Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-03-24
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES JEFFERSON COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA. SATURDAY MARC
RETRIBUTION.

In the spring of 1856, Elder Perley
P. Pratt, of the Mormon community,
seduced from her home the wife OF MIR.
III. II. Mclean, a merchant OF San Fran
cisco, to make her his seventh wife. On
her flight the deserted husband sent his
two children. a very interesting boy and
girl, TO his father-in-law, in New Or
leans. Some time afterward the moth
er lett Salt Lake, got her children, aud
started back to Utah with them. On
discovering this the doubly injured faith
er started in pursuit. He came to New
York, heard of Pratt here, aud tracked
him from this point to ST. Louis. There
he lost him. Then he left New Or
leans, where he heard that his wife aud
children were going through Texas to
Salt Lake, so off he went to Texas. In
his search for the missing ones, he bad
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 break
ing the seal he saw they were written
ia cipher. He succeeded in finding the
key 10 the cipher, however, and dlscoV-
cred that the letters were from Pratt,
and contained.a request that the cara
van with which Mrs. Mclean and her
children were travelling should go to
the ueighoorhood of Fort Gibson IN
the Cherokee Nation. Confused and
dispirited, Mr.. Mclean returned TO New
Orleans, whence he started for Fort
Gibson, assuming the name of Johnson.
He made known his secret 10 the otti-
GERS of the fort only. Here his vigilant
and energetic pursuit of the tugltives
was soon rewarded. He captured not
only his wife and children, bus the
scoundrel who, in the name OF religion,
had euticed them from their home. The
United States Marshal took them be-
fore Commissioner John b. Ogden for
trial. The case awoke intense excite
ment at the time, and the populace
clamored for vengeance on the wretch
who had deliberately plotted and plan
ned the ruin of prosperous and happy
family. The cipher letters were pro
duced in Court, and Mr.. Mclean told
such
PATHETIC STORY OF HIS WRONGS
that Pratt only escaped lynching by be-
ing concealed in the Jail. Even the
complainant himself became so enraged
at one time during 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 dismissed and
lett the place secretly, but Mclean
watched aud pursued him, overlook
him OH his road and killed him in his
tracks.
With his children Mclean returned
to New Orleans, and the wife, having
meanwhile become raving maniac,
was sent to an insane aylum.
MOTIVE FOR THE CRIME.
It WAS this event. combined with the
apprehended appointment Of new terri
torial officers by the government, that
led to the horrible massacre OF emf
grants at Mountain Meadow soon after
slight motives tor such a terrible
crime. Piece by piece came to light
the fearful truth concerning that mon
strous slaughter, for participation in
which John ID. Lee was sentenced, last
October, to suffer the extreme penalty
of the law. Enriched by the earlier
discoveries in the gold mines of Califor-
MIA, party of Arkansas miners return
ed, in 1896, to their late homes with
light hearts and full pockets TO take
back to the lard of gold their household
goods, wives, children and friends. The
story OF their success infamed the hearts
of their neighbors, aud very soon a
large party got ready aud set out liber-
ally provided for the trip across the con-
tinent. The emigrant train must have
numbered about 140 souls in all, and in
property and in money, horses, furniture
and camp equipments was rich beyond
all comparison with the emigrant. trains
then moving westward. The men were
we'll armed for defense against roaming
bands of Indians, and all cherished high
hopes of safe and comfortable journey
aud prosperous future in their intend.
ed new homes in the gold fields. Be
fore they had proceeded very far into the
Territory of Utah the Morlnons became
in formed of their approach, and deem
in. this an excellent opportunity
FOR REVENGE AND PLUMBER,
called council, at which it was deter
mined to order out the Mormon militia,
"to follow aud attack the accursed Gen
tiles,an let the arrows of the Almighty
drink their blood" Aleapwhile the
Mormous assured their unsuspecting
victims by pretending friendly advice.
They told them it was too late to cross
the Sierra Nevada Mountains by the
old emigrant route. This was in the
spring of 1857, and the emigrants were
told their better way would be to go
through Southern Utah and Nevada TO
Los Angeles. They proceeded as ad-
vised, and passed unmolested for some
days through the settlements of the
Latter Day Sainta About the fourth
day after passing through Cedar City,