OCR Text |
Show THE MORMON MURDERERS. 505 tween the attorneys for the defense. Messrs. Spicer and Bishop were earnestly laboring for the acquittal of their client ; to them the Mor-mon Church was a secondary affair, and they would willingly have cleared Lee by proving that he had orders from his military and eccle-siastical superiors. Messrs. Sutherland and Bates, on the other hand, were really the attorneys of the Church, employed and paid by Brig-hum Young. Tiiat interest was totally indifferent to the fate of Lee, if only the inquiry could be made to stop with him, and the heads of the Church suffer no stain. This want of harmony produced curious and ludicrous results through the entire trial. The first difficulty was in selecting a jury. The two hundred names from which it was to be drawn, under the terms of the Poland Bill, were half of Mormons and half of Gentiles. Then was shown the difficulty attendant on all judicial proceedings with men who held their duty to a church to absolve them from allegiance to the state. The Saints swore without hesitation that they had formed no opinion ; many of the Gentiles admitted they had; so the jury, as finally settled upon, consisted of nine Mormons, three Gentiles, and one " Jack- Mormon." Consider the following cases of jurors sworn upon their voir dire, and picture to yourself a scene which certainly could have occurred in no other part of the world than Utah : Joseph Knight, sworn on his voir dire Was a native ; lived three years in same town with Lee, but never heard much about him ; had formed no opinion. Accepted. George F. Jarvis sworn Had lived in St. George ( where most of the perpetrators now live) fourteen years ; had heard little or no talk of the " affair;" had formed no opinion. Accepted. This Jarvis looked like a thorough " Danite." Robert Heyborne sworn Had lived eighteen years in Cedar City, a neighbor to Lee ; had heard nothing more than rumor ( ! ! ) about such an occurrence ; had no opinion ! Challenged by prosecution. Christopher J. Arthur ( a son- in- law of Isaac C. Haight, one of the accused) sworn Lived in Cedar City at the time of the " reported difficulty ; " was a member of the militia, but was entirely ignorant of any facts ; might have heard something about it ; did not remember ; formed no opinion. Challenged by prosecution. John C. Duncan sworn Had lived twenty- two years in Utah, but heard nothing about the massacre! Had visited Mountain Meadows and saw the grave and a monument, but never asked what it was for ! Never heard any body say any thing about any massacre, and had no opinion. Accepted as a " model juror." And so on |