Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-10-11
4 MORMON MURDERER.
Indicting DANTE Chief---He Promises
to Make Full ConfesSion---Drnnk
When Arrested. ---t
! ew York Herald.

New l ork Herald.
Grin Porter Rockwell. the notorious
Mormon murderer and accredited chief
Of the Danites, was indicted by the
Grand Jury of the First Judicial Dis
trict of the Territory, now III session at
Provo, for his participation in what is
generally known as the Aitken massa-
ere, which occurred in the central part
of the Territory, hundred miles south
of this city, in 1858. Rockwell was al
rested in this city to-day by the United
States Marshal, and conveyed to the
penitentiary for safe keeping. He was
in state of intoxication when arrested
and talked loudly Of writing his confes-
sions, as Bill Hickman, his former asso-
ciate in crime had done.
Bishop Robert T. Burton, the Major
General of the Nauvoo Legion, who was
arrested some months ago for the mur-'
der of Joseph Morris, the rival prophet
of Brigham Young, in 1862, and DR..
Jeter Clinton, who was also arrested
about the same time on the charge of
numbering Elder John Banks, the cOun-
selOr of Morris, have both been released
from custody on S15, 900 and $4,000 bail
respectively.
The arrest of Rockwell is regarded
here as an important step on the part
of the officers of the law, exhibiting as
1t does that there is a disposition on the
part Of the Grand Jury to bring this
notorious criminal to answer for his
bloody deeds. lie has been the ready
tool of the Mormon leaders from almost
the fOundatian of their Church to carry
on their vengeance against their enc
mics. He was accused as far back as
1910 of having made an attempt to as
sassinate Gov. Lilburn W. Boggs, of
Missouri, but the Governor escaped with
his life, though he was very seriously
wounded and never wholly recovered.
1t Is a matter Of common belief here
that it was Rockwell. with his asso-
ciates, who murdered Secretary Almon
w. Babbitt, and his companions at Ash
Hollow, on the plains, in 1857 A few
days after the murder Of Mr. Babbitt a
small party of apostate Mormons, leav-
ing this city for the States, were also
murdered. That Rockwell was sent on
the plains to "put them out of the
way" is not doubted here. That he
was the chief Of the party who killed
the Aitkens and their associates while Oh
their way to California, everybody be
lieves but what evidence the Grand
Jury was in possession of on which to
indict him is yet unknown. He is gen
orally believed to have committed sew
eral murders, and there is a strong hope
that he will carry out his promise to-
day, and publish his confession He is
a man of small stature, but very witty,
and now about sixty years of age. He
has never followed any settled course of
life, and has lived more on horseback
than at home. OF late years he has
owned large droves of horses, and has
accumulated quite an amount of mon
ey. For the last seven or eight years
he has given himself up to almost CON
slant intoXication, to drown the re-
proaches Of conscience, it is believed.
1t was he who interrupted Vice Presi-
dent Colfax in the midst of his speech at
the Townsend House, and then made
the astounding statement to that public
meeting that :" he had never killed any
body who didn't want to be killed, or
deserved to be killed, anyhow y