The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-05-02
THE MORMON EXECUTION.
A Statement from One Of Lee's Guards
Charging District Attorney Howard with
SuppressinR Important Parts Of Lees
Confession.

A Statement from One OF Lees Guards
Charging District Attorney Howard with
suppressinR Important Parts of Lees
Confession.
A strange sequel to the tragedy of
John D. Lees execution at Mountain
Meadow is contained in an official paper
which was filed with the department of
Justice in Washington. This is no less
than an affidavit by Edward Gilman, OF
Salt Lake City, that Lee was inducedto
make a confession to the United States
district attorney on the promise that in
return for such confession he should re-
~eive o rcprieve and eventually a full
: pardon. This promise, Gilman alleges.
was made to Lee by the district attorney
in furtherance of q plan to implicate,
expose and punish all the Mormon lead
ers, from Brigham Young down, who
were believed to be concerned in the
Mountain Meadow massacre.
Gilman alleges that lie was specially
engaged rs a g~o-bctween by the district
attorney to make the overtures to Lee
! for the confession, and to promise even
! tual immunity to Lee III consideration
oi the disclosures he should make. In
his capacity of guard at the penitentiary
ut Beaver, he had free access to the cell
of Lee, and was occupied quite q while
in conducting the negotiations before a
mutual understanding was had between
Lee and the district attorney. Lee was
cautioned by the latter not to make
! known the substance of his confession
to ANYBODY, not even TO his wife Rachel,
who, it will be remembered, was the
constant companion of his closing hours
on earth, and attended him in his cell up
70 the moment Of his removal for execu-
ton.
But Gilman says that the confession
was read by himself and by Rachel dur
ing odd moments when Lee happened to
be absent from his cell taking exercise,
during which intervals their curiosity
got the better OF them and they read the
folios OF manuscript rs they lay on Lees
writing desk.
From these furtive and detached pc
rnsals of the confession Gilman acquired
q general knowledge of its substance,
which he says is at variance with the
confession given to the public by the
district attorney.
It will be remembered that the New
York Herald published in advance of the
press q Geographic report from Salt Lake
City of Lees confession. in which Lee
directly and unequivocally charged Brig
ham Young with being responsible for
the order under which the dreadful mas
sacre oil Mountain Meadow was perpe-
trated.
Discrepancy between the two confess
sions on this pnint of Brigham Young's
alleged guilt was commented upon widely
ut the time, and is now accounted for by
Gilman, who says that the charge against
Brigham Young by Lee in his confession
to the district attorney was expunged,
and that the entire paper was garbled IN
the interest OF the Mormon chief after it
had passed out of Lees possession and
before it was given to the public. The
original confession published by the
Herald was made by Lee when he was
under sentence of death and before any
delusive promise of a reprieve and par
don could have been held out to him &C
cording to the statement OF Gilman. 1t is
strange, therefore, that under the induce
ment of such promised pardon, the Sec
ond confession should be less severe
upon Brigham Young.
Gilman also says that in taking his
first message to Lee from the district Az
torney, he was instructed to tell the
prisoner that if he would dismiss his law
yers and put himself wholly in communi-
cation with and under the protection of
the district attorney, he, Lee, would be
serving his own interests in the most
salutary way.
Hence it wa that Lee gradually came
under the influence of the district attor-
ney, who thenceforth piled him with the
nope of pardon until he secured the con
fession in its entirety, and then kept his
victim under the belief that reprieve
would arrive at any moment, until the
fusilade of the firing party ended his life
and his deception together.
1t may seem improbable that a man of
the cunning and ~discernment OF Lee
should not have detected the deception
practiced upon him, when, during the
last few hours of his life, he was taken
a hundred miles away from the reach of
the telegraph to be done to death in a
solitude where reprieve could reach him
only by 4 miracle. But those who have
prompted Gilman to make a clean breast
of his connection with. what they de-
nounce rs an outrage upon the sacred
name of justice point to the manner of
Lees death as evidence that he was sus-
tanned to the last moment by the expec-
tation Of q reprieve.
His theatrical bearing, his imperturb-
able GOODNESS when, sitting on the coffin,
he gave suggestions to the newspaper
artist as to how he should be ~sketched-
all, they say, indicate n secret belief that
he was acting a farce, and that his usher
ing into eternity was ns unexpected as if
he had been struck by lightning. This
is the web of the story as woven by Gil
man in his affidavit, and elaborated by
the persons who have urged him tomake
it.
Gilman says that he was first moved
by remorse to tell what he has revealed
as above. AS to the discrepancy in the
two confessions he says he can be cor
roborated by Rachel, the widow of Lee.
As to the alleged motive of the sup
preston of the part duplicating Brig
ham Young, it would hardly be just to
the district attorney to repeat it until he
has had an opportunity to explain why
the suppression was made, if it really
were made.
Gilman has had the benefit of a testi-
monial from the district attorney, who,
in recommending him about a month
ago for an appointment rs q mail carrier,
testified that he was a reliable and com
petent man. Ha
On the other hand it is said in defense
of the district attorney that the charge
against him is the work Of q number OF
politicians anxious to get him removed
from his office in the interest Of q favor
tie, and that the whole thing is a. con-
spiracy which will come to light in due
time.
Meanwhile the encouragement refuses
to allow the affidavit to be made public.
He says that persons accused have rights
rs well as accusers.