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PrevPrevious EpisodeAfter the Killing (Part 5 of 6)
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Who Bears Responsibility for MMM?

Table of Contents: Who Bears Responsibility for MMM?

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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?

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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?
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)

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More Podcasts with these Guests:

  • Who Bears Most Blame for Mountain Meadows? (Barbara Brown & Rick Turley 4 of 4)
  • Blood Atonement's Role in MMM (Barbara Brown/Rick Turley 3 of 4)
  • What Juanita Brooks & Will Bagley Got Wrong? (Barbara Brown/Rick Turley 2 of 4)
  • John D Lee's Sham Trial (Barbara Brown/Rick Turley 1 of 4)
  • Church History Library (Part 5 of 5)

Get more information on the people and things discussed in this episode:

  • Guest: Barbara Jones-Brown
  • MMM, Mormon violence, Mormons & Crime, Mountain Meadows Massacre
  • Historical Mentions Bishop Klingonsmith, Brigham Young, Mormon History
  • Tags: Bishop Klingonsmith, Brigham Young, GT Podcast, iTunes, murder

Tell me when the next episode drops!

PrevPrevious EpisodeAfter the Killing (Part 5 of 6)
Next ExpisodeChurch Founded in Manchester (Not Fayette) Part 1 of 4Next
  • Date: March 28, 2019
  • Guest: Barbara Jones-Brown
  • MMM, Mormon violence, Mormons & Crime, Mountain Meadows Massacre
  • Historical Mentions Bishop Klingonsmith, Brigham Young, Mormon History
  • Tags: Bishop Klingonsmith, Brigham Young, GT Podcast, iTunes, murder
  • Posted By: RickB

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Rick Bennett is the friendly, independent historian at the heart of Gospel Tangents LDS Podcast: The Best Source for Mormon History, Science, and Theology. When he isn't interviewing Mormon scholars, prophets, and others, he is teaching math and statistics at Utah Valley University. He also freelances as a research biostatistician in the fields of Dermatology and Traumatic Brian Injuries, as well as in the network television/cable T.V. industries as a sports statistician. Rick holds a Master of Statistics Degree from the University of Utah.

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