[Circleville Massacre] They (the Mormon townspeople) sent messengers requesting that the Paiutes go into town and hear a letter read to them. Many did. They gathered in the meetinghouse to hear Bishop William Allred address them. According to a previous plan, the Circleville men who outnumbered the Indians three to one came in unarmed and intermingled with them. The bishop read the message from Fort Sanford, stressing that the settlers wanted only peace with their band, but the Indians would have to help by lending them their guns. In return, the Paiutes could work for the whites and be paid in goods. When the Indians showed reluctance to give up their weapons, the settlers acted: "each man knowing his place and what was expected of him, grabbed hold of his Indian to disarm [him]. They all showed resistance but their bows and arrows and knives were taken from them." Next, "their arms were tied to a stick which was passed behind their backs and under their arms."
Mormon militia shot hand-tied Indian men, then slit the throats of their women and children one-by-one. Of this incident commanding general Daniel H. Wells, and Young's counselor, writes that these "brethren" did what was necessary.
[Source: Exploring Mormonism: Mountain Meadows Massacre Timeline, http://www.exploringmormonism.com/mountain-meadows-massacre-timeline/; The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn ]
http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/circlevillemassacre.html
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blackhawkproductions.com/circleville.htm
ReplyDeleteFollowing is an excerpt from "A History of Paiute Country" by Linda King Newell which was published in 1999 with a grant from the State of Utah Centennial History Project. Newell is co-author of "Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith". In April 23, 1866 an unknown number of friendly and innocent Paiute Indians were taken into custody in Circleville Utah for their own "protection". Although there were Indian problems with the Utes during this time period, the Paiutes of Circleville were a peaceful band that tried to live peacefully among the Mormons (kind of like some of us ex-mormons are trying to do).
ReplyDeleteFrom the James Munson and Oluf Larsen journals:
They (the Mormon townspeople) sent messengers requesting that the Paiutes go into town and hear a letter read to them. Many did. They gathered in the meetinghouse to hear Bishop William Allred address them. According to a previous plan, the Circleville men who outnumbered the Indians three to one came in unarmed and intermingled with them. The bishop read the message from Fort Sanford, stressing that the settlers wanted only peace with their band, but the Indians would have to help by lending them their guns. In return, the Paiutes could work for the whites and be paid in goods. When the Indians showed reluctance to give up their weapons, the settlers acted: "each man knowing his place and what was expected of him, grabbed hold of his Indian… to disarm [him]. They all showed resistance but their bows and arrows and knives were taken from them." Next, "their arms were tied to a stick which was passed behind their backs and under their arms." Bishop Allred would later put his own twist to the incident in his report to LDS church authority George A. Smith, writing that it took some time to convince the Indians, but they "reluctantly surrendered their weapons". Captain James Allred (Mormon army) and his men went to the camp to apprehend those who had earlier refused the "invitation"…
The rest of the Paiutes were taken to the meetinghouse, where the women and children were separated from the men and taken to an unused cellar that had been dug for a proposed flourmill. The prisoners numbered about sixteen men and probably about as many women and children (undetermined- I think many more).
Rex Fullmer's account from James Munson's journal:
"Towards evening…some of the [captives] succeeded in getting loose and commenced an attack upon the guard, knocking two of them down. The guard was afraid of a general break… hence the guard opened fire and shot two of the Indians. ….after a short consultation it was decided that the settlement would be in danger if the Indians were allowed to escape. Though the people loathed the thought of killing them, it was nevertheless concluded to do so."
Although no account tells who gave or carried out the instructions no decision of this sort would have been without the knowledge and consent of those in charge, namely Captain James Allred and Bishop William Allred. Fullmer estimated that about a dozen Paiute men remained in the meetinghouse. One by one the guards began taking them outside, leading them around to the side of the building, where one person clubbed them in the back of the head, stunning them, then another cut their throats with "a large sharp knife"…. Once the Paiute men were dispatched the settlers began taking the women and older children from the cellar, killing them by the same method. Fullmer wrote that," A number of children were spared alive, and also an older boy, who however, was killed the next day as he was considered dangerous to the peace of the settlement." After the carnage, the settlers placed all the bodies in the cellar and filled it with dirt. Nothing today remains to mark the common grave….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hawk_War_%281865–72%29#Circleville_Massacre
ReplyDeletecorrection: title of book should end as: "... PIUTE COUNTY"
ReplyDelete