Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-07-20
VOL. l.. NEW SERIES. VOL. XIII.

church. The Aiken party consisted of SIN
men-John Aiken, William Aiken, Buck
lin, man known as Colonel and two 9TH
ers, whose names are unknown-left Sacra-
mento early i'll May. 1851, on their way east
ward to meet Johnston's army, rs was sup
posed. Reaching Humboldt River they were
impeded by Indians. and waited for n train
of Mormons from Carson which was ordered
home about that time. With this train they
completed the journey. John Pendleton, one
of the Mormon party, in his testimony on the
case said: "A better lot of boys never saw;
they were kind, polite and brave; always
ready to do anything on the road" As the
train travelled slowly, the Aiken party left 1t
100 miles ont and came ahead. On reaching
kaysville, twenty-five miles north of Salt
Lake City. they were all arrested on the
charge of being government spies! They
were taken to the city and confined IN house
on the corner of Main and South First streets.
Nothing being proved against them they
were told they would be ''sent out of Utah
by the southern route" What these malevo-
lent words implied of course they could not
know. Four of them started, leaving Buck
lin and one of the unnamed men in the city.
The party had for an escort q, Porter Rock
well-a DANTE ofhideous renown-John Lot.
one Miles and another. When they reached
Nephi, one hundred miles south. Rockwell
informed the Mormon bishop, Bryant, that
his orders were to shave the men used up
there" Bishop" Bryant called a council at
once and the following men were selected to
assist. Bigler. then bishop, now Probate
Judge; T. Pitchfork. his ''first counsellor
John King, and another Mormon named
Pinkton.
COLD HOODED wRETCnEs
The doomed were stopping at the house of
L. Il. Foote, some members of whose family
afterwards testified to having listened to the
council which condemned them. The Sc
lected murderers started southwark at eleven
p. M. from the Tithing House at Nephi, and
got ahead of the Aiken party who did not
leave Nephi until daylight. The latter reach
ed the Sewer River, when Rockwell, who
continued with them, along with the other
Mormons, from Salt Lake City named, told
them they could find no,other camp that day.
They halted, when the other party (of mur-
derers) approached and asked to camp with
them. Permission. of course. was granted.
The tired men removed their arms and heavy
clothing and soon slept-a sleep from which
two OF them was to have no earthly waking.
While they slumbered they were attacked
both by their escort and the party from Nep-
hi with clubs and king bolts from the wagons.
Two died without struggle. John Aiken
and sprang into the underground. A shot
from the pistol of John Kink laid him sense
less The man called Colonel also reached
the brush, receiving as he ran a shot in the
shoulder from Peter Rockwell. Believing
that the whole party had been attacked by
robbers, he made his way back TO Nephi.
With almost superhuman strength he held
ont during the twenty-five miles, and the
first bright rays of Utah sun showed the
man who. having left the town twenty-four
hours before handsome and vigorous, now
staggered feebly, CHASTITY pale and drenched
with his own blood along the streets of Nep-
hi. He reached bishop Foote'S house. and
his story ELECTED well-feigned horror.
THREE THEW INTO RIVER FOR DEAD.
Meanwhile the murderers had gathered up
the other three and thrown them into the
river, supposipg them all to be dead, but
John Aiken. who revived. crawled out and
hid himself in the bush, and heard these ter
rible words:
"Are the Gentiles dead, Port"
"All but one"
1.-The account as given by Mr.. ellison, pro-
ceeds as follows:
.Supposing himself to be meant, Aiken
lay still till the Danitts left; then, without hat
coat or boots, on a November night, the
ground covered with snow, he set out for
Nephi. Who can imagine the feelings of the
man? Unlike Colonel he knew too well
who the murderers were, and believed HIM
self the only survivor. The return to Nephl
offered but slight hope, but II was the only
hope, and, incredible as it may appear. he
reached it next day. He sank helpless at
the door of the first house he reached, but
the words he heard infused new life into him.
The woman, afterwards witness, said to
him:
why, another of you ones got away from
the robbers and is at Brother Foote's"
Thank God, 1t is my brother, he said,
and started on.
MEET AGAIN, but DooMEp TO DIE.
'.The citizens tell, with wonder, that he
ran the whole distance his hair clotted with
blood, reeling like drunken man all the way.
1t was not his BROTHER but Colonel" The
meeting of the two at Foote'S was too affect
ing for language to describe. They fell upon
each others necks. clnsped their blood-spat-
tered arms around each other and with min
gled tears and sobs, kissed and embraced
as only men can who have passed through
death. A demon might have shed tears at
the sight but not n Mormon bishop. The
fierce tiger can be jured from his prey, the
bear may become civilized or the hyena tanned
of his Inst for human religious fanat-
icism alone can triumph over all tenderness
and make tenfold more the child of hell than
the'worst passions of mere physical nature. |
Even while gazing upon the scene the I'M |
placables were deciding upon their death. |
Bishop Bryant came, extracted the balls. |
dressed the wounds and advised the men to |
return, as soon as they were able, to Salt |
Lake City. son of Bishop Foote had |
proved their best friend, and Aiken request |
ed him to take his account, in writing, Of the |
affair. Aiken began to write it but was un-
manned and begged young Foote to do 1t,
which he did. That writing the dying dec |
laration Of Colonel and John Aiken, is in |
existence to-day.
MURDERED THIS TINE.
"The murderers had returned, and new
plan was concocted. Colonel had saved his
pistol and Aiken his watch, n gold one, worth |
at least $3.50. When ready to leave they |
asked the bill and were informed that 1t WIS
$50. They promised to send it from the city,
but were told that would not do Aiken then
said:
Here are my watch and my partners
pistol. take your choice
"Foote took the pistol. When he handed
it to him Akin said:
a. There. take my best friend; but. God
knows it will do us no good" Then to his
partner, with tears streaming from his
eyes:
":Prepare for death, Colonel, you will
never get out of this valley alive.
According to the main witness, II woman
of Nephi all regarded them as doomed They
had got of four miles on the road when their
driver, II Mormon named Woll. stopped the
wagon near nm old cabin. informed them he
must water his horses, unhitched them and
moved awny. Two men then stepped from
the cabin and fired with douhle-harrelled
guns. Aiken and the Colonel were both
shot through the head and fell dead from the
wagon Their bodies were then loaded with
stones and put into one of those 'bottomless
springs SO called common III that part of
Utah.
passed the place in 1853 and heard from
natives the whispered rumors about some
bad men that were sunk i'll that spring. The
scenery would seem to shut out all idea of
crime and irresistibly awaken thoughts of
heaven. The soft air of Utah around above
the blue sky smiles as If 1t were impossible
there could be- such things as sin or crime;
and the neat village of Nephi brightens the
plain innocrnty fair as If il hnd not wit
messed u crime us black and dastardly NJ ever
dlsgrnccd the annals OF the civilized world.
uucRLIN's MARVELLOUS EscArE.
Porter Rockwell and party returned to Salt
Lake city. took Buckln and the other man
and started southward. plying them with Ii
Iuor. 1t is probable that Bucklin. who il
described as little less than IA Hercules in
frame and strength only feigned drunkenness
the other man inscnsible by tho time
they reached the point of II mountain, where
Porter Rockwell kept public house. There
IT decided To ''use them up" and they
were attacked with slung shots and billies
The unarmed WAS instantly killed. Bucklin
leaped from the wagon, outrnn his pursuers
their shots missing HIM. swan the Jorlon
and came down to the city ON the west side
Here he related the story, which created the
general excitement.
\ DrCkING STooL.-ln tho crypt Of War
wick Church, the mighty ribbed arches Of
which spring from one enormous pier, there
is an article which has long gone out OF use
whether adyantagcCusly nor not shall not