Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1875-08-26
The Mountain Meadows
Massacre.


SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. II, 10.
The case of John d. Lee
went to the jury at 5 P. NJ. last
Thursday. The news reached
us by telegraph at once, and a.
greeably to the Western in
stincts, bets were freely offered
and taken on. the result. AT first
the odds were largely in favor
Of acquittal,all the well informed
recognizing that the Mormon
iurymen had been "counseled'
from headquarters, and the
general belief being that Brig
ham could not afford to let Lee
be convicted. But later in the
evening Johnnie Young, Brig
hams apostate nephew, came
down town and made bets that
the jury would convict. This
changed the current Of reason
ing, and, added to the statement
of one Of Lees attorneys, then
here, that he would be convic-
ted, caused us to conclude thus:
that the case had been so fairly
made out, and such publicity
given to it, that the Church
would not dare to acquit and pro-
woke the fierce criticism Of the
Nation. Everybody tacitly ac-
kno wledged that the verdict
woulddepend entirely on Church
policy, and soon all the odds in
betting were on the side Of con-
viction. But it turned out that
the first guess was right, and
curiously enough it resulted
from Il miscalculation on the
part of the heads Of the Church.
Since the jury has been dis
charged the following facts have
come to light.
just before the trial such ar
rangementswere made as would,
it was thought, keep away the
most important witnesses. 1t
was believed that the prosecu-
ton would not be able to make
out a perfect case, and the ju-
rymen received counsel" to-
acquit. The jury stood: Eight
orthodox Mormons, three Gen
tiles and one Jack-MOrmon.-
This man was also "seen," and
before the jury left the Court
room, the counsel for Lee named
him as "sIre for acquittal. -
But, contrary to Brigham's cal
culations, the prosecution did
make out case-far worse than
the worst story yet told of the
But in the mean
time, seven Deputy Marshals
had been sworn to watch the
jury, and every Gentle on the
panel constituted himself a spe-
cial detective; there was no
chance whatever for the Nor
mons to communicate with their
friends outside. Even their
corrcspon dence were withheld
from them, unless they would |
consent TO have it first opened
and read by the Judge, and no
papers were allowed to reach
them. They were in blissful ig-
norance Of the storm Of rage
hat was sweeping over the
and its effect on the
heads Of the Church, and so O.
Oeyed their first Instructions
1t seems that signals were made
10 them in open Court, but they
lid not understand them. They /.
mad all sworn they knew moth
.ng Of the case, but when they
reached the jury-room, a sud-
len change came over them;
Mormon jurymen proceeded to
the evidence and ar
5uments for the prosecution, by
facts within their own knowl-
edge! They Immediately put
he Jack-Mormon, j. G. Holster,
n the chair, and one of them l
delivered an elaborate Mormon
sermon against the prosecution
md in favor of Lee. The vote
stood, from first to last, nine for
lcquittal and three for convic-
ion. Discussionin the jury room
demonstrated that the Mormon ;
i urymen knew more about the
case than most of the witnesses
sworn during the trial. The
whole thing ended in a broad +
arce, and the Mormon papers
'imultaneously,in articles which {
lave wonderful family resem-
)lance, claimed that the YER
lict was a complete vinGication
If the Church and "rebuke to
he counsel for prosecution"
Whether the heads of the
Church are more pleased or I
at the result is doubt {
Ill, but they are evidently in ]