Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-09-30
MOUNTAIN MEADOW MASSACRE.
The Mormon Church SACRIFICES Lee for its
Own Protection.

Own Protection.
In the second trial OF Mormone
charged with being engaged in the
Mountain Meadow massacre, several
new witnesses testified. Samuel Knights
testimony went to show that he was
driving one Of the wagons which con.
tanned arms; heard the hrst gun fred
after the immigrants had been decoyed
out; saw Lee blow woman's brains
out, beat another to death with his gun,
and murder several others, and 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 immi-
grants had been decOyed ont by flag OF
truce, and the whole column commenced
moving up the meadow; heard the COM
mand to halt, and, looking round, saw
Lee put his gun to woman's head and
fire; she fell; heard Lee beating man 3
brains out with gun; Lee then came to
witness wagon and shotall tho wounded
men with his pistol and dragged the
bodies to the ground; only the children
in the wagon were saved. This witness
refused to tell whether he took part in
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 immigrants. said: "Oh, Lord,
receive their spirits, for it sfor Thy sake
we do these thingsl" I"
Nephi Johnson, who went to the mea-
dows as an Indian interpreter, testified
that he saw Lee shoot the woman re-
ferred to, and cut mans throat as he
dragged him from the wagon. This
witness was extremely careful to tell
nothing duplicating any one but Leo,
and continually forgetting names and
incidents not relating wholly to the de-
fendant. His cross examination, which
was searching, showed that he could tell
sufficient to hang every man who took
part in the massacre. All he said dam
aged Lee materially.
Jacob Hamlin testified as toa converse
tion between himself and Lee four days
after the butchery, in which the defend
ant justified himself by claiming that it
was necessary as military measure.
Hamlin 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 Lee) and asked
what he should do with them, that they
were too pretty to kill; Lee answered
that he must shoot them, that they we're
too big; the Indian then shot one and
Lee threw the other down and cut her
throat; that when Hamlin returned to
his ranch he went over the ground and
found the bodies of two girls about the
age described, from thirteen to fifteen
years, lying near together, with their
throats cut as described to him by Lee;
that one of the children, who was about
eight years old, was at his house, and
claimed the two bodies as her sisters, and
that their name was Dunlap. Hamlin,
on being asked by the defense if he had
ever told this to any one replied that he
had, and more too. He said that soon
after the occurrence, when he remem-
bered better than he did now, he had
told it to President Young and George
A. Smith, aud that President Young told
him that when the right time came, we
could get court of justice to state it
in; being further pressed, Hamlin said
be had not seen the officers of any court |
Of Justice from that time to this, but he |
thought now was just the right time to
tell it.
Johnson, on being recalled, stated
that subsequent to the massacre he was
sent to protect the next company OF i'm.
migrants to the Santa CLARA river; that
IN his way he stopped at Harmony,
where he saw John D. Lee, who proposed
TO him to get the immigrants into an
ambush to destroy them by the Indians,
md so get their property; also tn t he
,,Johnson) replied: "There has been
200 much bloodshed by you already.
nave been instructed to see them safely
through, and will do SO or die with
hem;" that he then abused him, calling
lin ugly names; that he identified the
prisoner at the bar as being John D.
Lee.