The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-04-05

Me000W9 massacre INC - 10Ac0 -
the Scene Of the Horrible Crime Of
which He was Convicted, and There
Shot to Death His Confession.
SALT LAKE, U. T., March q.
Lee was brought out upon the scene of
the massacre ut Mountain Meadows, be-
fore the executing party. and seated on
his coffin, about twenty feet from the
shooters. Being asked if he had anything
to say, Lee arose and said, among other
things:
have done nothing designedly wrong in this
affair. used my utmost endeavors to save those
my command, to have avoided that calamity, but
could not. am sacrificed to satisfy feelings,
and am used to crafty parties, but am ready to
die. have no fear of death. 1t has no terrors.
and no particle of mercy have asked from the
Court, nor have asked the officials to spare nv
life. l do not fear death. shall never 90 to a
worse place than the one am nowi in.
do not believe everything that is now prac.
ticed and taught by brigham Young. do not
agree with him. l believe he is leading people
astray, but believe in the Gospel as taught in
its purity by Joseph Smith in former days. I
have my reasons for saying this. 1 used to make
this mans will my pleasure, and did SO for thirty
years. See how and what have come to this
day. have been sacrificed in a cowardly, das-
tardly manner. There are thousands of people
in the Church honorable, goOd-hearted, that l
cherish in my heart.
declare did nothing designedly wrong in
this unfortunate affair. did everything in my
powert to save all the emigrants, but l am the one
that must suffer. Having said this l feel re-
signed. ask the Lord my God to extend His
mercy to me, and receive my spirit My labors
are done here.
After the speech, Parson Stokes (NIetho-
dist made prayer, commenting the soul
OF the condemned man to God.
Immediately after this handkerchief
was placed over Lees eyes. He raised
his hands, placed them on top of his
head, sitting firm.
Nelson gave the word to fire, and exact
ly at eleven o'clock five guns were fired,
penetrating the body in the region of the
heart, and Lee fell squarely back upon his
coffin, dead. His death was instantaneous.
There were about seventy-tive persons,
all told, on the ground, but not child or
relative of his was there. The best of
order prevailed.
THE CONFESSION.
The following is the correct copy of the
confession of John d. Lee, carefully COM
pared with the original, penned by Lee
since his second trial and since his SEN
tence to death. 1t was written by him
without aid or advice:
STATEMENT OF JOHN D. LEE OF FACTS CONNECTED
WITH THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MAS sAcRE.
In the month of September, 1857, the COM
pany of emigrants known as the Arkansas
Company" arrived in Parowan, Iron County,
Utah, on their way to California. At Parowan,
Young Alden, one of the company. saw and rec
ognized one William Laney, a Mormon resident
of Parowan. Alden and his father had rescued
Laney from an anti-Mormon mob in Tennessee,
several years before and saved his life. He
uaney), ut the time he was attacked by the
mob. was Mormon missionary in Tennessee.
Laney was glad to see his friend and benefactor,
and invited him to his house, and gave him
some garden sauce to take back to the camp
with him. The same evening it was reported to
Bishop Col Dame that Laney had given po-
tstoes and onions to the man Alden, one of the
emigr;ants. When the report was made to Bishop
Dame, he raised his hand and crooked his
little finger in a significant manner to
one Barney Carter, his brother in law.
Carter, without another word, walked
out, went to Laneys house with a long picket in
his hand, called Laney out, and struck him
heavy blow on the head, fracturing his skull,
and left him on the ground for dead. C. Y.
Webb and Isaac Newman, President of the High
Council, both told me they saw Danes maneu-
vers. James McGuffee, then resident of Parowan,
but through oppression has been forced to leave
there, and is now a merchant in Pahranagat
Valley, near Phoebe, New. knows these facts.
About the last ut August. 1857, some ten days
before the Mountain Meadows massacre, u conn
pany of ernigrints r,sscd through Cedar City.
George A. Smith. then First Counselor in the
Church. and Brigham Young's right hand man.
came down from Salt Lake City, preaching to
different settlements. l at that time was in
Washington County. near where st. George now
stands. He sent for me. went to him. and he
asked me to take him to Cedar City by way of
Fort Clara and Pinto settlements he
business and must visit all the settlements. We
started. On our way up through the canon we
saw herds of Indians. and he Geo. A. Smith,
to me that these Indians, with the adj
vantage they had of rocks, could use up Il large
company of cmigrants, or make it very hot for
them.
After pausing for a short time he said to me,
g Brother Lee, what do You think the brethren
would do it company of einigrants should
come down through here making threats? Don't
you think they would pitch into them l re-
piled that they certainly would. This seemed
to please him, and he again said to me, And
you really think the brethren would pitch into
them" Il certainly do" was my reply. land
to tend to it that emigrants are permitted topass
if you want them to pass nnmolested." He con-
tinued: II asked Isaac (meaning Haight) the
same question, and he answered me just us yoa
do. and l expect the boys would pitch into
them" again said to hun he had better say to
Gov. Young that if he wants the emigrant COM
panies to pass without molestaticn he must in
struct Col. Dame or Maj. Haight to that effect,
for if they are not ordered otherwise they will
use them up by the help of the Indians. He
told the people at Clara not to sell their grain to
emigrants, nor to feed it to their animals, as
they might expect big fight next spring with
the United States. President Young did not in
tend to let the troops into the Territory. He
said: I'VE arc going to stand up for our rights,
and will no longer be imposed upon by our enc
mics, and want every man to be on hand with
his gun in good order and his powder dry" and
instructed the people to part with nothing that
would sustain life.
From the LIST to the 10th of September, 1857, q
messenger came to me. His name was Sam
Wood. He told me that President Isaac c.
Haight wanted me to 60 to Cedar City that even-
ing without fail. This was Saturday. He told
me that large company of cmigrants had gone
forth. I then lived at Harmony, twenty miles
President Haight met me. twas near shutdown.
We spent the night in an open house on some
blankets, where we talked most all night. He
told me that company of emigrants had passed
through some two days before, threatening the
MOrmons with destruction, and that one of them
had said he had helped to kill old Joe Smith aid
his brother Hiram; that other members of the
company of emigrants had helped drive the Nor
mons out of Missouri. The others said they had
come to help Johnston's army clean the Mormons
out of Utah; that they had the halters ready to
hang old Brigham and Hcber, and would have
them strung up before the snow blew; that one of
the emigrants called one of his oxen "a pair of
stags) BRIG" and the other "Heber," and that
several of the emigrants had used all kinds of
threats and profanity. John NJ. Higbce, City
Marshal, had informed them that it was a breach
of the city ordinance to use profane language,
whereupon one of them replied with oaths) that
he did not care for Mormon laws or the Mormons
either, that they had fought their way through
Indians, and would do it through Mormons, and
if their God, Old Brigham, and his priests
would not sell their provisions, they would
take what they wanted anyway. They
them let loose his long whip and killed
two chickens, and threw them into his
wagon; that Widow Evans said, "Gentlcmen,
those are my chickens; please don't kill them.
am . poor widow" That they ordered her to
shut up or they would blow her brains out, etc. |;
that they had been raising trouble with all the
settlements and Indians on their way; that We
were threatened on the north by Johnston's army;
that now our safety depended on prompt and
immediate action; that . company of Indians
had already gone south from Parowan and Cedar
City to surprise the emigrants who were then at
N6n,ufasv, M0a1ncuu ho fn6 rpf11rT,