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Show i88 HOW MORMONISM One of the most cowardly and bloody massacres that I have seen recorded took place on the tenth of September, 1857, at Mountain A4eadows, a valley in a sparsely settled country, about three hundred miles south of Salt Lake City. The history of this horrible tragedy is briefly as follows : In the summer of 1857, a large train, with emigrants for California, consisting of men, women and children to the number of about one hundred and forty persons, passed through Salt Lake City, and proceeded southward on the usual route to Los Angelos. When they reached the locality where the bloody tragedy I am about re lating was enacted, their stock was first run off by what appeared to be Indians, but really Mormons disguised as such. Their enemies making hostile demonstrations, the emigrants got together their wagons, and throwing up earth about them made a work of defence. Their assailants occupied the hills around, and fought them for several days without gaining any advantage. Finding it impossible to capture them without serious loss, they resorted to strategy and deception. Several prominent Mormons took a wagon and went around so as to approach the emigrants from the head of the meadows, and as they did so exhibited a white flag. The emigrants recognizing white men in the wagon allowed them to approach, and held up a little girl dressed in white to answer the signal. The Mormons entered the fort. They represented that they had talked with the " In dians," and found them very furious determined to cap ture the party at all hazards ; but that they ( the Mormons) would negotiate with the " Indians" for terms of surrender if it was desired. They were requested to do so, and after a short absence returned with the " Indians' " alternative the surrender of everything, and their lives would be spared. In addition to the purported agreement on the part of the assailants, as their part of the treaty, not to injure the emi grants personally, the Mormon negotiators proposed to furnish an escort of forty armed men to conduct them back to the settlements. Harsh as were the terms, they were accepted j the presence of helpless women and children |