Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-09-09
BISHOP SMITHS DEATH.
= Reminder ofthe Mountain Meadows :
Massacre Quarrel with His Son.
Phoebe lNey) Record.

News has reached Pioche that Bishop
Philip klingen Smith, at one time
man of high standing and great intiu-
ence in Mormon church, and the ex-
poser of the Mountain Meadows mas
sacre, and the names of the men who
participated in the bloody decd, is
dead. His body was found in pros
pect hole in the state of Sonora. Mexi-
co, and letter from there, which was
received III the vicinity Of pioche,
states that the mystery surrounding
the body indicates that Smith had been
murdered. Smith died just As he ex-
pected, for on his return from Beaver.
in 1876, after testifying in the trial of
John ID. Lee, we met Smith III town, III
Il sort of secluded spot, and during the
conversation Smith remarked: 81
know that the church will kill me,
sooner or later, and | am as confident
of that fact Us that | am sitting on this
rock. Its only a question of time;
but I'm going to live rs long rs | can. :"
Immediately after Smiths return from
Lees trial, as his wife at Panaca re-
fused to have anything to do with him.,
being so ordered by the church, he
started southwark, and lived III Arizona
for some time, following prospecting.
During his residence i'll the mountains
of that territory two attempts were
made upon his life, by whom he was
never able to discover. Smith made
the exposure of the butchery ut Noun
tain Meadows more for sclEprotection
than anything else. In early days,
when Hiko was the county seat of Lin
coin. and the tlourishing and only
prominent mining camp in this south
ern country, the Mormons used 10
haul all the freight from Salt Lake 10
Hike. Smith was engaged III freight
ing, and his son, Bud Smith, was as
sisting him. During one of these trips
father and son had a quarrel, and Bud
Smith went to Hike and obtained en-
ployment. 1t was during the winter ol
1868, when Klingen Smith arrived in
Hike with load of freight, his son
| pointed him out to the people, and
told them that just after the massacre
his father pointed out young girl tC
him. and ordered him to kill her, saw
ing that ''if he (Bud) did not kill heI
he (his father) would kill him" Bud
told his father that he would not kill
the girl, and that he might kill him.
Then Bishop Smith turned upon the
poor girl himself, and Knocked her
braines out with club. This was the
first inkling To anything authentic il
connection with the massacre, and
caused considerable excitement among
the settlers of Hiko. Wandell,. one O
the county officials at that time, in
formed Bishop Smith what his son hat
exposed, and hurried him out of town
After that, while engaged in hauling
freight, upon his arrival in Panaca
Smith would always hire some person
to drive his team over to Hike. II
1871 Bishop Smith made afiidavits he
| fore the clerk of Lincoln county, max
ing the exposure of the massacre, ano
the names Of those connected there
with, which was published in the Rec
ord and made public for the first time
Mrs. Smith is now living i'll Bullionvillc
and is married to a man named Dol
Laundrich. Mrs. Smith is an intelli
gent old lady, and is the mother of sew
enteen children by Smith, the last tw'
born being twin girls, who are nov
about sixteen years of age Most d
the Smith family reside in Lincoln
county.