The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-06-03
TRAGEDY LEADING UP TO THE
MOUNTAIN MEADOW AFFAIR
nECALLED BY OkLAHOMAN.
MORMON PASTOR ENDED LAW
Took Another Mans wife and Was
Slain-This Massacre Was lneited
in Large Degree BY An incident
That Took place at Fort Gibson.

Fort Gibson. Okla. June 2.-"Onc
of the greatest crimes ever charged
against the Mormon church, the
Mountain Meadow massacre in 1857.
was melted, in large degree, by an
event that took place at Fort Gibson
in the earlier sos" said Florian II.
Nash. who has lived continually ut
this place since 1853. and where he
is now a wealthy merchant A.
Mountain Meadow, the Mormons, I'm
the guise of Indians. murdered nearly
140 persons. composing n party of
emigrants from the state OF Arkan-
sas on their way TO California. There
were about thirty families in the ptc
ty. from which the Mormons took
S. 900 or $4,000 in property.
In 1S49 Peter Farley Pratt was ssnt
by the Mormon church to find n south.
orn route from Utah 10 Californll
Pratt finished his undertaking and
afterward went to San Francisco,
where he began proselyting for the
Mormon church The wife of Hector
II. Mclean. an omploye in the GUS
toms office. fell under Pratts influ-
ence and was attracted by his teach
ings Mclean forbade his wife to
attend Pratt's meetings. but she went
secrctcly. and finally elopcd with
Pratt. Mclean sent his three child
rem 10 his kinsmen at New Orleans
and disowned his unfaithful wife. The
latter went to New Orleans. stole the
children and escaped with them
\ stranger I'm great excitement. ap.
peared at the postofficc at Fort Glib
H. Fa
master. who at that time was Thomas
flanagan Nash was assistant post
master. and from him the incidents
of this narrative were lately obtained.
The man ~aid that his name was
Hector II. Mclean. and that he was
in search of his children. whom he
believed would be found IN the neigh
borhood of Fort Gibson. He had
intercepted letters between Pratt and
his wife. in which Pratt made an
appointment TO meet Mrs. Mclean as
she came northward with her child
rem on what was known as the Texas
road pioneer highway that led from
Kansas and Missouri through Fort
Gibson to Texas The meeting place
was to be at some point on the Texas
road between Fort Gibson and North
Fork Town, a Creek Indian town on
the North Canadian river. Pratt had
written that he would send to Fo'
Gibson n letter telling Mrs. Mclean
the exact place where she should meet
him.
Mclean asked permission to exam
inc the mail In the Fort Gibson post
office, whore he found Pratt's letter
to Mrs. Mclean. The letter was
written in code, and 1t looked as IL
Mclean would be baffled in mis- search.
He declared. however. that nothing
could defeat him. and that he would
master the code. which he did after
three days of laborious investigation
and located the rendezvous.
Mclean started on horseback south
on the Texas road, accompanied by
Capt. William Garrett, Creek Indian
agent. and Constantine Perkins. a
clerk in trading store. The third
day out the party met a wagon driv-
en- by a man, accompanied by wom-
an and three children. The wagon
was halted and the woman proved to
be Mrs. Mclean and her children: the
man had been employed simply as a
driver. Pratt had not arrived. anC
Mclean and his companion decided ia
lie in wait for him. Next day Pratt
came down the road and was cap.
tured.
Pratt and the runaway wife were
brought TO Fort Gibson. Pratt was
an unprepossessing man, his face GOV,
cred with an ugly. dirty beard. Mill
tary law at Fort Gibson could not
reach the offense with which Pratt
and the woman were charged. and
Col, Morrison gave Mclean an es
cort for the safe conduct of the pris
oners TO Van Buren,, Ark. where
civil law would be invoked against
them. Pratt was resourceful i'm his
pleadings and IT was found that there
was not sufficient proven ground "a
try him or TO hold him in Jail
The town of Van Buren and all the
surrounding country were in full
sympathy with Mclean. Pratt was
released and told TO leave the city
which he did walking rapidly He
had scarcely reached the outskirts
of Van Buren, when he was overtaken
and shot down by Mclean, The lat
ter took his children and at once
went abroad q steamboat bound for
New Orleans, its time of departure
ndNlllE pffH NbllNfUl'lllN
Several hours after the steamboat had
left, Van Buren discovered" that
Pratt had been killed, and there was
much running to and fro-lnside the
city limits-to overtake Mclean. Sc
great was the zeal OF his pursuere
that a ban was placed on carrying
news Of the killing to outside com,
munities. As a matter of fact. the
people of Van Buren, felt that Pratt
had been Justly slain, and the ven
geance OF Mclean was such as should
be wreaked by any man whose home
had been destroyed.
The killing of Pratt became a ca,
lamity however. TO the people OF
arkansas. The Mormons at Salt
Lake heard that Pratt had been killed
under the very eyes OF the law. aud
/ that the man who slew nm had es
capped without molestation. Arkansas
should atone with blood for this