Assassins in the Mountain Meadows Massacre

Mountain Meadows Massacre Assassins

Paiute Indians - Beginning in the late 18th century, Europeans began to migrate through southern Utah, coming in contact with the Southern Paiutes. While these scattered expeditions posed some threat to the Native Americans, it would be the arrival of the Mormons in the 1850s that destroyed their sovereignty and traditional lifestyle. Settling widely across Paiute lands, the Mormons consumed the Indians' water, foraging, camping, and hunting resources. However, the Mormon presence had one positive influence, that of all but eliminating the previous and common slave raids from which the Paiutes had suffered at the hands of the Navajo and the Utes.

Though hundreds of Paiutes died of starvation and disease, the Mormons began to conduct intensive missionary efforts in 1854, primarily under the direction of Jacob Hamblin. Before long, a dependency relationship was established and the interaction between the Mormons and the Paiutes was basically peaceful.

The normally peaceful Paiutes were manipulated into attacking the Fancher-Baker Wagon Train in 1857.

Photo by John K. Hillers, 1873.

When the Cedar City Mormons became intent upon "punishing" the Fancher wagon train, for their perceived grievances with the party, Cedar City leaders formulated a plan that to attack the wagon train by convincing local Paiute tribesmen to kill the men and steal the cattle. Though the generally peaceful Paiutes occasionally were known to steal food and stock from passing wagon trains, they were initially reluctant to have any part of the attack plan. However, Cedar City’s leaders promised them plunder, including many head of cattle, and convinced them that the emigrants were aligned with "enemy” troops who would kill Indians along with Mormon settlers.

At dawn on September 7, 1857 the travelers were besieged by the Mormon-allied Paiutes and militiamen disguised as Indians and for the next five days the attacks would continue as the wagon train resisted. Despite plans to pin the entire massacre on the Paiute Indians, the vast majority of the killing was done by Iron County Militia.

George A. Smith George Albert Smith (1817-1875) - Second in command of the Mormon Church at the time of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, it is not known as to whether Smith had prior knowledge of the attack that took place upon the Fancher-Baker wagon train. However, as second in command in the military hierarchy, he, as well as his superior, Brigham Young, are culpable under the military rules of accountability. Further, there is little question that he was involved in the cover-up that followed the tragedy.

George Albert Smith was born on June 26, 1817 to John Smith and Clarissa Lyman, he was a nephew of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church. His family moved to Kirtland, Ohio, the headquarters of the Church in 1833. From 1835 to 1837, he served as a missionary in the eastern states. In 1838, he moved with family to Missouri and the following year, was was ordained an Apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve.

More than a decade later, he led a large party to Utah, arriving in 1851 and soon established a colony in Iron County in 1851, which they named Parowan.

By 1857, Smith was second in command of the Mormon Church and Brigham Young's personal emissary. In August, 1857, Young sent him to alert the Southern Mormons of the threat of the coming U.S. army. These remote communities, still caught up in the throes of the Reformation, a rejuvenation movement initiated by Church leaders in 1856-1857 to rekindle faith and testimony throughout the Church, were especially receptive to Smith's message of hate and vengeance. In addition to the warning, Smith was tasked with preparing the people for war, both psychologically and militarily.

Historians believe that Smith's speeches contributed to the fear and tension in these communities, influencing decision to attack and destroy the Baker-Fancher wagon train.

In 1868, Smith was made the First Counselor under Church President Brigham Young, a position he held until his death on September 1, 1875. During his lifetime, Smith married six women, who bore him 20 children.

William C. Stewart William C. Stewart - A second Lieutenant in the Iron County Militia, Steward was also a high priest and member of the Cedar City Council. Stewart's involvement in the massacre is known by eye witness accounts and he was said to have killed William A. Aden and wounded two other men that Charles Fancher had sent out of the camp for help. When the massacre was over, Stewart assisted Philip Klingensmith and John Higbee in searching the bodies for any valuables. Stewart was indicted in 1874, along with eight other Mormon men, and immediately went into hiding. Though a $500 reward was posted for his capture he was never apprehended, and there was no follow-up.

David Wilson Tullis David Wilson Tullis (1833-1902) - The fourth child of David Tullis and Euphemia Wilson, Tullis was born in Cupar, Fifeshire, Scotland on June3, 1833. In 1849, the family came to the United States, where they settled in Illinois. It was there, that Tullis converted to the Mormon religion, the only one in the family to do so. In 1852 he went to Utah and by 1857 was working on Jacob Hamblin's ranch. Tullis, who was a private in the Iron County Militia, was said to have been involved in the massacre; and Rebecca Dunlap, who was eight years-old at the time of her rescue, would say that he had killed her father, Jesse Dunlap, Jr. However, Tullis family history says that when David heard of the plans, he wanted to have nothing to do with it and "played sick" to avoid the massacre. Tullis had two wives, Martha Eccles and Alice Hardman.

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