The National tribune., 1909-08-26

OF the apoState. A pdnu OIL 4VV Wolt
Hunters was organized to prevent es-
capes from the colony and to keep out
the Gentiles.
The Mormon War.
One exhibition of the length to which
Brigham was known to go to maintain
his rule was that of Rosmos Anderson,
who wanted to marry his stepdaughter
against the wishes of the Ward Bishop.
Anderson's grave was dug before his
eyes, and his throat was cut so that
his blood would run into it. There was
also a band of Destroying Angels ~
against which was charged a number of
murders and robberieS of emigrant
trains, the principal of which was the
Mountain Meadows massacre. In Sep
tember 1857, a party of emigrants
from Arkansas and Missouri, number
ing 140 men, women and children, were
making their way thru Utah to south
ern California At Mountain Meadows,
about $50 miles south of Salt Lake City,
they were fired upon by a band
of Mormons disguised as In
dians, and John d. Lee, Bishop
in the Church. The emigrants stood
off their assailants for four days,
when they left the protection of their
wagons under the promise of Lee that
they would be protected. All of them
over seven years old were massacred,
and the II children taken to Salt Lake
City, where they were distributed among
Mormon families. Twenty years after
ward John d. Lee was convicted of this
crime and executed. This and other
outrages led the Government at Wash
ington to assert its authority over the
country. The Territory of Utah was
established in 1851, with Brigham
Young as Governor but he was so arro-
CANT and high-handed that he drove the
MT no n1rf of hn nrrt-
tory with insults
The men whom PIERCE and Buchanan
sent to fill the Federal offices were of
pretty poor character, and, being usual
ly broken-down political hacks, who ac-
cepted the unpleasant positions because
there was nothing else for them, Brig
ham Young found little trouble in cow
ing them. The slavery question came
in to interfere, as it was believed in the
North that President Buchanan was
stirring up trouble there in order to dis
tract attention from the outrages in
Kansas and Missouri.
Finally an army of 1900 men was
sent to Utah from Leavenworth, with
Persifer F. Smith in command. Gen.
Smith died, and was succeeded by Col.
Albert Sydney Johnston. Brigham Young
got ready to fight, and organized the
Nauvoo Legion, which included every
able-bodied man in the Territory be-
tween IL and 80. AS the column CT
soldiers neared Utah the Mormons be-
gan active hostilities by setting fire to
the grass, running off the herds of cat
tie and capturing or burning the provi-
sion wagons. At last some lobbyists
got in their work, and brought about
peace by President Buchanan Offering
a free pardon to Brigham Young and
all his soldiers and leaving him in COM
mand of the situation. The United
States troops were therefore admitted
to the Territory, and established them
selves at Camp Floyd, on Lake Utah.
where they made very profitable mar
ket for Mormon products.
The history of the struggle to abolish
polygamy in Utah is too recent to need
recapitulatiOn. 1t ended with the Nor
mon leaders trading polygamy for State
hood, which Utah received Jan. 4. 1896,
being the 32d State admitted to the
Union. She is junior to all but Okla
homa, admitted Nov. 16, 1907.