The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-07-20
MOUNTAIN MEADOW.
The Story of a Notorious Nor
mon Massacre.
How More than One Hundred Emigrants
were Treaoherously Butchered.

J IA oSPeSLioSi, 1901, CuC com
pany of cmigrants that had been ordered
out of Salt Lake valley, and compelled
to take the southern route to the coast
entered the meadows and encamped will
the intention of resting and recruiting
before crossing the desert. Nothing &C.
Cured to alarm them the first day. an6
when night fell they took no precautions
except such rs had been customary with
them during the journey. The valley
seemed a haven of safety, and they laid
down to rest with thankful hearts, but
while they slept a plot for their dcstruc-
ton was maturing. The Nauvoo legion,
obedicnt to ''ordcrs from headquarters. u
had surrounded the ~unsuspecting emf
grants on every side. A portion of the
legion, painted and disguised as Indians,
had been sent on in company with saw
ages less cruel than themselves to attack
the train. The remaining companies of
Mormon militia had other orders. At
daybreak the guard at the cmigrants'
camp perceived Clark forms moving upon
the surrounding hillsides. He aroused
lis 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. It was
necessary to think and act quickly, and a
barrlcade was formed at oncc with the
wagons of the company, but before their
hurried preparations for defense were
completed the sharp crack of rifles and
the whizzing of bullets denoted that the
battle had begun. 1t was already only
too plain that their assailants greatly out
numbered them, and from savuges, rs
they supposed them to be, no quarter
was expected, but love stronger than
death nervcd their arms and strengthened
their hearts for the contest.
All day long the unequal battle ragged.
AT night the fire of the assailants slack
encd, but the light from piles of burning
sage brush showed that they still sur
rounded the emigrants' camp on every
side. Before sunrise q murdcrous rain
OF bullets recommended, and again con-
tinucd until nightfall. The third day
was a repetition of the first, but on the
fourth day access to the springs was cut
OIL, and the horrors Of death from thirst
stared them in the face, yet they fought
with desperate courage, and when the
sun went down they still held their posi-
ton and kept the foe at bay. The
morning of the fifth day found them
worn;I exhausted, tortured by burning
thirst, but with hearts as undaunted
as ever: Late in the afternoon the steady
firing of the besicgers ceased, and when
they looked out to ascertain the cause.
they saw a party of white men approach
ing, their leader bearing a flag of truce.
Let 1t be remembered the emigrants had
never doubted that their assailants were
Indians, and the sight of white men, COM
ing as they believed to their rescue, was
as welcome as a vision of angels. In
answer to the flag of truce a little girl
was dressed in white, and placed on one
OF the wagons. In view of what fol-
lowed, this act was full of unuttcrable
pathos. Truly, they had deckcd a lamb {
Tor sacrifice. The white men, as they
drew near, proved to be q body of Nor
mon militia, headed by their officers. j
who were also the bishops of the sur
rounding settlements. They represented {
that they had done their best to induce !
the "lndians" to leave, but they would I
DO SO unless the cmigrants would i
agree to give up their property, stack
their arms and march out of the valley s
under the escort of the militia. The en-
seeing no other prospect of saw
ing the lives of their families, agreed to
these hard conditions. After MAKING 6
the required surrender, they were divided r
into three companies. The women and
children went first, under the escort of a f
of the legion. The men fol- '
lowed at some distance, guarded by an q
other body of militia, and a wagon con- Y
tanning the wounded brought up the rear.
And now comes the blacklist page in a
his chapter of treachery and murder. a i
page that the most callous historian a
shrink from recording. At y
given signal from the officers in com. s.
nand, the unarmed men were shot down. f
md when the last one lay dead or diving n
the bloody soil, the slaughter of the o
women and children and the butcherv /.
If the wounded began. When the sun v
'et that night on the Redeemed and
rampled Meadows, one hundred and 8