THE IMMIGRANT MASSACRE
Angels, October 14, 1857
EDITORS ALTA: This morning, while conversing with some immigrants,
who have lately arrived via the Plains from Arkansas, and are living
within a few miles of this place, I related to them the circumstances
of the massacre.
They immediately informed me that
they knew who the parties were. They stated that there were
three, and perhaps four, companies from Arkansas,
while
the balance of the company was made up of Missourians, who fell
in with them; of these latter, they knew nothing, but the Arkansas
companies, consisted of Faziers, Camerons and the two Dunlaps, and
perhaps Bakers. They were from the counties of Marion, Carrol
and Johnson.
They say when they saw them, they were encamped six miles from Salt
Lake City, that they had been there for some time, and that they
intended to stay there until the weather got cool enough for them to
come by the South Pass, expecting to make a stay of eight weeks all
together. Baker had not arrived there when they left, but as
they can learn nothing from him or his company, they concluded that he
had fallen in and decided to come into California with these
companies. The two Dunlaps had each nine children , some of them well
grown.
If these are the persons who were slaughtered, who can be so
blind as not to see that the hands of Mormons are stained with this
blood. How could so large a company remain among them for two months
and t hey not learn one name? And why would the Indians kill every
being, except those that were too young to communicate anything to
their friends, or hardley tell a name, or tell who were the murderers
of their parents, and brothers and sisters; or even discriminate
between while men and indians? Why this concealment? And
in the very face of it the Indians tell what they have done and sell
all their spoils to the whites.
It will do to lay this blood upon them, but I feel certain
that investigation will throw it off. P.
