The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-10-19
A NOTED SPOT.
The Scene Of the Mountain Meadows
Massacre.


Massacre.
Nineteen years ago an emigrant train
of one hundred and thirty seven persons
while on their way to California, were
massacred in Utah, at place called
Mountain Meadows, and, beyond a
doubt, it was done by the Mormons, at
ADMINISTRATION of their prophet, Brigham
Young. John d. Lee, an adopted son
of Brigham, figured most conspiciously
in the awful tragedy.
Feeling that to inteliigently conduct
the prosecution it was necessary to visit
the scene of thebutchery, Sumner How
ard, Esq, United States District At
torney for Zion, determined to do so.
Accompanied by Marshal Nelson, Off
cial Court Reporter A. S. Patterson,
your correspondent, and Mormon
guide, he set out for that place on the
morning of the 9Th inst.
At the scene of the massacre we came
across numbers of human bones. A rib
buried in the sand, and other fragments
of human frames, scattered for mile,
lay bleaching in the sun. The old camp
ground where the emigrants cor:alled
their wagons was level strip of meadow
terminating in bluff-lilze manner, and
commanding view of half mile down
tbo oono, opd IN +,,yo commanded from,
the hills on every other side. There it
was The train had determined to stop for
n week or ten days to allow their teams
to recruit on the rich grass which grew
in abundance on the hills and in the
meadows The Indians and Mormons
attacked them fuliously; and, notwith-
standing they barricaded by throwingup
sod breastworks under their wagons,
quite a number of their men were pick
ed eff by arrows and bullets. For sew
eral days they held their murderers at
bay, but finally, by the treachery of
John D. Lee, they were decoyed out,
and the whole company, men, women
and children, excepting seventeen babes
were slaughtered. Their effects, even
the clothing in which they were shot
down, were carried off and appropriated
by the Mormon priesthood and the In
dams.
In 1859 detachment of Col. John
ston's command of United States soldiers
from Camp Floyd did the Christian ser
vice of gathering together all they could
find of the bones of these victims and
burying them in two graves. One CT
these graves was made within the limits
Of the little corral where the Arkansans
had SO calamity defended their wives
and children against the foe, and where
several of their number had been shot
before the treachery of Lee brought
death and ruin on them all. Above their
sacred dust the soldiers erected a rude
monument of granite powders and
wooden cross to their memory. Brigham
spat upon the cross, and the Mormons
demolished the monument. 1t is now
simply heap Of stones three feet wide
and a rod long running east and west,
and is all, save the blight which has come
upon the spot, that marks their hallowed
resting place. In 1852 a cloud burst cut
the meadows into gullies, one of which,
twenty feet deep, turned from its course
and missed the grave. Thus, it seems,
Providence spared the rude monument
and Wondering bones, but the Mormons
did not.
The other grave was half a mile north
of the monument at the fork of the road
which led back to the main route, but at
the present time it is lost. The spring
is almost dry what there is of it is ooz-
ing out in the bottom of the gulley
which just misses the monument; the
meadow where the train stood is now a
shifting sand hill the barricade thrown
up is blown away it is barren Of yege-
tation, recognizable only by the heavy live
of powders once serving to designate
common grave. A few feet west of it
there are three rocks lying in line, and
at one end an open stick stands in the
ground, evidently marking the grave of
one who fell before the train surrender
ed. Our party picked up few bits of
chinaware, a nail from the wooden cross,
an ounce sing, navy bullet, few flint
and moss-agate arrowheads, and frag
ments of human remains. These mark
the scene of the siege, and the bleaching
bones strewn among the sage-brush for
mile above show that the butchery was
not confined to single spot.
A jolly HoNEYAIooN.-Sayst the Cleva-