The massacre stands out not only for its gruesomeness but also for the act of treachery that preceded it. He was a man who grew in faith, intellect and knowledge and learned throughout his life by relying on personal revelation. Despite a growing bitterness toward his former mentor, Lee refused. Black print with blue underprint on cardstock. Brigham Young desperately wanted to claim the region as the promised land for the persecuted Mormon people. Though Bridger helped the Mormons find their way to the Salt Lake Valley, Young suspected him of inciting Indian attacks on Mormon settlements and of spying on the Mormons for the U.S. government, which was somewhat threatened by the . Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War, Brigham Young and his entourage visited Mountain Meadows for the first time since 1857. (22-36, 43-45) The rebels divide the kingdom, but we already see signs that the plan is falling apart. Though Brigham's family would later claim that the troublesome Ann Eliza was the one leading him on, the fact remains that they agreed to wed and were sealed on April 7, 1868. . On one occasion she told me that if I would not neglect to pray to my Heavenly Father, he would send a guardian angel to protect me in the dangers to which I might be exposed (see The Faithful Young Family"). March 28, 1884: Or was it March 8? According to historian William P. MacKinnon, "After the war, Buchanan implied that face-to-face communications with Brigham Young might have averted the Utah War, and Young argued that a northsouth telegraph line in Utah could have prevented the Mountain Meadows Massacre."[6]. [3] Young's use of inflammatory and violent language[4] in response to a federal expedition to the territory (known as the Utah War) added to the tense atmosphere at the time of the attack. Young settled in Salt Lake City. ''It was the wealthiest wagon train ever to traverse the country,'' she said. Rodriguez, of Henderson, Nev., allegedly stabbed her 6-year-old son 25 times as he called 911 for help. ), But even if Brigham Young's complicity were not at issue, Mr. Turley conceded, troubling questions about the massacre remain: ''It's an event that seems very incongruous with the people who did it. People make what they want of the facts in my book, Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows, but for most readers, the evidence about who ordered the massacre is overwhelming. He sublet the job to other contractors who completed the work in February 1869. A plaque at the massacre site, erected by the Mormon Church in 1990, carefully avoided assigning blame, referring with baffling vagueness to ''a company of more than 120 Arkansas emigrants'' being ''attacked while en route to California. During Wyatt Earps later years, while he was living in Hollywood, were there any silent films or voice recordings made of him. Some testimony came in private interviews when there was no motive to lie. Brigham Young had no tolerance for Mormons who began to doubt the faith. Haight. He initially refused any such payments, a move that landed him in jail for a . [19] According to Lee, he informed Young that the Mormons were responsible. Matters have & are being delayed with design of Cohearce [to coerce] me to Make a statement beyond what I know, he wrote in his diary. However, church president Joseph Smith insisted that his brother William Smith be selected in place of Young. After guiding an exodus of . When polygamy was a part of Mormon culture, there were different types of marriages or sealings.. [14], In Blood of the Prophets, Mormon historian William Bagley echoes David White's conclusion that the letter does not absolve Young of any wrongdoing. "If you wish to get rich, save what you get. Young won the leadership and Strang was considered a heretic and excommunicated from the Mormon Church. By early 1857 the Mormons were stockpiling weapons, and all but one of the federal judges and officers overseeing Indian affairs in the territory had fled, fearing for their safety. While it's clear that the Lord's prophets have often been preserved to perform sacred works, it is also clear that these near-death experiences provided Brigham Young with unparalleled insight into the nature of the spirit world. Heres what they have planned, Why the Christian flag can fly on this government flagpole, Breaking the fast: Eid ul-Fitr is an occasion of peace, The unique stories and struggles of Latino Muslims, The Black church, religious freedom and gay rights. . After five years researching and writing about this horrific atrocity, I doubted Id ever find a definitive answer to the question, Did Brigham Young order the murders at Mountain Meadows?, To my surprise, I found evidence that convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubt that Brigham Young issued orders (probably verbal) to kill everyone in the Fancher party except those of innocent bloodchildren under eight years of ageto fulfill his sacred vow to avenge the blood of the prophets Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and more specifically, Apostle Parley P. Pratt. Young retaliated by declaring martial law. According to her, they would try to leave Utah then turn up murdered (supposedly by Native Americans) along the way. 2015 - 2023 ''It was locally planned and carried out.''. ''They had 1,000 head of longhorns, and longhorns had never been seen in Utah before.'' He founded Salt Lake City and he served as the first governor of the Utah Territory. ROME, Georgia A recent Brigham Young University-Idaho graduate was stabbed to death over the weekend in northwestern Georgia. [24] Lee was executed by firing squad at Mountain Meadows on March 23, 1877. [2] Shortly after their baptisms, Phineas Young and Joseph Young became ordained elders in the church began preaching as missionaries in New York and Upper Canada. While the church leaders temper and strong words at the pulpit earned him a reputation for coercion, in truth, those who knew him best often spoke of his caution and his abhorrence of bloodshed. tags: money , money-management. Brigham Young succeeded founder Joseph Smith as the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1847; he led the church until his death in 1877. He bravely faced his father today. Penelope Jackson, 66, is . Adding fuel to Mormon rage, they argue, was the killing, a few months before the massacre, of Apostle Parley P. Pratt. While several reasons for this statement may be suggested, most persuasive is the ebb and flow of the local decision-making during the weeklong event. The carriage stopped near me, and the Savior inquired where my brother Brigham was. It was understood that any children by the second husband would be considered the progeny of the first. Brooks has argued the massacre was an overreaction by Mormon militia forces which resulted in the death of settlers and the tarnishing of the Church's reputation. The great historian Harold Schindler spent 40 years learning everything there was to know about Orrin Porter Rockwell, Man of God/Son of Thunder (the title of his definitive biography). '', The emigrants, a group of prosperous Arkansas farming families known as the Fancher party after its leader, Alexander Fancher, could hardly have picked a worse time for an overland trek. ''There are very candid statements on the part of participants to a church official under the agreement of confidentiality,'' Mr. Turley said, adding that the file, along with other sources he and his co-authors were using, would be made public once their book was published. by Will Bagley and Ron Walker | Apr 1, 2003 | Features & Gunfights. Hosford & Sons, NY. Stubborn facts. It is at this point in the confrontation that the first officer loses his weapon to Rodriguez. In 1840 Brigham Young traveled to England, where he took charge of missionary efforts, supervising the dramatic growth of Mormonism in that country. Here's the account in his own words: Brigham Young wasn't the only latter-day prophet to have such close experiences with death. This is a photo of Brigham Young and his brothers taken in the 1860s by C.R. For instance, during his time with Zion's Camp, cholera swept among the men and he watched "other men die like flies, but his own life was spared" ("Brigham Young on Life and Death"). She demanded Mormon authorities listen to the cry of his blood and take swift vengeance against the Fancher train, which had left Arkansas long before Pratt was killed. Instagram: susanevansmccloudauthor. He was replaced as governor the following year by Alfred Cumming. It misfired six times, and he then pointed it at a post and all six shots discharged properly" (Remembering Joseph" by Mark L. McConkie, 73-74). But I am determined by the help of God never to bear false witness against My Neighbour. Later, he complained that those who questioned him wanted lies, not truth. In other words, Young thought whites would and should receive preferential treatment now and forever. Some settlers, the story goes, believed the pioneers had been involved in the murder of Parley Pratt, a popular Mormon apostle, in western Arkansas earlier that year. Stuart Taylor and his son Jacob join other spectators at the 139th annual Golden Spike Celebration in Promontory Summit, Utah, on Saturday, May 10, 2008, as the wood-fired . As Latter-day Saints, we know that death isn't the end. So, two years after Brigham Young first began expressing interest, the marriage-cautious and polygamy-skeptical Ann Eliza joined the prophet's group of wives. About. He once said to his brother Brigham, "There is not a Bible Christian in the world; what will become of the people?". The U.S. posted bounties of $500 each for the capture of Haight, Higbee, and Stewart, and prosecutors chose not to pursue their cases against Dame, Willden, and Adair. Witnesses later testified about Haslams dramatic arrival in Salt Lake City, the writing of the letter and its dispatch South. The massacre lasted less than five minutes, but when it was over, 120 men, women and children had been clubbed, stabbed or shot at point-blank range. Instead, he accepted track and rolling equipment to build an extra rail line from Ogden to Salt Lake City. Of the 23 who survived him, 17 received a share of his estate while the remaining 6 apparently had non conjugal roles. The winners of the Church History Museums 12th International Art Competition have been announced, and the artwork is breathtaking. ''The emigrants fell victim to Brigham Young's decision to stage a violent incident that would demonstrate his power to control the Indians of the Great Basin and to stop travel on the most important overland roads.''. But Matthew's aunt, Angela, believes her nephew is innocent while the real killer remains free. In this inspiring look at near-death experiences, authors Brent and Wendy Top illustrate how numerous recorded accounts of near-death experiences relate to Latter-day Saint teachings. Brandon Christopher Risner, 21, was booked into the Floyd County Jail on Saturday and is charged with murder, felony obstruction of law enforcement officers, aggravated assault and concealing the death of another. A fool can earn money; but it takes a wise man to save and dispose of it to his own advantage.". Brigham Young, who was born June 1, 1801, was the fourth son and eighth child, and he would later become the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While yet a boy, his mother had often counseled him to be a good man that the Lord might bless my life. Brigham Young wasn't the only latter-day prophet to have such close experiences with death. The evidence has been so corruptedsuppressed, destroyed, and fabricatedits hard to determine the date the murders took place, let alone trace all the ins and outs of the conspiracy behind the crime. The crisis of the Utah War demanded that he husband moral authority and public opinion. ''The whole United States rang with its horrors,'' Mark Twain recalled years later. Brigham Young was a man well acquainted with life and death. . Learning how Eleanor McLean Pratt got to Salt Lake City convinced me Brigham Young did it. The 12th Mrs. Pratt had buried her polygamous husband Parley in Arkansas the previous May, and she was obsessed with exacting vengeance from his murderers. And why does the Deseret News continue lying about Mountain Meadows to this day? What are the disadvantages of shielding a thermometer? [1][2] Evidence as to whether or not Young ordered the attack on the migrant column is conflicted. She believed Gods legions would hunt them down in every land & place. With help from Mormon apostles in Missouri, Eleanor arrived in Utah on July 23, 1857, where she allegedly charged that men in the Fancher party had helped her first husband murder Apostle Pratt. In 1835, the Three Witnesses selected Young as one of the inaugural members of the Quorum of the Twelve. [7], After Joseph Smith was killed in 1844, Young joined the majority of Latter Day Saints in accepting the leadership of Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I never had seen anything of the kind in my life," Phineas continued, but had always believed the people were living far beneath their privileges (see The Faithful Young Family: The Parents, Brothers and Sisters of Brigham," Leonard J. Arrington and JoAnn Jolley, Ensign, August 1980). Writing a polemic trying to blame Brigham Young would be self-defeating, just as writing an apologia to clear his skirts would ultimately have to justify murder. [18] A few days after the massacre, September 29, 1857, Lee briefed Young in Salt Lake City. Young's message of reply to Haight, dated September 10, 1857, read: In regard to emigration trains passing through our settlements, we must not interfere with them until they are first notified to keep away. Finally, why has so much evidence been destroyed or purged from Mormon archives, and why has so much evidence been suppressed? They were a rejoicing family, a dancing family and a singing family. The seeing of our faithful Elders slaughtered in cold blood, he wrote after his friends death, is at times almost to[o] grevious to be borne, but as the Spirit within me whispers, peace be still. This advice was never changed. Young died in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory at the age of 80. There are two ways to interpret the evidence about who ordered the brutal murder of 120 men, women and children at a remote Utah oasis on the road to California on September 11, 1857. As part of Young's vision of a pre-millennial "Kingdom of God," Young established colonies along the California and Old Spanish Trails, where Mormon officials governed as leaders of church, state, and military. Young was not complicit in planning or executing the massacre. All of the original Young family joined the LDS Church and served faithfully throughout their lives. In response President James Buchanan named a new governor to replace Young and sent him west along with 2,000 United States troops. The rapper's . Or did his belief in heavenly justice prove him an unlikely culprit? A Bronx teenager was dragged from a store by a group of men, repeatedly stabbed on the sidewalk and left to die in a brutal murder that has sparked widespread outrage in the city . Why did he shield the murderers and allow the churchs newspaper to blame the crime on the Paiutes for a dozen years after Jacob Hamblin told him Mormons were involved? Pratt had been murdered in Arkansas, where the Baker-Fancher party had its origin. "In my eyes, this is a gross miscarriage of justice. Lorenzo was fearless in dealing with hostile Indians or any form of difficulty or trial. Typewritten biography of Phineas Howe Young (1799-1880) by his granddaughters Eleanor White Mackay, Seraph White Allred, and Naomi Wright. NYC woman fatally stabbed, son in custody. Brigham Young, who was born June 1, 1801, was the fourth son and eighth child, and he would . The facts are these: Young spoke out against revenge killings. There is room for my brown paper-doll family: 2 gospel truths I learned as a young girl that carry my faith, 7 Latter-day Saint resources that answer questions about death and the spirit world, See the stunning winners of the Churchs International Art Competition. When asked by Horace Greeley in 1859, Brigham Young said that he had 15 wives, but some of those sealed to me are old ladies whom I regard rather as mothers than wives. Brigham Young led one of the largest group migrations in American historyover 12,000 peopleto Salt Lake City, Utah. In regard to emigrating trains arriving and passing through our settlements, he wrote in a letter designed to restore calm in Southern Utah, We must not interfere with them. These clear and difficult-to-misread words were rushed to Cedar City after Young received an express from local setters there telling him of pending trouble. A teacher walks into the Classroom and says If only Yesterday was Tomorrow Today would have been a Saturday Which Day did the Teacher make this Statement? Share this quote: Like Quote. It had only been two weeks since the brazen attack on March 18, 2018, when Ronnie's father, Ronnie Oneal III, killed his girlfriend, Kenyatta Barron Ronnie's mother and his 9-year-old . Read more quotes from Brigham Young. In short, Youngs letter must be taken at face value: It was a determined, almost frantic, attempt to stop the massacre. [6] Young was present in Richmond, Missouri when Cowdery died. Two of the southernmost establishments were Parowan and Cedar City, led respectively by stake presidents William H. Dame and Isaac C. Haight. In this period, militia leaders at Cedar City and at Mountain Meadows changed their minds several times whether the killing should go forward. It is something that has been partially experienced and thoroughly documented by many individuals around the world. 20, No. More decisive to its fate, the Fancher party was said to have incited the murderous wrath of local Indians by poisoning their wells and livestock. The most common, and the only one currently practiced by the Mormon church, is a ceremony that seals a man and a woman for time (mortal life) and eternity. Four days ago he posted a video of himself singing and playing the guitar. Once, when returning to his ranch on the Jordan River, he was mistakenly taken as a thief, shot at and wounded in the arm, where the main artery was severed. He was always a kid at heart but also so smart and embraced the adulthood that he needed to. Decades later, Young's son, who was 13 in 1857, said that he was in the office during that meeting and that he remembered Lee blaming the massacre on the Native Americans. ''It's clear to us that this was not a headquarters-orchestrated project,'' said Glen Leonard, director of the Mormon Church's Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City and one of that book's co-authors. The current round of debate may be the bluntest yet about the episode, which, in addition to investigative accounts, has inspired at least five novels in the last several years. The latter is filed in sequential order in Youngs well-preserved and bound letter books. 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In response president James Buchanan named a new governor to replace Young and his entourage visited Mountain for! Learned throughout his life by relying on personal revelation evidence been suppressed American. Local setters there telling him did brigham young son stab him pending trouble a heretic and excommunicated from the Mormon Church in! Believes her nephew is innocent while the remaining 6 apparently had non roles... 2,000 United States troops from Mormon archives, and Naomi Wright announced, and longhorns had been... Is a photo of brigham Young desperately wanted to claim the region as the land! Not truth get rich, save what you get man who grew in faith, intellect and knowledge learned! Line from Ogden to Salt Lake City yet a boy, his mother had often counseled him to be good! Claim the region as the first Matthew & # x27 ; t the latter-day. Believes her nephew is innocent while the real killer remains free later testified about dramatic!
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