The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1875-08-05
MOUNTAIN MEDOW.
The First Witness I'M the Great
Mormon Murder Case. .

FOUNTAIN MEDOW.
The First Witness I'M the Grca1
Mormon Murder Case. :
BEAVER, UTAH, July 22.-At
o'clock the first witness was called
Robt. keyes testified: l came t.
Utah October 2, 1857, through the
Mountain Meadows. / saw two pile,
Of bodies, women and children. The
children were from two months Il
twelve years old. The smaller one.
were torn by the wolves and crows
Some Of the bodies had been shot
some had their throats cut anc
stabbed, and all were torn by wolve.
except one woman little way of
who appeared a, ii asleep; she had i
ball hole in her left side. The bodie.
appeared as if they had been dead l.
days. Seven of US saw them. There
was pile Of mems bodies further on
but we didn't 60 to see them. There
was no clothing OH the bodies excep,
the leg Of sock IN a man. None ol
them were scalped.
Asa Bennett, was called and test.
fed: ! was at the Meadows in 1857
Saw bones ,here-horrible sight
skeletons Of women and children
curls of long hair dyed with blood
Children from 10 to IL years old
Some of the skulls had the flesh dried
on them. The bodies had been GOV.
cred up but the wolves had evident.
ly dug them out.
Philip Klinger Smith, defendant
of San Bernardo, was called by the
prosecution, and entered nolte prosi.
que as TO himself. Lived in Ceda,
City in 1857, from 1852. The
meadows were As miles south Of Ce
dar City on the California road
Was q the massacre in September
1857. Heard Of the emigrants' com
ng, bat the people we're forbidden
to trade with them; felt bad ab"u
it; saw few of them al Cedar; thi.
WAS on Friday. Some of them swore
aud II gbee fined them; they weu'
on. Heard rumors of trouble OF
Sunday. 1t was the custom to have
meetings Of the President and coun
Gil, bishops and council, and higt
council. was bishop. The mat
ter came up for discussion as TO theil
destruction. Haight, Higbee, Nor
rill, Allen, Willis, myself, aud Others
were there. Some Of the member.
opposed the destruction; l did
Haigh' jumped up and broke up the
meeting. | asked what would be the
consequences of such an act. Thel
Haigh, go, mad. The Indians were
t' d,s'roy them. Monday Higbee
Haight, Whi.e and | met on the sub
ject again. | opposed the des,,uc.
ZION. Haight relented, and tolo
White and ! to go ahead and tell tn.
people the emigrants should X
through safe. We did SO. On the
road we met Jno. D. Lee aud tolc
him where we were going. He re
piled, Il have something to say abou,
that natter We passed the emi
grants at Iron Springs. Next morn
ing we passed them again as WI
came back. They had twenty ol
thirty wagons, over a hundred people
old men and middle aged, old womer
and middle aged, youths and chill
dren. Near home we met Ira Allen
he said the emigrants' doom wa.
sealed, and the die was cast for de-
struction, that ee's orders were Il
take men and go out and intercep,
them. Allen was to go ON and coun
teract what we did. l went home
Three days after Haight sent for me
and said the orders came from camp
Didn't get along and wanted rein
forcements; and that he had been tc
Parowan and got further orders from
Col. w. H. Dame to finish the mas
sacre, to decoy out, and spare only
the small children who could not tel
the tale. | went off and met Allen
our first runner, and others. Higbee
came out and said, "You are ordered
out, armed aud equipped" So
went; Hopkins, Higbee, Jno. Will.
and Samuel Purdy also went along
we had two baggage wagons; got t,
Hsmblin's rancho in the night, three
miles from the emigrants; we there
met Lee and several others from tn,
general camp where the largest mum
Der Of men were; there we found the
emigrants not all killed. Lee called
me out, for consultation, to one side
He told me the situation and that III.
emigrants we're strongly fortified, an,
there was no chance to get them out
that Higbee was ordered to deco,
them out the best he could; that h,
agreed to, and the command wa
gwen to John d. Lee to carry out tn,
whole plan; they went into camp, ant
Lee called al the soldiers Into
hollow square and addr. ssed them
they were oil white men, about SO il
all; the Indians were in xnothe
camp. Saw there Slade and his sor
Jim Pearce and probably his So.
too, all those from Cedar, and Bi
Stewart, Levin Jacobs. Think Da
McFarlone, too. Slade snd I wer
outraged, but We said, what can W
do; We can't help ourselves? Jus
then the order to march was give,
Had to 60 in double file. H,gbe
had command Of part Of the men.
was the Nauvoo Legion, organize
from tens up to hundreds. w
marched in sight Of the emigran,'
Either Bstement or Lee went o,
with white flag. A man from th
emigrants met them. Lee and Ii
man sat down on the grass and hs
= talk; don't know what about. Ii
! went with the man into the intrencl