The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1876-10-09
AFTER TWENTY YEARS.
Tho scene Of The lIountnin Meadow Mus
sncrc M DrArrihed BY n Visitor.

Tho Scene of The l1ountnin Meadow Mus
sncrc ns Described By n Visitor.
Nineteen years ago M immigrant
train Of one hundred and tlirty-sGven
persons, while on their WY to CGiifor-
nia, were massacred il Utah, at place
cIlled Mountain Meadow, and, beyond
donbt, it was done by the Mormors, ut
the instigation OF Brigham Young. John
D. Lee, an adopted son Of Brigham, fig.
ured most conspicuously in tho awful
tragedy.
Feeling that to intclligently conduct
the prosecution il v'us necessary to visit
the scene Of tho butchery, Sumner
Howard, ESQ.,. United States district at
torney for Zion, determined to do so.
Accompanied by Marshal Nelson, A. s.
Patterson, your correspondent, and q
Mormon guide, he set out for that place.
At the scene Of tho massacre we came
across numbers OF human bones. A rib
rs white as snow, n shoulGer blade half
buried in the sand, aud other fragments
Of human frames, scattered for q mile,
lay bleaching in the sun. The old camp
ground where tue immigrants corraled
their wagons WAS level stripof meadow
terminating in Il bluff like manner, and
commanding Wow Of half milo down
The canyon, and in turn commanded
froM thu hills on every other side. It
was there that the train had determined
to stop for . week or ten days to allow
their teams to recTnit Oh the rich grass
which grew in abundance on the hills
and in tho meadows. Tho Indians and
Mormons attacked them furiously; and,
notwithstanding they barricaled by
throwing up sod breastworks under
their wagons, quite Il number OF their
men weru picked off by arrows md bull
leta. For several days they held their
murdorers at bay, but finally, by tho
treachery Of John D. Ice, they were de-
cOycd ont, and the whole company, men,
women and children, excepting seven.
teen babes, were slaughtered. Their
effects, even tho clothing in which they
were shot down, were carried of mud ap.
proprintrd by the Mormon priesthood
aud the Indians.
1n 1859 n detachment of Colonel
JohustOn's command Of United States
soldiers, from Camp Floyd, did the
Christian service Of gathering together
all they could find Of the bones OF these
victims aud buryiug them i'll two graves,
One OF these graves was made within tue
limits Of the little corral where the ar.
kansaus had so CALAMITY defended their
wivcB mud children against tho foe, aud
where several OF their number hal l,een
shot before the treachcry Of Lee brought
death and ruin on them all. Above their
sacred dust the soldiers erected Il rude
monument Of granite powders aud II
WOODEN cross to their memory. Brig.
ham spat upon The cross, and the Nor
mons demolished the monument. 1t is
now simply heap OF stones three feet
wide and rod long running cast and
west, mud is MI, save the blight which
has come upon Che spot, that marks their
hallowed resting place. IL 1862 cloud
burst cut the n,alows into gullics, one
Of whica, twenty feet deep, turned from
its course md missed this grave. Thus,
it seems, Providence spared tho rule
monument mud molderipg bones, but the
Mormons did not.
Tho other grave was half mile north
of the monument, Mt ths fork OF tho
road which led back to the main route,
but ut the present time il is lost. The
spring is almost dry; what there is Of it
is 0ozins out in the bottom OF the gul.
10y which inst misses tho monument;
the meadow where the train stool is now
n shifting sand hill; the barricnde thrown
up is blown away; it is barren of vege-
htion. recognizable only by tho heap OF
powders once serving TO designate 4
common grave. A faw feet west OF it
there arc three rocks lying III n line, and
at one end m oakcn stick stands in the
ground, evidently marking the grave Of
one who fell before tho train surrender
cd. Our party picked up few bits of
chiDaware, nail from the wooden cross,
an ounce slug, navy bullet, few ilint
and moss agate arrow heads, md frag.
ments OF human remains. These mark
tho scene Of tho siege, and the bleach
ing bones Strawn among tho sage brush
for II pile above show TINT the butchery
was npt confined to single spot.