Lead Etching
In January 2002 a lead plate, or scroll, was found in the Lee's Ferry Fort with an etching purporting to be by John D. Lee in 1872. It was discovered by a National Parks worker while cleaning up inside the structure, which is restricted from public access. The brief writing accused Mormon leaders Brigham Young and George A. Smith of ordering the Mountain Meadows Massacre, for which Lee was convicted and sentenced to die. Despite some evidence suggesting this is a forgery, historian Will Bagley claims it fits with the historical context and Lee's writing style. He wrote, "If the scroll is a fake, it is a good one--so good that only a few people could have pulled it off." Forensic investigator George Throckmorton, who helped crack the Mark Hofmann forgeries, examined the plate in 2003 and took samples for chemical analysis in 2007.
Read more about this topic: Lee's Ferry And Lonely Dell Ranch
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