Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-02-15
THE MOUNTAIN MEADOW MAS
SACRE.
RACHEL Lex AccouNr oF me rnAeEpr.

BEAVER, Dec. ~, 1874.
John ID. Lee has long been known to
the public. His recent arrest at Pang-
witch brought before the community the
name of a woman who should be held as
the heroine of the Wonderful Story
that newspapers are daily dishing out
concerning this manufactured hero. John
ID. Lee | say this because of the M
firing and INSCRIPTIONS efforts of the
papers and correspondents to make Lee
the hero af the affair the Joshua among
the Aoabites the conqnerer. of Madge
burgh. His arrest was very tame and
commonplace matter of business, but
was made memorable by the sensation
alists introducing Rachel to the public
as matured Katie Bender. by reason
of all which cheap photographs of the
hero, Major John. and his heroine. Ra-
ehel, sell rapidly all over the country.
| have seen this Rachel and talked with
her frequently have heard her story.
and propose at this time to give you a
part Of it. the part that has bearing up
on the great Utah tragedy. leaving her
personal history for her biographer. She
has had many daring encounters with
Indians. and has passed through many
great dangers and difficulties; has en-
dured wonderful fatigucs and trials, on
horseback and otherwise, but of her feats,
/ adventures, trials and achievements, |
shall not speak at this time.
Her personal appearance is that of a
plain woman of 45 years weight, l54
pounds; eyes grey, small and piercing
features aquiline and marked head
high and narrow hair brown, inclining
to gray. She is thin of flesh, agile,
wiry, firm in body, straight in stature,
and steps off with the elasticity and ap-
parent confidence of one who depends
entirely upon herself, which fact you
may bet all your spare nickels on with
safety. She will take care of Rachel
against the assaults of the world, the
flesh. the devil and the Indians.
She is tanned and sunburnt by expo
sure to the sun and desert winds, vet,
withal. she is in appearance just such a
woman as we see by hundreds every
day. and is not the hideous, cruel crea-
ture, that correspondents have repsesent-
ed her to be. will bet peek of pin
yOns that she is better looking and a
more pleasant woman than the wives
and mothers of a majority of the men
who cry her down as a female fright
She talks well, and like Mr.. Lee. does
not use the ungrammatical western YER
nacular that scribblers have attributed
to her. She has a tolerable education.
such as girls of her time were able to
obtain. She is kind d-hearted and SYM
pathetic. and "stays by John d. with
woman's affection that would do credit
to and even astonish circles of high mod
ern civilization. She is not handsome.
nor yet ugly. but a plain, ordinary. COM
mon appearing woman.
1t is proper here for me to state that
in writing this article do not consider
it is in the least ceDsurable because CON-
ing from the attorney of John d. Lee. |
think SO because the Mountain Meadow
tragedy is part Of the history of Utah
that has been written and rewritten.
and is being constantly again written.
and that each and all of these writing
have been composed and published by
those whose sole aim is to fasten the
blame of horrid crime upon John D.
Lee and the Mormon Church. and
think it perfectly proper to write and
publish the narration Of the occurrence
by one, who. from her intimate relation,
with those who are accused Of being
chief actors. should be supposed To know
the facts OF the case. She is not Dris
Oner, nor charged with taking part il
the affair, but was in the country at The
time. and relates her story as cotem
porary of the times. giving her version
Of the occurrence. ! will also state tina
Judge Hoge has been associated with m'
in the defence of John ID. Lee. and an
free to inform the prosecution and th,
, public that under the plea Of mot gull
ty" the line Of our defence will be lst
that John D. Lee took no part in it il
I any way, except at the risk Of his owl
life to save the doomed emigrants ID
D that Lee was not present on the groun'
r at the time. and neither in deed, wor,
nor interest took part in. nor aided a
accessory before or after the fact in th
. great crime Sd, that he held no author
ity of any kind at the time. either in tn
a church, state or militia.
!, So much / will give you in explana
tion Of this article. so that if | am az
n cused of trying the case in the papers.
0 can point 10 the article and say that
e is not from the defendant and is only
scrap of history related by one who live
amidst the passing events. aud who.
. version should be held as harmless
k print as the thousands Of other version
D. Of the affair. written by those who kno
&c nothing of it. ard only written throug