The Beaufort tribune and Port Royal commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1877-1879, 1877-02-22
{ AFTER MANY YEARS.


AFTER MANY YEARS.
The Cause of the Mountain Meadow Mas
sncre-A Terrible Revenge.
The STORY of the Mountain Meadow
massacre is now more fully understood
than ever before. In the spring of 1856
Elder Perley P. Pratt, of the Mormon
community, seduced from her home
the wife of Mr.. Fl. H. Mclean, mer-
chant, of San Francisco, to make her his
seventh wife. On her flight the deserted
husband sent his two children, very IN
teresting boy and girl, to his father-in-
law in New Orleans. Some time after
ward the mother left Salt Lake, got the
children and started back to Utah with
them. On discovering this the doubly
injured father started in pursuit. He
came to New York, heard of Pratt there
and tracked him from this point to st.
Louis. There he lost him. Then he
left for New Orleans, where he heard
that his wife and children were then 60
ing through Texas to Salt Lake, so OF
he started to Texas. In his search for
the missing ones he had learned that his
wife had assumed the name of Mrs.
P. P. Parker, and while travelling
through Texas he contrived to intercept
some letters which he found bearing this
superscription. On breaking open the
seal lie saw they were written In cipher.
He succeeded il finding the key 10 the
cipher, however, and discovered that the
letters were from Pratt and contained G.
request that the caravan with which Mrs.
Mclean and her children were travelling
should go to the neighborhooa of Fort
Gibson, in the Cherokee nation. Con-
fused and dispirited, Mr.. Mclean re-
turned to New Orleans, whence he started
for Fort Gibson, assuming the name o.
johnson. He made known his secret to
the officers of the fort only. Here his
vigilant and energetic pursuit OF the
fugitives was soon rewarded. He cap
tured not only his wife and children, but
the scoundrel who in the name OF religion
had enticed them from their home. The
United States marshal took them before
Commissioner John B. Ogden for trial.
The case awoke intense excitement at the
time, and the populace clamored for
vengeance on the wretch who had dehb-
erately plotted and planned the rum OF c
prosperous and happy family.
The cipher letters were produced IN
court, and Mr.. Mclean told such pa
thetic story of his wrongs that Pratt
only escaped lynching by being concealed
in the Jail. Even the complainant HIM
self became so enraged at one time dur
ing the trial that in the very court to
which he had come for justice he clutched
his pistol to shoot Pratt then and there.
And no wonder, for he was told the law
was powerless to punish Pratt. Early
next morning the Mormon elder was DIS
missed and left the place secretly, but
Mclean watched and pursued him, over
took him on his road and killed hum IN
his tracks. With his children Mclean
returned to New Orleans, and the wife
having meanwhile become ravlng ma
MAC was sent to an insane asylum.
1t was this event, combined with the
apprehended appointment of new terri
torial officers By the government, that
led to the horrible massacre OF lmm-
grants at Mountain Meadow soon after
slight motives for such terrible crime.
The party numbered 40 people, men,
women and children, who had LETT Az.
kansas to travel overland to California,
the new gold field. The party, unsus-
picious of harm, was travelling through
Utah. An attack was made upon them
by what they supposed were Indians.
They resisted the attack, and kept the
attacking party at bay with their niles.
For five days the assault was kept up
and the defense sustained without any
definite result being arrived at. All this
time the appearances indicated that the
attacking party were savages. They were
dressed and painted like Indians and lml-
tated their ways so well as to completely
deceive the immigrants. 1t is now known
that while there may have been few In
dians among them the assaulting party
were Mormon militia led by John u.
Lee. When re-enforcements joined Lee,
he massed all the troops near a little
spring, and made them a speech, telling
them "his orders from headquarters
were to kill all but the little children.
Then, at the head Of his command, ne
approached the immigrant camp, most OF
the mock Indians having meanwhile dis
carded paint and feathers. As he ed
vanced he sent out flag of truce, to The
great JOY of the immigrants, who dressed res &c
a pretty young girl of their party all II
white, and placed her outside OF theu
defenses, to show that they, too, were
disposed to be friendly. Then followet
a parley, and Lee told the immigrant'
the hills were alive with Indians. III
advised them to leave their arms as
measure of safety, as the Indians wantei
plunder and not blood, and his mel
would protect them back to the Mormon
settlements. The immigrants at first OBJ
jected, but finally consented, and march
ed ont of their Notifications without thu
least apprehension of danger from thei
professed friends. Not an Indian was il
sight at this time. By Lees order tn,
men were separated from the women an:
children, the ls.sss going 10 tAs fssat