Richland beacon., 1877-04-28
MORMON BASHE-BAZOUKS.

MORMON BASHEBAZOUKS.
Cs-e~D.sta~tioi account IF the Ho""tain
Aeadsr Massacre Of fsrenty Years
Ago, a. Related IL the Cosfcs-
zion Of John ID. Lee.
When all were ready, Samuel McMur.
dy, counsellor to Bishop P. K. Smith
(Klineensmith), drove out on the lead.
His wagon had seventeen children, cloth
ing and arms. Samuel knight drove
the other team, with five wounded men
and one hoy about fifteen years old. /
walked behind the front wagon to direct
the course and to shun being in the heat
Of the slaughter: but this I kept to my
self. When we got turned fairly to the
east l motioned to McMurdy to steer
nsrth, across the valley. 1 at the same
time told the women, who were next to
the wagon, to follow the road up to the
troops, which they did. Instead of say
ing to McMurdy not to drive 20 fast-as
he swore on my trial. said to the con-
trary, to drive on, "a my aim was to get
out of sight before the firing commenced,
which we did. We were about half
mile ahead Of the company when we
heard the first firing.
We had driven over a ridge of rolling
ground, and down on a low fat. The
firing was simultaneous along the whole
line. The moment the firing commenced
McMurdy halted and tied his lines across
the rod of his wagon-box, stepped down
coolly with q double-barreled shotgun,
walked back to Knights wagon-who
had the wounded men and was about
twenty feet in the rear. As he raised
his piece he said, Lord, my God. re-
ceive their spirits, for it is for the king
dom of heavens sake that we do this"
fred and killed two men. Samuel
knight had a muzzle-loading rife, and
he shot and killed the three men, and
then struck the wounded boy on the
head, who fell dead. In the meantime l
drew a five shooter from my belt, which
accidentally went of, cutting across Nc
Murdy's buckskin pants in front, below
the crotch. McMurdy said: Brother
Lee, you are excited; take things cool.
You was near killing me. Look where
the ball cut" pointing to the place in
his pants. At this moment l heard the
scream of child. 1 looked up ond saw
an Indian have little boy by the hair
of his head dragging him out of the hind
end of the wagon, with knife in his
band, getting ready to cut his throat.
1 sprang for the Indian with my revolver
in hand, and shouted to the top of my
voice, "Arick, coma. cot too seoes"
{" Stop, you fool.") The child was ter
ror-stricken. His chin was bleeding. L
suppose it was the cut of a knife, but
afterwards learned that it was done on
the wagon-box as the Indian yanked the
boy down by the hair of the head. I
had no sooner rescued this child than
another Indian seized little girl by the
hair l rescued her as soon as l could
speak told the Indians that they must
not hurt the children-that | would die
before they should be hurt, that we
would buy the children from them. Be
fore this time the Indians had rushed
around the wagon in quest of blood, and
dispatched the two runaway wounded
men. In justice to my statement I
would say that if my shooter had not
prematurely exploded 1 would have had
hand in dispatching the five wounded.
l had lost control Of myself and scarce
knew what was about. I saw an In.
diah pursue little girl who was fleeing.
He caught her about one hundred feet
from the wagon and plunged his knife
through her. I said to McNurdy that
he had better drive tho children 10 Ham.
blin's ranchs and give then oms nour.
iahmeat, while would 90 Down and got
~ horn at The oomp. PGD;nv aIo>~