The Mountain Meadows massacre occurred on Friday, September 11, 1857 in Mountain Meadows, Utah, several miles south of Enterprise in Washington County along the Spanish Trail to Santa Fe. Mormon militia and Paiutes killed an entire wagon train of Arkansas farming families known as the Baker/Fancher party, traveling from Arkansas to California together with a group from Missouri that called themselves the "Missouri Wildcats". Around 120 unarmed men, women and older children were killed; 17 of the younger children (none older than six) were spared and all but one (who was raised in a Mormon family) were eventually returned to relatives in Arkansas.

The travellers were besieged by Mormon-allied Paiutes for four days, beginning on Monday, September 7, 1857. On Thursday night at a Mormon camp at Mountain Meadows, Major John M. Higbee handed John D. Lee orders from Colonel Isaac C. Haight in Cedar City to "decoy the emigrants from their position, and kill all of them that could talk. This order was in writing." On Friday Morning Lee went to the migrants and convinced them to surrender their weapons and accept an armed one-on-one escort by the Mormon militia to safety from the Paiute siege. Once the escort was underway in single file, a call of "Do your duty!" was given, whereupon all but the young children were slaughtered, either by their armed escorts or by hidden Paiutes.

The extent of Paiute participation in the massacre is a point of disagreement among researchers. Some allege that some of the Mormon militia were dressed as Native Americans.

The extent of LDS participation is also a point of disagreement. Some say the ordering authorities in Cedar City had sent a messenger to Salt Lake City seeking direction from President Brigham Young, and his belated response would allegedly have averted the massacre. Others are unconvinced that even this would absolve Young from responsibility, given the extent of his authority and influence as the leader of the Mormons.



John D. Lee was tried and executed for his involvement, but was Brigham Young responsible?

10/19/2005 2:33:35 PM

I thought you had died or something.

10/19/2005 2:34:31 PM

brigham young led his state like a tyrant

10/19/2005 2:40:46 PM

They viewed Utah territory as their holy land and were very vocal about their willingness to defend it. Young himself ordered that no help was to be given to those traveling across their land. He went so far as to say that not one kernel of grain should be given to them.

This was also combined with the Mormom notion of "blood atonement" - that a Mormon would be saving a non-believer by killing them.

10/19/2005 2:43:48 PM

how many massacres do you need to see before you realize tha mormon government was behind them all

10/19/2005 3:01:26 PM

so this wasn't by Talmaic Judaism or the NWO?

10/19/2005 3:11:27 PM

You forgot the random bold passages.

10/19/2005 4:17:17 PM

Mountain Meadows
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/program/episodes/four/mountain.htm

Quote :

"Four years later, Brigham Young stopped at Mountain Meadows. Federal troops, outraged at the massacre, had erected a makeshift monument to those who had been murdered. On it were the words, "Vengeance is mine saith the Lord, and I will repay." Young gazed at it for a time, then ordered the monument torn down. "Vengeance is mine," he muttered, "and I have taken a little.""

10/20/2005 3:02:35 PM