The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-07-07
MOUNTAIN MEADOW.
ONE OF THE ATnOCIOUs CRIMES Oh,
TIE WEST.

TIE NESE.
A Story ThrillingIy Rctold..Ncnriy One Hum
drcd Emigrnnts Slaughtered and $4,000
Worth of Property Stoien--The Bodies Horri-
bly, NutiIated, 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 tho thought
of which excites burning Indignation
to-day, although nearly thirty years have
passed since this dark stain on American
annals. AS illustrating the savage spirit
which melted this horrible crime, the
writer quotes from sermon of Brigham
Young, published in tho DeSertet News
just prior to the wholesale murders.
Young tells his congregation: "I could
refer you to lots of instances whcro men
have bccn rightoously slain in order to
atone for their sins. have seen scores
and hundreds of people for whom there
would have been n chance in tho last
resurrection there will bc) if their lives
had been taken and their blood spilled
on the ground as u smoking incense to
the Almighty, but who arc now angels to
tho devil until our elder brother, Jesus
Christ, raises them up, conqucrs death,
hell and tho grave. 1t is truo 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
NOR of 1857 Captain Fanchcr's train,
numbering fifty-six mon and sixty-two
women and children, most Of whom were
from northern counties Of Arkansas, at
tempted to cross the mountains en- route
to California. AT Salt Lake City tho
train was joined by several disaflcctcd
Mormons. In the train were thirty good
wagons, as many mules and horses and
GOO cattle. Their route lay through
southwestern Utah, where the Mountain
Meadows arc located. In these meadows
they campcd on the 1th of September.
on the cdgo of the Pacific slope. They
just began to realize their hopes, for
they could almost look over into Cali
mia, their "promiscd land" On Monday
morning, September Z, us they were
gathered about the camp fires, a vollcy
of muskctry blnzcd from tho gulley
through which ran the stream that
watercd the meadows. Seven of the cx-
pectant travellers were slain and sixteen
wounded at the first fire. The men had
been frOntiermen too long to
BECOME PANIC STRICKEN.
The women and children hurried to
cover and tho men returned the fire,
much to the surprise of the masking
assailants, who had expected to enjoy an
unresisting massacre. The assailants
were made up of Mormons masked as
Indians of Pah, Utter, Upper PLEADS
and Lower PLEADS, and all led by John
ID. Leo, Mormon elder. The response
tllSt the bloody wrctches received to their
fire drove them back and they sent after
rcinforceGlcnts, and while waiting for
the same amused themselves by pitching
quoits, and occasionally shooting tho
cattle and firing upon the wagons, which
the travellers had to draw around thcm
rs barricade and defense. On We'd
nesday young man named Alden, II son
of Kentucky physician, together with
q companion, succeeded in Guiding the
vigilance of the masked savages and get
ting out 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
nrt, Joel White and Benjamin Arthur.
AS they stopped to water their horses,
Stewart
SHOT AND KILLED ADEN,
and White attempted to kill the com
panion, but succeeded only in wounding
him, when he escaped and mado his way
back to camp. His report filled the
e1nigrants with despair. Adcn's father
was known to have saved the life of u
Mormon bishop, and yet his son had
been asslAsinatcd by n Mormon. Already
they had pierced the masks worn by
many of their assGilants to discover that
they were white men were indeed Nor
mons, fifty-four in number The Indians
numbered 200. The besieged prepared
a statement of their desperate condition,
giving as their belief that the Mormons
were their real besegers, directing it to
Masons, Odd Fellows and leading religi-
ous denominations. With this statement
they dispatched three of their best scouts,
directing them to California. The scouts
did not succeed in Guiding the vigilance
of the murdercrs. They were run down
by Ira Hatch, n Mormon and leader of
band of Indians, in tho Santa Clara
mountains.
TWO OF THEM WERE MURDERED
as they slept and the third was wounded,
and few days afterward assassinated.
While the Mormons were awaiting re-
inforcements they knolt and formed a
prayer circle and asked for, divine guild
Rnce. After prayer one of their leaders,
Mayor Higbee, said "I have tho owl
dence of Gods approval of our mission.
1t is Gods will that we carry out our in
structiops to the letter"
In carrying ont these instructions they
found it necessary TO make use of the
bascst treaehery. This they did by means
Of q white flag borne by Lee and William
Bateman. "Fhey represented to tho be-
eieged that the Indians were terribly ex-
cited and thirstcd for revenge because of
the loss of some of their cattle, and they
promised protection TO the cmigrants IL
they would unconditioDslly surrender
There was no alternative. The supplies
OF the emigants were giving out, and
inasrnuch as tho Mormons wero the only
white people in Utah, there was no hope