, 1875-07-31
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE.
Confession OF John ID. Lee.

Bishop, Attorney for John d. Lee. to give
the following details of the confession of
John d. Lee. which sets cut the character Of
the whole. which Is very lengthy
Mr. Bishop said that after he got 10 Beaver
he found the excitement against Lee was
great, and people believed he should be sac
riiced TO appease the Moloch of the hour
He believed tie could not get q fair trial IN
Utah, and consented that his client should
| turn States evidence TO get immunity from
| his acts. The prosecution agreed 10 enter
q qaiIe pyOSs6 as to the first indictment, abso-
lutely Lee 10 take his chances n to future
indictments. After long consultation with
his associate counsel, he agreed 10 I, and 50
advised Lee, and the prosecution ageed to Il;
also, that If the confession proved satisfac-
tory, they would dismiss all kinds q indic-
ments against Lee. After Lee made his con-
fession the prosecution found it did not i'm
plicate high church authorities, only those
III brief authority in the Iron Military Dis
trict; 50 they refused 10 accept the statement,
believing, Bishop presumes, that they could
by trying Lee procure testimony coaching
nearer the Apostolic centre. So they disre-
garded their agreements, and placed Lee on
trial. Lees statement opens as follows;
LEES STATEMENT.
1t now becomes my painful rhough impera-
tive duty 10 chronicle the circumstances that
led TO the unfortunate affair known as the
Mountain Meadows Massacre, in Utah Terri
| tory, which has been shrouded IN mystery
for the last fifteen years, causing much COM
ment, excitement and vindictive feeling
throughout the land. The entire blame has
rested upon the Mormon people in Utah.
Now, in justice 10 humanity. l feel it my
duty TO show up the facts as they exist, ac-
cording to the best of my ability, though /
/ may implicate myself by so doing. 1 have
no Yindictive feeling whatever against any
! man, or class of individuals. What | do is
/ done from a sense of duty to myself, TO my
God, and to the people at large, so that the
| truth may come 10 light and the blame rest
where it properly belongs. / have been ar
rested on the charge of being engaged in the
crime committed at the time and plAce refer
! red 10. | have been in close cuufnelnent
/ over eight months since my arrest. | was
In irons three months of the time during nv
! confinement. For the last seventeen years,
/ III fact, since the commission of the crime
have given the subject much thought and
reflection. I have made the effort to bea-
my confinement with fOrtiiude and reSigna-
ton, well Knowing that most Of those en-
gagged IN the unfortunate affair were led on
I ty religious Influences, commonly called
ianaiIclsnr and nothing but their devotion
! to God and their duty 10 him, as taught 10
them by their religion and their church lead /
ers, would ever have induced them 70 have
committed the outrageous and unnatural acts; :
! believing that all who participated IL the f;
iaInentabie transaction, or most of them, 7
were actin5 under orders that they considered .
1t their tuty, their religious dufv, 10 obey. f,
have suffered al kinds of Ill treatment, IA
well aS Imprisonment, rather tlan expose
those men, knowing the circumstances as / T,
do and believing in the sincerity of their .
| motives as | always have done ; bat have a .
duty to perform. ! have, since was arrest /
ed, become convinced that it WIS not the !
policy Of the Government or the wish OF the /
Court y punish those men, but rather pro- /
tect them aud let the blame reIt on their (
| lenders, where il Justly and lawfully belongs. /
After much thought and meditation, have /
come 10 the conclusion that
l CANNOT LONGER REMAIN sII.RYT ON THIS !
SUBJECT,
but, 40 lar as / can, must bring tC the light /
the circumstances connected, and remove the /
cloud OF mystery that has 50 long obscured /
the transaction and served to agitate the pub /
lie mind. Believing it TO be my duty Us a |
man, duty 10 myself. TO ny family, TO my /
Coz, and 10 humanity. to cast aside the !
shackles so long holding my conscience in /
silence, and III the pursuance Of The disinter-
ested advice OF my attorneys, l now submit
the facs 50 Tar as know them, sting moth
ing from malice CT purpose of revenge, hold
ing back nothing that | can state OF IEy own
knowledge, willing that the world may know
all that was done and why the acts we're
committed, l submit the following as the ex-
act, unvarying statements of facts and cir
cumstances connected with the crime known
as the Mountain Meadows massacre. The
facts are rs follows:
At this point the pages Of the confession
relating 10 the massacre were refused the re-
porters for the present, but the character Ui
them Is permitted To be stated, as follOws:l
lie gives at great length an alleged perfect
and concise statement of the acts and facts
connected with the massacre, giving names
of persons, dates and places He claims 10
fully expose ell classes OF men and every man
connected with the outrage. He starts out
with his first knowledge Of the emigrant
and conflicts mp 10 the termination OF their
sad career. he describes ell that was done
by the murderers after the commission of the
crime and the action of all connected with it |
also the action OF Brigham Young and his /
priesthood, the acts of those in authority, the /
disposition of the children saved and the par
ticulars of their delivery 10 DR.. Forney, the /
agent Of the Government, who removed them |
T.. 81 : II
fnlly explains why, FOR what reason, and 1
how the tragedy was accomplished; stating /
the justification relied upon by the partici-
pants for the commission OF that fearful 4
crime. The details
FiX THE CRIME UPON ISAAC c. HAIGHT AND |
JOAN II. HIGBEE,
the commanding officers; the former stand /
ing on an eminence and giving the signal 4
agreed upon for the slaughter after the emf !
grants had been decoyed out Of their strong 1
hold by flag of truce. The wounded had /
first been hauled ont end were dispatched /
There were thirty white men and large |
number of Indians. The details OF the kill
ing of the men, wo men and children, sur
pass in horror ali that has ever been written |
concerning the massacre, and are more terri |
bic, atrOeioas, and bloody than the most WV
ID imagination ean oonjure; ST Bsrtholo- |
news Day and the utmost barbarity of hu |
manity absolutely pale before the siekeninz |
tale.
BRIGHAM YOUNG ExCCLPATED.
In conclusion, Lee writes as follows: A
few days sitter the massacre l was instructed l
by Major Isaac c. Haight, next II command |
TO W. II. Dame, in Iron Military District, TO |
carry report of what had been done to Pres