The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1875-07-30
MOUNTAIN MEADOW MASSACRE.

Testimony Elected the First Day Of the Triad
Hol0 the Butcher Planned and Executed.
At the opening of the trial of the
MOrmOns implicated in the Mountain
Meadow massacre, at Beaver, Utah,
Robert Kays testified as follows: Came
to Utah October 2, 1867, through
Mountain Meadows saw piles of bodies
of woman and children, piled prOmis,
cuously there we're sixty or seventy
bodies the children were from two
months old to twelve years the smaller
were torn by wolves and crows; some of
the bodies were shot, some had their
thrOats cut, some stabbed, and all were
torn by wolves except one woman, who
laid little way off, and appeared as if
asleep, ball hole in her left side; 1t
appeared the bodies were dead fifteen
days; seven of us saw it. Piles of mems
bodies were further on; didn't go to see
them; no clothing on the bodies, except
one sock on the leg of one man; none
were scaIped.
AssateI Bennett called: Was at the
Meadows December, 1857; saw the
bones there; horrible sight; skeletons of
women and children; cUrls, long tresses
hair, dried blood; children 10 to u
years; some skulls had flesh dried
on; the bodies had been covered
up; wolves evidently dug them up
Phillip Linger Smith. defendent of
San Bernandi, California, called: Pros
ecution entered nolle prOsequi as to
himself. Lived in Cedar city from
1852 to 1857. Was at the massacre in
September, 1857; heard of the en-
igrants coming. The people were for
hidden to trade with them felt bad
about it saw a few of them at Cedar
heard rumors of trouble s nday. It
was the custom to have meetings of the
president and council, bishop and
council and high council. The matter
came up for discussion as to their de-
strUction. Haight, Higbee, Morrill,,
Allen, Mills, myself and others were
there. Some brethren opposed their
destruction. I did. Haight jumped
up and broke up the meeting. asked
what would be the consequences of
such an act. Then Haight got mad.
| The Indians were to destroy them. On
same subject again. ] opposed the de-
struction. Haight relented, and told
White and I to go ahead and tell the
people the emigrants should go through
safe. We did SO, and on the road we
met John d. Lee. We told where we
were going, and he replied I have
something to say about that matter
we passed the emigrants at Iron Springs;
next morning we passed them again
as we came back they had twenty or
thirty wagons over a hundred people,
old men, middle aged men, old wO-
men, middle aged women, youths and
children near home I met Ira
Allen; he said the emigrants'
doom was sealed, the die cast for de-
strUction three days after Haight sent
for me, and said orders had come from
camp didn't get along, wanted rein
fOrcements; that he had been TO PrOwin,
and got further orders from Colonel w.
II. Dame to finish the massacre, to de-
coy and spare only small children who
could not tell the tale. I went of, met
Allen, our first runner, and others.
Higbee said: you are ordered out,
armed and equipped; so I went; Hop
kins, Higbee, John Willis and Sam
Purdy went along had two baggage
Wagons got to Hamplen's rancho in
the night, three miles from emjgrants
there met Lee and others from the gen
eral camp, where the largest number of
men were then found the emigrants
not all killed. Bateman or Lee went
out with a white flag. A man from the
emigrants met them. Lee and a man
set down on the grass and had a talk
don't know what they talked. Lee went
with the man into the intrenchments.
After some hours they came out and the
emigrants came out with their wounded
in wagons ahead. The wounded were
those hurt in the three days previous
fight. Next came the women, next the
men. AS the emigrants came up the men
halted, and the women on foot and chill
| dren and wounded went on ahead with
| John D. Lee. The soldiers had to be
all ready to shoot at the word. When
| the word halt came the soldiers fired.
l fred once don't know if I killed a
man not all killed at the first fire.
/ Saw the women afterward dead, with
| their thrOats cut. saw, as came up
| to them, a man kill young girl. The
men were marched in dOnble file first,
! then thrown in single file, with the sol
| diers along side. The emigrants were
! cOngratulatiBg themselves on their
safety from the Indians. At last John
| NJ. Higbee came and ordered my squad
to fire. Lee, like the rest, had firearms,
| No emigrsnts were allowed to escape {;
| saw soldiers on horses to take on wing
| tn Ose who ran ; saw a man run saw Bill
| start on a horse and kill him, and a
wounded man beg for life. Higbee cut
mis- throat. I was told to gather up the
little children. I went, and saw a
woman running toward the men, crying,
"My husband, my husband A
soldier shot her IN the back, and she