EXECUTION OF JOHN D. LEE.
THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS HORROR AVENGED.
CEDAR CITY, March 23d.—Lee made a short speech, in which he ex-pressed his confidence in the Mormon religion as revealed to Joseph Smith. He denounced Brigham Young in se-vere terms, and said he had never in-tentionally done wrong, and was pre-pared to die. His language was eva-sive and contradictory to what he had previously said and written. He died as he had lived, a religious fanatic. The marshal with the soldiers and Lee, District Attorney Howard and Rev. Mr. Stokes arrived at Mountain Mead-ows about 8 o'clock Thursday evening. After eating and stationing guards, all retired around the camp fire, except Lee and Rev. Stokes, who slept to-gether in a wagon. Lee slept all night and took a light meal. He requested the marshal to deliver his body to his wife Rachel, and also requested that he might be shot at short range, and that they would aim at his heart. He knelt down on his coffin, and was re-quested to sit there while a photo-grapher present took his picture. Lee called the artist to him and requested that each of his wives should be for-warded a copy. After his remarks Rev. Stokes offered prayer, Lee kneel-ing on his coffin; a bandage was placed on his eyes. He sat on his coffin, took off his coat and hat, handed them to an officer, held up his hands and said he was ready. The marshal gave the word and three shots went through his heart. He fell back upon his coffin and died without a struggle. Quite a number of spectators were present. The best of order prevailed. The body was immediately placed in a coffin and sent to his wife Rachel. During the past few days Lee has had some hopes of executive interference in response to a petition recently pre-sented by his children.
HIS CONFESSION.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 23.—The full confession of John D. Lee, written by his own hand since it became cer-tain that no pardon would be granted him, and confided to District Attorney Howard, will be published to-morrow. It is quite lengthy, and describes in detail all the circumstances preceding, attendant upon and subsequent to the Mountain Meadows massacre. The facts as related by Lee have been here-tofore brought out in evidence at the trial, from which his confession varies in no material particular. He relates conferences between Haight, Dawe, Klingen Smith and other Mormon leaders and himself, claiming that he was compelled by them to take the part he did in the massacre on the peril of his personal safety and life. He alleges that he protested in the strongest manner against attacking the emigrants, and only yielded under representation of Haight and others that it was ordered by those in author-ity. He does not admit that he per-sonally killed any of the emigrants, though he had charge of the wagon containing the children and wounded men when the attack was made upon them and saved the lives of two chil-dren who were about being killed. He fails to directly charge Brigham Young with ordering the massacre, but states that when he reported the mat-ter to Young the latter at first ex-pressed much concern, whereupon Lee protested against Young going back on the acts of his subordinates, to which Young replied he had not been aware that there were so many women and children with the train, but that he would consider the matter and take counsel of God. He then retired, and on his return assured Lee that they were justified in their action and he would sustain them. Lee arraigns the Mormon priesthood, holding them re-sponsible for the foulest crimes, during a long period of years, including the crowning horror of Mountain Mead-ows. When led out to die he laid a written statement on the field contra-dicting his previous confession made to counsel and expressed his firm reli-ance on the mercy of God, evidently dying as he had lived, a religious fanatic.
