Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-07-30
The Mountain Meadow Massacre,

! the modern Babylon.
The trial of John ID. Lee for his con-
nection with the Mountain Meadow
massacre began Thursday at Beaver
City, Utah. After two witnesses, who
only saw the bodies some days after the
Mountain Meadow massacre, had testi-
fed, Philip Kingen Smith, defendant
of San Bernardo, Cal, was called.
The prosecution entered nolle pros
equi as to Smith and he proceeded to
testify
Lived in Cedar City from 1852 to
1857 the Meadows was forty-fve miles
south of Cedar, ON the California road ;
was at the massacre in September, 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
Sunday it was the custom to have
meetings by the President and Council,
Bishop and Council and High Council /;
l was Bishop; the matter came up for
discussion as to their destruction !;
Haight, Higbee, Morrill,, Allen, Willis,
and others were there; some of the
brethren opposed the destruction; / did;
Haight jumped up and broke the meet
ing; | asked what would be the conse-
quences of such an act then Haight
got mad the Indians were to destroy
them on Monday.
Smith then proceeded to detail the
preliminary arrangements Of the massa-
ere. He opposed it and Haight also relent-
ed and he (Smith) and White were told
toinform the emigrants that they should
go through safe and they did so inform
them. On their way they met Lee, and
told him their errand, to which he re-
piled: l shall have something to say
about that matter" Smith then says
We passed the emigrants at Iron
Spring next morning we passed them
again as we came back /; they had twen-
ty or thirty wagons and over 100 peo-
| ple--old men and middle aged, old wo.
men and middle aged, youths and chill
dren.
Near home we met Ira Allen he said
that the emigrants doom was sealed the
die was cast for their destruction that
Lees orders were to take the men, &c
out and intercept them; Allen to &c
on and counteract what we did | went
home three days after Haight sent for
me and said orders came from the camp
that they did not get along and wanted
reinforcements that he had been tc
Parowan and got further orders from
Col. w. II. Dame to finish the massa
ere; to decoy out and spare only small
children, who could not tell the tale.
went off met Allen, our first runner
and others Higbee came out and said
!" Yon are ordered out armed and equip
ped )" so | went Hopkins, Highly
John Willis, and Sam Purdy went
along we had two baggage wagons
got to Hamblin's rancho 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 then found the emigrants were
not all killed Lee called me aside for
consultation.
He told me that the situation of the
emigrants was strongly fortified, and
there was no chance to get them out that
Higbee was ordered to decoy them out
the best he could that was agreed to,
and the command was given to John
d. Lee to carry out the whole plan.
They went to camp; Lee called all
the soldiers in hollow square and ad-
dressed them they we're all white men,
about 80 in all the Indians were in an
other camp saw there Slade and his
son, and Jim Pearce probably his son
too : all these from Cedar, and Bill
Stewart and Levin Jacobs; think Dan
McFarlin was there too.
Slade and witness were opposed to
the massacre, but felt that they could
not help themselves. Just then the or.
der to march was given. They had to
go double file. Higbee had command
of part of the men. 1t was the Nauvoo
legion, organized from tens up to hun.
dreds. They marched in sight of the
emigrants. Either Bateman or Lee
went out with the white flag and man
from the emigrants met them. Lee and
the man sat down on the grass and had
a talk. Lee then went with the man
into the entertainments. After some
time they came out and the emigrants
came up with their wounded in wagons
ahead. The wounded were those hurt
in the fight the three days previous.
Next came the women and next the
men. As the emigrants came up the
men halted and the women on foot, with
the children and wounded, went on
ahead with Lee. The soldiers had to
be all ready to shoot at the word. When
the word halt came the soldiers fred
Witness fired once but didn't know il
he killed any one. The men were not
all killed at the first fire witness after
wards saw the women dead with their
Threats cut saw as he came up to them
a man kill a young girl. The men were
marched in double file first, then thrown
in single file, with the soldiers alongside.
4 Witness heard the emigrants congratu-
lating themselves on their safety from
the Indians. AT last, John NJ. Higbee
came and ordered witness squad to fire.
Lee, like the rest, had fire arms. No
emigrants escaped. There were soldiers
on horses to take on the wing those who
ran. Witness saw a man run, and saw
| RIll Stewart On q howe c.o "a. =