The Republican journal., 1876-09-28
Testimony Concerning tho Mormon
Massacre.

SALT LAKE, Sept. IS. Dispatches from Bea-
vcr Utah. in regard to the trial of Bill Lee. now
in progress there, for participation in the Moun-
tain Meadow Massacre, report the following
proceedings: Seven witnesses testified for the
prosecution, yesterday. all new except Joel W.
White, fixing the murder on Lee. Lebon Mcr-
rill testified as to the council held at Cedar City,
which had under adVsement the destruction Of
the train; it was understood that before it
should be done Brigham Young should be con-
suited. A messenger was sent to Salt Lake
City for that purpose, and another to Pinto
Creek to draw OFT the Indians and allow the
train TO pass on till word came from Brigham
Young to the contrary. Forty-eight hours be-
fore the messenger returned from Sat Lake ne
heard the massacre had taken place: Haight,
Higbce and King L. Smith were in the council,
and Lee was net there. James Haslam testi-
lied that he was the messenger sent to Brigham
Young by Halght, to whom he explained the
object OF the message. Lee could hold the emf
grants cOrralled, waiting till his return. He
rode night and day and stayed two hours in
Salt Lake and returned. Brigham's message
was: Go; don't spare horse flesh; those men
must be spared. Let them go in peace" Got
back to Cedar City on the Sunday following,
and learned that the deed was done.
Samuel Knights testimony was to show that
he was driving one of the wagons which con-
| tanned arms; heard the first gun fired after the
emigrants had been decoyed out; saw Lee blow
woman's brains out, beat another to death
at the same time saw the Indians make rush
on the women and children, whom they slew.
Samuel McMurdy testified that he drove the
| other wagon. After the emigrants had been
| decoyed out by Il flag of truce, and the whole
| column commenced moving up the meadow;
! heard the command to halt, and looking round
saw Lee put his gun to a woman's head and
| fire; she fell; he heard Lee beating mans
| brains out with a gun; Lee then came to Wit
| ness wagon and shot all the wounded men
| with his nj and flrau0aJ bn hnuipS fo thp
| ground; only the children in the wagon were
saved This witness refused to tell whether he
took part i'll the killing, but on the former trial
| it came out that he was The man who. while in
| the act of firing on one of the wounded emf
grants, said: 20, Lord, receive their spirits,
| for it is tor Thy sake we do these things
| Nephi johnson, who went TO the Meadow rs
| an Indian interpreter, testified that he saw Lee
shoot the woman referred to and cut u mans
| throat, and he dragged him from the wagon.
| This witness was extremely careful to tell moth
| ing duplicating any one but Lee, and continue
ally forgetting names and incidents not relating
| wholly to the detenda 1t. His cross eXamina-
ton, which was searching, showed that he
| could tell sufficient TO hang every man who
| took part in the massacre. Ali that he said
damaged Lee materially.
Jacob llamlin testified as to !; conversation
between himself and Lee toIr days after the
butchery, in which the defendant justified him.
self by claiming that il WAS necessary-a mill
| tary measure.
| Jacob IIamlin was recalled and stated that
| Lee further told him that an Indian chief who
| lived at Cedar brought two girls, who had been
| hiding in the brush. to him (Lec) and asked
| what he should do with them; that they were
| too pretty to kill Lee answered that he must
| shoot them; that they were 100 big. The IN
! dian then shot one, and Lee threw the other
| down and cut her throat; that when Hamlin
| returned to his rancho, he went over the ground
| and found the bodies of two girls about the age
| described, from 10 to 10, lying together. With
| their throals cut as described to him; that one
| of the children. who was obout years Old, was
| at his house, ana claimed the two bodies as
her sisters, and that their name was Dunlap.
l1amlin, on being asked by the defence if he
had ever told this to any one, replied that he
| had and more too; that soon after the occur
renee. when he remembered better than he did
now, he had told it to President Young and
Geo. \. Smith; that President Young told him
that when the right time came lie could get
court of justice to go and tell it; and it being
further pressed said he had not seen the otli-
GERS of any court of justice from that day to
this. but thought now was just the right time
to tell it.
johnson, on being recalled, stated that sub
sequent to the massacre he was sent to protect
the next company of emigrants to the Santa
Clara; that on his way he stopped at Harmony,
where he saw John ID. Lee, Who proposed TO
him to get the emlgrantS into an ambush to
destroy them by the Indians, and get their
property; also that he (Johnson) replied:
There has been 100 much blood shed BIZ YOU
| already. | have been instructed to see them
safely through, and i will do or de with
them;' that Lee then abused him, calling him
ugly names; that he identified the prisoner at
the bar as John d. Lee. The prosecution rest
ed the case. To the surprise Of all present in
the court room, Lees attorneys announced that
they also rested their case, aud would not in
troduce any Witnesses, but give the ease to the
jury on the evidence already adduced by the
prosecution.
Subsequently John d. Lee was convict
ed of murder in the first degree.