Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1875-01-21
Sept. 10, 1857, they were attacked by

and fifteen wounded. Thoughtless of
danger, totally unprepared. and in fact
while most of them were fast asleep,
they fell hopelessly before the bullets
of their unseen foes. Had they pos
sessed less bravery, less determination,
the entire party would have been mas
sacred on the spot. With a prompt
ness UNPARALLELED in all the history of
Indian warfare, these emigrants
wheeled their wagons into an oblong
corral, and with shovels and picks
threw up the earth from the center of
the corral against the wagon wheels.
In an incredibly short space of time
they had an excellent barricade. An
eyewitness says that it was done with
such remarkable celebrity that the plans
of the painted assassins were completely
frustrated.
The original plan had been, as be-
! fore stated, to attack them at Santa
Clara Canyon, but the Indians became
too impatient These " Battle-axes of
the Lord had responded to the call of
the Indian Agent, John d. Lee, and the
LIBERAL promises they had received
caused the premature attack. The
1
blankets, clothing and trinkets, the
guns, pistols and ammunition, por-
ton of all of which was to he theirs, in
duced them to make the attack at Cane
Spring. They intended to kill as many
as possible at the first fire, and then
charge upor The remainder. The charge
never was uade. There were crack
marksmen in the train, and in few
moments there we're three wounded In
dams.
An Indian runner came into Cedar
the first night, and reported the unsuc-
cessful assault. The Mormons imine-
diately started to the Meadows to as
sist. Height told a certain man that
orders had come from headquarters to
massacre the last id one of them.
The mans boy, now grown to middle
age, overheard the remark, and is nay
authority. The same person says he
saw eight or ten men start out about 9
O'Clock that night. They were armed
with shot-guns, Kentucky rifles, flint
locks, and every imaginable firearm,
and went under military orders. Maj.
JOHN d. Lee had command of the
forces which started from Cedar City,
and, finding these inadequate, sent back
to Cedar and Washington for reinforce
ments.
Sworn afidavits tell us that when the
auxiliaries had arrived, the entire COM
mand were assembled about half mile
frcm the intrenchments of the fated
emigrants, and were there coolIy in
formed that the whole company was to
be killed, and only the little children
who were too young to remember any
thing were to be spared. But the order
could not be Immediately carried out
because of the determined resistance
of the emigrants. The Meadows are
a mile and half long and q mile wide,
but the mountains which form the high
rim of the little basin converge at the
lower end and form wild, rugged
canyon. Just at the mouth of this can
yon is Cane Spring.
A mound some 300 feet long by 100
wide rose from the Meadows about
thirty rods above the spring, and COM
pletely shut out the view. Low hills
with deep ravines came down on either
side, and completely hemmed in the
party. Bullets from every side OF this
death-pen swept the Enclosure and
whistled through the wagon covers.
Such cattle as were inside the coral
were shot down, and the herds outside
were stampeded. Yet for seven or
eight days they bravely held out, and
seemed to be masters of the situation.
Water was their great need; little
babbling brook murmured along not
forty feet away, and the fine, clear
spring was not more than two rods off,
but yet they suffered indescribaby from
thirst.
TIE SIEGE.
The Mormons were painted and dis
guiSed to appear like their savage al
lies. Not content with the superior
advantages which nature had given to
their position, they threw up breast
works Of stone on the adjacent hillsides.
From behind these their rifles could
sweep the little grassy plain below
without single portion of their body
being exposed to view. Every attempt
to obtain water, either day or night,
awakened a score of deadly reports
from the cruel concealed guns. 1t
was supposed at first that none but
the men were in danger. A woman
who stepped outside the coral to milk
a COW, fell pierced with bullets. Two
innocent little girls were sent down to
the spring. Hand-in- hand, tremblingly,
these dear little rosebuds walked to-
ward the spring. Their tender little
bodies were fairly riddled- with
bullets. The old breastwofks still
remain in places, and no one can
visit the spot without being surprised
that the emigrants held out so long.
Behind the mounds. and just beyond
the low foothills and the mounds, are
level flats concealed from the emf
grants view. Here the Mormons and
Indians were pitching horse-shoes, and
amusing themselves in various ways.
The towards well understood that cruel,
pitilesss hunger and burning thirst
were their powerful allies inside that
corral. Wagon-loads of provisions
were arriving from Cedar, for the be-
siegers, and each day lessened the
scanty stock of the emigrants. Who
can picture the torrents of mind and
body which those poor people suffered !?
In q bleak, desolate country, hundreds
| cf rni1oc from holp ourroup1a1 bv