Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-07-08
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS.


MOUNTAIN MEADOWS.
The Blaskest Spot In the Dark History .
the Mormon Church.
Early in September. 1857. the com
pany of emigrants that had beer
ordered out Of Salt Lake valley, ant
compelled to take the southern route
to the coast, entered the meadows ant
encamped with the intention of resting
and recruiting before crossing thu
desert. Nothing occurred to alarm
them the first day, and when night fell
they took no precautions except such
as had been customary with them dur
ing the journey The valley seemed 9
haven of safety, and they laid down t.
rest with thankful hearts, but while
they slept plot for their destruction
was maturing. The Nauvoo legion,
obedicnt 10 ''orders from head.
quarters" had surrounded the unsus.
pecting emigrants on every side. A
portion of the legion, painted and dis
guised as Indians had been sent on in
company with savages less cruel than
themselves to attack the train. The
remaining companies of Mormon militia
had other orders. At daybreak the
guard at the emigrants' camp perceived
dark forms moving upon the surrounds
ing hillsides. He aroused his comrades,
and as the dusky figures showed more
plainly in the growing light they
decided that they were Indians and that
an attack was intended. 1t was neccs-
sary to think and act quickly, and q
barricade was formed at once with the
wagons of the company, but before
heir hurried preparations for defense
were completed the sharp crack of
rifles and the whizzing of bullets de-
noted that the battle had begun. 1t
was already only too plain that their
assailants greatly outnumbered them,
and from savages, as they supposed
them to be, no quarter was expected,
but love stronger than death nerved
their arms and strengthened their
hearts for the. contest. Let the father
who reads these lines by his own fire.
side, with the bright headso of his chill
dren clustering around him, ask him
self against how great odds he could
fight if a cruel and lingering death
menaced his darlings. Let him take
his youngest born on his knee, and
while the soft, baby eyes are uplifted tc
his face let him measure, if he can, the
anguish of those fathers, who turned
from last look at just such faces to
f1,o fSoroo an Of If THAR o
foes.
All day long the unequal battle ragged.
At night the fire of the assailants slack
ened, but the light from piles of burn
ing sage brush showed that they still
surrounded the emigrants' camp on
every side. Before sunrise murder
GUS rain of bullets recommended, and
again continued until nightfall. The
third day was repetition of the first,
but on the fourth day access to the
springs was cut of. and the horrors of
death from thirst stared chem in the
face. vet they fought with desperate
courage, and when the sun went down
they still held their position and kept
the foe ut bay. The morning of the
fifth. day found them worn, exhausted,
tortured by burning thirst. but with
hearts as undaunted az ever. Late in
the afternoon the steady firing of the
besiegers ceased. and when they looked
out to ascertain the cause, they saw
party of white men approaching, their
leader bearing flag of truce. Let it
be remembered the emigrants had new
err doubted that their aSsailants were
Indians, and the sight of white men.
coming as they believed to the rescue.
was as welcome as vision of angels.
In answer to the flag of truce little
girl was dressed in white, aud placed
on one of the wagons. In view of what
followed, this act was full of unuttera-
BILE pathos. Truly, they had decked
lamb for sacrifice. The white men. as
they drew near, proved to be body of
Mormon militia, headed by their Off
GERS, who were also the Bishops of the
settlements. They repre-
sented that they had done their best to
induce the Indians to leave, but they
would not do so unless the emigrants
would agree to give up their property,
stack their arms and march out of the
vdtIcy btlC CSCOIt Va tAIC
The emigrants. seeing no other pros
pect of saving the lives of their fami-
lice, agreed to these hard conditions.
After making the required surrender
they were divided into three companies.
The women and children went first,
under the escort of a detachment of the
legion. The men followed at some dis
lance, guarded by another body of mi
litia, and a wagon containing the wound
ed brought up the rear.
And now comes the blacklist page in
this chapter of treachery and murder,
q page that the most callous historian
might shrink from recording. At a
given signal from the officers in COM
mand, the unarmed men were shot
down, and when the last one lay dead
or dying on the bloody soil, the
slaughter of the women and children
and the butchery of the wounded began.
When the sun set that night on the
redeemed and trampled Meadows. one
hundred and nineteen mangled corpses
strewed the ground. Of all the COM
pany that entered the valley none re-
manned alive except some of the smaller
children. Why they were saved when |
so many other children were shot down |