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Show CHAPTER XXXI. THE MORMON MURDERERS. IN September, 1874, I resumed my residence in Salt Lake City, and there remained one year part of the time as Clerk of the Supreme Court of Utah, the remainder as assistant editor of the Daily Tribune. The sensation of that autumn was the capture and imprisonment of John D. Lee; of the next summer, his arraignment and trial. In the two years after I left him at his stronghold on the Colorado, he had grown bolder and visited the nearest settlements without disguise, fully persuaded that all the Mormons were as devoted to his safety as they had shown themselves to be fifteen years before. But he was mistaken. While he enjoyed the society of some of his younger wives at Panguitch, on the Sevier River, some one conveyed a hint to the United States Marshal at Beaver, and a scheme was at once con-certed for the capture of the murderer. Marshal Owens, with a posse of five men, set out from Beaver just after dark, and by night marches, lying concealed in the timber by day, came upon Panguitch just after daylight. But cautious as he had been, before he got into town word was conveyed to Lee, and the lat-ter had time to hide. Once in the town the Marshal and posse found a dense ignorance prevailing. Nobody knew whether John D. Lee had a wife there, or where she lived, or what name she went by. Enraged at this general collusion with the criminal, the posse seized a small boy, who afterwards proved to be Lee's son, and threatened him with death unless he directed them to the house. The little Mormon gazed calmly at his captor, then at the pistol in the latter's hand, and said, " Shoot away, d n ye ; I don't know nothin' about it." Had not all the roads been guarded, the murderer could even then have escaped. Meanwhile the sun rose and the citizens went about their daily tasks ; but it was evident that a few were all the time within easy reach of the posse, and that a word from the bishop or ruling elder of the place would have precipitated a bloody fight. Fortu-nately the right house was found before there was time for consultation among the criminals. The nest was warm, but the bird had flown. In the cow- yard was an old shed; the under logs had been pulled out, ( 490) |