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A rock cairn was erected
with a carved stone and the words "Here lie the bones of one hundred and
twenty men, women and children from
Arkansas,
murdered on the 10th day of September, 1857." An officer painted a
cross-line beam above the cairn with the words "Vengeance is mine, saith
the Lord. I will repay." Captain James Lynch of the U.S. Army took
possession of the young survivors and returned them to relatives in
Arkansas. The children arrived in Carroll County on September 15, 1859, two years
after the massacre.
Although there were many
investigations, no punishment was handed out for the crime until 20 years
later. John D. Lee, Major of the Fourth Battalion of the militia at
Harmony, was excommunicated from the Mormon Church and later made the
scapegoat in the entire affair. Tried twice, he was finally
convicted and executed by firing squad at the siege site on March 23, 1877
for his role in the affair.
Before his death,
Lee wrote
out a full confession admitting his reluctant complicity. He claimed he
was a scapegoat for the many
Mormons, including leaders
George A.
Smith and
Isaac C.
Haight at the least, responsible for the massacre.
In May 1961, the Mormon Church reinstated Lee's membership.
The
entire truth of the matter will probably never be known because most of
the documents and diaries of the participants were destroyed. 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 Mormon 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.
In 1999 a new memorial to
the pioneers was erected in Mountain
Meadows,
Utah
and is maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
Directions:
From Cedar City, north of St. George on Highway15, go west on state
highway #56 about 35 miles to the intersection of state highways #56 and
#18. Turn south on #18 and go about 11 miles to Enterprise. Continue
on south approximately 5 more miles to the
Mountain Meadows Massacre site. The monuments are on the south end of the
valley.
©
Kathy Weiser/Legends
of America, updated April, 2010.
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