I was reading from your site re: Mountain Meadows massacre, and wanted to share with you my great-great grandfather's experience while he was "Supervisor of Roads in place of Robert Pierce, resigned". (Utah Historical Quarterly, Vol 8, pp 103-104. This appointment was made at the assembly held Oct 5, 1850.
In a previous assembly, Sept. 14, 1850, it was stated under the passage of the Act Incorporating the perpetual Emigration Company, that: "he employ Mr. Gemmell with his improved ditching machine and scraper to work under his direction with the public works."
Obituary notice, Dillon (MT Terr.) Tribune, April 9, 1881.
Quoting a portion of the text: "Upon reaching Salt Lake City (late Aug or early Sept, 1847), tired and worn and having no special aim other than to go west, he took a contract of Brigham Young to dig 100,000 rods, or 312 1/2 miles of ditch at $1 per rod, making a machine he finished the contract. He was appointed territorial supervisor of the State of Deseret; built the bridge at Ogden and the one across Jordon, laid out the city of Salt Lake and inaugurated the planting of trees in the streets; married the sister of Bishop Hendricks, of the Hot Springs bathhouse; went in to business and quarreled with Brigham and had to leave or be killed; was in Brigham's office when Bishop Hamblin came in and reported the Arkansas train near Cedar City, and HEARD Brigham tell Hamblin that if he (Brigham) was in command of the Legion (nauvoo) he would wipe them out.
Brigham Young
"Wipe them out"
About three weeks afterwards the Mountain Meadow massacre occurred which wiped out the Arkansas train, for which John D. Lee suffered the death penalty by being shot a few years ago.
There were 125 bodies found afterwards and buried by the U.S. troops sent out for that purpose. Gen. Albert Johnson was in command and Judge Cradlebaugh was sent along to ascertain whether any white men were engaged in the massacre.
The Indians said the Mormons incited them in to it and gave them the plunder. Bishop Craig Smith (said) afterwards that he was there. Bishop Jake Hamblin lived within three miles of the battle-ground and it was him that took the order from Brigham to John D. Lee.
The foregoing history came under Mr. Gemmell's immediate observation and was written down at his request and will no doubt be interesting to many."
