Public Meeting of
the People of Carroll County.—At a public
meeting of the citizens of Carroll county, held in Carrollton, on the
1st day of February, 1858, in pursuance of public notice, the following
proceeding were had:
On
motion, John Crump, Esq. was called on and unanimously selected to act
as president of the meeting, and John Haggin was appointed secretary.
On
motion, it was determined that the president should appoint a committee
of three to draft suitable resolutions for the occasion, and such as
would be expressive of the feelings and sense of the meeting.
Thereupon, the following named gentlemen were appointed such committee,
to wit: Bryce Byrne, W. W. Watkins and John Haggin. The committee after
deliberating and considering of their duty, reported the following
preamble and resolutions which were unanimously concurred in and
adopted:
Whereas,
The painful intelligence has reached us that, in July last, an emigrant
train with 130 persons from Arkansas was attacked by the Mormons and
Santa Clara tribe of Indians near the rim of the Great Basin, and about
fifty miles from Cedar City, in Utah Territory, and that all of the
emigrants, with the exception of 15 children, were then and there
massacred and murdered—that the children thus saved from the dreadful
fate of their parents and the rest of their company were delivered over
to the custody of the Mormons of Cedar city; and that among those who
were with the said train at the time of the massacre were John T.
Baker and sons, George and Able, Charles and Joel Mitchell, sons of Col.
Wm. C. Mitchell, of Marion county, Allen Derhazo, George Baker’s wife
and four children, Charles Mitchell’s s wife and child, Milam Jones and
his brother, and his mother-in-law and family, Pleasant Tacket and
family, Alexander Fancher and family, Wm. Cameron and family, widow Huff
(whose husband, Peter Huff, died after they had started on the route)
and some others—all of whom were our neighbors, friends and
acquaintances, and their families, and the same persons who constituted
the company that left Carroll county in April last, for California, and
which was known as Baker's company. And whereas it appears from many
other instances of atrocity and crime which could be recited, that the
Mormons are instigating the Indians to hostilities against our citizens,
and are and have been as a community, systematically engaged in the
infamous work of robbing and murdering peaceful wayfarers and emigrants
and resisting the authority and laws of the United States—and in short
of rebellion and treason against the general government; therefore be it
Resolved: That we, the people
of Carroll county, feeling deeply aggrieved in consequence of the many
and continued outrages committed upon the persons and property of our
citizens, by the Mormons and Indians, acting under their instigation,
and especially on account of the loss of such a number of our most
estimable citizens, countrymen and friends, and their wives and children
in the late massacre of an emigrant train near Cedar city, in Utah
Territory, do hereby petition, and call upon the government of the
United States to have thoroughly investigated the affair of said
dreadful tragedy, and deal out retributive justice to the parties guilty
of the monstrous deed.
Resolved, That as it appears
from reliable information, there were spared and saved from destruction
as many as fifteen infant children, in said massacre, that we hereby
call on the general government for assistance and aid in rescuing said
children from their captors, and restoring them to their relations and
friends in Arkansas.
Resolved, That we request our
representatives and senators in congress to use their influence and best
exertions to have passed an act making an appropriation for the purpose
of defraying the expenses which it may be necessary to incur in order to
reclaim and bring home to their relations the children which were as
aforesaid saved from the massacre.
Resolved, That we offer our
condolence and sympathy to the distressed parents and immediate
relations of the unfortunate adventurers who met on plains, as
aforesaid, such a lamentable fate.
Resolved, That in our opinion
the government should immediately adopt decisive measures for subduing
the spirit of insubordination and treason, that is now rife amongst the
Mormons, and to that end should call on Arkansas for volunteers, and
that we, the people of Carroll county, hold ourselves ready to respond
to any such call for volunteers, by tendering the services of at least
four companies.
Resolved, That the True
Democrat and the Gazette and Democrat, are hereby requested to publish
the proceedings of this meeting.
John Crump, President.
John Haggin,
Secretary.
Source: Arkansas State Gazette and Democrat, 27
February 1858
