The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1875-08-27
The Mountain Meadows Massacre.

4uC AOuubd1u hCduOWn udoShClUs
/ In the summer of 1857 one of the finest
emigrant trains that ever crossed the
plains left Salt Lake City, where it had
halted few days, on its way to Los An
geles, in California. The Mormon lead
ers were at that time infuriated by re-
ports that the United States government
contemplated interference with "the
Saints" and their anger was probably
Increased by the circumstance that sew
eral disaffected Mormons Joined the.
train when it left Salt Lake City.
Brigham Young declared in a furious
sermon that if emigrants did not cease
passing through his territory he would
turn the Indians loose on them.
j Probably ignorant of this threat, or
i disregarding it, the train proceeded
westward and reached a place called
Mountain Meadows, where it was seen
by an Indian agent. At this point,
three hundred miles from Salt Lake
City, the Inflated emigrants halted to
rest and recruit their stock before enter
ing on the greatdesert which lay beyond.
The Indian agent reported having met
the train; but for some years thereafter
nothing more was heard of it. 1t was
said to be 'lost." Gradually tales of
blood began to be circulated, and the
details of the awful massacre peTpetrated
by the Mormons and their Indian allies
came to light.
The Mountain Meadows were then
surrounded by several Mormon settle
ments. The bishops, while the emf
grants were still encamped there, as
sembled their people and declared that
they had received a command from the
Mormon capital to "follOw and attack
the accursed Gentiles, and let the arrows
Of the Almighty drink their bloOd.n
Some sixty Mormons, assisted by 2
party Of Indians, the white men dressed
and painted like their savage but not
more barbarous allies, surrounded the
emigrants one morning before daylight,
hoping to surprise them. But the emf
} grants hastily drew their wagons in a
circle, threw up earth-wOrks, behind
which they sheltered themselves, and
made an energetic defense. For a whole
week they were kept under fire. Still
they showed no signs of surrendering.
At length the Mormons changed their
tactics. They washed the paint from
their faces, resumed their own clothing,
and appeared to the emigrants in the
character of rescuerS who had driven off
the Indians. They were joyfully ac-
cepted as an escort; the emigrants were
cajoled into laying aside their arms and
leaving their intrenched camp. On a
on the defenseless party. The Indians
who had been stationed in ambush near
by, rushed in to assist in the bloody
work, and In very brief space of time
, a hundred and twenty men, women and
children were murdered in cold blood.
No adults were spared. Three men who
had escaped from the camp during the
: siege, and endeavored to reach place
where help could be obtained, were over
i ~
dFen. supposed to be too young to re-
member the massacre, were saved alive.
They were afterward claimed by their
; friends in the East, and later two of them
gave evidence of the horrible work of
, blood. The property of the murdered
emigrants was divided by the MormOns
, and Indians.
, The Mormon leaders now endeavOred
to keep their awful story from the world.
Their own people were forbidden to
speak of the massacre. The church pa
t pers made no allusion to it until long
, after it was known in the States. But
r there were too. many concerned in the
bloody work to keep it from the light.
2 One or two, it is said, became raving ma
r MACS through torture of conscience;
Bishop Klingen Smith, who had been
active in rousing the MOrmons to attack
the emigrants, fled to Nevada and made
: public confession before justice. Gem
eral Carleton went to the scene of the
D massacre, collected and buried the bones
of the slain, then took all the evidence
obtainable, and embodied it in an official
report. The Federal officials sought to
!, bring the guilty to punishment, but
I Mormon grand juries refused to act. 1t
a was claimed that all transactions OF the
war period were covered by President
Buchanan's pardon.
: In 1871 the courts of Utah passed into
the hands of nOu-MOrmons, and then
!, there was change In Brigham Young's
policy. He called a grand council, and
soIemnly cut off John ID. Lee and sew
o eral others from the church. Lee went
into exile in the Indian country, and ii
,. was reported all over Utah that he was
dead. But the Powell expedition found
l. him down OH the Colorado, at the mouth
:, of Pahreah CafiOn, keeping ferry fol
n the Saints on their trail into Arizona.
Last winter this man was captured
while visiting one of his eighteen wives
IS at Panguitch, in the Sewer Valley, anC
e preparations for bis trial were ut once be
o gun. It has required the most perseverinl
: exertions to get witnesses together. Lee
d was anxious to save himself by turning
states evidence against his companions
but was not allowed to escape in thii
e way. He is a peculiarly atrocloui
y scoundrel. 1t has been proved against
e him that while the massacre was going
lc on he dragged lovely young girl from
y the scene; when she resisted and STRUCK
8. at him with knife, he shot her. Tit
e prosecuting officers appear to be doing
It their work thoroughly. The evidence
le already brought forward convicts Lee
10 as the leader in the massacre, and it i
t. believed that the responsibility for tn
is whole bloody scheme will be shown t.
)e rest on the head OF Brigham Young him
self. He has endeavored to evade ap
r pearing at the trial on the plea OF feeble
II ness; but the District Attorney firml!
er requires his presence. Both Lee ant
lie Young declare that the guilt of the mas
le sacre rests upon Klingen Smith, the prin
D. cipal witness for the prosecution.-Ha'
l. per's Weekly. l4
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