Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-03-31
THE MORMON MURDER.
John ID, Lee Makes Full Confession ofths
Crlne..The Terrible story.

HtCteV WIN tlt WWlW CIlluc hHoWh v
tho Mountain Meadow massacre are pre-
scented TO the public, From tho lips c
one OF the chief murderers--John u
Lee-this horrible story of treachery an
bloodshed becomes known. There ar
no longer any doubts to be cleared up
points of evidence to be sfted, motion
or appeals to be argue, for the crimina
himself now conicsses 10 his full share il
that ghastly butchery. Not only doe
he do this, but he gives us an insigll
into the organization Of the Mormon
church that will strike from beneath i
the slender prop which liberation gives i
in civilized community. He arraign
in the bitterness of his soul the men b.
whom he was tempted, threatened ant
cajoled into perpetratng the slaughter
of these innocent immigrants, AMI who
in the hour of his trial dealt to him the
same treachery which he had shown
toward those who confded in his word q,
the Mountain Meadow. He tells us
that the terrible deed was directly due to
the teachings of Brigham Young, presi'
dent of the Mormon church, and that il
was perpetrated in the name and by the
authority of the chief men of that organ
ization.
Twenty years ago party OF immi'
grants, with their wives and children,
their wagons and herds, made the long
and wearisome journey across the great
plains through the deep canyons and
over the snow-clad passes of the Rocky
mountains toward the golden valleys of
California. They had heard wonderful
tales of that land of the setting sun;
how its verdure never failed, its rivers
teemed with life and their waters flowed
to the Pacific over sands of gold. They
had left their homes in Arkansas and
Missouri filled with high hopes of peace,
rest and plenty in the distant Ell Dorado.
The prospect of the reward lightened
their march and gladdened their hearts
as each evening they saw the land of
promise pictured as it were in the glow
ing glories of the western Sky. Slowly
the immigrant train traced its sinuous
course over plain and foothill, through
canyon and mountain pass, until it
reached the summit of the great divide
and began to descend into the valley of
the great Salt Lake. Within this vast
basin, which ut one time represented the
site of great inland sea that washed the
feet of the Wahsatch range of noun
tains as the Caspian now does the bases
of the Eastern Caucasus, n community
of white men had long been settled. 1t
had migrated westward over the same
route AS that now followed by the immi-
grant train, and established itself in n
condition of civil and moral outlawry in
relation to the American people.
Its constitution was Ismaelitish, mas
much rs it set at defiance all laws on
which modern society is based 1t had
its own code of morals, its own religious
creed, and jealousy defended both from
the interference of all authority outside
its own organization. by the right of
pre-cmpton it owned the land and rec
ognized no power that could question its
title or claim to regulate it. Such was
the Mormon community.
Because Of the isolation which nature
and the peculiar laws Of the Mormons
secured for that people they regarded
all outside the pale of their community
as enemies to their religion and welfare.
They had retired to the valley of the
Great Salt Lake in order, us they be-
lieved and intended, to cut off all COM
munication between them and the outer
world. They forgot that the broad do
main Of the United States belonged to
the people, and that 10 section of the
population had an exclusive wight to any
part of the territory OF the republic,
much loss to bar the way to free transit
across it. But being firmly impressed
with the idea that they were the elect of
God-His chosen people-they regarded
as an act of hostility any encroachment,
even by passing immigrant train.
Owing TO the summary vengeance
taken by IL husband ON one of
their leading apostles for the Sc
duction of his wife the passions of the
Mormon community wTe doubly ex-
cited against the Gentiles when the APP
proach of the immigrants was made
known in the valley of the Great Salt
Lake. They organized plan for the
destruction of the party, and placed
its execution in the hands of willing
Internationally, John d. Lee. This
man has been, according to his own con-
fession, a leading officer of the Mormon
church, rs well as a commander of the
Mormon military body known as the
Nauvoo Legion, organized for the de-
Tense of Mormon territory against inva-
sion by the Gentiles. He was zealot
in religion, unrelenting in his hatred of
It's enemies and INSCRIPTIONS as to the
means to be employed in giving the
strongest expression to that feeling.
All was well planned for the destruc-
ton of the immigrants. They were per-
mitted to enter the Mormon settlement
and to follow the trail toward California
which leads southwark through the
Great Salt Lake valley They were en-
couraged in the belief that the followers
OF Brigham Young meant well toward
them and were willing to help them on
their way. They felt secure from dan
ger while passing through region that
presented many evidences of civilized
occupancy, and never dreaming of the
bloody tragedy preparing for them by
the Mormons, prepared to camp for
short period of rest. The ground select
ed was admirably adapted for this pur-
pose, being II sheltered valley between
two ranges of hills, with broad meadow
covering its area and several good
springs. Near one of the latter the i'm
migrants encamped and coraled their
wagons in the usual manner when halt