the parties implicated BY such confessions
arc t, escape the condemnation Of the puonc'
whether convicted by the courts or not Inc
junction has never attempted to deny the oio.
eous atrocity of the fearful deed, nor snat those
who perpetrated it deserve the severest panlsn'
mani which human power can indict; neither
has it or any other paper explained away tue
fact that the Normons catered the fort Of the
doomed emngrants. induced them to surrender
nm their arms. which were loaded into wagon
under the pretext that they were to be taken
tn Fort Cedar, aud that before they had pro-
ceeded half a mile they we're Get upon ana
slaughtered This circumstance isot sumc'en'
Importance, as the Junction must see' 70 70
ouire explanation; as every man who reasons
with a knowledge Of Indian nature will ask
himself the question, why were those wn''e
men disarmed by other white men. when II was
known that they were surrounded BY savases'
unless they were to be murderedt Armed
men can defend themselves. and those untortn'
nate men had shows both the will ana the
power to keep the foe at bay; but unarmea
men. no matter how determined. are helpless
in the hands of men with arms. Why did not
thu Mormons leave those men their arms. which
thev had used % well. and sa! to them: "to
with "a to Fort Cedar; there you will be safe
If attacked by,Indians on the way. as you pro-
h.hlv will be. resist to the death. and we. who
are of your race and blood, will aot desert
YOU" These would have been words OF true
friendship, and would have cheered the hearts
of men and women who. in their weary and
prolonged struggle with vastly ouinnmeer'ng
hordes of foes. had almost ceased 10 hope
They were not eiven As to the Records ac'
count of the affair being cooked up" we must
h. permitted 10 doubt il. whether Lee aud
Dame are guilty or innocent. We ais" dissent
from the theory advanced by the Junction that
IN. suilt or innocence Of \ man accused al
l. Irvs he nan
ing of the charge. 1t is of the nature OF the
other popular ahsurdity. that man who can
read. and has read or heard Of any OF the CIR
cums,ances Of 4 crime, is thereby disqualified
from serving as q juror TO try the case.
Both are egrrgiously erroneous and stupid
and the former il never advanced when poor
devil is lying in Jail awaiting trial 1t is only
when the rich or the powerful are accused that
it becomes wrong for the press To discuss the
crime and the chances Of the guilt innocence
of the party accused. II the Mountain Meadow
massacre were thoroughly discussed by the
press of the land. and all al the facts, circum.
stances aud incidents Of the affair brought "a
light. then. if Messrs- Lee and Dame were in
nocent an enlightened public opinion would
speedily hberate them; but it they were guilty
it would hang them. and who will deny that
they would deserve i'll And we really think
the discussion of thi. matter by the Sacrament.
Record and similar papers would be an adsan
ltage to every innocent man in Utah. That pa
per is able. deliberate, and above all nonsec
tartan. 1t cent to Utah a correspondent OF
purpose to have the matter worked up. IT.
correspondent was qualified for the work en-
trusted to him to do. and was paid to do i
we'll He was also provided with funds- HI
went to Utah and eonversed, not aloAe will
! Genties pot alone with Mormon leaders wh'
. might be interested in concealing the facts b.
desired to learn-bat with all claaes. high
low. rich. poor. small and great, and has pub
lished the substance cf all their statements
The facts cleaned by this correspondent AZ
rot creditable to the dignitaries Of the Mormo
church; they seem to our understanding almcs
conclusive evidence Of the guilt. not Of the Mot
mon people. but Of their leaders: and th
statements most strongly against those partie
are represented to have been made BY Mormo
hymen. Are these statements true' Il Bi
Stewart the brutal murderer the common pet
pie among the Mormons represent him to Be
And il %, why has be not been punished 70
his crimes By Mormon authorities who know Z
His Ruilts IT be is not guilty. how Gomez Il tbs