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THE
TENNESSEE MASSACRE
AND
ITS CAUSES;
OR
THE UTAH CONSPIRACY,
A LECTURE BY
JOHN NICHOLSON,
DELIVERED IN THE SALT LAKE THEATRE,
UN MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1884.
STENOGRAPHICALLY REPORTED BY JOHN IRVINE.
PRINTED AT JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR OFFICE,
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.
1881.
3611
THE
TENNESSEE MASSACRE
A N D
ITS CAUSES;
OR
THE UTAH CONSPIRACY,
A LECTURE BY
JOHN NICHOLSON,
DELIVERED IN THE SALT LAKE THEATRE,
ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1884.
STENOGRAPHICALLY REPORTED BY JOHN YRVINE.
slil
PRINTED AT JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR OFFICE,
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.
1884.
INTRODUCTORY.
T
'HE circumstances which led to the giving of this lecture
in the Salt Lake Theatre are as follows:
Mr. Nicholson, by special request of Bishop EI. B. Clawson,
delivered an address under a similar title in the Twelfih Ward
Assembly Rooms, on the 14th of September, 1884. The
impression created by it was such as to result in the annex d
correspondence:
SALT LAKE CITY,
September 17, 1881.
John Nicholson, Esq.,
DEAR SIR:—The address delivered by you on the 14th
inst , in the Twelfth Ward Assembly Rooms, on the subject of
the recent massacre of “Mormon" }lders in Tennessee, and the
causes which led to that fearful tragedy, having created a deep
interest in the community, and a desire on the part of very niany
who were prevented from being present upon that occasion to
hear the facts you bave in your possession, we, the undersigned,
being of the opinion that a more widespread understanding of
the circumstances wbich surround this tragedy, and which led
to its perpetration will be of public benefit, respec:fully request
that you repeat the lecture, or deliver one of a similar nature at
as early a date as will be convenient to you.
Upon receiving an intimation from you that a compliance with
our request will be agreeable to you, and the date that will be
convenient to you to give the lecture, we will take the necessary
steps to secure a larger building than the Twelfth Ward Assem-
bly Rooms, and to give suitable notice to the public.
Very respectfully,
Wm. Jennings, Theo. McKean, A. Miner, Francis Cope, Geo.
Swan, Heber M. Wells, James Dunn, H. Dinwoodey, G. M.
Ottinger, S. W. Sears, David James, G. E. Bourne, John Clark,
Elias Morris, Thos. G. Webber and others.
4
INTRODUCTORY.
THE RESPONSE,
To the Hon. Wm. Jennings and others.
GENTLEMEN:-In response to your request that I
should deliver, in some large hall to be secured by you for the
purpose, an address similar to that lately given in the Twelfth
Ward Assembly Rooms, I have to say that, although personally
relucty nt to place myself so conspicuously before the public, I
will endeavor to comply with your wish. I suggest Monday
night, sept. 22nd, as suitable for the occasion, if that time is
agreeable with your convenience.
Yours respectfully,
JOHN NICHOLSON.
Salt Lake City, Sept. 17th, 1884.
SALT LAKE CITY,
September 18, 1884.
John Nicholson, Esq.,
DEAR SIR:—Referring to your response of yesterday,
wherein you express a willingness to repeat your lecture on the
"Tennessee Massacre and Causes Leading Thereto," or one of a
similar nature, the business of securing a suitable hall having
been considered, we beg to state that we have obtained the Salt
Lake Theatre for Monday evening, Sept. 22nd, for that purpose.
Very respectfully,
William Jennings, H. Dinwoodey, David James, Thomas G.
Webber, A. Miner, John Clark and others.
THE APPEARANCE OF THE THEATRE.
The appearance of the Theatre on the occasion is thus
described by Mr. O. F. Whitney, of the Deseret News:
"Probably the most densely packed audience ever within the
walls of the Salt Lake Theatre, was scen there last evening at
the lecture of Mr. John Nicholson on the Tennessee Massa-
cre and its Causes.' The doors were thrown open at 7 o'clock,
as announced, and an eager multitude at once thronged into
the building. By the time the lecture was to begin, 8 o'clock,
it is safe to say that there was not a seat left uptaken, and
hundreds were standing up, not alone in the lower part of the
house, but in every circle as well. It was truly a magnificent
sight.
1
INTRODUCTORY.
5
“Nor did the stage present a less splendid appearance. As
soon as the curtain rose, as it did promptly on the hour, it was
discovered that there was a second audience facing the one
which crammed the auditorium. Manager Clawson, who is an
ailept at such things, had caused the whole stage to be shut in,
with the exception of entrances at the wings and rear, with
handsome scenery, while the entire available space was filled
with chairs, all of them taken, and many more would-be occu-
pants left standing. No less than three or four hundred peo-
ple were on the stage alone. The surprise awakened at the
sight found vent in a burst of applause from those in front.
Before this. however, the Theatre Orchestra, under Professor
Thomas, who were in their accustomed place, had rendered
some nice selections, and the Sixteenth Ward Band, in full
uniform, upon the stage, between the curtain and footlights,
had supplemented the same with repeated executions in like
excellent style.”
Hon. WILLIAM JENNI.GS
then approached the footlights and said: Ladies and
gentlemen: before introducing the lecturer, I would like to
say that there has been a report on the street this afternoon
that there would be a cry of' fire made here to night, to dis-
turb this audience. If such a thing should occur as a cry of
fire, I hope you will take no notice of it, but keep your seats
and all will be right.
I take pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, in introducing to you
Mr. John Nicholson, who will lecture upon "The Tennessee
Massacre and Its Causes.” [Applause. ]
MR. NICHOLSON
stepped forward and was received with loud applause. He
then delivered the following
LECTURE.
STENOGRAPHICALLY REPORTED BY JNO. IRVINE.
Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen: the chairman has
already announced the subject upon which I propose to treat;
6
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
therefore, it is unnecessary for me to repeat it. As you may
well suppo e, it is no small matter for a man to occupy the
position that I do to-night before this vast audience. I trust
that
you will bear with me in patience until I shall concentrate
my thoughts upon the task that lies before me.
The subject, you will at once admit, is one of absorbing
interest, not only to this community of which we form a part,
Lut it has created an interest all over this nation and many
other parts of the world besides. Perhaps before proceeding
to the discussion of the causes that produced the horrible
massacre which sent a thrill through this entire community,
and also caused a feeling of regret among all good and upright
people who have learned the details of the murder-it would
be well, in the first place, to give a brief
NARRATIVE OF THE TRAGEDY
itself. As is the custom with the Elders of the "Mormon'
Church, Elders W. S. Birry and Henry Thompson, who were
laboring as missionaries in the State of Tennessee, and more
especially in Lewis County of that State, made an appoint-
ment to hold a meeting and preach their views to the people.
That meeting was appointed for 11 o'clock, on the 10th day of
August, 1884, at the house of James Condor, on Caue Cicek,
Lewis County, Tennessee. A short time previous to the filling
of that appointment, the Elders whom I have pamed were
unexpectedly joined by two others, Elders John H. Gibbs
and William H. Jones. On the day appointed, three of the
Elders--with Elder Jones excepted, he being at the house of
Mr. Garrett, a short distance from the Condor farm-
assembled at Mr. Condor's habitation and engaged in prelimi-
nary exercises, such as the singing of r. ligious hymns and
preparing their minds for the devotions in which they were
shortly to engage.
Elder Jones, at Mr. Garrett's house, was engaged in read-
ing a discourse of one of the authorities of the “Mormon"
Church, for the instruction and edification of a nuniber of
people who had assembled there. After he had concluded
this, he immediately started on his way to join the others
AND ITS CAUSES.
7
who were at Condor's; but while he was traversing that short
distance, suddenly a mob of men, in fantastic garbs and
masked faces, and armed and equipped with deadly weapons
for the commission of violence, rushed upon him and made
him a prisoner. Suffice it to say, without entering into the
details so far as he is concerned, for you are more or less
familiar with them, he was left in charge of one of this
armed party, and that guard that was left over him received
instructions from his brother mobocrats that he should, on the
first intimation of any attempt to escape, shoot him down like
a dog-that he should be murdered. You are already aware
that Elder Jones, by the consent and connivance of his guard,
escaped and survives, and has returned to his home and his
friends in Utah.
On leaving Elder Jones, the mob proceeded to the house
of Mr. Condor. They found the proprietor of the place stand-
ing by the gate. They made him a prisoner. James Condor
knew the business of that mob who had come with covered
faces armed to the teeth. He knew that they had come to
take the lives of the Elders from Utah, and in order that
these Elders might be defended he called to his boys who
were in the garden-his son and step-son-to go and get their
guns to defend the lives of these men who were under bis
protection because under his roof. After the seizure of James
Condor, David Hinson, who appeared to be the leader of the
mob, entered the house where Elder Gibbs was engaged in
selecting texts of scripture for the purpose of enabling him
to preach the doctrines that are taught in the Bible. He took
a gun that was hanging upon the hooks down from over the
back door, and with that weapon, in cold blood, shot Elder
Gibbs down-murdered him ! Next this deadly weapon was
presented at Henry Thompson, whose life he also sought.
Elder Berry being close at hand- a man of indomitable
courage and powerful nerve-desirous of saving his brother,
seized the weapon and held it as if it were in the grip of a
vise, and turned it away from the person of his fellow mis-
sionary. At the same moment Elder Berry observed others
of the mobocrats enter the front door with their weapons
8
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
leveled upon him, and when he saw that, and feeling that
his doom was sealed, he simply bowed his head and received
the bullets of the assassins in his body and fell dead at their
feet. Elder Thompson saw that to remain longer was to
needlessly sacrifice another life, and therefore he made his
escape. As he passed out of the house and was leaving it his
life would have been taken also, only there intervened betwixt
him and the would-be as-assin the person of a lady who
passed out of the house and was about to lift her child from
the ground, and Elder Thompson escaped to the woods. In
the meantime, Martin Condor, the son of James Condor,
entered the house and engaged in a struggle with David Hin-
son for the possession of the weapon that be held, and while
engaged in this struggle some other members of the mob shot
him down and murdered him. In the meantime, J. R. Hud-
son, the step-son of James Cordor, entered and leaped up into
the loft of the house to procure a gun, and descended as quick
as thought, almost. He was seized at the foot of the stairs by
two of the murderous ruffians but tearing himself loose he
shot and killed David Hinson, and then be in turn was slain
also, making five dead men, four whose blood was guiltless,
and one of the guilty murderers, who went into eternity with
the blood of innocence upon his hands.
Not satisfied with their diabolical work, thus far, these
fiends incarnate, before leaving the premises, as an after-piece
to the tragedy, poured a volley through the window, a number
of the missiles of death entering and severely wounding the
person of an innocent woman. Mrs. Condor, the mother of the
two murdered boys, and the balance of the bullets entered the
dead body of W. S. Berry.
A CONSPIRACY IN UTAH.
You will agree with me that this was horrible work, and
that those upon whom rests any degree of responsibility for
its consummation have a great deal to answer for. It is my
purpose to show where at least a portion of that responsibility
lies. I think before we get through to-night, that it will be
clearly shown that there exists in Utah, a conspiracy against
AND ITS CAUSES.
9
the peace, and good order, and well-being of the great majority
of the people who inhabit this fair Territory, and that that
conspiracy has its headquarters in Salt Lake City. I propose
to give you the evidence, and I do not propose to be one-sided
in its production, for the conspirators shall furnish it them-
selves.
On the 7th day of May, 1882, in the Methodist Church of
Salt Lake City, I attended a meeting. It was a gathering of
rather an unusual character. It was one among ten thousand
meetings; so the presiding genius there—the Rev. L. A.
Rudisill ----stated; for that particular 7th day of May, 1882,
had been set aside and consecrated for the purpose of working
up a prejudice against the "Mormon" community-of inflam-
ing the minds of the people of this nation against an innocent
people who dwell in this Territory.
But I wish you to understand that it was not altogether or
purely a religious meeting. It was also political.
There is a
great deal said in this community, by certain parties, about
the amalgamation of church and state. It is very objection-
able to them, except, of course, when they engage in it them-
selves; then it is perfectly right. The conspiracy to which I
now allude, is not only of a religious character, but also polit-
ical. There was there in all his bloom, His Excellency,
Governor Eli H. Murray, Judge John R. McBride, Judge
Jacob S. Boreman, and Mr. J. F. Bradley. They represented,
in that particular instance, the political wing of the conspir.
acy-Mr. Rudisill and his co-religionist associates the religious
wing.
In speaking to the audience assembled on that occasion,
Mr. Rudisill stated tbat the Methodists had always occupied
the front rank in opposing “Mormonism," and that princi-
pally through the operations of that denomination of religion
Congress was compelled to pass the Edmunds law. Note the
word compelled. My memory does not fail me in regard to
the details of that meeting. He said compelled. But the
Edmunds law, he said, was not sufficient for the purpose in
A
view.
10
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
His Excellency, the Governor, stated that the Edmunds
law was a step in the right direction, but it was far from being
satisfactory.
Judge John R. McBride stated that on that particular
occasion he felt as if he was an excellent Methodist. [Laughter
and applause.] It is generally understood in the community
I believe, that he is no religionist of any kind.
He has a
perfect right to take that position, and every man has a right
of this kind, be the position what it may.
But in one par-
ticular John R. McBride seems to conform somewhat to
scriptural requirements; for it has been said by Paul that we
should be all things to all men." [Applause] It appears that
this conspirator is willing to be a devout Methodist, or any-
thing else, so long as he can accomplish the object nearest
his heart-suppression of Mormonism—[applause] or rather
the taking away of the political power out of the bands of the
majority of the people of Utah, for that is the political part
of the conspiracy. He further s'ated that in order to reach
the “Mormons," one legal provision, especially, should be
eliminated from the statute books—that provision which pre-
vents a woman from testifying against her husband. He also
had the effrontery in that meeting to say that he felt that he
would make an excellent prosecutor of the "Mormon" Church
if he were appointed to that office. [Applause and laughter.]
It does not need a very great change to insert the correct word,
and make it persecutor of the "Mormon" Church. [Laughter].
Mr. Boreman, or rather Judge Boreman-I hope he will
pardon me for forgetting his title--[laughter and applause]
when I consider how little he is entitled to it, I think it is
very pardonable. I cannot tell you very well what Judge
Boreman did say, it was so absurd. He seemed to be in a
passion--worked up to a remarkable degree. He said some-
thing about the people who belonged to the "Mormon"
Church in England desiring to proclaim Brigham Young
king, and a lot of nonsense of that kind. If anybody had
asked me what I thought about his speech on that occasion
when the religious and political conspirators met together, I
should have been much inclined to have given the same des-
AND ITS CAUSES.
11
cription that was given by a student when he was asked to
state his opinion of a speech of a fellow student. He said it
was 'an heterogeneous concatenation of extraneous phraseol-
ogy.” [Laughter and applause.]
Mr. "Bradley did not make out much better in this con-
nection than our friend, Mr. Boreman. His speech was about
as unintelligible; it was not edifying, especially to me,
although I was glad I was present for your sakes, ladies and
gentlemen, who were not there, that I night tell you what
took place.
There are some others whom I wish to bring to your
attention, for I desire to show you to-night that there has been
a systematic, determined purpose put in operation, to spread
through this country, as far as their influence could reach,
the most infamous, scandalous fabrications that could possibly
be conceived in the brains of human beings, that under cover
of a* prejudice thus created, the design of the covspirators
might be accomplished.
I draw your attention to the case of the Rev. R. G.
McNiece, who is very anxious about the welfare of this com-
munity; exceedingly so. Not very long since he presented in
the Independent, a very influential journal published in the
East, his views, or what purported to be his views, on the
Mormon" question, and you may be sure he did not wish to
paint the "Mormon” community in favorable colors. He
wanted to make the impression upon the country, through the
medium of the Independent, that the “Mormons” are a law-
less, murderous, vile community of wretches, that should not
be p rmitted to live. As evidence that they should be rolibed
of their rights, or hat all political power should be taken away
from them, he stated that his fellow religionists in Utah had
been placed in great jeopardy through the buildings that they
occupied and their churches being stoned and set on fire, and
in consequence of this the lives, these valuable lives, of him-
self and fellow religionists had been placed in jeopardy. Of
course it was the “Mormons” who committed these out-
rages.
12
TAE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
When his attention was drawn to his perfidy through a
public journal of this city, be cited a number of alleged
instances to sustain the statements which he had made. But
before I proceed any further, I wish to say now that his state-
ments in the Iridependent were endorsed by some of the
political conspirators, Judge Rosborough, Judge Jacob S.
Boreman and one of the editors of the Salt Lake Tribune,
Colonel Nelson, for the chief editor was at that time in Washing-
ton, supposedly for the purpose, under cover of the prejudice
already created against the "Mormons," of precuring legisla-
tion to rob the "Mormons” of their political rights. I think
that any statement made by the Rev. McNiece certainly needs
endorsing [laughter] as I propose to show. He cited as an
instance of his truthfulness that about eighteen months pre-
vious, in the city of Logan, an attempt had been made to
burn the Presbyterian Church of that town. The facts in
regard to that circumstance were these : On the 30th day of
November, 1882, a church sociable was held in that building,
the Rev. Mr. Parks presiding, and there broke in upon the
harmony of the occasion an individual by the name of
William Buder, a non-"Mormon,” and presumably a member
of the “liberal” party. He was in a state of beastly intoxica-
tion. He desired to be admitted into this church sociable,
and forced his way into the building. The Rev. Mr. Parks,
who seems to believe a little in muscular Christianity--and I
do not blame him-tonk him neck and crop and bundled him
out [applause] just as he should have done. But William
Buder, a non-"Mormon," said to the Rev. Parks, “I'll get
even with you.” On that same night, at a late hour, an
attempt was made to set the building on fire, and the subse-
quent investigation, according to all the circums'ances discov-
erable after a close scrutiny, pointed to William Buder as the
would be incendiary. Mr. Parks believed it was William
Buder, a non-"Mormon," who had sought in that way to get
even with him, and so did everybody else familiar with the
facts, and I do not know but what Mr. McNiece was just as
familiar with the details as anybody else; presumably so, for
no honorable gentleman will attempt to give publicity to any
AND ITS CAUSES.
13
important circumstance involving the good character of his
fellowmen, unless he is first satisfied of the truthfulness of
his position by a candid investigation. [Applause.] But don't
you see that to have stated that William Buder, a non-"Mor-
mon,” was the incendiary would have spoiled the object, for
the crime must be placed upon the lroad shoulders of the
Latter-day Saints? [Applause ] It must be shown that they
are lawless, and that they threatened and endangered the lives
of these lambs-in wolves' clothing. [Laughter and ap-
plause.] *
Some of the churches are quite remarkable for heroes.
Perhaps, ladies and gentlemen, you are not aware of the
heroism that has been occasionally exhibited right in your
midst. ["No."] Perhaps I might state some instances of
such heroism. There was another reverend gentleman, by
the name of McMillan, whose diocese was for a time in San-
pete County, Utah. He was treated with great consideration
and kindness by the people there. He was given the free use
of the meeting house of the "Mormons," in the town of
Fphraim, and he was very grateful. You will see the char-
acier of his gratitude at a glance when I show you how he
returned the courtesy shown him by the savage “Mormons.
He went back to the East. What for? Because there is more
than one purpose in regard to the defamation of the “Mor-
mon" community. It is naturally to be supposed that these
heroes shall make a sensational anti-"Mormon” speech when
they go East to facilitate the process of passing around the
hat. Therefore he had to make a hero of himself. He made
the declaration that in the quiet town of Ephraim, in San-
pete, this remarkably brave man, when he mounted the
rostrum had to take in one hand a weapon of death-a re-
volver--and the word of the Lord in the other [laughter and
applause] to protect himself against the lawless "Mormons''
who sought his life.
What an absurdity this story bears on it face when you think
of it. When he returned he was met or waited upon by
t-See Appendix.
14
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
Canute Petersen, one of the leading men of Sanpete County,
who spoke to him about his misstatements, and pointed out
to him that such fabrications were most infamous. He was
very sorry. He was humble. He was very meek. He said
he felt as if he had done wrong, but he would make it right
just as soon as it was possible. He subsequently paid another
visit to the East. How did he make it right? He simply
repeated his former statements and added a few more false-
hoods to give spice to his story, and his speech was subse-
quently published in the Denver papers.
But this was a second-hand way of making notoriety; for
the Rev. Lyford, who had officiated at Provo, had made him-
self a hero in the same line. Some of you reniember, per-
haps, his remarkable hairbreadth escapes; but he always came
out alive [laughter and applause] and consequently his own
existence furnishes the best evidence of the falsity of his state-
ments. If that gentlenian had dropped the latter part of his
name and left the first two letters it would have been exactly
in keeping with his conduct. [Applause.
When I was in Ogden in 1881, on July 11th of that year,
a committee of a Methodist conference that was held there
expressed their views on the “Mormon" question, and what
ought to be done with it. Their resolutions were published at
the time; they were duly given to a gaping world
Here is an
extract from that document:
"Mormonism holds the balance of power in Idaho and Ari-
zona and menaces New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and
Montana. We believe polygamy is a foul system of licen-
tiousness, practiced in the name of religion, hence hideous and
revolting. It should not be reasoned with, but ought to be
STAMPED OUT.''
Fancy that! T'he “Mormon” religion must not be reasoned
with. Do not bring the magical touchstone of reason to bear
upon this question at all, but apply the truly Christian
method; let it be "stamped out." [Applause.] O what
a rarity in Christian charity! [Applause.] Only fancy, if
you can, the Savior of the world, and those whom He chose
to officiate in connection with him, speaking to ·IIis disciples
in reference to the religions that existed in that day, and that
AND ITS CAUSES.
15
were not similar to that which He taught, telling them, “these
religions are wrong, they are not right; do not reason with
them; they must be 'stamped out.' And yet these men who
met together in Ogden and considered the question of another
religion, take the position that that religion, because it does
not conform to their ideas, should not be reasoned with, but
that it should be stamped out." What an outrage on com-
mon sense and common decency ! What a parody on the
Christian religion are these men and their views! [Applause. ]
They al:o made this political recommendation:
Resolved that it is the sense of this body that the laws of
this Territory should be made by a council appointed by the
President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.''
This means that every vestige of popular government
should be swept away from this Territory and an autocracy
established in its place. But you must remember that they
are opposed to any interference in any shape whatever of the
church with the state--except, of course, when they do it
themselves.
I hold in my hand the conspirators' campaign document,
“A Handbook on Mormonism,” it is called. I call it a pro-
duction of diabolism; for it is filled with lies and misrepre-
sentations against the “Mormon” people and their religion
from beginning to end. I will read you one little ex-
tract from the bitter pen of Rev. J. M. Coyner. His
name is suggestive. As a coiner of falsehoods he is a
decided success. [Applause.] There are many "Mor-
mons'' present.
Listen how this man describes your re-
ligion:
“Mormonism is made up of twenty parts. Take eight parts
diabolism, three parts of animalism from the Mohamnjedan
system, one part bigotry from old Judaism, four parts cunning
and treachery from Jesuitism, two parts Thuggisin from India
and two parts Arnoldism, and then shake the mixture over
the fires of animal passion, and throw in the forms and cere-
monies of the Christian religion, and you will have this system
in its true component elements.
A professed Christian wrote this, for it is not the policy of
men such as he to allow the “Mormons'' to describe their own
16
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
religion. Of course, the Methodists, the Presbyterians and all
other denominations would expect that it would be the proper
thing to go outside of themselves, and especially to their ene-
mies, for a correct description or explanation of their religious
tenets and views. Judging from the way they treat the “Mor-
mons, one would suppose that that would be their idea; to
be consistent it would.
But is this campaign document altogether religious? Not
by any means. Do not make a mistake by supposing so; for
wherever you find the religious wing of the Utah conspiracy,
you will find the political wing within shurt range. Who are
the writers of the articles in this book "The Handbook on
Mormonism"—the product of diabolism? I will give you a
few of them you are familiar with. The Rev. R. G. McNiece,
[laughter] Eli H. Murray, [great laughter and applause]
the Rev. J. M. Coyner, Jacob S. Boreman, laughter and
applause) the Rev. T. B. Hilton, J. R. McBride, [laughter
0. J. Hollister (much laughter and applause) and others.
(The lecturer created great merriment by using the plain-
tive tone commonly used by a priest when he named the cler-
gymen, and vociferating after the manner of a stump speaker
when he uttered the name of a political schemer.)
There is another source more prolific of defamation in
this community. I refer to the Salt Lake Tribune, the organ
of the conspirators. I wish that source to furnish some of the
evidence to sustain the position that I take to-night. There
was published on the 15th day of March, 1884, what was
termed "A Red Hot Address." It purported to have been
delivered by a “Mormon” Bishop named West, in the little
town of Juab in the southern portion of this Territory. It
was very prudent to select a little side station; for the discov-
ery of a forgery would not, in the opinion of the conspirators,
be so easily made if perpetrated upon a place of that kind.
What was the character of that “Red lIot Address," said to
have been delivered by a "Mormon” Bishop?
mended the assassination of those who opposed the “Mormon”
community. One of the objects of the wrath of Bishop West
It recom-
AND ITS CAUSES.
17
lar way.
was His Excellency Governor Eli H. Murray. And Bishop
West told his audience that it was their imperative duty to
seize upon His Excellency and tread him down until his
bowels gushed out on the streets, and that those who should
succeed him, if they did not behave themselves better toward
the “Mormon" community than he, should be treated in a simi-
This “Red Hot Address" was true, with a few
trifing exceptions. I wish you to note the exceptions; for the
organ of the conspirators does not stand upon trifles; not by
any means. ["No."'] In the first place there is no Bishop
West in the "Mormon" Church, and has not been for many
years. There was no meeting held in Juab on the day on
which that address was said to have been delivered. No
address of that kind was ever delivered. With these trifling
exceptions the address was entirely correct. * [Laughter and
applause.]
I wish you to note this fact, however, that if there ever
were any individua's on the face of this earth susceptible of
being deceived, they are the editors of the Salt Lake Tri-
bune. They are so innocent, so guileless, so harmless them-
selves, that they do not think that anybody would do any-
thing wrong. They are remarkable for innocence. Why, a
child might deceive them—that is providing--providing they
are supplied with something that will scandalize the charac-
ters of the “Mormon” community. Then they are easily
deceived. Very easily deceived, indeed. So this “Red Hot
Address” was a canard. They were very much deceived. They
even went so far as to say that they were really imposed upon
by some person who furnished that address for publication,
and they made an apology. What an apology it was! An
apology for an apology. Let me see what kind of an apology
they made for this "Red Hot Address,'' fabricated out of whole
cloth. Here is a quotation from the paper of which I am
speaking:
"The case of the 'Red Hot Address' has been cited, which
was corrected as soon as the managers of this journal found
they had been imposed upon.”
See Appendix.
16
18
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
Here is a qualitication to that apology quoted from the same
sheet:
"There was not a thing in that bogus sermon which has not
been taught in the Tabernacle harangues.'
What do you think of an apology of that kind? I call that
a re-assertion of the fabrication, and the apology is worse than
the first falsehood. [Applause.]
I will give you another sample apology for something else;
goodness knows what, that appeared in that innocent sheet.
Here it is:
"By a mistake a jot appeared in the Tribune yesterday,
which does not reflect the sentiments of any owner or director
of this journal. It was, too, as objectionable in manner as mat-
ter. It was altogether wrong; its publication is a matter of
pain and mortification to us, and we grieve sincerely that it ever
found its way into the Tribune.
Can you tell me to what that refers? What predicament
does that leave me and you in, ladies and gentlemen? It
leaves you and me in this dilemma, that we must apply that
apology to the entire sheet, and you must do that in order to
cover the ground. [Laughter and applause.] ]
We hear it frequently asserted by these journalists, these
conspirators--I must not, I suppose, use that word too often,
because I might perhaps tread on some of their corns, and I
surely would not like to do that; but we are frequently told
that these men are "American gentlemen." I think they must
be so. We must consider them "American gentlemen,” for here
is the evidence of it: They have said they are themselves.
[Laughter and applause.] According to their own des-
cription of themselves I think if Chesterfield were living
now he would be ashamed of himself. Gentlemen, of course,
are considerate of the feelings of others. They are very deli-
cate about giving offense, and especially avoid speaking in a
derogatory way of any septiment or feeling that is sacred in
the breasts of their fellow creatures. "American gentlemen"
would never do that.
I call your attention to a portion of the faith of the “Mor-
mon" religion. The "Mormons' believe in the religion that
AND ITS CAUSES.
19
they have espoused, and like other people they have a right
to their religious views. They believe that by the performance
of vicarious work, the performance by proxy of ordinances by
the living for the dead-provided it is accepted by the dead in
the spirit world, a saving influence is brought to bear upon
those who have passed away from this earth without obedience
to the gospel. This is a sacred principle with them. It is so
sacred to them, and it is a subject of such absorbing interest
to them, that I know of men in the community that have tra-
versed sea and land for thousands of miles for the purpose of
gleaning information in regard to their dead relatives, that
they might officiate in their stead, and their work here be of
some benefit to their progenitors, and, as I have said, their
views are sacred to them. Of course no gentleman would hold
up their religious views as a subject for vulgar merriment,
however much he might differ from them. He would con-
sider them sacred to him because sacred to his fellow.creatures.
He would not hold them up to ridicule and make those who
entertain them the laughing-stock of the populace. Surely an
"American gentleman' would not be guilty of so grave and
vulgar a breach of common decency as this. But let us see.
I will read an extract from the paper published, managed and
conducted by the self-described “American gentlemen'':
OFFICIATING FOR THE STIFFS.
"A short time ago a Mormon Saintess went through the
Logan Temple and was baptized or sealed to and had adopted
into her family thirty dead relatives. It took three days to
perform the various ceremonies and ordinations, and no doubt
the defunct will now rise from their tombs, or from their
HEATED DWELLING places. Her husband contemplates going
through a similar ceremony and as he has taken the trouble to
look up his genealogy, he has calculated that it will take
him exactly four months to perform the sacred rites for the
various STIFFS that were once members of his family. The
fools are not all dead yet.”
And this, ladies and gentleman, emanated from these consi-
derate "American gentlemen." [Applause.] Judge ye of
their quality! In the organ of the conspirators there have
been slanders most vile. Neither sex nor age has been spared
20
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
in the vile calumnies that have been heaped upon private indi-
viduals. I would not insult this audience by recounting the
foul aspersions, the assassin stabs upon private character that
have been again and again and again perpetrated in the most
shameless manner in that unprincipled sheet published and con-
ducted by the self-described “American gentlemen.'? [Ap-
plause.]
In speaking of the clique that constantly conspires against
the commonwealth of Utah, I would not have you suppose
that I refer to the bulk of non-Mormons of this Territory,
among whom are to be found many honorable people who have
no lot nor part in the conspiracy and who do not give it their
sympathy. The plot is confined to a comparatively few design-
ing characters, who spare no efforts to whip others into line.
The operations of these enemies of liberty in Utah,are, in my
opinion, heartily despised by many people who have no connec-
tion with the “Mormon” Church, nor sympathy with its doc-
trines. Even numbers of clergymen take this position.
THE OBJECT OF THE CONSPIRACY.
What has been the object of these vile detractions of an
innocent community? Two fold in its character. The relig-
ious wing of the conspiracy desires to have the "Mormon"
religion crushed out, because in their operations here they
have no religious success. Their efforts are barren and unfruit-
ful. They stay here and go back castward when they wish to
pass around the hat. They return after getting the financial
benefits of their vile calumnies and giving descriptions of their
personal heroism and hairbreadth escapes among the lawless
"Mormons." They are hirelings. They preach for hire and
divine for money. The Elders of the "Mormon” Church are
a standing reproach to such men. Like the immediate fol-
lowers of Him whom they profess to serve, they go out into
the world without purse or scrip, as they did, and they have
success in their labors. When they go they take their lives in
their hands as those men did who were brutally murdered on
Cane Creek, Lewis County, Tennessee; and when they return
they bring their sheaves with them. And in this way a relig-
AND ITS CAUSES.
21
West.
ious, honest and industrious community is built up in the
Territory of Utah and adjacent places in this part of the great
The success of these Elders is a standing reproach to
the hirelings who have no success in their labors, and there-
fore they want that reproach wiped out, or, according to the
priests who assembled in Ogden, they desire that "Mormon-
ism” should not be reasoned with but stamped out. This is
the object of the religious wing of this conspiracy. When
the Elders go abroad they have a great deal to meet.
For
instance I will explain what they have had to encounter in
western and middle Tennessee, where the Elders who were
slain on Cane Creek were laboring. What was the situation
before that horrible tragedy was consummated ? Everywhere
they went, they had presented to them the "Red Hot
Address," published in this city by the organ of the conspira-
tors. It was specially handed about and circulated by a Bap-
tist preacher named Vandever, of Hohenwald, Lewis County.
I have the facts here (holding up a letter in his hand]* giving
names and details from one of the survivors of the massacre
on Cane Creek --Elder W. H. Jones. It has been said that
there has been no evidence of the "Red Hot Address" ever
having gone to Tennessee. Not only was that "Red Hot
Address” there, but Elder Gibbs who was slain, and Elder
Jones who survives, presented to this Baptist preacher whom
I have named a refutation of the slanderous fabrication, in
order that he might redress the evil that he had accomplished
by its dissemination among the people, and which had
inflamed the minds of the populace to such an extent that
they were prepared largely by that statement or alleged
address purporting to have been delivered by a "Mormon''
bishop, to shed the blood of the Elders, and they did it; and
-EXTRACT FROM ELDER JONES' LETTER, -"This villain-
ous, slanderous fabrication was circulated over the country.
Parson Vandever worked up prejudice against us in that section
by giving it [the 'Red Hot Address’] wide publicity, and by his
pretended credence to the falsehood, causing great excitement.
Elder Gibbs and I sent by mail to Vandever an exposure of the
address in question, but he did not show it to anybody that we
know of.”
22
;
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
the blood of innocence is upon the skirts of those who perpe-
trated that infamy. The authorship of an indirect cause of
the murder is now traced home to them; they cannot relieve
themselves of it.
What is the other part of the conspiracy? The "Mormons”
are in the majority here, and as the majority rules everywhere
in this republic, as a natural consequence they hold the bal-
ance of political power in the Territory. And the infamous
lies, some of which I have recounted, that have been spread
far and wide to show that the "Mormons'' are a lawless peo-
ple, that they are a vile people, that they are not fit to live,
were intended to form a prejudice in the minds of the people
throughout the country generally, in order that the conspira.
tors might operate under that feeling with impunity. They
imagined that but few if any people in the nation, in the light
or face of existing prejudice thus created, would think they
were doing wrong. This part of the conspiracy is to sweep
away from Utah every vestige of popular rule and concentrate
the political power in the hands of an unscrupulous few, or in
the hands of what I call the office-seekers' combination of
Utah—those who are hungry for office and its spoils-that
they might grind the "Mormon community into the dust.
I will give you the proof, and the other side shall supply the
evidence:
In November, 1880, an election was held in this Territory
for a delegate to Congress from Utah. The candidate of the
People's Party was the Hon. George Q. Cannon, the candi-
date of the conspirators Mr. Allen G. Campbell. The Hon.
George Q. Cannon received of the popular vote on that occa-
sion considerable over 18,000 votes, and Allen G. Campbell
about 1,300. Did this express the popular will? In what
more forcible way can the popular will be exhibited than by
the franchise? It was the duty of His Excellency, Governor
Eli H. Murray, to furnish the candidate who received the
largest number of votes a certificate to that effect, to present
as a credential in the House of Representatives, and he gave
that certificate to the man that received 1,300 votes. Does
AND ITS CAUSES.
23
that not prove, as far as it goes, the character of the con-
spiracy? It is to usurp the political authority that belongs to
the people in a republican form of government. He who gave
that certificate, certified to a falsehood, and made an attempt
to dethrone the power of the people, to thwart the public will,
the popular will, and establish his will, an autocracy, and to
wrest from the people the reins of government.
I will still further show the political character of the con-
spiracy, and also why so many infamous lies have been told
about the “Mormons." that under cover of these falsehoods
and the prejudice resulting, the objects of this conspiracy
might be attained.
On the 3rd day of August, 1882, there was inserted in the
sundry civil appropriation bill, in Congress, an amendment
made by Senator Hoar. It was offered in view of the fact
that through the negligence of the Utah Commission the
election that ought to have occurred in that month lapsed.
The amendment thus inserted was passed there, giving
authority to His Excellency, Eli H. Murray, to fill all vacancies
that might occur in offices in this Territory through the lapse
of that election that should have been held. Fortunately,
however, there is a Territorial statute which provides that in
case of any deficiency in regard to filling the offices by the lapse
of an election, or through any other cause, such as an intended
successor to an ffioce not qualifying within statutory time, the
incumbent should hold over until such time as a legal election
should take place; and therefore there were no vacancies. So
it was held pretty generally even by those that were very
prominent, subsequently, on the other side. I might be
allowed to state here that it is publicly known that Mr. Mar-
shall, a prominent lawyer of this city, stated that there were
no vacancies, and he so expressed himself to quite a number
of persons belonging to the People's Party. However, passing
that over I now direct your attention to the fact that there
were a large number of offices that were not vacant in any
case, the election to which could not legally have occurred for
a year subsequent to that August election.
But the party
who desired to make the seizure of the political power of
24
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
Utah do not stand upon trifles; His Excellency, Eli H. Mur-
ray, in the face of these facts, endeavored to fill nearly every
office in Utah Territory by his appointment, and in that way
overthrow every vestige of popular rule in Utah Territory.
This was an evidence of the impatience of the office hunters'
party, because they anticipated by this act the legislation which
they desired on that subject. Much anxiety has been mani-
fested by certain persons whom I have named in regard to the
political affairs of this Territory. Among the officers--among
these would-be officers-appointees of the governor, were
found some of the gentlemen who figured conspicuously in the
first meeting in the Methodist Church, the details of which I
have already furnished this audience. Judge Jacob S. Bore-
wan was gubernatorially appointed to an office in this county;
also Mr. J. F. Bradley. It is a wonder that Judge J. R.
McBride was left out in the cold; but there was nothing large
enough, I presume, to satisfy that gentleman. [Laughter.]
Have I not proven to a demonstration the object of this
conspiracy, and the reason why such infamous fabricated
statements are sent abroad to prejudice the minds of the
people against the "Mormon” community? I think that I
have, and I have taken the evidence from the ather side of
the fence. They have furnished the proofthemselves, and I
have only made use of it.
EFFECTS OF THE CONSPIRACY UPON CONGRESS.
T
What are the effects of this conspiracy and this prejudice
upon Congress? The effects are these: Laws that we con-
sider to be unconstitutional are introduced into Congress and
some of them are passed and become law. For instance there
is the Edmunds law with which you are all more or less fam-
iliar. One of its chief objects was to disfranchise thuse who
were practical polygamists in the "Mormon” community, and
that was effectually done in the operation of that law. But
some men have India rubber consciences, and they injected
this India rubber material into the law and made it stretch.
The Utah Commission-I talk respectfully of that body of
gentlemen--made that law stretch to its utmost capacity.
AND ITS CAUSES.
25
They almost went outside of polygamy altogether.
If they
had just gone half an inch further they would have excluded
from the polls persons who were first cousins to polygamists.
[Applause and laughter.] There is one very peculiar feature
associated with the Edmunds law. There has been introduced
in connection with its operations, without the color or authority
of law, a test oath. That oath made its first appearance, I
think, in 1879—if my memory serves me correctly—in what
was known as the Willits' bill, a measure that was introduced
into Congress, but did not pass. It was formulated so I
have been given to understand-by the Utah conspirators here
and furnished to Mr. Willits to be incorporated in his Utah
bill. It was subsequently used by His Excellency, Eli H.
Murray, and had to be subscribed to by every person elected to
any office in this Territory before he could receive a commission.
And now, under the Edmunds law, every person who walks
up to the registrar's office to register has to take this iron-clad
oath, a copy of which I now hold in my hand. If I had been
a conspirator I do not think that I should have favored the
introduction of this particular oath. My reason for this is
that, according to a vulgarism, it "gives the whole thing
away." I will not read the entire oath, but will read a por-
tion of it: "That I have not lived or cohabited with more
than one woman in the marriage relation.” [The lecturer's
manner of uttering the words in italics in a subdued tone cre-
ated great laughter and applause.] That oath makes a wide
opening through which the corruptionist, steeped up to his
neck in filth and crime can crawl [loud applause] and builds
around the man who conscientiously enters more or less into
the marriage relation a wall deep, thick and high, so that he cannot
get through or climb over. Does not that give the thing away?
I am not displeased that they formulated that oath. It shows
the position exactly. It exhibits the superiority of the "Mor-
mon" community over the corruptionists. [Applause.]
There is a custom whenever a man comes into special promi-
nence in political matters for his admirers to wear a particular
kind of hat. For instance, there is the Cleveland hat, and
there is the Blaine hat. I have a recommendation to offer to
26
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
the conspirators, and why not adopt it? Let us have an
"anti-marriage relation hat." [Applause,] Let it be of spot-
less white, emblematical of the purity of the characters of
those entitled to wear it [laughter] and let there be written
in gold letters-large, so they can be easily read by the passing
observer-the words: "I HAVE NOT LIVED NOR CO-
HABITED WITH MORE THAN ONE WOMAN," and
in small letters [applause and laughter) so that you can hardly
see them, “In the marriage relation.” [Renewed applause and
laughter.] The saving clause should be very obscure, it tells
such a horrible tale.
In the anti-"Mormon" crusade first meeting, details of which
I have given, Judge McBride said that he desired that that
legal provision which prevented a woman from testifying against
her husband should be expunged from the statute books, and
you can see the ear-marks of the Utah conspirators in all the
legislation that has been introduced into Congress. I am not
here to blame the national legislators for what they have done,
for I believe it has been largely the result of the misrepresenta-
tions that have been made by the conspirators whose head
quarters are in this city. They have acted in the belief that
the “Mormon" community were as vile as they have been
painted by these, I was going to say you can imagine--I
do not wish to use anything but respectful language, because I
am speaking of "American gentlemen." [Applause. And
what is the character of the crusade legislation? One of the
first provisions of the Hoar amendment act passed by the
Senate at its last session, provides that the wife shall testify
against the husband, and as the husband and the wife are one,
the monstrous doctrine is incorporated that a man shall be
compelled to testify, in that sense, against himself. What an
outrage to attempt to demolish a leading safeguard which
maintains the sacredạess of the family circle! Shame on the
instigators of such legislation! I have a right to express my
sentiments regarding so flagrant an outrage sought to be per-
petrated upon an innocent people.
This law also proposes, in certain cases, that a witness shall
be treated as a criminal by abolishing the ordinary process of
the subpoena and providing that an attachment shall issue.
.
AND ITS CAUSES.
27
And the "Mormon" community, according to this remark-
able measure, shall have no power to transact their own secular
business, but it proposes to perform it for them by fourteen
trustees appointed by the President of the United States. It
is a wonder that they did not incorporate some provision in the
law that Bishop Preston and his Counselors of the "Mormon"
Church should be deposed from their positions--it amounts to
nearly the same thing—and that a Bishop and Counselors be
appointed by the President of the United States [laughter].
Further, the franchise is, according to this law, to be swept
away from the ladies. What an upgallant lot these con-
spirators are! Operating against the ladies whom they claim
are in bondage in Utah, and yet they want to take an un-
warrantable step to enslave them politically.
It further provides that the property of the "Mormons” shall
be confiscated summarily; and that under no pretence what-
ever shall the people amalgamate for the purpose of bringing
people to this Territory from abroad. Therefore, if this were
law-let us hope for the sake of republican institutions that
it never will be-you would not have the privilege of bringing
to this land your father, or your grandmother, or your cousins,
or your aunt, or any of your relatives, because they are “Mor-
mons.”
What a parody on legislation!-the result of the work of a
conspiracy, religious and political, in the Territory of Utah,
with its headquarters in Salt Lake City. That is the charac-
ter of the legislation sought to be brought about by that com-
bination, to sweep away the liberties of the people and grasp
the power that will grind them into the dust, under the cover
of the prejudice that they have created by their infamous
falsehoods.
ATITUDE OF THE CONSPIRATORS SINCE THE MASSACRE.
I will now show the position that has been taken by repre-
sentatives of the conspiracy since the massacre took place,
that unhappy and horrible deed in Lewis County, Tennessee.
There is, I believe, a general understanding that the chief
editor of the Tribune is or has been a member of the legal
28
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
1
profession. He is called Judge Goodwin. I do not know
how far that goes.
I presume that if I was to say to this
audience, for the purpose of receiving an answer, “How do
you do, Colonel?'' there would by a chorus of voices, there are
so many colonels in this country. And so it is with judges.
But I believe that the gentleman I now speak of possesses
legal knowledge. What an unfortunate thing that he does
not inject it into his journalism!
Here is a quotation embodying another quotation, which
the Tribune in its issue of Sep. 16th, 1884, contains:
“On the other hand, the reason why the violence was com-
mitted has been boldly given. The clergyman of Nashville,
extracts of' whose seruon we gave last week, openly says:"
“The law-abiding citizens charge upon these Mormon mis-
sionaries that, under the guise of religion, they were attempt-
ing to seduce their wives and daughters from the paths of
virtue, and they have not disproved it.
"We have other evidence of the same kind.
Were Judge Goodwin on the bench instead of the tripod,
and he should take a similar position in regard to charges
made against alleged law-breakers brought before him, what
would be the result? Suppose a man was charged with murder
in his court, and the jury were asked to bring in a verdict,
his instructions after the trial would be something like this:
"You must bring in a verdict of guilty, for this man is
charged with murder, and has not disproved it.” What a re-
markable position to be taken by an intelligent man! Accord-
ing to his position all you have to do in order to prove a
person guilty is to make a charge against him, and convict
him providing he fails to disprove it. That is reversing the
usual methods of justice with a vengeance.
These Elders
were charged by the local priests whose prejudices, pro-
bably, were incited by the "Red Hot Address" and other
documents of that description--with attempting to seduce the
wives and daughters of citizens of Tennessee, and they have
not disproved it. What a travesty on common sense! How
absurd !. How ridiculous! But then they have other evidence-
proof-of the same kind. They have evidence to the effect
AND ITS CAUSES.
29
that charges have been made against these Elders, and these
Elders have not disproved it. Very remarkable that they
have not disproved it seeing that they are dead! What a
wonderful thing to take place in our day, that these men,
murdered in cold blood, because charges have been made
against them to palliate the crime perpetrated by the mur-
derers, and because they do not rise out of their graves, to
which they were sent by the hands of assassins before their
time, to disprove the charges, they must be guilty! How
supremely ridiculous!
After the murder was perpetrated all the respect that could
be shown by a grief-stricken community was exbibited to
those who were ruthlessly slain. Their remains were buried
by those who survived that awful tragedy near the spot where
their blood was shed. Elder B. H. Roberts, and others, at
the risk of their lives, proceeded to the place where they were
entombed and exhumed the bodies and prepared them to be
dispatched to their sorrowing relatives, as the last grain of
comfort that could be given to the bereaved. I said these
men performed this brotherly act at the risk of their lives, as
was subsequently proved. On their return trip from Cane
Creek they lost their way. Happily for them that they did;
for there was a party of mobbers ambushed ready to shed their
blood also, even when they were on this mission of mercy and
brotherly kindness. However, the bodies were brought here.
The remains of Elder Berry were taken to the South, to Ka-
narra and consigned to his family, and the remains of Elder
Gibbs to Paradise, his home when he was alive. And through-
out this Territory, and in every place where the news had
reached the “Mormons,” arrangements were made to hold
services in honor of the dead, to show the respect of the
people for those who had been slain «Among these meetings
was a large assemblage in the Tabernacle of this city, which
was crowded on the occasion; an immense host convened there,
and certain Elders poured out their thoughts in words of
respect for the dead and grief for the awful act that had caused
the death of these men.
30
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
But more eloquently still was the prevailing sentiment ex-
pressed by the moistened eyes which could be seen all over
that vast congregation, so far as the faces came distinctly
within the range of vision of the observer.
What was the position taken by the organ' of the conspira-
tors, the Salt Lake Tribune, regarding these solemn ceremonies?
That sheet contained, in its following issue, an alleged de-
scription, of the proceedings, and it was a travesty~a farce.
What think you of men who can be so lost to the better feel-
ings of humanity that they can take the grief, the sorrow of
their fellow creatures and laughingly gloat over and hold it up
as something to be vulgarly joked about? I say that the de-
gradation of the human heart cannot reach a lower depth
than that [applause), and I say that men who can be guilty of
such an outrage are lost to all of the better feelings of human-
ity (applause). Perhaps you think I speak strongly on this
subject. I want you to understand that I speak no more
strongly than I feel [applause].
Perhaps there may be some in the audience that think an
apology is due from me for my severity. I feel that my
apology must be of a similar character to that which was given
by a member of the British House of Parliament, when he was
guilty of making some personal remarks regarding a member
of that august body. He was called upon for an apology; he
remarked: "I said the gentleman on the other side was a
scoundrel, and I am sorry for it.” He was sorry he was a
scoundrel [laughter and applause). I bave stated that men
who are guilty of such outrages as those which I have de-
scribed are lost to all that makes man noble, and I am sorry .
for it. I am sorry they are so lost [applause].
It appears that the surviving Elders in Tennessee, B. H.
Roberts and others, petitioned Governor Bate of that State
to take official steps to have the murderers arrested and
punished for the fearful crime. In response, this magnanim-
ous governor offered the munificent sum of $1,000 to be
spread over a whole crowd of mobbers and murderers. But
the sum seemed exceedingly large to His Excellency Governor
Eli H. Murray. Doubtless he thought it vastly too much. He
:
1
AND ITS CAUSES,
1
+
sent to Governor Bate a dispatch of congratulation. He
stated in that dispatch that he was glad to see that Governor
Bate was taking some steps to have those who killed the
Elders brought to justice, because it was no just reason that
they should be murdered because they were agents of "organ-
ized crime." What do you think the governor sent that
dispatch for? He was overwhelmed with hypocritical grief.
He, under cover of this pretended sorrow, like the senseless
ostrich that thinks when its head is in the sand it cannot be
seen, only made other portions of his physical structure ap-
pear all the more prominent [laughter and applause). He
sent that dispatch in order to tell the people of Tennessee and
the country generally that the Elders who were killed were
but the agents of “organized crime;" but-really-of course
-it was not exactly the right thing to kill them. But still
they were merely agents of organized crime" (applause). *
Perhaps you and I may think that the governor stepped
out of his way in order to interfere with the affairs of a com-
monwealth, with which he has no more to do officially or per-
sonally than the humblest citizen of this Territory. But,
then, how could he get it before the country, that the Elders
who were killed were agents of “organized crime” unless he
GOVERNOR MURRAY'S DISPATCH-
SALT LAKE CITY,
Aug. 22d.
Gov. W. B. Bate, Nashville, Tenn.:
Dispatches state that you are exerting yourself to yindicate
the laws in the matter of the murder of Mormon missionaries in
Tennessee. I thank you for this action. The charges of preach-
ing polygamy does not excuse murder. I trust that you may
bring the guilty to punisbment, thereby preventing such lawless-
ness in Tennessee or elsewhere. Lawlessness in Tennessee and
Utah are alike reprehensible. but the murdered Mormon agents
in Tennessee were sent from here as they have been for years by
the representatives of organized crime, and I submit that as
long as Tennessee's representatives in Congress are, to say the
least, indifferent to the punishment of offenders against the
national law in Utah, such cowardly outrages by their constit-
uents as the killing of emigration agents sent there from here
will continue.
ELI H. MURRAY,
Governor
32
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
should make that interference. It could not be otherwise
done; so excellent an opportunity could not be let slip in order
to create, to create, to manufacture the same feeling that
caused the murder of five human beings and the wounding of
an innocent woman. That was all that the dispatch was in-
tended to do, in my opinion.
But do you think that the governor sent that dispatch of
his own accord and volition altogether? Do you think, now,
honestly, ladies and gentlemen, that he formulated that dis-
- patch and sent it outside of the conspiracy combination? If
you do, then you do not exactly believe the same as I do
[laughter). I am too familiar with the operations of that swall
circle of schemers to believe any such thing. In the first
place my opinion is-when I express an opinion I give it as
such ; when I relate facts I sustain them as facts; I give you
this as my opinion, you can take it for what it is worth-it
was first necessary to secure the approval and consent of him
who has said, on the streets of this city, that he is practically
the governor of Utah. Do you know wbo he is? Patrick
H. Lanpan (loud laughter and applause), an American gentle-
man of Cork [great applause and laughter], or the County
Down, or some other place in equally close proximity to New
York or Massachusets (renewed laughter and applause].
The gentleman whom I have named is given to talking. I
might say very much given to talking. It has been said that
perpetual motion has never been brought to light, but Mr.
Lannan's tongue comes the nearest to it of anything that has
been discovered [laughter and applause). He has stated that
the governor cannot make any prominent move without he is
consulted in regard to it. He has told this very broadly, and
the information is from his side of the house. This is very
well known, and it rasps a little on the feelings of some of his
own friends. Now, ladies and gentlemen, as the showman
said, "you pays your money and you takes your choice':
[laughter). You can take for your governor Eli H. Murray
or Patrick H. Lannan [applause). I think I will take Mr,
Murray [a voice--"Don't''].
i
AND ITS CAUSES.
33
THE EDUCATION SUBTERFOGE.
On a por-
Perhaps, ladies and gentlemen, I am taking up too much
time [loud cries of "No, No," and "Go on"]. There is a
question that has been agitating this community of late very
much, especially in some quarters of this city.
It is a cam-
paign question with the conspirators. It is the educational
condition of this Territory. I remember attending a political
meeting held in front of the Tribune office on Second South
Street before it removed to its present quarters.
tion of the stand in front of the orators-it was an election
subject tbat was on the tapis-was a vessel that contained a
liquid to which Mr. Scott Anderson and other temperance
men very much object. There was a speaker getting off the
usual anti-Mormon buncombe, and as the contents of the jug
grew beautifully less his articulation commenced to get pro-
portionately thicker. He reproached the people for their
alleged lack of educational facilities, and shouted "Where is
your free schools? (imitating the thick articulation of the half
intoxicated orator and would-be "Mormon," regenerator. ]
Where is your seminaries of learning?'' [Laughter and ap-
plause.]
There has been on this subject a very large cat lately let out
of the bag. It was the Methodists that did it this time (Laugh-
ter]. You know as well as I know that it has always been
asserted that the district or common schools of Utah are sec-
tarian, that the books used in them were sectarian or "Mor-
mon' books; that if children of non-Mormons'' were sent
there they are liable to be indoctrinated in the tenets of the
“Mormon" faith. This information was conveyed to Senator
Hoar by the Utah conspirators, as evinced in his speech on the
Utah bill. I here have his own language, and will quote his
words to show how he had been stuffed on this subject:
"We find schools established where the text books are
selected wholly to instruct the youth of that community in a
doctrine inconsistent, as we believe, not only with Christian-
ity, but civilization itself."
He had been primed and loaded by the Utah calumniators
of the "Mormons." But the Methodists, at a conference
34
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
which lately convened at Ogden, let the whole thing out; for
they considered a resolution in their meeting as to the advis-
ibility of introducing into their denominational schools text
books the same as those in use in the “Mormon' district
schools." You see they were so anxious-so deeply anxious
to have their children indoctrinated in the tenets of “Mor-
monism," as taught in the school books of the district schools
of Utah, that they wanted to introduce them into the Meth-
odist schools [Applause), that their pupils might all be made
full-fledged "Mormons" [Applause). This exploded the sec-
tarian theory in relation to the district schools altogether
nothing left of it at all--and it was like all the subterfuges of
the conspirators—thin as air.
Statements have frequently been made to the effect that the
school-houses are inadequate, that they are mere hovels,
which is not true, because we have numerous good school-
houses and efficient teachers in the community, and the facil-
ities for education, considering the age of the Territory, are
commendable.
There was recently a meeting held in the 8th Ward to con-
sider the advisability of erecting a school house, the accommo-
dation for the school population in the 8th district being
insufficient. The object of the meeting was to vote on a tax
to provide means to accomplish the object in view. I should
have supposed that about a quarter of an hour or so before
the time of meeting the liberal” gentlemen might have been
seen rushing towards the place of meeting with their hair
streaming in the wind and their coat tails in a bee-line behind
them in order that they might get there in good time to vote
“Aye" on the tax question, and dig deep into their pockets for
the shekels to help build a new school house. I should have
supposed that they would be in such a hurry to vote on the
question that they could hardly be held back. But they went
there and voted solid for "no tax" for school purposes.
Grandly consistent! Their position on this question is like
that of a man who knocks another man down, puts his foot
on him, presses him hard down upon the ground, and at the
same time shouts, "Why don't you get up?"' [Applause.]
AND ITS CAUSES.
35
In the 7th Ward, on the 15th instant, a similar meeting
was held, and the gentlemen belonging to the same party
["'Liberal”] were out in force. Strange to say they took the
same position as in the 8th district. And there was there in
all his glory-not a member of the district, I believe; I do
not know exactly, but I think not-Judge J. R. McBride, the
excellent and devout Methodist of a former meeting. In his
usual truthful, logical and consistent style he warned the
people that only certain persons could vote at any election.
You can observe the consistency and force of the remarks of
this learned gentleman, seeing that the meeting was not con-
vened for election purposes at all, but to vote on the question
of whether there should be a tax imposed on the residents of
the district so as to increase its educational facilities. Every
one on the anti-Mormon side of the fence voted "No." It is
necessary to formulate another argument, now, seeing that the
sectarian one has fallen through, and it was furnished by Mr.
0. J. Hollister, ex-internal revenue collector for Utah. He
deposited his vote on that occasion on the “no tax" side of
the question. I do not deal with private matters. I deal in
public affairs, and when a man presents himself before the
public in a public capacity, then he is a subject for manipu-
lation on the public rostrum. I will give you this new reason,
furnished in two letters published subsequently to the meeting
in the Salt Lake Herald, from which I will quote. Listen to
what this gentleman has to say. Here is a quotation from his
communication to the Herald :
"It is no difference what is taught in the so-called public
schools of Utah or who teaches. The Mormon Church main-
tains and teaches practices that to the Gentiles are degrading
and corrupting
There is no social interchange between Mor-
mons and Gentiles, mainly on this account. If this is the
fact as regards grown people, how much more as regards
children who cannot be expected to have much wisdom and
who are so easily contaminated and corrupted.
Here is the reason, that by the association of Gentile chil-
dren with “Mormon” children the former become corrupted
by the intercourse and companionship and are degraded.
What think you of a man that would offer a premeditated
36
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
cold blooded insult not only to every parent in the “Mormon
Church, but to every innocent little, toddling child in that
community? What is the substance of the excuse that is
offered? It is this: "I am holier than thou.” Mr. Hollister
reminds me of a character in sacred bistory presented by the
Savior as an illustration of the different qualities of the peti-
tions that are offered to the throne of grace. . Do you re-
member the prayer of the self-righteous Pharisee?—"'Lord I
thank thee that I am not as other men''-and let me say here,
speaking largely for other men, in this instance they are equally
thankful for the difference. [Applause.] Another argument
was madeby that gentlemen on the same occasion. Here is
a quotation from another letter of his:
“I beg to reaffirm the statement and to aver, besides, that
the Gentiles have paid the full proportion of the taxes that
have built and that run the Mormou schools.
The reason why the Gentiles object to paying special school
taxes besides the above, is because they cannot avail them-
selves of any advantage therefrom."
Here he attments to class the "Gentiles” as anti-Mormons,
by assuming that they all feel as and his fellow-conspira-
tors do. That is the usual trick. But let us consider
this part of the question: the Gentiles have paid their
proportion of the taxes for these purposes. O. J. Hol
lister was at that meeting, and so was the tax list, so I
am informed by the gentleman who took it there. And
what was on that tax list? I will tell you; the name of 0. J.
Hollister conspicuous for its absence. [Applause). This is
the position of the oracle of those who fight the school tax.
/
THE MORALITY SUBTERFUGE.
The "Mormons” are so very immoral according to the lies
that are formulated and spread abroad to further the interest
of the conspiracy under the popular prejudice that they may
accomplish their purposes. In the Salt Lake Tribune, under
dáte of March, 1881, there appeared a peculiar article. The
editor of the organ of the conspirators had been conversing
with a gentleman of this city on the “Mormon” question,
and this gentleman is reported in the article as stating that
he rejoiced to see the youth of the “Mormon” community
AND ITS CAUSES.
37
visiting drinking saloons, gambling dens, houses of ill-fame;
and the editor in commenting on the remarks of this so-called
gentleman, says: "if freedom can be gained without
excesses, so much the better; but if not, gain the freedom,
never mind the excesses." And this from the men who would
regenerate the “Mormon" community. What think you of
the regenerators of Utah?*
You are aware, ladies and gentlemen, that I have spoken in
a similar strain as I have to-night on another occasion, quite
recently, and I have in consequence been roundly abused by
the organ of slander, by the organ of the conspirators; but
never a word bas been said in regard to my statements. None
of them have been quoted or replied to. This is remarkable,
because that newspaper had in that mecting a reporter. But
it says: “A mentally blasted wretch, a mournful appendage of
the Deseret News, named Nicholson (laughter], poured out
his venom in the 12th Ward.” Here is the argument with
which I am answered. I am called "a mentally blasted
wretch." [Laughter and applause ] Ladies and gentlemen,
look upon me and take warning (renewed laughter and ap-
plaușe], and do not have the temerity at any time to fall upon
the Tribune rock and get broken to pieces [applause); for do
you not see that the huge boulder is likely to roll over me,
and, like the wheels of Juggernaut, grind me to powder?
[Applause.] I have been called names; but no argument has
been adduced. I have been called "a liar," an "egregious
ass” [laughter] and other things too numerous to mention;
but never a word of the lecture. You are capable of judging
whether I am "a mentally blasted wretch'' or not. [Laughter]
I think I can leave the verdict in your hands.
I have been called, among other things, an alien. If there
ever has been anything that I have prided myself upon it has
been my birthplace, for I was born on this planet. I know no
country but the earth; and I know no people but those who
sustain the truth, the final triumph of which will bring about
the universal brotherhood of man. I love the institutions of
this country as I love my life, for they embody the principles
See Appendix.
38
THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE
of human freedom; and where I find men who seek by in-
famous, infernal designs to crush them into the earth, I am
willing to wear myself out in their exposure. [Loud applause.]
I am not an alien, however; I am a citizen of the United
States. [Applause.] Here is the certificate (holding it up in
his hand).
Another truthful statement of the organ of the
conspirators nailed to the counter!
I have shown with some clearness I think I hope you will
not think me egotistical if I say so--that the “Mormons'' have
been defamed; that members of the community have been
murdered in cold blood and the crime has been palliated by
men who are in your midst, and who have caused lies to be
spread broadcast throughout the country. This conspiracy
bas endeavored to wipe out in the Territory of Utah political
and religious freedom, that a small minority might seize the
reins of government, and despoil, and crush, and injure an
innocent community. I denounce these as crimes against
humanity; and I charge the perpetrators with being the genu-
ine agents and operators of organized crime" in Utah. [Loud
applause.]
Thanking you for the kind attention which you have given
me, ladies and gentlemen, I wish you all a very good night.
[Loud applause. ]
(A vote of thanks to the lecturer, put to the audience by
the chairman, Hon. Wm. Jennings, was carried by a shout of
"Ayes” that seemed to shake the building.)
!
AND ITS CAUSES.
39
APPENDIX.
PASSAGES FROM THE FIRST
LECTURE.
IN
N the lecture delivered by Mr. Nicholson in the Twelfth
Ward Assembly Rooms, on September 15th, the following
passages occurred:
THE SLAVERY HUMBUG.
A great deal has been said about the "Mormons'' being in a
condition of slavery and serfdom, and these conspirators have a
great deal of spmpathy for them on that account. They want
to make them free; but the liberalizing process is very remarka-
ble. They want to make them free by taking away all their
political rights, and give them another kind of freedom-to visit
the dens of infamy that have been established here and nurtured
by them under the protest and against the active efforts of the
Latter-day Saints, without a dissenting voice on their part. That
is the kind of freedom they want to introduce.
But let us see how much freedom there is when you come to
simmer it down in their own case. There was a man who took
part in that Methodist religio-politico meeting held on the 7th of
May, 1882, by the name of Jacob S. Boreman, formerly a judge
of one of the judicial districts of this Territory. with his head-
quarters at Beaver. There was brought up before him while he
acted in that capacity a "Mormon,” by the name of Alonzo
Colton. He was indicted under a Territorial statute that had no
reference to polygamy whatever--a Territorial law against
lascivious cohabitation--and in the face of the fact that he (Bore-
man) knew that this statute had no application to the case, but
that it ought to have come under the law of the United States
against bigamy and polygamy, passed by Congress in 1862, that
40
APPENDIX.
man was, in Jacob S. Boreman's court, convicted under the
Territorial law that had no application, even if he were a polyg-
amist. That is known and acknowledged by every man of all
shades of opinion. It would be so admitted universally in this
community to-day, except, perhaps, by the honorable gentleman
himself. Yet he placed that man in the penitentiary through
his bringing his Methodism on to the bench; and Colton served
out a term of five years on a conviction brought under a law that
had no application to the case. Colton's brother-in-law came up
to this city some time after his incarceration, I met him several
times. He drew out a petition for his release on the ground that
he (Mr. Colton) was illegally convicted and unlawfully held in
custody; that his conviction and imprisonment were an outrage.
I saw the petition. It was taken to certain men that you and I
know perfectly well-independent men who breathe the air of
freedom of this great republic. But they did not sign it. They
stated to the brother-in-law of Alonzo Colton, something after
the language used to the "Mormors" by the late President Mar-
tin Van Buren-"Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for
you.” They said, in effect, that they dared not affix their signa-
tures to that paper for fear of the Tribune getting after them
They were so free and independent. You understand the bal-
ance. I could give you the names of those parties, but I do not
wish to be too personal. This is the freedom enjoyed by the
conspirators against the peace and freedom of the people of
Utah.
In fact the whip of the conspirators, through their organ and
the medium of public harangues, has been constantly cracked
over the heads of decent men who have in the slightest manner
protested against their outrageous operations against the "Mor-
mons," until they haye either been forced into line or into a
silence under which they have chafed, because of the perpetual
outrage upon their ideas of fair play. And yet these conspira-
tors will talk of freedom, and talk with spread-eagle loftiness
about the sweets of liberty.
THE MORALITY PLEA.
Let us enquire a little further into the comparative morality of
"Mormons” and non-Mormons, as exhibited by the official sta-
tistics of two of the chief cities of Utab. In the year 1882 the
total number of arrests made in Salt Lake City, by the municipal
police, for crimes of every class, was 1,640; of these law-breakers
446 were “Mormons'' and 1,194 non-Mormons, yet the latter con.
APPENDIX.
41
stitute but one-fourth of the population. They furnished, how-
ever, three-fourths of the criminality. In 1883 the arrests
amounted to 1,609 in all. Only 150 were "Mormons'' and the
remaining 1,459 non-Mormons,
Ogden niakes a still more striking exhibit in the same direc-
tion. In 1881 the relative population was 85 per cent. “Mor-
mons' to 15 per cent. non-Mormons. The arrests numbered
211. Of the persons arrested 21 were “Mormons," the remaining
190 being non-Mormons.
In 1882 the arrests numbered 306, the relative proportion being
22 "Mormons," to 284 non-Mormons.
In 1883 the arrests footed up 537, with a score of 74 for lhe la iv-
less "Mormons'' and 463 for the non-Mormons. In the last
mnaed year the proportion of “Mormons'' in the population was
closely estimated at 71 per cent. “Mormons," leaving 29 per
cent. non-Mormons.
These figures are eloquent; they speak in thunder tones, ren-
dering comments upon their showing superfluous.
THE RESPONSIBILITY.
I might refer to cases of mobbing, and driving, and murder
that have been the direct result of the publication of false state-
ments formulated by men in this city. I was informed but
yesterday by Joseph H. Parry that when he was laboring in the
Southern States, in the same district where Joseph Standing was
laboring, that the cause of the excitement that resulted in the
death of the latter, was, that in the Journal of Education were
published certain averments by J. M. Coyner. The cue was
taken from these statements by the sectarian preachers of that
region; those preachers by anti-Mormon harangues worked the
people into such a frenzy that that murder was the result, and
the blood spots of Joseph Standing are upon the skirts of J. M.
Coyner, he being, according to Elder Parry's evidence, one of
the indirect causes of that foul assassination.
STATEMENT OF R. G. MCNIECE.
“It was also about eighteen months ago that our chapel and
school-building in Logan was set on fire. Some one climbed in
at the window and having poured coal-oil on the floor, set it on
fire. The fire went out; but the next morning the burned floor
and the mark of the coal-oil showed too plainly that the purpose
was to burn ibe building."
2*
42
APPENDIX.
on it.
The verified facts:
“LOGAN, UTAH, June 21, 1884.
“Editor Deseret News:
"I send herewith Sheriff Crookston's affidavit regarding
the attempt to burn the Presbyterian church. Rev. C. M. Parks,
the pastor, has made to me personally a similar statement. Mr.
Parks says he will call on you on Monday next and repeat it.
"B. F. CUMMINGS, JR."
"Territory of Utah, County of Cache, Logan Precinct, on this
21st day of June, A. D., 1884, personally appeared before me, B.
F. ('ummings, Jr., a justice of the peace in and for said precinct,
at niy office in said precinct, Nicholas W. Orookston, who, being
duly sworn, deposes and says that he is now and has been ever
since before November, A. D. 1882, sheriff of Cache County,
"Said N. W. Crookston further deposes and says, 'On the morn-
ing of December 1st, A. D., 1882, I was notified that an attempt
to burn the Presbyterian church in Logan had been made during
the previous night. I went to the church with County Attorney
Maughan. Found a quantity of kindling wood saturated with
coal-oil on the floor of the bell tower. The wood hud evidently
been thrown there through a window and the coal-oil, afterwards
found on it, from the window, and a lighted match dropped in
A bench used as a seat was charred, the carpet covering
on it was burned and some of the kindling wood was also char-
red. Rev. O, M. Parks, pastor of the church, told me that on the
previous evening there had been an entertainmentin the church,
being Thanksgiving evening; that one, Wm. Buder, came to the
entertainment drunk, and that he (Parks) asked him to leave,
but he (Buder) would not, and that he (Parks) then put him out
by force, and that Buder then threatened to get even with him
(Parks).
"The kindling wood had been split off from round blocks
sawed from a log. I took three pieces of the kindling and fitted
two of them into a block which I found in Buder's yard. The
way the pieces fitted, the curve of the grain, the length and the
kind of wood, all proved positively that the two pieces I fitted
had been split off from the log in Buder's yard, While I was
fitting the piece on the block Buder came to me, took hold of me
and told ine to let that wood alone.' He seemed to be very
much alarmed.
"In the month of June, A. D. 1883, Buder was in jail. I was
his jailor, I told him he had better leave town, and that there
was proof that he had tried to burn the Presbyterian church.
In reply he said the church didn't burn, but I'll get even with
Parks before I leave town."
N. W. CROOKSTON.
Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 21st day of June, A.
D. 1883.
B. F. CUMMINGS, Jr.,
Justice of the Peace.
THE OLD STYLE.
To-day we print a verbatim report of an address delivered by
Bishop West at Juab on the 9th inst., as forwarded by a friend.
APPENDIX.
43
It reads like the old-day Tabernacle harangues, and the devout
brethren and sisters of the former time would have warmly en-
joyed and commended it as being "full of the sperret," indeed,
we are not sure but away down deep in their hearts they will
approve it now. It is a very violent harangue, full of bitter ina-
lice and the usual untruths of the fanatics when they undertake
to deal with subjects wherein they are opposed. The common
dreary twaddle of exclusive holiness and a monopoly of honesty
is disgustingly paraded by this dishonest parasite in behalf of a
set of rogues whose crimes, peculations, public and private,
robberies and unblushing piracies are the amazement of every
one who has had to do with the facts. No spot in the Mormon
administration, from the tithing yards to the county and Terri-
torial treasuries could bear the light of day. Elder West's main
insistance was, in plain words, that it was the command of the
Lord, communicated through Joseph Smith, ''the martyr," in a
vision, about the beginning of the present month, to himself
(West), that Governor Murray must be assassinated, and that
his successor must in like manner be removed," until the Gen-
tiles were faint with terror, and let the Saints alone to manage
"their own kingdom” in their own way. Of course the howling
of such a noisy blatherskite in that vein simply means that he is
filled with a murderous hate, but is too cowardly to himself to do
the deed he undertakes to spur others up to commit. There is no
danger from him, and even in the worst times the brethren had
too much discretion and wholesome fear of the consequencies to
undertake any such villainous programme. In former years
Elder West would, however, have been sure of promotion in the
church for his efforts, especially if they had been well kept up,
for the sect in its wretched development of Brigbamism has need
of such tools. He starts in too late in the day, however, and will
neither win cross, which he might have won in Jackson county,
Missouri, nor crown, which he might have gained during the
fanatical'"'reformation" which led up to the Mountain Meadow
massacre.
As this notorious fabrication has created considerable interest,
on account of the murderous mischief it has created, it is here
published in full, as it appoared in the Salt Lake Tribune of
March 15th 1884 together with a refutation of it from the pen of
George Teasdale.
A RED-HOT ADDRESS.
(From the Salt Lake Tribune.)
Stenographical report of Bishop West's barangue in the_Juab
school-house, Sunday, March 9th, 1884. Reported by Tobias
Tobey for the Salt Lake Tribune.
Juab, Utah, March 9th.
It is time, my brothers and sisters, that we ceased this cowardly
silence and humble submission to the rulings and machinations
of the devil and his fiery imps at the capitol of this God-forsaken
Gentile government; and it is time for us to filing their defiance
and scurrilous domination back in their faces. We are the elect,
44
APPENDIX.
are
of Christ, and the day of judgment is at hand, and it's our turn
then if it isn't now, which I say it is. When Gabriel sounds his
trumpet on that awful day, the Gentile hellhounds will find the
Saints of God have got all the front seats reserved, and that they
can't find standing room for themselves in the gallery. The
cause is flourishing in the Juab Stake of Zion, and many souls
are being daily rescued from the flames of heathenism. If I
had my way not a house would be leſt standing which sheltered
a knavish Gentile. They are eyesores in the sight of the Lord
and His vengeance is sure to come. They persecute His Saints
and He has commanded them to destroy their persecutors. He
has commanded the Saints to rid the earth of the sin-besmudged
heretic. He has revealed unto us the foundation of the Gentile
Church that it is the deyil. (II Nephi ch. 4, verse xx.) Hell is
filled with the scurrilous Gentiles and the floors of hell
paved with the skulls of apostates. He who kills a Gentile rids
the earth of a serpent and adds a star to his own crown, The
Saints are gathering together from sea to sea and they will rise
in their awful might and fall upon the enemies of Zion. Let the
tabernacles resound with joyful voices for the fulfillment of the
prophecies of Moroni are at hand. The minions of the devil
are set loose in our midst by the crime soaked politicians who
rule our land. The shades of the sainted martyr Smith call
aloud for vengeance at the hands of his followers. The blood of
the Gentile persecutors shall be spilled on their own thresholds to
appease the anger of our prophet. Tune the lyre and beat the
cymbals; for our revenge is now at hand. We will wipe out the
scum of the.Washington blood suckers and the high priest of
the devil who assumes to rule in our very midst shall be cut off
with a sharp instrument. The thieving Murray issues orders to
the Saints of God, and defies every one but the devil, who is
his sponsor. His bead will be placed upon the walls of our city and
his entrails scattered throughout the street of Zion, that every
Gentile adventurer may behold and take a care that we are left
to pursue our road to Paradise unmolested. Our strength is
greater than the world believes and our will is powerful and
undaunted by heretic menaces. The Lord is our shepherd and
we cannot fail. The red man is our firm ally and he thirsts for
the blood of the enemy of Zion. We are powerful and unassail-
able in our mountain home and we will roll the massive boulders
of destruction down from the mountain tops upon the heads of
the unregenerate. Our secret places are stored with crafty explo-
sives with which we will surely destroy the strongholds of the
government of Satan. Our young men are drilling for the
conflict, and our wives and daughters are making themselves
ready to minister to our wants, and the day is close at hand.
Let the Gentile leeches and poltroons beware and win our for-
bearance, if yet they may. The Lord is sorely angered at our
persecutors, and He has said to our counselors in a vision that
He will deliver our enemy into our hands as He delivered Laban
into the hands of Nephi. He will visit the earth, through us,
with a worse destruction than He did in the days of the flood,
and the ungodly will bite the dust. with rage, and their blood
will flow in the streets of Zion even as much as the waters in the
!
APPENDIX.
45
day of Noah. Behold, I declare unto you, all ye Saints who
revere the memory of the Prophets, that you must begin to gird
up your loins and whet your knives. Let the religious fervor of
the Saints who are dead and gone recur to your weaker spirits
and fire you with the zeal of the destroying angels. Eli Murray
is the Cain of our generation. Ho hates our people and he
works for our destruction that he may win for himself a reputa-
tion of valor among the ungodly. He is a damned scoundrel,
and a pestiferous leper. He is the polluted scum of corruption.
He reeks with ungodliness, and he is rotten with heresy. I com-
mand every true disciple of Christ to watch out for this damned
Yankee interloper, and ye know that there is protection enough
for you in Zion if ye kill the whole Gentile race. Last night, as
I lay in my bed thinking over the affairs of the Church, and
possessed of a strange restlessness, and praying the while for
inspiration from the Most High, that I might see the way more
clearly to a sure release of my brethren from bondage, behold a
great and glorious light suddenly filled my apartment with a
glow brighter than the sun. I was at first afraid, and inclined
strongly to leap from my bed and flee. But of a sudden I heard
a yoice which caused my heart to beat with tumultuous joy, for
it was that of Joseph Smith. I gazed at him earnestly, expect-
ing and hanging on the words which should perchance fall from
his lips, and I beheld that his garments were of a dazzling white-
ness, and that his skin was of a dazzling and heavenly whiteness,
save the blood-red spots and livid wounds where the bullets of
the cursed Gentiles had entered his sainted body, and which
were now visible to their eternal damnation, as were the marks
of the nails which pierced the hands and feet of Christ. Joseph
spoke to me in a voice of wondrous sweetness blended with
strains of the direst severity when he spoke of the fute in store
for those Saints who neglected what he should now command
them. Joseph bade me to cast my eyes about and behold the
presence in the midst of the Saints of an emissary of the devil,
It was the will of the Most High that this man should be removed,
and if other emissaries were chosen to fill his place, even as many
as were so chosen should be similarly dealt with. If allowed to
remain in our midst, the sin would be on our heads. for it was
the command of the Most High God of Abraham and Isaac. It
lay in our power to be our own rulers, and our cowardice was
the cause of sore distress to the departed Saints who had left us
a kingdom. Eli H. Murray was possessed of a devil, and had
only the outward semblance of a man. He should and must be
trod upon until his bowels gushed out in the streets. The incar-
nate fiend lurked invisibly behind his hellish disciple, and was
intent upon the destruction of Zion. The time was short, and
vigorous and immediate action premptory The curses of eternal
damnation awaited those who failed in this holy mission. The
work must not stop at the destruction of one of these hellhounds,
these Erebus-like pestilences in the folds of the anointed, but
must extend even to the farthermost corners of the earth, until
Avery beretic out of hell was sent home, and the Latter-day
Saints were rulers of the land. Much more the beloved Joseph
said to me which I am commanded not to reveal unto you until
46
APPENDIX.
---
you prove the sincerity of your faith and love for the prosperity
of Zion from wbat has already been revealed. The direst plagues
shall be immediately visited upon you and your children if these
divine commands go unheeded. I call upon you who sit there
trembling in your seats to beware, and to rise in your strength
and win your crown. Let every Saint in Zion be present at the
meeting in this building on Sunday next at this hour, and I will
discourse further upon these matters which I bave, for wise_rea-
sons, kept from you during the day up to this minute. The Lord
bless you. Amen.
THE FOUL LIBEL REFUTED.
NEPHI, JUAB Co., U. T.
March 18, 1884.
Editor Deseret News:
Please pardon me for referring to a sheet published in
your city, called the "Salt Lake Tribune," although I do not
presunie that it is sustained by any respectable person in this
Territory where it has so unenviable a reputation; still it may be
sent abroad and fall into the hands of some simple-minded per-
sons who might perhaps be deluded into the impression that it
was a trutb ful sheet, or reliable authority. Not that I think for
a moment that any sane person would be so woefully deceived,
I wish to refer to a manufactured sensational piece in the issue
of Sunday the 16th inst., that has been called to my attention,
headed a Red Hot Address;" also a short editorial on the sub-
ject in which the truthful (?) editor states it had been "forwarded
by a friend." O, tempore! O, mores! It purports to be a "sten-
ographical report of Bishop West's harangue in the Juab school-
house, Sunday March 9, 1884, reported by Tobias Tobey' for the
Salt Lake Tribune." Then follows an address which charity
would suggest had been written by an insane person or worse,
the offspring of a dreadfully corrupt heart, a miserable disgrace
to the genus homo, worthy only to rise to shame and everlast-
ing contempt."
Now, the facts are these: It is all a gross fabrication, Juab
is a small town occupied by hotel and boarding house keepers, a
store or two and the railroad hands; there is a small branch of
the Church, presided over by Elder James Wilson, who is very
much respected, but no bishop. On the Sunday referred to there
had been a wash-out and all the hands were busy, so that there
was no meeting held on that day; and as far as the “Bishop
West' is concerned, there is no such bishop there or in the “Mor-
mon" Church, and who "Tobias Tobey' is no one knows.
I have been requested to inform you of these facts, and kindly
requist that you will waive any feeling of dislike you may have
to, in any way, refer to the existence of such a sheet, for the
sake of our young Elders on missions, who might perchance
meet with this shockingly vile fabrication.
Very Respectfully,
GEORGE TEASDALE.
APPENDIX.
47
WHAT UTAH WANTS.
The Salt Lake Tribune of March 6th, 1881, had an editorial
headed, "What Utah Wants," from which we make the following
extracts :
“Apropos of the new and petty war recently started by the
municipal government on the women of the town, the liquor
dealers and the ganıbling fraternity, one of the 'enemy' said to
us the other day: 'It inay be a hard thing to say, and perhaps
harder still to maintain, but I believe that billiard halle, saloons
and houses of ill-fame are more powerful reforming agencies
here in Utah than churches and schools, or even than the
Tribune. What the youug Mormons want is to be freed. So long
as they are slaves, it matters not much to what or to whom, they
are and they can be nothing. Your churches are as enslaving
as the Mormon Church. Your party is as bigoted and intolerant
as the Mormon party. At all events I rejoice when I see the
young Mormon hoodlums playing billiards, getting drunk,
running with bad women-anything to break the shackles they
were born in, and that every so-called religious or virtuous
influence only makes the stronger. Some of them will go quite
to the bad, of course, but it is better so, for they are made of
poor stuff, and since there is no good reason why they were
begun for let them soon be done for, and the sooner the better.
Most of them; however, will soon weary of vice and dissipation,
and be all the stronger for the knowledge of it and of its vanity.
At the very least they will be free, and it is of such vital
consequence that a man should be free, that in my opinion his
freedom is cheaply won at the cost of some familiarity with low
life. And while it is not desirable in itself, it is to me tolerable,
because it appears to offer the only inducement strong enough to
entice men out of slavery into freedom.'
So far, the Tribune's pretended quotation. Now for its own
comments, in the same article:
"Freedom is the first requisite of manhood, and if it can be
won without excesses so much the better. If it can't, never mind
the excesses, win the freedom. It is not you who are responsi-
ble, when it comes to that; it is those who have enslaved you.
Who is the national hero of the yeomanry of England but Robin
Hood, 'waging war against the men of law, against bishops and
archbishops, whose sway was so hea7y; generous, moreover;
giving a poor, ruined knight clothes, borse and money to buy
back the land he had pledged to a rapacious Abbott; compas-
48
APPENDIX.
sionate, too, and kind to the poor, enjoining his men not to injure
yeomen and laborers, but above all rash, bold, proud, who would
go to draw his bow before the sheriff's eyes and to his face; ready
with blows, whether to give or take.
*
"Read the first chapter of Book Two of Taine's English
Literature, if you would see what ails Utah, and what it needs
as a medicament."
"To vent the feelings, to satisfy the heart and eyes, to set free
boldly on all the roads of existence, the pack of appetites and
instincts, this was the craving which the manners of the time
betrayed. It was 'merry England,' as they called it then. It
was not yet stern and constrained. It expanded widely, freely,
and rejoiced to find itself so expanded."
*
*
"Let the people of Utah rise out of the dust, stand upright,
inquire within, lean on themselves, look about them, and try in
a large way to be men, as they were born to be. Let them know
nobody more puissant than themselves. What is a game of
billiards, a glass of beer, a cup of coffee, cigar, or other petty
vice, in the span of a strong human life, filled with endeavor in
the right direction? The Territory, like the rest of the land, is
still in in its infancy, still in the pulp of babyhood. It has yet
to be made. There is work for men, whose first and last quality
is strength, manliness. The day of trifles, and of crouching
and cowardice, of criminal surrender to the first howling dervish
who calls himself a priest and presumes to speak in the name of
the Almighty, has lasted long enough. Let a new era dawn in
which men shall dare to be men."
PRICE-LIST OF
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THE FAITH-PROMOTING SERIES.
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61
My First Mission,
25 Cts.
A String of Pearls,
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Myth of the Manuscript Found,
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Heroines of "Mormondom,"
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Public Discussion, on the Doctrines of the Gospel, 20
An Epic Poem, (synopsis of Church history in verse). 25
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Louree Inánum
THE
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
MASSACRE
WHO WERE GUILTY OF THE CRIME ?
The Subject Fully Discussed and Important
Documents Introduced in
AN ADDRESS,
DELIVERED IN THE
TWELFTH WARD ASSEMBLY HALL, SALT LAKE CITY,
October 26, 1784,
BY ELDER CHARLES W. PENROSE.
REPORTED BY JOHN RVINE.
PRINTED AT JUVENILE INSTRUCTCR OFFICE,
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH:
1884
IF YOUR BOOK-SELLER DOES NOT KEEP THE BOOKS
HERE NAMED SEND FOR THEM TO THE
Juvenile Instructor Office, ,
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.
THE FAITH-PROMOTING SERIES.
MY FIRST MISSION, a narrative of personal experience as a mis-
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25 cts.
A STRING OF PEARLS, containing a number of interesting sketches
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LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL, by President Wilford Woodruff,
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JACOB HAMBLIN, his experience as a frontiersman, missionary to
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FRAGMENTS OF EXPERIENCE, a collection of sketches from the
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PRESIDENT HEBER C. KIMBALL'S JOURNAL., a narrative of the
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36111
THE
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
MASSACRE.
WHO WERE GUILTY OF THE CRIME?
The Subject Fully Discussed and Important
Documents Introduced in
AN ADDRESS,
DELIVERED IN THE
TWELFTH WARD ASSEMBLY HALL, SALT LAKE CITY,
October 26, 1084,
illiam
BY ELDER CHARLES W. PENROSE.
REPORTED BY JOHN IRVINE.
PRINTED AT JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR OFFICE,
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.
1881.

INTRODUCTION
THERE is a general misunderstanding in the
public mind in reference to nearly every subject
connected with “Mormonism." Particularly is
this the case in regard to "Mormon” doctrine on
the taking of human life. It is popularly sup-
posed that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints authorizes and justifies the killing of
men and women for apostasy, or for any grave act
in opposition to its interests. This is called “blood
atonement” by unprincipled writers and lecturers
who wish to deceive the public, and many people
believe that this is really one of the tenets of this
Church. The Mountain Meadows Massacre has
been made to do active duty in the work of
deception. It has been charged to the “Mormon”
Church and the “Mormon” leaders so many times
and in so many places that any attempt to pre-
sent the facts seems almost like labor in vain.
And yet to allow these falsehoods to go unre-
futed appears wrong and impolitic. They should
be met and overturned for the benefit of the few
among mankind who prefer the truth to decep-
tion and love light rather than darkness.
It
was for the purpose of aiding in the correction
of error concerning these subjects that the author
responded to an invitation to deliver a public ad-

4
INTRODUCTION.
dress in the Twelfth Ward Assembly Hall, Salt
Lake City, on the subject of “Blood Atonement,"
and another two weeks later on “The Mountain
Meadows Massacre.” In the former address the
doctrine of the Church on the shedding of human
blood was explained and substantiated and pop-
ular errors exposed, by reference to the Church
standards and the sermons of leading Elders.
In the latter address the responsibility of the
terrible crime committed at an early date in
this Territory was traced to its true source, and
numerous references were made to anti-Mormon
works, and documents of unimpeachable authen-
ticity and veracity were introduced for the first
time in a public assembly. These addresses have
now been published, by request, in pamphlet
form, and are submitted to the world for the
perusal and judgment of thinking men and wo-
men everywhere. And the blessing of the Author
of all truth and light is invoked upon these
simple but earnest efforts to enlighten mankind,
to the end that prejudice may be dispelled, to
make way for the everlasting truths which a
maligned and misunderstood Church has a mis-
sion to proclaim for the salvation of man and
the glory of God.
CHARLES W. PENROSE.

THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
MASSACRE.
The subject upon which I have to speak this
evening has attracted a great deal of attention. It
has been mentioned, I think, in every part of the
civilized world. Wherever our Elders have gone
abroad to preach the gospel of Christ they have
been met with the statement that the "Mormon”
Church, with Brigham Young at its head, is a
bloody church; that it not only teaches, but prac-
tices the doctrine of shedding human blood for
apostasy; that there is an organization in the
midst of the people called “Danites” or “Destroy-
ing Angels,” * whose business it is to kill
»everyone
who attempts to escape from Utah, or any obnox-
“Mormon” or Gentile, who may come
into the midst of the people. This has been denied
frequently, and those who have made these state-
inents have been challenged to the proof. The
proof, of course, has not been forthcoming, because
the charge is a falsehood. Still, wherever our
Elders go they meet with a statement of this kind,
and particularly is the cry of “The Mountain
Meadows Massacre" raised against them. It is
ious person,
* _ _For refutation see my “Address on Blood Atonement,” published at the
JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR Office.

6
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
claimed that that awful tragedy was performed
by the “Mormon" Church, or that the “Mormon”
Church is responsible for it; that it was perpe-
trated at the command of Brigham Young as the
leader of the Church, and that it was in accord-
ance with the doctrines of the Church.
This untruth has been repeated so many times
that the world, who are not acquainted with our
principles and our acts, have come to believe in a
great measure that it is true. It has been pro-
claimed by the press repeatedly. Over and over
-again the Mountain Meadow massacre has been
charged to the "Mormon” Church, and particularly
to its former President. Ministers in the pulpit
have found this a convenient weapon wherewith
to oppose the Elders of the Church in the preach-
ing of the gospel. They could not refute the ar-
guments which they brought forth, they could not
overturn the doctrines which they preached, and
so stories like those I have mentioned have been
told from the pulpit, over and over again, to preju-
dice the public mind against the Elders of the
Church. Wherever the servants of God have gone
to preach the gospel, the Mountain Meadow mas-
sacre has been thrown in their teeth.
Now, this evening I will endeavor to give a brief
account of this terrible occurrence, and then, if
possible, to trace up the responsibility for it, show
who perpetrated it, who were the guilty parties, so
far as I can, and to see whether the "Mormon”
Church is responsible or not for that terrible deed;
whether Brigham Young was or was not an acces-

MASSACRE.
7
sory before the fact, or an accessory after the fact;
and whether the charge that has been made
against the "Mormon” people has any foundation
in fact. I hope I shall have the assistance in
doing this of the faith of my brethren end sisters,
that I may have the Spirit of the Lord to rest
upon me to quicken my mind, to give me grasp of
thought, so that I may be able to bring forward
clearly those evidences which I have been able to
collect, and put them before the people in an in-
telligent shape SO that all can understand
them.
In the Summer of 1857, a company of emi-
grants, as stated by some, composed of two parties,
one from Missouri and the other from Arkansas,
came into Salt Lake City. They were on their way
to California. After staying here a short time,
they were advised to take the northern route to
California by way of Bear river. There were two
routes by which the stream of emigration flowed
to the west from this point. One was northward,
and the other south and westward. They were
advised by Elder Charles C. Rich to go by the
northern route. They went as far as Bear River,
but returned and concluded to take the southern
route. On their way south they became very im-
pertinent and abusive. At that time news had
been received here of the approach of Buchanan's
army, supposed to be coming here to destroy the
Latter-day Saints, to endeavor to break
up
“Mor-
monism,” and to execute the atrocious threats which
had been made by the soldiery in their camps on

8
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
the plains, news of which had been brought here
by runners.
These emigrants boasted to the people as they
passed through the settlements that they were
going to California, where they intended to get up
a company and return and attack our people in
the south when the army arrived in Salt Lake
City. It is related that on the way, when going
through small settlements—it was a large com-
pany, 120 to 150 persons, differently estimated-
they would rob hen-roosts, and passing through
the streets would flip off the heads of chickens
with their whip-thongs. At one place, it is related,
they poisoned the springs, so that the people who
partook of the water died in consequence thereof.
Still further, it is said that they poisoned beef and
gave it to the Indians, and several Indians died
from its effects, and at another place they caught
an Indian, tied him up to a wagon wheel and
whipped him severely. These are the stories
which were told concerning these emigrants; whe-
ther they are true or false I am unable to say, but
these were the stories told concerning them, and
the people believed them. The Indians became
very much enraged, and as this company traveled
further and further south the rage of the Indians
increased. On the way they met Jacob Hamblin
and asked him—as a resident of this Territory, a
man well acquainted with the country, who had
been among the Indians a great deal—which was
the best place to camp in a certain region, and he
told them the Mountain Meadows, at the north part

MASSACRE.
9
by the way,
of which he had a ranch. They went on and
camped at the Mountain Meadows. But, as I told
you, all the way down they were committing these
depredations, by which not only were the settlers
very much aggrieved, but the Indians were aroused
to the greatest indignation and fury. When they
arrived at Mountain Meadows they were attacked
by Indians, but they entrenched themselves; they
threw up earthworks to the level of the hubs of
their wagon wheels, and prepared to defend them.
selves as in a state of siege. According to the evi-
dence presented, it appears that John D. Lee was at
that time a member of the Church—not a Bishop,
I understand he never was a Bishop,
but was a member of the Church and looked after
the interests of a great number of Indians in that
part of the country as Indian farmer. It is stated
that John D. Lee led the first attack of the Indians
against those emigrants. About this time a coun-
cil was held at Cedar City at which were present
Isaac C. Haight, Philip Klingensmith, who was the
acting Bishop, a man by the name of Laban Mo-
rill, and some others. These persons at this coun-
cil took into consideration the depredations which
had been made by this party of emigrants.
You must understand that the people were very
much excited at this time. The news of the com-
ing of the army had reached different parts of the
Territory, and a plan had been prepared, if they
should come into the Territory, to burn down
our houses, to destroy our property and leave
the Territory a desert, a barren waste; for the peo-

10
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
ple to flee to the mountains and leave nothing as
a prey to their enemies. The people were getting
ready for this emergency. You must remember
also that the people living here in that early period
had been driven from different parts of the United
States, time and time again, for their religion;
they had suffered untold hardships, privations and
persecutions, and now the prospects were that an
army was corning in upon them to drive them out
again, or pull them up, root and branch, and
destroy them. Of course there was a great deal of
excitement at the time, and this body of emigrants
having made those threats, cursing Brigham
Young, declaring that "old, Joe Smith ought to
have been killed before he was," some of them de-
claring that they had taken part in his assassina-
tion, naturally aroused the anger of the people.
Well, this council was held in Cedar City to deter-
mine what was best to be done, whether or not to
intercept them and prevent the emigrants from
going further south. Some person present on that
occasion advocated their interception and destruc-
tion. Laban Morill and some others were of a
different mind, stating that the proper thing to do
was to send a messenger to Governor Young to
find out what his advice was concerning this mat-
ter, and to desist from doing anything of a hostile
nature until word was received from Governor
Young. A messenger was despatched on the 7th
day of September, 1857. His name was James
Haslam. He came to Salt Lake City, saw Presi-
dent Young, delivered his message and a letter

MASSACRE.
11
from Isaac C. Haight, and received a despatch from
President Young to take back, and he was told to
"spare no horse-flesh”—to go “with all speed” and
deliver the despatch as quickly as possible. That
despatch was delivered to Isaac C. Haight at Cedar
City on the following Sunday, which, according to
the dates that I have traced up, must have been
on the 13th day of September. Isaac C. Haight's
answer was, “It is too late.” It appears that a
number of men had been called by Philip Klin-
gensmith, the acting Bishop, and John M. Hig-
bee, who claimed to be acting under orders of
Isaac C. Haight and John D. Lee, to go to the
Mountain Meadow. According to the testimony
delivered at the trials, to which I will refer pres-
ently, most of these men had not the least idea
that they were going to Mountain Meadow to per-
form any deed of blood or to commit anything
wrong. They expected to be gone two or three
days. Some of the emigrants had been killed by
the Indians and they expected they were going to
help bury the dead. When they arrived there,
according to the testimony given at the trial of
John D. Lee, a man was sent down into the camp
of the emigrants with a white flag, or a flag of
truce. Afterwards John D. Lee went down and
had some conversation with the emigrants, and
they were induced to give up their arms, which
were placed in wagons and they were all drawn out
of the camp. Wnen they had passed a considerable
, the Indians, and it is said some of
the whites, fired upon the emigrants and they were
distance away

12
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
all butchered, men and women, and none were
saved but about seventeen small children, the old-
est seven years of age. It is related that John D.
Lee assisted in the slaughtering of the wounded
emigrants who were in the wagons; those who
were able to walk, marching without arms, were
set upon by the Indians and, as stated, some white
men fired among them. But it appears that John
D. Lee assisted in the killing of the wounded per-
sons, so that all the men, and the women, and the
older children were slain; there were none left but
the seventeen little children, who were taken and
distributed around among the people, until For-
ney, the Indian agent, some time afterwards came
and gathered them up and took them away.
Now, I have endeavored to tell you, as briefly as
possible, the dreadful story of the massacre. It
was a horrible affair. It makes one's blood run
cold to think of such a slaughter. One hundred
and twenty persons—some say one hundred and
nineteen, but it is generally conceded to be about
one hundred and twenty-inhumanly butchered.
They were murdered. No one can palliate the
crime. I would not attempt to do so. No circum-
stances that existed at that time could, in my
mind, palliate that dreadful deed. And to think
that any white person should be engaged in it is
most horrible to my mind, most repugnant to my
feelings, and I know it is repugnant to the feelings
of my brethren and sisters, not only those present
to-night, but the great body of people called Lat-
ter-day Saints wherever they may be.

MASSACRE.
13
Now, this terrible crime is laid at the door of
the Church because certain individuals, who were
then members of the Church, were engaged in this
horrible massacre. This has always appeared to
me to be very unjust. Why should the "Mormon”
Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, be held responsible for the crimes of a few
of its members any more than other churches for
the crimes of a few of their members? The Ro-
man Catholic church for the deeds alleged to have
been done by members of that church; the church
of England, the Episcopal church, for the deeds
done by men belonging to that church in early
times, and some in later times? Why should the
different denominations of the day, as religious
denominations, as churches, be charged with the
weaknesses, the corruptions and the diabolical
deeds perpetrated, not only by members of these
denominations, but by persons who officiate therein
as ministers? Sensible people do not lay these
crimes at the door of the denomination to which
the individuals may belong, but charge them home
to the individuals themselves. They are respons-
ible for their acts, they alone should be charged
with them, unless--unless what they do is taught
by the church to which they belong, or is allowed
by that church, or is in consonance with any of its
doctrines. If it can be shown that the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches the peo-
ple to commit murder; if it can be shown that the
Church, as a religious body, ordered that massacre,
or, after it occurred, condoned it, palliated it, or

14
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
agreed that it was right, considered it was proper,
then we may lay this crime upon the Church and
claim that the Church is responsible for it. But if
the Church teaches to the contrary, if the spirit of
the whole people is against such deeds of blood, if
it can be shown that in doing these dreadful things
such white persons as were members of this Church
who were guilty, actually violated the laws of the
Church, then I say that the crime cannot be rea-
sonably and consistently laid upon the Church as
a body.
Mr. Stenhouse, in his work called "Rocky Moun-
tain Saints,” says that no sane person ever did lay
the crime at the door of the Church. Now, I
would like to refer you to a few of the charges that
have been made concerning this crime, laying it
upon the Church and people, and particularly upon
Brigham Young; because if it is true that the
charge has not been made against the Church,
then there is no need for me to make any rebuttal;
but if the charge is made that the “Mormon”
Church is responsible for this crime, then I am
justified and it is my duty to-night to bring forth
evidence showing that the "Mormon” Church had
nothing to do with it.
On the 7th of February, 1863, John Cradlebaugh,
of Nevada, who was once one of the associate jus-
tices of the Supreme Court of Utah Territory, made
a speech in Congress, and I will quote from page
17 of the pamphlet published with the full text of
his speech and references:

MASSACRE.
15
“I shall publish a portion as an appendix to
these remarks that you may see that I am justified
in charging that the Mormons are guilty, aye, that
the Mormon Church is guilty, of the crimes of
murder and robbery as taught in their books of
faith.'
You see, according to the Hon. John Cradle-
baugh, the “Mormon” Church is charged with this
crime, and charged in the Congress of the United
States, in a speech published to the country.
There was a pamphlet prepared in this city
called “The Handbook of Mormonism”—perhaps
you have heard of it before, it is a must abomin-
able book I will make a short quotation from it,
page 67:
"It is said to be a truth that Brigham Young
sent letters south authorizing, if not commanding,
that the train should be destroyed.”
I will now refer you to a speech made by Mr.
W. McGrorty in the case of McGrorty versus
Hooper. You will remember that Mr. McGrorty, in
1868, contested the seat of Hon. W.H. Hooper, our
Delegate in Congress, and made an attack upon
the “Mormons." He received 105 votes against
Mr. Hooper's 15,068. Let me say here that nearly
all the anti-Mormon stories that have been since
dished up in various shapes and forms have been
taken from Mr. McGrorty's speech in Congress;
from that speech Cradlebaugh made up most of
his story, and it has been retold over and over
again from that time to the present. I will read
from page 40 of the pamphlet containing Mr.
McGrorty's speech. Mr. McGrorty thought that

16
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
the Territory ought at once to be put under mar-
tial law, and he said:
“This may be the only practicable way in which
even partial punishment can be meted out to these
latter-day devils. But how inadequate would be
the punishment of a few even by death for this
crime which nearly the whole Mormon population
from Brigham Young down, were more or less in-
strumental in perpetrating.”
I have a work here which was published by Mr.
Bishop, who defended John D. Lee at both of his
trials. I will niake a quotation from this book,
page 19. He says:
“I claim that Brigham Young is the real cri-
minal and that John D. Lee was an instrument in
his hands. That Brigham Young used John D.
Lee as the assassin uses the dagger, to strike down
his unsuspecting victim; and as the assassin
throws away the dagger, to avoid its bloody blade
leading to his detection, so Brigham Young used
John D. Lee to do his horrid work; and when dis-
covery becomes unavoidable, he hurls Lee from
him, cuts him away from the Church, and casts
him far out into the whirlpool of destruction. The
assassin has no further use for his weapon. I also
claim that if religious fanaticism can clear a man
from crime that John D. Lee was guiltless, for he
was one of the most intensely fanatical Mormons
that infested Utah in 1857. But I do not claim
that the fact of his being a fanatic and blinded
believer of Brigham Young's so-called revelations
excused him-far from it. In place of excusing
him it added to his crime. Such insanity as that
which fanaticism breeds can only, and should only
be treated by the executioner. And there are many
thousands in Utah who are afflicted with the

MASSACRE.
17
disease that calls for the radical treatment that was
administered to Lee."
I will read to you now some opinions of the
press appended to a report of the first Lee trial, in a
pamphlet emanating from the Tribune office in this
city. These are clled from different newspapers.
From the Leavenworth, Kansas, Commercial :
“The Mormons are making a desperate effort to
clear Brigham Young of the Mountain Meadow
massacre, but they will never succeed in convinc-
ing the world that the old sinner was not guilty of
participation in the preliminaries to the inhuman
outrage, nor that the work of butchery was not
perpetrated with his sanction, if not by his positive
command.”
From the Fort Mayne (Indiana) Journal :
“The eviderrae in the trial of the Mormon leader,
John D. Lee, charged with participating in the
Mountain Meadow massacre in 1857, clearly points
to the unmistakable guilt of many distinguished
Mormons, including Brigham Young, Hooper, the
ex-Congressman, and others.”
From the Leavenworth Times:
“It would be a waste of time and money to at-
tempt to bring the Mountain Meadows assassins
to justice. They have too strong a following. The
Church of the Latter-day Saints is bound to stand
by them. To convict Lee would be to convict the
Church and strike a fatal blow at its founda-
tion."
From the Chicago Inter-Ocean :
"The investigation, however, has resulted in fix-
ing an indelible stain on the Mormon Church and
settling the responsibility for an act of barbarism
which was even regarded as a reproach by the law-

18
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
less savages of the west, who are supposed to know
no shame nor pity, but who protested against the
infamy of such a deed.”
From the Idaho (Montana) Statesman :
“This circumstance is so enormous and crime so
heinous, and the evidence so plain that it must
and will be laid at the door of the Church with
Brigham Young as its leader, and be remembered
by every man, woman and child wherever the
name of Mormon is mentioned.”
From the Hartford (Connecticut) Times :
“That much at any rate has been shown by Lee's
trial, and the guilt of mercilessly sacrificing un-
armed men, women and children to religious fan-
aticism are justly chargeable against the Mormon
Church. It now remains to be seen whether Amer-
ican justice will much longer allow the existence
of such a blood-thirsty and barbarous organization
in the country. The good repute of our institu-
tions is at stake in permitting Mormonism a place
in the land.”
I think it will not be denied now that the charge
has been made that the “Mormon" Church is re-
sponsible for the massacre at Mountain Meadows.
Now, I claim that the Church is not responsible,
and to begin my defense of the Church, I will
read to you from the 42nd section of the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants. This is a revelation given
through the Prophet Joseph Smith to the Church,
February 9th, 1831, to be found on page 170 of the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants, new edition:
“And now behold I speak unto the Church.
Thou shalt not kill; and he that kills shall not
have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to
come.

MASSACRE.
19
“And again I say, thou shalt not kill; but he
that killeth shall die.'
I will now read to you from page 176, the same
revelation :
“And it shall come to pass that if any persons
among you shall kill, they shall be delivered up
and dealt with according to the laws of the land;
for remember that he hath no forgiveness, and it
shall be proven according to the laws of the
land."
That is received by Latter-day Saints in all the
world as a revelation from God, and as a com-
mandment, a standing commandment to this
Church-that is, “Thou shalt not kill, and he that
killeth shall not have forgiveness in this world
nor in the world to come.” In the revelation on
celestial marriage it is set forth that when persons
have entered into certain covenants before God of
a sacred character, and partaken of the Holy Ghost,
and received the higher ordinances of the Church,
if they commit murder—shed "innocent blood,” it
will be impossible for them to be forgiven either
in this world or in the world to come; it will be
impossible for them to regain their salvation; their
exaltation is gone. Now, then, that being the doc-
trine of the Church, how could the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints authorize the
wholesale destruction of men, women and chil-
dren? It could not be. Such an act would be con-
trary to the doctrines of the Church, contrary to
the revelations believed by its members to be the
word of God, believed by the people to be binding
upon them, their faith being that if they commit

20
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
such crimes they cannot be forgiven either in this
world or in the world to come.
I will refer you now to a book published by an anti-
Mormon named Beadle--perhaps you have heard
of Mr. Beadle before. He is the author of a good
many blood-curdling stories, and some of them are
told in this book. But I am not going to read
them to-night, I will merely read to you Beadle's
testimony in regard to this point. This is the evi-
dence of an enemy:
"Some months passed away before it was whis-
pered in the northern district that white men were
concerned in this affair; and to the credit of the
Mormon people be it said, a great horror spread
among them at the report.
“John D. Lee still resides in Harmony (1870) no
longer a Bishop [he never was a Bishop] and one
can scarcely restrain a feeling of satisfaction of
knowing that his life is one of misery. He is
shunned and hated even by his Mormon neigh-
bors; he seldom ventures beyond the square upon
which he lives; his mind is distracted by an un-
ceasing dread of vengeance and his intellect is
disordered.” (Beadle's Mysteries of Mormonism, page
185.)
Now, I ask, how could “a great horror” spread
among the people if the people were accessories to
this deed? If it was part of the doctrine of their
Church, if they were willing and anxious for this
massacre, how could a great horror spread among
them at the report of it? And why should Lee be
shunned by his neighbors if this was a deed that
the Church ordered or approved, or that its mem-
bers condoned or palliated ?
Sbo

MASSACRE.
21
I will now read to you a few quotations from
Stenhouse's “Rocky Mountain Saints.” This work,
as you are well aware, was published against the
"Mormons." Stenhouse was a member of the
Church and afterwards apostatized and wrote a
book against the Church. On page 459 he
says:
“The Mormon newspapers very properly declaim
against “the people” of Utah being branded as
murderers, because murders have been committed
within their Territory, and further they protest
against the great crimes being charged to Brigham
Young."
That shows that the “Mormon” people them-
selves did not approve of that crime, or of any
other crimes of a similar character.
I will next read from page 460 of the same
work:
"When the news of that deed was heard, the
people north were terror-stricken, and shuddered
with horror at the thought of the barbarous crime,
and the recital of the bloody work is harrowing
to them to-day.
“The Mormon people of Utah are not the off-
spring of a barbarous race, neither were they
raised and nurtured in uncivilized nations. Apart
from the spitefulnsss of religious controversy
which, by the by, is nothing peculiar to them—a
kinder and more simple-hearted people is not upon
the face of the earth. Had the Mountain Meadow
massacre occurred in any of the neighboring Ter-
ritories, and that crime was clearly the work of
white people, the Mormons would have despised
them, hated them, and in all probability would have
refused all intercourse with them."

22
MOUNTAIN MEADOIVS
you from
And on the same page appears the following:
“That Brigham Young is by his natural in-
stincts a bad man, or that his apostles and his
bishops are men of blood is not true. Here and
there among them a malicious man is met with,
but apart from religion, the ruling men in Utah
would be considered good citizens in any com-
munity.
That is the testimony of Mr. Stenhouse in a
book written against the Church.
I have a little work here published by Jacob
Hamblin, the man whose ranch was at Mountain
Meadows, but who was not at home when the mas-
sacre took place; he was here in Salt Lake City.
He met the emigrants on his way here as they
were going south. I will read
page
46 of his book:
"This deplorable affair caused a sensation of
horror and deep regret throughout the entire com-
munity, by whom it was unqalifiedly condemned.
"In Cove Creek Valley we met others from the
south, who told us that the Indians were gathering
to attack another company of emigrants. I pro-
cured a horse, left the wagons, and rode on day
and night. At Cedar City I found Brothers Sam-
uel Knight and Dudley Leavitt.
“As I was weary with hard riding and want of
sleep, I hurried them on after the emigrants, while
I traveled more slowly. I instructed these men to
make every possible effort to save the company
and their effects, and to save their lives at all
hazards.
“They overtook the company 156 miles from
Cedar City, on Muddy Creek, in the heart of the
Indian country. They found a large body of ex-
cited Indians preparing to attack and destroy them.

MASSACRE.
23
"Finding it altogether impossible to control the
Indians, they compromised the matter. The In-
dians agreed to only take the loose stock of the
company, and not meddle with the teams and wa-
gons, and not make any efforts to take their
lives.
“The Indians took the loose stock, amounting to
480 head, on the fifty-mile desert beyond the
Muddy.
“The brethren remained with the company, de-
termined to assist in its defense, should the In-
dians attempt anything more than they had
agreed."
This was the company that followed imme-
diately behind the company that was killed, ac-
cording to Jacob Hamblin.
I need not tell the Latter-day Saints that the
deed was condemned. It was a long time before
any news of this massacre reached the north. It
should be understood that at that time the south-
ern settlements were few and far between, and the
country was sparsely settled. The place where the
massacre took place was 350 miles or thereabouts
south and west of Salt Lake City. There were no rail-
roads in the country at that time; there were no
telegraphs here at that time; and the United States
mails had been stopped. Uncle Sam had sent out
an army-or James Buchanan, representing the
government, had sent it out, in hostility to the
"Mormons,” and the mails were suspended. We
had no regular mail connection between these
settlements, no telegraphs, no telephones, no rail-
roads, no swift method of communication, and it
was a long time before the bad tidings reached the

24
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
north, and when it did it was supposed that the
crime had been perpetrated by the Indians. It
was known very well that the feeling of the In-
dians at that time was hostile towards the whites,
and it was a common expression among them that
they wanted to fight the "Mericats” as they called
them. It was thought, therefore, when the word
came, that the crime had been committed by the
Indians, and then a feeling of horror pervaded
the entire community, and it was deplored and
condemned in toto.
I have shown in these few references I have
made that this dreadful crime cannot be laid to
the door of the people, and it takes the body of
the “Mormon” people to make the Church. The
"Mormon” Church is not composed simply of the
First Presidency. It was not composed at that
time of Brigham Young and his Counselors.
They merely formed one quorum in the Church.
It was not composed of the First Presidency and
the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It took the
whole body of the Church to make the Church.
We are told in the Book of Doctrine and Coven-
ants that “all things in the Church shall be done
by common consent,” and nothing can be called
an act of the Church except that which the Church
votes for or consents to. Even if it could be
proved that Brigham Young, or George A. Smith,
or other leading men of the Church were in any
way compromised in that terrible affair, it would
not prove that the “Mormon” Church was guilty.
The Church is not responsible for the acts of Brig-

MASSACRE.
25
ham Young, nor for the acts of any individual.
Each person is responsible before God for his own
acts. He is responsible to the Church when he
violates the laws of the Church. Every man in
the Church, from the highest authority down to
the lowest, is amenable to the Church courts when
he falls into transgression; but the transgression
must be proved and established by the mouths of
two or three witnesses according to the Church
laws, and if a mernber of the Church transgresses,
if any man holding the Priesthood transgresses, if
any man holding any authority wliatever trans-
gresses the laws of God and the laws of the Church
he is amenable to the courts of the Church. Pro-
vision is made for the case of every individual,
from the First Presidency down. If he does any-
thing that is unrighteous he can be judged by the
Council which is set apart for that purpose. So I
say
that
any movement that is made, to be rightly
chargeable to the Church, must be endorsed by
the Church as a body, must be done by common
consent of the Church. The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints never preached the
doctrine that it was right to kill men, women and
children, as those emigrants were killed at Moun-
tain Meadows. The Church never endorsed that
deed, never approved of it. The crime caused a
thrill of horror to run through the entire com-
munity.
I think I need not dwell any further on the
accusation in regard to the body of the Church.
The principal charges that are made as to individ-

26
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
uals center right against President Brigham Young
and Apostle George A. Smith, who was afterwards
the first Counselor of President Young. Brother
George A. Smith has been charged with going be-
fore the emigrants down south and arousing the
people against them. He has been also charged
with counseling the people not to sell to this com-
pany of emigrants any grain, or flour, or provisions
of any kind. He has been charged with stirring
up a feeling of hostility among the people against
this particular company, and it is claimed that the
effects of his teachings culminated in the mas-
sacre.
I will then first take up the case of George A.
Smith and see how far he was implicated in this
matter. I will read to you the affidavit made by
George A. Smith himself, which was presented at
the Lee trial, and I will take it from this lovely (?)
book of Mr Bishop's, on page 307. I prefer, where
I possibly can, to get my evidence from the works
of
persons who are bitterly opposed to us:
TERRITORY OF UTAH,
Beaver County.
In the Second Judicial District Court of the Terri-
tory of Utah. The people, etc., vs. John D. Lee,
William H. Dame, Isaac C. Haight, et. al., Salt
Lake Co. Indictment for murder, committed
September 16th, 1857.
George A. Smith, having been first duly sworn,
deposes and says that he is aged 58 years. That
he is now and has been for several months suffer-
ing from a severe and dangerous illness of the
head and lungs, and that to attend the court at
SS.:

MASSACRE.
27
Beaver, in the present condition of his health,
would in all probability end his life.
Deponent further saith, that he never, in the
year 1857, at Parowan or elsewhere, attended a
council where Wm. H. Dame, Isaac C. Haight or
others were present to discuss any measures for
attacking, or in any manner injuring an emigrant
train from Arkansas or any other place, which is
alleged to have been destroyed at Mountain Mead-
ows in September, 1857.
Deponent further saith, that he never heard or
knew anything of a train of enigrants, which he
learned afterwards by ruror was from Arkansas,
until he met said train at Corn Creek on his way
north to Salt Lake City, on or about the 25th day of
August, 1857.
Deponent further saith, that he encamped with
Jacob Hamblin, Philo T. Farnsworth, Silas S.
Smith and Elijah Hopps, and there for the first
time he learned of the existence of said emigrant
train, and their intended journey to California.
Deponent further saith, that having been absent
from the Territory for a year previous, he returned
in the Summer of 1857 and went south to visit his
family at Parowan, and to look after some property
he had there, and also visit his friends, and for no
other purpose, and that on leaving Salt Lake City
he had no knowledge whatsoever of the existence
of said emigrant train, nor did he acquire any un-
til as before stated.
Deponent further saith, that as an Elder in the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints he
preached several times on his way south, and also
on his return and tried to impress upon the minds
of the people the necessity of great care as to their
grain crops, as all crops had been short for several
years previous to 1857, and many of the people

28
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
were reduced to actual want and were suffer-
ing for the necessaries of life.
Deponent further saith, that he advised the peo-
ple to furnish all emigrant companies passing
through the Territory with what they might actu-
ally need for breadstuff, for the support of them-
selves and families while passing through the Ter-
ritory, and also advised the people not to feed their
grains to their own stock, nor to sell to the emi-
grants for that purpose.
Deponent further saith, that he never heard or
knew of any attack upon said emigrant train un-
til some time after his return to Salt Lake City,
and that while near Fort Bridger he heard for the
first time that the Indians had massacred an emi-
grant company at Mountain Meadows.
Deponent further saith, that he never at any
time, either before or after that massacre, was ac-
cessory thereto, that he never directly or indirectly
aided, abetted or assisted in its perpetration, or
had any knowledge thereof except by hearsay;
that he never knew anything of the distribution
of the property taken there, except by hearsay-as
aforesaid.
Deponent further saith, that all charges and
statements as pertaining to him contrary to the
above are false and untrue.
(Signed)
GEO. A. SMITI.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 30th day
of July, A. D. 1875.
[Signed] WM. CLAYTON, Notary Public.
I will now read to you the testimony given at
the first Lee trial in regard to this matter on pages
33 and 34 of Tribune report. This testimony was
given under oath by Jesse N. Smith, with whom
many of you are acquainted—a man of. honor, a

MASSACRE.
29
man of veracity, a man of integrity, well known
in this community, whose word is as good as his
bond. I will not read you the whole of the testi-
mony, but just that part pertaining to George A.
Smith:
“I lived in Parowan in 1857, came to Utah ten
years previously. Knew Wm. H. Dame, saw the
emigrant train at the town above-named; sold
them flour and salt, had flour to spare and asked
if they wanted more; they wanted vegetables, but
witness had none to spare. Saw George A. Smith
in Parowan Aug. 8th; he came in from the north,
went down among the settlements, witness accom-
panying him. A meeting was held in every settle-
ment. Witness attended them all. He (George A.
Smith) deprecated selling grain and breadstuffs to
feed to horses and mules. Never heard him, in
his public addresses, allude to this train.”
I will now read from the testimony of Silas S.
Smith, a man that is as well known and as highly
respected as Jesse N. Smith, and was, for many years
in this community, a member of the Legislative
Assembly:
“Know George A. Smith; saw him in August
of 1857 at Parowan and traveled with him through
the southern settlements, returning with him to
Cedar Springs, Millard County. George A. Smith,
in his speeches, referred to the necessity of saving
grain and not feeding it to horses or stock; he dis-
approved of selling it for any such use. Heard
nothing said to discourage the sale of provisions to
emigrant trains for food. Witness camped at
Corn Creek and found the Arkansas train in camp
there on arrival. Some of them came over to
witness' fire and simply made inquiries. Nothing
special was said. One of the party asked if the

30
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
Indians would be likely to eat the flesh of an ox
that lay dead near camp.
Some said that they
probably would
"Two days after came to Beaver, passing the
emigrants at Indian Creek, six or seven miles from
here.
Took supper with the emigrants there.
Four days after this the emigrants passed through
the town where witness lives, thirty miles south,
and camped there. Spoke to some of the party;
saw the leader, heard him called Mr. Fancher.
Duke's party followed several days after. They
got into trouble with the Indians near Beaver and
witness was sent over with ten men by Col. Dame,
who called at his house to request witness to go to
the relief of the emigrants. Reached Beaver at
night, and in the morning found the train corral-
ed and a rifle pit dug for their protection. Sent a
runner, who brought in the chief, and witness
placated the wrath of the red men by a liberal dis-
tribution of beef. The Indians claimed that some
of their braves had been shot by men belonging to
the train, and they must wash out the offense in
blood. Witness understood that his intervention
had settled the difficulty. Had no further connec-
tion with the emigrant trains.
"Traveled with George A. Smith from Parowan
to Santa Clara, 150 miles. Held five or six' meet-
ings on the way. George A. Smith invited wit-
ness to accompany him. The object of his visit
was to preach to the people and lay up grain for
their future support. Col. Johnston's army was
then approaching Utah. Heard nothing said
against allowing emigrant trains to pass through
the country. *
George A. Smith did
not tell witness why he left Salt Lake alone to
travel through the Territory. His only mission,
so far as witness knows was to counsel the people
to save their grain and not feed it to stock.”

MASSACRE.
31
It is well known by those who were residing in
Utah at that time—I was not here—that this was
the advice given all over the Territory. The peo-
ple were counseled not to feed grain to their stock,
nor to sell their grain to emigrants for their ani-
mals, but to save it for breadstuff, because of the
coming of the army. These facts appeared in the
Journal of Discourses, which I had the privilege of
reading in a distant land at that time, and these
instructions were given to the whole people, not
only in the south, but in the north, and to the
whole community. George A. Smith, when travel-
ing to Parowan, preached this to the people in
every settlement where he stayed, and when he re-
turned to Salt Lake City he reported in public, in
the Tabernacle, and his discourse was published in
the Journal of Discourses, previously appearing in
the Deseret News—that he had counseled the people
not to waste their grain nor feed it to their own
stock, or sell it for that purpose to the emigrants.
George A. Smith has been charged with going out
in advance of this company, prejudicing the minds
of the people against the emigrants and counseling
the people not to sell them provisions of any kind.
The affidavit of George A. Smith and the evidence
of the two Smiths, that I have just read to you,
show to the contrary. There is no proof whatever,
no reliable evidence of any description that Geo.
A. Smith did anything of the kind imputed to
him. We all know that George A. Smith was not
a man of vengeance nor a man of blood. I do not
think I need spend much more time in regard to

32
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
his case, because, after all, the chief person upon
whom responsibility for the massacre was desired
to be saddled was President Brigham Young.
The question now is whether President Young
was responsible for that awful crime committed at
Mountain Meadows. President Young must have
been an accessory before the fact, or an accessory
after the fact, if he was in any way chargeable
with that dreadful deed. I will first examine the
evidence to see whether he was an accessory before
the fact; whether he advised this crime; whether
such of the people who were guilty were influenced
by any instructions or message he had sent to
them.
Those of you who are acquainted with the facts
in relation to the coming of the arnıy from the
east against the people here, are well aware that it
was a time of great excitement. The army was
encamped out east, and our brethren were in Echo
Canyon preparing their defenses. Some of them
who were out on the plains taking measures to
arrest the progress of the army, received instruc-
tions from President Young. Of what nature
were they? Everybody acquainted with the facts
knows that the instructions from President Young
were, that they might arrest the progress of the
army, burn the grass, stampede their animals and
destroy their trains; but they were not to shed a
drop of blood. These instructions were given over
and over again to those in charge. I have read
copies of those despatches in a letter book, signed
by Brigham Young. I have seen these instruc-

MASSACRE.
33
tions with my own eyes. I have heard the breth-
ren who were engaged in that defense bear testi-
mony to this. The instructions that were given
over and over again were that they were not to
shed a drop of blood unless act:ially compelled
to do so in self-defense. And, mind you, this was
at the very time that President Young is said to
have given instructions to destroy this company of
emigrants!
I have to refer you to a good many documents
and papers, for I do not want you to rely on my
testimony, but I want to bring forward as clear evi-
dence and proof as I have been able to collect in
regard to this matter. I want to read to you now
a statement made by General Daniel H. Wells,
which was published in the New York Herald of
May 6, 1877, being a part of an interview between
the representative of the New York Herald and
President Young; the former having been sent
here especially to interview the latter in regard to
this matter:
“Everybody remembers how the people behaved
when ordered out by President Young to prevent
Johnston from entering the Territory at what
might have seemed to another man a most dismal
moment of his career. The President issued an
order which, while it obliged us to burn forage in
advance, set fire to the grass at night, carry off
animals and do various other things to hold back
the enemy, absolutely forbade a single man to shed
a drop of blood.
"I remember when a young officer was captured
by one of your troops a wallet found on him con-

34
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
tained an order to him signed by me, on the back
of which was the usual inscription, "Shed no
blood.' That order was taken first to Johnston,
and was afterwards taken to Washington and
brought out in the famous debate of the next ses-
sion.'
You see, this man that was captured had the
document upon his person giving him instructions,
and the positive command was that he was to “shed
no blood.”
I will now read to you an extract from a letter
published by a company of teamsters who passed
through this country at the time of the Utah ex-
pedition. It was published on the 5th of June,
1858, in the Southern Vineyard, a paper printed in
Los Angeles. It shows the disposition of the peo-
ple at that time, and the orders of the authorities :
“On the 16th we arrived at a Mormon station at
the mouth of Echo Canyon in a famished condi-
tion. On representing our distressed circumstances
our wants were promptly and gratuitously supplied.
Here we were furnished with an escort to the city,
where we met with Lieut. Gen. D. H. Wells, of the
Utah militia, who issued instructions regarding
our safety throughout the settlements, accompan-
ied with a relieved escort at each station. We
recruited ourselves at Beaver City, and it was deem-
ed advisable to fit up for the journey to California.
We would be exceedingly ungrateful in omitting
an expression of our sincere thanks and deep in-
debtedness to our Mormon friends of Utah, and
the mail carriers, for the disinterested kindness
evinced towards us in ministering to our wants,
and for the aid extended to us in our journey to
California, without which we could never have

MASSACRE.
35
reached our destination, but have perished in the
desert, or been killed by merciless savages.”
This very company of teamsters the “Mormons”
were accused of murdering, while the facts were
they owed their lives to “Mormon” generosity.
Their testimony shows the disposition of the people
here at that time and the orders of the President
to Gen. D. H. Wells.
I will now read to you the instructions of Pres-
ident Young to Col. Dame, at Parowan, which you
will find in the beautiful (?) book of Mr. Bishop's,
page 316. I do not think I will take up the time
in reading the whole of this circular. I will, how-
ever, read the latter part of it. It is published in
full in this and other books. It is dated, "Great
Salt Lake City, September 14, 1857”—just about
the time of the massacre. I will give you the exact
date of that occurrence presently. It has been
disputed as to the actual date when the massacre
took place, the dates varying from the 10th to the
16th of September; but I think I can give you the
exact date:
"Herewith you will receive the Governor's pro-
clamation declaring martial law.
“You will probably not be called out this Fall,
but are requested to continue to make ready for a
big fight another year.”
At the close of the circular, which was not only
sent to this gentleman, Col. Dame, but all over the
Territory, it
says:
“And what we said in regard to saving the grain
and provisions we say again, let there be no waste.

36
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
Save life always when it is possible. We do not
wish to shed a drop of blood if it can be avoided.”
Now, here is Brigham Young sending a circular
to all the chief men of the militia throughout the
Territory, declaring that he does not want a drop
of blood shed if it can be avoided. They were to
save, not destroy, life. And yet we are expected
to believe that right at that time, or a day or two
previously, President Young sent down word to
our brethren in the same neighborhood to kill off
the emigrants! The story does not hold very well
together in the light of this circular, from which I
have just read.
I will now refer again to Mr. Stenhouse's book,
“Rocky Mountain Saints.” You must excuse me
if I take up a good deal of time in reading extracts.
My object is to establish the facts, as far as possible,
from the testimony of persons not connected with
I read from Stenhouse's book, page 369:
"The Prophet had given orders that no blood was
to be shed under any temptation or provocation,
save only in the extremity of self-defense."
That is the testimony of T. B. H. Stenhouse, an
enemy. I will refer you again to the same book,
page 385. It is an extract from an address by.
President Young:
“Should I take a course to waste life?
We are
in duty bound to preserve life—to preserve our-
selves on the earth-consequently we must use pol-
icy and follow in the counsel given us, in order to
preserve our lives.”
This address was delivered at the time when
the army was coming in. I have read this extract
us.

MASSACRE.
37
to show you that the policy of President Young
was to preserve life, notwithstanding there was a
hostile army right on our borders, coming for the
express purpose of destroying the people, yet the
policy of President Young was not to shed blood.
Next, I will read to you an extract from the
Lee trial-remarks made by Mr. Sumner Howard,
the U. S. prosecuting attorney at the second trial
of John D. Lee:
"He proposed to prove that John D. Lee, without
any authority from any council or officer, but in
direct opposition to the feelings and wishes of the
officers of the Mormon Church, had gone to the
Mountain Meadows, where the Indians were then
encamped, accompanied only by a little Indian
boy, and had assumed command of the Indians,
whom he had induced, by promises of great booty,
to attack these emigrants; that in his attack on
the emigrants he was repulsed; that finding he
could not get the emigrants out, he sent word to
the various settlements of southern Utah for men
to be sent to him, representing that the men were
needed for various purposes, to some saying the
Indians had attacked the emigrants and it was
necessary to have men sent to draw off the Indians,
to others that men were necessary to protect the
emigrants, and still others that the emigrants were
all killed, and that they were required to bury the
dead; these men went in good faith to perform a
humane act; that he had arranged with the Indians
to bring the emigrants out from their corral, or
fort, by means of a flag of truce; that by this act
of perfidy he had induced the emigrants to give
up their arms and place themselves under his
pro-
tection, loading the arms and the wounded with
the helpless children into two wagons, which he

38
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
had ordered up for the purpose; that he then start-
ed the wagons ahead, following them himself, and
the women following next, the men bringing up
the rear in single file; that Lee, after having trav-
eled from three quarters of a mile to a mile, gave
the order to fire, and the slaughter commenced;
that Lee shot one woman with his rifle, and brained
another woman; then drawing his pistol, shot
another, and seizing a man by the collar and draw-
ing him out of a wagon, cut his throat; that he
gathered up the property of the emigrants and
took it to his own place, using and selling it for
his own benefit and use. All these charges against
John D. Lee, he (District Attorney Howard) pro-
posed to prove to the jury by competent testimony,
beyond reasonable doubt, or beyond any doubt,
and thought no appeal to the jury would be re-
quired to induce them to give a verdict in accord-
ance with the evidence."
I will now read to you a passage from Lee's con-
fession, or reported confession. John D. Lee made
a great many so-called “confessions” which are
rather contradictory. This confession is supposed
to be the "only true and genuine one." Whether
it is or not I cannot say. My opinion is from what
I have read that John D. Lee furnished particulars
and data to Mr. Bishop, who worked them up with
some of his own notions and fabrications into this
book. I cite this work of an enemy to show
that President Young was
not an accessory
before the fact. I read from Bishop's book, page
233:
“Major Higbee said 'Here are the orders and
handed me a paper from Haight. It was in sub-

MASSACRE.
39
called up
stance that it was the orders of Haight to decoy
the emigrants from their position and kill all of
them that could talk. This order was in writing.
Higbee handed it me and I read it, and then drop-
ped it on the ground, saying 'I cannot do this.'
The substance of the orders were that the emi-
grants should be decoyed from their stronghold
and all exterminated so that no one would be left
to tell the tale and then the authorities could say
it was done by the Indians.”
You see this order did not come from Brigham
Young. If it was given at all it come from
Haight. We will now turn to page 245 of the
same work:
“After the dead were searched the brethren were
and Higbee and Klingensmith, as well
as myself made speeches, and ordered the people to
keep the matter a secret from the entire world. Not
to tell their wives, or their most intimate friends,
and we pledged ourselves to keep everything re-
lating to the affair a secret through life. We also
took the most binding oaths to stand by each
other, and to always insist that the massacre was
committed by Indians alone.
“Knowing that Dame and Haight had quar-
relled at Hamblin's that morning, I wanted to
know how they would act in sight of the dead, who
lay there as the result of their orders.
greatly interested to know what Dame had to say,
so I kept close to them, without appearing to be
watching them. Col. Dame was silent for some
time. He looked all over the field and was quite pale
and looked uneasy and frightened. I thought then
that he was just finding out the difference between
giving and executing orders for wholesale killing.
He spoke to Haight and said:
I was

40
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
*
“I must report this matter to the authorities.'
“How will you report it?' said Haight.
“Dame said, 'I will report it just as it is.'
“Yes, I suppose so, and implicate yourself with
the rest,' said Haight.
“No,' said Dame, 'I will not implicate myself, for
I had nothing to do with it.'
“Haight then said, "That will not do, for you
know a d-- sight better. You ordered it
done.
“Col. Dame was much excited. He choked up
and would have gone away, but he knew Haight
was a man of determination and would not stand
any foolishness."
You see that there was a quarrel, according to
John D. Lee, between Haight and Dame in regard
to this matter right on the field near where the
dead were lying. Dame disclaimed having any-
thing whatever to do with the crime; but Haight,
as I have read to you, tried to place the responsi-
bility upon him. Dame declared he had had
nothing to do with it, that he had given no orders
concerning it, and threatened to report the details
to the authorities of the Church. Haight imme-
diately was afraid, and asked him what he was
going to report. Now, then, if Brigham Young
had given orders to have the emigrants massacred,
why should Haight be in such a state of alarm at
the declaration of Dame that he was going to
report the matter to President. Young? We are
asked to believe that President Young ordered
that massacre. Yet here we learn by the confes-
sion of John D. Lee, who states that he heard this

MASSACRE.
41
quarrel between Haight and Dame, that Haight,
who had given the order, wanted to lay the blame
upon Dame, and that Haight was afraid to have
the massacre reported to the authorities of the
Church. Here is an account of some speeches
made just after this; page 347:
“The speeches were first—thanks to God for
delivering our enemies into our hands; next,
thanking the brethren for their zeal in God's
cause; and then the necessity of always saying the
Indians did it alone, and that the Mormons had
nothing to do with it. The speeches, however,
were in the shape of exhortation and commands
to keep the whole matter secret from everyone but
Brigham Young. It was voted unanimously that
any man who should divulge the secret, or tell who
was present, or do anything that would lead to a
discovery of the truth, should suffer death.
“The brethren then all took a most solemn oath,
binding themselves under the most dreadful and aw-
ful penalties, to keep the whole matter secret from
every human being, as long as they should live.
No man was to know the facts. The brethren were
sworn not to talk of it among themselves, and each
one swore to help kill all who proved to be traitors
to the Church or people in this matter.
"It was then agreed that Brigham Young should
be informed of the whole matter, by some one to
be selected by the Church council, after the breth-
ren had returned home.”
Now, you see, there was an agreement that this
matter should be reported to President Young, and
yet we are asked to believe that President Young
had ordered it. Dame and Haight quarreled over
it. Haight feared that it would be reported just as

42
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
with me.
it was, and the whole body of men were sworn to
keep it entirely secret. John D. Lee was selected
to
go to President Young and make a report. : We
will find out presently what kind of a report Lee
made. John D. Lee says, page 250:
“The first time I heard that a -messenger had
been sent to Brigham Young for instructions as to
what should be done with the emigrants, was three
or four days after I had returned home from the
Meadows. Then I heard of it from Isaac C.
Haight, when he came to my house and had a talk
He said :
“We are in a muddle. Haslam has returned
from Salt Lake City, with orders from Brigham
Young to let the emigrants pass in safety.'
“In this conversation Haight also said:
“I sent an order to Higbee to save the emi-
grants, after I had sent the orders for killing them
all
, but for some reason the message did not reach
him. I understand that the messengers did not
go to the Meadows at all.'
“I at once saw that we were in a bad fix, and I
asked Haight what was to be done. We talked the
matter over again.
"Haight then told me that it was the orders of
the council that I should go to Salt Lake City and
lay the whole matter before Brigham Young. I
asked him if he was not going to write a report of
it to the governor, as he was the right man to do
it, for he was in command of the militia in that
section of the country, and next to Dame in com-
mand of the whole district. I told him that it was
a matter which really belonged to the military de-
partment, and should be so reported.
“He refused to write a report, saying:
"You can report it better than I could write it.

MASSACRE.
43
You are like a member of Brigham's family, and
can talk to him privately and confidentially. I
want
you
to take all of it on yourself that you can,
and not expose any more of the brethren than
you
find absolutely necessary.”
Now, here are the instructions of Haight to
John D. Lee. Here is Haight trying to cover up
from President Young the crime which we are
asked to believe President Young had ordered.
The message had come saying that the emigrants
were to be allowed to pass. But Haight wanted
John D. Lee to go to Salt Lake City and fix it up;
make a report to the President so as to allay his
feelings. John D. Lee subsequently agreed to do
this.
Now I will cite to you the testimony of Laban
Morrill in regard to the dispatch from President
Young to Haight. I will refer again to Bishop's
book, page 320. An objection was made on the
part of the defense at the second Lee trial to the
introduction of this testimony, but the objection
was overruled :
“As I said, there appeared to be some confusion
in that council. I inquired in a friendly way, what
was up. I was told that there was an emigrant
train that passed along down to near Mountain
Meadows, and that they had made threats in
regard to us as a people-said they would destroy
d Mormon. There was an army com-
ing on the north and south, and it created some
little excitement. I made two or three replies in
a kind of debate of measures that were taken into
consideration, discussing the object, what method
every d

44
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
course.
it so.
we thought best to take in regard to protecting the
lives of the citizens.
“My objections were not coincided with. At last
we touched upon the topic like this: We should
still keep quiet, and a dispatch should be sent to
Governor Young to know what would be the best
The vote was unanimous. I considered
It seemed to be the understanding that on
the coming morning or next day there should be
a messenger dispatched. I took some pains to in-
quire and know if it would be sent in the morn-
ing. The papers were said to be made out, and
Governor Young should be informed, and no
hostile course pursued till his return. I returned
back to Fort Johnson, feeling that all was well.
About eight and forty hours before the messen-
ger returned, business called me to Cedar City,
and I learned that the job had been done, that is the
destruction of the emigrants had taken place. I can't
give any further evidence on the subject at pre-
sent.
“What was the name of the messenger sent to
Salt Lake ?
"James Haslam."
I will now read to you the testimony of James
Haslam:
“James Haslam, of Wellsville, Cache Valley,
was sworn. He lived in Cedar City in 1857; was
ordered by Haight to take a message to President
Young with all speed; knew the contents of the
message; left Cedar City on Monday, September 7,
1857, between 5 and 6 p. mn., and arrived at Salt
Lake on Thursday at 11 a. m.; started back at 3
p. m., and reached Cedar about 11 a. m. Sun-
day morning, September 13th; delivered the
answer from President Young to Haight, who said
it was too late. Witness testified that when leav-

MASSACRE.
45
ing Salt Lake to return, President Young said to
him: "Go with all speed, spare no horseflesh. The
emigrants must not be meddled with, if it takes
all Iron County to prevent it. They must go free
and unmolested.' Witness knew the contents of
the answer. He got back with the message the
Sunday after the massacre and reported to Haight,
who said, 'It is too late.?”
That is the testimony of James Haslam at the
second Lee trial. According to what I have shown
you President Young could not have been an ac-
cessory before the fact. He knew nothing about
this matter until the dispatch came from Haight.
As soon as he received that dispatch he sent back
word—and told the messenger to spare no horse-
flesh in returning—that the emigrants must not
be meddled with, and that if it took all Iron
County to prevent them being interrupted by the
Indians, it must be used for their protection. That
is the testimony of James Haslam.
We have been tantalized a great deal in regard
to the dispatch or letter sent by President Young
by this messenger Haslam. As I had never seen
it published I supposed that it could not be found.
I had learned from President Young's testimony
that the letter sent to him from Haight by Haslam
was lost. But the evidence is clear that he sent a
dispatch in reply to Haight at that time, and since
President Young usually kept a copy of his
correspondence, I supposed that this dispatch or a
copy
of it was in existence. The Tribune of this
city, over and over again, has challenged the “Mor-
mons” to produce a copy of the dispatch or letter

46
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
that Brigham Young sent by James Haslam.
James Haslam testified that he delivered the dis-
patch to Haight, but Haight said it was too late.
But it is objected, “Why don't you produce the
dispatch ?” Now, I have taken pains to hunt this
matter up, and succeeded in getting the letter-book
in which the correspondence of President Young at
that period was copied, and found this identical
dispatch in its order of date, and I am going to
read it to you to-night. I read the letter myself in
the copying-book from Aug. 20, 1856 to Jan. 6,1858
filed away in the President's office, I have obtained a
certified copy of it, and I know that it is correct :
PRESIDENT'S OFFICE.
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 10, 1857.
Elder Isaac C. Haight :
DEAR BROTHER :-Your note of the 7th inst. is
to hand. Capt. Van Vliet, Acting Commissary, is
here, having come in advance of the army to pro-
cure necessaries for them. We do not expect that
any part of the army will be able to reach here
this fall. There is only about 850 men coming. They
are now at or near Laramie. A few of their freight
trains are this side of that place, the advance of
which are now on Green River. They will not be
able to come much if any further on account of
their
poor stock. They cannot get here this sea-
son without we help them. So you see that the
Lord has answered our prayers, and again averted
the blow designed for our heads. In regard to the
emigration trains passing through our settlements,
we must not interfere with them until they are first
notified to keep away. You must not meddle with
them. The Indians we expect will do as they please,
but you should try and preserve good feelings with
them. There are no other trains going south that I

MASSACRE.
47
}
SS.:
know of. Ifthose who are there will leave, let them go
in
peace.
While we should be on the alert, on hand,
and always ready, we should also possess ourselves
in patience, preserving ourselves and property, ever
remembering that God rules. He has overruled
for our deliverance thus once again, and He will
always do so if we live our religion and be united
in our faith and good works.
All is well with us. May the Lord bless you
and all the Saints forever.
Your Brother in the gospel of Christ,
BRIGHAM YOUNG.
TERRITORY OF UTAH,
County of Salt Lake.
1, Nephi W. Clayton, a notary public, within and
for the County of Salt Lake, Territory of Utah,
hereby certify that the foregoing is a full, true and
correct copy of an impression of the foregoing
letter; as witness my hand and official seal, at my
office in Salt Lake City, Utah, this 18th day of
October, A. D. 1884.
NEPHI W. CLAYTON,
Notary Public, Salt Lake County, U. T.
That is a full and verbatim copy of the letter
sent by President Young in the hands of James
Haslam to Isaac C. Haight, which arrived, as has
been testified, forty-eight hours after the massacre.
He reached Cedar City on Sunday the 13th. The
massacre then took place on September 11th, the
day after this letter was written. Isaac C. Haight
said, “It is too late.” He had sent for instructious,
according to the agreement in council, but had
been prevailed upon by John D. Lee to hurry the
thing up and not wait for a reply. John D. Lee
said he never heard of this letter until after he
returned from the Meadows. But it is clear that a

48
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
letter was sent. It is evident that Haight had
written to President Young to find out how near
the army was, and what prospects there were of its
coming here. He had undoubtedly referred to
this emigrant train, and he informed the Presi-
dent of the antagonism that prevailed against the
emigrants on the part of the Indians, and, in the
answer, President Young emphatically declared
that the emigrants must not be meddled with. This
is strictly in accordance with the instructions that
I have shown you this evening were given by Pres-
ident Young during the whole of that period, that
exciting time when the army was coming, namely,
to "shed no blood." That was the counsel of the
President, and that is corroborated by this
7 dispatch.
I do not think I need to spend any more time in
proving that President Young was not an acces-
sory before the fact. I believe it will be conceded
by everybody that understands these facts, that
Brigham Young did not order the massacre; that
he was not implicated in it at all; that he did all
in his power to have these emigrants go through
free and in peace. I think this evidence is com-
plete. It is to me; and I have looked into this
matter very closely for my own information, and
that I might lay it before my friends.
.
Now, as to President Young being an accessory
after the fact. It is claimed that Lee came to
Salt Lake City, as directed by Haight, about the
latter part of September, to make a full and com-
plete report of the massacre to President Young;

MASSACRE.
49
to tell who was there; and to give the names of
the white men who were engaged in the tragedy.
The question arises, is that true? Is it a fact that
President Young was informed that John D. Lee
and other white men were engaged in that awful
massacre? I hope you will be patient while I
go
into that part of the subject and make this thing
complete; for it is an important matter, we ought
to understand it, and the name of President Young
ought to be cleared from this stigma, if the story
is untrue. If it is true the responsibility should
be placed upon him, it doesn't belong to the “Mor-
mon” Church. If Brigham Young was guilty of
any complicity in this crime we want to know it,
and I do not shrink the investigation of anything.
If there is anything about this Church that can-
not be investigated I want to know it. But every-
thing I know about“Mormonism” will bear the light
of day. Everything I know of “Mormonism” will
bear investigation in the light of eternal truth, and
so with its relation to the subject before us to-night.
I know it, for I have looked at it in its bearings,
in all its details, and I am not afraid to investigate
anything pertaining to it. If there is anything
that will not stand investigation it is not worthy
of credence, not fit to be a part of our faith and
practice. Then let us examine this matter and
see if President Young was an accessory after the
fact. I will read from Bishop's book, page 252.
Here is John D. Lee's statement:
“According to the orders of Isaac C. Haight, I
started to Salt Lake City to report the whole facts
3

50
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
massacre.
connected with the massacre to Brigham Young.
I started about a week or ten days after the mas-
sacre, and I was on the way about ten days."
Now remember the massacre took place, accord-
ing to the testimony, on the 11th day of Septem-
ber, 1857, for this reason: Haslam reached Cedar
City on the Sunday, forty-eight hours after the
Everyone who has testified about it
agrees that it took place on a Friday. The Friday
before the 13th was the 11th. John D. Lee started
for Salt Lake City about a week or ten days after
the massacre and was about ten days on the road.
That would bring him here about the end of Sep-
tember. I will read Lee's statement again:
“According to the orders of Isaac C. Haight, I
started for Salt Lake City to report the whole facts
connected with the massacre to Brigham Young.
I started about a week or ten days after the mas-
sacre, and I was on the way about ten days. When
I arrived in the city I went to the President's
house and gave to Brigham Young a full, detailed
statement of the whole affair, from first to last-
only I took rather more on myself than I had
done.
"He asked me if I had brought a letter from
Haight, with his report of the affair. I said:
“No, Haight wished me to make a verbal report
of it, as I was an eye-witness to much of it.'
"I then went over the whole affair and
gave
him
as full a statement as it was possible for me to
give. I described everything about it. I told
him of the orders Haight first gave me. I told
him everything."
That is the statement of John D. Lee published
after his death. Whether he said that or not I

MASSACRE.
51
am not prepared to state; but it is published here,
and we have to take it for what it is worth. We
have seen a good many conflicting “confessions of
John D. Lee," and that is one of thein. Suppose
it is true-although there is a doubt in my mind
—that he claimed to have told President Young
everything. This is the testimony of a being who
is said to have brained a woman, who, it is proved,
cut a man's throat, shot wounded emigrants, whom
he had decoyed out of their camp with a flag of
truce. That is his testimony. Now, let us take
the testimony of a man whose evidence is worthy
of credence. I have two or three documents here.
I will read you a statement made to me by Pres-
ident Wilford Woodruff, to which I got him to
certify. Brother Woodruff is an honest, upright,
truthful man, whose word can be relied upon im-
plicitly. Is he not? I am sure everybody who
knows him will answer “Yes.” Here is his state.
ment:
TERRITORY OF UTAH,
County of Salt Lake.
Personally appeared before me the undersigned,
a notary public in and for said county, Wilford
Woodruff, who, being duly sworn, on his oath de-
poses and says: I am a citizen of the United
States and a resident of Utah Territory, over the
age of twenty-one years. In the Fall of 1857 I was
in the office of Governor Brigham Young, in Salt
Lake City, when John D. Lee, who had just arrived
from the south, and was dusty and tired, came to
the front office and asked for a private interview
with Governor Young. He was invited by the
SS.:

52
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
Governor to the back office; I was requested to
accompany him. We all went into the back office.
There John D. Lee made a statement concerning
the massacre of emigrants that had then recently
taken place at Mountain Meadows. He stated that
the emigrants had aroused the hostility of the In-
dians by poisoning several springs from which the
Indians obtained water for drinking purposes;
that they had poisoned cattle which had died, by
putting poison into the carcasses, and that some of
the Indians, who had eaten of the meat, died from
its effects; that in consequence of this and their
vile acts, the ire of the Indians was aroused, that
he could not restrain them. He held them back
as long as he could, until the emigrants arrived at
the Mountain Meadows, when he could hold them
back no longer, and they attacked these emigrants
and killed them all except somesmall children. Gov-
ernor Young was profoundly affected. He shed
tears and said he was sorry that innocent blood
had been shed within the limits of this Territory.
John D. Lee remarked, "There was not a drop of
innocent blood in the camp.” Governor Young
asked indignantly, “What do you call the blood
of women and children?” Lee was silent. Lee
did not intimate by a single word that any white
man had anything whatever to do with the mas-
He laid the whole thing to the Indians,
and claimed that he had done his best to prevent
the occurrence. In the Fall of 1870 I was with
President Brigham Young on a tour of the southern
settlements. Erastus Snow who was then in charge
of those settlements, informed President Young,
as. I then learned, that there were evidences of
a strong character showing that John D.
Lee was personally implicated in the Mountain
Meadows massacre.
President Young was very
much surprised, and declared that if it was true,
sacre.

MASSACRE.
53
John D. Lee had lied to him. When the President
and company returned to Salt Lake City, he called
a council of the President and the Twelve Apostles,
when the matter was investigated, Elder Erastus
Snow assisting in presenting the evidence; and the
council unanimously voted to excommunicate
John D. Lee for assisting in the murders at Moun-
tain Meadows, and Isaac C. Haight, who was
then President of the Stake in which Lee resided,
for not restraining and preventing his participa-
tion in the crime. It was not until this occurrence
last related, that President Young and his imme-
diate associates fully realized the facts of Lee's
guilt. Some had heard rumors of this, but the
facts had not been brought to the knowledge
of the President.
WILFORD WOODRUFF.
Subscribed and sworn to before me by the above-
named affiant, this 24th day of October, A. D.
1884.
[SEAL.]
NEPHI W. CLAYTON,
Notary Public.
After getting this affidavit from Brother Wood-
ruff I said to him: "Brother Woodruff, you are
credited with keeping a regular journal of all im-
portant events in your history.”
“Yes,” said he, “I have got a large trunk full of
books comprising my journal.”
“Well,” said I, "you must have some record of this
occurrence that you have related to me."
”'
He said he thought it quite likely. He looked
among his books and succeeded in finding the
journal of that period and brought it to me. It is
an old book a little over an inch thick, and the
writing in his own peculiar hand. I extracted

54
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
SS.:
January 1, 1856%
from it (under date of September 29, 1857) all I
could find in relation to this matter, and I will
give you my affidavit:
TERRITORY OF UTAH,
County of Salt Lake.
Personally appeared before me undersigned, a
notary public in and for said county, Charles W.
Penrose, who on his oath deposes and says: I am
a citizen of the United States over the age of
twenty-one years, and a resident of Salt Lake
County. I have obtained from Wilford Woodruff
of this city, a volume containing his journal from
handwriting, with which I am acquainted. Under
date of September 29, 1857, I find the follow-
ing:
“We have another express in this morning, say-
ing that the army are rapidly marching toward us,
will soon be at Bridger, and wish men immediately
sent out. John D. Lee also arrived from Harmony
with an express and an awful tale of blood. Å
company of California eniigrants, of about 150
men, women and children. Many of them be-
longed to the mobbers of Missouri and Illinois.
They had many cattle and horses with them, and
they traveled along south. They went damning
Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and the heads
of the Church; saying that Joseph Smith ought to
have been shot a long time before he was. They
wanted to do all the evil they could, so they poi-
soned beef and gave it to the Indians, and some of
them died; they poisoned the springs of water,
and several of the Saints died. The Indians be-
came enraged at their conduct and they sur-
rounded them on the prairie, and the emigrants
formed a bulwark of their wagons, and dug an
entrenchment up to the hubs of their wagons, but

MISSACRE.
55
the Indians fought them five days until they had
killed all the men, about sixty in number. They
then rushed into the corral and cut the throats of
the women and children, except some eight or ten
children which they brought and sold to the
whites. They stripped the men and women naked
and left them stinking in the sun. When Brother
Lee found it out he took some men and went and
buried their bodies. It was a horrid, awful job.
The whole air was filled with an awful stench. The
Indians obtained all the cattle and horses and prop-
erty, guns, etc. There was another large company of
emigrants who had 1,000 head of cattle, who was also
damning both the Indians and the ‘Mormons. They
were afraid of sharing the same fate. Brother Lee
had to send interpreters with them to the Indians
to help save their lives, while at the same
time they were trying to kill us. I spent most of
the day in trying to get the brethren ready to go
to the Mountains. Brother Brigham, while Lee
was speaking of the cutting of the throats of wo-
men and children by the Indians down south, said
it was heart-rending; that emigration must stop,
as he had said before. Brother Lee said he did
not think there was a drop of innocent blood in
the
camp,
for he had two of the children in his
house, and he could not get but one to kneel down
in prayer-time, and the other would laugh at her
for doing it, and they would swear like pirates.”
The foregoing extract is copied verbatim by me
from the journal of said Wilford Woodruff.
CHARLES W. PENROSE.
Subscribed and sworn to before me by the above-
named affiant, this 25th day of October, A.
D. 1884.
[SEAL.]
NEPHI W. CLAYTON,
Notary Public.

56
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
SS.:
I have read that extract from Brother Wood-
ruff's journal because it completely corroborates
what he so clearly gave me from memory. I will
now read you the affidavit of Brother John W.
Young:
TERRITORY OF
County of Salt Lake.
Personally appeared before me, the undersigned,
a notary public, in and for said county, John W.
Young who, on his oath, deposes and says: I am
a citizen of the United States, over the age of
twenty-one years. In the Fall of the year 1857, I
being then 13 years of age, was engaged at the
office of my father, Governor Brigham Young, as
messenger. I distinctly remember one day in the
latter part of September 1857, being at my father's
office when John D. Lee, travel-worn, as if he had
come in haste from a long journey, entered the
office and asked for a private interview with Gov.
Young. He was shown into the back office, Elder
Wilford Woodruff going in with him. I followed
them and heard the conversation. It was custom-
ary for me to be present during those exciting
times when messengers arrived, so as to be ready
to carry any message that might have to be sent.
I do not remember that anyone else was pre-
sent.
It is distinctly impressed on my mind beyond
the power of time to efface, how Lee described the
deed which he said was committed by the Indians
at Mountain Meadows. He told of the depreda-
tions committed by the company of emigrants de-
stroyed; how they poisoned meat and gave it to
the Indians, and also poisoned springs in their
way, by which several persons were killed. De-
clared that he tried to pacify the Indians, but they

MASSACRE.
57
were so enraged against the emigrants that it was
impossible to prevent their attack. He related
how the Indians killed the men and then butch-
ered the women, none being saved except a num-
ber of little children, which he, Lee, was instru-
mental in rescuing. Also that he took men to
help to bury the dead. Gov. Young was greatly
moved. I saw him wipe away the tears as he
listened to the recital. He expressed his horror at
the deed, and the shedding of innocent blood in
this Territory. Lee declared that no innocent
blood was shed, for the emigrants were a corrupt
and murderous set. Gov. Young referred to the
women and children who were slain, and declared
that it was an awful crime. I was present during
the whole interview, and know that Lee laid the
matter entirely to the Indians, claiming that they
alone killed the emigrants, against his earnest
efforts to prevent it; that he was on the spot only
to restrain the Indians and save life, and after-
wards to bury the dead. He did not utter a syl-
lable or convey any idea that either he or any
other white person had any hand in the deed. The
interview on that September morning impressed iny
boyish mind very strongly. Lee's recital was so forc-
ible regarding the crime being committed by the
Indians, and his sorrow and tears at the occur-
rence, appeared so sincere, that, years after, when
it was rumored that white men were engaged in
the massacre, I could not, and did not, believe it.
It was only when proofs were brought which led
to John D. Lee's excommunication from the
Church, that I believed in his guilt. I was present
on several occasions at the office of Gov. Young
during the time of the approach of the army and
heard Gov. Young warn those who had anything
to do with the troops sent to intercept the army,
to be careful not to shed blood. This was many

58
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
times repeated. I have been present when Indian
chiefs came to Governor Yoring and asked to go
out against the army. Gov. Young would not
consent to the shedding of one drop of blood. I
also distinctly remernber a meeting after the com-
ing in of the army, and after the return from the
move south, at which Gov. Cumming and one or
two of the United States judges appointed with
him were present, when the report that white men
had been engaged in the massacre at Mountain
Meadows was referred to, and President Young
offered to go with the governor and one of the
judges-Cradlebaugh, I believe, and help to fully
investigate the matter, and also to remain as a
hostage in the hands of the federal authorities, if
necessary, until the investigation was made com-
plete, so strong was his confidence in the state-
ment that none but Indians were engaged in the
massacre.
JOHN W. YOUNG.
Subscribed and sworn to before me by the above-
named affiant this 25th day of October, A.
D. 1884.
[SEAL.]
NEPHI W. CLAYTON,
Notary Public.
I have yet another affidavit I want to present.
Some years ago in Ogden I had a conversation
with Judge Aaron Farr, who used to reside in Salt
Lake City, but for many years has resided in Og-
den—a man of veracity, who was probate judge of
Weber County for many years. I was talking with
him about this deplorable affair and he told me
that after John D. Lee had made his report to
Brigham Young he (Lee) with whom he was
well acquainted, called at his house and saw him
and gave him an account of the massacre. I sent

MASSACRE.
59
word a few days ago to Judge Farr that I would
like his statement in writing, and here it is:
"I was personally acquainted with John D. Lee,
having known him when a boy in Nauvoo. In the
Fall of 1857, he came to Salt Lake City from his
home in Iron County, shortly after the massacre,
to report to Brigham Young how it occurred. On
the same day that he reported to President Young
in the morning, he came to my residence on West
Temple Street, opposite Bishop Hunter's place, in
the afternoon, and in a conversation with me, last-
ing about an hour and a half, detailed every par-
ticular of the horrible occurrence. He placed the
whole blame of the massacre on the Indians. He
stated that he and his associates had done all in
their power to protect the emigrants, but were to-
tally helpless in their object. He seemed very
earnest while he was telling me this story, and at
intervals wept bitterly. I asked him if he had in-
formed President Young of these particulars, and
he answered me that he had seen President Young
that same morning and had related to him the
circumstances as he had told them to me."
AARON F. FARR, SEN.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
TERRITORY OF UTAH,
County of Weber.
On this 23rd day of October, in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty-four,
before me, Edward H. Anderson, a notary public,
within and for Weber County, in the Territory of
Utah, duly commissioned and qualified, personally
appeared Aaron F. Farr, Sen., who acknowledged
that the above statement to which his name is sub-
scribed, is true.
SS.:

60
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my seal
in Ogden City, this the 23rd day of October,
1884.
E. H. ANDERSON,
Notary Public, Weber County.
It appears to me that is pretty straight testi-
mony. Place these three pieces of reliable evi-
dence against the statement of John D. Lee, the
assassin, the butcher of women and children.
Whose testimony would you receive if you were
sitting on a jury? Would you believe the testi-
mony of these three men of undoubted veracity, or
the testimony of this cut-throat? I think you would
prefer the testimony I have just read to you, at
least I know I would, and I judge you by myself.
We are apt to measure other people's cloth by
our yard-stick.
I will now read to you a very small portion of
a letter to Secretary Belknap from President
Young. The letter of President Young is under
date of May 21, 1872. It is on file in the depart-
ment at Washington:
“In 1858, when Alfred Cumming was governor
of Utah Territory, I pledged myself to lend him
and the court every assistance in my power, in
men and means, to thoroughly investigate the
Mountain Meadows massacre and bring if possible
the guilty parties to justice. That offer I have made
again and again, and although it has not yet been
accepted, I have neither doubt nor fear that the
perpetrators of that tragedy will meet their just
reward. But sending an armed force is not the
means of furthering the ends of justice, although
it may serve an excellent purpose in exciting pop-

MASSACRE.
61
ular clamor against the “Mormons." In 1859,
Judge Cradlebough employed a military force to
attempt the arrest of those alleged criminals. He
engaged in all about four hundred men, some of
whom were civilians, reputed gamblers, thieves
and other camp followers, who were doubtless in-
tended for jurors (as his associate, Judge Eccles,
had just done in another district); but these ac-
complished absolutely nothing further than plun-
dering hen-roosts, and render themselves obnoxious
to the citizens on their line of march. Had Judge
Cradlebough instead of preemptorily dismissing his
grand jury and calling for that military posse
allowed the investigation into the Mountain Mead-
ows massacre to proceed, I have the authority of Mr.
Wilson, U. S. prosecuting attorney, for saying the
investigation was proceeding satisfactorily, and I
firmly believe, if the county sheriffs, whose legal
duty it was to make arrests, had been lawfully
directed to serve the processes, that they would
have performed their duty and the accused would
have been brought to trial. Instead of honoring
the law Judge Cradlebough took a course to screen
offenders, who could easily hide from such a posse
under the justification of avoiding a trial by court
martial.
“It is now fourteen years since the tragedy was
enacted, and the courts have never tried to prose-
cute the accused; although some of the judges, like
Judge Hawley, have used every opportunity to
charge the crime upon prominent men in Utah,
and influence public opinion against our com-
munity.”
Here is President Young's statement to the Sec-
retary of War at Washington, that he had offered
personally to Governor Cumming and Judge Cra-
dlebaugh to do all in his power to trace up the

62
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
The per-
any white
massacre to its proper source. At that time Prest.
Young was firmly of the conviction that no white
man had been engaged in the massacre.
petrators of the massacre were sworn to secrecy, as
I have read to you. They were bound together
not to tell. If anybody did tell he was to be killed.
The mouths of those who knew were closed. Pres-
ident Young, therefore, had no idea that
man was engaged in the deed; and when the ru-
mor came that white men had been engaged in it
he would not believe a word of it. And here we
see that he offered to investigate the matter. Cra-
dlebaugh came here at the time Governor Cum-
ming came. He and Judge Eccles and Judge Sin-
clair were the three associate justices of Utah then
appointed. Cradlebaugh was appointed to the
southern district. He held his court at Provo, and
he sent to Camp Floyd for the assistance of the
military to help serve the processes of his court;
but on an appeal being made to Governor Cum-
ming to prevent the military from acting in this
capacity, he issued his proclamation against this
usurpation of the military, and because of this,
the governor being sustained by the war depart-
ment, and Cradlebaugh failing in his ulterior de-
signs, no further effort was made to ferret out the
criminals who were engaged in the Mountain
Meadows massacre. The object of Judge Cradle-
baugh was to criminate President Young; he did
not care about anybody else, as I will prove to you
from his own statement. I want you to pay par-
ticular attention to Judge Cradlebaugh's remarks:

MASSACRË.
63
"If it is expected that this court is to be used
by this community as a means of protecting it
against the peccadilloes of Gentiles and Indians,
unless this community will punish its own mur-
derers, such expectations will not be realized. It
will be used for no such purpose. When this peo-
ple shall come to their reason, and manifest a dis-
position to punish their own high offenders, it will
then be time to enforce the law also for their pro-
tection. If this court cannot bring you to a prop-
er sense of your duty, it can, at least, turn the sav-
ages held in custody loose upon you."
This he proceeded to do, turning loose both
Indians and white savages who had come into the
Territory. His object was to try and implicate
President Young, and have him arrested by this
military posse, and brought before his court.
Judge Sinclair tried the same thing here in this
city, but did not succeed. Orders came from Wash-
ington that the military could not be used in exe-
cuting the processes of civil courts, whereupon
Judge Cradlebaugh, finding he could not implicate
the authorities of the Church, nor force them before
his court, got mad and turned loose all the crim-
inals in custody in his district, as he describes them,
“savages and others.”
I will read to you now just a little extract from
Stenhouse's book, page 401:
“The machinery of the courts was soon set in
motion. The chief justice preferred the military
camp for his residence. Associate Justice Sinclair
was assigned to the district embracing Salt Lake
City; and Associate Justice Cradlebaugh had with-
in his district all the southern country.

64
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
“Up to this time the govorner of the Territory
had also been Superintendent of Indian affairs, but
on the appointment of Governor Cumming, the
office of Superintendent was conferred upon Jacob
Forney, of Pennsylvania. Alexander Wilson, of
Iowa, was appointed district attorney of the Ter-
ritory, and thus was completed the full list of
federal officials."
You will see that the office of governor went out
of the hands of President Young about that time.
When the army came in Cumming superseded
him as governor, and Jacob Forney as agent of
Indian affairs. But it is claimed that President
Young was agent of Indian affairs at the time of
the massacre, and ought to have reported this mas-
sacre to the authorities at Washington. Well, be-
fore he went out of office he did make a report.
Let us see what it is like. It is published in Bish-
op's book:
OFFICE OF SUPT. OF INDIAN AFFAIRS,
G. S. L. CITY, Jan 6th, 1858.
Hon. James W. Denver, Commissioner of Indian
Affairs, Washington City, 1). C.:
SIR:—On or about the middle of last September,
a company of emigrants traveling the southern
route to California, poisoned the meat of an ox that
died and gave it to the Indians to eat, causing the
immediate death of four of their tribe, and poison-
ing several others. This company also poisoned
the water where they were encainped. This occur-
red at Corn Creek, fifteen miles south of Fillmore
City. This conduct so enraged the Indians that
they immediately took measures for revenge.
I
quote from a letter written to me by John D. Lee,
farmer to the Indians in Iron and- Washington

MASSACRE.
65
Counties: "About the 22nd of September Captain
Fancher & Co. fell victims to the Indians' wrath
near Mountain Meadows. Their cattle and horses
were shot down in every direction; their wagons
and property mostly committed to the flames. ”
Lamentable as this case truly is, it is only the nat-
ural consequence of that fatal policy which treated
the Indians like wolves, or other ferocious beasts.
have vainly remonstrated for years with travel-
ers against pursuing so suicidal a policy, and re-
peatedly advised the government of its fatal tend-
ency. It is not always upon the heads of the
individuals who commit such crimes that such
condign punishment is visited, but more frequently
the next company that follows in their fatal path
become the unsuspecting victims, though, perad-
venture, perfectly innocent."
On page 310 of the some book is the text of a
letter to the same department, dated September 12,
1857, in which President Young advises some
measures to be adopted, either to prevent the emi-
grants coming or to provide measures for their
preservation.
Now, you see, Governor Young did report this
as he was in duty bound to, and after making this
report he was superseded, as I have told you, by
Jacob Forney, as Indian agent.
I want to read to you now a word or two as to
what Jacob Forney had to say on the subject. It
appears on page 40 of Cradlebaugh's speech in
Congress, and is a report to the department at
Washington:
“GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 22nd, 1859.
“I gave, several months
ago,
to the attorney gen-
eral and several of the United States judges, the
3*

66
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
names of those who I believe were not only impli-
cated, but the hell-deserving scoundrels who con-
cocted a part to the successful termination of the
whole affair."
Thus, Jacob Forney made a report to the author-
ities at Washington, but no steps were taken to
investigate the matter.
President Young then had gone out of office,
both as governor and as superintendent of Indian
affairs, and he was not responsible for any inves-
tigation in the matter in an official capacity. As
you will perceive, there were some attempts made
by the different governors and judges who rapidly
succeeded each other, to show some interest in this
affair. Their feeble efforts, however, were direct-
ed towards implicating President Young, and there
was no real endeavor to convict the actual crimin-
als ever made until Sumner Howard, U. S. district
attorney for this Territory, prosecuted John D. Lee
on his second trial. Previous to that all pretended
efforts were directed towards criminating Brigham
Young and the “Mormon” Church; no sincere
movements were made to ferret out the persons who
perpetrated this deed. President Young, not being
acquainted with the facts in the matter, took no
steps to punish Lee. He was profoundly impressed
with the idea that the deed had been perpetrated
by the Indians. This explains the reason why
President Young, not now Governor Young, did
not exercise ecclesiastical authority in reference to
the assassin. I will here read to you the affidavit

MASSACRE.
67
of Hon. Erastus Snow, whose word no one who
knows him will dispute for a moment:
TERRITORY OF UTAH,
County of Salt Lake. ) SS..
Personally appeared before me, the undersigned,
a notary public in and for said county, Erastus
Snow, who, being first duly sworn, on his oath
says: I am a citizen of the United States and res-
ident of the Territory of Utah, over the age of 21
years. That inasmuch as President B. Young has
been reproached for not expelling from the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints John D. Lee,
immediately after the Mountain Meadows massacre
instead of waiting until October 8th, 1870; the
reason was that President Young and other author-
ities of said Church in Salt Lake City were in
ignorance of the full facts relating to John D. Lee's
connection therewith; by tlie false representations
made by said Lee, as Indian farmer, to Governor
Brigham Young, to the effect that the Indians were
alone responsible for that slaughter, and that Lee
and others visited the scene in the interests of
peace, but were unable to restrain them. After
colonies of our people began to locate in Washing-
ton County, in the years 1861, 1862 and 1863, and
I was sent there to preside over them, I began to
learn from various persons, little by little, the facts
in the case, which satisfied me that the said Lee
had taken a direct hand with the Indians in that
affair; and I felt it my duty to acquaint the Pres-
idency of the Church with the facts so far as I had
been able to gather them.
Bishop L. W. Roundy, of Kannarra, some ten
miles from Lee's ranch, was also engaged as well
as myself, in ferreting out the facts in relation
thereto. President Young made a visiting tour
through the southern part of the Territory in the

68
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
Fall of the year 1870. I met him at Kannarra, on
his downward trip, and took him and Bishop L.
W. Roundy by themselves; Roundy is now dead;
and communicated to President Young the facts as
we had learned them, and the sources of our in-
formation. It made a profound impression on
President Young; he expressed great astonish-
ment, and said if such were the facts, Lee had
added to his crime lying and deceit to him, and
wondered how and why those facts had been so
long concealed from him. On his return to Salt
Lake City President Young called a council of the
Twelve Apostles of the Church, and laid the facts
before them, and President Young himself pro-
posed, and all present unanimously voted to expel
John D. Lee and Isaac C. Haight, who was his
superior officer in the Church, for failing to restrain
him, and to take prompt action against him, and
President Young gave instructions at that time
that John D. Lee should, under no circumstances,
ever be again admitted as a member of the Church.
During the following Winter, while Presidents
Brigham Young and George A. Smith were at my
home in St. George, Lee made application to me
to intercede for him to obtain an interview with
them; but when I spoke to them about it they
both positively declined to see him or receive any
communication from him.
ERASTUS Sxow.
Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 21st day
of February, A. D. 1882.
[SEAL.] JAMES JACK, Notary Public.
Now, you will see how the facts first came to the
cognizance of President Young. Brother Erastus
Snow was sent down to take charge of the south-
ern country. There certain hints were given and
things began to come out; he commenced to trace

MASSACRE.
69
them up, and when he had gathered certain facts
he laid them before President Young. It was
found that Lee had added lying and deceit to his
deeper crimes, and he was cut off the Church and
denied re-admission.
Now, suppose that Lee was an accomplice of
Brigham Youngs, that Brigham Young was an
accessory either before or after the fact, would he
have dared to take these steps against Lee or
Haight? No. If Lee and Haight had received
instructions from President Young, or the latter
had palliated or condoned the crime, would Prest.
Young have cut them off the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that without a
remedy?
At Lee's first trial he was not convicted. The
jury was composed partly of “Mormons” and part-
ly of non-Mormons; but the jury disagreed. And
if you had read the testimony as I have done, you
would see that in refusing to bring in a verdict of
"guilty,” they who did so were justified, because
the crime was not then clearly traced to Lee. One
of the main objects of the prosecution then was to
implicate the higher ecclesiastical authorities of
the "Mormon” Church. But, of course, they were
not on trial. Mr. Baskin for the prosecution said:
“The country does not want to see that old man
hanged; it only wants to see the fair fame of the
country vindicated.”
And he went on to arraign the “Mormon” Church
and Brigham Young as “commanding men to mur-

70
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
der and spoliate." And it is admitted in the Trib-
une report of that trial, page 6, that
“The prosecuting officers, in dealing with this
great crime, were less desirous to convict and pun-
ish the prisoner than to get at the long-concealed
facts of that case. The impression that there was
'some person (or persons), high in the estimation
of the people,' at the bottom of the affair, had
grown to be a settled conviction; and as Lee had
been a subordinate actor in the massacre it was
thought that the ends of justice would be attained
by releasing this man if he was honest in his
avowed resolution to tell it all."
At the second trial the evidence was plain and
direct as to Lee's complicity in the massacre; he
was convicted by “Mormon” testimony, and a ver-
dict of "guilty" was brought in against him by a
“Mormon” jury—I have a list of their names,* all
members of the “Mormon" Church. Strange thing,
was it not, to have a "Mormon” jury? It would
be singular in these times. But John D. Lee was
convicted by a "Mormon” jury, a thing said by
some of the newspapers, extracts from which I
have read to you, to be “impossible.”
All this goes to show to this audience and to the
world that the charge of this massacre cannot be
laid to the “Mormon Church," to George A. Smith,
to Brigham Young or to the Twelve Apostles; it
can only be laid to John D. Lee and such white
men who were present on that occasion and who
**
-Wm. Greenwood. John E. Page, A. M. Farnsworth, Stephen S. Barton,
Valentine Carson, Alfred I. Randall, James S. Montague, A. S. Goodwin, Ira
B. Elmer, Andrew A. Correy, Charles Adams and Walter Granger.

MASSACRE.
71
participated in the massacre. But it is very evi-
dent from the testimony, both on the first and on
the second Lee trial, that but few white men fired
a gun. Most of the massacre was done by the
Indians, who were armed, some of them with guns
and some with bows and arrows. I could bring
you a mass of testimonies given at the two trials
to show how these white men came to go to the
Meadows; that they were “lured” by Haight, and
Lee, and Klingensmith. They were told to go
there with guns and spades; that the Indians had
attacked the emigrants, and that they were wanted
to help bury the dead, and protect the emigrants.
They were not told to go there and kill the emi-
grants, and it is very clear that very few of them
took any active part in the massacre. After the
terrible deed was done, however, they were all
sworn to secrecy, and kept their oaths for a while.
But the thing began to leak out. It was too horrible,
too wicked, too much against their religion to keep.
Every person who belongs to the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, and understands the
doctrines of the Church, and has a particle of the
spirit of this gospel, knows that it is not the spirit
of its members to shed blood, knows that the doc-
trines of the Church teach to the contrary, and
that it is looked upon as the very worst of crimes
for a man to kill his fellow-man. As I showed you
two weeks ago in a discourse on "blood atonement,”
there were certain capital sins that could not be
atoned for except by the shedding of the person's own
blood, and that after a person has received certain

72
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
ordinances and made certain covenants, and then
commits murder he cannot be forgiven in this
world or in the world to come. That is the doc-
trine of this Church.
How, then, can this people be accused of com-
plicity in a crime which is right against their feel-
ings, contrary to their faith, prohibited by the rev-
elations, which they believe to be the revelations
of God, opposed to the public teachings and the
private instructions of the leaders of the Church
right in the face of the positive injunctions of
those leaders not to shed blood under any circum-
stances except in self-defense.
I think I have made out a case that Brigham
Young was not an accessory after the fact. I will
have to pass over some items I would like to have
brought before the congregation, all in this same
line of argument; but I will skip them owing to
the lateness of the hour. It was said that some
property was brought into Salt Lake City from
Mountain Meadows and that Brigham Young got
possession of it while Captain Hooper bought the
stock. Allow me to read a little more from Bishop,
page 268. Here is what John D. Lee said after he
was condemned to death :
"But is there no help for the widow's son? I
can no longer expect help from the Church or
those of the Mormon faith. If I escape execution it
will be through the clemency of the nation, many
of whose noble sons will dislike to see me sacrificed
in this way. I acknowledge that I have been slow
to listen to the advice of friends, who have warned
me of the danger and treachery that awatied me,

MASSACRE.
73
t
yet I ask pardon for all the ingratitude with which
I received their advice. When the people consider
that I was ever taught to look upon treachery
with horror, and that I have never permitted one
nerve or fibre of this old frame to weaken or give
way, notwithstanding I have been cut loose, and
cast off and sacrificed by those who from their own
standpoint, and according to their own theory,
should have stood by me to the last, they may
have some compassion for me. Perhaps all is for
the best.'
You see there is an intimation in that, that he
thought he might' perhaps escape punishment.
There was considerable reason perhaps for that.
It is stated that there was an agreement made
between John D. Lee and Sumner Howard, the
prosecuting attorney, and Mr. Nelson, who was
then U. S. Marshal, and is now one of the editors
of the Salt Lake Tribune, that John D. Lee should
make out these documents that they might pub-
lish them to the world and make money out of it;
but I will not enter into the evidences of that to-
night. But John D. Lee had an idea that perhaps
there was
a loop-hole through which he might
escape.
His first confession did not suit. He
made up a “confession” at the first trial for Mes-
sers Carey and Baskin who were the prosecuting
attorneys on that occasion, and it was supposed
that that confession would save a great deal of
trouble at that trial. The substance of that con-
fession is published in this Tribune pamphlet. After
giving an account of the massacre the report says:
“But the statement goes no further in its impli-
cation than the local leaders who directed the
butchery, and totally fails to throw light upon the

74
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
complicity of the higher ecclesiasts from whom
the order emanated.”
It was for that reason it did not suit, for as I
have already shown you the real object at that trial
was if possible to criminate Brigham Young. Now
I want to read to you a short paragraph from Mr.
Howard's statement at the next trial, when John
D. Lee was convicted :
“District Attorney Howard opened the case to
the jury for the prosecution. He reviewed the
history of the case, and announced that he came
here to try John D. Lee, and not Brigham Young,
and the Mormon Church, who were not indicted.
He intended to try John D. Lee for acts commit-
ted by Lee personally. He recited to the jury the
facts which he proposed to prove by competent tes-
timony as to John D. Lee's guilt in the case.
After he had made his opening speech, Mr. W.
W. Bishop, the publisher of this book, said:
“He was glad to hear that Brigham Young and
the Mormon Church were not on trial in this
It was the first time in Utah that he had
the pleasure of trying the case on its own merits.”
Mr Bishop here acknowledges that the at-
tempt before was merely to implicate Brigham
Young and the “Mormon” Church; but now John
D. Lee was on his trial on his own merits. The
“Mormon” Church and Brigham Young were not
then on trial.
At the close of the second trial U. S. District
Attorney Sumner Howard,
“In his opening address, repeated again that he
had come for the purpose of trying John D. Lee,
because the evidence lead and pointed to him as
the main instigator and leader, and he-had-given
the jury unanswerable documentary evidence,
case.

MASSACRE.
75
proving that the authorities of the Mormon Church
knew nothing of the butchery until after it was
committed, and that Lee, in his letter to President
Young a few weeks later, had knowingly misrep-
resented the actual facts relative to the massacre,
seeking to keep him still in the dark and in ignor-
ance.
"He had received all the assistance any United
States official could ask on earth in any case.
Nothing had been kept back, and he was deter-
mined to clear the calendar of every indictment
against any and every actual guilty participator
in the massacre, but he did not intend to pros-
ecute any one that had been lured to the mead-
ows at the time, many of whom were only young
boys and knew nothing of the vile plan which
Lee originated and carried out for the destruc-
tion of the emigrants.”
Now, in regard to what became of the property
said to have been taken from Mountain Meadows,
I will refer to John D. Lee's statement, page 245:
"The bodies were all searched by Higbee, Klin-
gensmith and Wm. C. Stewart. I did hold the hat
a while, but I soon got so sick that I had to give it
to some other person, as I was unable to stand for
a few minutes. The search resulted in getting a
little
money
and a few watches, but there was not
much money. Higbee and Klingensmith kept
the property, I suppose, for I never knew what be-
came of it, unless they did keep it. I think they
kept it all.”
It was currently reported that Brigham Young
gobbled it all. In regard to the cattle that Capt.
Hooper was supposed to have obtained. It was
stated in Congress that Hooper had the cattle that
came from the Mountain Meadows. I will read
from
page
292:

6
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
“My worthy attorney, W. W. Bishop, will please
insert it in my record or history, should I not be
able to write up my history to the proper place, to
speak of my worthy friend, Wm. H. Hooper.
Please exonerate him from all blame or censure of
buying the stock of that unfortunate company, as
there is no truth in the accusation whatever.'
On page 250, Lee declares Klingensmith sold
these cattle; that he and Haight kept all the pro-
ceeds and started a inercantile business with it in
Cedar City. I give that for what it may be worth,
but it goes to disprove that Brigham Young ob-
tained any of the ill-gotten property.
John D. Lee was taken to the Mountain Mead-
ows and there shot for the crime committed, on the
23rd of March, 1877. This was done for dramatic
effect. It is between 80 and 90 miles from Beaver,
where he was convicted. I do not think that such
a thing as moving a criminal for execution to the
spot where his crime was committed was ever done
before within the limits of the United States. If
it has been I am not aware of it. But the object
of it was to make the book sell a little better.
The book is a dramatic one, and the crime to
which it related was made to have a dramatic ter-
mination.
I will now read to you a few words taken down
from the lips of President John Taylor in regard
to this matter. I want you to understand his sen-
timents in regard to this affair. It was written in
the Winter of 1882:
"I now come to the investigation of a subject
that has been harped upon for the last seventeen
years, namely, the Mountain Meadows massacre.

MASSACRE.
77
ers.
That bloody tragedy has been the chief stock-in-
trade for penny-a-liners, and press and pulpit, who
have gloated in turns by chorus over the sickening
details. “Do you deny it?' No. “Do you excuse
it?' No. There is no excuse for such a relentless,
diabolical, sanguinary deed. That outrageous in-
famy is looked upon with as much abhorrence by
our people as by any other parties in this nation
or in the world, and at its first announcement its
loathing recital chilled the marrow and sent a
thrill of horror through the breasts of the listen-
It was most certainly a horrible deed, and
like many other defenseless tragedies, it is one of
those things that cannot be undone. The world is
full of deeds of crime and darkness, and the ques-
tion often arises, Who is responsible therefor? It
is usual to blame the perpetrators. It does not
seem fair to accuse nations, states and communities
for deeds perpetrated by some of their citizens,
unless they uphold it.”
I have read this that you may know the senti-
ments of the present President of the Church in
regard to this crime, and I think his sentiments
will be endorscd by every Latter-day Saint.
I have read to you to-night a number of the
stories circulated in regard to this matter, laying
this massacre to the body of the “Mormon” Church,
In the beginning of my remarks I read copiously
from papers published in different parts of the
world, showing that the crime was broadly charged
to the Latter-day Saints. I might also read to you
from the Salt Lake Tribune, but I will not detain
you.
has over and over again laid this
crime at the door of the "Mormon” Church. These
bugaboo stories put me in mind a great deal of
the boy's essay on pins. After several amusing
That paper

78
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
remarks about those useful articles, he said they
had been “the means of saving thousands of human
lives, by reason of their not swallowing of them.”
Whenever these stories are swallowed they produce
poisonous effects. They are injurious to the vision.
And that is the object for which they are used,
that the eyes of the people may be blinded, so that
when the Elders go forth with the gospel of Christ,
people, being blinded through prejudice, will not
be willing to receive it. The clergy have helped
to spread abroad these infamous stories. I think
I have proved to-night that the "Mormon” people
are not guilty of this massacre in any way; that
the "Mormon” Church, as an organization, is not
responsible for it; that George A. Smith merely
went south, as some did to the north, to warn the
people in regard to the waste of grain and flour,
and other provisions; that he did not speak against
this company of emigrants at all, for he did not
know of their existence until he was on his way
back. I think I have proved to you that Brigham
Young was not an accessory before the fact, nor an
accessory after the fact; that when the facts came
to the knowledge of President Young he then and
there excommunicated John D. Lee and Isaac C.
Haight from the Church and would not allow them
to enter again; that Brigham Young's name stands
to-day clear from the guilt which malignant people
have tried to fasten upon it. Brigham Young was
not a man of blood, nor even a warrior, but a phil-
anthropist and a statesman—a statesman of a very
high order. His soul did not delight in physical
conflict, nor in the shedding of blood. I could

MASSACRE.
79
produce to you to-night sermon upon şermon from
the Journal of Discourses in which he deprecates
the shedding of blood. I could produce to you to-
night, as I did two weeks ago, his teachings con-
cerning the awful penalties attached to the shed-
ding of the blood of a human being; and I think all
this mass of testimony produced to-night goes to
prove that neither Brigham Young nor the Church
either authorized, or countenanced, or palliated, or
excused in the least degree the horrible massacre
at Mountain Meadows.
And now I will bring to a close my remarks.
Let us investigate. Let us be a thinking people,
a reading people, a people that think for ourselves,
a people that will not be led away by any story
that may be spread abroad in the world. And let
us help to send forth the truth. I think we have
been a little to blame in this matter. We have
been continually assailed. Our enemies have told
some of the most monstrous stories that it is capable
for the mind of man to invent, his tongue to re-
peat or devils inspire him to pen. I think we
should takefa stand to expose these falsehoods, to
defeat this influence, to place ourselves on record
against them. I think the people called Latter-
da y Saints should use the pen and the press to
scatter truth broadcast in the world. We do not
expect to meet all the lies they tell of us.
A man
can ask questions and bring forth by implication
as much in an hour as would take ten years to re-
fute. If we cannot reply to all the lies that are
told about us, we can, at least, endeavor to do ou
best in refuting some of the worst. It is our

80
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE.
to do so. We have been warned; now let us warn
our neighbors. We have got the truth; let us
spread it abroad. By the help of God we will la-
bor to this end. I devoted myself to the work of
spreading the truth in my boyhood. I feel just
the same to-day; and I know I have been blessed
of God in this labor. I know the Spirit and power
of God is in this Church. I know this is the work
of God. I know God has established it and I
know He will bring it to a glorious consummation.
I know that all the lies, the engines of destruction
and all the influences, physical, or moral, or intel-
lectual, that may be brought against this Church
will ultimately fail. “Truth is mighty and will
prevail.” And while I live, by the help of God,
I shall endeavor to do my part, both by tongue and
pen, in defending my brethren and sisters and the
servants of God in this Church from the malicious
attacks and calumnies of their opponents, and in
preaching the gospel of peace to the ends of the earth.
To this I have consecrated my life, and in doing this
I have done but the same as many others. I know
my words find an echo in your hearts. You know
as well as I do that this is the spirit of this Church,
that the spirit of our leaders, the First Presidency, the
Apostles and our leading men is peace. Our mot-
to is “Peace on earth, good-will to all men.” Our
mission is salvation, not destruction. We come to
save men's lives, not to destroy them.
May God help us to labor in this spirit and give
us strength and faith that we may accomplish the
higrk unto which we are called, for Christ's sake.
conflin.

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BOOK OF ABRAHAM, its authenticity established, by Geo. Reynolds, 25 cts.
THE UTAH PIONEERS, celebration of the entrance of the pioneers
into Great Salt Lake Valley, etc.,
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THE PRECEPTOR, by John Nicholson,
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ARE WE OF ISRAEL? by George Reynolds,
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UTAH AND ITS PEOPLE, facts and statistics bearing on the “Mor.
mon Problem,” by a Gentile,
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DEFENSE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL AND RELIGIOUS RIGHTS
OF THE PEOPLE OF UTAH,
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