Show Your Heritage and You THE FOUNTAIN GREEN MURDERS The first of October about a dozen horse teams loaded with provisions horse feed and conference visitors anxious to again mingle with civilization clasp hands with friends and relatives at Salt Lake and also partake of the bread of life so freely dispensed in the Tabernacle Tabernacle Tabernacle Tab Tab- started for their destination destination destination des des- in the fresh tracks of four ox teams that had started the day before laden with grain The four men teamsters and owners of their loads were Wm Luke Nelson Thomas Clark and Wm Reed These men had been advised to camp on Canal Creek Chester and travel In company with the horse teams across the divide and through the canyon but had continued their Journey so the conference folks did not find them at the appointed rendezvous The horse teams did not find the freight teams at Canal Creek but a little after noon as they drew near the Dutch Spring now Fountain Green they were seen in the distance ahead but what a deathlike ominous si silence silence silence si- si lence surrounded the spot The pale October sunshine played over the coverless bows and frames of the wagon but there was no sign of life Geo Peacock and another the herdsman herdsman the vanguard of the company rode toward the motionless bivouac They paused paus- paus ed by the with roadside roadside with faces blanched they turned back women fainted or breathed sup sup- pressed screams while frightened frightened frightened fright fright- ened children sobbed The men grasped their guns and sprang out of the wagons as the guard rode up and made the announcement that there was trouble ahead and told of the ghastly spectacle that awaited the sight of the distracted distracted distracted dis dis- dis- dis travelers Slowly the wagons advanced to where lay the body of Wm Reed stripped of every shred of clothing scalped and disembowelled disembowelled disembowelled his white flesh like marble he lay Jay by the side of the road oad stiff and stark tark in d death ath The writer will never forget the ghastly sight He had runabout run runabout runabout about a hundred yards back on the road to Manti Mantl before the fatal bullet stopped his race for life And though nature herself herself her her- self seemed hus hushed eq I in du dumb b horror every soul In the train momentarily expected ted to o. o hear the crack of the unerring rifles and the of th the death dealing bullet The bodies of Nelson and Luke were found near the wagons Brother Luke was on his way to Salt Lake to meet his three sons who had just arrived with the European immigration Thomas Clark could not ot be found and strong hopes were entertained that he had made his escape Creek Nephi The teams halted and one of the wagons was speedily relieved ed of its occupants they with the load being transferred and disbursed among the other wagons wagons wagons wag wag- ons in the train and the bodies of the three murdered men were placed in the bottom of the empty wagon for transportation tion to Salt Lake During the transfer and loading of the mangled mangled mangled man man- remains oppressive si silence silence silence si- si lence like that of the grave had continued unbroken save by the smothered sobs and moans of the women and children and the suppressed voices of the men menas menas menas as some order was necessarily given But now as the train prepared prepared prepared pre pre- pared to continue its melancholy melancholy melancholy melan melan- choly journey the hillside suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly resounded with savage whoops and shouts of defiance and derision which reached the ears of the stricken horror-stricken an and helpless company numerous forms could be seen passing to and fro among the cedars with which the hillsides were thickly studded waving blankets and gloating over the horrible deed they had just committed Some persons could not re refrain refrain re- re frain Iran from uttering the wish that they had a bottle of ar arsenic arsenic ar- ar to sift over the wheat which these fiendish wretches had poured upon the ground every sack having been ripped open The company proceeded on their way anxiously looking for traces of the missing man who was young and with promis promising ing ability Arriving at Salt Creek no joyful tidings greeted their ears An express was Immediately immediately immediately Imme imme- dispatched to Manti with orders to keep on the west westside westside westside side of river and look for the missing man as Judge Peacock who was his half brother still thought it possible possible possible ble he might have made his escape in that direction He said said He die was a splendid runner runner runner run run- ner and long But alas for human hopes he was doomed to bear the rending heart-rending tidings to his disconsolate disconsolate disconsolate dis dis- dis- dis consolate mother whose home was In the city His body was afterwards discovered where it had been buried burled beneath the grain which the murderers in their haste had emptied over it His remains were brought to Manti and interred in the cemetery while the others found a resting place In Salt Cree Creek k President Young had Just previous to this sent a reinforcement reinforcement reinforcement rein rein- of men to assist the settlement In standing guard and harvesting the grain He also recommended that they send all their stock and other cattle not absolutely required for constant use to The City for safety from Indian depredation tion they considered themselves themselves themselves them them- selves quite safe having built Spanish walls around their city the entire length of said walls being nine miles long The stock was accordingly sent and that was the last we ever saw of our cattle The following spring Judge Peacock was authorized by the citizens of ManU Mantl to go to the city and dispose of the stock which duty he performed to the best possible advantage to the owners January the 1852 the Allred Allred Allred All- All red settlement Spring Town Sanpete County which had been deserted by its inhabitants the previous summer because of Indian trouble was burned to the ground And so the work of devastation went on |