The Mormon Menace: The Confessions of John Doyle Lee, Danite — Story, Setting & Ideas

The Danite's Double Voice

Lee's narrative is marked by a persistent tension between his role as a loyal Mormon elder and his later position as a condemned man. In the introduction, Lewis frames Lee as a chief Danite who acted under Brigham Young's orders to "kill all who can talk" during the Mountain Meadows attack. Yet Lee's own chapters often depict him as a missionary facing hostility and relying on his wits. For instance, when refused food by orthodox settlers in Kentucky, Lee asks for "some infidel or gambler" because they are "too liberal-minded to turn a stranger away." This anecdote shows Lee as a pragmatic proselytizer, not a fanatic.

However, the book's structure—with chapters titled "The Danite and His Duty" and "The Blood Feast of the Danites"—ensures that the violent climax overshadows these earlier scenes. The reader is left to weigh Lee's self-portrayal as a faithful servant against the damning evidence of his actions. The text never resolves this contradiction, leaving it as a central interpretive challenge.

Visions and Authority in a Crisis

Lee's account of learning about Joseph Smith's assassination reveals how he navigated a crisis of authority. Upon hearing the news, Lee gathers fellow elders to pray for guidance. He receives "nothing definite" and tells them to follow their own impressions. But the next morning, he experiences a vision: a bright being leads him to a clover patch, where he sees Joseph and Hyrum Smith with their wounds. A voice confirms the prophet's death.

This episode is striking for its blend of personal revelation and institutional loyalty. Lee does not claim to have received new marching orders; instead, the vision reaffirms his connection to the slain prophet. The scene also highlights Lee's narrative strategy: he presents himself as a man who seeks divine direction, even as he later carries out orders that lead to massacre. The vision functions as both a spiritual anchor and a literary device that bridges the gap between ordinary missionary work and extraordinary violence.

The Suppressed Confession

Alfred Henry Lewis's introduction reveals that Lee's manuscript was originally published shortly after his execution, but the Mormon Church, alarmed by its disclosures, succeeded in suppressing it. Lewis claims Brigham Young used "money and other agencies" to buy up copies. This history of suppression adds a layer of intrigue to the text: the reader holds a document that was once considered dangerous enough to be erased from public view.

The book's appendixes—including a section on "Blood Atonement" and the story of Lee's arrest—further emphasize its status as an exposé. Yet Lee's own narrative does not consistently adopt a confessional tone. He describes his arrest matter-of-factly, and his account of the Mountain Meadows Massacre is reserved for later chapters. The result is a work that feels both urgent and evasive, as if Lee is simultaneously telling all and holding back. This tension between exposure and concealment is perhaps the book's most enduring feature.

Readers approaching The Mormon Menace should attend to the gaps between Lewis's framing and Lee's own words. The introduction promises a straightforward confession of guilt, but the narrative that follows is more ambiguous—a mixture of spiritual autobiography, travelogue, and defensive testimony. Pay particular attention to how Lee describes his relationship with Brigham Young and other church leaders; his loyalty is asserted repeatedly, but the details of his obedience are often left vague. The book rewards a skeptical reading that treats both the editor's claims and the narrator's self-presentation as part of a contested history.

I remember how John Doyle Lee’s confessions weighed on me—that heavy obedience, the quiet cost of belonging. It made me think of another shelf, where Towards the Great Peace — Key Ideas to Explore waits, gentler. They speak to each other somehow, one of law’s shadow, the other of reconciliation’s long, slow light. A library holds such odd, patient conversations.