Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-02-07

I ltN0d iiOiii ~ ftsHtf hhtfafrS W.
work too slow, Lee sent word back
--s.s, S;a.s,gLs. wgs not wholly success
Tfi1 Oh TtccrrTrg- -tt!ss-> --.--s-'.ss aiii.ia
Lieut.. Col. Isaac G. Haight, of the
militia, ordered out reinforcements, with
instructions to those going to Lees as
sistance that sail but the little children
of the party were to bo killed" Haight
at this time had Just returned from
military headquarters at Parowan,
where military council had been held,
and he was but giving utterance to the
decrees of the "Church devoting the
company to instruction. When tho re.
Inducements 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 he approach
cd the emigrant camp, most Of his mock
Indians having meanwhile discarded
paint and feathers. As he advanced
be sent out n flag OF truce, TO the great
Joy Of the emigrants, who dressed q
pretty young girl of their party all in
white and placed her outside the de-
fences, to show that they, too, were
disposed TO be friendly. Then followed
parley, and Lee told the emigrants
the hills were alive with Indians. lie
advised them to leave their arms as a
measure OF fsafcty las tho Indians wanted
plunder and not blood, and his men
would protect them back to the Nor
mon settlements. The emigrants at
first objected, but finally consented, and
marched out of their forti6cations with
out the least apprehension of danger
from their proiessed friends. Not an
Indian was in sight at this time. By
Lees order the men were separated
from the women and children, the lat
ter going TO the front, Half mile
the devoted band had scarcely gone
from their camp when, at the monster
Lees command, they were shot dead,
every one except the seventeen little
children OF the party, whose lives the
"council" mad ordered should be spared
One hundred and twenty men, women
and children were slain in cold blood
Before the women Of the party had all
been killed one young girl is reported
to have rushed from the crowd toward
Lee. She first threw herself on her
knees before him and begged him to
let her live, She then rose up and,
twining her arms about his neck, cried
TO him to spare her that she was go
ing to California TO join her lover, who
anxiously awaited her there, and to
whom she was to be married on her
arrival. He repaid her confidence by
dragging her aside with vile intent,
and because she resisted him and tried
TO defend herself with knife she
chanced TO have in her possession he
shot her through the head.
THE PLUMBER.
For years after the preparation OF
this daring crime the property of the
murdered emigrants was openly used
by their murdercrs, and the fate of the
missing ones for some time remained u
mystery, their death being laid at the
door of the savages. Some Indians did
participate in the massacre, but they
waited Tor the white savages to set
them an example in human butchery,
only rushing from their ambush to sur
round the emigrants when, by Lees or
der, the first shots had been fired.
After tho massacre the bodies of the
murdered cmigrants were left on the
open prairie to be devoured by the
wolves. So closely was the secret OF
this terrible deed guarded that notev
in the northern Mormon settlements
was il known for long time that any
whito men had participated in the
slaughter The first authentic tidings
Of the fate OF the emigrants reached
the outside world through Mr.. VIM. III.
Rogers, a Government Agent, who
heard something of j. while crossing
the Plains in charge of a treasure tram
in 1857. Tho next year he was APP
pointed Indian Agent in Utah, and was
ordered to rescue the children whom
il was believed the Mormons had saved
from the sayages.
With the impudence Of brigands the
"Latter Day Saints demanded n ran
som for their release. Mr.. Rogers re.
fused the demand and gathered the
children together TO his amazemcnt
one of the children, then about eight
years old, told one day that it was not
Indians, but white men, that killed
their parents. With company Of
cavalry he went to the Mountain Mead.
ows, where horrid sight met his gaze.
The skeletons of l20 men, women and
children were spread upon the field,
the flesh torn from the bones by hun.
CRY wolves, and bullet-holcs through
the heads of most of the victims. A
large quantity Of hair from the heads
of the women was gathered up from
the sage bushes, and all the remains
were given a Christian burial. A few
days aiterward two Mormons called on
MIR. Rogers, and telling him "their
hearts were pressed with grief" said
they would give him true history Of
the Mountain Meadow massacre if he
would spare their own lives. He told
them to proceed, and then they related
to him the story told above, naming
Lee as the leader. Some blooded-stock,
wagons, carriages and other property
owned by the cmigrants, they said, had
been taken to the Mormon tithing
establishment and sold at public auc.
tion for the benefit Of the "Church."
Brigham Young, it is said, kept one OF
the carriages and piano for his own
use. In the Mormon versions OF the
story Of the massacre II was made to
appear that the emigrants provoked
both the Mormon settlers and the In
dians in their progress through Utah.
The Mormons said their destruction
was chargcable to the Indians alto
gether, and that they were attacked
because they had poisoned q spring at
which cattle drank and died, and that
Indians ate the flesh of these animals
and died also. But this has been pro
nounced absolutely untrue by those
who have investigated the matter, and
IL was well established both bciorca d
at tho time of Lees trial that the mur-
der Of the unsuspecting emigrants was
but the execution Of well laid plan
ordered by the Mermon council, and
that Lee not only executed but cx-
4 tUsfL