Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-04-05
THE TRUE CONFESSION OF JOHN D. LEE.

In the mounth of September, 1857,
the company of emigrants known as the
Arkansas Company" arrived il
Parowan, Iron county, Utah, on thei
way to California. At Parowan young
Alden, one the company, saw and recog
nized one VIM. Laney, 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 Clancy
at the time be was attacked by the
mob was a Mormon missionary in
Tennessee. Laney was glad to see bis
friend and benefactor, and invited him
to his house and gave him some garden
sauce to take to the camp with him.
The same evening it was reported te
Bishop (ColoneD Dame that Laney had
given potatoes and onions to the man
Alden. one of the emigrants. When the
report was made to Bishop Dame he
raised his hand and crooked his little
finger in significant manner to one
Barney Carter, his brother-in-law, anc
one OF the CANCELS of Death" Carter
without another word, walked out, went
to Laney's house with long picket in
his hand called Laney out and struck
him heavy blow on the head, fractur.
ing his skull, and left him on the groune
for dead. G. Y. Webb and Isaac New.
man, president Of the "High Council
both told me that they saw DANES
maneuvres. James McGuffee, then e
resident of Parowan, but, through op
preston, has been forced to leave there
and is now a merchant in Pahranagat
Valley, near Phoebe, Nevada, knows
these facts.
About the last Of August, 1857, some
ten days before the Mountain Meadows
massacre, the company and emigrants
passed through Cedar City. George A.
Smith, then first counsellor in the church
and Brigham Young's right-hand man,
came down from Salt Lake City, preach.
ing to the different settlements. 1 al
that time was in Washington county,
near where st. George now stands. He
sent me. went to him, and he asked
me to take him to Cedar City by way
Of Fort Clara and Pinto settlements, as
he was on business and must visit all
the settlements. We started ON our
way up through the canyon. We saw
herds of Indians, and he George A
Smith) remarked to me that these
Indians, with the advantage they had
Of the rocks, could use up large COM
pany Of emigrants or make it very hot
for them.
After pausing for short time he said
to me. ''Brcthe Lee, what do you
think the brethren would do fla COM
pany Of emigrants should come down
through here making threats? Don't
you think they would pitch into them?"
l replied 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
you had better instruct Col. Dame and
Haight to tend to it that the emigrants
are permitted to pass if you want them
to pass, unmolested." He continued &:
II asked Isaac (meaning Haight) the
same queation, and he answered me
just as you do, and 1 expect the boys
would pitch into them" Iagain said
to him that he had better say to Gov.
Young tnat If he wants emigrant COM
panies to pass without molestation that
he must instruct Col. Dame or Mai.
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 the Clara not
to sell their gram to the emigrants nor
to feed it to their animals, as they might
expect big fight the next spring with
the United States. President Young
did not intend to let the troops into the
Territory. He sad ''we are going to
stand up for our rights, and will no
longer be imposed upon by our enemies
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 Septem-
Der. 1857, messenger came to me,
his name was Sam. Wood, and told me
that President Isaac c. Haight wanted
me to be at Cedar City that evening
without fail. This was Saturday. He
told me that large company of emf
grants had gone South. 1 then lived al
Harmony, twenty miles south of Cedar
City. 1 obeyed the summons. Presi.
dent Haight met me. 1t was near sun.
down. We spent the night in an open
house on some blankets, where We
talked most all night. He told me that
a company Of emigrants had passed
through some two days before, threaten.
ing the Mormons with destruction, and
that one of them had said he had helped
to kill old Joe Smith and his brother
Hyrum that other members of the
company of emigrants had helped drive
the Mormons out Of Missouri; that
others had said they had come to
help Johnston's army to clean the
Mormons out of Uuth; that they had
the halters ready to hang old Brigham
and Heber, and would have them strung
up before the snow flew; that one Of
the emigrants called one of his oxen
"a pair Of stags) BRIG" and the other
''Heber," and that several of the em-
grants had used all kinds of threats and
profanity.