jonhdlee

John D. Lee

This version of the story of John D. Lee is taken from the telling of W. Earl Lyman, my old boss when I was a shipping clerk over at Western Movie Supply. It's his family version, and Juanita Brooks, who published a book on John D. Lee and did the Mormon Chronicles based upon his diaries, assures me that, although the facts are essentially true, the story is full of holes. Of course, this song just covers the story after the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The rest is going to have to be another song, although one beautiful song was written at the time.
The story goes that before the Mormons came here they tried to settle in Missouri. But the Missourians treated them very poorly, and the murder at Haun's Mill was the result. Now, some years later a party of Missourians, some of them the same as those who made the trouble at Hann's Mill, came West on their way to California. When the train passed through Salt Lake, the story goes that some of the Missourians were recognized and word went on ahead of the party not to sell them any food or horses or offer them services of any kind. So the Missourians took to pillaging some of the farms on the way south, stealing and taking what they needed. Down in Washington County they had a run-in with the Utes who attacked the train. By this time, the Mormons at Cedar City in Washington County had made up a posse under Mayor Haight to go out and bring the Missourians in for stealing and, some say, worse crimes.
Now, John D. Lee was Brigham Young's local Indian agent, Young being the government-appointed territorial agent. Lee negotiated with the Missourians to lay down their arms while he sought to pacify the Utes. But on his way over to the Ute camp he met up with the men from Cedar City and other towns on their way to join the Utes and rout the Missourians. He was unable to restrain them, and they and the Utes engaged in battle with the wagon train. The unfortunate thing was that some of the settlers were recognized as white men.
At this time, Johnston's army was on its way to subdue what they thought to be a Mormon rebellion, and the Mormons could not afford to have the Missourians get through with the story of how the Mormons had attacked them. So Lee negotiated a cease-fire, and the Missourians were escorted out between two columns of Mormon riders.
At a pre-arranged signal, the Mormons turned on the unarmed Missourians, and cut them down with rifle fire-men, women and children. Fourteen of the children were saved and later parceled out among Mormon families. The dead were buried in a common grave, and the participants in the massacre at Mountain Meadows swore a solemn oath never to reveal what happened.
But as time went by the Federal judges became so hard on the Mormons that Brigham Young decided to offer up John D.Lee as a sort of sacrificial goat. Ten years after the affair, Lee was brought to trial and executed in the manner described in the song. In Earl Lyman's version, the whole thing - massacre, execution, and all - took place in just a few weeks.
It's a shame about John D. Lee. No matter what reading you do about the settlement of Utah, his name stands out as one of the most resourceful and diligent pioneers the West has ever known. In many cases the only knowledge we have of those days comes from the vast amount of paper work that Lee maintained.

Brigham Young sent out a runner, bid Squire Wells to come, (2X)
"Go down into that country and see my justice done."

He gathered up a posse, a dozen men or more; (2X)
They tracked across the desert to the Colorado shore.

No sooner they crossed over, than John D. Lee was found (2X)
Down in the Indian village, his squaws were camped around.

The horses from Missouri were found in his corral, (2X)
The Squire read him guilty, the facts we find here tell.

A wagon and a coffin, they make a heavy load (2X)
To haul up to the Meadows upon the Black Ridge road.

Way up in Mountain Meadows they made him dig his grave, (2X)
Though loudly he protested, his life he sought to save.

The wagons they still smoldered, their ashes blew around; (2X)
In sight of this mute evidence, they shot their victim down.

Some say he was not guilty, so I have heard it said; (2X)
The deed fell to his captors, who should have died instead.

His grave is undiscovered, the grass it grows so tall; (2X)
Such was the Saints' own vengeance on John D. Lee did fall.

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