The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-04-06
VOLUME 20.

SLAUGHTER. OF THE INNO-
CENTS.
story of the BAOuusatn Mead
OEV MASSACRE by ssee-Ake-
SPOnsibiIiGy of Young
and Ihe Church.
John d. Lee, over seventy
years old, leading Mormon ssiut
and an influential member of the
church, who represented the Nor
mon sect at the time of the Noun
tain Meadow massacre and assisted
in the bloody work, has, after q
lapse of so many years, been tried
and convicted and shot
The crime was committed Sep
TENDER I6, 1857, when 120 men, wO-
men and children were murdered
In cold blood by Mormons and To-
dians. Seventeen small children
were spared aud removed to the
hemes Of the MOrmons. The wsg-
ons of the emIgrants were plumber
ed and the property, including sew
eral hu1dred head of cattle, was
sold by order of the Mormon
church. Subjoined is the substance
of the confession of Lee, now made
public by his counsel.
As a duty to myself and man
kind, now confess all that l know
and all that did at the Mountain
Ne Id0w massacre, without anImos-
uy TO any one, shielding none, giving
acts as they existed. Those with
me on that occasion were acting an
Ter orders from the Church OF Je-
.us Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The horrid deeds then committed
were done as duty which we be-
iieved we owed to God aud our
church. We were ali sworn TO Sc
:recy before aud after the massacre.
rhe penalty for giving information
concerning the same was death. AS
[ am TO suffer death for what l
hen did, aud have been BETRAYED,
both by those VINO gave me the or
iers TO act aud the most active OF
nv assistants, I now give the world
the true facts as they exist, aud tell
why the massacre was com mitted ,
and who were active participants.
The Mountain Meadow massacre
was TIE result of the direct teach
ings of Brigham Young, and it was
done by the orders of those high in
authority in the Mormon commu-
nity. The immediate orders for
The massacre were issued by Col.
Dame, Lieutenant Col. Issac G.
Haight aud the Council at Cedar
City, Utah. held no position Ell
ther in the civil or military depart
ments, or ia the church at that time.
[ was ordered to raise the Indians
cattle and to have the Indians kill
the emigrants. l sent Carl Shirts,
my son-in-law, to raise the South
ern Indiands for the work. Nephl
johnson went to other tribes. On
Monday morning l left the iron
works TO obey my orders. On my
way home l passed many indians
out on the war. path. 1 promised
TO join them the next day. On
Tuesday morning the Indians at
tackled the train, just at daylight,
AID killed seven and wounded six
| teen emigrants. The Indians lost
some of their warriors. The emf
grants then fortified their position,
and the Indians surrounded them
aud sent for me. The whole coun-
try was aroused, both whites and
Indians, rushing to Mountain Mead
ow from all directions. I arrived
ct the camp late on Tuesday after
noon, and found the Indians in
large force. They demanded that 1
should lead the attack. 1 refused
until further orders were received
from Haight or Dame. then went
south ten miles and met some white
men and Indians coming from that
direction. camped there that
night aud on Wednesday went to
the Meadows and sent a man to Ce-
lar City for faather orders. On
Thursday the orders came by Maj.
Highly. There were fifty-eight
whites and 500 Indians there. Then
Major Highly made a speech and
Said that the emigrants were to be
killed who could talk; that we
nust get them out of the f0rtifica-
tiOns by treachery. 1 was to folio "
he flag of truce and make g treaty
with the besieged, aud promise pro-
tectIon. was also to get the arms
IF the emigraDts aud the sick and
wounded, and also the children in
wagons. Then the troops und Ell
Mai. Highly would meet the emf
grants. the Indians would renal d
IN ambush. The women were to
| go ahead. The Indians were then
kill the women. The militia were
% kill the men, and aud the dri-
vers of the wagons were to kill the
Wounded and sick that were in the
wagons. Several other men then
made speeches. Then we had q
Jral err circle, aud then more speech.
3 were made, aud Il was agreed
| Nv all parties that it was the will OF
| God for US to- do as we were order
I'd. On Friday morning the emi.
grants had h white hig flying, and
he Mormon brethren again assem-
bled. Speeches were made, aud all
expressed themselves as willing tC
act. Major Highly said:
Our orders are from our leaders
who speak with inspired tongues
and their words are the will o!
good men. You have no right tC
question them. You must obey az
| you are commanded" The flag OF
ruce was then sent forward. Il
was carried by William Bateman.
He was met halfway by the emf
grants, and they held a parley with
him. Bateman then returned and
reported that the emigrants would
surrender their arms and do as they
had been requested. The Mormon
soldiers then marched out 10 with
in 200 yards of the emigrants. They
next took wagons aud went to the
camp and stated their orders. The
emigrants then surrendered aud
put their arms, the sick and the
wounded and the children into the
wagons. While they were burying
their dead men the emigrants burst
into tears aud said they feared
treschery. AS soon as the wagons
were loaded the train was started
The emigrants marched in single
| file, the women aud the large child
rem being ahead; then the men
came. When the wagons were
half a mile of the fire commenced.
The Indians killed ali the women
aud large children. The Mormons
killed the men. The drivers with
me killed the sick and wounded.
We saved seventeen OF the children.