Chicago times

              A PARTING SHOT.

Given to Lee, the Mormon Butcher, by a Squad of Riflemen Yesterday.
The Execution Taking Place at the Scene of His Crimes, Mountain Meadows.
He Meets Death with Fortitude, Protesting His Innocence, and Cursing His Priest-Ridden Church.
Expressing Also a Pang at Leaving His Family of Eighteen Wives and Sixty-Four Children.
The Confession by the Betrayed Saint of the Atrocities of the Mormon People.
Containing a Thrilling Account of the Sickening Massacre of Emigrants in 1857.
And Elaborate Details of Its Origina-tion and Compulsion by the Leaders in the Faith.
Brigham Young Goes to Almighty God with It and Finds Consola-tion and Approval.
Following Which He and Others Threaten Thos e of the Cut-Throats Who Weaken with Death if They Reveal the Horror.
Lee's Efforts to Stay the Bloodshed, His Selection as a Scapegoat, and His Tragic Fate.
THE EXECUTION.
[Special Telegram.]
THE PENALTY PAID.
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS, Utah, via CEDAR CITY, March 23—John D. Lee paid the penalty of his bloody work of twenty years ago upon the same spot to-day. Adjacent to the point where the lust of those unfortunate emigrants who per-ished at his hand is gathered together in its last resting-place, this modern butcher faced a platoon of soldiers, and, knees in coffin, and with unflinching courage, befitting a man of his nature and deeds, he fell, his blood dyeing with its crimson flood the sparkling snow which lies upon the green sward which was refreshed so many years ago by the life-streams of more than one hundred and thirty men, women, and children who were making their way to
THE LAND OF PROMISE
upon the Pacific coast. At last has been ful-filled the terrible warning of the words which were written above the rocky cairn which marked the place where the bones of the slaughtered innocents were gathered to-gether,—"Vengeance is mine. I will re-pay, saith __ie Lord,"—and this vengeance has at last fallen upon him who led the troops who did the deed which has in reality shocked the civilized world, and to-night, as I write these lines in this far-away and now deso-late region, the body of the butcher Lee is on its way back to Cedar City, where it will be cared for by its friends, and, no doubt, mourned by the handful of widows and children which it left to the charities of the Mormon church.
LAST NIGHT,
 ubsequent to the filing of my last dispatch, the person of John D. Lee was given into the custody of a deputy United States marshal, who, with a sufficient escort to guard against any sudden attack or attempted rescue,—for it was hinted at and strongly believed that such a thing would be undertaken,—left the town of Beaver, which is ninety miles north-east from this point, for the purpose of bringing the prisoner to Mountain Meadows. It was the desire of the officials, and a thing in keep-ing with the nature of the occasion, that this—monster he can only fitly be termed,—should suffer execution at the very place where he so treacherously decoyed that unfortunate emigrant train into
THE JAWS OF DEATH,
and gave the orders which sent the souls of the entire party into eternity. And surely, so long as he had the awful fact staring him full in the face that he must die, he could hardly have wished otherwise than that his last look might be upon the wide meadow lands which lay around this garden of nature which he so foully desecrated by his one great-est act of inhumanity. Prior to leav-ing Beaver, Lee gave into the hands of the sheriff the packet of papers on which he has so long been engaged and wherein he has told in his terse style the story of
HIS EVENTFUL LIFE.
It was his desire that this document should be published after his death. He then bade good-by to many of the people and officials who have been about him here since his sojourn at Beaver; incarceration it can hardly be called, for he has lived in the warden's house, and been free to come and go as he desired, he having given his word of honor when taken there that if allowed this privilege he would make no effort to escape. For some days before leaving, however, he had been kept in closer quarters than usual, for fear some ef-fort might be made on the part of the Mormons to take him out and run him off to some point of safety. Guarded by a platoon of soldiers Lee was taken out of Beaver. In the course of a brief conversation which I held with him en route to Mountain Meadows, he spoke in tones and words of kindness of the treatment he had received, but this soon turned to
WORDS OF BITTEREST HATE
when he dwelt upon the combination of cir-cumstances which had brought him to this end. He said most emphatically that he had been made the scapegoat to bear the sins of the lead-ers of the church of Latter-day saints, and if justice could be done, the parties who had backed him in that bloody massacre, the head and front of the Mormon church, Brigham Young, would be sitting beside him and resting under the shadow of the same terri-ble sentence which now hung in all its black horror above him. He had been but the instru-ment, he said, to carry out the deed, the tool in the hand of the arch fiend himself. He and the other men who were associated with him on that memorable September day had gone, at the behest of Brigham Young, to perform a deed which Brigham had not the courage to do in person. Lee further repeated what he had pre-viously set forth—that Brigham had
PLAYED HIM TREACHEROUSLY,
and that it was the intention at first to shield him and force his acquittal. But this had not been done, for the reason that Brigham had recognized the fact that he was fast drifting upon the rocks of doom before the strong winds of truth which had blown up at times, as the massacre had been agitated before the public of late years, and, rather than suffer the chance of a complete shipwreck, he had preferred to make a sacrifice of Lee. In this he had been most successful, and the very jury, which, Lee said, had been packed to acquit him, had, by instruct-tions from Brigham, been directed to convict the prisoner.
THE JOURNEY TO CEDAR CITY
was a desolate and dreary one, and from that point, foriy miles further to Mountain Meadows, the party made its way. The country is but sparsely settled, but here and there along the route, as the dwelling-place of a Mormon was reached and passed, the devout disciples of this fraudulent "religion," surrounded by their nu-merous helpmeets and progeny, would curi-ously look upon the doomed man who had in years agone, and infatuated by the wild belief that he was doing God service, led the band of militia who made themselves the practical exponents of
THE "BLOOD ATONEMENT"
which was preached by Mormon rulers. Along over the mountain road and across the valley stretches the party passed, Lee, firm and stolid and upright, with the load of sixty-four years of life and an immensity of crime upon his shoulders. During the latter portion of his journey he spoke butl little to those who were with him. His conversation was confined almost exclusively to the officials who surrounded him, and bore upon topics other than the one which must have been uppermost in his mind. He seemingly avoided this intentionally, and showed thereby that his
CONSCIENCE DID PRICK HIM
somewhat in retribution of the deed which he was about to expiate.
Early this morning the party entered the Mountain Meadows, and halted at the point known as the Old Emigrant camp. The scene was a weired one and was well calculated to fill the heart of the spectator with awe at the grandeur of nature which is presented on every side. The high walls of rock looked frowningly down, cold and heartless, upon the spectacle below. It was a strange scene that was presented, when, at 11 o'clock,
THE OLD MAN WAS LED OUT TO DIE.
The few who have visited the spot where twenty years ago was enacted the fright-ful tragedy, for his share in which he was about to suffer death, will remember the location of the old emigrant camp, the cairn that marks the place of general sepulture, the cross above it whose solemn legend, "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord," had so pro-phetic a significance. The air of the accursed hangs over the bloody ground. To the eye of the spectator at a distance, the white surface of the landscape was punctuated by the moving figures of about four score of men, who moved out in quiet procession to the old camp-ground. Such a looker-on would have seen the cortege halt; would have seen the orderly stir of preparation. A few of the figures would have separated from the others, one of them would have been seen to seat himself upon a black spot ready prepared for him; there would have been a pause, during which all would have stood immovable, each face turned toward the little group about the seated figure; then some of this group would have been seen to detach themselves from it and join the larger one. Two others would have been seen to stoop over the seated figure, and then he would have been left with but one near him; then, he would be seen alone, with hands clasped above his head, a row of others, armed, confronting him only a brief space away.
A SUDDEN PUFF OF BLUE SMOKE,
and the sudden fall backward of the seated fig-ure, and in a minute or two a report, echoing again and again, making the hills echo once more to a sound of death. That would have been all.
Lee was brought to die upon the very spot where, on that awful day of the massacre, he and his "destroying angels" so imbrued their hands in the blood of the innocent. He was seated upon his coffin at about fifteen paces from the firing party. The coffin was plain, and painted black. Marshal Nelson, confronting him, read the order of the court, and asked him if he had anything to say. At this he opened his mouth and
IN A VERY BRIEF
of not over three minutes, delivered in a firm voice and with execrable grammatic construc-struction, his last speech. He denied any guilty design upon his own part, and refrained from implicating anyone, but his denunciation of Brigham Young was bitter and severe. He accused him of having led the Mormon people away from the teachings of Joseph Smith, and involved them in gross error and darkness. He declared that death had no terrors for him—and the calmness, even hardness, of his demeanor bore witness that in at least this direction he was telling the truth. At the close, he expressed his firm belief in the doctrines of Joseph Smith; and, having finished, sat still and waited.
The Rev. Mr. Stokes, a Methodist minister from Salt Lake City, offered up a
SHORT AND FERVENT PRAYER,
committing to God's mercy the soul that was passing—small as it was, and toughened, though to those peculiarities the good man failed to refer.
A bandage was placed over his eyes. He sub-mitted in silence to the operation, and then, be-ing left all alone, he raised his hands until they rested upon his head. He sat erect, and was perfectly cool, as firm in every nerve as though he were in his own house, with dan-ger far away. The firing party silently raised their pieces, the click of the hammers breaking with painful sharpness upon the stillness. Then it was he spoke his last words:
"SHOOT THROUGH THE HEART, BOYS."
An instant's pause. Then, the voice of Nelson, “Fire!”
The discharge was simultaneous. As it broke upon the air, Lee was seen to fall backward, into the coffin. Instantly, though orderly, the officers approached, and it was found that all the five balls had entered the chest, and some of them had gone through the heart, so that death must have been instantaneous. The remains were arranged decently, and the party slowly left the place, taking them along.
It was a relief to have it over. People breathe more freely, and there is even a disposition to be jocose now that the old villain has gone his way and
THE OLD ORIGINAL DESTROYING ANGEL
has gathered him in. One hears everywhere among the Gentiles an opinion that the affair was "a big success," as though it had been a hunt or a ball or a benefit entertain-ment. Valley tan and the termination of the long-drawn case have elevated the spirits of the sparse population. But among the Mormons there are lowering looks and such curses as Macbeth drew down. These people are frightened and enraged.
THE COFFIN
and its contents are now on their way to the home of the late unlamented deceased, there to be taken charge of by his family.
[To the Western Associated Press.]
SEATED ON HIS COFFIN.
SALT LAKE, Utah, March 23.—At 10 A. M. pre-cisely, Lee was brought out upon the scene of the massacre at Mountain Meadows, before the executing party and seated on his coffin, about twenty feet from the shooters.
THE VICTIM'S PHOTOGRAPHS.
After Marshal Nelson concluded reading the order of the court, at 10:34 A. M. he asked Lee if he had anything to say before the execution was carried into effect. He said, "I wish to speak to that man," pointing to Mr. Tennemore, who was fix ing his canvas near by to take Lee's photograph preceding the shooting. Lee calling to the artist, Tennemore replied "in a second, Mr. Lee," and, waiting till the artist assented his readiness to listen, Lee said, "I want to ask of you a favor. I want you to fur-nish my three wives each a copy of the photo-graph (meaning the one being taken), a copy of the same to Rachel A., Sarah C., and Emma B." Mr. Howard responded for the artist, "He says he will do it, Mr. Lee." Lee repeated the names over again carefully, saying "please for-ward them."
THE DYING SPEECH.
He then arose and said:
I have but little to say this morning. Of course I feel that I am upon the brink of eternity and the solemnity of eternity should rest upon my mind at the present. I have made out, or endeavored to do so, a manuscript and an abridged history of my life. This will be published. Sir, I have given my views and feelings with regard to all these things. I feel re-signed to my fate. I feel as calm as a summer morning. I have done nothing adversely wrong. My conscience is clear, before God and man. And I am ready to meet my Redeemer. This it is that places me upon this field. I am not an infidel. I have not denied God or His mercy. I am a strong believer in those things. The most I regret is the parting with my family. Many of them are unprotected and will be left fatherless. When I speak of those little ones, they touch a tender chord within me. (Here Lee's voice faltered perceptibly.) I have done nothing designedly wrong in this affair. I used my utmost endeavors to save these people. I would have given worlds, were it at my command, to have avoided that calamity, but I could not. I am sacrificed to satisfy feelings, and am used to satisfy parties, but I am ready to die. I have no fear of death. It has no ter-rors, and no particle of mercy have I asked for. I have not asked the courts or officials to spare my life. I do not fear death. I shall never go to a worse place than the one I am now in. I have said it to my family, and I will say it to-day, that the government of the United States sacrificed their best friend, and that is saying a great deal, but it is true. I am a true believer in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I do not believe everything that's now practiced and taught by Brigham Young. I do not agree with him. I believe he is leading the people astray, but I believe in the gospel as taught in its purity by Joseph Smith in former days. I have my reasons for saying this. I used to make this man's will my pleasure, and did so for thirty years. See how and what I have come to this day. I have been sacrificed in a cowardly, dastardly manner. There are thousands of people in the church, honor-able and good-hearted, that I cherish in my heart. I regret to leave my family. They are near and dear to me. These are things to rouse my sympathy. I declare I did nothing designedly wrong in this unfor-tunate affair. I did everything in my power to save all the emigrants, but I am the one that must suffer. Having said this I feel resigned. I ask the Lord my God to extend His mercy to me, and receive my spirit. My labors are here done.
THE LAST ACT.
After the speech Parson Stokes (Methodist) made a prayer, commending the soul of the condemned man to God. Immediately after this a handkerchief was placed over Lee's eyes. He raised his hands, placed them on top of his head, sitting firm. Nelson giving the word to fire, exactly at 11 o'clock five guns were fired, penetrating the body in the region of the heart, and Lee fell squarely back upon his coffin, dead. His death was instantaneous. The body was placed in the coffin, and the crowd dispersed. There were about seventy-five persons, all told, on the ground, but not a child or relativeof Lee's was there. The best order prevailed, and all pronounced the execution a success. Lee's last words to Nelson were: "Aim at my heart."
LEE'S CONFESSION.
THE EXORDIUM.
SALT LAKE CITY, March 23—The following is a correct copy of the confession of John D. Lee, carefully compared with the original penned by Lee since his second trial and since his sentence to death. It was written by him without aid or advice and is now given without alteration or erasure. Where any interpolation is made it is distinctly marked. The document was received under close seal from United States Dist. Atty. Howard, who had received it from John D. Lee, himself, then in the penitentiary at Salt Lake City, in February, 1877, and is certified by Mr. Howard as the statement written by Lee. Mr. Howard hitherto withheld it from publication, but now that the prisoner has not escaped the penalty of the law, permits it to be given to the public, as justice cannot now be defeated by its publication. The statement of John D. Lee, of the facts connected with the Mountain Meadows massacre, is as follows:
 In the month of September, 1857, the com-pany of emigrants known as "the Arkansas company" arrived in Parowan, Iron county, Utah, on their way to California. At Parowan Young Aden, one of the company, saw and rec-ognized one William Laney, a Mormon resident of Parowan. Aden and his father had rescued Laney from an anti-Mormon mob in Tennessee several years before and saved his life. He (Laney), at the time he was attacked by the mob, was a Mormon missionary in Tennessee. Laney was glad to see his friend and benefactor, and invited him to his house and gave him some garden sauce to take back to the camp with him. The same evening it was reported to Bish-op (colonel) Dame that Laney had given pota-toes and onions to the man Aden, one of the emigrants. When the report was made to Bish-op Dame, he raised his hand and crooked his little finger in a significant manner to one Bar-ney Carter, his brother-in-law, and one of
THE "ANGELS OF DEATH."
Carter, without another word, walked out, went to Laney's house with a long picket in his heavy blow on the head, fracturing his skull, and left him on the ground for dead. C. Y. Webb and Isaac Newman, president of the "high council," both told me they saw Dame's maneu-vres. James McGuffee, then a resident of Paro-wan, but through opp ression has been forced to leave there and is now a merchant in Pahrana-gat valley, near Pioche, Nev., knows these facts. About the last of August, 1857, some ten days before the Mountain Meadows massacre, the com-pany of emigrants passed through Cedar City. George A. Smith, then first counselor in the church and Brigham Young's right-hand man, came down from Salt Lake City, preaching to the different settlements. I at that time was in Washington coun ty, near where St. George now stands. He sent for me. I went to him and he asked me to take him to Cedar City by the way of Fort Clara and Pinto settlements, as he was on business and must visit all the settlements. We started on our way up through the canyon. We saw herds of Indians, and he (George A. S mith) remarked to me that these Indians, with the advantage they had of the rocks, could use up a large party of emigrants or
MAKE IT VERY HOT FOR THEM.
After pausing for a short time, he said to me: "Brother Lee, what do you think the brethren would do if this company of emi-grants should come down through here making threats? Don't you think they would pitch into them?" I replied that "they certainly would." This seemed to please him, and he again said to me, "And you really think the brethren would pitch into them?" "I certainly do," was my reply, "and you had better instruct Cols. Dame and Haight to attend to it, that the emigrants are permitted to pass, if you want them to pass unmolested." He continued, "I asked Isaac (meaning Haight) the same ques-tion, and he answered me just as you do, and I expect the boys would pitch into them." I again said to him he had better say to Gov. Young that if he wants the emigrant companies to pass without molestation he must instruct Col. Dame or Maj. Haight to that effect, for if they are not ordered otherwise they will use them up by the help of the Indians. He told the people at San-ta Clara not to sell their grain to the emigrants, nor to feed it to their animals, as they might ex-pect a big fight next spring with the United States. President Young did not intend to let the troops into the territory. He said, "We are going to
STAND UP FOR OUT RIGHTS,
and will no longer be imposed upon by our ene-mies, and want every man to be on hand with his gun in good order and his powder dry," and instructed his people to part with nothing that would sustain life. From the 1st to the 10th of September, 1857, a messenger came to me. His name was Sam Wood. He told me that President Isaac C. Haight wanted me to be at Cedar City that evening without fail. This was Saturday. He told me that a large company of emigrants had gone forth. I then lived at Harmony, twenty miles south of Cedar City. I obeyed the sum-mons. President Haight met me. It was near sundown. We spent the night in an open house on some blankets where we talked most all night. He told me that the company of emi-grants had passed through some two days be-fore threatening the Mormons with destruction, and that one of them had said he had helped to kill old Joe Smith and his brother Hyrum, and that other members of the company of emi-grants had helped drive the Mormons out of Missouri. The others said they had come to help Johnson's army
CLEAN THE MORMONS OUT OF UTAH;
that they had the halters ready to hang old Brigham and Heber, and would have them hung up before the snow flew; that one of the emigrants called one of his oxen (a pair of stags) "Brig" and the other "Heber," and that se veral of the emigrants had used all kinds of threats and profanity. John M. Higbee, city marshal, had informed them that it was a breach of the city ordinance to use profane language, whereupon one of them replied he did not care a damn for Mormon laws or the Mor-mons either; that they had fought their way through the Indians, and would do it through the damned Mormons, and if their god, old Brigham, and his priests would not sell their provisions, by God, they would take what they wanted any way they could get it; that thus raging one of them let loose his long whip, and killed two chickens, and threw them into his wagon; that Widow Evans said, "Gentlemen, those are my chickens. Please don't kill them. I am a poor widow;" that they ordered her to "shut up," or they would blow her damned brains out, etc.; that they had been raising trouble with all the settlements and Indians on their way; that we were threatened on the north by Johnson's army; that now our safety depended on prompt and immediate action; that a company of In-dians had already gone south from Parowan and Cedar City to surprise the emigrants who were then at Mountain Meadows, and he wanted me to return home in the morning (Sunday) and send Carl Shurtz (Indian interpreter) from my home (Harmony) to raise the Indians south at Harmony, Washington, and Santa Clara to join the Indians from the north and make an attack upon the emigrants at the Meadows. I said to him, "Would it not be well to hold a council of the brethren before making a move?" He re-plied that "Every true Latter Day Saint that re-garded his covenants knows well his duty and that the company of emigrants
HAD FORFEITED THEIR LIVES
by their acts," and that Bishop P. K. Smith (Klingensmith) and Joel White had already gone by the way of Pintoa to raise Indians in that direction and those that have gone from Parowan and here will make the attack and may be repulsed. "We can't now delay for a counsel of the brethren. Re-turn immediately and start Carl Shurtz. Tell him that I ordered you to tell him to go and I want you to try and get there before the attack is made and make a plan for the Indians and I will send Nephi Johnson, the interpreter, to the Meadows as soon as he can be got to help Carl Shurtz manage the Indians." I did just as I was ordered. The Indians from the north and about Harmony had already started for the Meadows before I reached home. Shurtz started immediately to do his part. I arrived at home in the night and remained till morning. I thought over the matter and the more I thought the more my feelings revolted against such a horrid deed.
SLEEP HAD FLED FROM ME.
I talked to my wife Rachel about it. She felt as I did about it and advised me to let them do their own dirty work and said if things did not go just to suit them the blame would be laid on me. She never did believe in blood atonement and said it was from the devil, and that she would rather break such a covenant if she had to die for so doing than live and be guilty of such an act. I finally con-cluded that I would go, and that I would start by daybreak in the morning and try and get there before the attack was made on the com-pany and use my influence with the Indians to let them alone. I crossed the mountains by the trail and reached the Meadows between 9 and 10 o'clock in the morning, the distance from my place being about twenty-five miles, but I was too late. The attack had been made just before daybreak in the morning. The Indians had been repulsed with one killed and two of their chiefs from Cedar shot through the legs, break-ing a leg for each of them. The Indians were
IN A TERRIBLE RAGE.
I went to some of them that were in the ravine. They told me to go to the main body or they would kill me for not coming before the attack was made. While I was standing there I received a shot just above the belt, cutting through my clothes to the skin, some six inches across. The Indians with whom I was talking lived with me at Harmony. I was an Indian farmer. They told me I was in danger, and to get down into the ravine. I said it was impossible for me to do anything there, and I dare not venture to camp or to the emi-grants without endangering my life. I mounted my horse and started to meet Carl Shurtz. I traveled sixteen miles, and stopped on the Me-gotsy to bait my animal, as there was good grass and water there. I had rode the horse over forty miles without eating or drinking. This is the place where Tobin met his assassinators about sunset. I saw Shurtz and some ten or fifteen white men, and about one hundred and fifty Indians. We camped, and during the night
THE INDIANS LEFT FOR THE MEADOWS.
I reported to the men what had taken place. They attacked the emigrants again about sunrise the next morning, which was Tuesday, and had one of their number killed and several wounded. We reached the Meadows about 1 P.M. On the way we met a small band of Indians returning with some eighteen or twenty head of cattle. One of the Indians was wounded in the shoul-der. They told me the Indians were encamped east of the emigrants at some springs. On our arrival at the springs we found about two hun-dred Indians, among whom were two wounded chiefs, Moqueetus and Bill. The Indians were in a high state of excitement. They had killed many cattle and horses belonging to the com-pany. I counted sixty head near their encamp-ment that they had killed in revenge for wound-ing their men. By the assistance of Oscar Hamblin (brother of Jacob Hamblin) and Shurtz we succeeded in getting the Indians to desist from killing any more stock. That night the company of emigrants had corraled all their wagons but one, for
A BETTER DEFENSE.
This corral was about one hundred yards above the spring. This they did to get away from the ravine south the better to defend themselves. Attacks were made from e south ravine and from attack was all we could do to prevent it. When commenced Oscar Hamblin, William Young, and myself started to go to the Indians. When opposite the corral on the north side the bullets came around us like a shower of hail. We had two Indians with us to pilot us. They threw themselves flat on the ground to protect them-selves from the bullets. I stood erect and asked my Father in heaven to protect me from the missiles of death and enable me to reach the Indians. One ball passed through my hat and the hair of my head and another through my shirt grazing my arm near the shoulder.
A MOST HIDEOUS YELL
by the Indians was then commenced. The cries and shrieks of the women and children so overcame me that I forgot my danger and rushed through the fire to the Indians and pleaded with them in tears to desist. I told them that the Great Spirit would be angry with them for killing women and little children. They told me to leave or they would serve me the same way, and that I was not their friend but the friend of their enemies; that I was a squaw and did not have the heart of a brave, and that I could not see bloodshed without cry-ing like a baby, and called me a cry-baby, and by that name I am known by all the Indians to this day. I owe my life on that occasion to Os-car Hamblin, who was a missionary with the Indians and had much influence with the Santa Clara Indians. They were the ones that wanted to kill me. Hamblin shamed them and called them dogs and wolves for wanting to shed the blood of their father (myself), who had fed and clothed them. We finally prevailed on them to return to the camp, where
WE WOULD HOLD A COUNCIL.
I told them that I would send for the big cap-tains to come and talk. We told them they had pun-ished the emigrants enough, and may be they had killed nearly all of them. We told them that Bishop Dame and President Haight would come, and may be they would give them part of the cattle and let the company go with the teams. In this way we reconciled them to suspend hos-tilities for the present. The two that had been with Hamblin and myself the night before said they had seen two men on horseback come out of the emigrant camp under full speed, and that they went toward Cedar City. Wednesday morning I asked a man—I think his name was Edwards—to go to Cedar City and say to Presi-dent Haight for God's sake, for my sake, and for the sake of suffering humanity to send out men to rescue that company. This day we all lay still, waiting orders. Occasionally a few of the Indians withdrew, taking a few head of an-imals with them. About noon I crossed the valley north of the corral,
THINKING TO EXAMINE THEIR LOCATION
from the coast range. The company recognized me as a white man, and sent two little boys about 4 years old to meet me. I hid from them, fearing the Indians, who had discovered the children, would kill them. I prevailed with them to let the children go back to camp, which they very soon did, when they saw the Indians. I crept up behind some rock on the west range, where I had full view of the cor-ral. In it they had dug a rifle pit. The wheels of their wagons were chained together, and the only show for the Indans was to starve them out, or shoot them as they went for water. I lay there some two hours and contemplated their situation, and wept like a child. When I returned to the camp some six or eight men had come from Cedar City. Joel White, Wm. C. Stewart, and Elliot C Weldon were among the number, but they had no orders. They had come merely to see how things were.
THEMEADOWS
are about fifty miles from Cedar City. Thurs-day afternoon the messenger from Cedar City returned. He said Prsident Haight had gone to Parowan to confer with Col. Dame and a com-pany of men and thatthe orders would be sent on to-morrow (Friday and that up to the time he left the council had come to no definite con-clusion. During thistime the Indians and men were engaged in boiling beef and making their hides up into issoes. I had flattered my-self that the bloodshed was at an end. After the emigrants saw me cross the valley they hoisted a white flagn the midst of their corral. Friday afternoon for wagons drove up with armed men. Whenthey saw the white flag in the corral they raisd one also but drove to the springs where we vere and took refreshments, after which a coucil meeting was called of presidents, bishops and other church officers, and
MEMBERS OF THE HIGH COUNCIL
societies, high priests, etc. Maj. John Mr. Higbee presided as chairman. Sev eral of the dignitaries boved in prayer and invoked the aid of the Holy pirit to prepare their minds and guide them t do right and carry out the counsels of their leaders. Higbee said that President I. C. Haiht had been to Parowan to confer with Col. Dme and their counsel, and the orders were tht this emigrant camp must be used up. I asked, "Men, women, and chil-dren?" "All,” sad he, "except such as are too young to tell tales and if the Indians cannot do it without help, we must help them." I com-menced pleading for the company, and I said though some of them have behaved badly, they have been pretty well chastised. My policy would be to draw off the Indians, let them have a portion of the loose cattle, and withdraw with them under the promise that they would not molest the company any more, and that the com-pany would then have teams enough left to take them to California. I told them that this course could not
BRING THEM INTO TROUBLE.
Higbee said the white men have interposed and the emigrants know it, and there lies danger let-ting them go. I said, "What white man inter-fered?" He replied that in the attack on Tues-day night two men broke out of the corral and started for Cedar City on horseback, and that they were met at Richey's Spring by Stewart, Joel White, and another man whose name has passed from me. Steward asked the two men their names when they met at the spring, and being told in reply by one of the men that his name was Aden, and that the other was a Dutchman from the emigrants' company, Stew-art shoved a pistol to Aden's breast and killed him, saying, “Take that, d—n you." The other (the Dutchman) wheeled to leave as Joel White fired and wounded him. I asked him how he knew
THE WOUNDED DUTCHMAN
got back to the emigrants' camp? He said be-cause he was tracked back, and they knew he was tnere. I again said that it was better to deliver the men to them and let them do any-thing they wished with them, and tell them we did not approve such things. Ira Allen, high counselor, and Robert Wiley and others spoke, reproving me sharply for trying to dictate to the priesthood, and saying that it would set at naught all authority, and that he would not give the life of one of our brethren for a thousand such persons. "If we let them go," he contin-ued, "they will raise hell in California, and the result will be that our wives and children will have to be butchered and ourselves, too, and they are no better to die than ours; and I am sur-prised to hear Brother Lee talk as he does, as he, who has always been considered one of the staunchest in the church, now is the first to shirk from his duty." I said: "Brethren, the Lord must harden my heart before I can do such a thing." Allen said: "It is not wicked to obey the council." At this juncture I withdrew and walked off some fifty paces and prostrated my-self on the ground and wept in
THE BITTER ANGUISH OF MY SOUL
and asked the Lord to avert that evil. While in that situation Counselor C. H. Hopkins, a near friend of mine, came to me and said, "Brother Lee, come, get up, and don't draw off from the priesthood. You ought not to do so. You are only endangering your own life by standing out. You can't help it. If this thing is wrong the blame won't rest upon you." I said, " Char-ley, this is the worst move this people ever made. I feel it." He said, "Come, go back, and let them have their way." I went back, weeping like a child, and took my place, and tried to be silent, and was, until Higbee said they (the emi-grants) must be decoyed out through pretended friendship. I could no longer hold my peace and I said, "Joseph Smi h said that God hated a traitor, and so do I. Before I would be a tratior I would rather take ten men and go to that camp and tell them they must die, and now to defend themselves, and give them
A SHOW FOR THEIR LIVES.
That would be more honorable than to betray them like Judas." Here I got a reproof and was ordered to hold my peace. The plan agreed upon there was to meet them with a flag of truce, tell them that the Indians were deter-mined on their destruction; that we dare not oppose the Indians for we were at their mercy, and that the best we could do for them (the emigrants) was to get them and what few traps we could take in the wagons, lay their arms in the bottom of the wagons and cover them up with the bed clothes and start for the settlement as soon as possible and trust them-selves in our hands. The small children and wounded were to go with the two wagons, the women to follow the wagons and the men next, the troops to stand in readiness on the east side of the road ready to receive them. Shurtz and Nephi Johnson were to conceal the Indians is the brush and rocks till the company was strung out on the road to a certain point, and at the watchword,
"HALT! DO YOUR DUTY!"
each man was to come into action and fire. Johnson and Shurtz were to rally the Indians and rush upon and destroy the women and larger children. It was further told the men that President Haight said that if we were united in carrying out the instructions we would all receive a "celestial reward." I said I was willing to put up with a less reward if I could be excused. "How can you do this without shedding innocent blood?" Here I got another lampooning for my stubbornness and disobedi-ence to the priesthood. I was told that there was not a drop of innocent blood in the whole the Gentile nations who refused the church of Israel passage through their country when Moses led them out of Egypt, saying that the Lord held that as a crime against them, and when Israel waxed strong the Lord commanded Joshua to
SLAY THE WHOLE NATION,
men, women, and children. Have not these people done worse than that to us? Have they not threatened to murder our leader and prophet, and have they not boasted of the murdering of the patriarchs and prophets, Joseph and Hyrum? Now, talk about shedding innocent blood! They said I was a good, liberal, free-hearted man, but too much of this sympathy would be always in the way; that every man now had to show his colors, and that it was not safe to have a Judas in the camp. Then it was proposed that every man express himself; that if there was a man who would not keep a close mouth they wanted to know it then. This gave me to understand what I might expect if I con-tinued to oppose them. Maj. Higbee said: "Brother Lee is right. Let him take an expres-sion of the people." I knew I dare not refuse, so I had every man speak and express himself. All said they were willing to carry out the coun-sel of their leaders, and that the leaders had the spirit of God, and knew better what was right than they did. They then wanted to know my feelings. I replied, "I have already expressed them."
EVERY EYE WAS UPON ME.
I paused, "but," said I, "you can do as you please. I will not oppose you any longer." "Will you keep a close moutn?" was the ques-tion. "I will try," was my answer. I will here say that fear of offending Brigham Young and George A. Smith had saved my life. I was near being "blood atoned" in Parowan, under J. C. L. Smith in 1854, but of this I have spoken in my autobiography. Saturday morning all was ready, and every man was assigned to his post of duty. During the night, or rather just before daylight, Johnson and Shurtz ambushed their Indians the better to deceive the emigrants. About 11 o'clock A. M. the troops under Maj. Higbee took their position on the road. The white flag was still kept up in the corral. Hig-bee called William Bateman, of the ranks, to take a flag of truce to the corral. He was met about half way with an-other white flag from the emigrants' camp. They had a talk. The emigrant was told that we had come to rescue them, if they would trust us. Both of the men with the flags returned to their respective places and reported, and were to meet again and bring word. Higbee called me out to go and inform them of the conditions, and, if accepted, Dan McFarland, brother to John McFarland, lawyer, who acted as aide de camp, would bring back word, and then two wagons would be sent for the firearms, children, clothing, etc. I obeyed, and the terms proposed were accepted, but not without distrust. I had as little to say as possible. In fact, my tongue refused to perform its office. I sat down on the ground in the corral near where some young men were engaged in paying their last respects to some person who had just died of a wound. A large, fleshy old lady came to me twice and talked while I sat there. She related their troubles. She said that seven of their number were killed, and forty-seven wounded on the first attack, and that several had died since. She asked me if I was an Indian agent. I said, “In one sense I am, as the government has appoint-ed me a farmer to the Indians," I told her this to satisfy her. I heard afterward that the same question was asked and answered in the same manner by McFarland, who had been sent by Higbee to the corral “to hurry me up for fear that the Indians would come back and be upon them." When all was ready Samuel McMurdy, counsellor to Bishop P.K. Smith (Klingensmith) drove out on the lead. His wagon had
THE SEVENTEEN CHILDREN,
clothing, and arms. Samuel Knight drove the other team with five wounded men and one boy, about 15 years old. I walked behind the front wagon to direct the course and shun being in the heat of the slaughter, but this I kept to myself. When we got turned fairly to the east I motioned to McMurdy to steer north across the valley. I at the same time told the women who were next to the wagon to follow the road up to the troops, which they did. Instead of saying to McMurdy not to drive so fast, as he swore to on my trial, I said, to the contrary, to drive on, as my aim was to get out of sight before the firing commenced, which we did. We were about hatf a mile ahead of the company when we heard the first firing. We had driven over a ridge of rolling ground, and down on a low flat. The firing was simultaneous along the whole line. The moment the firing commenced, McMurdy halted and tied his lines across the rod of his wagon-box, stepped down, coolly, with a double-barreled shot-gun, and walked back to Knight's wagon, which had the wounded men, and was about twenty feet in the rear. As he raised his piece, he said, "Lord, my God, re-ceive their spirits, for it is
FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN'S SAKE
that we do this.” He fired and killed two men. Samuel Knight had a muzzle-loading rifle, and he shot and killed two men and then struck the wounded boy on the head, who fell dead. In the meantime I drew a five-shooter from my belt, which accidentally went off, cutting through McMurdy's buckskin pants in front below the crotch. McMurdy said, "Brother Lee, you are excited. Take things cool. You was near killing me. Look where the ball cut," pointing to the place in his pants. At this moment I heard the scream of a child. I looked up and saw an Indian have a little boy by the hair of his head dragging him out of the hind end of the wagon, with a knife in his hand, getting ready to cut his throat. I sprang for the Indian with my revolver in hand and shouted at the top of my voice "Arick ooma cot tas sooet" (stop you fool.) The child was terror stricken. His chin was bleeding. I supposed it was the cut of a knife. Afterward learned it was done by the wagon box as the Indian yanked the boy down by the hair of the head. I had no sooner rescued this child than another seized a little girl by the hair. I rescued her and as soon as I could speak I told the Indians that they must not hurt the children; that I would die before they should be hurt, and that we would buy the children of them. Before this time the Indians had rushed up around the wagon in quest of blood, and dispatched the two runaway wounded men. In justice to my statement I would say that if my shooter had not premature-ly exploded I would have had a hand in des-patching the five wounded, I had lost control of myself and scarce knew what I was about. I saw an Indian pursue a little girl who was flee-ing. He caught her about one hundred feet from the wagon and
PLUNGED HIS KNIFE THROUGH HER.
I said to McMurdy that he had better drive the children to Hamblin's ranch and give them some nourishment, while I would go down and get my horse at the camp. Pass-ing along the road I saw the dead strung along a distance of about half a mile. The women and children were killed by the Indians. I saw Shurtz with the Indians and no other white man with them. When I came to the men they lay about a rod apart. Here I came up with Hig-bee, Bishop Smith, and the rest of the company. As I came up Higbee said to me, "Let us search these persons for valuables," and asked me to as-sist him, and gave me a hat to hold. Several men were already engaged in searching the bodies. I replied that I was unwell and wanted to get upon my horse and go to the ranch and nurse myself. My request was granted. Reach-ing Hamblin's ranch, being heart-sick and worn out, I lay down on my saddle-blanket and slept and knew but little of what was passing during the night. About daybreak in the morning I heard the voices of Col. Dame and Isaac C. Haight. I heard some very angry words pass between them, which drew my attention. Dame said he would have to report the destruction of the emigrant camp and company. Haight said "How?
As AN INDIAN MASSACRE?"
Dame said he aid not know so well about that. This reply seemed to irritate Haight, who spoke quite lowly, saying "How the hell can you re-port it any other way without implicating your-self?" At this Dame lowered his voice almost to a whisper. I could not understand what he said, and the conversation stopped. I got up, saw the children, and among others the boy who was pulled by the hair of his head out of the wagon by the Indian, and saved by me. That boy I took home and kept home until Dr. Forney, the government agent, came to gather up the children and take them east. He took the boy with the others. That boy's name was William Fancher. His father was captain of the train. He was taken east and adopted by a man in Nebraska named Richard Sloan. He remained east several years and then returned to Utah, and is now a convict in the Utah peniten-tiary, having been convicted the past year for the crime of highway robbery. He is now known by the name of
"IDAHO BILL,"
but his true name is William Fancher. His lit-tle sister was also taken east, and is now the wife of a man working for the Union Pacific Railroad company near Greenriver. The boy (now man) has yet got a scar on his chin caused by the cut on the wagon-box, and those who are curious enough to examine will find a large scar on the ball of his left foot, caused by a deep cut made by an axe while he was with me. I got breakfast that morning. Then all hands returned to the scene of the slaughter to bury the dead. The bodies were all in a nude state. The Indians through the night had stripped them of every vestage of clothing. Many of the parties were laughing and talking as they carried the bodies to the ravine for burial. They were just covered over a little, but did not long remain so, for
WOLVES DUG THEM UP
and after eating the flesh from them thores the time of burying the bodies Dame and Haight got into another quarrel. Dame seemed to be terror-stricken, and again said he would have to publisn it. They were about two paces from me. Dame spoke low as if careful to avoid being heard. Haight spoke loud and said: "You know you counseled it and ordered me to have them used up." Dame said: "I did not think there was so many women and children. I thought they were nearly all killed by the In-dians." Haight said: "It is too late in the day for you to back water. You know you ordered and counseled it and now you want to back out." Dame said: "Have you papers for that?" or
"SHOW THE PAPERS FOR THAT."
This enraged Haight to the highest pitch and Dame walked off. Haight said, "You throw the blame of this thing on me and I will be re-venged on you if I have to meet you in hell to get it." From this place we rode to the wagons. We found them stripped of their covers and every particle of clothing, even the feather beds had been ripped open and the contents turned out upon the ground, looking for plunder. I crossed the mountains by the Indian trail taking my little Indian boy with me on my horse. The gathering up of the property and cattle was left in charge of Bishop P.K. Smith. The testimony of Smitn in regard to the property and the dis-position of it was very nearly correct. I must not forget to state that after the attack a mes-senger by the name of James Haslett was sent with a dispatch to President Brigham Young asking his advice about interfering with the company, but he did not return on time This I had no knowledge of until the massacre was committed. Some two weeks
AFTER THE DEED WAS DONE
Isaac C. Haight sent me to report to Gov. Young in person. I asked him why he did not send a written report. He replied that I could tell him more satisfactorily than he could write, and I could stand up and shoulder as much of the responsibility as I could conveniently; that it would be a feather m my cap some day, and that I would get celestial salvation, but that the man who shrank from it now would go to hell. I went and did as I was commanded. Brigham asked me if Isaac C. Haight had written a letter to him. I replied "not by me," but I said "he wished me to report in person." "All right," said Brigham. "Were you an eye-wit-ness?" “To the most of it," was my reply. Then I proceeded and gave him a full history of all except that of my opposition. That I left out entirely. I told him of the killing of
THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN
and the betraying of the company. That I told him I was opposed to that, but I did not say to him to what extent I was opposed to it, only that I was opposed to shedding innocent blood. "Why," said he, "you differ from Isaac (Haight) for he said there was not a drop of innocent blood in the whole company." When I was through he said it was awful; that he cared nothing about the men, but the women and children was what troubled him. I said, "Pres-ident Young, you should either release the men from their obligation or sustain them when they do what they have entered into the most sacred obligation to do." He replied, "I will think over the matter and make it the subject of prayer, and you may come back in the morning to see me." I did so. He said: "John, I feel first-rate. I asked the Lord if it was all right for that deed to be done and to
TAKE AWAY THE VISION OF THE DEED
from my mind, and the Lord did so, and I feel first-rate. It is all right. The only fear I have is of traitors." He told me never to lisp it to any mortal being, not even to Brother Heber. Pres-ident Young has always treated me with the friendship of a father since, and has sealed sev-eral women to me since, and has made my home his home when in that part of the territory, until danger has threatened him. This is a true state-ment according to the best of my recollection.
JOHN D. LEE.
FINIS.
This statement I have made for publication after my death, and have agreed with a friend to have the same, with very many facts pertain-ing to other matters connected with the crimes of the Mormon people under the leadership of the priesthood from the period before the butch-ery of Nauvoo to the present time, published for the benefit of my family, and that the world may know the black deeds that have marked the way of the saints from the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to the period when a weak and too-pliable tool lays down his pen to face the executioners' guns for deeds of which he is not more guilty than others who to-day are wearing the garments of the priest-hood and living upon the "tithing" of a deluded and priest-ridden people. My autobiography, if published, will open the eyes of the world to the monstrous deeds of the leaders of the Mor-mon people, and will also place in the hands of the attorney for the government the particulars of some of the most blood-curdling crimes that have been committed in Utah, which, if properly followed up, will bring many down from their high place in the church to face offended justice upon the gallows. So mote it be.
THE BONES OF HIS VICTIMS.
HOW THEY WERE BURIED—AN ARMY OFFICER'S STORY.
Col. George A. Gordon, of the 5th cavalry, who is temporarily located at Gen. Sheridan's head-quarters, thinks that the shooting of John D. Lee, yesterday, for his complicity in the Moun-tain Meadows massacre, was altogether too hu-mane a method of dispatching that monstrous villain. It was enough, he thinks, that such men as Maximilian, Duke d'Enghien, Marshal Ney, Hofer, the Tyrolean patriot, and Bluhm, the German revolutionist, with a score of other celebrities, were executed by bullet; but Lee should have been hung, not once, but twice, and by slow strangulation at that.
In 1858 Col. Gordon was a lieutenant in the 2d dragoons (now the 5th cavalry) and was sta-tioned at Camp Floyd, Utah. In April of that year Judge Cradlebaugh, United States district judge for Utah, determined to go down to Mountain Meadows, and collect what evidence he could of the guilt of the Mor-mons, who, at that time, were openly charged with the commission of the massacre. It was deemed unsafe for him to venture into that section without an escort, and so two com-panies of infantry and one company of cavalry, under command of Maj. Reuben Campbell, were detailed to guard him during his journey, and, at the same time, to escort a paymas-ter who was coming over from the coast, under protection of a company commanded by Capt. (now Gen.) Carleton. Col. Gordon commanded one of the companies on this expedition. Dott-son, then United States marshal of the territory, was taken along to make arrests, provided the judge so ordered.
Upon the arrival at Mountain Meadows they found an acre covered with bones. The skele-tons were not intact, but were disintegrated, the integral parts being strewn around in per-fect disregard of their original cohesion. Mor-mon cow-boys strolling by had amused them-selves by playing foot-ball with the skulls. Dry weeds and sticks had been stuffed between rows of grinning ivories and into ghastly sock-ets where lustrous eyes had twinkled and shone a few weeks before. Col. Gordon says patches of scalps, with tresses of hair dangling from them, were found hanging to the bushes in the neighbor-hood. In their personation of Indian warriors the hired hellions of the Mormon hierarchy had stripped these pieces of scalp from the heads of the women, and flung the bloody things into the nearest thicket. The troops under Capts. Campbell and Carleton gathered up all the bones, and dropped them into a trench dug for their reception. When all the relics had been thus collected and interred, the soldiers brought in stones from every direction and built a mon-ument several feet high.
While this was being done Judge Cradle-baugh was collecting evidence. There was a superabundance of proofs. The children whose lives, by a strange freak of mercy, had been spared by the "destroying angels," were found in possession of the Mormon inhabitants, to-gether with the property which had belonged to the victims. The inhabitants all told the same story—that the Indians had killed the em-igrants, and that they had rescued the children, some fifty or sixty in all, and recovered the stock and wagons from the redskins after the deed had been done. Col. Gordon remem-bers hearing one of the children, a beautiful girl 6 or 7 years of age, tell how she had seen the Indians shoot her father and moth-er, and then cut their throats and strip off their scalps. The poor child had been taught to be-lieve that her parents had been murdered by redskins, and not by the black-hearted Latter-day saints who were then nurturing and rais-ing her, and teaching her that there was but "one God, and Brigham was His prophet." All the proofs collected by Judge Cradlebaugh pointed to Joan D. Lee as the chief fiend of the murderous gang, and the United States marshal and a posse of soldiers were dispatched to Springville, his home, to try and effect his arrest. But he got wind of the raid and escaped into the mountains. The premises occupied by his eight wives were searched by the soldiers, and while this was going on the women followed them closely, and called them by names that would make the reader blush if printed here.
A few arrests were made, but, after a short period, their release was ordered from Wash-ington, and, as Judge Cradlebaugh could get no backing from the Buchanan administration, the whole prosecution was abandoned.
THE BUTCHERY OF THE EMIGRANTS.
volting doctrine of the Atonement,"—not one of them approached in fiendish barbarity the massacre of the Mountain Meadows, an event that has become historical, and will for ever be classed with the most atrocious events of the world. That memorable 17th day of September, 1857, will be remembered as the oc-casion when a company of emigrants from Arkansas and Missouri, on their way to Cali-fornia, were assassinated in a cruel and treach-erous manner by a band of disguised Mormons and Indians, who were led by officers of the Mormon militia. Nearly twenty years have passed since that eventful day, and until within a comparatively short time little was definitely known concerning the details of the massacre, either by the Gentile world or by the Mormon people in general; who probably would have shrunk with horror (to do them justice) from the very idea that the commission of the awful deed could be laid to the charge of their church. It was only instinctively that at first the people of Utah even—outside the church priesthood and of-ficials—began to realize the enormity of the oc-currence. All wonder concerning the whole-sale murder was at that time speedily hushed up; all definite mention of it was avoided by the leaders of the church; when it was spoken of at all it was with cautious manner, apprehensive glance, and in whispered tones. There was a like hesitation on the part of priests and peo-ple to approach the dreaded subject, and there was an almost superhuman endeavor on the part of the church authorities to erase all remem-brance of it from the minds of their followers Although the people were so quiet, since there was a tacit understanding that they must be so, yet their eyes nor ears were ever closed, and tho ught was by no means idle. As the years rolled on, what was at first a vague suspicion, which it seemed a sin to entertain, grew to a horrible certainty, and to-day it stands forth stripped of all its first mys-tery, vivid in its monstrosity, the foulest of all the foul plots on the unclean pages of Mormon history. In atrocity the deed was unparalleled; in the treachery employed by its perpetrators, unexampled; in its sickening details, more horrible than the butcheries of the barbarous savages; it was the work of fiends.
Shortly after its occurrence an attempt was made by a Judge Cradelbaugh, of Utah, to ferret out the perpetrators and insti-gators of this deed and bring them to justice; but with a Mormon jury, blinded by bigotry, who had been taught from the pulpit that allegiance to the church and Brigham Young was paramount to all their duties and obligations to the United States; that perjury to the government would be forgiven by the priesthood, and was indeed counselled at; and that no Mormon was to be delivered up to Gentile justice, no matter what his crime might have been;—in view of this condition of things it very naturally followed that the efforts, earnest and untiring, as they were, were utterly fruitless. It was in 1859 that the last effort of Judge Cradlebaugh was made to ferret out this affair. Since that time no action was taken until 1875, when the suspicion that had been long smothered broke into audible accusations, and in the new burst of popular demand for justice the supposed leaders were arrested. It was only at that time that the uncertainty of suspicion rested on these men. Subsequent events showed conclusively that this man John D. Lee, who fell pierced by the bullets of the executioners on yesterday, and who was at the time of the massacre one of the most active and zealous of Brigham Young's devoted adherents, led the attack in person; that many of the victims fell by his hand; that he, assisted by Bishop Haight and the notorious Dame, acted under instructions from a higher au-thority.
The plans of the massacre were fully matured at a council held at a place called Parowan. The persons who took part therein were Brig. Gen. George A. Smith, first counsellor to Brigham; Col. William C. Dame, bishop of Fillmore; Lieut. Col. Haight, president of the Cedar City "Stake of Zion;" Bishop Higbee, and John D. Lee. The man who was most closely identified with the bloody work was John D. Lee, who has just paid the penalty, after twenty years of waiting for the wrath of an offended God to overtake him.
THE HORRIBLE STORY OF THE MASSACRE
is sickening in every detail. It has been often told, but on this occasion a repetition is most op-portune. It was early in the month of Septem-ber, 1857, that a large emigrant party from Ar-kansas and Missouri, entered the Salt Lake val-ley on its way to California. The news of the arrival of the party was at once carried to Brigham Young, and was noised about in church circles. The pres-ident issued a command that nothing should be sold to this party of emigrants or any member thereof under penalty of death. For some time prior to this Salt Lake City had been the depot at which fresh supplies were obtained prior to emigrant trains starting out to cross the arid country that lay between Utah and Cali-fornia. For years before every train that had crossed the plains had made this a halting-place and taken a fresh start for the remainder of the tedious journey. This train, like all that had gone before it, had laid their plans to supply themselves at Salt Lake City. Greatly to their surprise they found themselves unable to pur-chase anything, and, in addition, were peremp-torily ordered to break their camp at Salt Lake and move on. They were met with sturdy refusals to sell them anything wherever they passed on their route through the land of the "saints." In vain the emigrants offered them money, wagons perso al property of every description. Brigham's law was not to be broken, and the person who would venture to disregard it pro-nounced his own death sentence. Now and then, however, one more human or more daring than the rest went to the camp at night with a small amount of provisions—all they could take, without danger of detection; but this was noth-ing to
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY HUNGRY MEN AND WOMEN,
to say nothing of the little children who were to be fed. Starvation was staring them in the face while they were journeying in a land of plenty. It is a notorious fact that the harvests were never more plentiful in Utah than they were that year.
At this time of which we write, the "Reform-ation" was over, and the doctrine of the "blood atonement" was in full force. Brigham Young and his confederates were infuriated because United States troops had been or-dered to Utah. This act of the govern-ment was considered by them an open insult and they revenged it on the first Gentiles they could get hold of. The train that was now within the territory was one of the richest that had ever crossed the plains. The value of their stock, wagons, and horses alone was over $300,-000, and many of the women had rich, full wardrobes, and costly jewelry. A portion of the emigrants were from Missouri, and the Mor-mons will never regard the Missourians in any other light than that of the bitterest enemies. The Arkansas members of the train were also objects of Mormon vengeance.
At the Parowan council the mode of action was fully determined upon, and the plan of at-tack matured to the minutest detail. Meeting with most inhospitable treatment, and unable to obtain provisions, the emigrants were fairly driven from camp to camp until they finally reached Cedar City. They camped there only one day, but during their stay they were permitted to purchase fifty bushels of tithing wheat and have it ground at John D. Lee's mill. From Cedar City they went less than forty miles southwest, and camped at the Mountain Mead-ows, which they reached only after five days’ journey, so exhausted were they. It was a cheerless and dreary spot, and so hemmed in that if attacked they would be completely at the mercy of their assailants. The Meadows are about a mile and a half long and a mile wide, and are shut in on every side by mountains; but at the lower end they converge and form a canon. Cane spring is situated just at the mouth of this canon, and, about thirty rods above this spring, a mound, two hundred feet long and one hundred feet wide, shuts out all view. In the midst of this gray desolation of nature the emigrants settled down for a few days' rest before they resumed their peril-ous journey. They had probably ap-prehended no ill-treatment at the hands of the "saints" beyond the annoyance they had experienced at the withholding of provisions. They were resting quietly at the meadows, when, on the lOth of September, while the women were preparing breakfast, and the men were caring for their stock, they were
SUDDENLY ATTACKED BY INDIANS.
There were seven killed and fifteen wounded at the first fire. Although this attack was unex-pected, the emigrants did not for an instant lose their courage and presence of mind. With un-paralleled promptness they wheeled their wag-ons into an oblong corral, and with almost light-ning-like rapidity threw up earth from the centre of the corral against the wagon wheels, making an excellent barricade.
To digress a moment. It had been decided at the Parowan council to make the attack at Santa Clara canon, at a point where it is crossed by the California road, a thoroughfare which in those pre-railroad days was used for overland travel. In this canon the perpendicular walls, which it is almost impossible to scale, and the blockade that would be effected by their own wagons, would have precluded the possibility of the es-cape of even one of the party. The Indian allies—the "battle-axes of the Lord" as they were termed—became impatient and precipita-ted the attack. The liberal promises made to them by John D. Lee, the Indian agent, of blankets, clothing, rifles, ammunition, and trinkets, excited their cupidity; and so eager were they to obtain the promised reward and spoils they could not wait to carry out the original plan.
To return to the attack. As soon as the emi-grants had completed the barricade, the fire of the Indians was returned, and three of the as-sailants were wounded. They had crept very close to the train, not dreaming a repulse possi-ble, and lay in the brush along the creek. Two of the Indians died, notwith-standing they were taken to Cedar City, where then wounds were anointed with "con-secrated" oil by Bishop Higbee. The leaders of the Mormon militia at Cedar City were thrown into a state of excitement by the arrival of an Indian runner bringing the news of the unsuc-cessful assault, and they at once began collecting their forces to go to the Meadows to the assist-ance of their allies. It is said that Haight told a man that orders had come from headquarters to slay every person in the train. The Cedar City forces being considered inadequate, Lee sent to Washington, Utah, for reinforcements. When the troops were within a short distance of the Meadows they were told that the entire company was to be killed, with the exception of such children as might be too young to remem-ber. The Mormons were disguised as Indians, and so successfully that the besieged had no idea that their besiegers were white men. Safely in-trenched behind their barricade, they suffered only for the lack of water. The spring was only forty rods distant, and yet they dared not venture to go to it. The whole rim of the basin formed by the circling hills was a masked battery sending forth destruction every time a form was seen inside the barricade. It was at first supposed that only the men were in danger, and a woman stepped outside the corral to milk a cow. She fell pierced by bullets. At length the thirst of the party becoming intoler-able, they decided to send two of the little girls to the spring for water. They argued that their youth and innocence would be their safeguard. No feeling of pity for even the children could enter the hearts of these "civilized" white men who were engaged in the "religious" warfare. Hand in hand the little ones went on to the water. Suddenly came the
CRACK OF A SCORE OF RIFLES,
and the youthful creatures fell, their bodies filled with bullets, in sight of their frantic parents. Such deeds as these, according to John D. Lee, "glorified the name of Israel's God." The emigrants at this knew that they could expect no mercy. And still their courage did not fail them. They might hold out a few days. If aid could only reach them! But starvation and the keen torture of unallayed thirst stared them in the face. After they had passed four days in this state of siege they drew up a prayer for aid, rehearsing how the Indians had attacked them, and how they were then surrounded. This petition contained a list of the emigrants’ names, their ages, places of birth, and residences at the time they began the pilgrimage to the far west. There were a number of clergymen, physicians, and other professional men; also Free Masons and Odd Fellows, and these, with the rank of each, and the lodge to which they belonged, were given. This letter was addressed to "any friend of humanity," and it was a heart-rending cry of distress from souls in mortal straits.
The next question that arose was as to how this letter should find its way outside the bar-ricade. How could they make the world hear their agonized appeal? The last name had hardly been signed to the doc-ument, and the ink was yet wet, when three noble men stepped forward and claimed the privilege of breaking through the barriers, dashing past the enemy, and crossing the des-ert to California. They had begun to suspect by this time that a portion of their assailants were white men, and they knew that they had more to fear from them than from the Indians. There is a tradition that before these men started out on this perilous mission which they could not but feel was well nigh a hopeless undertaking, they all knelt, and the venerable parson who was one of their number invoked the blessing of Almighty God upon them, that they pass the ordeal in safety. Under cover of darkness they left the beleaguered corral, and, strange to say passed the ambushed foe without detection. Somehow their flight was subsequently discov-ered, and Indian runners was sent after them. One was mercilessly murdered. He was killed while sleeping, exhausted, by an Indian, who since boasted of the deed. In after years he led a person to the spot where he committed the murder, and the charred remains of the skull and larger bones-the body having been burned—still marked the spot. The appeal was found near the body of the murdered man by the Indian who killed him. He gave it to a Mormon, who kept it a long time, and finally gave it to one of the par-ties who was implicated in the massacre. He in turn destroyed it on the spot.
The other two men were overtaken at Virgin hills. They were stripped of their clothing and told to run for their lives. As they did so a shower of arrows was sent after them, and both were wounded severely, one so badly that he could scarcely crawl. He was bound to a stake, wood piled about him, and burned alive. The last one made his way to the camp of the Vagas Indians, who gave him clothing and food. He afterward tried to make his way to California, but was met by Ira Hatch and his band of Indians and Mor-mons. He was put to death by slow torture.
In the mean time the condition of the be-sieged grew worse. Days passed. Their suffer-ings increased constantly; but with courageous hearts they looked for help to come. One thing they were determined upon—they would die, and never surrender.
On the morning of the 17th of September a cry of relief broke from the corral. A wagon filled with white men and bearing a white flag was seen coming down the Meadows. Succor was at hand.
THE DELIVERERS WERE NONE OTHER THAN JOHN D. LEE,
and the officers of the Mormon militia. As soon as they appeared the Indians ceased firing, and in fancied security the emigrants rushed outside the corral to meet their rescuers. In the “sympathizing" ears of their saviors they poured the terrible story of their sufferings. It is said that Lee wept while listening to the re-cital, and, when they had finished, assured them that they had his sampathy and that he would give them all the relief in his power. Lee told them that he did not know how much he could do for the party until he had held a conference with the Indians. To this end he retired, and made a pretense of consulting with the red-men. Shortly afterward Lee returned and informed the beleaguered crowd that he had been suc-cessful, and that they were free. This induced the emigrants to put aside their rifles, and to give up their other weapons, and they came forth from their intrenchments unarmed and defenseless. A guard of soldiers was drawn up to escort the party to a place of “safety." The men and women were separated, the former be-ing placed in the front of the procession, and the children in the rear. The white flag was waving over their heads and they supposed themselves to be under the protection of United States militia. Joyously they marched along, when suddenly the troops halted and the fatal order to fire was given by Lee and repeated down the line. Shrieking in wild agony they fell bleeding to death. The same fate was shared by young and old. Gray-haired men and beardless boys were alike cut down. The Mormons were joined in their mur-derous work by the ambushed Indians, and the firing did not cease until not one of all the men was left alive.
But what of the women and children? Some of them were killed by their husbands, fathers, or brothers, and thus escaped most cruel tor-tures. Some of the women were too ill to walk. They were taken outside the corral, driven to the scene of the massacre, stripped of their clothing, shot, and their mutilated bodies thrown into a pile with the rest.
EVEN THE CHILDREN WERE NOT SPARED.
The same fate of then parents was snared by them. They begged for mercy in vain. No feeling of pity entered the hearts of the blood-thirsty brutes to whom they knelt and prayed. Their entreaties were laughed at, their terrified cries mocked. Their throats were cut and their bodies cast into a heap. Of the entire party there were only seventeen who were sup-posed to be too young to remember the occur-rences of that horrible day, and they were saved. And of these two were disposed of after they had reached Salt Lake City for making remarks concerning the massacre. It is said that Daniel H. Wells, one of the first presidency, second counseler to Brigham, and lieutenant general of the Nauvoo legion, murdered one of these babes.
The whole affair lasted but one hour. The assassins then rode away, carrying the clothing and baggage and leaving the bodies to be de-voured by wolves. A person who visited the scene of the massacre eight days after the oc-currence gave the following account of it: He said men, women, and children were strewn over the ground, or were thrown into piles. Some were shot, others stabbed, and others had their throats cut. They were entire-ly stripped of clothing, and their bodies were mutilated by wolves. There were one hundred and twenty-seven bodies in all. These, with the three men who were killed while under-takig to take the tidings of their companions' tro to the outside world; another was shot outside the corral, but whose bodies could never be found; and the two children murdered in Salt Lake City,
MADE ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE VICTIMS
of this fearful and unparalleled assassination.
The murderous gang carried the spoils to Cedar City, where they were placed in the tith-ing-office, the Indians having first received their share. It is told by a man who was then a mere boy, that on the night the spoils were brought into town he and his two companions slept in the tithing-office. The cellars were filled with everything that had been taken from the emi-grants, and their bloody garments thrown upon the floor. One of the men connected with the massacre came in, and threw himself down to sleep, not perceiving the boys. The place had scarcely become quiet when sud-denly the room they were in, so the story of the man goes, and the cellar where all the plunder was stored, resounded with cries, groans, sobs, and the most piercing and agonizing shrieks. The guilty man jumped from his couch and fled out into the night, locking the door after him. In vain the terrified boys endeavored to force the lock. Still the wails and cries pierced the air. They were almost dead with terror, and, clambering up to the roof, managed to escape from the terrible spot. Nothing can induce this man to believe his imagination played him a trick. "I know," he says, "that the spirits of these foully-murdered men and women were in the tithing-house that night." "It is not the first time, by any means, nor the last," says Ann Eliza Young in her book on Mormondom, from which these points are taken, "that a Mormon building has been haunted."
The property of the emigrants was sold at auction in Cedar City by Bishop John M. Higbee. To this day jewelry is worn in Salt Lake City and teams are seen in the streets that are known to have belonged to the fatal emigrant train. A lady in Salt Lake City was one day showing a silk dress and some jewelry to some friends in the presence of one of the children who had been saved from the massacre. The little one, on catching sight of the dress, burst out in a frantic fit of weeping, and between its sobs cried out, "Oh, my dear mamma! That is her dress; she used to wear it. Where is my mamma? Why doesn't she come to me?"
On their return from the scene of the massa-cre, the leaders determined to conceal the crime, but, although they kept it quiet for a year, they finally could not refrain from speaking.
LEE HIMSELF WAS THE FIRST MAN TO DISCLOSE
the fate of the party. He went up and down, like the ancient mariner, compelling every person whom he met to listen to his story of the emigrant train that had been massacred by the blood-thirsty Indians. It finally became bruited about, faintly at first, that the Indians alone did not carry out this horrible work of destruction; and it was told that they were aided and abetted by whites. Then the rumors became louder and more positive, until finally some of those who participated confessed their complicity in the crime. It was only about four years ago that a man died at Sevier valley, Utah, who was one of the assassins of this party. Always since that day he imagined that he was followed by spectres, and his constant terror perpetually preyed upon his body and mind. He used to say, "Brigham Young will answer for the murder of one hundred and twenty innocent souls sent to their graves at his command."
The bones of the murdered persons remained scattered over the ground until 1858, when the government sent Gen. Carlton to bury the bones decently. The soldiers raised a large cairn of stones to mark the resting-place of the remains. This officer erected a large cross of red cedar above the spot, on which were inscribed the words, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." At the other end of the mound was a stone with these words thereon, "Here one hundred and twenty-seven men, women, and children were massacred in cold blood, early in September, 1857. They were from Arkansas." Brigham Young, after a visit to the spot, ordered the cross destroyed. It was the first promise of pay-ment he ever rejected.
The first trial of Lee, which took place two years and a half ago, re-suited in a disagreement of the jury. Eight Mormons, and to his disgrace be it said, one Gentile, voted for acquittal. The other three Gentile jurors stood determined for conviction. That trial strengthened the accounts of the mas-sacre that had hitherto been made public; in fact, established the truth of the terrible affair in its most brutal detail. It was proven at this and the subsequent trial that
BRIGHAM YOUNG WAS ONE OF THE CHIEF PARTIES
in the instigation of the deed. There was and is no doubt that "Butcher Lee," as he is known, acted under orders from headquarters. He made a confession subsequent to his first trial, and it was about to be made public,—he having become convinced that the Mormon president was making a scape-goat of him,—when consternation seized upon his counsel and they prevailed upon him to de-story it. In this paper he gave merely the de-tails of the massacre, and failed to implicate any of the higher ecclesiasts.
The second trial, as is well known, eventuated in conviction, and yesterday, at Beaver, Utah, John D. Lee took Brigham Young's place at the coffin and expiated the crime which the prophet planned. The grass has grown very green along the broad sweep of the Mountain Meadows for nearly twenty years since that hor-rible carnival of death, but the blood that dyed the greensward and soaked into that thirsty ground has but nurtured the roots of a long-maturing wrath which has developed into a sturdy trunk upon whose limbs have ripened the fruits of vengeance.
The debt has been paid after a score of years’ patient waiting. But only one of the holders of this awful judgment note of the Almighty has received his dues. The chief remains still at the church which he built up, and whose followers he early taught the "efficacious" doctrine of the "blood atonement." It is the turn of Brigham Young next.
"Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord."