Excerpt taken from "Diary of David Lewis"This is copied from a 72 page history of David Lewis.
The following covers pages 7-16
The Hawn's Mill Massacre
"I commensed to write in this book January the 18th, 1854. In two months and six days I will have been in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 19 years. I now am in my thirty-ninth year of age, and on the 10th day of next April I will be 40 years of age. As my portrait or likeness is in the first part of this book, I will also give a description of my size that in after years the using generation may know what my size and looks was."
"I am six feet one inch high. My weight two hundred pounds. I am perpotionably built with black hair and blue eyes. I am fair skinned and in the full vigor of life and health."
"At the commencement of this book, I give a sketch of my birth place, my baptism, and first ordination and left the subject which related to my going to the gathering place in Missouri - which I now will take up again and continue my subject from that date. But I shall only speak or write of some of the most important things which taken place under my own observations. The distance from Kentucky, my birth place, to Missouri, the gathering place, was about six hundred miles. I stopped in Caldwell County, entered land, build me a house, commenced to make a farm, and to till the ground when the cry of war was heard around us. The people that lived in the country became alarmed to see so many people gather to one place all of one religion and one politics. They raised many false accusations against us in order to have us drove away from the state that they might possess our houses and farms. we being too few in number to defend ourselves against the many thousands that gathered against us they commenced stealing our cattle driving them off by droves and all manner of robbing and abusing us was carried on by the people of Missouri. A history of which has been fully given, but as there is some circumstance that came directly under my own observations I will right them that others may know what I have passed through and witnessed. I lived about eighteen miles east of Farwest on Shoal Creek and one quarter of a mile from Hawn's Mill where a bloody butchery taken place wherein I was present and one who barely escaped."
"I will now proceed to give an account of the massacre at Hawn's Mill and the circumstances connected with it. Some weeks previous to this transaction the people living on grand river about 6 or 8 miles north of the mill began to come over to Shoal Creek settlement where the mormons lived and drove off a drove of our cattle and made some threats that they intended to come and burn down the mill. We then sent delegates to them to see if we could not compromise with them and live in peace. They met our delegates with guns and in a hostile manner, but finally they agreed with our men that they would be at peace with us. We had mostly gathered to the mill awaiting to hear from our delegates and to organize ourselves so that if they should come in a hostile manner we might be the better prepared to defend ourselves, for about thirty of them had come and taken the guns of all those that lived at the mill before, except Hyrum Abbots who would not give his up although they had snapped their guns at him several times. There was also several brethren stopped at the mill that was just moving to the country from the eastern states amongst whom was Joseph Young the present
president over the Seventies and a brother of Brigham Young the President of the church. There was several tented in the mill yard with wagons horses and all their substance and there we was intermixed with women and children there being about thirty men with guns only. We was in no state of defense for we was not expecting, but that they would abide the treaty we had made with them and felt as if we was safe. Although we had been counseled by Joseph the Prophet to leave the mill and got to Farwest, but being deceived by the messenger we sent to him for council, we understood it not, for our messenger said to Joseph what shall we do that is at the mill. Joseph said gather up all of you and come to Farwest. What said the messenger, whose name was Jacob Hawn the owner of the mill, leave the mill and let it be burnt down, we think we can maintain it. If you maintain it said Joseph you will do well to do as you please. The messenger returned and said if we thought we could maintain the mill it was Joseph's council for us to do so. If we thought not to come to Farwest and we thought from the way the thing was represented it would be like cowards to leave and not try to maintain it, and as they had agreed to be a please we thought to gather up all our affects and leave our houses would be useless, for we did not know that it was Joseph's decided council for us to do so, and while thus situated on this day the 30th day of October 1838 about three hundred armed men on horseback came in full lope towards us until they got in about one hundred yards of us when they immediately halted and commenced firing at us."
"At their first appearance we did not know but they was brethren of the church, and did not try to place ourselves in a situation to defend ourselves, but soon we found them to be hostile foe deprived of all humanity or mercy for many of our people cried out for mercy with uplifted hands when they was immediately shot down. David Evans was our captain. He cried out for quarter they gave none and he immediately fled giving no official orders. By this time we was completely surrounded. we then seeing ourselves surrounded immediately ran into a blacksmith shop. This was a fatal move for the shop was very open it being made of large logs. One long was cut entirely out on the north side on the west was a window on the south was a door, and the cracks all open, we surrounded by a raging foe who screamed as loud as they could yell every breath and fully determined to have to have it to say, I killed a mormon. Each bullet as it passed threw these many openings was bound to probe fatal to some of us within."
"The first man that fell was Simon Cox. He was standing close to my side when he received the fatal blow. He was shot threw the kidneys and all the pain and misery that I ever witnessed in a poor soul, in him seemed to excell. It seems as though I could now hear him scream. They came there about four o'clock in the afternoon and continued about one hour and a half."
"There was eight of our number fled at the start. Such groans of the dying, such struggling in blood, I hope that none that reads this account may ever have to witness unless it is in avenging the blood of those that was slain for truly they shed innocent blood, which must stand against them until it is avenged."
"I remained calm in my feelings without being much excited and realized all that was happening. I thought for a moment that perhaps in the next minute I may be like these my brothers, struggling in my blood and my spirit take its flight to the spirit world, but soon this thought left me, and I possessed an unshaken faith that my life would be spared although to all natural appearance there was no way for my escape. They was still continuing their firing with an increased rapidity and closing their circle around us, as they was not meeting much resistance from the few that was left. I looked to the west and I discovered a ruffian who had crawled within about forty steps of the shop and had secured himself behind a large log that lay in the yard of the mill. His head was raised above the log. I went immediately to the west window and stepped up on a block to make myself high enough to shoot. I then saw his gun was to his face and he had sight on me. I immediately desisted from trying to shoot at his head and dismounted from the block. When I did, another mounted the same block and was immediately shot down. Our number on foot had now decreased to about seven or eight. When Hyrum Abbot the man that had refused to give up his gun said it is uselss to stay in here any longer lut us leave. I believing him to be a brave man, though myself justified in leaving. he started himself and with him three others, as he left the door of the shop he was immediately shot through the body, which proved his death. I nursed him in my own house for five weeks and he was removed to his father's and died. My brother Tarlton was one that started with him. He was shot through the shoulder but his wound was not mortal. The names of the other two I do not remember. There was now four on foot besides myself, Benjamin Lewis, Isaac Leany, Jacob Pots, and brother Yokem."
"I now left the shop alone. I went towards the east where it seemed to be the most strongly guarded. I thought at first I would go into their ranks and surrender myself their prisoner, but seeing they was shooing and yelling as demons I felt as no mercy would be shown to me. I concluded to try and pass them. I went almost in their midst and then turned down a steep bank of the creek, crossed the creek, and ascended a steep bank on the opposite side of the creek in front of Hawn's house. I then passed round the house and went towards the south and crossed the fence which was about two hundred yards from the shop. While crossing the fence, two bullets struck the fence close by my side. They had me in fair view for two hundred yards and constantly fired at me. The bullets seemed to be as thick as hailstones when it is hailing fast and none of them entered my flesh or drew blood but five holes was shot threw my clothes, three in my panteloons and two in my coat. Let me here remark that I did not run one step of the way, for I had been confined to my bed for three months with the fever and at that time was just able to walk about. It was about the second or third time I had left the house."
"The distance from my house was about a quarter of a mile. I proceeded on towards my house. My tongue had rolled out of my mouth like that of a dog, by being overcome with fatigue and the whole distance was up hill. A little ways from my house I met my wife who had been in prayer for my delivery for she had been in hearing of the whole scene. She had heard the first guns that had fired. Her first salutation to me was, "Are you hurt, are you wounded?" I told her I was not hurt, and we went with Aram into our only child and secreted ourselves in a thicket until dark."
"I will now return to the fate of the four I left in the shop. Pots while leaving was shot in his legs, he crawled to my house, caught a horse at my door and rode home. Leany was severely wounded having either four bullets in his body or two to pass clear through his body in direct opposition to each other leaving four wounds in his body and several other severe wounds. He survived and is now alive in the valley. Yokem fell just as he crossed the mill dam after crossing the creek on the dam. He was taken in Hawn's house and laid in the floor without attention until next morning. He was shot between the point of his nose and his eye. I picked up the ball next morning where he fell. This was a very large ball, and had passed from between the point of his nose and the eye to the back of his head leaving him senseless on the ground. He was also wounded in the leg which since has been cut off. He is also alive. Benjamin Lewis, my brother was found about three hundred yards from the shop by some of the women who had been concealed in the brush during the fracus. He was yet alive in his proper senses. I went to him and with the aid of a horse and a sled I got him to my house. he lived a few hours and died. I dug a hole in the ground, wrapped him in a sheet and without a coffin buried him."
"Early next morning I returned to the shop to learn the fate of the rest of my brethren. I first stopped in at Hawn's house where I found McBride laying dead in the yard, he was a very old man. he left the shop before me and started to go the same route that I went but stopped in their ranks as I first intended to do, and when he did he gave up his gun, and himself a prisoner. He was shot with his own gun as I was informed by a sister that was concealed under the bank, ans witnessed the scene. Jacob Rodgers then took an old sythe blade and literally gashed his face to pieces. He was taken and laid in the yard were i found him next morning. Merick and Smith was also lying dead in the yard. York and Yokem was in the house of Hawn but entirely senseless. York soon died, but Yokem lived. Leany Nights and Hawn was also in Hawn's house and wounded. All of which recovered and none of them had the aid of a physician to probe or prescribe for their wounds."
"I then went over to the shop where I found Fuller Cox, Lee Hammer, Richard and two small boys dead on the ground and several others whose names I do not remember, but whose names have been given in the history of our persecutions. The dead numbering in all eighteen persons, the wounded fifteen. A few of the brethren was assembled here, with myself, drug these slain to the side of a well which was about twelve feet deep and tumbled them in as we had to time to decently bury them for we knew not how soon they would be up on us again. This was the most heart rendering scene that my eyes ever witnessed. These two little boys were not shot accidentally by being in the crowd, but after the men was all down and there was none to resist. They on the outside closed up and one man discovered these boys concealed under the blacksmith's bellows. He deliberately stuck his gun in the crack of the shop and fired at them as they was concealed together. One of their own men reproved him saying it is a d- - -d shame to shoot such little fellows. He calmly replied little sprouts make big trees as much as to say they will make men or mormons after while if not killed. They then thinking us all to be dead or dying that remained in the shop came in the shop and all that was struggling they shot again, taking deliberate aim at their head and then boasted that they had killed a mormon. Afterwords to the wives of those that was killed they said madame I am the man that killed your husband."
"There was many other acts and circumstances which was equally aggravating that I will omit for I have no design to enlarge on the tale but to tell the plain facts as they did exist that after generations might see and know the things that I have witnessed. I was then in my twenty-fourth year of my age, and my own life was miraculously spared for some unknown purpose to me, but I am willing to bear my testimony to all mankind that God will save and deliver those that exercise an unshaken faith in Him. For I did exercise an unshaken faith in Him at that time and fully believed that I would make my excape and my life be spared. And I then said Lord thou hast delivered me for some purpose and I am willing to fulfill that purpose whenever thou makes it known unto me, and to do all duties that thou enjoins upon me form this time henceforth and forever."
