Blood Atonement

The year was 1857. The Franklin family of James, the father, Ada, the mother, John, age 12 and Hanna, age 8, were eager as they prepared to head for California where they had family and friends awaiting their arrival. They were members of the Baker–Fancher party wagon train leaving the next morning from Caroll County, Arkansas headed to Salt Lake City where they would re-supply before crossing the 40-Mile Desert in Nevada and then over the Sierra Nevada mountains into California.

John said, “I can’t wait to get on the trail. I wonder if we’ll see any Indians.”

“Hope not,” Hanna said. “ain’t they mean?”

“Dad and me will take care of them. Don’t worry.”

Early in the morning, James and John hitched their oxen to a Conestoga wagon. James guided the oxen as they moved into line with the Baker-Francher wagon train. The settlers had a large herd of cattle, close to 1,000 head, along with extra oxen and horses.

John was proud to ride along with his father, James, a cattle rancher. One of their assigned tasks was to keep the cattle in line as they traveled on the open plains. While Hanna was told that on the trail, her job would be to collect buffalo chips. The chips were used to build fires for warmth and cooking because there was little wood for fires on the plains.

Soon after leaving Arkansas, the reality of the trial began to sink in. The covered wagons were small, with little room to sit inside. Hanna and Mother Ada preferred to walk alongside the wagon instead of riding in it. James admitted the ride was bumpy because the wagons lacked springs and the trail was rutted and bumpy.

The second day out on the trail, friends of the Franklins, Jacob Fractor and his wife, were injured when their wagon tipped over. The other families rallied and righted the wagon. However, Mildred suffered a broken arm and Jacob injured his back. They turned back. It was a fortunate decision.

The pace was slow and often boring. The wagons traveled at an average speed of about two miles per hour.

The Franklin family preferred to camp outside the wagon at night. In truth, with the furniture, supplies, and trunks they had packed for their new California home, there was little room to lie down comfortably.

When the train was crossing the Platt River, a freak torrential rain hit, and the river overflowed, sweeping two of the Logan children away. Rescuers never found them.

As the train rolled west, they were buffeted by unworldly windstorms, ripping the covers from many of the wagons. James had doubled tied the canvas on their wagon so they escaped any damage from the bitting wind. However, the most annoying thing was the constant problem of blowing dust. Mother Ada tied bandannas around the faces of Hanna and John to ease the problem. Ada and the children were so pleased when their wagon moved to the front of the line, they enjoyed the only day free of dust and biting bugs.

After five months on the trail, James shook Ada awake and said, “My dear wife, see this for yourself. When Ada arose from her blankets, she saw a beautiful sight of the sun rising over the vast expanse of the Utah Territory. A golden hue shined along the rugged landscape.

The wagon master Captain John Twitty Baker walked up and down the line, saying, “After breakfast, folks, we are on our way to Salt Lake City.”

Hope soared among the travelers. That evening, John, Hanna, and their parents joined other families; around a large campfire, women and children danced, men played cards, and everyone sang.

Hanna said, “Mom, this was the best night of the whole trip.”

John agreed, saying, “Dad, let me help him play cards. But I got to learn them better.”

Three days later, when the wagon train moved into Mountain Meadows, a peaceful valley surrounded by rolling hills, the travelers felt a sense of calm and relief.

James, guiding the oxen walking next to Ada, said, “Look at this land. Guiding the oxen beside Ada, James said, “If we weren’t going to California, this land could make a fine ranch.”

Ada replied, “You know we promised my sister and her husband that we would be there for them and we would be a big happy family together again.”

“Yes, I know,” James said, “but this is Utah, and I think you have to be a Mormon to settle here.”

“I really want to be with my sister,” Ada said.

“I know, I was just thinking, hopefully California will be as beautiful,” James sighed.

The meadowlands stretching before the settlers displayed lush beauty—a green carpet of grasses and fertile soil, supporting fine bunch grass and abundant pine and spruce. And there was water from mountain snowmelt that formed channels bringing water into the meadows.

Captain Baker said they would stop, allow the cattle and oxen to feed in the valley and allow the families to rest before they headed for into Salt Lake City.

James said, “John and Hanna, you need to get the buckets and bring back water for cooking and then go and collect some firewood.”

As the children went off, Ada prepared supper and James went off to see that the cattle and oxen were calmly grazing.

John, being his fun liking self, splashed Hanna as they stood in the cool mountain stream. Hanna, not one to stand for his foolishness, half-filled her bucket and retaliated, soaking John when he had his back turned. He pulled Hanna into the water, soaking them both. John called a truce. They filled their buckets and headed back to the train.

Ada said, “What happened to you two?”

“Oh, Hanna fell into the water, and I slipped when I tried to help her out.”

Mom looked at Hanna. “Really?”

“Really, Mom,” she said, nodding her head.

“Both of you go change your clothes before you catch a death of cold. Then go get some wood. We need some for supper.”

The pioneers rested their energy slowly returned to their aching bodies. The journey had been long and arduous, but relaxing in the meadows lifted their spirits. Little did they know, their arrival had not gone unnoticed.

In the nearby settlement of Cedar City, Brigham Young, the leader of the Mormon Church, and John D. Lee, a trusted lieutenant, met in secret. Tensions between the Mormons and the so-called Gentiles (all people not Mormons) and the Federal government had been escalating, fueled by rumors that the US army was planning to invade Mormon land. Young and Lee saw the wagon train as both a threat and an opportunity to warn Americans and the Federal govenment to stay out of their territory and leave them alone to practice their beliefs as their prophet Jospeh Smith had deemed that he had been told by God. Young and Lee conspired to devise a plan to eliminate the wagon train.

Disguised as Native Americans, a group of Mormon militia members, led by Lee, descended upon the unsuspecting settlers as they camped in the valley. Upon hearing the war whoops, the settlers circled their wagons and turned them on their sides for greater protection. The men returned fire as arrows and bullets rained down on the wagons. James battled to protect his family, as did the other settlers.

Ada clutched Hanna to her chest, hiding behind the overturned wagon, shielding her from the chaos. “Stay close, my love,” she whispered, her voice trembling with fear. John stood beside his father; his eyes wide with terror as he loaded his father’s two single-shot Kentucky rifles after father fired.

“Faster, John,” his father screamed just as an arrow flew past his ear, killing a small girl running behind them. Flaming arrows striking and burning the canvas on the wagons added to the chaos.

As the massacre unfolded, the Mormon attackers showed no mercy. Men, women, and children fell under the relentless assault. The air was thick with smoke and the cries of the dying. Amidst the carnage, an arrow killed Captain Baker and a tomahawk blow split his wife’s head, causing both their lifeless bodies to fall to the ground.

The surviving men, women and children were rounded up. The men were marched off to the south, the women to the west. John, even though he was only twelve, was pushed in with the men. In the distance, Hanna heard many shots being fired. She stood alone, near the family’s over turned wagon, tears streaming down her cheeks, she heard Lee say, “Take her. She will be raised by our people.”

Only children who were under eight years of age were allowed to live. Hanna was placed in the care of the Thackers, a devout Mormon family who lived in Cedar City. The Thackers treated Hanna kindly, but the memory of the massacre would never extinguish.

Years passed; Hanna grew up in the Mormon community. She was taught the ways of her new family and they hoped she would become integrated into their society. Yet, the shadow of the killing of her parents and her brother lingered.

Despite overwhelming evidence, authorities never convicted the Mormons involved in the massacre. Brigham Young and John D. Lee maintained their innocence, and the truth of the events at Mountain Meadows remained shrouded in mystery.

As an adult, Hanna sought answers. She delved into the history of the massacre, piecing together the fragments of the event. Her quest for justice led her to confront the very men who had orchestrated the attack.

In a tense meeting with John D. Lee, now an old man, Hanna and her husband, Thomas, confronted Lee saying, “Why did you do it?” Hanna asked, her voice filled with anguish. “Why did you kill all those people?”

Lee, scowling and his eyes filled with anger, said, “You don’t understand. We believed we were protecting our people. Your people were coming to destroy our homes and our religion. We had an absolute right to kill, as attested by the right of Blood Atonement. Your people killed our people, therefore we had a right, and a duty ordered by God to kill your people.”

Hanna stared at him and wept. Thomas took her hand and the two left.

Hanna and her husband. Thomas, who survived because he was only five when the massacre occurred and taken in by another Mormon family, the Andersons. Hanna and Thomas met secretly for weeks and planned their escape from the Mormon community and the religion that executed their parents. Once free of the religious theocracy, they fled to Golden Colorado, where Thomas opened a mercantile store providing supplies for miners. In 1870, the couple decided to return to Mountain Meadows. They stood at the site where their parents and siblings had perished. Together, they vowed to honor their memory and ensure that the truth of the massacre would never be forgotten.

The tragedy at Mountain Meadows is a dark chapter in American history. The lives lost, and the shattered innocence serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of fear and religious hatred. For Hanna and her husband, the journey towards healing was long and arduous, but their resilience and determination allowed them to raise their own family and eventually obtained the happiness that all people deserve.