Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-07-28
The Mountain Meadow Massacre

As the trial Of certain persons for
participating in and melting the
Mountain Meadow massacre is now
progressing at Beaver, Utah, a recital
Of that incident will not be uninter-
esting. The following sketch is from
the New York Times.
In September, 1857, an emigrant
train from Arkansas, consisting of
about one hundred and fifty people,
men, women and children, with forty
wagons, eight hundred head of cattle,
and sixty horses and mules, passed
through the Salt Lake region, bound
TO California. Their property was val
liable, the proceeds of it being after
ward declared TO exceed $50, 600. The
numbers and strength of the party
afforded protection to a train Of dis
affected MOTmons, who took this
occasion To flee from the horrors of
Salt Lake Valley. On The 10th of
September, while camped in Mountain
Meadow, about 800 miles west of Salt
Lake City, the emigrants were at
tackled by a baud of white people
painted and dressed like Indians. No
assault from the Indians could have
been expected, as the wild tribes of
that region are harmless, degraded
creatures, only few degrees above the
rOOt-diggers of the Pacific States. The
emigrants defended themselves with
spirit after the first dash, in which
hey lost ten or twelve men, was made
by their assailants. Behind their bar
ricade of wagons they kept up such a
vigorous fusilade that after siege of
five days the enemy Withdrew. The
camp was next visited by wagon
bearing a white flag and containing
Jacob Haight, then one Of the Presi-
dents of the Mormon Church, and
John ID. Lee, a Mormon Bishop, and
also adopted son of Brigham Young.
These men prOfessed to be on good
terms with the Indians and offered
To act as mediators in the interests OF
peace.
1t was proposed that the emigrants
should march out from camp leaving
everything behind, including their
guns. The Mormon emissaries agreed
to furnish-a guard thence to the settle
meuts. These conditions We're accepts
ed The little procession began to
move when it was fired upon by the
guard, the so-called Indians joining.
The men were first killed the women
and children ran on few hundred
yards and then fell. The plumber was
taken to salt Lake City and the adj
joining settlements, and divided. Mr..
j. Forney, Superintendent of Indian
affairs for Utah, testified that the
| church dignitaries alone received prop
erty estimated to be worth $50, 900. The
| skeletons of one hundred and twenty
persons were subsequently collected on
that fatal field and buried in one
mound. 4 pile Of rocks marks the
spot and on a huge cross, erected as q
monument, was placed the inscription
Vengeance l. mine, saith the Lord
At the time the United States troops
were marching TO Utah by direction OF
President Buchanan. Bishop Pratt had
just been killed in Arkansas by man
who's" wife he had attempted TO abduct,
and a. e MoTmOns were in high state
Of excitement. They had readily en-
braced the theory that the earth and
its fullness belonged to the Lords
saints, and that they were the saints.
The lapse OF years has only deepened
the conviction that the murdeTers were
Mormons sent out by command from
the heads OF their ecclesiastical gov
eminent.