The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-06-03
The Mountain Meadows Massacre
New York Graphic.

New York Graphic.
The coming trial of John d. Lee, the
alleged leader in the Mountain Meadows
massacre, has reawakened public interest
in that tragedy of eighteen years ago.
He is now at Camp Cameron, near
Brown City, Utah, awaiting his trial,
for which he says he is anxious, as he is
confident that it will result in his ac-
quittal He is sixty.two years old, has
had eighteen wives, and sixty-two chill
dren-One for each year of his life.
Fifty. four of his children are now living.
The history of the massacre is as follows:
In the spring of 1857 a large train of
emigrants passed through Utah on their
way to California. There were one hun
dred and fifty of them, all told. All
went we'll with them till they reached
Salt Lake City, where they halted to re-
new their supplies. They were perfectly
we'll behaved, and as respectable band
of emigrants as ever went through the
valley, but at Salt Lake City they found
that there was bitter dislike to them,
probably because most OF them were
Arkansians, people at that time greatly
disliked by the MOrm0nk. The emigrants
encamped by the Jordan River, but
were peremptorily ordered by Brigham
Young to leave the place and move for
ward. They were forced to obey, not
withstanding their needy condition, and
were allowed to purchase no food from
white men till they reached Cedar City,
where they obtained fifty bushels of
wheat, which was ground for them at
John d. Lees mill. They remained in
Cedar City one day, and then pushed
forward to Iron Creek, and thence to the
Meadows. They were soon pursued-as
the story goes-by a Mormon regiment
under Cess, who was then the Sub-Agent
for Indian affairs in Southern Utah, and
by body of Piede Indians whom Lee
had asked to accompany him. The emf
grants were overtaken, and flag of
truce was sent to them with the assur-
ance that should they surrender the lives
of all should be spared. The MOrmons
were disguised as Indians, and the emf
grants, supposing them to be Indians,
believed that they would be murdered if
help should not arrive, and so coralled
their wagons and determined to defend
themselves. They were surrounded, but
when nearly famished they saw a wagon
approaching containing Lee, Haight and
other Mormons, who, presently alighting,
offered to mediate between them and
their enemies. The Mormons then went
back to the Indians and pretended to
negotiate with them; presently they re-
turned and said that the Piedes were
willing to leave them uninjured if they
would leave everything, their weapons
and all, behind them and return to Salt
Lake City. They consented to this and
marched out, the women and children in
front, the men following, and the Nor
mon guard in the rear. They had gone
but mile when they were all butchered
in cold blood by the Mormons and their
allies; not one escaped except a few
small children. They were stripped and
left to rot, but their remains were af
terwards collected by Major Carleton,
the United States Commissioner, who
erected over them cairn OF stones sur,
mounted by a cedar cross, on which was
inscribed: "Vengeance is mine l will
repay, saith the Lord"