Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1881-07-31
MURDER OF BISHOP SMITH.
The Destroying Angles Accomplish Their
| Task.

News has reached Phoebe, says the
Record, that Bishop Philip Klingen
Smith, at one time man of high stand
ing and great influence in the Mormon
Church, and the exposer of the Noun
tain Meadows massacre, and the names
of the men vino participated in the
bloody deed, is dead. His body was
found in prospect hole, in the State of
Sonora, Mexico, and letter from there,
which was received in the vicinity of
Phoebe, states that the mystery surround
ing the body indicates that Smith had
been murdered. Smith died just as he
expected, for on his return from Beaver
in 1876, after testifying in the trial Of
John D. Lee, we met Smith in town, in
a sort of secluded spot, and during the
conversation, Smith remarked: IL know
that the Church will kill me, sooner or
later, and ann as confident Of that fact
as am that am sitting on this rock.
It's only a question of time; but Pm
going to live as long as can" Imme-
diately after Smiths return from Lees
trial, as his wife at Panaca refused to
have anything to do with him, being
SD ordered by the Church, he started
southwark, and lived in Arizona for
Il time, following prospecting. During
his residence in the mountains of that
Territory two attempts were made upon
his life, and by whom he never WAS
able to discovery. Smith made
the exposure of the butchery at Noun
tain Meadows more for self-protection
than anything else. In early days,
when Hike was the county seat of Lin
coin and the furnishing and only prom
inent mining camp in this southern
the MnrmOns used to haul all
the freight from Salt Lake to Hike.
smith Was engaged in freighting, and
his son, Bud Smith was assisting him.
During one Of these rips fathe md son
had quarrel and Bud. Smith went t.,
Hike and obtained employment. 1t
Was during the winter Of S67-6S, when
kligen Smith arrived in Hike with a
Dad of freight, his son pointed him out
10 the people, and told them that just
utter the massacre, he pointed out
young girl t. him and ordered him to
kill her, saying that if he (Bud) did not
kill her 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
,oor girl himself and knocked her
'rains out with club. This was the
irst inkling to anything authentic in
wiki the massacre and
aused considerable excitement among
he settlers of Hike. Wandell, one of the l
ounty officials at that time, informed
Bishop Smith what his son exposed and
urried him out of town. After that,
While engaged in hauling freight upon \
is arrival in Panaca, Smith would al
Ways hire some person to drive his team
yer to Hike. in 1871 Bishop Smith
nade affilavits before the Clerk of Lin =.
DIN county, making the exposure of j.
he massacre and the names of those
Herewith, which was pub
shed in the Record and made public
)r the first time. Mrs. Smith is now
wing at Bullionville and is married to
man named Dolf Laundrich. Mrs.
mith j. an intelligent old lady, and is
ne mother of seventeen children by
NTH, the last two born being twin
iris, who are now about sixteen years
f age. Most of the smith family reside
l Lincoln county.