The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1875-07-27
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS.
BRUTALITY ALMOsr BEYOND paE0E
DENT.
over - Hundred EnnigraHts KILLED
The TiirORss Of the Wounded cut
ana the bodies Lett to the Wolves.


the first witness was called.
TESTIMONY OF ROBERT kEYEs.
Robert kcycs came to Utah October z.
1857. Through Mountain Meadows he
saw two piles of bodies. women and chill
dren. piled promiscuou,ly, about 60 to 20,
the children from two months old to
twelve years. The smaller wore torn by
wolves and cows. and some bodies were
shot. some throats cut. some stabbed,
and all torn by wolves except one woman
a little way oil. who appeared rs if asleep,
with bullet hole in her left
side. 1t appeared that the bodies
had been dead IL days. Seven OF us
saw it.
There was II pile Of meas bodies further
on. lie didn't go to see them. There
was no clothing on the bodies. except one
sock on man. None were scalped.
TESTIMONY or AsArEL BENNETT
Asatel Bennett was called. He was
ut the Meadows in December, 1857, and
saw the bones there, horrible sight
skeletons Of women, children. curls.
tongs, dresses. hair dried blood, chill
dren ten to twelve wears old. Some
skulls had the flesh dried on them. The
bodies had been covered up, the wolves
~ NV hAf US Asi'bi Nll.
TESTIMONY OF BISHOP sMnru.
Philip Kingcr Smith. defendant of
San Bcrnardno, Cal, was called. The
prosecution entered nollc proScqui as to
himself.
lie lived at Cedar City in 1857. and
from 1852. The Meadows are tortv-iivc
miles south of Cedar Oh the California
road. lie was at the massacre in 1857.
lie heard ol the cmigrant, coming. PEG.
pie were forbidden TO trade with them.
lie felt bad about it. lie saw a few OF
them at Cedar; this was Friday. some
sworc. and liigbce fired at them. Incy
went on. He heard rumois OF trouble
sunday. u was the custom TO have a
meeting OF the president and council
the bishop. ana council, and the high
council was Il bishop. The matter
came up, and there was Il discussion a.
To thcir destruction. llaight. Higbcc.
Morrel,. Allen, Willis, myself and Others
were there. Some brethren opposed
their destruction. llaight jumped up
and broke up the meeting | asked
what would be the consequence OF
such al act: Then llaight rot mad.
The Indians were to destroy them. Mon
| day lligbce, White and met. and the
| their destruction. llaight rclcntcd. and
| told White aud me to 20 ahead aud tell
| people that the cmigrlnt. should 30
| through safe. We did so.
ON the road we met John u. Lee. and
told Inn where We were going. He re-
| piled: 81 have something to say about
| that matter. Wcpasscd the CMigrants
at Iron springs. Next morning we pass
ed them again aS we came back. They
| had twenty or thirty wagons. and there
| were over one hundred people. old men
| lnludIc-agcd, old women, mIddlc-agcd.
| youths and children. Near home | met
| Ira Allen. lie said the emigrants' doom
was sealed, and the die cast for destruc-
/ ton: that Lees orders were to take men
and go out and intercept them. Allen
| was 10 90 on and countcract what he did
| | Went home
Three days after, lIaight sent for IN,
and said orders had come from camp
They didn't get along aud wanted re.cn.
forcemcnts; that he had bee" ~ fnroWaIl
and got further orders rom Col. W. IL.
Dame TO dnish the massacre, to decoy
ont and spare only small children who
could not Tell the tale. l went oil and
met Allen, our first runner. and iligbcC
came out and said, "I on are ordered out,
armed and equipped" SO Invent.
Hopkins, lligbee, Willis and sam Pur.
dee went along. We had two baggage
wagons. We got to Ilamblin's ranch i'm
the night, three miles from the emf
grants. There we met Lee and others
from the general camp, where the largest
number OF men were then. We found
that the cmigrants were not all killed.
Lee called me out for consultation ON one
side. He told me the situation, The
emlgrants were strongly fortified. and we
llad no chance 10 get them out, that IIig-
bee was ordered 10 dccoy them out the
best he could.
Ihat was agreed TO. and the command
gwen toJ. ID. Lee to carry out the whole
pan. lney went to Camp Lee, called
all the soldier, into hollow square and
addressed them. They were all white
men. about fifty in all. The Indians were
in another camp. | saw there Sladc and
his son Jim. Pcarcc, probably his sons
too; all those from Cedar. and Bill Stew
art, Levin Jacobs, think. Dan McFarlane.
too. Stadc and Were outraged. but we
said. Wv hat can we do: We can't HELM
ourselves Just then the order To march
was gwen. We had to go out in double
lile. lilgDee had command OF part ofthc
men. III was the Nauvos Legion. organ
lLed from tens up to hundreds. We
marched III sight OF the cmigrants. Ell
thcr Batcman o. Lee went out with n
WHITE ila@. A man from the cmigrants
met them. Lee and the man sat on the
grass and had n talk. don't know What
they talked. Lee went with the man into
the cntrcnchm,nts.
After some hours they came ont. and
the emigrants came up with the wounded
in wagons alcad. The wounded were
those hurt in the three days previous
light lie said the Mormons and the
Indians couldn't Dust the emigrants .
| Next was the women and next the men.
As the emlgmnts came up, the men halted
ana NE women on foot. children, and
| wounded, went on ahead, with John -.
Lee, The 'Oldiers had to be all ready TO
shoot at the word. When the word
| llalt came the soldiers fired.
! fired once. don't know whether
| Killed the man. They were notall killed
| at The lir,t shot. saw women aftcrward
| dead with their Threats cut. | saw ms
| came mp 10 them man Kill youn" Girl.
hc men were marched in dOuhle-tllc nj
first, and then thrown in singlc-1lc. with
soldiers alongside. heard the emlgrants'
congratulations on their safety from the
indians.
AZ IAst lilgDcc calilc past ana ordered
my quad to fire. Lee, like the rest, had
firearms. No cmigrants escaped saw
soldiers on horses TO take on the wing
those who ran. saw man run. saw
BllI stewart on horse go after him and
Nil him. j saw one wounded man beg
for lis life, lIigbcc cut his throat. The
man said, u would not do this to you,
lligbce." lie knew him.
Auor | fired | was fold to ooth,r mn,
the little children. AS | went | saw a
large woman running toward the men.
crying "My husband, my husband" A
..lLl'.. -lnI lnr L., IL. III. III l.