Podcast appearances and mentions of John D Lee

In May 2023 Richard Turley and Barbara Jones Brown published a book through Oxford University Press entitled Vengeance is Mine, which documents the aftermath of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, including the efforts of Church and civic leaders in southern Utah to conceal their involvement in the atrocity through witness silencing and misinformation, as well as evading or stalling investigations by both government agencies and church organizations by lack of cooperation and political maneuvering. They also chronicle details about the nine individuals who were ultimately indicted, the five who were apprehended, and John D. Lee, who ultimately faced execution. In this episode of Church History Matters, we sit down with both Richard Turley and Barbara Jones Brown to discuss their important book, to hear their informed insights and perspectives, and to consider what Latter-day Saints and others can learn from this tragedy and how we can productively move forward. For show notes and transcript for this and other episodes go to https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/church-history-matters-podcast/   

Discover how industry leaders are innovating ways to give returns a second life and significantly reduce waste. This insightful panel session is moderated by Jean-Pierre Lacroix, president of SLD, with guest speakers Nancy Yousef, Chief Business Officer at Soles4Souls, and John D. Lee, President of JDL Associates. In this webinar, you will learn about:The key factors driving waste and its impact on retail performance How leading retailers are addressing this critical challenge The role of organizations like Soles4Souls in mitigating waste Six actionable strategies to transform returns and reduce waste Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On September 11, 1857, a small band of Mormons led by John D. Lee massacred an emigrant train of men, women, and children heading west at Mountain Meadows, Utah. News of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, as it became known, sent shockwaves through the western frontier of the United States, reaching the nation's capital and eventually crossing the Atlantic. In the years prior to the massacre, Americans dubbed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the "Mormon problem" as it garnered national attention for its "unusual" theocracy and practice of polygamy. In the aftermath of the massacre, many Americans viewed Mormonism as a real religious and physical threat to white civilization. Putting the Mormon Church on trial for its crimes against American purity became more important than prosecuting those responsible for the slaughter. In Convicting the Mormons: The Mountain Meadows Massacre in American Culture (UNC Press, 2023), religious historian Janiece Johnson analyzes how sensational media attention used the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre to enflame public sentiment and provoke legal action against Latter-day Saints. Ministers, novelists, entertainers, cartoonists, and federal officials followed suit, spreading anti-Mormon sentiment to collectively convict the Mormon religion itself. This troubling episode in American religious history sheds important light on the role of media and popular culture in provoking religious intolerance that continues to resonate in the present. Joseph Stuart is a scholar of African American history, particularly of the relationship between race, freedom rights, and religion in the twentieth century Black Freedom Movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

On September 11, 1857, a small band of Mormons led by John D. Lee massacred an emigrant train of men, women, and children heading west at Mountain Meadows, Utah. News of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, as it became known, sent shockwaves through the western frontier of the United States, reaching the nation's capital and eventually crossing the Atlantic. In the years prior to the massacre, Americans dubbed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the "Mormon problem" as it garnered national attention for its "unusual" theocracy and practice of polygamy. In the aftermath of the massacre, many Americans viewed Mormonism as a real religious and physical threat to white civilization. Putting the Mormon Church on trial for its crimes against American purity became more important than prosecuting those responsible for the slaughter. In Convicting the Mormons: The Mountain Meadows Massacre in American Culture (UNC Press, 2023), religious historian Janiece Johnson analyzes how sensational media attention used the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre to enflame public sentiment and provoke legal action against Latter-day Saints. Ministers, novelists, entertainers, cartoonists, and federal officials followed suit, spreading anti-Mormon sentiment to collectively convict the Mormon religion itself. This troubling episode in American religious history sheds important light on the role of media and popular culture in provoking religious intolerance that continues to resonate in the present. Joseph Stuart is a scholar of African American history, particularly of the relationship between race, freedom rights, and religion in the twentieth century Black Freedom Movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

On September 11, 1857, a small band of Mormons led by John D. Lee massacred an emigrant train of men, women, and children heading west at Mountain Meadows, Utah. News of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, as it became known, sent shockwaves through the western frontier of the United States, reaching the nation's capital and eventually crossing the Atlantic. In the years prior to the massacre, Americans dubbed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the "Mormon problem" as it garnered national attention for its "unusual" theocracy and practice of polygamy. In the aftermath of the massacre, many Americans viewed Mormonism as a real religious and physical threat to white civilization. Putting the Mormon Church on trial for its crimes against American purity became more important than prosecuting those responsible for the slaughter. In Convicting the Mormons: The Mountain Meadows Massacre in American Culture (UNC Press, 2023), religious historian Janiece Johnson analyzes how sensational media attention used the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre to enflame public sentiment and provoke legal action against Latter-day Saints. Ministers, novelists, entertainers, cartoonists, and federal officials followed suit, spreading anti-Mormon sentiment to collectively convict the Mormon religion itself. This troubling episode in American religious history sheds important light on the role of media and popular culture in provoking religious intolerance that continues to resonate in the present. Joseph Stuart is a scholar of African American history, particularly of the relationship between race, freedom rights, and religion in the twentieth century Black Freedom Movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-west

On September 11, 1857, a small band of Mormons led by John D. Lee massacred an emigrant train of men, women, and children heading west at Mountain Meadows, Utah. News of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, as it became known, sent shockwaves through the western frontier of the United States, reaching the nation's capital and eventually crossing the Atlantic. In the years prior to the massacre, Americans dubbed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the "Mormon problem" as it garnered national attention for its "unusual" theocracy and practice of polygamy. In the aftermath of the massacre, many Americans viewed Mormonism as a real religious and physical threat to white civilization. Putting the Mormon Church on trial for its crimes against American purity became more important than prosecuting those responsible for the slaughter. In Convicting the Mormons: The Mountain Meadows Massacre in American Culture (UNC Press, 2023), religious historian Janiece Johnson analyzes how sensational media attention used the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre to enflame public sentiment and provoke legal action against Latter-day Saints. Ministers, novelists, entertainers, cartoonists, and federal officials followed suit, spreading anti-Mormon sentiment to collectively convict the Mormon religion itself. This troubling episode in American religious history sheds important light on the role of media and popular culture in provoking religious intolerance that continues to resonate in the present. Joseph Stuart is a scholar of African American history, particularly of the relationship between race, freedom rights, and religion in the twentieth century Black Freedom Movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

On September 11, 1857, a small band of Mormons led by John D. Lee massacred an emigrant train of men, women, and children heading west at Mountain Meadows, Utah. News of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, as it became known, sent shockwaves through the western frontier of the United States, reaching the nation's capital and eventually crossing the Atlantic. In the years prior to the massacre, Americans dubbed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the "Mormon problem" as it garnered national attention for its "unusual" theocracy and practice of polygamy. In the aftermath of the massacre, many Americans viewed Mormonism as a real religious and physical threat to white civilization. Putting the Mormon Church on trial for its crimes against American purity became more important than prosecuting those responsible for the slaughter. In Convicting the Mormons: The Mountain Meadows Massacre in American Culture (UNC Press, 2023), religious historian Janiece Johnson analyzes how sensational media attention used the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre to enflame public sentiment and provoke legal action against Latter-day Saints. Ministers, novelists, entertainers, cartoonists, and federal officials followed suit, spreading anti-Mormon sentiment to collectively convict the Mormon religion itself. This troubling episode in American religious history sheds important light on the role of media and popular culture in provoking religious intolerance that continues to resonate in the present. Joseph Stuart is a scholar of African American history, particularly of the relationship between race, freedom rights, and religion in the twentieth century Black Freedom Movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On September 11, 1857, a small band of Mormons led by John D. Lee massacred an emigrant train of men, women, and children heading west at Mountain Meadows, Utah. News of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, as it became known, sent shockwaves through the western frontier of the United States, reaching the nation's capital and eventually crossing the Atlantic. In the years prior to the massacre, Americans dubbed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the "Mormon problem" as it garnered national attention for its "unusual" theocracy and practice of polygamy. In the aftermath of the massacre, many Americans viewed Mormonism as a real religious and physical threat to white civilization. Putting the Mormon Church on trial for its crimes against American purity became more important than prosecuting those responsible for the slaughter. In Convicting the Mormons: The Mountain Meadows Massacre in American Culture (UNC Press, 2023), religious historian Janiece Johnson analyzes how sensational media attention used the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre to enflame public sentiment and provoke legal action against Latter-day Saints. Ministers, novelists, entertainers, cartoonists, and federal officials followed suit, spreading anti-Mormon sentiment to collectively convict the Mormon religion itself. This troubling episode in American religious history sheds important light on the role of media and popular culture in provoking religious intolerance that continues to resonate in the present. Joseph Stuart is a scholar of African American history, particularly of the relationship between race, freedom rights, and religion in the twentieth century Black Freedom Movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

Who bears the most blame for Mountain Meadows Massacre? Barbara Jones Brown & Richard Turley will discuss the roles of Brigham Young, John D Lee, Isaac Haight, William Dame, and others in the massacre. We'll also discuss why it is important to discuss the massacre, and what other projects Barbara & Rick are working on. Check out our conversation.... Sign up to free newsletter at Gospeltangents.com/newsletter to get this free, secret episode. https://youtu.be/cIxbvLL0Euo transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved

"Vengeance is Mine" is the sequel to "Massacre at Mountain Meadows." Rick Turley & Barbara Jones Brown discuss what Juanita Brooks and Will Bagley got wrong in their previous Mountain Meadows book. Barbara & Rick have uncovered new records about John D Lee's 2nd trial that changes the traditional narrative. They have uncovered new trial transcripts that break some of the things that previous authors Will Bagley & Juanita Brooks got wrong. What are these new findings? Check out our conversation.... https://youtu.be/PEvWyNqRBIY transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved

The Mountain Meadows Massacre is the worst event in Mormon History. John D Lee was the only man convicted. For a century, the LDS Church has tried to cover up the terrible event. There is a game-changing book that sheds new light onthe prosecution of John D Lee, the only man convicted of the massacre. The authors admit the massacre was covered up from the beginning, but was Brigham Young involved? "Vengeance is Mine" is the newest book on the event. Check out our conversation with Barbara Jones Brown & Richard Turley. https://youtu.be/bQiU3IUhnLQ transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved

We're looking at the trial and execution of John D Lee. How reponsible was Brigham Young? How did the trials affect public opinion against the Mormons? Dr Janiece Johnson says this reverberates, even to today with the recent release of "Under the Banner of Heaven." Check out our conversation... https://youtu.be/eHbfd0yW5XU transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission

148 years ago this week, John D. Lee stood in his trial for his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Dr Janiece Johnson has studied the Mountain Meadows Massacre for over 20 years. Her latest book, Convicting the Mormons is based both on her Ph.D. Dissertation as well as the time she spent working with Richard Turley & Barbara Jones Brown on "Vengeance is Mine." Janiece discusses how Americans viewed the massacre, and how the massacre has been used to cast aspersions on Mormons over a century. Check out our conversation... https://youtu.be/wwQz-eNuQBQ transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission transcript to follow Copyright © 2023 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission

The infamous and inexcusable Mountain Meadows Massacre lives on as the bloodiest stain on the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The 2008 book “Massacre at Mountain Meadows” offered modern readers the most complete look to date at the atrocity, when, on Sept. 11, 1857, Mormon settlers deceived a wagon train of emigrants on their way to California through southern Utah and then slaughtered about a hundred men, women and children. Now comes the eagerly anticipated follow-up volume, titled “Vengeance Is Mine: The Mountain Meadows Massacre and Its Aftermath.” On this week's show, co-authors Richard E. Turley and Barbara Jones Brown explain how church leaders in southern Utah tried to cover up the crime, how investigations were thwarted, and how justice was delayed and denied. (In then end, only one perpetrator, John D. Lee, was executed.) They also explore a key Watergate-like question: What did church prophet-president Brigham Young know and when did he know it?

Our intention today is to understand why is it that when we know better, we don't always do better. A free piece of Daisy Girl merchandise to the listener that correctly counts all the f-bombs that are bleeped out in this episode. Make sure you listen to the end to get them all. Share your answer on our Facebook page.    https://www.facebook.com/groups/unpackingmormonismandotherreligioustrauma     Maslow's Hierarchy of needs https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs.png   Mormonism Live! Episode #27 with Spencer Wright- Apologetic Logical Fallacies https://mormonismlive.org/2021/06/mormonism-live-027-spencer-wright-apologetic-logical-fallacies/   John D. Lee, Mormonism Unveiled, 1882.  http://www.LDSdefector.com/fact-1552/   Burnout: the Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Amelia Nagoski and Emily Nagoski     https://www.amazon.com/Burnout-Secret-Unlocking-Stress-Cycle/dp/1984818325/ref=sr_1_1?crid=KKW53153M14J&keywords=burnout+emily+nagoski&qid=1667759551&sprefix=burnout%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1      

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a friend is “one joined to another in mutual benevolence and intimacy. Not ordinarily applied to lovers or relatives…a boon companion.” It first appears in “Beowolf” in 1018 A.D. as “freondum.”  Though the opposite of “fiend,” both words root in the same Germanic word soup for “love” and “hate,” so therefore inextricably intertwined. Here, two old friends, Teresa Jordan and Judith Freeman, both remarkable and accomplished writers and artists, born and bred in the American West, examine their own enduring relationship through the lens of Judith's latest novel, the incisive, insightful, at times ruthless “MacArthur Park.” The novel's core finds two older women, both accomplished writers and artists, born and bred in the American West, attempting to re-kindle their lifelong friendship after intimate convolutions blew them apart. Spoiler alert: marrying the same man may become a problem. No, not Teresa and Judith; her characters Verna and Jolene as they road trip across the West towards some notion of their shared childhood. What destroys friendships? Can good intentions alone heal those implosive moments of toxic intimacy almost inevitable in friendships? Who here has not lost a friend?SHOW NOTES: Please spend some time on both their websites to appreciate the depth and quality of their respective creativity.Judith Freeman: https://judithfreemanbooks.com/Discussed in the Podcast:Carolee Schneeman: https://www.moma.org/artists/7712Judy Chicago: https://www.judychicago.com/Elena Ferante: http://elenaferrante.comValeria Luiselli: “Lost Children Archive”: https://www.valerialuiselli.com/ Here's great conversation about writing with Judith's friend Barbara Feldon, yes, that Barbara, from “Get Smart:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NM1Vi-q1dg A special shout-out for her novel “Red Water” where Judith imagines John D. Lee's extraordinary frontier life and his disturbing, still controversial role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre through the eyes of three of his nineteen wives. Emma is a vigorous and capable Englishwoman who loves Lee unconditionally. Ann, a bride at thirteen, is an independent adventurer. Rachel, though she married Lee to be with his first wife, her sister Agatha Woolsey, is also utterly devoted to him.Teresa Jordan: https://teresajordan.com/In addition to all the writing, painting, sketching and storytelling you can find on her website, Teresa just returned from her residency at the Mesa Refuge, having been awarded the Marion Weber Healing Arts Fellowship to evolve her year of painting and drawing a different bird every single day into a book.

Red Water On September 11, 1857, a group of 120 emigrants en route to California was attacked and slaughtered by Mormon settlers and their Indian allies. Twenty years later, John D. Lee, a Mormon and a participant in the massacre, was executed by a firing squad at the same spot and thus entered history as the scapegoat for all those responsible for what came to be known as the Mountain Meadow Massacre in southern Utah. “Red Water,” by Judith Freeman, published in January 2002, is the story of the life of John D. Lee, as told by three of his nineteen wives. Judith Freeman describes early Mormon belief, the sense of persecution felt by the Mormons, and the sisterhood of his wives in marriage. Judith Freeman recommends “Why Did I Ever,” by Mary Robinson. Originally Broadcast: March 5, 2002

The last place the Title of Liberty belongs is above the angry voices of an insurrectionist mob.Welcome to the fifth episode of Self-Evident, a podcast about first principles, hosted on Substack along with the Self-Evident Newsletter.Self-Evident is currently available on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.You can also subscribe and get future episodes as well as the newsletter in your inbox:Episode TranscriptHello folks, welcome to the Self-Evident podcast. This is the first episode on this side of January 6th. There's just so much to say about what happened, what led to it happening, and what comes next. I have a lot to say and a lot to write, but with school started up again I have very little time. So, I thought I'd start out with my biggest issue first, here in podcast form, and then move on to other issues in article form in the near future. Last October, I wrote an open letter to Senator Mike Lee about Captain Moroni, a Book of Mormon military leader he had compared Donald Trump to at a rally in Arizona. In light of what appears to be Latter-day Saints involved in the insurrection at the US Capitol, who took Mike Lee at his word by hoisting what we Latter-day Saints call a Title of Liberty over the heads of the mob, I thought I'd address a few points of Latter-day Saint culture, imagery, scripture, and history to put that terrible image in context and offer my view of how just how backwards all of this is. Before I begin though, let me just say that I am not speaking on behalf of my church but simply offering my view and understanding of history and scripture. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is officially politically neutral, rarely speaks out on matters of political concern, and encourages its members to be involved in their government as their consciences dictate.Captain Moroni  Now, for those unfamiliar with Latter-day Saint scripture, Captain Moroni is one the most beloved figures from a book of scripture we believe tells the story of a Christian nation in ancient America. He was a strong and passionate leader who stoically defended the Nephite nation from enemies both within and without. He is often compared to Gideon and Joshua from the Old Testament.  Of Captain Moroni, Mormon (who we believe to be the author of the record, and therefore its namesake) said, “If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.” Needless to say, Captain Moroni holds a special place in the hearts of Latter-day Saints, especially those of us who have served in the military or in law enforcement. Captain Moroni, along with another group of righteous warriors found in our scriptures known as the Sons of Helaman or Stripling Warriors, provide a spiritual and philosophical groundwork for being Warrior Saints within the Latter-day Saint tradition.  Because we operate with a lay clergy, many of our leaders, especially those of the greatest generation, have served in the military, including those we consider prophets and apostles. I was often met with surprise but respect during my own military service that my piety was accompanied by a strong commitment to the mission of a soldier. The idea of a Christian soldier is not unique to the Latter-day Saint tradition, but it is uniquely intense for those of us who step forward to serve and peculiarly specific in what values and ideals we step forward to protect: liberty, justice, and free society. The Title of LibertyAccording to the Book of Mormon, the Nephites were not only an ancient American society of Christians, they also formed a republican form of government. Several times during the lifetime of Captain Moroni, the Nephite nation faced internal rebellion from groups who wanted to replace the republic with a monarchy and raise up a king. During one such rebellion, Captain Moroni rent his coat and made it into a flag, writing a message that he called the Title of Liberty. He went forth with this title and rallied his countrymen to the defense of their republic and the uprising was defeated. The words of the Title of Liberty are sacred to Latter-day Saints, especially those of us who have served in uniform, and are carried on pieces of cloth in the pockets of our uniforms, hung on barrack walls, and have even been flown from flag poles in Utah in times of strife for the American Republic, such as after the 9/11 attacks. The Title of Liberty reads as follows: “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.” These are simple words, but they fill Latter-day Saint hearts with fire and a burning passion to preserve freedom for ourselves and our posterity at whatever cost. There are three major instances in Church history that typify this tradition and the sacrifices members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are willing to make in the name of liberty and a government that preserves it.Zions Camp The first occurred in 1834, and is known as Zions Camp. The previous year, Latter-day Saint settlers had been driven forcibly out of Jackson Country, Missouri by the “old settlers” who opposed the new religion in their midst as well as the abolitionist-oriented views of its members (who were largely from the New England region). The first leader of our church, Joseph Smith, sought redress for the violation of constitutional rights through the Missouri judicial system. It was intimated to Joseph Smith and other church leaders that state officials might be willing to assist in returning displaced Latter-day Saints to their property if the Church was able to provide an armed militia that could be deputized to protect the returning settlers.  After declaring he had received a revelation to do so, Joseph Smith agreed to the proposal, organized a group of 200 volunteers, and embarked on an expedition from Kirtland, Ohio, marching South to Missouri. But by the time they reached Missouri, the judicial system had bogged down and authorities refused to support the Latter-day Saint claims to the property that had been seized by the anti-Mormon mobs. Absent the official sanction to protect the Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith disbanded Zions Camp and returned to Kirtland. The Missouri legislature, however, did set aside Caldwell County for the resettlement of the Latter-day Saints that had been driven from Jackson County. Zions Camp may seem like a failure on its face, but the leadership of the Church would largely comprise of men who made the march for the next half-century. It is remembered in the Latter-day Saint tradition as a kind of pilgrimage, a holy march of godly men who were prepared to fight and die for their faith and their freedom. But it is also remembered as a cautionary tale about understanding the difference between a righteous cause and an unrighteous desire for conflict.  Before Zions Camp had been disbanded, a mob composing of armed local Missouri militia had moved to confront this armed group of Latter-day Saints. Instead of preparing them for battle, Joseph Smith told his men that the Lord would fight their battles for them. As they took shelter, a storm moved in that flooded the nearby river and kept the Missourians from crossing. However, when Joseph Smith announced that the camp was disbanded and they would be returning to Kirtland, many of the men were angry. They wanted to fight, whether the local authorities would sanction them or not. Joseph Smith warned them that there would be consequences for their pride. Indeed, the camp was struck with cholera and several members died.  The Mormon BattalionThe second story from Latter-day Saint history relevant to our tradition of stepping forward to preserve and protect freedom begins in 1846. By this time, the Latter-day Saints had not only been set upon by mobs once more in Missouri and driven from the state entirely, they had also been driven from Illinois and Joseph Smith, along with his brother Hyrum, had been murdered in Carthage, Illinois. The President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Brigham Young, had become the new leader of the church and led an American Exodus out of Illinois and into Iowa, where preparations were being made to trek westward and find a new home.  While the exiled saints gathered in tent cities spread around Council Bluffs, Iowa, a US Army officer arrived from Washington D.C. with a request from President James K. Polk to organize a volunteer unit for service in the Mexican-American War. In what is remembered with reverence as the “Mormon Battalion,” around 550 men volunteered for service, even though they'd be leaving their families alone on the trail and uncertain of even what their final destination would be. (I personally have several ancestors who served in the Mormon Battalion and my father, as a descendant, was able to march in a reenactment as part of the 1996 centennial parade celebrating Utah's statehood in 1896). The Mormon Battalion is the only religious military unit ever organized in American military history, and their 2080-mile march from Iowa to Southern California is among the longest military marches in history. Members of the battalion were present in California for the beginning of the gold rush, but chose to leave and reunite with their families in Utah rather than seek their fortunes in gold. A small detachment of the battalion was part of the detail that discovered the remnants of the Donner Party and helped bury those who had perished. The Modern Stripling WarriorsThe final story is less well-known as it is a more modern story and not quite as well known among everyday Latter-day Saints. But to church members in the uniformed services, it is remembered as the modern stripling warriors.  The stripling warriors were a group of young men in the Book of Mormon who volunteered to defend the Nephite nation in a terrible and costly war. They were raised by their mothers to be firm in their faith in Christ and were promised, as they marched into battle, that if they held to their faith, none would perish. In one vicious fight, every single warrior was wounded but not a single one died. In a similar circumstance, a Utah National Guard artillery unit from Southern Utah became surrounded during the Korean War and had to fight off a direct assault from Chinese PLA forces. They fought, essentially surrounded, and were able to hold off the assault until the US line was reformed. After the battle, not a single Utah man had been killed, a feat considered a miracle.Twisted Doctrine Given our history, it is no surprise that we Latter-day Saints consider patriotism and service in the cause of liberty and justice as an integral part of our faith. Indeed, the Book of Mormon makes this connection clear by stating that the Spirit of Freedom is the Spirit of God. Unfortunately, for a small but increasingly more visible few, this passion has been twisted towards the opposite of what it's meant to stand for. Like any religious movement, our history has had unfortunate and ugly moments where zealots have twisted our doctrines and arbitrarily sought to use them to justify violence.  In the late 1830s “Mormon War” in Missouri, some members of the church organized themselves into vigilante groups referred to as the Danites and engaged in illegal activities against anti-Mormon Missourians. Joseph Smith condemned them as “secret combinations” (a reference to another group from the Book of Mormon, the Gadianton Robbers, who plotted murder to gain power) and held them responsible for the later calamities that befell the Saints as part of Governor Lilburn. W. Boggs' extermination order, when Latter-day Saints were ordered to leave Missouri or be killed. In 1857, during a period known as the “Utah War,” a group of men from Latter-day Saint congregations in Parowan and Cedar City attacked a wagon train in what became known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, a slaughter that left only young children alive. Brigham Young, the second leader of our church, saw to the conviction of his own adopted son, John D. Lee, who was sentenced to death. Church leaders from that time to the present-day have again denounced the massacre as a “secret combination.”  These terrible moments stand out as stains in what is otherwise a history of selfless service and true faith, found in a group of earnest Christ-loving pioneers who lived through an American Exodus that led to a desert region that would come to flower like a rose. But, disturbingly, there has been a growing echo of these past deviations in the last half-decade. In 2014, a seemingly mundane land dispute between the Bureau of Land Management and a rancher named Cliven Bundy drew the country's attention when the BLM brought in its law enforcement agencies to conduct a round-up of Bundy's cattle. Cliven Bundy, a Latter-day Saint, appealed for help from Right-wing activists to stop the round-up of his cattle, including several armed militias. The situation culminated with an armed standoff, with militia members taking positions on an overpass and aiming their weapons at BLM officers. The situation was defused when local law enforcement negotiated the release of the cattle. Pictures of the stand-off show the armed militia rallying under a banner that stated “Liberty Freedom For God We Stand” eerily reminiscent of the Title of Liberty. Two years later, in 2016, Ammon Bundy (Cliven's son) led an armed group to Oregon where it seized and occupied the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. He was joined by members of various far-right groups and militias, among them radicalized Latter-day Saints (including Ammon, himself, and his brother, Ryan) who communicated their intent in scriptural terms, saying that God had called them to become “modern-day Captain Moroni's” and take a stand against the federal government. In both situations involving the Bundy family, Latter-day Saint leadership has been clear that it condemns violence and especially the use of Latter-day Saint imagery to evoke a sense of righteousness in unrighteous acts. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintains a politically neutral stance, has a history of encouraging its members to be active in both major political parties, and has had prophets and apostles who have been both lifelong Republicans and lifelong Democrats. Despite this, a small but growing number of Latter-day Saints have become increasingly radicalized and have had a presence within the ranks and leadership of many far-right groups, many of whom continue to praise the Bundy family as patriots, glorify Lavoy Finicum (a Latter-day Saint who was killed by police as part of the Oregon standoff) as a martyr, and have become convinced that their faith and their patriotism compel them to support Donald Trump's presidency by any means, including armed protest and violence. Like the rest of the far-right movement in the Trump era, this fervent support for Donald Trump led to insurrection on January 6th, when Capitol Hill police were overwhelmed and the Capitol Building was assaulted and occupied. In the midst of the carnage, Latter-day Saints across the world were shocked and horrified to see a flag waving above the angry mob, the words of the Title of Liberty flapping in the wind. Needless to say, this small but increasingly more visible and active group of Latter-day Saints has lost their way. And, the presence of the Title of Liberty, dear to my heart, at an insurrection that sickens me to the core requires me to draw a distinction between two groups found in Latter-day Saint Scripture: Freemen and King-men. The story of these two groups is eerily similar to what has been going on in America these last few months. Freemen and King-menThe Book of Mormon tells of a time of great political disagreement within the Nephite nation, and a group of men began to speak against the republican form of government they currently had, desiring to establish a kingdom instead. The people were split over the argument, with one side of the debate calling themselves king-men and the other side, committed to their rights as established and protected by a free government, calling themselves freemen. The disagreement was put to a vote and the freemen carried the day. But the king-men were so angry at the result that, when a hostile army arrived on the borders of their capitol city, the king-men refused to take up arms to defend their own nation.  With the urgency of an impending invasion, Captain Moroni sent his armies to compel the king-men to step forward in service of their country. The king-men instead revolted and attacked their fellow countrymen. Captain Moroni was forced to put down an insurrection, fighting against a portion of his own people who had so lost their way that they sought to replace their republic with a king and, when they were defeated in a free election, turned against the republic with violence and hatred. It clearly isn't an apples-to-apples comparison with the present situation in our own republic, but the similarities are enough to suggest that whoever hoisted that Title of Liberty over the insurrection at our nation's capitol has put themselves in the opposite position from where they think they are. Freemen stand for a free nation that holds to principles above loyalty to any one person. Freemen know that the endurance of a free society is more dependent on the endurance of their values and beliefs than it is on lifting any one person to power or maintaining that person's power. Freemen believe in the sacred nature of an election, whereby a free people make their voice heard and establish legitimacy in their government. Freemen hold to the importance of a peaceful transition of power and honor the results of a free and fair election. Donald Trump has not conducted himself as a freeman. His enablers have echoed his deceitful machinations to maintain power, falling far short of being freemen. His supporters have lifted up the importance of a man over the importance of their principles, believing that the nation is dependent on him retaining power as opposed to them standing for their values above all else, and have been fooled into believing they're freemen while unwittingly standing for something far different. And, the insurrectionists who rejected the results of a free and fair election and assaulted the seat of power of our free government, who beat a cop to death, who forced our representatives to flee for their lives, and who occupied a building that had not fallen to an enemy force since the War of 1812 proved themselves to be king-men in both word and deed. Hanging By a ThreadI call on all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to look to the scriptures that have been given to us as harbingers of the times we find ourselves in, and seek the discernment of the holy spirit to be certain we are not deceived by those who would wrest our beliefs and our convictions towards causes and actions contrary to our core beliefs.  We have only one king, and we have no use for any other. It is fear and pride, not bravery and conviction, that leads to the belief that a free nation rises or falls on the shoulders of a single man. Our God, our religion, our freedom, our peace, our wives, and our children are served by each one of us trusting in the strength of the truths we believe in and holding to the rod of our core principles, especially in the face of adversity.  We know the words of our own prophets. They tell us that our republic will not be saved in Washington. It will not be saved by leaders to whom we sacrifice all integrity, decency, and honor to promote and defend. It will not be saved in the halls of government through the crafting of any legislation, or the marginalization of any political opponent. It will most especially not be saved by rising against it as part of an armed mob participating in a political abomination of desolation. Our republic will be saved by those who are enlightened and uplifted by the principles of free society and holding true to them above all other considerations. Our birthright is to be freemen, and freemen do not believe a republic lives or dies in any one election, they do not believe it rises and falls on the shoulders of a single man, and they do not believe in taking up arms against their own country. Freemen have faith in God, faith in each other, and hope that tomorrow can always be a better day so long as we can face it with our principles and values intact. Get full access to Self-Evident at selfevident.substack.com/subscribe

Ever wonder about how prominent Mormon church leaders got their start? Lindsay and Bryan discuss the experiences of John D. Lee and Bathsheba W.B. Smith in Nauvoo, before they made a name for themselves.

Ever wonder about how prominent Mormon church leaders got their start? Lindsay and Bryan discuss the experiences of John D. Lee and Bathsheba W.B. Smith in Nauvoo, before they made a name for themselves.

Ever wonder about how prominent Mormon church leaders got their start? Lindsay and Bryan discuss the experiences of John D. Lee and Bathsheba W.B. Smith in Nauvoo, before they made a name for themselves.

Ever wonder about how prominent Mormon church leaders got their start? Lindsay and Bryan discuss the experiences of John D. Lee and Bathsheba W.B. Smith in Nauvoo, before they made a name for themselves.

Richard Turley’s book “Massacre at Mountain Meadows” was published in 2011. The book ends at the massacre in 1857. He and Barbara Jones Brown are writing the latest installment of the tragedy and this time they will focus on the trials of John D. Lee and aftermath. Barbara and Rick sat down as part of […] The post Turley on Mountain Meadows Massacre (Part 2 of 5) appeared first on Gospel Tangents.

John D. Lee was convicted in the second trial for his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre.  Will describes what he believes was a deal between prosecutors and the LDS Church. Will:  Anyway, Sumner Howard, or a member of his team, his assistant goes before Judge Borman, and says, “Judge, I have eaten dirt, and […] The post Trials of Lee/Forgery appeared first on Gospel Tangents.

It took 18 years to start the first trial of John D. Lee for the atrocities at Mountain Meadows.  Why did it take so long?  Historian Will Bagley believes LDS Church leaders covered up the crime.  How does he come to that conclusion? Will:  But, what I’m saying is that the event that Wilford Woodruff […] The post MMM Cover Up appeared first on Gospel Tangents.

John D. Lee was the only person convicted in the Mountain Meadows Massacre.  Historian Will Bagley tells the awful details of the tragedy. GT:  Okay, so the first attack occurs on September 7. Basically, the Fancher party literally circle the wagons, and then they dig in because they’re trying to defend themselves. Will:  Yes, and […] The post John D. Lee’s Role in Massacre (Part 5 of 9) appeared first on Gospel Tangents.

The Mountain Meadows Massacre was one of the most gruesome crimes ever committed on U. S. soil. This horrible massacre was committed by high ranking leaders of the Mormon Church. This is the story of that gruesome crime. Here is the link to John D. Lee's book:https://ia800106.us.archive.org/17/items/GR_2441/GR_2441.pdfHere is the link to the article from Newspapers.com:https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57472294/mormonism-john-d-lee-full-confession/Here's the YouTube video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mLWQVJCGoU

The trial of John D. Lee continued. Mormon witnesses claim to have no recollection.

The end of John D. Lee’s trial, his subsequent execution.

John D. Lee’s arrest and trial for his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre Of 1857.

In this episode, John D. Lee describes his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre, where Mormons murdered over 130 innocent men, women and children, who were simply trying to migrate to California.

John D. Lee recounts many of the atrocities committed by Mormons against outsiders or disobedient Mormons who were murdered, or terrorized or castrated by their “Destroying Angels”, the Danites.

Continuing the memoirs of John D. Lee, a Mormon mass murderer written shortly before his execution.

John D. Lee continues his narrative of his adventures as a Mormon evangelist in 19th century America. Read by Paul Martin.

Continuing the serial on Mormonism by John D. Lee. the bodyguard of Brigham Young.

There is dispute among historians about Brigham Young's knowledge about the Mountain Meadows Massacre.  Is it true Brigham knew in Sept 1857?  Did John D. Lee tell him the truth about the massacre? https://youtu.be/45dNVT_8aS4 Mel: Well, Brigham Young argued that he didn't know the story for a long time after. I agree with Will Bagley and others that John D. Lee did not lie to Young and that Jacob Hamblin told him the truth within two weeks. Hamblin is reciting second hand what the killers had told him. GT:  Because I know Barbara said that John D. Lee went up, I want to say September 29 to Salt Lake to talk to Brigham and Barbara says that John D. Lee lied and blamed it on the Indians. Mel:  That has been one of the standards of protection for President Young for a very long time, that John D. Lee lied. GT:  Okay, so you're saying that Will Bagley believes that John D. Lee told Brigham the truth right from the get go? Mel: And I do, too. GT:  You do, too. Mel:  And some other historians do. Jacob Hamblin was up there within 10 or 11 days. And I can imagine... GT : Well, Jacob wasn't part of the massacre. Mel : No, he was not.  He would be repeating what he heard second hand. But everybody lived in everybody's hip pocket down there. You know, we have this idea that Dixie is this vast place, which it is, that takes forever for people and information to travel. No. On horseback from what is now Panguitch, or say, Circleville, the fort there is no more than a two-day travel down to Santa Clara. Native Americans, Mormons, other whites, Mexicans, and what they know are moving through this area all the time. It's fluid, it's constant. Historian Mel Johnson tells us what he thinks, and discusses pioneer John Hawley's possible involvement, and his vocal disagreement, with the massacre. Mel:  Medical forensics work showed that there were a number of pistol holes in the skeletons and skulls of men, women and children. The only two revolvers that I can find in the Iron County Militia Musters: men who owned revolvers that were thought to be at the killing fields was Indian missionary Ira Hatch and John Pierce Hawley. Check out our conversation…. Historian Mel Johnson believes John D. Lee told Brigham Young the truth about the Mountain Meadows massacre. (Others think Lee lied.) Don't miss other other conversations with Mel! 279: Hawley's Opposition to MMM 278: Mormon Pioneers in Texas & End of Wightites 277: More on the Zodiac Temple in Texas 276: Lyman Wight & Mormon Colonies in Texas 275: Intro to Hawley

John Pierce Hawley rode with the Fancher-Baker party through Utah for a short time. https://youtu.be/qkSvk8-L-FE Mel: On the way back, the Hawleys end up riding along for about a week with the Fancher-Baker wagon immigrant train, and then they go on their way. GT: So they got on their way before they got to the Mountain Meadows, Mel: Yes. GT:  Good thing for them. Mel:  Well, they still met up again. John says that he was very opposed to the plans to wipe out the train. GT:  So he was aware of these plans? Mel:  Early on [he was aware]. He was part of the men that were called out. GT:  So part of the Nauvoo Legion? Mel:  Well, it wasn't the Legion, though they were Legion members. Notice the units were not called out. They were called out by priesthood relationship, and family relationships. Look at the number of brothers, uncles, nephews, cousins, that are among those 50 men. You don't have a pattern, a militia organization. You have a pattern of family and relationships, and that makes sense. Was his pistol used in this atrocious crime? Mel:  Several Masonic Mormon scholars have suggested that John D. Lee gave Masonic signs and promises that the immigrants would be protected. Whatever. They were lured out and we have all read the stories of the massacre. The only small thing other than John Hawley's story that I've come up with would have been... GT:  Because you said the John Hawley was involved in the planning? Mel:  No, no, not at all. Let me finish this, then we'll go to John Hawley. Medical forensics work showed that there were a number of pistol holes in the skeletons and skulls of men, women and children. The only two revolvers that I can find in the Iron County Militia Musters: men who owned revolvers that were thought to be at the killing fields was Indian missionary Ira Hatch and John Pierce Hawley. Mel:  Now Hawley says that he did not approve. Hawley says he was not there. But his brother, George, was there. His brother, William, was there and at least one, if not both, actively participated.  Maybe George or William borrowed John's pistol. I don't know. But, also, there's another possibility for those pistol shots. Maybe revolvers were removed from the possession of the immigrants and then used against them.  But, there's indication that John could have been there. John D. Lee said John was there. Historian Mel Johnson tells us that Hawley was a vocal critic of the crime.   Check out our conversation…. John P. Hawley was opposed to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, but was his pistol used in the crime? Don't miss our previous conversations! 278: Mormon Pioneers in Texas & End of Wightites 277: More on the Zodiac Temple in Texas 276: Lyman Wight & Mormon Colonies in Texas 275: Intro to Hawley

While it seems likely that Brigham Young was initially lied to about the Mountain Meadows Massacre, at what point did he learn that Mormons were involved? https://youtu.be/xpuPLChFDEw Turley: Well, basically Brigham Young knew that he had received a letter from Isaac Haight. Again, this is a story that you'll see in our book. He knew he had a letter from Isaac Haight midweek in the massacre, basically saying that the immigrants were under attack at the Mountain Meadows. He sent a letter back saying, "Let them go." Then he got word that they had been attacked and massacred. So, the natural question he would have on his mind when he gets his first visitor from the south is what happened? What happened here?  The story that he got, which we detail in the book, is a story of an all-Indian massacre. GT: And that was from John D. Lee, correct? Turley: It was from John D. Lee.  That's right. GT: John blamed it all on the Indians. Turley  Yep. And he does it in such a way that he attempts to foist a burden of guilt on Brigham Young for his Indian policy, which was: get Indians to align with us in the Utah War, to be enemies against the Mericats,[1] the Americans. So, the way John D. Lee told the story led Brigham Young to believe:  "My policy has contributed to spilling the blood of innocent people on Utah soil." GT: So you're saying that when John D. Lee came up to tell Brigham about the massacre, he's essentially saying, "Brigham, this is your fault, because you're trying to align with the Indians?" Turley: Yeah. GT: That's interesting. Turley: It wouldn't have been that crass, but that's essentially what he was trying to do. [1] Mericats was the word Indians used for Americans. What did he try to do about it? Turley: By the middle of 1859, he was very convinced that there was disturbing information about members of the church being involved. He was telling them at the time, "Look, if you had something to do with this, you're not going to be protected. Get yourselves ready to go to trial."  I think he was very much in hopes that trials would occur. People said that he wanted to have those trials in probate courts that were operated by local bishops. Ultimately, he comes to the conclusion that the best way to resolve this is have it be done in the territorial courts, the federal courts, if you want to call them that. Unfortunately, for the reasons that we described in the book, it didn't happen, and those are political reasons. This is available only to newsletter subscribers, so please sign up for our newsletter to get a secret link.  Go to www.gospeltangents.com/newsletter to sign up! Richard Turley describes how Brigham Young learned about the massacre. Don't miss out other conversations with Richard Turley. 268: Federal Investigation into MMM (Turley) 267: Was John D. Lee Most Guilty? (Turley) 266: Richard Turley on Saints… & Sinners (Turley)

When the Fancher-Baker Party did not make it to California, news traveled fast.  Congress asked federal investigators to find out what happened in Mountain Meadows.  Was it an all-Indian attack, or were Mormons involved? https://youtu.be/0joVDJU9A30 Turley: But the word made it quickly to California and then quickly to the eastern United States. So, people knew that their loved ones were killed or missing in late 1857 and early 1858, so it didn't take long at all. At that point people in Arkansas, whose relatives were killed began to write to their congressional representatives saying, "We need to do something about this."  It wasn't long before officials in Washington were demanding that something occur as well. So, they were sending orders with their people who were headed west with the Utah expedition telling them that they needed to do something about the massacre. GT:  Okay. So, because, if I remember right, didn't it take about 10 years before they brought anybody up for trial? Or what was the time frame before they actually brought legal action? Turley: So the Utah War ended in 1858, and before it ended, there was not anything done. In 1858, when the federal judges arrived, one of the federal judges, John Cradlebaugh, became responsible for that portion of the territory of Utah that included the South.  So in 1859, in March, he convened a court and as part of that court had a grand jury, and he wanted the grand jury at that point to indict those who he felt were responsible for the massacre. Without spilling a lot of the details of what's going to be in our second volume, I'll tell you that that was a complicated event. We explained in there exactly what happens during this trial. By the time you get to the middle of 1859, Church leaders are also concerned about what they're hearing, and so they want to have some type of judicial proceeding as well. But for reasons, again, that we explain in our book, based on evidence no one's ever seen before, that doesn't work out. Then we get to the Civil War. After the Civil War, we get judges back in Utah, who are turning their attention to this crime again. So then in 1874, you finally have your first indictments, and then two trials of John D. Lee: one in 1875, and in 1876. Check out our conversation…. News of the massacre traveled fast, but the first trial of John D. Lee happened in 1875, following the 1857 massacre. Don't forget to see our previous conversations with Richard Turley. 267: Was John D. Lee Most Guilty? (Turley) 266: Richard Turley on Saints… & Sinners (Turley)

John D. Lee was the only person convicted (and executed) for the Mountain Meadows Massacre.  Was he the guiltiest?  Richard Turley answers that question, as well as many others. https://youtu.be/mDc_9HiGbeE Turley : Contrary to popular belief, John D. Lee is not the only one who was indicted. A grand jury in September of 1874 indicted nine persons.  The key figures in the massacre were, first Isaac Haight. Isaac Haight was the militia major and also the stake president in Cedar City at the time. He seems to be the linchpin, the person who was at the center who organized the events that lead to the massacre and gave approval for the massacre to occur. William Dame, who was his military superior, the commander of the militia in southern Utah, he lived in Parowan. He was also a stake president. Then, John D. Lee, who was the person who Isaac Haight brought in to make an initial attack on the immigrants and who was on the ground at the time of the final massacre and helped to massacre people. Then, in addition to those, all told, there were probably at least 50 people, maybe 60 people, who played some kind of role in the massacre at some point. So, it was clearly group violence.  The people who were investigating the massacre and who were trying it, were not necessarily interested in getting all those people into a courtroom. They were interested in trying the leaders. This is not unusual. If you look at group violence across the United States and across the world, often it's the leaders that that law enforcement officials go after. That was certainly the case here. Some have said the Fancher Party were insulting Mormons on their way through Utah.  Others have said they were peace-loving people who did not deserve to die.  Likely the truth is somewhere in the middle.  What led the Mormons to become so angry with the Fancher-Baker party? In those days, many cities in the United States, including cities in Utah, had anti-profanity ordinances. If somebody profaned in public, you can arrest them, and then either imprison them or give them a fine. Isaac Haight, before the company arrives said we're going to try to get some cattle from these people. Why get cattle? Well, in the event of a siege, they'd have food that they can use to help supply themselves. So, if these people were expressing themselves verbally, they could have used their anti-profanity ordinance as a way of arresting these people and then taking cattle from them as a fine. So, while the exact details are somewhat murky, we probably had something about like that going on. In short, there was nothing that these immigrants did, nothing, that would justify an attack on a single person, let alone a wholesale execution of men, women and children, who had been promised protection under a white flag. Check out our conversation…. Richard Turley weighs in on whether John D. Lee was most guilty. Check out our previous conversation with Richard! 266: Richard Turley on Saints… & Sinners  

In our final conversation with Barbara Jones Brown, we'll talk about who was most culpable for the massacre.  Was it John D. Lee, Brigham Young, or militia leaders in Iron County? https://youtu.be/D3tCgrl_Jes Barbara:  [Brigham Young] starts to come to believe that John D Lee and Isaac Haight we're involved. Now at this time, he doesn't have civil authority. He just has church authority, right? Because he's not the governor anymore. And so, he excommunicates John D. Lee and Isaac Haight, eventually. GT: Would it be safe to say that those were the two most responsible people for the massacre? Barbara:  I think William Dame is also responsible because he gave the final okay to go ahead and carry it out as Iron County militia commander. Phillip Klingensmith was clearly very much involved and clearly received much of the spoils. We know from a clerk of Phillip Klingensmith that he was pilfering tithing funds and stealing from the people long before the massacre. But is Brigham Young completely blameless? Barbara:  I agree with Juanita Brooks' conclusion that his rhetoric before the massacre was very dangerous. You know, privately he was writing and saying, "I don't want any bloodshed in this conflict." But he was definitely whipping people up into a state of hysteria. ... GT:  Would Brigham Young be an accessory to that with his rhetoric? Barbara: I don't think he's an accessory to the crime. I look at President Donald Trump today and some of his rhetoric that he uses. Did he tell people to do what happened at Charlottesville? No. But did his rhetoric make people think it was okay to do what they did? Did some people think it was okay to do what they did at Charlottesville? Probably. So, would you call Trump an accessory to any crime? Would you call Trump an accessory to the crime that occurred at Charlottesville when you had one of these people drive a car into protesters? No. I wouldn't call Trump an accessory to that crime. No. But did his rhetoric encourage some people to think that was okay? Possibly. Check out our conversation…. Are there others responsible for the deaths at Mountain Meadows? Check out our other episodes with Barbara! 260: After the Killing (Jones Brown) 259: Cattle Rustling Turns Deadly (Jones Brown) 258: Tackling Myths of Mountain Meadows (Jones Brown) 257: Revenge for Haun's Mill & Pratt's Murder? (Jones Brown) 256: Utah War & Mountain Meadows Massacre (Jones Brown)

20 years before the Mountain Meadows Massacre, 17 Mormons were killed in Haun's Mill, Missouri.  And just four months earlier, Parley P. Pratt, a beloved Mormon apostle was killed May 13, 1857 in Arkansas.  Just a few months after Pratt's death, around 100 immigrants from Arkansas were killed.  Is it true that Mormons sought revenge for the Haun's Mill and Pratt's murder?  Barbara Jones Brown will answer that question. https://youtu.be/rv0GJLgAU5I Barbara: So I looked at that theory and all I can find is proximate cause, meaning, so okay, this happened in Arkansas, therefore these people were from Arkansas, therefore that must be the reason. But when I looked at it, I don't think that was the motive. I think these other things that I've been talking about were the motive. Here are my reasons. Quite a lot of the perpetrators eventually come out and say why this happened as well as local people. They give a whole slew of motives and reasons for why this happened. Not one of them ever said that Parley P. Pratt's murder was a motive. GT: Hmm. That's among the principal people that were involved. Barbara: Yeah. Anyone. Anyone. You can't find a single Mormon that ever said that. GT: So, do you think that's overplayed then? Barbara: I do. Were you surprised to hear Brown downplay Pratt and Haun's Mill in the Mountain Meadows Massacre? Check out our conversation…. Barbara Jones Brown disputes the idea that Mountain Meadows was revenge for Haun's Mill or Parley Pratt's murder. Don't miss our other episodes about the massacre. 256: Utah War & Mountain Meadows Massacre (Jones-Brown) 194: What is the Dead Lee Scroll? (Mayfield) 193: John D. Lee's Role in Mountain Meadows Massacre (Mayfield) 074: CSI: Mountain Meadows – Using DNA to Solve 2 Mysteries (Perego)    

If you didn't grow up in Utah, you've probably never heard of the Utah War.  Federal troops came to Utah in 1857 creating great anxiety among the Mormons.  This war footing led to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, the lowest point in Mormon history.  Barbara Jones-Brown tells about these events that led to the greatest atrocity in American history up to that point in 1857. https://youtu.be/-yC2SZ1umL8 Barbara: A memorial from Utah's legislature [was sent to Washington] saying, "Look, if you keep sending us federal officials that we don't like, that we don't agree with, we're going to send them away. Please choose appointees that are from among us and represent our values." Basically one legislator said it was practically a declaration of independence. So there's these kinds of stories, these kind of rumors, some based in fact, some exaggerated that reach Washington. So the new president concludes that he needs to send a whole new set of territorial appointees to Utah, including one to replace Brigham Young as governor and that he's going to send federal troops with them to ensure that they are placed successfully and with no resistance from local Utahans. So Brigham Young and church leaders interpret this as a threat and they vowed that the army, the troops will never enter into their settlements. I'm really glossing over things quickly here, but you have what came to be called the Utah War erupt where the troops and the federal appointees, as they are nearing settlements of what was then Utah Territory. Young and other church leaders send out Mormon militia men to hamper their way. So they're running off their cattle, they're burning the grass in front of them. They are burning their supply wagons, doing everything they can to try and get the troops to be stopped on the plains that year. So that's the environment and you've got this war hysteria going, on if you will, in Utah Territory. These heightened tensions contributed to Mormons in Utah committing the worst war atrocity in U.S. history up to that time in 1857.  Approximately 100 settlers from Arkansas were killed.  Check out our conversation…. President James Buchanan sent federal troops to Utah to quell the "Mormon Rebellion." The Utah War indirectly led to the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Check out our other conversations about the Mountain Meadows Massacre. 194: What is the Dead Lee Scroll? (Mayfield) 193: John D. Lee's Role in Mountain Meadows Massacre (Mayfield) 074: CSI: Mountain Meadows – Using DNA to Solve 2 Mysteries (Perego)  

Mark Hofmann tried to create evidence of the Spalding Conspiracy.  There has long been a theory that Book of Mormon was plagiarized from a manuscript originally written by Solomon Spaulding (or Spalding.)  The problem with the theory is that there was never a connection between Joseph Smith and Solomon Spaulding—until Mark Hofmann came up with a document.  Steve Mayfield talks about buying this Hofmann forgery. https://youtu.be/HUT1qoEiikU Steve: So, in January of 2000, the former owner of Cosmic Aeroplane sold it to Ken Sanders who used to work there. He now had his own bookstore there in Salt Lake, Ken Sanders Books. Well he had it on display and I'm just sitting there just [thinking], "Oh, oh, I love it." But it was like $4,000 they wanted for it. Well, I had enough in a credit card, so I bought it from him. GT: Oh my goodness. Steve: In August of 2000. So, for four years I owned a Hofmann. GT: You knew it was a forgery. Steve: Yeah, Yeah. I mean he sold it as that. The minute he sold it after I bought it, I take it back to the office and show George [Throckmorton.] He showed some things on the document that only he and I know. I guess this proves there is a market for Hofmann forgeries!  What do you think of Steve's purchase? Check out our conversation, as well as Steve's other conversations.... Mark Hofmann forged a document that attempted to tie Sidney Rigdon & Solomon Spalding together. Steve discusses why it is a forgery. 194: What is the Dead Lee Scroll? (Mayfield) 193: John D. Lee's Role in Mountain Meadows Massacre (Mayfield) 192: Mormons & the FBI (Mayfield) 191: Steve Mayfield: Crime Photographer (Mayfield) 190: Mormon Connection in Patty Hearst Kidnapping (Mayfield)

A lead scroll was found at Lee's Ferry in Arizona, now known as the Dead Lee Scroll.  What is it exactly? https://youtu.be/jAc2Zdrkz4U Steve:    Well, one of the documents or artifacts that came up in 2002 was a lead plate they found down in Lee's Ferry and it's been given the nickname of Dead Lee Scroll. Will Bagley gave it that name. It's a piece of lead. [It's] very thin. So, it's not the hardest thing. ... So, he is in there cleaning. And all of the sudden he come across this thing rolled up. He opens it comes up and starts reading John D. Lee. Whoa! That has something to do with it. So, he cleans it off and they look at and they come up, hey, is this a confession? Is just some document that points out to it. Well, of course, boom, everybody loves it. Well, March of 2002, the archeologist for the Park Service, she'd taken it to Phoenix and showed it to Bill Flynn who worked with George Throckmorton on the Hofmann documents. Bill Flynn's not LDS. Then she brings up to Salt Lake to George Throckmorton who was my boss at the time in Salt Lake Police crime lab. And so, he examined it, taking pictures of it and everything. Was it a long-lost admission of guilt from the only person convicted of participating in the Mountain Meadows Massacre, John D. Lee?  Steve Mayfield will tell us more about it and attempts to authenticate it.  (It features forensic expert George Throckmorton, who we interviewed previously!)  If you want to see photos of the scroll and Lee's Ferry, Go to Youtube.com/GospelTangents to see the video.  Steve was kind enough to share some of his photos with me. Does the Dead Lee Scroll implicate Brigham Young in the Mountain Meadows Massacre? Check out our conversation…

September 11, 1857 was the largest mass-murder in American history.  Over 100 immigrants from Arkansas were killed in southern Utah.  John D. Lee was the only person executed for this atrocity.  In our conversation with Steve Mayfield, we'll talk more about Lee's involvement in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. https://youtu.be/VCtObMKj7PQ GT: So as I understand it from what I understand what the Mountain Meadows Massacre, there's a lot of tensions going on. John D. Lee kind of spurs the Indians to attack, says it's going to be an easy target, but it's not an easy target. And so, they surround themselves. So, John D. Lee and William Dame and Klingonsmith and Higbee, they're kind of the leaders of this whole thing. So, they come out and they say, "Well, if you'll turn over your weapons we will save you from the Indians." Steve: Yeah. GT: So as I understand it, every Mormon man had a gun. [Each Mormon] was walking each man from the Fancher Party out. And then the women and children were kind of in the back and somebody gave a signal. Was it Lee that gave the signal? Steve: I can't remember. GT:  There was something to the effect of "Do your duty," and then every Mormon man turned to the Fancher [Party] and shot and killed them. And then they left the women and children to be attacked by the Indians. Steve:  Yeah. Again, you've got so many different stories and the fact is I think they realized, whoops. Because when they reported back to Brigham in Salt Lake, what happened is not what they actually did. You know, they, they kind of lied to Brigham. GT: Because Lee was one of the people that went to Brigham and told him what happened. But he lied about it. Steve: Yeah. One of the interesting things is that supposedly the church or the church leaders trying to hide this. But I saw an article in New York Times two months later, before the end of the year, were talking about this massacre of white people done in southern Utah. I mean, it's not like we have instant news today. But it was very quick when this started going around and when the government comes and then they to look into it. And again, the Johnston's army there and all the government investigation. Here comes Mountain Meadows in the middle of it. Now of course, you know Brigham kind of telling John D. Lee to take off and hide because they were trying to find him. And of course, it was 20 years later when they [try him.] GT: Ok, let's make sure we've got those details there. So, Lee participates in the massacre. Of course, he wasn't the only person that was in the massacre. Check out our conversation, as well as our other segments on Mormons & Crime! John D. Lee was the only person executed for involvement in the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Sept 11, 1857. 192: Mormons & the FBI 191: Steve Mayfield: Crime Photographer 190: Mormon Connection in Patty Hearst Kidnapping

[paypal-donation] We're concluding our conversation with Dr. Jonathan Stapley.  We're talking about sealings, especially child to parent sealings, such as born in the covenant.  In early Mormonism, these bonds were considered permanent (as Dr. Bill Smith mentioned.)  John D. Lee was sealed as an adopted son of Brigham Young, but Lee also participated in the Mountain Meadows Massacre.  What is his status? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP5HFWMWcf8 Jonathan:  Brigham Young has to wrestle with this. Well, is this a persevering relationship? And faced with that reality, he says, “No. You guys have to...” He gets up. And he's like, “Oh, you people that are sealed to me, yes indeed. You can't get on my coattails. You have to do your work.” Right? But on the one hand, but on the other hand he's saying, “my kids are totally in.” We will also talk about the protestant ideas of Calvinism and Arminianism.  How does Mormonism fit in with those paradigms? Jonathan:  Calvinism is this idea that, you know, to the modern perspective, once you are saved, you are saved always and you cannot fall from grace. And Arminians were like, well, you can certainly backslide.  Like you can be saved and then screw up then backslide. And the challenge is that for everybody, for every Christian, no matter what sort of soft theology you adhere to, is that we all know folks that are burning converts that are regenerated and have the faith. And that also ended up being just complete jerks and falling away, right? And the Calvinists would perhaps say, “Well, he never really was saved in the first place.”  He was never elect.  Right? And the Methodist, the Arminian would say, well, he was certainly saved, but he then backslid and fell from grace. And the question is, how does that—he explicitly referenced, Joseph Smith explicitly references these two ideas and then places the sealing in between. And I think how one way to think about this is that sealings in as much as they materialized, heaven, they created, literally heaven.  It doesn't exist anywhere outside of the creation of these sealed networks. If I am sealed into the network of heaven, I have a place there. And then if I backslide, so the discussion with these early sins being persevering, that once you are part of heaven, you cannot be taken away. You persevere in heaven. The idea is, at least in section 132, is that you can backslide, but your place in heaven is still there and there's strong language that destruction of flesh and, all these, like warnings, right? Are Mormon sealings considered permanent today?  Are our marriage bonds sealing our children into heaven? [paypal-donation] Dr. Stapley discusses child to parent sealings, like born in the covenant. Does this guarantee a child in heaven? One last thing.  We've started a new page at Patreon.  If you would like to watch entire interviews in one session, our first interview with George Throckmorton is now up at Patreon.com/GospelTangents.  For $5/month you can get the whole interview!  Check it out!  Also, please support Gospel Tangents by becoming a monthly subscriber!  For $10/month (click the yellow button at the top of the page here on GospelTangents.com) I will send you a transcript of this and all future interviews!  Or simply go to GospelTangents.com/shop to purchase this or other transcripts.

Have you ever heard of Forrest Fenn's Treasure? Well, neither had I up until recently. It's a modern day Indiana Jones adventure. Also, do you remember John D. Lee and his lost treasure? I give to you 4 more brief tales of my top favorite lost treasures.

Have you ever heard of Forrest Fenn's Treasure? Well, neither had I up until recently. It's a modern day Indiana Jones adventure. Also, do you remember John D. Lee and his lost treasure? I give to you 4 more brief tales of my top favorite lost treasures.

On this episode we discuss the importance of historical preservation as well as John D. Lee, the only man punished and executed for his involvement in the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and his lost mine.

On this episode we discuss the importance of historical preservation as well as John D. Lee, the only man punished and executed for his involvement in the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and his lost mine.

On this episode, we take the historical timeline closer to the end of 1832. Everybody is focused on getting the printing press up and running in Independence Missouri, and they don't even realize that a viper lurks in the grass. We're introduced to a few new people that get their very own nicknames, and the bloody viper even gets his own long-awaited introduction. From April 14th, 1832 on, Mormon history will be forever changed.Website http://nakedmormonismpodcast.comTwitter @NakedMormonismFacebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Mormonism/370003839816311Patreon http://patreon.com/nakedmormonismOutro music Jason Comeau http://aloststateofmind.com/Links:BRODIE AWARD VOTING!!!!HURRY AND VOTE, POLLS CLOSE MIDNIGHT FEB 5!!!http://mainstreetplaza.com/2016/01/22/time-to-vote-for-the-2015-brodie-awards/comment-page-1/#comment-3167981Mary Rollins:http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/MLightner.htmlhttp://josephsmithspolygamy.org/history-2/plural-wives-overview/mary-elizabeth-rollins/Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought (page 110)http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm/ref/collection/dialogue/id/27086Adam-God doctrine apologetics:http://en.fairmormon.org/Mormonism_and_doctrine/Repudiated_concepts/Adam-God_theoryThinking Allowed Podcast, Con men in New York:http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06wg7rpEntire Aaron Dewitt time capsule letter:"Logan, Utah  Jan. 31, 1875To Mrs. Elizabeth Durrant:My Dear Sister:    How to commence this letter I have promised you so long. I hardly know, but will say in the first place I have been deceived, led into error, imposed upon, deluded, beguiled into a false religion in my youth and spent the best part of my life in a wilderness, a desert, a land of sage and salt, away from all enlightenment and civilization, among the most degraded tribes of Indians on the Western hemisphere.  And what is still more worse, I have had to mingle with A BEASTLY, BLACKHEARTED, BLOODY PRIESTHOOD; a set of treacherous villains, as full of meanness as old Satan, and as thirsty for blood as a stinted leech. While these are facts, they are not half told; For hundreds have been killed for gold; Both men and women have been slain And robbed to add to Brigham’s gain. I will here mention a few of the most inhuman and cruel acts ever committed by any man-eating savage in the darkest ages, and which none but a corrupt priesthood could ever perpetrated.  All of these have been done in Utah since I came here by men claiming to hold THE HOLY PRIESTHOOD OF THE SON OF GOD, and sent by their great Prophet and leader to do these deeds of blood and plunder in the name of God Almighty.On the 12th day of September, 1857, two days after I arrived in this accursed land, 119 men, women and children were murdered while traveling to California, by a band of Mormons painted as Indians, and led by a Mormon high priest, a pious president of a stake of Zion, and a wise ward bishop.  After the emigrants had defended themselves against those wretches for three days beneath a burning sun in a sandy desert, WITHOUT A DROP OF WATER, they dressed two beautiful little girls in white and sent them to a spring nearby. But as they tripped along towards the sparkling stream they met the bullets of those merciless Mormons and fell dead into the water they were trying to secure to save their own lives and quench the parched throats of their beloved parents.  Finally John D. Lee, a Mormon bishop, who had just been anointed A KING AND PRIEST TO GOD, and who had eighteen wives given to him for being so great and good, sent a flag of truce to the poor, parched up, bleeding emigrants and promised them protection if they would give up their arms and go back to the nearest town.  This they gladly agreed to; but mark the next act of this sanctified saint.  They had not gone a half mile from their camp, when this great deliverer gave the command to his men to fire, and every man was shot down and every woman screamed and ran.  The terrible, sorrowful scene that ensued no tongue can tell.  Every woman was caught and ravished, murdered, robbed of her jewelry, stripped naked and left unburied on the burning sand.  In a few days nothing was left of all those beautiful forms but the bleaching bones the prairie wolf could not devour.  Then every child those bloodhounds thought could tell the tale of their infernal villainy was beheaded or cut to pieces, and scattered quivering with its bleeding friends.  Then those pure-souled priests plunged their hands into the gory clotted blood of their victims, and with outstretched arms toward heaven, EXPRESSED THEIR GRATITUDE TO GOD for so great a favor; to Him who doeth all things well; but who will undoubtedly, when they meet Him, hear His laugh re-echo through the caverns of the damned, saying, “I told you I would laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear cometh.” All the property of those murdered men and women was gathered together the value of one hundred and fifteen thousand dollars, besides thirty-five thousand dollars in gold, and sent to their old master-murderer Brigham.  And this is how he sits in his office, wags his big toe, and makes his means, and then boasts that he is THE GREATEST FINANCIER ON EARTH, and owns nothing but what the Lord has given him.Another and similar case is that of the murdered Morrisites, a religious body of simple-minded souls, who had met together for devotional exercise in a small valley on the banks of the Weber River in the summer of 1862, when a corps of the Nauvoo Legion, led by cowardly Captain Burton, who is now on a mission preaching the Gospel of Mercy to you dark benighted Britons, and inviting you to the home of the free and the land of the brave, but he is not gallant enough to come home himself.  He is the dastardly dog who crawled on his belly, like his ancient progenitor which tempted Mother Eve, until he was near enough to fire a cannon and blow down the house where those poor souls had met.  Then, after they had surrendered, and given up their few fire arms, the poltroon shot and killed Joseph Morris, Mr. Banks, and two women, one with a beautiful baby nursing at her breast, took the rest of the camp prisoners, put them in the penitentiary, and finally fined them one hundred dollars each, just because they did not believe in the rascality of Brigham Young, and do as they were told. What bloody deeds, what sin and striveWhat sacrifice of human life,What deeds of plunder have been done,To raise a gory throne for Young.I will next mention the most perfidious act coupled with the foulest murder ever committed since the world began.  IT WAS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT, when three of the Salt Lake City police were sent by the great Seer and Revelator of all the world, to see Dr. Robinson and ask him to set a broken limb for a poor man who, they said was writhing in agony.  The Doctor had just retired to bed, but at his murderers’ entreaties, he dressed himself, and in a few moments was on his errand of mercy.  He had not gone far when one of the villains, who walked behind, struck him on the head with a meat chopper he had stolen for the purpose, and cleft open his skull. The others fired their pistols immediately, and blowing out their victim’s brains, fled. But my soul sickens at these dreadful deeds, or I would tell you of the brutal murder of Yates, the killing McNiel, the assassination of Borman, the shooting of Brassfield, the slaughter of the Akins party, the emasculation of Jones, and finally the butchering of him and his poor old mother.  I would also mention the dead man in the meat market, the three men in the barn, the murder near the Warm Springs, the shooting of Pike in the streets of Salt Lake City in broad daylight, the murder of the Potters and Parishes, of Rhodes and Roberts, and HUNDREDS OF OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD, and robbed to satisfy the avaricious cravings of as foul a man and as false a Prophet as ever disgraced this sin-stained earth. These horrible deeds have all been committed in our holy Zion, and not one of the perpetrators ever brought to justice.  In fact, there has been no justice in the land.  A few years ago a man’s life was not worth a cent who durst utter such words as there is evil in the land, or sin among the Priesthood.  “You do as you are told!” has been the Gospel preached in this priest-ridden place for the last quarter of a century. In the fall of 1857, I heard our Prophet in a congregation of three thousands souls, tell his bishops they were to “counsel” the brethren to do as they were told; and, said he “if they don’t do it, lay righteousness to the line and judgment to the plummet.  If  you don’t know what that is, come to me and I will tell you!” He then threw back his head and with a revolting grin, DREW HIS FINGER ACROSS HIS THROAT, a sign the anointed ones well understood.  And yet, the old bilk, with his smooth slang will make his innocent dupes believe he is free from guilt, and that he is THE LIGHT, THE TRUTH, AND THE WAY, and that he has a place prepared for them, where the waters are flowing placidly – a land of milk and honey.  But the waters are stained with blood, and the milk is turned towhey,And the honey has lost its sweetness, the people seem to say;And dupes are getting scarcer, and obedience is dead,And all the old man’s judgments and plummets, too, have fled.THE HAND-CART EXPEDITION Then there was the hand-cart company that crossed the plains in 1856.  The details of their distress caps the climax of all horrors.  Could I portray that terrible journey and the sufferings of those poor souls, your very heart would bleed.  Three ounces of flour per day was all they had to eat.  Upon this scanty fare they dragged their carts with 100 pounds of luggage over the worst kind of road, and more than five hundred miles through snow, fording rivers whose currents are of the swiftest kind, and their waters always cold.  Then at night, when those poor, wet, shivering souls came into camp they had no wood to make a fire.  At times a few small willows could be obtained, just enough to bake their scanty cake.  It did not take them long to eat their supper, for a mouthful each was all they had.  So hungry were they, that some gnawed the flesh off their own arms, ate roasted hide, or fed upon their shoes.  One-fourth of all who started, DIED OF STARVATION ON THE WAY. From five to fifteen died every night for over 300 miles of the road.  So weak and weary were these living skeletons that they could scarcely bury their dead.  Every night a pit would be dug just large enough to place the dead in, and a shallow covering of dirt thrown over them.  Those that dug the grave one night expected to be placed in theirs the next.  Many a one prayed that his spirit might leave his frame of bones for a berth among the blessed. Why did they start in this way? do you inquire.  Because this false prophet had told them that it was the Lord’s plan of emigration, and the only way to secure salvation. They believing him to be a true prophet, had faith in all he said, and started on their journey, 1,400 miles, as late in the season as August.  As they traveled on Westward toward the Zion of their hopes, songs could be heard from every cart and prayers from every camp.  But before they got five hundred miles on their weary pilgrimage, THE SNOWS BEGAN TO FALL, the wintry winds to blow, and the keen frost and piercing cold set in.  Then their suffering commenced in earnest.  Still they trudged along day after day, full of faith in God and holy priesthood, and day after day endured greater pain.  Finally their limbs began to freeze, and pieces fell from their worn-out bodies. They became dispirited and pined away and died, as I have already told you.So sad and sickening is this Gospel plan, As taught by Brigham, to poor fallen man, That every time I mention his ill name, It sends a shudder quivering through my frame. I also tremble for the deeds he’s done;For life destroyed, for blood he caused to run; For victims frozen on the plains, through him, While starving, suffering, falling limb from limb.Dear Sister, in this sad letter I have told you the truth, AS IT IS IN JESUS CHRIST, and as I expect to meet at the final bar of retribution.  All these deeds and a thousand others equal to them in baseness and brutality, have all been committed under the cloak of religion.  But I must tell you more of them at another time. I will now tell you the reason why we could not leave this blood-stained land, I mean ten or twelve years ago.  In the first place, we were a thousand miles from the nearest town East, eight hundred miles to the nearest settlement West, and God only knows how far to any place north and south.  On all this vast tract of land, NO WHITE MAN DWELT, no civilization was known, none but the red men roamed the dreary solitudes.  To travel such a space required considerable food, a good wagon and team, in fact, everything necessary for a three month’s pilgrimage.  Nor was it safe for a few men to go together, unless they were well-armed.  Again, every Bishop knew your business AND WAS ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT.  If you started, they would send men to drive off your stock, and thus you would be compelled to return.  Then, if you did not behave and act the hypocrite, the bishop would send the Danites to use you up, send you across lots to that bright brimstone home we read about.  Thus you see it was almost impossible to get away.  But now we have a railroad across the plains and settlements every little way and civilization is coming to Zion.  If the Lord won’t come the law will, and if Jesus is not approaching, justice is.  Then all who want can leave.  But now the priests want us to go, and we wish to stay.Burst off every fetter, remove this Priestly yoke. And never rest contented, till every link is broke. For every man in Utah and woman shall be free. And shouts shall echo through the land for God and Liberty! Hoping to meet you soon on earth life and finally beyond the confines of time measured out to mortal man.I am affectionately,Your Brother,AARON DEWITT

  Join Lindsay as she discusses the fantastic and gruesome autobiography of the youngest wife of John D. Lee, Ann Gordge.  This episode contains strong themes of violence and listener discretion is advised.     Links mentioned in this podcast: Ann’s Autobiography Ann’s short bio Playing With Shadows: Voices of Dissent in the Mormon West […]

Join Lindsay as she talks about Emma Batchelor Lee French, a favorite wife of John D. Lee of Mountain Meadows Massacre fame.   Links mentioned in this podcast: Will Bagley’s: “ONE LONG FUNERAL MARCH”: A REVISIONIST’S VIEW OF THE MORMON HANDCART DISASTERS Courageous Emma Lee Endured Many Hardships in Pioneer Utah Emma Lee by Juanita […]