The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-08-07
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THU MASSACRE UTAH.
The STORY of the Mountain Meadow
hatchery nv Fold by an Eye Witness
--lI,e Crime Instignied by the Nor
InAn lnnlcrA

mon Leaders.
AT two o'clock, on the 23d of July
Robert Reyes, the first witness, was
called. He came to Utah on October
., 1857, through the Mountain Mead.
ows. He saw two piles of bodies OIL
women and children, piled promiscu.
ously-abOut sixty or seventy. The
children were from two months old to
twelve years. The smaller ones were
torn by wolves ana crows. Some
bodies were shot, some had their thr0als
cut, some were stabbed, and all were
torn by wolves, except one woman, a
little way oil, who appeared as though
she we're asleep. There was bullet
hole in her left side. From appear
ances, the bodies were dead for fifteen
days. Seven of us saw them. The
pile of mems bodies was further on.
We did not 90 to see them. There was
no clothing OH the bodies except sock
on the foot of Que man. None had
been scalpcd.
Ashbel Bennett was at the Meadows
December 1857. He saw bones there,
horrible sight of skeletons of women
and children, with curls and long
tresses of hair dried in blood. The
children were from ten TO tiue 's1n-''aars
of age. Some of the skuIIs had the
flesh dried ON them. The bodies had
been covered up, but wolves evidently
dug them out.
PLANNING TIE MASSACRE.
Philip Klingen Smith, defendant,
of St. Bernardino, CAL, was called.
The prosecution entered II nONe pro-
sequi MS to himself lie lived in Cedar
City in 1857, since 1852. The Meadows
are forty-fve miles south of Cedar
City, on the California road. He was
at The massacre in 1859. He heard of
emigrants coming, The people were
forbidden to trade with them. He felt
bad abont it. Saw Il few of them at
Cedar City. This was on Friday.
Some swore and Higbee fined them.
They went on, lie heard rumors of trou-
BILE. On Sunday it was customary to
have meetings of the President and
Council, Bishops and Council, and the
High council. / was u Bishop. The
question as to their destruction came
UP for discussion. Hight, lligbee, Nor
rill, myself and others were there.
Some OF the brethren opposed destruc-
ton. l did. Haight jumped up and
broke up the meeting. l asked what
would oe the consequences of such an
act. Hight then got mad. The In
dians were to destroy them on Mon
day. Higbee, Haight, White and met
and discussed the same subject again.
/ opposed their destruction. Haight
relented, aud told White and to go u
head and tell the people the emigrants,
should 20 through safely. We did so.
On the road we met John Lee, and told
him where we were going. He replied
that he had 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, and
numbered altogether over one hundred
persons-young and middle-aged men,
women, yonths and children. While
near home we met Ira Allen. He said
that aEuE
THE DOOM OF THE EMIGRANTS il
was sealed, aud that the die was cast
for their destruction; also, that lie had
orders to take men out and intercept
the emigrants, and that Allen was to
go on and cOunteract what we had
done. / went home. Three days
afterward Haight sent ;Or me, and said
that orders had come from the camp
that they did not get along, and want
ed reinforcemeuts; that he had been
to Parowan and got further orders
from Colonel w. II. Dame to finish
the massacre, to decoy the emigrants
out, and spare only the small children,
who could not tell the tale. | went off
and met Allen, our first runner, and
others. Higbee came out, and said we
were ordered ou., armed and equipped.
So / went. Hopkins, Higbee, John
Willis and Sam Purdy went along.
We had two baggage wagons with
is. We got to Hamblin's rancho In the
night, three miles from the emigrants.
We theIe met Lee and Others from the
general camp, where the largest num-
Der of men were. We then found that
,he emigrants were not all killed. Lee
called me out for consultation. He
old me the situation. The emigrants,
ne said, were strongly fortified. There
was no chance of getting them ont.
Higbee gave
ORDERS To DECoY THEM OUT
he hest way we could. This was
agreed to and the command was given
@ John ID. Lee to carry out the whole
,lan. They went TO the camp. Lee
placed all the soldiers in a hollow /
auare and addressed them. They /
we're all white men, about fifty in all. |
The Indians were in another camp. i
Jaw there Slade and his son, Jim
oearce and probably his sons, too, all
hose from Cedar, and Bill Stewart,
levin, Jacobs. think Dan McFar-
an, too. Slade and were outraged,
,ut we said, "What can we do? We
ant help ourselves Just then the
rider to march was given, and we had
o go. We were put In double file.
1igbee had command Of part Of the
men. 1t was the Nauvoo Legion, or
.anized from tens up to hundreds. We
in sight Of the emigranfs.
either Bateman OF Lee went out with
white flag. A man from the emil
rants met them. Lee and the mau
at down on the grass, and had talk.
don't know what they talked about +
zee went with the man into the en-
After some hours they
anne out, and the emigrants came up
With the wounded in wagons ahead
The wounded were those hurt IN the
hree days previous fight. Said the
formons aud the Indians could not
ust the emigrants. Next came the y