Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-09-19


ior years, and tho details OF the Mountuin
Meadows massacre were given 10 Tho
John D. Lee. ''''' '''''O''
on tho End of June, 1855, nine months
a'tcr INC massacre. DR.. jacob Forney,
phl''a states superintendent OF Utah, DIS.
covered tho whereabout OF some children
supposed TO be the survivors, OF the Noun
lam Mendows tragedy. i'p TO that Time
v was not known By the rrintiVrs ana
iriehus oil the Fanoher train that n single
soul had escaped death. The Investigation
Went on so slowly, however that another
year elapsed before tho children We're
gathered together. on the 18th OF June.
lsas the following survivors OF the mas
sacre were placed In charge OF Major
Mhltihg Of tho United States army :
neDecca' Fannie and Sarah Dunlap.
laughter OF Jesse DuIap. deceased. from
Carol county. Ark: Prudence. Angelina
ana Georginna Dunlap. daughters Of /.
u. DUNLAP Marion county; Martha. Sarah
anu William 4. Baker. helrA OF a. w
baker' carroll county. Carson and Try
phena Fancher. son and daughter OF
captain Alexander Faneher, commander
2. the IRAN. cnrroll county. John g.
NARY and Joseph Miller survivors Of the
family OF Joseph Miller Crawford y)unty;
Mllum and William Taekott, sons OF
Pleasant Tackett. Carroll county; So
phronia and T. NJ Jones, children OF !
NJ, Jones. Carroll county.
Nhea tho children were found AMI res.
cued from the Mormons they had hee, In
captivity nearly two years rhe majority
CT the little orphans had no recollection
OF the massacre and Supposed tlley were
at home among those whose hnnls helped
shed their kindred blood A few cf the
older children remembered the awful scene
FIntlKlfpT ha a
hghting which preceded the nnai destrnc-
uon OF the train, but they were separated
from tho other survivors and had no
meana OF telling their sad story to friendly
ears.
The children except Milum Tackett nnd
John G. Miller. were taken by Major
whiting 10 Fort Lelvenworth. tho two
survivors named being detained in Utah
as witnesses for the government. At
Fort Leavenworth the little baud OF boys
aud girls stopped for a while until moi
by William c. Mitchell special agent for
the government and one Mrs Rnilcy Of
Arkansas, who took the survivors on 70
the homes of their relatives. Mr.
Mitchell was the member OF the Arkan.
sos legislature who first heard Of the
massacre OF the train. On the 10th OF Sep
TENDER, 1859, two years aud four days
otter the Mountain Meadows horror, Mr..
Mitchell and Mrs. Railcy reached Carroll
ton, Carroll county, Arkansas, with their
charge Carrollton had been the home
Of many Of the families that persisted IN
the massacre, and it was here that most
Of the children were 10 be distributed
among their relatives.
The Scene which characterized the re-
ception OF the surviving orphans at Car.
rollton IL described by those who wilt
messed the event as one or the most nf-
fccting spectacles ever known, and the
old men and women who still tell the story
seldom get through with the incidents
without shedding tears
Some OF the children were recognized
by their relatives und claimed at once
others could not be clearly Identified, a.
they were 80 young, The survivors found
homes among kindred or the friends Of
their parents, and each one OF them be-
came an object OF especial interest 10 all
the people OF the surrounding country.
The older children were talked to eon-
stantly about the massacre, and no doubt
the little ones learned TO believe some Of
the stories which fancy created where
memory failed in trying 10 recall the de-
tails OF the tragedy and Its consequences.
John G. Miller and Milum Tackett the
two witnesses, were taken to Washington
city by DR., Forney IN January, 1860, Aftor
being examined by the government nu-
thorities the boys were taken to Carroll
ton, Ark, by Major John Henry OF Van
Buren. These children. though the Oldest
OF the survivors, were too young TO be
used as legal witnesses and they did not
testify In the trial Of John d. Lee. which
occurred after Tackett and Miller had
grown to manhood,
The fun enormity Of the crime OF Noun
tain Meadows was not known I'll the de-
tails Of the massacre were brought ont IN
the trial OF John d. Lee and his Mormon
accomplces, and confession OF the. only
man who died TO oNpiate the wholesale
murder OF the Fancher train paints this
picture ns one OF the darkest comblna-
lions OF cowardly treachery and iendlsh
barbarity ever held up TO the view Of
civilized people,
At tho umo OF the massacre OF the Ar
kansas cmigrnnts John ID. Lee was living
near the Mountain Meadows and acting az
farmer for the Pah Utes Indians. Isaac
Z, Iaight was president OF the State OF
Zion and second In Mormon authority In
Southern Utah to Colonel William 81.
Dame, who commanded that military dis
trict. on or about Friday, September .,
1857, Captain Fancher and his train
reached the Mountain Meadows. eight
miles south OF the village OF Pinto. TINS
place was then a grassy valley about fve
miles long and one mile wide, walled In
by high mountains. At either end OF the
pass was a good spring. West or this
divide. which connects the Utah basin
and the Pacific slope. lies what Is known
as the Ninety-Milea Desert, and emigrant
trains usually stopped here few days 10
rest their stock and prepare for the
Journey across the waterless region be-
yond.
Captain Fancher. having Travelled thc
route twice before. necided 10 stop at
the Meadows and refresh his train. At
the northern end OF tho valley or
mass was the corral OF Jacob HRmbiin,
sub-agent for the Pah Utes. II was At
the southern spring that thu Arltnnnaa
emigrants made their camp.
Tho spring was in a gulch or ditch
about eight feet deep. From the bank
above the water tho ground was nearly
level for a distance OF 800 yards, and on
this part OF the Meadows the wagons OF
the train were corralled-
This must have seemed a pleasant camp
Ing place TO the weary emiFrunts. They
had now been on tho road nearly nve
months and were about 10 cross over the
great mountain range that divides tine
Father OF Waters from the Pacific slope
Of the continent Behind them were the
memories OF home and loved associations,
while 10 the westward lay the goal OF
their new hopes. How these people. over
whom tho shadow OF an impending doom
was then gathering 30 darkly. spent the
lime from Friday .iii Monday morning
viii never be known. The Oldest surviv-
,re OF the train brought homo with them
,nly dim and shadowy meniories OF the
,tay at Mountain Meadows TN the cruel
,e,ne OF death began. Those days OF rest
we're no doubt full OF interest TO the older
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