The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1877-02-21


| the men were separated from the w0,nen
and chfIdreir the latter going 10 ih. front
4 Half q mile the devoted baud had scarce
i ~ gore from their camp when. at the
n,anster Lees command. they were sI.ol
dead, everyone except the seventeen lit
lie children Of the party, whose lives the
'.eoumciln had ordered shonId be spared.
One bundled aud twenty men, women
and children were slain IN cold bIo,sl.
ReETe the wonieh Of the party had ali
t~~n killed, one young girl Is reported to
have rushed fron, the crowd toward Lee.
She first threw herself on her knees l,e-
/ fore him aud begged him TO let her live.
She then rose up and. fwining her arms
about Ills neck cried 10 hin, 10 spare her;
| that she wax going 10 California 10 join
her lover, who anxiously awaited her
( there, nnd 90 whom she was 10 be married
on her arrival. He repaid her ccnfidence
by dragging her aside with vile intent.
aud because she fe-isteel him and tried Ia
defend herself with a knife she elnnced To-
have la ber possession lie shol her through
| the head.
For years after the preparation of this
! daring crime the prnperfy OF the MURDER
ed Immigrants WAS openly used by their
nrurirrers, and the fate of the missing
one- for sone time remained mystery.
their death being laid at the door Of the
savages Some Indians did participate
In the massacre. but iley waited for the
white savages To sci them an example Ia
human butcirry, only rushing frni their
ambush 10 suripuni the immigrants
when. hy Lees order, tlls first shots had
! iren fired. Afler the massacre The hoaie~
of the murdered immigrants were left an
tile open ,,rairie 10 lie deyuired by the
wolvrS. 80 cL~cly was The secret ofthis
terrible deed guarded that not even in the
northern Mormon settlements was u
known fora long time that any white
men had l,artirilu.ed im the slaughter.
The firt authentic tldirgSof the fate of
the immigrants reached The outside world
through Mr.. William H. Rogers, a govern
nneni agent, Win heard something of IL
while crossing the plains in ellaTge of a
treasure train ip 1857. The next year be
was appointed Indian agent la Utah aud
was or,irred 10 rescue the children whom
Il was believed the AIormous had saved
Ifom the savages.
With the impuiruee of hrigands the
.sE .t...~ a.. .a......s,..l y ra,..nr,
/ cor their release. Mr.. Rogers refused the
/ demand aud gathered the children to-
| yetlirr. To his amusement 0ne Of tile
children. then alI1ut eighty years oil.
io.d him one day that IL was not Indians,
hut white men, that killed their parents.
With company " cavalry lie went 20
the Mountain ,leaanws. where horrible
-ight met his gaze. TIe skeletons Of 10
nIsn, woineh and children were spread
uI2a tile field. Tho flssh tern FROM the
l0nes by hungry wolves aud bullet holes
through the hen,l- of nlost of the victims.
A large quantity sf hair from the heads Of
the woniea werr gathered up from the
sage b,lsi,ss. and al tile remains were
given Christian lsuF.sl "A few days
anerward two Masmon called on Mr..
Isngers. aud telling him 'hearts were
pressed with grief, saii they would givr
him . true hisiory of the Mounusin M.a-
dow massacre " he would spare tirir own
lives. lie TILL them Co I,rs,-ed. aud They
related TO him lie story told above. uan,-
ing Lee NJ tie leader. Some hloodrd stuck,
wrgnils, carriages aud other pfoperty
uwned hy the Immigrants, they said, had
teen taken % tie Mormon tIthing e~ial,.
lishment and soId 1t public auction for the
h-hvfit 81 he Church. 7, Brigham Young.
II Is said. keplone Of the Carriages aud a
plano f,r his ewn use.
liz The Norman versions Of the story of
the massacre it Was made 10 appear that
the immigranis pruvoked bo:h the Nor
mon settlers and the Indians W thrlr pro~
gress thragh Utah. The Monaons aid
their destruction was cliargeable 10 the In
,lisns altogether, aud that they we're at
tackled becau-e they had ls,isnned aspiring
/ ~ NWtCttNatAtg UtAtts atAst NtNttt uuN NttNt
fndlan ale the fi-~h af the-s animals aud
died also. Hut this has been propouned
absolutely untrue ~ tlin-c wno lave M
ve~tig,ted the matter, AM, u was well es-
iabIisbed buih lefore and ~ the time Of
Issr's trial that the murder Uf the unslis-
prctiag immigrants wa iiiit the esecutIun
OF well laid plan orsleied by the Murmon
council. aud that Lee not only executed
but sxrrried his sanguinary orders.
With his own lIHnd he killed and woun-
ded wnn,sn aud children lyinE helpless
after the hr-i yslley. lie sbot man
down whp beld child jn his arms and
who knew and reewnizsd him through
his Disguise.
10 November is7s. Lee VIVA arrested.
aud wss s,on AFTER lndlcfsd Coz l,arlicipa-
iion IN this fenSfsi eIiDs. Ne had svs,lrd
pursuit far a long iIsue, llvinR with m,e Of
hi- eighteen wives. an English weusan.
among the NavsI,~ .Indisnr. where his