Retribution

Cedab City, Utah, Mareh 24. Jolm D. Lee was shot at Mountain Meadows yosterday morning at, 11 o'clock. The execution occurred within about 200 yards of tho spot where, twenty years ago, he doeoyed tho omigrauts out, and nearly tho. same distance ! from tho monument. About 100 porscmK witnessed the execution. His Í ner was cool and colleeted, aud ho cither failed to realizo or was indifferent to the terrible fate so soon awaiting liira. He said he was porfoctly rrsigned to his f ato, and waswilliug to meet his God and the emigrante. The only thing he dreaded was leaving his f:unilioK and children, fifty in numbor. Tío believed ho wns bcing sacriliced, aud expressed groat bitterness against Brigliam Toung, whom ho ac!usod of leadiug tlie Mormons to destruction. Ho took oft' his overcoat and as coolly seated himself on the head of his coffin as though he was taking a seat by a comfortal)le ftre. The Marshal, in a clear, ( steady voice, reiul the deftth ; rant, to which the. condunnod paid little attentiou, but askcd to rnake a statement. Ho spoke of the solemuity of the occasion, his willingnoss to die, his innooenco, im being the best friond ] the United States had, and of Brigham ' Young, whom ho aoeused of going back j on on who hal servod him, lmt he stood tirrn iñ the faith, spoke of his family, and was from the first affected to tours. All wore kneoling, and tho prisoner by his oofftn. Eov. Mr. Stokos otïerod prayer. Lee again seatod himKolf, aud told the men at the wagons not to mangle his legs, but to aim for his hcart ; said ho was not at all oxcited, and that he eould givo tlie word to ftre hirnself. He hiul bis photograph tiikon seated on his coftin, and recruested that one be sent to eaoh of liis wives, Baohel, Caroline, and Sarah. The Marshal baudaged liis eyes. He would uot pennit his hands to he tied, but had them clasped over his hond. About the last thing, lie j told the boys to aim well up, and murmnrod soniething agaiust Brigliam ïoung. The Marshal gave the eommand : " Make ready ! Take airn ! Pire!" ! John D. Lee feil rjmetly baek on his own coffin, his feet resting on the grouiul, and died without a struggle. Five baila passed through the región of his heart. He neyer moved. He msplajed the most extraordinary courage, and met his fate either in the belief that he was a martyr or a hero, and in any event he died with a fortitudc and resignation that made death easy. CONFE8SION 01' LEE. At the time of Lee's first trial, in ! temberof lastyear, he wrote out and intnisted to liis counsel, W. W. Bishop, a paper purporting to be his confesnion, ■ with insti'uctions not to give it to the ! public imtil after his execution. This coufession is now published for the first time. Lee says he was bom at Kuskaskia, Randolph connty, 111., on Sept. 6, 1812, and was christened in the Catholio faith ; married Agatha Ami "Woolsey in 1833, and removed to Fftyettü county, 111., where he becaane wealthy; removed j to Jackson eounty, Mo., iu 183(5, and joined the Morrnon Chureh. Wlien the Mormons were expelled from Missouri he followed them to Niravoo, 111., and i snbsequeiitly to Salt Lake City, and was prominent in their eouncils. Lee says the Mountmn Kfeadow massaore was the rcsnlt of the teaoMogp of Brigham , Young, aud was done by order of those high in authority in the Mormon community. The imraediate orders for the deed were issued by Col. Dame, Lieut. Col. Haight, aud the Council held at Cedar City, Utah. Fiftyeight Mormous and abont 500 Indians partieipated in the butchery, whicli was aecomplished ouly by the nse of the basest treachery. The emigrante were iuduced to give up their arms by promises that they should not be molested, and would reeeive safe conduct out of the Territory. The work of killing the women aijd largo ehildren W8B assigned to the Iudians, while the Mormous killed the men, including the sick and ; wonuded. It is needless to sny I thnt the awful work was effectunlly and thoroughly performed. Lee says ' 17 small children were all that were epaied. About 135 men, women and j childxen wero ruthlessly shot down like ' wild beaats. The orders were to spare no children that eould talk and would be likoly to remember and reveal to the world the circumstances of the horrid deed. The deal were stripped and ' tilated, and the corpses left on the field. Lee went to Salt Lake City ten daye after the massacre and made his report l to Brigham Young. The latter approved ; the act, saying : "I have direct eyidenoe from God that the net was n just one, and that it was in accord with God's will. I sustain you and all your brethren iu all you did. All I fear is treaohery on the part of the brethren concerned. ! Go home and teil them I sustain them. Keep all secret as the grave. 1 will make a report to the Uuited 8tats Government that it was au Indiau massaere." THE C1ÍIMK FOK WHICH TjEF, WAS EXEOUTED - COLD-BIOODKU SLAUGHTEK OF ONE nUNDltED AND FORTY EMIGHANTS. Enriched by tho oarlier discoveries in the gold mines of California, a party of Arkansas miners returned in 185(5 to their lato homes with light hearts and full poekotfl to take back to the land of gold their hous-'hold gods, wivee, children and friende. The story of their suoceSB inflamed the hearts of all theil neighbors, nnd very soon a large party got ready and set out, liberally provided tor the trip across the continent. The emigrant train must have numbered about 140 bouIs in all, imd in property and money, horsfs, furniture and camp eqnipmente wns rieh beyond all companSOD with the emigrant trains then moving westward. The men were well armed lor defense against roaming bands of India ns, and all chorished high hopes of a safe and oomfortable journoy anl a prospcrous future in theil iutended new home in the gold fiolds. Before they had proecfided very far into the Territoir of Utah the Mormons becme iuformed of tlieir approach, and, deeming this BD excellent opportunity for revengo and plunder, eulled a eouncil, at wliich it was determined to order out the Mormon militia, ' ' to f ollow and attaek the aceursed Gentiles, and let the arrows of the.Vlmighty drink their blood." Meantime tlie Mormons assurod their unsuspecting vii'tims by pretended i'riendly adrice. They told them it was ioo late to cross tho, Sierra Nevada mounttiins by the old emigrant route. This was in the spring of 1857, and the emigrante were told their better way would be to go through Koutheru Utah and Nevada to Los Angeles. They proceeded as ndvised and passed unmolested for soiiw days through tlie settlements of the Lutter Day Saints. About the fourth day alter passing through Cedar City the emigrant band oaxnped in a HtÜe valley wel] graeaed and watered and sheltered ly lnlls on either sido. It waa beautiful spot for a cmnp, nnd they admired its natnra] advantages, looking upon thatns au earthly parauise whioh was BO soon to be t them ajield of friglitful slaughter. While in camp at thifi point tlieir tirst intimation of danger eame in the form of what tliey believeil to be au Indinu surprise at t!i; rear. The attaok ws suddeu, but was met with the promptness tliat characterized the frontiersmen of tliat time. With great nipidity they paoked their wagons in Linee oí breastworks, bchind wiiich w iv athered tiniien and chiMreo, They dng treiiohes uiil orraneed matten bo (lint watï nud fue] OOUl l b; pi'uiu-ed Vvithoiit !.-n-, 'w.u:, (be ihehei thits (iiovidii. 'jhpn, wiüi their old long rifle, they kopt at bny the uttacking party without loss beyoiid tlint sustained in the capturo of their animáis, which were run off at the fixst fire. For five daytt tho. assault was kopt up , and the deft'UHC sustained without any deflaite resnlt beiitg arrived at. All tliis timo tho appearanoes indioated Üiat the uttacking party woro Ravages. Thoy wore dressed and painted like Indiana, and imituted their ways so well as to oomplotoly decoive the emigrante. Bilt, while there were probably a few Indiana among tho lot, tho majonty of tliose who harassed the unfortunate travelers wero ■ members of the Utah militia, liciulcd by Miij. John D. Lee. While the siege lastod Bomc of these fiends amused thomselves by pitching quoits anl iudulging in otlicr pasümea wlion temporarily relieved fronj duty. At lust, finding tlio ! work too slow, Leo sent word back that bis iight had not been wholly sucoossful. On roceiving tliis information Lieut. Col. Isaac C. Haight, of the militia, ordered out reinforcemente, with instructious to thoRO going to Lee's asaistance that " all but the little childron of tho party wero tobe killed." Haight at this time had just retumed from "military headquartors" at Parowan, whoro a military council had been held, and he was but giving utterance to the deoreefl of Uk "ohuioh dovoting tho company to destruction. Wheu the roinforeements joinod Lo( he massed all tho troops near a little spring, and made them a speech, telling them " his orders from hoadquartei"s were to i kill all bnt the little childron." Then ut the head of his conunand he approached tho emigrant camp, most of his mock Indiana hoving moanwhile discardod paint and foathors. As he advanced ho sent out a flag of truco, to tho great joy of the emigrants, who dressod a protty young girl of their party all in white, and placed hor outside their dofenses, to show that they, too, were disposed to be friendly. Tlien followed a parley, and Lee told the emigiauts the hills were alive with Indiana. He advised them to leave their arms as a, measure of safety, as the Indiana wantod plunder nnd not blood, and liis men would protect them back to the Morinon settlemcnts. The emigrante at first objected, but ñnally consented, and innrched ont of their fortiflcations without the least apprehension of danger from their professed friends. Kot an Indian was in sight at this time. By Lee's order the men were separated from the women and ohildren, the hittor goiug to the front. Half a mile the devoted band had searcely gone from their camp when, at the monster Lee's command, they were shot dead, every one except the seventeen little ohildren of the party, whose lives the "council"had ordered should be spared. One huudred and twenty meu, women and children were ! slum in cold blood. Before the women ; of tlie pnrty had all been killed one young girl is reported to have ruahed from the crowd toward Lee. She flrst threw herself on lier face before liim and begged him to let her live. She then rose up and, twining her anns about his neck, cried to him to apare her ; thftt she was going to California to join lier lover, I who anxiously awaited her there, and to ! whom she was to be married on lier arrival. He rpaid her confidence by i dragging her aside with vile intent, and because she resisted him and tried to defend herself with a knife she chancee! to have in her possession he shot her through the heiul. Por years after the perpetration of this daring crime the property of the mixr; dered emigrants was ojenly used by their j murderers, and the fate of the missing I ones for soine time remained a mjateacy, their death being luid at the door of the Bíivages. Some Iudiuns did particípate in the massaere, but they waited for the white savages to set them an example in human butchery, onlyrushing from their ambush to surround the elnigrants when, by Jjee s order, the nrst shots had been öred. Ai ter the massacre the bodies of the mnrdered einigrants were left ou the open prairie to be devoored by the wolves. So closely was the secret of this terrible deed gnnrdod tlmt not even in the northern Mormon settlements was it known for n long timo thnt any white men had participated in the slanghter. The first authentic tidings of the fate of the emigrant reached the outeide world through Mr. Willinni H. Kogers, a Govemment Agent, WÜO henrd somethhig of it wliile crossing the plains in charge of a treaenre-train in 1857. The next year he was appointed Indinn Agent in Utah, and was ordered to reseue the ahilaren whoni it vns believed the Mormons had saved trom the savages. With the impudence of brigands the " Latter-Day Saints" demanded a ransom for their release. Mr. Kogers refused the demand, and gathered the children togetlier. To his amazemont one of the chiUU-en, then about 8 years old, told him one day thnt it was not Indiana, but white men, thnt lulled their parents. With a company of oavalry he went to the Mouiittiiii Meadows, where a horrible sight met his gaze. The skeleton of 120 men, woinen and children were spreiul apon the field, the flesh toni from the boives by lmugry wolves, and bnlletholes through thu heads of most of the victims. A largo quantity of hair from the hciuis of the women was gatliored up hora the sage bushes, and all the ! mitins were givcu a Ohristian buriel. A few ilays afterward two Mormons ooiled on Mr. Hogers, and, telling liim "their hearts were pressed witli grief,'' said i they would give him a true history of the Mountain Meadow maseaore il' lie would Bpaie their own lives. He told them to proceed, and then they relnted to liim the story told nhove, naming Lee fis the leader. Home blooded stock, wagons, carringes and other I erty owned by the emigrante, they i said, liad been taken to tüe Mormon lithing establishment andsold at public auction for the benefit of the " ehurch." j Brigham Young, it is said, kept one of I the carriages and a piano for his own use. In the Mormon versions of the story of tho mnssacre it was made to I pear fchat the emigrante provoked both j the Mormon settlors and the Indiana in their progrese through Utah. The Mormons said their destruction was chargeable to Üie Indians altogether, and that they were attacked beonnso they liad poisoned .1 spring at which cattle drank iind died, and that Indians ate the tlesh of these imimal.s and died also. J3ut thishas peen pronounoed absolutely untrfte by those who have investigated the matter, and it was wel 1 established both before and at the time of Loe's trial that the muider of the unsuspeoting cmigrants was but the exeoution of a welllaid plan ordered by the Mormon Oouncil, and that Lee not only executed but exceeded his sanguinurv orders. With his own hand he kdled wounded women andohildren lying helplesa alter the ñrst i voller. He shot il man down who held n child in liis anus and who knew and i recognized liim through Iiík disguise. In November, 1874, Lee was arrested, and was Boon aftel ndicted for partioipation in this fearful crime. He had evaded pursuit for a long time, living with oue of liis eighteen wiyes, an English woman, amongthe Navajoe Indians, where lii lint was like an arsenal. His flrst trinl oontinued through part of July and August, 1875, and on the testimony then adduoed the jury failed toagree. During his trial lus oell was searched, and elabórate preparaMo&s for an intended escape were disoovered. A.t this time mie of his wives (ried to see him, and, meeting witli a refusal, Bhe Bssatdted ; the jailer. In September, 1876, he was again tried, and the jury found him guilty of murder in üe tii-s! degree. Baving, in thai Territorr, the right to ohoosa whether he shonla UPhangect, beIm-!uIciI or kii -t, ohose [otte] forra (il' esei-utjon, Thbbs was; 60 }'■'■■ '■!'!■ lBa dfutil