federal arrest richard lee finch arkansas

Army found remains of the victims exhumed by animals, and this, in addition to pressure from victims’ relatives in Arkansas, forced the government to act. Out of fear of retribution, the Mormon Church tried to cover up the crime, mostly by blaming the Indians. Many who saw the field soon after the massacre insisted that the bodies had been left unburied and were scavenged by wild animals, though a militia detachment later buried the corpses in shallow graves. They first killed the men, then the women and any children old enough to report the event the children who were spared were brought to live in Mormon homes. A little more than a mile into the journey, the Mormons turned on the party. Before long, members of the party started to spread out and became isolated from one another. The party started walking back to Cedar City, given only enough wagons to carry those injured in the attack. The deal was not particularly favorable, but the settlers had little choice. On September 11, the party thought it had survived when the Mormons approached and made an offer: if the travelers would leave their belongings and weapons behind for the Indians, the Mormons would escort them safely back to Cedar City, Utah. The attackers besieged the Arkansans for five days, by which time the party had run short of supplies, food, and ammunition. Fancher’s people created a strong defensive position by tipping over their wagons and digging firing pits. On September 7, the party came under attack by a group of Indians and Mormons dressed as Indians. This area consisted of the southern rim of the Great Basin and was covered with fresh grass and plenty of water. The travelers found some relief when they reached Mountain Meadows.

The poor reception was based partly on an advancement of the United States Army toward Utah and partly on the death of a Mormon leader a few months before in Arkansas. The Mormons did not receive the travelers hospitably, refusing to trade with them. The party made its way into Utah Territory in July and split into two trains, with the Fancher train pursuing a southern route. The exact number of emigrants remains in doubt because at least a few people from surrounding states joined the Arkansans, as did settlers along the trail. Fancher, commonly known as Captain Fancher, from Carroll County, had made the trek to California twice before, and historians speculate that he might have led the trains after they came together. About forty families, composed mainly of Arkansans from Marion, Crawford, Carroll, and Johnson counties, met at Beller’s Stand just south of Harrison. This migration was known by several names, including the Baker train and the Perkins train, but it became known as the Fancher train (or the Baker-Fancher train) after combining in Utah.

All of the travelers died except for seventeen children, who were taken into Mormon homes.īeyond this information, little can be agreed upon, from the number of victims to who was responsible. Before they could reach their destination, a party of Mormons and Indians attacked them while they camped on a plateau known as Mountain Meadows in southern Utah. Incumbent James Sturch ran unopposed in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 63 general election.In April 1857, near Harrison (Boone County), 120 to 150 settlers, mostly Arkansans, started a journey toward the promise of a better life in California.

The candidate filing period began at noon local time on November 2, 2015, and ended at noon local time on November 9, 2015. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. Moody, communications director for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, told Ballotpedia that the party’s goal was to “start building back where we can,” beginning with the House.īallotpedia spoke to political analyst Richard Winger, who said that the early primary deadline for the 2016 elections was a possible factor as well, making it difficult for Democrats to recruit candidates early. Without the numbers to win the state Senate, H.L. The Democratic Party of Arkansas focused its 2016 efforts on the state’s House of Representatives. Between 19, an upward trend in uncontested state legislative elections occurred. The reason for the low competition was that candidates were in safe districts for their parties. This made it numerically impossible for Democrats to take control of either Arkansas legislative chamber in 2016. Phillip Finch was a 2016 Republican candidate for District 63 of the Arkansas House of Representatives.Įlections 2016 See also: Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2016īallotpedia's analysis revealed that only 42 of the 100 seats up for election in 2016 involved competition between Democrats and Republicans.

Federal arrest richard lee finch arkansas