Manuscripts
Typewritten manuscript of Frank Beckwith's Shameful Friday, and examination of reports and evidence surrounding the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Beckwith states that his purpose is to "present the Gentile viewpoint, the Mormon presentation (contra to the [Gentile]), and as many statements, alibis, and comments of descendants of 'the 55' as can be got." The manuscript is divided into 21 chapters, each separately bound with the following notations on the covers: 1) Ike Potter, 2) William Hawley, 3) Synopsis, 4) Fixing the Time [of the massacre], 5) The Plans Go Awry, 6) Shameful Friday, 7) New Leaks, 8) Personnel and character of the Fancher Train, 9) The Big Five, 10) The 55, 11) What Happened About This Time, 12) The Mormon Viewpoint, 13) Mince Meat, 14) The Law's Delay, 15) Two Trials Necessary to Convict Lee, 16) Execution of John D. Lee, 17) Visits to Mountain Meadows, 18) Old Timers [viewpoints] and [help from a] novel [by] J.J. Clark, 19) John D. Lee's Confession, 20) The Mountain Meadows Massacre by Bancroft, and 21) The Indians in 1857. The manuscript contains handwritten notations and original photographs. Also included are a transcribed copy of portions of John D. Lee's diary from May-August 1849, a typed manuscript by John L. McGinn entitled "Mormon and Indian Wars, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and Other Tragedies and Transactions Incident to the Mormon Rebellion of 1857 Together with the Personal Recollections of a Civilian Who Witnessed Many of the Thrilling Scenes Described" (1903), and typewritten copies of newspaper articles on Mountain Meadows from the Arkansas Gazette (1877, 1908, 1912).
mssHM 31255 (1-21)
