The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-08-23

| Laying her tiny babe on her husbands breast,
she drew small dirk-knife, and, like a
tigress at bay, confronted the wretch. He
recoiled in terror, but the next instant man
stepped up behind the brave woman and
drove knife through her body. Without a
struggle SIZE fell dead across her husbands
feet. Picking up the dirk she had dropped,
The hend deliberately pinned the little babe's
body to its fathers, and laughed to see its
convulsive death struggles.
| All the emigrants were butchered except
| thirteen children under six years of age, and
they were parceled out among the Mormons
and Indians. 1t is said that the property of
| these murdered people was quietly divided
among the MoImons, but not until year af-
ter was it known that white men had had
anything to do with the deed. Eight days
after the massacre man visited the scene,
and he said at the trial of Lee that he saw the
bodies of men, women and children strewn
upon the ground ana heaped in piles. There
was no clothing left on any of them except
that torn stocking leg clung to the ankle of
one.
bore the marks Of wolves teeth except one.
That one was the body of handsome, we'll
formed woman; with q beautiful face and
long, flowing hair. A single bullet had pierre
ed her side.
All possible efforts were made to preclude
the chance that any knowledge of this mon
strous massacre should ever come forth to the
world No survivor was left to tell the tale
except the children and they we're too small
to be able to tell much about it; every man
was pledged to secrecy; Brigham Young laid
upon his leaders the command that the mas
sacre be kep profound secrct-that they
should not talk OF it even among themselves.
Reports OF the massacre We're circulated by
Brigham Young and John d. Lee, both of
whom always attributed it to the Indians,
and told the story of the poisoned spring.
But such crime could not be forever hid
den. Fact after fact leaked out in the course
of years, aud John D. Lee was at last be-
lieved TO be one OF the guilty men. BUT there
were no courts in Utah with competent juris-
die. ion until the passage of the Poland Bill.
indictments were then found against the
leaders, and Lee was arrested. In July, 1876,
he was tried and the jury disagreed.
Bishop Philip Klingensmith however turn
ed states evidence to save himself. He told
much the same story as is told here and upon
his affidavit Lee was again arrested. In Sep
tember, lS75-nineteen years after the mas
sacl e--Lee was retired, found guilty, and
sentenced to be executed on January rs,
1877. The law of Utah gave him the choice
of being beheaded, hanged or shot he chose
the latter. A stay of proceedings were had,
but on February 1lth the verdict was approx
ed, and on March 23rd, 1877, John D. Lee
was shot to death on the same meadow where
twenty years before he had been the leader in
the most cowardy and brutal massacre Of this
century.
The exact motive which led to the massa-
ere will probably never be known. The
most scrupuIous care has been exercised TO
conceal every track that could explain it, and
much of the information received has been
contradictory. The migrants have been
represented as men of very great wealth and
as the Mormons at t at time were poor, a
motive of plumber has been attributed to
them.
The story goes tha: after the massacre the
MoTmons suddenly appeared more prosper
Gus, built new houses and dressed in finer
clothes. Several witnesses have testified that
the emigrants were quiet, industrious and
peaceable people, that they were Sabbath lov-
ing Christians, and held religious services fire.
quently. On the other hand they have been
represented as very arrogant in manners, and
it Is said, did much to enlage the Mormons.
Lee, in bis confession, SAID that the massa-
ere was caused by the threats of the emigrants
to bring down upon them the army of the
United States to clean out the "G--d--
Mormons.' As General Johnson's army was
then on the way to Salt Lake Valley it look
ed to the Mormons as if the threat was being
carr ed out.
When Lee reported the massacre to Brig
ham Young, Lee said that Brigham answered.
"Brother Lee, not drop of innocent blood
has been shed. l have direct evidence from
God the act was a just one"
Bishop Philip Klingensmith, when testify
ing for the prosecution and against Lee, said
lie knew that what be was then saying meant
death TO himself; that the Church would
never sleep until it had been revenged on him
tor sending a brother Mormon to al igno-
minious death. And he was right. King
ensmith's life was attempted twice after
Lees execution, but unsuccessfully. The
third time the work was thoroughly done.-
Ner York Truth.