The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-07-08
y MOUNTAIN MEADOW.
ONE OF TIE hTROCIOUs CRIMES or
= TIE WEST.

bly, MutiIated, Etc.
In work relating to Indian history,
by j. p. Dunn, Jr., recently published
by the Harper's, the author gives vivid
and authentic sketch of the atrocious
Mountain Meadow massacre, the thought
@ of which cXcitcS burning indignation
to-day, although nearly thirty years have
passed since this dark stain on American
annals. AS illustrating tho savage spirit
which melted this horrible crlmo, the
: writer quotes from a sermon of Brigham
Young, published in the Dcscrtet News
lust prior to the wholesale murders.
Young tells his congregation: 81 could
refer you to lots of instances where mon
have been righteously slain in order to
atone for their sins. 1 have seen scores
and hundreds of people for whom there
would have been q chance Gn the last
resurrection there will bo) if their lives
had been taken and their blood spilled
on tho ground rs a smoking incense to
the Almighty, but who arc now angels to
the devil until our elder brother, Jesus
Christ, raises them up, conuucrS death,
hell and the grave. 1t is truc that the
blood Of the Son of God was shed for
our sins, but men commit sins which it
can never remit"
1t was during the zeal which Young
thus wrought among his fanatics that
the massacre occurred. During the sum-
mer of 1857 Captain Fanchcr's train,
numbering fiftysiX men and sixty two
- women and children, most of whom were
from northern counties Of Arkansas, at
tempted to cross the mountains cn route
to California. At Salt Lake City the
train was joined by several disaficctcd
Mormons In the train were thirty good
wagons, as many mules and horses and
600 cattle. Their route lay through
southwestern Utah. where the Mountain
Meadows arc located. In these meadows
they campcd on the 4th Of September.
Hero Is the national divide. They were
on the edge of the Pacific slope. They
just began to realize their hopes, for
they could almost look over into Cali
mia, their "promised land" On Monday
morning, September 7, Us they were
gathered about the camp fires, q volley
of musketry blazcd from tho gulley
through which ran the stream that
watcrcd tho meadows Seven of the OK
pectant travellers were slain and sixteen
wounded ut the first fire. The men had
been fronticrmcn too long to
BECOME PANIC STRICKEN.
The women and cl ililrcn hurried to
cover and the men returned the fire
much to the surprise Of the masking
assailantts, who had expected to enjoy an
unresisting massacre. The assaimnts
were mado up of Mormons masked as
Indians of Pah, Utter, Upper PLEADS
and Lower PLEADS, and all led by John
ID. Lee, q Mormon elder. The response
that the bloody wrctchcs received to their
fire drove them back and they sent after
reinforccmcnts, and while waiting for
the same amused themselves by pitching
quoits, and occasionally shooting the
cattle and firing upon the wagons, which
the travellers had to draw around them
as barricadc and defense. On We'd
ncsday young man named Alden, q son
OF a kentucky physician, together with
n companion, succeeded in Guiding the
vigilance of the masked savagcs and get
ting ont of the meadows on their way to
Cedar City, where they hoped to secure
aid. At Richards Springs they met
three Cedar City men, William G.. Stew
art, Joel White and Ben amin Arthur.
AS they stopped to water their horses,
Stewart
SHOT AND KILLED ADEN,
and White attempted to kill the COM
panlon, but succeeded only in wormding
him, when he escaped and made his way
back to camp. His report filled the
emigrants with despair. Aden's father
was known to have saved the life of q
Mormon bishop, and yet his son had
been assassinated by Mormon. Already
they had pierced the masks worn by
many of their assalantS to discover that
they were white mcn-wcrc indeed MOr~
mons, fifty-four in number. The Indians
numbered 200. The besicgcd prepared
n statement of their desperate condition,
giving as their belief that the Mormons
were their real bcsicgcrs, directing it to
Masons, Odd Fellows and leading rcligi-
Gus denominations. With this statement
thoy dispatched three Of their best scouts,
directing them to California. The scouts
did not succeed III cluding the vigilance
of the murdcrcrs. They were run down
by Ira Hatch, a Mormon anu leader of
mountains.
TWO OF THEM WERE MURDERED
as they slept and the third was wounded,
and few days aftcrward assassinatcd.
While the MOrmonG were awaiting re-
Inducements they bnclt and formed a
prayer circle and asked for divine guild
ance. After prayer one of their leaders
Mayor Higbee, said: 81 have the cvi.
dence of Gods approval Of ou mission
1t is Gods will that We carry out our in
structions to the letter."
In carrying out these instructions they
round 1t necessary to make use of the
3eesest treachory. This they did by means
OF OF white flag borne by Lee and William
at'a9 5ateman. m '%fhey represented to the be
sieged that the Indians were terribly OK
Citea ana thlrsted for revcnge because o.
the loss Of some Of their cattle, and the,
promised protection to tho cmioTnnta % % Z
they would u31eonditionally surrender
There was no alternative. Tho snnniia,
of the emigrants were giving Ont iI": nnf
inasmuch as the Mormons were , the, oni[ r(
white people in Utah, there was no no bonS} US
for mercy from any other source, ri, ri,
terms were accepted, and on tho morn, ,
ing of Friday, September II, thew Io1r naul u,
up all their guns and ammunition. I( onG
then placed themselves wholly in thC
power of those whose appetite for blood
Innl.snfd ont from bnbin1 ....