The Mountain Meadows Massacre and “poisoned springs”: scientific testing of the more recent, anthrax theory

Abstract

It has been recorded that one of the possible causes that eventually escalated into the 1857 manslaughter at Mountain Meadows in Southern Utah was the poisoning of an open spring by the Fancher–Baker party as they crossed the Utah territory on their way from Arkansas to California. Historical accounts report that a number of cattle died, followed by human casualties from those that came in contact with the dead animals. Even after the Arkansas party departed, animals continued to perish and people were still afflicted by some unknown plague. Proctor Hancock Robison, a local 14-year-old boy, died shortly after skinning one of the “poisoned” cows. A careful review of the historical records, along with the more recent scientific literature, seems to exclude the likelihood of actual poisoning in favor of a more recent theory that would point to the bacterium Bacillus anthracis as the possible cause of human and animal deaths. In order to test this hypothesis, Proctor’s remains were exhumed, identified through mitochondrial DNA analysis, and tested for the presence of anthrax spores. Although preliminary testing of remains and soil was negative, description of the clinical conditions that affected Proctor and other individuals does not completely rule out the hypothesis of death by anthrax.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00414-012-0681-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Application of The Skin Virome for Human Identification

“…However, they also recognized that there could be better methods of analysis and that the field is currently in its infancy [2]. Although the application of microbiome analysis in relation to casework is relatively new, the use of bacteria in forensically relevant cases dates back to the late 1800s [3]. In one modern example, researchers have examined commercial honey products for the presence of Clostridium botulinum as a vector for cases of induced poisoning from botulism [4].…”

Studies in Forensic Biohistory

“…However, event-based research can also figure prominently in regional imagining of the past. For example, analyses of the human remains associated with the ill-fated Donner party (Dixon et al, 2010;Ellis et al, 2011;Grayson, 1990), the deceit of Alferd (or Alfred) Packer (Rautman and Fenton, 2005;Starrs and Ramsland, 2005), the Willie Handcart Company disaster (Grayson, 1996), the Mountain Meadows massacre (Novak, 2008(Novak, , 2014Novak and Kopp, 2003;Novak and Rodseth, 2006;Perego and Woodward, 2006;Perego et al, 2012), and the battle of the Little Big Horn (Scott and Snow, 1996;Snow and Fitzpatrick, 1989) all figure into the mythos of the American West (Dixon, 2014;Stuckey, 2011). It is noteworthy that the most high-profile attempts at biohistorical individuation from Western states (Jesse James - Stone et al, 2001;Billy the Kid -Komar, 2006;Komar and Buikstra, 2008;Edwin and William Kiel -Brooks and Brooks, 1984;Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid -Meadows, 2003;Williams, 2013) evoke similar images of the "wild" and "outlaw" and speak directly to public imagining of the West.…”

The application of the skin virome for human identification

“…The wide variety of data types, sample locations, environmental factors, analysis methods, and the diversity of microorganisms make this emerging area of forensic biology increasingly relevant [1]. Although the experimental study of microbiome analysis in relation to casework is relatively new, the use of bacteria in forensically relevant cases dates back to the late 1800s [2]. In one modern example, researchers have examined commercial honey products for the presence of Clostridium botulinum as a vector for cases of induced poisoning from botulism [3].…”