The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1877-03-29
SHOT TO DEATH.
Holm ID. Lee Publicly Executed
for Participation I'm the Noun
tain Meadows Massacrc---He
Leaves a Written Confession.

remembered, was the day set iof tiie
infiiction of capital punishment upon
John ID. Lee, the old-time Mormon
chief who was convicted of murder on
account of his connection with the
Mountain Meadows Massacre-one
of the most cruel and blood-thirsty
crimes on record against human ma
ture.
AT eleven o'clock Lee was brought
upon the very spot where the dry
earth twenty years before drank up
the blood of the unhappy emigrants,
and seated on his coffin twenty feet
in front OF the file of soldiers detailed
to do the shooting. There Were only
about seventy-five persons present, and
among them no relative of the DOOM
ed man. After reading the order OF
the court, Lee used the opportunity
offered him by rising 10 speak rs fol-
lows:
have but little TO say this morning.
OF course feel that | am upon the
brink of eternity and the solemnity of
eternity should rest upon my mind at
the present. | have made out, or
endeavored to do so, manuscript-an
abridged history of my life. This Will
be published. Sir, | have given my
views and feelings with regard to all
these things. / feel resigned to my
fate. | feel as calm as summers
morning. | have done nothing ad-
yersely wrong. NV conscience Is
clear before Con and man. | am
ready Id meet my Redeemer. | am
not an infidel. have not denied
God or his mercy. ! ann strong
believer in those things most. | regret
| am parting with my family. Most
Of them are unprotected and will be
left fa;harless. When | speak of those
little ones they touch tender chord
within me. Here his voice faltered
preceptibly. | have done nothing
dssignedly wrong in this affair. |
used the utmost endeavors TO save
these people. ! would have given
worlds were ii ut my command, 10
have avoided that calamity, but |
could not. | am sacrificed TO satisfy
feelings and used TO gratdfy parties.
But | am ready To die. | have no fear
of death. Ii has terrors, and no parti-
Gle of mercy have | asked from the
cour, or officials to spare my life. |
don't fear death. | shall never 90 to
a worse place than the one ! am now
in. | have said ii to my family, and
| will say to-day, the government OF
the United States sacrifices their best
friend, and that il saying good deal,
but il is true. | am true believer i'll
the gospel of Jesus Christ. i don't
believe everything that is now practic-
ed and taught by Brigham Young. |
don't agree with him, ] believe he is
leading people estray, but ! believe IN
the gospel as taught in its purity by
Joseph Smith in former days. | have
my reasons for saying this. | used to
make this mans viii my pleasure,
and did so for thirty years. see how
and what / have come TO this day. |
have been sacrificed in a cowardly,
manner. There are thous-
ands Of people in the church honora-
BILE and good hearted, that cherish
in my heart. ! regret to leave my
They are near and dear TO
me. These are things 10 rouse SYM
pathy. | declare did nothing design
edly wrong in this unfortunate affair
did every thing in my power to save
all the csnigrants, but | am the one
that suffers. Having said this, feel
resigned. | ask the Lord my God to
extend His mercy to me and receive
INV spirit. My labors here are done.
After Lee had made a request to the
photographer who was preparing to
take his picture to furnish q copy to
each of his three wives, Par-on Stokes
made prayer, and Immediately his
eyes were covered 10y bandage. The
old man then raised his hands and
placed them on his head, and sitting
firmly on his coffin spoke his last
words 10 the Major in command the
execution party: Aim at my heart,
Nelson" Nelson gave the word; five
guns responded, and John d. Lee fell |
back on his coffin instantly killed.
Lee was born Sept. 6, 1872, in kas-
kaskia, H., of Q Catholic mother and |
was christened in that church. In /
1886 he joined the Nornons and was
one of the first to settle al Nauvoo, Ill.
where he had charge of the csnstruc-
ton OF many OF the public buildings
there. He was on the committee
which located the Mormon settlement
in Utah in ls47. Lee was polyga-
mist and had Is wives, three Of whom
were sisters and one their mother
Lee was indicted with several 9TH
ers for the Mountain Meadows Mas
sacre in ls74. He was first tried at
Beaver City. in 1915, when the Jury
disagreed. On second trial, in Sep
einber, 1876, he was found guilty.
rhe jury in both trials were Mormons.
Judge Bowman presided. The evil
ience showed that the massacre took
place Sept. III, 1871; that about 100
persons were killed; that l. children,
zone more Than | years old, were
pared; that 81 white men and 300 to
90 Indians took part in the bloody
work. Some OF the young Mormon-
present. who afterwards went to Cal
fornia and apoStatired furnished the
most important evidence. They say
nj few of the white men present
new of the plot TO betray the emf
rants and then murder them: il was
he work Of the leaders in the Mormon
hurch.
Lees carefully written confession |
rhich has already been given to the |
ublic i'll full, corroborates those wit
esses, and also carries out the idea
expressed in his dying speech, that he
al been deliberately abandoned by
he Mormon authorities and literally
fiered a scape-goat, The confes-
ion in full is too lengthy for our col
INNS. 1t is a minute history of the
vents of the Massacre. Lee claiming
Or himself that although a partici-
amt his part was not an active one
nd was taken against his will by
'ositive orders of his superiors in the
iormon church. He claims that his
riginal mission to the Meadows was
ne of mercy to the beleaguered emf
and that it was only after re-
,eated opposition and under absolute
ear that he was made to join in the
reacherous plan of decoying them
orth to their death. a correspond
,nt to the San Francisco CaH, well ac-
luainted with Lee, visited him at his