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

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CHAPTER X. 

Lathrop—Merced—American Politicians—Tuolumne Grove—The Yo-Semite Valley—Garrote—Mammoth Grove of "Big Trees," Calaveras County—South Park Grove of "Big Trees"—Lake Tahoe—Fishing on Tahoe—Carson—Night ride on a "cow-catcher"—Visit to a silver mine—Gold—Earthquakes—Virginia City—Land of Mormon—Funeral of George A. Smith—The Tabernacle—A Mormon sermon—Sulphur Springs—The trowel-bayonet—The Great Salt Lake—Jackass rabbits.

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I arrived there on Sunday September 5th, in time to witness the funeral solemnities of one of Brigham Young’s shining lights—Mr. George A. Smith; his First Councillor, Church historian, and President of the Twelve Apostles. This Apostle became identified with the Mormon Church in its very infancy, and participated in its travels and trials from New York to Ohio, to Missouri, to Illinois, and finally to Utah. Most people in Utah suspected him of having been the willing instrument that Brigham used in compassing the massacre of the emigrants at Mountain Meadows; and had Mr. Smith lived another year, he would in all probability have been indicted and tried for that fearful crime. The Tabernacle—a huge building, looking at a distance more like an enormous inverted boat on a pedestal than anything else I can think of—was crowded to suffocation. Over ten thousand people were congregated within its walls, and it would have been impossible to have had a better opportunity for inspecting these strange beings.

I put up at a Mormon hotel, "The Townsend House," and can strongly recommend it. The proprietor, a Mormon, was extremely obliging, and does all in his power to make his guests comfortable. He took me to call on Brigham Young, and drove me about the city, showing and explaining the various objects of interest. Just about this time the excitement caused by the trial of Lee for his participation in the Mountain Meadow massacre was still going on; and many of the atrocities perpetrated by the Mormons were constantly being published in the daily papers. There is not the slightest doubt but that the leaders of the Mormon Church encouraged  
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assassination in the most methodical and wholesale manner; the confessions of some of their own disciples who were actually engaged in these outrages showed that such atrocities actually did occur; and to me it seems strange that the Government of the country did not, and do not, take some active steps in avenging the victims.

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Clintons station and hotel on the Great Salt Lake is about a three hours’ ride from the town. The country on each side of the line leading to it is flat, and in some parts marshy. A few wet splashes, which we passed through just before first coasting  
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the lake, were covered with wild duck; I also saw a few snipe, and should fancy the shooting there in winter would be pretty good. The mosquitos on this part of the line were fierce and bloodthirsty as tigers, and quite took possession of the cars, driving most of us who were not extra thick-skinned to take refuge on the platform, where the current of air prevented them effecting a lodgment. After passing Black Rock we stopped at Clintons, nicely situated on the Lake, and looking directly on Church and Antelope islands. On the former Brigham is accused of having stowed away the plunder so fearfully obtained by the massacre at Mountain Meadows. A small steamboat for the use of excursionists lay at a pier near the hotel, and a few bathing boxes were erected for the use of visitors.