The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-07-29
HOW THE EMIGRANTS, THEIR
WIVES AND CHILDREN, WERE
BETRA YED AND SHOT
DOWN BY The
"SAIN7S,"
The Damling Tale Fully Told by One
Of the MUTdGrGrS.
THE MASSA GRE ORDERED BY THE co UNCIL
OF THE CHURCH AND ALL THE HIGH
PRIESTS IMPLICATED.
DENVER, UTAH, July 90.

At two o'clock the first witness was
called. Robert Keyes came to Utah Oc-
tober 2, 1857, through the Mountain
Meadows. Saw two riles of bodies Of
women and children, piled promiscuous
ly, about sixty or seventy; children were
from two months old TO twelve years; the
smaller more torn by wolves and crows;
and some bodies were shot, some with
throats cut, some stabbed; all were torn
by the wolves except one woman little
way of, who appeared as if asleep, witha
ball hole in her left side; it appeared the
bodies had been dead fifteen days; seven
of us saw a pile of mems bodies further
on; didn't go to see them; there was no
clothing on the bodies except the leg of
of one sock on one man; none were
scalped.
Asahel Bennett called-Was at the
Meadows in December, 1857; saw the
bones there--a horroble sight; skeletons
of women and children, with curls and
long tresses of hair, and dried blood; the
children were from ten to twelve years
old; some of the skulls had the flesh
dried on the bodies had been covered
up, and wolves had evidently dug them
up.
Philip Klingensmith, a defendant, of
San Bernardina, California, called. [The
prosecution had entered a nOlle prOSeq,ti
as to himself.l Lived in Cedar City in
1857 from 1852; the Meadows were forty
five miles south of Cedar, on the Califor-
mia road; was at the massacre in Septem-
ber, 1857; heard of the emigrants coming;
the people were forbidden to trade with
them; felt bad about it; saw few of them
at Cedar; this was on Friday; some swore
and Higbee fined them; they went on:
heard rumors of trouble on Sunday; it was
the custom to have meetings of the Pres.
ident 'and Council of Bishops and the
High Council; was Bishop; the matter
came up for discussion as to their des.
truction; Haight, Higbee, Morrill,, Allen,
Willis, myself and others, were there;
some of the brethren opposed their des-
truction: did; Haight jumped up and
broke up the meeting: l asked what wo'd
be the consequence of such an act; then
Haight got mad: the Indians were to
destroy them: on Monday Higbee, Haight
White and l met and discussed the same
subject again; l opposed the destruction
Haight relented, and told White and l to
90 agead and tell the people the emf
grants should go through safe: we did so
on the road we met John d. Lee; told
him where and why we were going: he
replied, II have something to say about
that matter" we passed the emigrants at
iron Springs; next morning we passed
them again as we came back. they had
twenty or thirty wagons and over one
hundred people-old men, middle aged
old women, middle-aged, youths and
children; near home we met Ira Allen
he said the emigrants' doom was sealed,
and the die cast for their destruction;that
Lees orders were to take men and 90
out and intercept them; Allen was to 20
out to counteract what l did; | went
home three days after Haight sent for
me, and said the orders came from camp;
they didn't get along, and wanted rein.
forcements; that he had been to Parowan
and got further orders from Col. w. H.
Dame to finish the massacre, to decJy
them out and spare only small children
who could not tell the tale; went off,
and met Allen, our first runner, and 9TH
ers Higbee came out and said, "You
are lordered OUT armed and equip
ped;" so went; Hopkins, Higbee, John
Willis and Sam Purdy went along, We
had two baggae wagons; we got to Ham
blin's ranch in the night, three miles
from the emigrants; there we met Lee
and others from the general camp, where
the largest number of men were: wethen
found the emigrants were not all killed
Lee called me out for consultation at one
side; told me the situation; the emigrants
were strongly fortified, and there was no
chance to get them out; that Higbee was
ordered to decoy them out the best way
he could; that was agreed to, and the
command was given to j. D. Lee to carry
out the whole plan; they went to the
camp, and Lee called all the soldiers in a
hollow square and addressed them; they
were all white men, about fifty in all: the
Indians were in another camp; l saw
there Slade and his son, Jim Perace and
probably his sons too-all these were
from Cedar, Bill Stewart, Levin Jacobs,
and | think Daniel McFarlane too; Slade
and l were outraged, but we said, "What
can we doP We can't help ourselves"
just then the order to march was given
and we had to go; we were put in double
file; Higbee had command of part of the
men-it was the Nauvoo Legion, organ
lied from tens up to hundreds; we march
ed in sight ofthe elnigrants; either Bate
man or Lee went out with white flag;
man from the emigrants met them; Lee
and the man sat down on the grass and
had talk: don't know what they talked;
Lee went with the man into the in
trenchment; after some hours they came