The Russellville Democrat., 1893-10-19
THE LAST DANTE DIES.
His Death Recalls Horrors of the De-
 siroylng Angels.
HOSEA R. SCOTT.
He Was One uf tha Mountain Meadow Massacre Assassins--A story Which Exceeds in Cruelty Anything
 Ever Practiced by
 the savages.

ber ot the original sDauite Band, known | to the Mormon people as Destroying 1 Angels their sworn duty being 10 de- stroy thoss whom they deemed 10 be enc. 1 mics of their peculiar faith. Scott was one of the "Mouatain Meadow massacre
 assassins of more than one-third of a ! century ago, when 13l emigrants were bntchered and which was the cause of i Gen Albert Sydney Johnston being sent l to Utah with troops to guel the threatened 1 insurrection against the government. This 1 recently deceased 'augeP was also one of 1 the murderers of the Akin party. which was as noto. ous as the Mountain Meadow
 massacre, and equally az black and damna
 ble. In the spring ef 1858 John and Will fam Akin, man named "Bnck, Col. Melton and two others were returning from l California io the states with about quar ter of a million dollars in gold, a caravan | of horses and large herd of cattle. The
 latter they intended selling in the East
 says The New York Advertiser.
 The Morm0ns in the San Bernardino l Valley had oeen ordered by Brigham Young
 to return to Salt Lake City to protect Zion against the United States troops which were then marching upon its gates. At | Kaysyille, near Salt Lake City, the HAikin l party were arrested by the "Destroy ing ! Angels" and charged with being ''spies' against the Mormon government. Their property was eoDhseated by the church au- thoIities The men were put in dungeon
 underneath the Lion House"
 h few days, without even the form ality of civll trial, they were told that
 nothing had been proved against them, but
 that "they would be sent out of the terri tory"
 They asked for the return of their horses, wagons, cattle, goods and money, and were told ''they would not need them" This would seem to be an intimation of their fate, but the unfortunate men then thought they would escape with their lives, and that
 the church authorities would be satis- fled with the "confscaiion" of their
 property.
 They were placed under the charge of a l guard, of which the infamous Porter
 Rockwell and this deceased "anger were
 members. At Nephi, loo miles south of
 Salt Lake, the party stopped ct F. B. Foote's, the Mormon bishop of tbat "stake" Scott and Rockwell told the
 bishop that their orders were to do away 1 with the Gentiies" A "councir' was
 called, at which were present Bishop Bry-
 ant, J Bigler, John King, P. Richfork and
 James Piekton.
 The council decided to obey orders. At II O clock that night, immediately after the council issued it's bloody decree, l the assassins selected to do the bloody deed left the tithing house, taking the
 road that the doomed party were to travel,
 as pre-arranged. Next morning at day | light the Akin party, under the same guard which had brought them from Salt Lake, left bishops house at Nephi. On reaching the Serres river that afternoon Rockwell stated that while it was rather early to camp, it was the best spot that could be found that day. Shortly after wards, other assassins, under the guise of emigrants, approached aud asked permis- ! sion to camp with them, which was readily given. Alter bountifal supper the two parties joined in conversation, and there were story telling and merry making, es- pecially on the part of the disguised as sassins, in older to lull their intended vic tins into thoughts of their safety. About midnight the unsuspectiug men removed | their arms and were soon asleep, trusting
 to that mercy and humanity held sacred by civilization everywhere excepting in Utsh. | The doomed men slept yet the e0wardly assas ins hesitated they feared that the four n en could not be dispatched instantly ] uI hlkA ShAEiY Nt hlriAlst AfC0 dhA t44ae tuc slightest biunder would reveal the damna-
 ble plot They decided not ta use firearms, but took axes and kiugbolts from their
 wagons Two assassius were assigned to each sleeping victim and simultaneously ! the attack was made. William Akin and one of the unnamed men were killed in stantly and died without groan or strug l gle; their skulls had been broken with the l iron kingbolts J ohm Aiken. who had been slightly wounded bounded to his feet, when he was shot by John King and 1 fell apparently dead The ''colonel," who had also only been stunned by blow on the head, escaped into the brush, receiving in his flight a shot in the shoulder from Porter Rockwell Believing that the entire party had been attacked by robbers the "coloner started for Nephi, distance of twenty five miles, where he
 told the story of the attack to Bishop Foote. who appeared to be horror stricken. John Aiken lay concealed in the brush and heard Porter Rockwell say:
 'Three of the -- Gentiles are dead and one ran awav." The two corpses were thrown into the river and the murderers returned to Nep1i. Believing himself to
 be the only one who had escaped Akin,
 without shoes, hat or coat, just as he
 had lain down to slee started for Nephi,
 where he arrived after two days suffering
 and starvation, and appeared upon the
 streets bloody and haggard, like one risen
 from bloody grave. He sank helpless at
 the door of a Mormon woman, who
 said "Why, another of you fellows has
 escaped from the robbers" Believing it
 to DC his brother, the half famished and
 bleeding man, his hair clotted with blood
 swI. osl ff sta aN spitk
 death, reeled through the streets to the
 bishop house, saying, Thank God. it is
 my brotherr' It vas not his brother,
 but the Colonel" They fell upon each
 other necks aI d wept as men who nave
 passed through death, and know that death
 awaits them, can weep But during this
 affecting and pitiable scene those demons
 were plotting another scheme to complete
 the murder of the party and to make sure
 that there were no more blunders. Bishop
 Bryant dressed the wounds, extracted the
 bullets and advised the men to return to
 Salt Lake City Strangely enough a son
 of Bishop Foote took pity on the men and
 befriended them. Akin began to write
 statement of the affair, but was too weak
 to proceed far and young Foote completed it as Akin dictated it, giving full dessils
 from the starting point to that moment, and naming all of the men in the party
 The Colonel" also made what he sty led
 dying declaration, which was also taken down bv the bishops son
 The Colonel" and John Akin were placed in a wagon, the driver being Nor
 mon ghoul named Wolff. With misgiv ings, or rather the certainty of death, Akin said to his friend, with tears stream ing from his eyes, Prepare for death, 4.F4 hfr ley aliye" The wagon was driven about four miles, when the driver stopped in a glen whose beautiful scenery would seem tr sl,,,l o,,s all idsa of .r.irna Tn tha faft ]