Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-03

w hO111INU1O1N, H. Va, On
MOUNTAIN MEADOW MASSACRE.
Brief Story Of tn Crime which shssksa The
world.
ONE HUNDRED AND rwxxrY uxAnxxD MEN,
WOMEN AND cHILDREx wANroNLr DuTcnKhkD
BIT INDIANS AND WHITE MIN DISGUISED As
INpIANs-ArD SOUGHT ron THE SUMMONS.
A N ATTEMPT IL now being made to give
"A con, -essional aid 10 those who we're saved
at the time of the Mountain Meadow massacre
in 1857. That terrible slaughter Of innocent
women and children, - well - of unarmed men,
took place so long ago that butt few now remem-
Der any of the details surrounding it. A band
Of emigrants numbering, IL is variously stated,
from 120 to $50 had started from Arkansas 70
reach the gold fields Of California Their train
consisted Of some COO head Of cattle, thirty
wagons and thirty mules and horses, and the
total value Of their possessions was between
$50, 600 and $4,000.
FALSE CHARGES AGAINST THE EMIaRANrs.
They had proceeded as far as Cedar City,
Utah, and It was alleged that during their jour-
ney from Salt Lake City to that place the emil
| grants had been guilty of poisoning streams
! and OF committing other outrnges. These
| charges, it il believed, had no foundation. but
| were brought to cast reflection upon the emf
grants and to enable the Mormons to throw the
responsibility Of the crime upon the Indians.
| The attack commenced on Sunday and the
emigrants at once placed their wagons in cir
| Gle, dug n pit in the center, in which they
| placed their wives and children and prepared
to stand a siege. In this way they offered more
resistance than was expected and withstood the
| attack for four days. During this time their
ammunition gave out and many suffered in
| tensely from thirst for water could only be OBJ
tanned at night and the trip to the creek. al
though but a short distance, was attended with
great peril, as the approach was covered by the
| Indians.
Finally a company Of Mormon militia ap-
| peared, and one of their number was sent for
ward with a flag Of truce. These Mormons
| agreed to protect the emigrants if they would
| lay down their arms and ammunition to avoid
further exciting the Indians. This was DONE
John D. Lee who was aftefward executed
for being the principal participator in this hor-
rible crime. in his confession gave the follow
ing as the plan of the massacre, which lie a.
serted was arranged and ordered by high Nor
| mon officials.
| THE NORMAN PLAN OF MASSACRE.
| II was arranged that Lee should conclude
terms with the emigrants and as soon as they
had delivered themselves into the power Of the
Mormons should start for a rancho on the east
ern side of the meadows with the wagons and
arms, the young children and the sick and
| wounded. The men and women, the latter in
| front, were to follow the wagons, oil in single
file, and on each side Of them the militia were
to be drawn up, two deep and with twenty
PAGES between their lines. Within 200 yards OF
the camp the men were to be brought 70 halt
until the women approached q copse of scrub oak
lay in ambush. The men were now to resume
their march, the militia forming in single file,
each one walking by the side of an emigrant
and carry his musket on the left arm. As soon
as the women were close to the ambuscade
Higbee, one of the Mormon leaders, who was
in charge Of the detachment, was to give the
signal by saying to the command, "Do your
| duty" whereupon the militia were to shoot
down the men, the Indians were to slaughter
the women and children, sparing only those Of
| tender age, and Lee with some of the wagoneri
| WAS to butcher the sick and wounded Mounted
| troopers we're to be in readiness to pursue and
slay those who attempted to escape, so that
with the exception Of infants, no living SOU
should be left to tell the tale Of the massacre
This dabolical program was fully carried out
to the letter. All the men, women and children
over seven years Of age were butchered and but
| seventeen lives were spared. These were Of
children varying in age from two months Il
seven years. All the stock and property were
carried off and the bodies Of the dead wers
stripped and robbed of every ornament OF
money found on them.
THE BODIES BURIED.
But the lamest attempt was made to bury the
victims. A little earth was scattered over The
bodies, but the first rain washed that away ant
the remains became prey to the wolves ant
| coyotes. Many of the bodies were frightfully
.mutilated and when, two years afterward, a de
tachmeht Of United States troops was sent tc
decently inter them skulls and bones wer,
found scattered for the space of mile arount
| the RI vino Whanea fhav Ind hoav, Ira nv
wild beasts. Nearly all the bodies had beer
gnawed by wolves SO that few could be recog
nized and their dismembered skeletons wer.
bleached by long exposure. Many Of thu
skulls we're crushed in With the butt-ends o.
muskets or cleft with tofnahawks; others were
shattered by firearms discharged close to tn
head. A few remnants Of apparel torn from
the backs Of women and children, still futteret
among the bushes and near by we're masses o.
human hair, matted and trodden in the mold
These bones were carefully gathered together
and buried, and over them was built cone
shaped cairn some twelve feet in height, ant
leaning against its northern base was placed
rough slab Of granite with the folio wing in
were massacred in cold blood early in Septem
ber 1857. They were from Arkansas" Tn
cairn was surmounted by cross Of cedar or
which were inscribed the words: vengeance i
mine: will repay, saith the Lord"
JUSTICE ASKED FOR THE CHILDREN.
The seventeen children who were saved wert
placed in charge Of Mormon families at Cedar
Harmony and elsewhere and were all rescued
after about years captivity.
Capt. James Lynch, who was in the Mexican
war, afterward serving under Albert Sidney
Johnson, who was one Of the party of fifty-foul
who rescued these children, is now in the city
In speaking of the occurrence to- STAR reporter
he said that in going over the ground where
the massacre took place when the bodies were
buried more than a bushel Of human hair wa,
picked up and that the sight Of bleaching bonei
was CHASTITY in the extreme.
1t is these children, now grown to maturity
married and with families of their own, that il
is proposed to relieve. The value Of the prop
erty taken from their parents at the time o
the massacre was between Sc, 900 and $40, 0O(
and it is now believed by those interested il
the project that even at this late day Justice
demands that some repatriation be made by thu
government that failed to protect the emf.
grants in their travel through territory sup
posed to be peaceful.
ONYX IN MISSOURI.