Confidential Wm. Barton <about 71 years old.> who resides near Red Paragoonah, an old Missouri through Nauvoo troubles, came to Utah—1851, and located in Parowan, in November, 1851, lived there in 1857. Remember the Arkansas Company passed through, (Barton was a Counselor to Bp. Lewis) A council was After company passed through, they heard that the company had got into trouble with the Indians at the Meadows and Prest Wm. H. Dame laid the matter before a council of brethren, in which it was decided to aid the company against the Indians, if the company of imigrants called for aid; otherwise they would let them fight it out with the Indians. Later Jesse N. Smith and Edward Dalton were sent to Pinto to ascertain how things were moving in the Meadows, and returned disgusted with what was being <going> orders on, and th[e]y said that Lee and other[s] were taking on the attitude toward the emigrants. The night after their return, Isaac C. Haight and Elias Morris came up to Parowan from Cedar to confer with Col Dame about the situation A council was called at Bro. Dames house, and attended by Col Dame, E. Morris Isaac C. Haight, <James H Martineau> Jesse N. Smith, Calvin C. Pendleton, Elijah Newman and Tarlton Lewis, In that council a propos[i]tion made by Pendleton was adopted to the effect, that a company should be sent out from Parowan and Cedar to call the Indians off, gather up the stock for the company, and let them continue their journey in peace. The council then dismissed, but later in the same day <occasion> a consultation of three consisting of I. C. Haight, Wm. H. Dame and another man,1 was held on the by the east gate of the Parowan fort wall The three sat upon a pile of bark, hence known in certain circles as the “Tan Bark Council.” Right there and then the whole programme and plan was changed, and it was decided to destroy the whole company. Bro. Barton saw the three in consultation himself but heard not what was said, but Isaac C. Haight afterwards told Barton that that was the deci<s>ion and he Haight said There to Barton afterward “There is where we did wrong and I would give a world if I had it, if we had abided by the decision of the council; but alas it is too late. The consultation of these three must have taken place either about Wednesday the 9th. Immediately after that consultation of three, <before daylight> Haight and Morris started back to Cedar, and Wm. H. Dame Afterwards Dame, accompanied by James Lewis, Beson Lewis and <Barney> Carter, went on an express to the Meadows, for the purpose of putting a stop to the massacre, Bro. Dame having repented of what he had agreed to do, but these four men arrived at the Meadows too late, the deed having then already been done. There were none from Parowan in the massacre. The only men that went to the Meadows from Parowan was the express consist[in]g of the four men named.