The Springdale news., 1913-01-24
RECALLS OLD TRAGEDY
Mountain Meadowp Massacre In
 Which Arkansans Were Killed

Which ArkanSanS Were killed
 Secretary of State Earle W Hodg- es has received letter from J. P Fancher of Berryville, which recalls the massacre of emigrants from Ark ansas by Mormons i'll 1857, and the efforts that have been made to have Congress make a donation in be half of the survivors In his let ter, which follows, MT. Fancher says he will make another effort to get an appropriation from Congress for this purpose:
 Will you please send me copy to the legislature of 1860 and a copy of W. C.. Mitchell's report (which was printed with the goyer- nor's message1 in reference to the ain Meadow massacre in Septem Der, 1857. at Mountain Meadow, Utah, by the Mormons and Indians
 T am gathering data with a view to preparing the facts so as to have a correct history and evi- tence of that awful massacre, where Tn 40 men, women and children were butehered. The emigrants, most all went from this county, of which Boone was then a part. My cousin, Capt Alexander Fancher, was in command of the emigrants He, his wife and all his children ex- eept two were killed The children We're gathered by Dr, Forney from the Mormon families and brought to Fort Eeayenworth il 1S5a, and Col William Mitchell. who lost three sons and al their fami- lies in the massacre, brought the children to Carrollton, this county, h September, 1859, and turned them over to their relatives.
 Will Appeal to Congress
 T have been trying to get Con sress, through our delegation, to do something for those surviving child ren and their heirs for the last 3 years. l think that it is a shame and a disgrace to the state that something has not been done for their relief
 desire to make one more ef- fort even al this late date to get Congress to do justice by these sur =xiying children and their heirs. Had they been citizens of any other state Arkansas they would. fn ny opinion, have had recourse LOT the property they lost, amounting to about quarter of a million dol lars -
 Arkansans Mastered.
 The event of which Mr. Francher alludes is one of the bloody ehapt= CTS in American history A long wagon train filled with American emigrants en route to California. having goo head of cattle. many horses and mules and considerable money, was waylaid and the emi- grants were ma sacred in the val ley at Mount Meadows by Indians led by Mormons Only r child ren, between the ages of 3 and g years survived They were adopted by Mormons and later returned 10 their relatives in Arkansas.
 Buried the Bones.
 The story of the massacre is con tained in the offieial documents of 1860 an old faded volume in the of- flee of the secretary of state In his message to the legislature in that year Governor Conway submitt- ed the report made by ]. II. Carl ton, captain of the First Dragons Of the United States army. who We're sent two years later by the government to bury the bones of the dead and learn what he could of the crime.
 Captain Carlton proceeded from } Los Angeles and made a careful ex- animation He interviewed Nor mons and Indians who lived near The Mormons declared the Indians We're responsible for the massacre, } but the Indians said they were led by 200 Mormons. and the order 10 exterminate the wagon train came from Salt Lake City. Captain Carl ton submitted detailed report and seems to have laid the blame at the door of the Mormons. of whom he said: ''They are an ul- ger on the body poltic.'
 Captain Carlton found the bodies of children murdered in the arms of the mothers and human hair hanging to the bushes where the crime occurred. He built monu- ment over the bodies of the murder ed people. on the north side of