October’s infamous Utahn, is part of one of the darkest stains on Utah history, The Mountain Meadows Massacre. John D Lee was the only person that was held accountable for the deaths of the immigrants.
John D Lee was a loyal man. His loyalty and desire to serve and fit in with something would be his demise. Born in Kaskaskia, Illinois on September 12, 1812. John D Lee wouldn’t end up joining the Mormon church until he was 25. At that time he took the doctrine of plural marriage and had 19 wives, yes you heard that correct, 19 wives. During this time Lee would also join the Mormon Militia. We noticed that Lee had a lot of the childhood trauma that many of our other criminals have had; loss of a parent at a young age, alcoholic parent… Perhaps his loyalties came to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young because he didn’t have figures to look up to when he was younger? Lee helped with the western expansion of the Mormon’s into Utah.
Fast forward to Parley P. Pratt being murdered in Arkansas, Mormons thought he was a martyr and that this was more persecution, even though it was by the legal husband of one of Pratt’s wives. The space that Mountain Meadows Massacre took place was a fill up spot for travelers before traveling on to California. Stock piling for the long journey west. Word got out that an immigrant party by the name of the Baker-Fancher was going to be stopping there after leaving SLC. This is where Lee became the scapegoat. Militia members planned an attack, which included Paiute Indians who they told could take any provisions, on the Baker-Francher party. After promising the group they could leave without harm, the tides turned and the attacks started on the 7th of September 1857 and ended on September 11th with 120 men, women, and children over the age of 7 being slaughtered. Lee doing the final act. They buried them quickly, took their items, and the younger kids were given to local families. John D Lee would be the only one to stand trial.
Lee was quoted as saying to the Salt Lake Tribune, “ Lee. I am no traitor. I will never betray Brigham Young, as he was not there. Still I do not intend to any that others were not guilty, but Brigham Young sent messengers with dispatches to that place (the meadows) but all was over and it was too late.”
From PBS.org, “Lee’s involvement in the massacre — the extent of which is still vigorously disputed and will probably never be known — was to haunt him for the next two decades, and would ultimately lead to his execution. He had written a letter to Brigham Young shortly after the massacre which laid the blame squarely on the Paiute Indians, but even among his own neighbors rumors of Lee’s guilt abounded. In 1858 a federal judge came to southwestern Utah to investigate the massacre and Lee’s part in it, but Lee went into hiding and local Mormons refused to cooperate with the investigation. Folk songs dating back to this year blamed Lee for the massacre. A warrant for his arrest remained outstanding.”
He found himself exiled and eventually executed. Listen to the episode below to hear what we have to say about this gross moment in Utah’s history.
From Famous Trials, ” The only wonder is that Lee, who was an intelligent man, would allow himself to be so often and so grossly deceived, and still repose confidence in his leaders. The answer to this is, that he had the utmost faith – a fanatical faith – in the truth of the Mormon religion, and believed that no other doctrine would enable him to attain immortality and future happiness. ”
Some of the resources that we used for this episode: Smithsonian Magazine/ PBS / Famous Trials / Mountain Meadows UNL edu / National Park Service
Music By: Folk Hogan; Bootleggers Dance
