"Horrible Massacre of Emigrants!!" The Mountain Meadows Massacre in Public Discourse

 

LATEST INTELLIGENCE 

By Telegraph to the New-York Times.

Magnetic Telegraph Co.'s Office—No. 43 Wall st., and 181 Broadway

FROM WASHINGTON>

The Late Indian Massacres and the Mormons

The Utah Expedition—Fears for other Transportation Trains.

The Departure of General Walker for Nicaragua.

Important Decision by the Commissioner of Patents—Refusal to Grant a Patent for the New Policemen's Club.

From Our Own Correspondent. 

WASHINGTON, Thursday, Nov. 19

I learn from an intelligent gentleman, who has spent two or three years among the Salt Lake Mormons, a fact or two tending to confirm the suspicion that the recent horrible massacre of over 100 California emigrants, by the “Santa Clara” Indians, was perpetrated under the influence of the Mormon leaders.

It is evident that the savages who perpetrated this outrage are the same band who cut off Captain GUNNISON and his command—for they are the only band of Indians at Corn Creek who raise grain and have it to sell.

They are the same, also, who, a year or more ago, came very near massacring Dr. HURT, United States Indian Agent, Mr. BURR, United States Surveyor-General, and their party, at the suggestion of Mormon emissaries, who rode into the Indian village a few miles ahead of them, and announced that the Indian agent and his friends were coming to arrest and punish them for GUNNISON'S murder. On that occasion, fortunately, they were accompanied by the War Chief of a neighboring friendly tribe, who succeeded, with difficulty, in satisfying the Indians that they were on a friendly visit.

KENOSH, the chief of these Indians, is a very intelligent man, who knows the value of United States coin, and the cost of blankets, &c., as well as any white man, so that the story of his having been cheated in trade by the emigrants, as related, is simply ridiculous. The story is evidently forged to give plausibility to the idea that the whites had provoked their fate.

KENOSH is known to be very much under the influence of BRIGHAM YOUNG, who has a young squaw in his family, with whom the chief is deeply in love. The dusky inamorata, however, refuses to go off to live with KENOSH; but the latter is encouraged by BRIGHAM to hope for success in due time, through his influence, and is in turn stimulated by the Mormon leader to become the instrument of his vengeance. There is too much reason to believe that the unfortunate emigrant company were massacred by Mormon direction, in revenge for the killing of Elder Parley Pratt.

I learn, also, that BILL HICKMAN and LOTT SMITH (erroneously published Locksmith,) who headed the party which recently destroyed the train containing supplies for the troops on their way to Utah, are two of the most notorious leaders of the Mormon “Danite Band,” or “Destroying Angels.” In view of this fact, the man must be very weak who can be deceived by BRIGHAM YOUNG'S declaration that he knew nothing in relation to, and was entirely innocent of, the outrage in which his followers thus participated.

There is reason to believe that BRIGHAM YOUNG has fully made up his mind that the must leave Utah next Spring, which will account for the suicidal policy he is now pursuing. It seems that part of the mission to England, of Elders ORSON PRATT and EZRA T. BENSON, (who are still abroad,) was to seek from the British Government permission to settle in the British possessions. The application was refused.