L I B RARY . OF THE .V N ty ER5 ITY Of ILLl NOIS 298 B4.3h \ ^^oia uiBto:RicJX bvrvbh' NOTE BY THE PUBLISHERS. In oflfering the following work to the public, we think it not improper to make a few observations respecting the author and our connection with him. We became aware, through the medium of the newspapers, that General Bennett was about to pub- lish a work containing his disclosures respecting Joe Smith and the Mormons. Meeting him in New York, and being satisfied, from our intercourse with him, that he deserved our confidence, we made arrangements with him to publish the book he was preparing. Daring its preparation and passage through the press, we have been almost constantly in his society, and have seen him for a long time under a variety of circumstances. The result of our observations has been, that we place the most implicit reliance upon his veracity, and are perfectly convinced that he is a gentleman of strict honor, and of very considerable acquirements and information. In regard to the statements he has made in the following pages, we cannot, of course, say any thing upon our personal knowledge ; but we know, from our own inspection, that the documents, affidavits, 11 ' NOTE BY THE PUBLISHER* and certificates, he has inserted therein, are genuine ; and most of the letters, at least those of a recent date, came through the post-office into our hands, and were by us given to General Bennett, who in- variably submitted them to om* inspection. We can also state that we have seen numerous letters from Nauvoo, written by respectable persons, who, we have learnt from the public papers, reside at Nauvoo, and who state things which corrobo- rate, in all particulars, the disclosures of General Bennett. Our motive in publishing this work is to let the public be informed of the true character of these pretended Mormon Saints, which we firmly and conscientiously believe to be truly set forth in General Bennett's work, and in colors not height- ened or exaggerated. As a true exposition, therefore, of Mormon Faith and Practice, we commend it to the serious and impartial attention of the public. EMERSON LELAND, WILLARD J. WHITING ^. ty^^.'-z.'^- vtijSM. O/'DiElM ©.^]gMMi^^M< THE HISTORY OF THE SAINTS ; OR, AN EXPOSE OF JOE SMITH AND MORMONISM. BY JOHN C. BENNETT. THIRD EDITION. BOSTON: LELAND &. WHITING, 71 WASHINGTON ST. NEW YORK: BRADBURY, SODEN, & CO., 127 NASSAU STREET. CINCrNNATI: E. S. NORRIS & CO., 247 MAIN STREET. 1842. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by John C. Bennett, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. WM. WHITE AND H. P. LEWIS, PRINTERS, MINOT'3 BUII.DINO, Over Boston Type and Slereotype Foundry PREFACE I HAVE been induced to prepare and publish the following work by a desire to expose the enormous iniquities which have been perpetrated by one of the grossest and most infamous impostors that ever appeared upon the face of the earth, and by many of his minions, under the name and garb of Religion, and professedly by the direct will and command of Almighty God. My facilities for doing what I have undertaken are as great as could possibly be desired. For eighteen months I was living with the Mormons at their chief city, and possessed the confidence of the Prophet himself, and of his councillors. I was, indeed, from an early period, one of their First Presidents, who, after the Prophet, are the rulers of the Church. This gave me access to all their secret lodges and societies, and enabled me to be- come perfectly familiar with the doings and designs of the whole Church. This book contains a full and accurate account of my motives for joining them, and of the discov- eries which I made among them, illustrated and confirmed by a variety of documents, both public and private. ^ r>r^ •'3 T i-®^ 4 PREFACE. I have not, I can fearlessly assert, exaggerated the facts I have here presented to the world, though I have, as they richly deserve, shown them up with an unsparing hand. I have been obliged to insert much personal matter, and many testimonials respecting myself, in consequence of the violent and scurrilous attacks made upon me through the public papers by the Impostor and his emissaries. This, I trust, the reader will not impute to egotism, but to its real cause — a desire to strengthen my statements against the opposition which I am certain they will en- counter. In conclusion, I would commend to the candid and earnest attention of every patriotic and religious person the statement I have made ; and, with the assurance that I have told the truth, and nothing but the truth, though by no means the whole truth, entreat them to use all their influence and exertions to arrest and quell the Mormon Monster in his career of imposture, iniquity, and treason. The haste with which I have necessarily written my book will be my apology to the critics for its defects of style and arrangement. I have been more solicitous about the matter than the manner of it. THE HISTORY OF THE SAINTS REASONS FOR JOINING THE MORMONS. It is, of course, necessary for me to give some expla- nation of the reasons which led me to join the Mormons, and of my motives for remaining so long in connection with them. I am happy to have it in my power to do this easily and satisfactorily. I find that it is almost universally the opinion of those who have heard of me in the eastern part of the United States, that I united myself to the Mormons from a con- viction of the truth of their doctrines, and that I was, at least for some time, a convert to their pretended religion. This, however, is a very gross error. I never believed in them or their doctrines. This is, and indeed was, from the first, well known to my friends and acquaintances in the western country, who were well aware of my reasons for connecting myself with the Prophet ; which reasons I will now proceed to state. My attention had been long turned towards the move- ments and designs of the Mormons, with whom I had become pretty well acquainted, years before, in the state of Ohio ; and after the formation of their establishment at Nauvoo, in 1839, the facts and reports respecting them, which I continually heard, led me to suspect, and, indeed, believe, that their leaders had formed, and were preparing to execute, a daring and colossal scheme of rebellion and usur- pation throughout the North-Western States of the Union. It was to me evident that temporal, as well as spiritual, empire was the aim and expectation of the Prophet and 1 • b HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. his cabinet. The documents that will hereafter be intro- duced, will clearly show the existence of a vast and deep- laid scheme, upon their part, for conquering the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, and of erecting upon the ruin of their present governments a despotic military and religious empire, the head of which, as emperor and pope, was to be Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Lord, and his ministers and viceroys, the apostles, high- priests, elders, and bishops, of the Mormon church. The fruition of this hopeful project would, of course, have been preceded by plunder, devastation, and blood- shed, and by all the countless horrors which invariably accompany civil war. American citizens could not be expected to stand quietly by, and suffer their governments to be overthrown, their religion subverted, their wives and children converted into instruments for a despot's lust and ambition, and their property forcibly appropriated to the use and furtherance of a base imposture. The Mormons would, of course, meet with resistance as soon as their intentions became evident ; and so great was already their power, and so rapidly did their numbers increase, that the most frightful consequences might naturally be expected to ensue, from an armed collision between them and the citizens who still remained faithful to the God and the laws of their fathers. These reflections continually occurred to me, as I ob- served the proceedings of the Mormons, and, at length, determined me to make an attempt to detect and expose the movers and machinery of the plot. I perceived that it would be useless to undertake this by open opposition. So great and complete was the con- trol that the Prophet had established over the souls of his followers, that very little of his vile proceedings could be made known from the confessions or testimony of his sub- ordinates. Even if one or two did testify to any particular acts of wickedness, such were the address and influence of Smith, that he would, without difficulty, bring forward any required number of witnesses, who would perjure them- selves in direct contradiction of his adversaries. It at length occurred to me tliat the surest and speediest way to overthrow the Impostor, and expose his iniquity to REASONS FOR JOINING THE MORMONS. 7 the world, would be to profess myself a convert to his doc- trines, and join him at the seat of his dominion. I felt confident that from my standing in society, and the offices I held under the state of Illinois, I should be received by the Mormons with open arms ; and that the course I was resolved to pursue would enable me to get behind the curtain, and behold, at my leisure, the secret wires of the fabric, and likewise those who moved them. I was quite aware of the danger I ran, should I be sus- pected or detected by the Mormons ; and I also anticipated the probability of being received by many of my fellow- citizens with disbelief and obloquy, when the time came to throw oif the mask, and proclaim to the world the dis- coveries I felt certain I should make. But none of these things deterred me. Impelled by a determination to save my country and my countrymen from the evils which menaced them through the machinations of the Prophet, I was rendered insensible to the risk I incurred. There was, it was evident, no other way of thwarting the Im- postor and his myrmidons, and the plan I proposed to my- self could not possibly, so far as I could foresee, fail of complete success. I found in history a distinguished example of a some- what parallel case, — that in which Napoleon, for the furtherance of the views of the French government upon Egypt and the East, had nominally adopted the Moslem creed. The following is the passage in his Life to which I refer : — " Buonaparte entertained the strange idea of persuadinjr the Moslems that he himself pertained in some sort to their religion, being an envoy of the Deity, sent on earth, not to take away, but to confirm and complete, the doctrines of the Koran, and the mission of Mahomet. He used, in executing this purpose, tlie inflated language of the East, the more easily that it corresponded, in its allegorical and amplified style, witii his own natural tone of com- position ; and he hesitated not to join in the external ceremonial of the Mahommedan religion, that his actions might seem to confirm his words. The French general celebrated the feast of the Prophet, as it recurred, with some Sheik of eminence, and joined in the litanies and worship enjoined by the Koran. He affected, too, the language of an inspired follower of the faith of Mecca, of wliich the following is a curious example : — " On entering the sepulchral chamber in the pyramid of Cheops, ' Glory be to Allah/ said Buonaparte; ' there is no God but God, 8 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. and Mahonimod is his prophet; ' — a confession of faith which is in itself a declaration of Islaniism. " ' Thou hast spoken like the most learned of the prophets,' said the Mufti, who accompanied him. " ■ 1 can command a car of fire to descend from heaven,' con- tinued the French general, ' and I can guide and direct its course upon earth.' " ' Thou art the great chief to whom Maliommed gives power and victorj-,' said the Mufti. " Napoleon closed the conversation with this not very pertinent Oriental proverb — 'The bread which the wicked seizes upon by force, shall be turned to dust in his mouth.'" — Life of J\'apoIcon Buonaparte^ Vol. I., j). 416. The motives which led Napoleon to profess Mohammed- anism were undoubtedly a desire to advance the interests of his country, and to facilitate the operations of the army he commanded. But, if these motives justified him in the course he pursued, how much more had I to justify me in a similar line of conduct ! His temporary profession of a false religion was by no means absolutely necessary under the circumstances ; while, as I before observed, 7nine was indispensable to the end I had in view. And how much superior was my object to his ! He merely wished to pro- mote the ambitious views of his government ; I, on the contrary, was endeavoring to save my country from the most dreadful evils — civil war, despotism, and the estab- lishment of a false and persecuting religion. " But how," inquires some cautious reader, " were you, as an honest man, justified in taking such a course? What confidence can I place in your statements, when I know, by your own confession, that you have once played the part of a hypocrite ? " These suspicions are very natural, and from the first I expected to incur them ; but I think that a very little con- sideration of the extraordinary nature of my case will convince any candid person of the propriety, and indeed necessity, of the course of action I pursued. Suppose for a moment, my dear reader, that you were located on our western frontier, in the vicinity of a large, powerful, and increasing tribe of savage Indians. Sup- pose it is apparent, from their movements, that they intend evil to the whites, your countrymen ; that they are medi- tating murder, plunder, and devastatioji, and all the horrors REASONS FOR JOINING THE MORMONS. 9 that invariably attend an Indian war. Suppose that by going to them, and professing to be their friend, you knew that you would be received by them freely, and admitted into their councils, and could, by the intelligence you would thus gain, be enabled to frustrate their plans, and avert from your country the evils and dangers which these savages would otherwise bring upon it. Would you for' a moment scruple to make such pretensions? especially if, as in the case of the Mormons, there were no other possible way to do what the safety of the west demanded, — viz., expose the imposture. The fact that in joining the Mormons I was obliged to make a pretence of belief in their religion does not alter the case. That pretence was unavoidable in the part I was acting, and it should not be condemned like hypocrisy towards a Christian church. For so absurd are the doc- trines of the Mormons that I regard them with no more reverence than I would the worship of Manitou or the Great Spirit of the Indians, and feel no more compunction at joining in the former than in the latter, to serve the same useful purpose. I was perfectly satisfied, even before the Mormons went from Ohio, that it was the intention of Joe Smith and those who possessed his confidence, to destroy the sacred institutions of Christianity, and substitute, instead of its powerful restraints upon the unholy passions of the human heart, a frightfully-corrupt system, that would enable them to give free course to their lust, ambition, and cruelty — a system than which, one more abominable the arch-enemy of mankind himself could not have invented. Persons unacquainted with the subject can scarcely imagine the baseness and turpitude of Mormon principles, and the horrid practices to which these principles give rise. When they learn how habitually the Mormons sacrifice to their brutal propensities the virtue and happiness of young and innocent females, how they cruelly persecute those who refuse to join them, and how they murder those who at- tempt to expose them, they will look with indulgence upon almost any means employed to thwart their villanous de- signs and detect and disclose their infamy. There was — I repeat it — no possible way for me to ex- 10 MI.S.Hrihl Vr TBE 5AI2STS. prafess mj be&ef mi take aa active pat, §ar a toae m cj a ma ^ ew tW^ ' Mea&aKcs.. Tke I dU* ani I if|teal to emr reaier «f tbis hsok vkctker^ ki Tiev oftle facts ketea k«tod a^M ■ialiimyi i liiliiii.i.^ ihi cxmse I tookQii^Mtta»eBftideaKt»tlKfraseiatiKT Thai ham wrtmmfihT^m^^iihHmuM iKJii , I dhoaM kare rwaw^ a»«« t^ MarasK; for viik I possesK^ power, vealtkr ^ tie Meaas to gnbfy tint I H^t eoMaenc. B^Ifeit IB tliie kmd? of God to expose ad to opcK tke eves af an- datT. lad. vkatprer kbt be tl—gbi of laj I XK siiisfed aikk tke appravai assrd ^ei I I ilMi tkat I kare acted CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. tftkSi^ fTOii^ r ji 1. A r cnrfJL «• T» v&o^ k BBj cooieeii. : — ^ - - ^aaose wtrnlr^ thai t&ey ku« j^ serenl 7^3 - -m^ Daeter J. C. Jkmett, tsad bxre *5. P. " JfflSS CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 11 From Thomas Burrell, Jr^ .\L D. : J. O. Masiersoru .1 ."*>/_ of Trinity College^ Dublin; and others, diizins or' South Blo:»k- Jkld. " SoiTTB Bloomfteij}, 0<)io, Jtaauaj 1, 1533. " We, the undersigned, citizens of South Blooaifield, Pickaway County, Ohio, do certify- that we hare been personallv acqaainted with Doctor John C. Bennett, for more than twelve months, (and several of us for a number of years,) during which time" he sus- tained the character of a sober, moral man. scrupulonslv honest in all his dealiag-s : and, in regard to his talents and professional ac- quirements, we believe them to be of the first order. "Isaac Cape. "Tho. Bcrreli., Jr. '• Be^j. S. Olps, «J. O. Masteksox, " Geo. R. Pipkr, "William Pratt, "C. R. Byk.-^ From the President and Secretary of the Board of TVvstees of the }FUIoughby University. "Chack:.n, .-i.j ■■).,-■: 00, IS.%1. "J. C. Bexxett, M. D. " Dear Sir, — '• A few days since, we. as officers of the Board of Trustees of the Willoughby University of Lake Erie, forwarded to you an appointment as agent for said Institution ; since which time the Board have had a meeting, at which it was aorreed that we should communicate with you on the subject of coiumenciug our University by organizing the Medical Department first, or, in ^tlier words, by obtaining (if possible) two or more suitable persons to deliver a course of Lectures on Anatomy. Chemistry, &c., as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made. It was also proposed, at the meetmg of the Board, to commence a select school, or prepar- atory department, as soon as a suitable person could be obtained to take ciiarge of it, and circumstances justify the undertakin>'^. " Tho Board tlalter themselves tlwt yourself and your friend Mr. Masterson may yet feel it to be your" duty to embark in this busi- ness, and assist in building up this Institution. " We make the suggestion at this time for your consideration, and the Board would be happy to hear from you on the subject. *•' On the lot wliich the trustees have purchased is a large two story dwelling-house, which could be fitted for a prepanUorv school, or tor chemical and anatomical lectures, at a suxall expense.' "The Board feel thankful far tlio interest which vou have taUeti in this £m//ri/o Institution, and they flatter themselves that success will attend your efforts in its behalf, and that you may yet receive in some way a satisfactory reward. " N. Alles, Prrsi(hnl. "H. G1U.11A.M, Seaelary." 12 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS From ir. Willoughhy, M.D., Professor of JMidwifery in the Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons in the Western District of J\'ew Yoi'k. " Faikfield, January 20, 1835. " RIy dear Sir, — '• Your communication of the 31st of December — mailed the 4th ultimo — has this day been received, for which )-ou will receive my thankful acknowledg-ments. " I feel under greater obligation than my feeble language can express, to my friends of the University located in your village, that they have honored me b}' naming their College after me ; and atrain, I am under renewed obligation to my much esteemed friends that they should deem my name worthy of designating their town. These testimonials of regard have made a deep impression upon my mind — never to be forgotten. Whatever I can do to insure the stability and prosperity of your school will be done with great cheerfulness and pleasure. If I cannot benefit your institution by personal services, I sliall not fail of bestowing something toward its funds. " The contemplated period for choosing your President had passed by ere I received your letter, so that I could not render the reasons why my name should not be among the candidates. The President should be one among 3'ou, live so contiguous as to be enabled to attend all your meetings of the trustees, and exercise a paternal care over the diversified interests of the University. These services could not be attended to by me. I am too far removed from the College to exercise the necessary supervision over its interests and its welfare. I hope, therefore, the honor has fallen upon yourself, or some other one, more able to serve you usefully than would be possible for me to do. " I promise myself tlie pleasure of visiting mj' friends in your section of country — and the University — the ensuing summer, if my health and that of my wife will permit. jMrs. Willoughby's health is very bad, and I greatly fear will never be much improved. She is laboring under hydrathorax — from organic disease of the lungs. •'Receive, my dear sir, for yourself — for your colleagues and the Trustees of the University over whom you preside — my grate- ful acknowledgments for the honors conferred upon me, with my best wishes for your general and individual welfare. I am, my dear sir, with sentiments of high consideration, 3'our obliged and very humble servant, "Westel Willoughby. "John C. Bennett, M. D., President of the Medical Faculty of the Willoughby University of Lake Erie." CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 13 From tlie Medical Class of the Willonghhy University of Lake Erie. " WiLLOUGHBY, Oliio, February 21, A. D. 1835. " At a meeting of the Medical Class of the Willoughby Univer- sity of Lake Erie, convened at the College Edifice, on Saturday, the 21st inst., the following resolution was unanimously adopted : '^Resolved, That we, the members of the Medical Class of the Wil- loughby University of Lake Erie, present our thanks to John C. Ben- nett, M.D., President of our Medical Faculty, and Professor of the Principles and Practice of Midwifery, and the Diseases of Women and Children, for the very able, interesting, and scientific Course of Lec- tures, by him delivered, during the present session, and as a feeble testimonial of our high regard for the interest he has evinced in our welfare and improvement, and for his splendid talents as a teacher. " James Wheeler, President. " T. F. Robinson, -. "H.Robinson, ( Vice-Presi- " Ransford Rogers, > , " Daniel Meeker, \ " E. M. Gleeson, ^ "J. DwiGHT, ) c- ^ • >> " R.H.Hardy, 5 ^^'^'■^^«^*«^- From S. P. Hildreth, M, D,, President of the Medical Convention of the State of Ohio, January 1, 1838, to Alfred Hobby, Esq., Mayor of Hocking City. " Marietta, Ohio, April 11, A. D. 1838. "To a. Hobby, Esq., Mayor of Hocking City. " Dear Sir, — " In answer to your inquiries as to ' the acquirements and medical knowledge of Dr. John C. Bennett, as a physician and surgeon,' I with great pleasure answer, that I deem him to be well qualified in either branch, and that his opportunities for acquiring knowledge-in the Practice of Medicine have been equal to those o? any other in this portion of the State. " Very respectfully, " Your obedient servant, " S. P. Hildreth." From the Rev. John Stewart, of the Methodist Episcopal Church. " Hocking City, Ohio, April 29, 1838. " To whom it may concern : — " This is to certify, that 1 have been for many years intimately acquainted with John C. Bennett, M. D., who was in 1825 my Family Physician ; Dr. Bennett's advantages to acquire correct 2 14 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. medical knowledge have been very great, far superior to most phy- sicians in this country ; and I consider him one of our most able and accomplished physicians and surgeons. "John Stewart." Frovi Alfred Hobby, Esq., Mayor of Hocking City, Ohio. \ " Hocking City, Ohio, June 9, 1838. " To whom it may concern : — I " I with great pleasure state, that I have long had a very intimate ' acquaintance with John C Bennett, M. D., both as a medical man, ■ and private citizen. I have a personal knowledge of his skilful < and dexterous professional tact in some of the major operations in \ surgery, such as the extirpation of the cancerous breast; and as a ' citizen I deem him a gentleman of much moral and intellectual worth. Alfred Hobbv." By perusing Mr. Stewart's certificate, and comparing j the foregoing dates and statements, it will be perceived ; that they give a full account of my character and standing j from 1825, when I first commenced the practice of m.y | profession, up to June, 1838, when I removed from the i State of Ohio to the State of Illinois. On the 20th day j of February, 1839, I was unanimously elected Brigadier- i General of the Invincible Dragoons of the 2d Division of Illinois Militia, and commissioned as follows: — ' "Thomas Carlin, Governor of the State of Illinois, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting ; i " Know 3'e, That J. C. Bennett, having been duly elected to the office of Brigadier- General of the Invincible Dragoons of the 26 I Division of the MUitia of the Stateof Illinois, I, Thomas Carlin, Gov- I ernor of said State, for and on behalf of the People of said State, do 1 commission him Brigadier- General of Invincible Dragoons of the Sec- > ond Division of the Militia of the State of Illinois, to take rank from the ; 20th daj' of February, 1839. He is, therefore, carefullj- and diligently ' to discharge the duties of said office, by doing and performing all man- ' ner of things thereunto belonging ; and I do strictly require all officers ' and soldiers under his command to be obedient to his orders ; and : he is to obey such orders and directions as he shall receive from i time to time, from the Commander-in-Chief, or his superior officer. " In testimony wliereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused ' the State Seal to be riffixed. Done at Vandalia, this 25lh of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine, | and of the Independence of the United States the sixty-third. "Tho. Carun. ; " By the Governor, ! « A. P. Field, Secretary of State" CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 15 On the 20th day of July, 1840, on the nomination of the principal military men of the State, I was appointed duarter-M aster-General of the State of Illinois, and com- missioned as follows : — " Thomas Carlin, Governor of the State of Illinois, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting : " Know ye, That J. C. Bennett having been duly appointed to the office of Quarter-Master- General of the Militia of the State of Illi- nois, I, Thomas Carlin, Governor of said State, for and on behalf of the People of said State, do commission him Quarter-Master- General, to take rank from the 20th day of July, 1840. He is, therefore, carefully and diligently to discharge the duties of said office, by doing and performmg all manner of things thereunto be- longing ; and I do strictly require all officers and soldiers under his command to be obedient to his orders ; and he is to obey such orders and directions as he shall receive from time to time, from the Commander-in-Chief, or his superior officer. " In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the Great Seal of State to be hereunto affixed. Done at Springfield, this 20th day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty, and of the Independence of the United States the sixty-fifth. Tho. Carlin. " By the Governor, "A. P. Field, Secretary of State" "Appointment by the Governor. — Brigadier- General John C Bennett to be Quarter-Master-General of the militia of the State of Illinois, from the 20th day of July. " In making the above appointment, the Governor has selected an able, energetic and efficient officer. The duties that will devolve on him, perhaps no man in the State is better qualified to fill, and we have no doubt he will render due justice to the office which he has been selected to superintend. — Wabash Republican," as quoted in Times and Seasons, No. 12, p. 190. Official Documents, shotving that I ivas in actual Service in the State, as a Stcde Officer. " Ordnmmce Office, j "Washington, October 23, 1840. j "J. C. Bennett, Esq. Qr. Master Genl. Illinois Ma. Nauvoo, 111. "Sir,— " Capt. Wm. H. Bell, the officer in command of the St. Louis Arsenal, has been instructed to supply the artillery, small arms, &c., specified in your requisition of the 26th ult., received yesterday. The order will, no doubt, be filled immediately. "I am, respectfully, " Your obedient servant, " G. Talcott, Lt. Col. Ord.' 16 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. " To His Excellency Thomas Carlin. " Sir, — " The following Resolution has passed the House of Rep- resentatives. *« '■Resolved, That the Governor b» requested to furnish tliis House with a statement of the arms and accoutrements belonging to the State; the amount of the same, and where stationed, and how the companies bringing themselves under the regulation of the militia law, can be furnished with the same, and at what point, and that he report to this House as soon as suits his convenience.' " Respectfully, " Jno. Calhoun, " Clerk of the House of Representatives. "February 16, 1841." "Departmekt op State, } " Springfield, Illinois, ]G February, 1841. \ " To John C. Bennett, Quarter-Master- General of the Militia of the State of Illinois : "Sir,— " Enclosed I have the honor to send you a copy of a Resolution of the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of Illinois, now in session, calling on me for information relative to the number and kind of arms, belonging to the State, their present location, as also the points where companies in this State can be furnished with the same. " I have to request that you will report to me, so far as the infor- mation desired is in your possession, that 1 may lay the same before the House from which said Resolution emanated. " I have the honor to be, sir, " Your most obedient servant. "Tho. Carlin." " MEDICAL CONVENTION OF ILLINOIS. " To the Medical Profession of Illinois. " At a meeting of a number of the Physicians and Surgeons of the State of Illinois, convened in Springfield, on the Dth of June, 1S40, for the purpose of making preliminary arrangements for the organi- zation of a State Medical Society, the undersigned were appointed a committee of correspondence, and, as such, directed to address you on that subject. It was proposed that the medical men of the State of Illinois, should assemble in Convention, at Springfield, on the first Monday of December next, and then and there proceed to the complete organization of the Illinois State Medical Society — the Convention to be composed of one or more delegates from each County in tlie State. This proposition was unanimously adopted ; and we now call upon j^ou to cooperate with us in the consumma- tion of so desirable a result. Hitherto we have been like a vessel cast upon a boisteroiis ocean, without compass or helm ; we have CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 17 acted solitary and alone, without harmony or concert ; but when wo see hundreds of our fellow-citizens and worthy friends, annually sacrificed by the empirical prescriptions of charlatan practitioners, on the altars of ignorance, erected within the very temple of iEscu- lapius, by rude and unskilful hands, is it not time for us to act? — We think so : not, however, by declaring war against mountebanks and uneducated pretenders to the art of healing within our borders ; but by digesting a plan that shall he calculated in its legitimate operations to benefit the people, instruct the unlearned, improve ourselves, and elevate the entire profession above all mercenary considerations to a station of superior mental, moral and medical excellence. Already do our forests groan under the axeman's hand, and our prairies swarm with a busy, free and enterprising popula- tion ; in Agriculture and Commerce, we are rapidly approximating to the level of the oldest States; our citizens are rearing Colleges and Universities for mental culture ; our Divines and Lawyers have already attained a high rank and an elevated standing; and, shall medicine be wholly neglected ? Is Imc of more consequence tlian medicine, or property more valuable than life ? If not, let us not be behind our sister States in our efforts to improve our profession, and place it on a level with that of law. We ask not the protection of legal power, nor do we require the strong arm of legislative enactment to sustain us. We place ourselves before the public on our true merits, having a strong and abiding confidence in the wisdom of the people. All we require is a concerted effort, to ena- ble us to difTuse true and useful medical knowledge — and this we ask. It is due to the profession and to humanity, now, and in all time to come. We hope then to see a general attendance on the day proposed. " J. C. Benneti, of Fairfield. " C. V. Dyer, of Chicao-o. "A. W, Bo WEN, of Juliet? "M. Helm, of Springfield. "E. H. Merryman, do. " F. A. McNeil, do. "J. Todd, do. "W.S.Wallace, do. "D. TuRNEY, of Fairfield. "C. F. Hughes, of Rochester. "I. S. Berry, of Vandalia. "B.H.Hart, of Alton." Times and Seasons, Vol. I. No. 11, p. 174. IVom Col J\r. JV. Smith, " Wabash, August 27, A. D. 1840. " General Bennett : " Dear Friend, — " Yours of last week was duly received, and attended to. You speak of going to the north in a few days, but whether on business, or to change your residence, does not appear. I hope you do not intend leaving this county, as your business prospects are 2* 18 HISTORY OP THE SAINTS. good, and your professional services much required. 1 have heard that 3'ou intended winding up your business, and quittino- our county, and this section of IlHnois, but I supposed your visit to the north an official one, pertaining to your state appointment. Please write me before you start. " Respectfully yours, « N. N. Smith." This gives an account of my standing up to the time of my removal to Nauvoo, in September, 1840. On the 5th (Jay of February, 1841, I was unanimously elected Major-General of the Nauvoo Legion, and commissioned as follows : — " Thomas Cakmn, Governor of the State of Illinois, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting : " Know ye, That John C. Bennett having been duly elected to the office of Major-General of the Nauvoo Legion of the Militia of the State of Illinois, I, Tiiomas Carlin, Governor of said State, for and on behalf of the People of said State, do commission him Major- General of said Legion, to lake rank from the 5th day of February, 3841. He is, therefore, carefully and diligently to discharge the duties of said oliice, by doing and performing all manner of things thereunto belonging; and I do strictly require all officers and soldiers under his command to be obedient to his orders; and lie is to obey sucli orders and directions as he shall receive from time to time from the Commander-in-Chief, or his superior officer. " In testimony whereof, 1 have iiereunto set my hand, and caused the Great Seal of Slate to be hereunto affixed. Done at Springfield, this 16th day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-one, and of the Independence of the United States the sixty-fifth. " Tho. Carlin. " By the Governor, "S. A. DovqlJlSS, Secrctanj of State." The following letter from General Scott to Judo-e Young, one of the United States Senators from Illinois, shows clearly that I coidd legally officiate in the offices of Major-General and Quarter-Master-General of Illinois at the same time, and other official documents will show that I (fid so officiate. " Wad Office, Avg^ist 4, 1841. " Dear Sir, — " I hasten to reply to your letter of yesterday. " You state this case ; — General J. C. Bennett, being the Quarter- Master-General of Illinois, (it is presumed with the rank of Brig- CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 19 adier-General,) he is elected, in a separate organization of a portion of the State, a Major-General, and commissioned accordingly. "The professional question put to me, is — Are the two offices incompatible with each other ? — in otner words, Does the accept- ance of the second vacate the first? " I answer — Not necessarily; — not unless there be something express to that effect in the constitution or laws of Illinois. The first office is in the general staff of the State ; the second in the line of the militia generally^ or in the line of the separate organization. "For example; — General Jesup is the Quarter-Master-General of the United States army, which gives him, from the date of appointment, the rank of Brigadier-General under one act of Con- gress, and under another, for ten years' faithful services in that rank, he was made a Major-General by brevet. As Quarter-Master- General he serves as Brigadier- General : in all other situations, that is, out of the staff, his other commission makes him a Major- General. " If the law of Illinois does not give the rank of Brigadier, or Major-General, to the officer appointed Quarter-Master- General, there is not even the show of incompatibility between the two com- missions of General J. C. Bennett in the statement laid before me. " It will be understood, of course, that, as Major-General of the army, I do not presume to have the least possible authority over questions arising in the militia, under the laws of the particular States. I venture merely to give, for what it may be worth, my professional opinion on a point submitted to me. " I have the honor to remain, Sir, " With great respect, " Your iTiost obedient servant, " WiNFlELD ScOTT. " Hon. R. M. Young, " United States Senate." On the 1st day of February, 1841, I was unanimously elected Mayor of the city of Nauvoo, and commissioned as follows : — "Thomas Carun, Governor of the State of Illinois, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting : " Know ye, that John C. Bennett having been duly elected to the office of Mayor of the city of Nauvoo, in the county of Hancock, I, Thomas Cailin, Governor of the State of Illinois, for and on behalf of the People of said State, do commission him Justice of the Peace for said city in said county, and do authorize and em- power him to execute and fulfil the duties of that office according to law. " And to have and to hold the said office, with all the rights and emoluments thereunto legally appertaining, until his successor shall be duly elected and qualified to office. 20 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. " In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the Great Seal of State to be hereunto affixed. Done at Spring- field, this 22d day of March, in the year of pur Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-one, and of the Independence of the United States the sixty-fifth. "Tho. Caklin. " By the Governor, " LvMAN Trombull, Secretary of State." On the 3d of February, 1841, I delivered to the City Council, in the presence of a large assembly, the following INAUGURAL ADDRESS. "CiTT OF Nautoo, Illinois, February 3, 18il. " Gentlemen of the City Council ; Aldermen and Councillors : " Having been elected to the Mayoralty of this city by the unan- imous suffrages of all parties and interests, I now enter upon the duties devolving upon me as your Chief Magistrate under a deep sense of the responsibilities of the station. — I trust that the confi- dence reposed in me, by my fellow-citizens, has not been misplaced, and for tlie honor conferred they will accept my warmest sentiments of gratitude. By the munificence and wise legislation of noble, high-minded, and patriotic statesmen, and the grace of God, we have been blessed with one of the most liberal corporate acts ever granted by a legislative assembly. As the presiding officer of the law-making department of the municipal government, it will be expected that I communicate to you, from time to time, by oral or written messages, for your deliberative consideration and action, such matters as may suggest themselves to me in relation to the public weal ; and upon this occasion I beg leave to present the fol- lowing as matters of paramount importance. " Tiie 21st Sec. of the addenda to the 13th Sec. of the City Charter concedes to you plenary power 'to tax, restrain, prohibit and suppress, tippling-houses, dram-shops,' etc. etc., and I now recommend, in the strongest possible terms, that you take prompt, strong, and decisive measures to 'prohibit and suppress' all such establishments. It is true you have the power ' to tax,' or license and tolerate., them, and thus add to the city finances; but I consider it much better to raise revenue by an ad valorem tax on the property of sober men, than by licensing dram-shops, or taxing the signs of the inebriated worshippers at the shrine of Bacclius. The revels of bacchanalians in the houses of blasphemy and noise will always prove a disgrace to a moral people. Public sentiment will do much to suppress the vice of intemperance, and its concomitant evil results ; but anip'r-Geueral of Illinois, (Dr. J. C. Bennett) has joined the Mormons and been baptized according to their faith. Under such a leader they will no doubt be able to whip tlie Mis- sourians in the next campaign.' — Louisville Journal. "Very liberal, Mr. Editor: But the '■next campaign' belongs to the PEOPLE, and unless tliey arise with one voice and avenge the wrongs of an innocent and much injured community — farewell to LIBERT V — she has fled forever, and mohocrats bear rule." — Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 3, p. 234. " HZr Great Moral Victory I — The high grounds taken by our Mayor, General Bennett, in relation to the great work of tern perance reform, have been fully sustained by the City Council. President Joseph Smith, chairman of the committee to wliom was referred that part of the inaugural address of His Honor, the Mayor, which relates to Temperance, reported the following Ordinance to the City Council on the 15th instant, which was elaborately dis- cussed by Aldermen Wells and Whitney, and Councillors J. Smith, H. Smith, Rigdon, Law, and Greene, and in Committee of the Whole, by His Honor, and after dispensing with the rules, read three several times, and passed unanimously. " This ordinance passed by ayes and noes, on the call of Coun- cillor Barnett, as follows : — " Yeas — Aldermen Wells, Smith, Marks and Whitney — Coun- cillors Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Don C. Smith, Rigdon, Law, Rich, Barnett, Greene, and Knight — and the Mayor — 14. (Full Council.) " Nays — None! " Thus has the City of Nauvoo set a glorious example to the world — sustained by principle, and the Great God ; to wit ■ - CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 27 "AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO TEMPERANCE. " Sec. 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Nau- voo, That all persons and establishments whatever, in this City, are prohibited from vending whisky in a less quantity than a gallon, or other spirituous liquors in a less quantity than a quart, to any person whatever, excepting on the recommendation of a Physician duly accredited, in writing, by the ' Chancellor and Regents of the Uni- versity of the City of Nauvoo,' and any person guilty of any act contrary to the prohibition contained in this ordinance, shall, on conviction thereof before the Mayor, or Municipal Court, be fined in any sum not exceeding twenty-five dollars, at the discretion of said Mayor, or Court ; and any j)er3on or persons who shall attempt to evade this ordinance by giving away liquor, or by any other means, shall be considered alike amenable, and fined as aforesaid. " Sec. 2. This ordinance, to take effect, and be in force, from and after its passage. " Passed, Feb. loth, A. D. 1841. " John C. Bennett, Mayor. " James Sloan, Recorder." " ' Gen. J. C. Bennett, a very popular and deserving man, has been elected Mayor of Nauvoo, Hancock county.' — Chicago Democrat. " We cheerfully respond to the abo*re statement respecting our worthy Mayor, and we are indeed glad that any of our friends of the press, can nobly come forward and award to faithfulness and integrity their due, even if found in a Mormon. " We would say, that if untiring diligence to aid the afflicted and the oppressed, zeal for the promotion of literature and intel- ligence, AND A VIRTUOUS AND CONSISTENT CONDUCT, are evidences of popularity, &.C., we venture to say that no man deserves the appel- lations of 'popular and deserving' more than Gen. J. C. Bennett." Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 10, p. 351. " LAYING THE CORNER STONE OF THE TEMPLE. GENERAL CONFERENCE. " ' Oh ! that I could paint the scenes Which on my heart are sketcli'd.' " The general conference of the Church, together with the laying of the corner stones of the Temple of our God, now building in this city, have long been anticipated by the saints of the Most High, both far and near, with great pleasure, when they should once more behold the foundation ot a house laid, in which they might worship the God of their fathers. " It frequently happens, that our anticipations of pleasure and delight, are raised to such a height that even exceeds the enjoyment itself, but we are happy to say, this was not the case with tlie im mense multitude who witnessed the proceedings of the sixth of April, and subsequent days of conference. The scenes were of such a character, the enjoyment so intense, that left anticipation far behind. 28 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. " However anxious we are to portray the grandeur and majesty of the celebrations, the union and order which every way prevailed, we are confident, we shall come very far short of doing them justice. "For some days prior to the sixth, the accession of strangers to our city was great, and on the wide-spread prairie, which bounds our city, might be seen various kinds of vehicles wending their way from different points of the compass to the city of >iauvoo, while the ferry-boats on the Mississippi were constantly employed in wafting travellers across its rolling and extensive bosom. " Among the citizens, all was bustle and preparation, anxious to accommodate their friends who flocked in from distant parts, and who they expected to share with them the festivity of the day, and the pleasures of the scene. " At length the long-expected mom arrived, and before the king of day had tipped the eastern horizon with his rays, were prep- arations for the celebration of the day going on. Shortlv after sun- rise, the loud peals from the artillery were heard, callingthe various companies of the Legion to tlie field, who were appointed to take a conspicuous part in the day"s proceedinjrs. "The citizens from the vicinity, now began to pour in from all quarters, a continuous train, for about three hours, and continued to swell the vast assemblv. " At eight o'clock, A. M.^Iajor-General Beimett left his quarters to organize and prepare the Legion for the duties of the dav, which consisted of about fourteen couipanies, several in uniform', besides several companies from Iowa, and other parts of the county, which joined them on the occasion. "At half past nine, Lieut. General Smith was informed that the Legion was organized and ready for review, and immediately ac- companied by his staff, consisting of four Aids-de-camp, and twelve guards, nearly all in splendid uniforms, took his march to the parade ground. On their approach, they were met by the band, beautifully equipped, who received them with a flourish of trumpets and a regular salute, and then struck up a lively air, marching in front to the stand of the Lieut. General. On his approach to the parade ground the artillery was again fired, and the Legion eave an ap- propriate salute while passing. This was indeed a glorious sight, such as we never saw, nor did we ever expect to see such a one in the west. The several companies, presented a beautiful and inter- esting spectacle, several of them being uniformed and equipped, while the rich and costly dresses of the oincers, would have become a Bonapajte or a Washington. " After the arrival of Lieut. General Smith, the ladies who had made a beautiful silk flag, drove up in a carriage to present it to the Legion. Maj. General Bennett, very politely attended on them, and conducted them in front of Lieut. General Smith, who im- mediately alighted from his charger, and walked up to the ladies, who presented the flag, making an appropriate address. Lieut. General Smith, acknowledged the honor conferred upon the Legion, and stated that as long as he had the command, it should never be CHARACTEE OF THE AUTHOR. 29 disgraced ; and then politely bowing to the ladies gave it into the hands of Maj. General Bennett, who placed it in possession of Comet Robinson, and it was soon seen gracefallj waring in front of the Legion. During the time of presentation, the baud struck up a lively air and anotSer salute was fired from the artillery. " After the presentation of the flag, Lieut. General Smith, accom- panied by his suite, reviewed the Legion, which presented a very imposing appearance, the difierent officers saluting as he passed. Lieut. General Smith then took his former stand and the whole Legion by companies passed before him in review. THE PROCESSrOX. " Immediately after the review. Gen. Bennett organized the pro- cession, to march to the foundation of the Temple, in the following order ; to wit : Lieut. Gen. Smith, Brig. Generals Law and Smith, Aids-de-Camp, and conspicuous strangers. General Staff, Band, 2nd Cohort, (foot troops,) Ladies eight abreast. Gentlemen, eight abreast, 1st Cohort, (horse troops.) " Owing to the vast numbers who joined in the procession, it was a considerable length of time before the whole could be organized. " The procession then began to move forward in order, and on their arrival at the Temple block, the Generals with their staffs and the distmgnished strangers present, took their position inside of the foundation, the ladies formed on the outside immediately next the walls, the gentlemen and infantry behind, and the cavalry in the rear. " The assembly being stationed, the choristers, under the super- intendence of B. S. Wilber, sung an appropriate hvmn. " Prest. Ricrdon, then ascended the platform, which had been prepared for the purpose, and delivered a suitable ORATION", which was listened to with the most profound attention by the assembly. From the lonj affliction and weakness of body we hardly expected the speaker to have made himself heard by the congregation, but he succeeded beyond our most sanguine expecta- tions, and being impressed with the greatness and solemnities of the occasion, he rose suf>erior to his afflictions and weakness, and for more than an hour occupied the attention of the assembly. " It was an address worthy a man of God, and a messenger of salvation. We have heard the speaker on ot.her occasions when he has been more eloquent, when tliere has been more harmony and beauty in the construction of his sentences, and when the refined 3* 30 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. ear has been more delighted ; but never did we hear him pour out such pious effusions ; in short it was full to overflowing, of Christian feeling and high-toned piety. " He called to review the scenes of tribulation and anguish through which the Saints had passed, the barbarous cruelties in- flicted upon them for their faith and attachment to the cause of their God, and for the testimony of Jesus, which, they endured with patience, knowing that they had in heaven a more enduring sub- stance, a crown of eternal glory. "In obedience to the commandments of their Heavenly Father, and because that Jesus had again spoken from the heavens, were they engaged in laying the foundation of the Temple that the Most High miglit have a habitation, and where the Saints might assemble to pay their devotions to his holy name. " He rejoiced at the glorious prospect wliich presented itself of soon completing the edifice, as there were no mobs to hinder them in their labors, consequently their circumstances were very diSerent than before. " After tiie address, the choir sung a hymn. Prest. Rigdon then invoked the blessings of Almighty God upon the assembly, and upon those who should labor on the building. " The First Presidency superintended the laying of the CHIEF CORNER STONE, on the south-east corner of the building, which done, Prest. J. Smith arose and said, that the first corner stone of the Temple of Almighty God was laid, and prayed that the building might soon be completed, that the Saints might have an habitation to worship the God of their fathers. " Prest. D. C. Smith and his Councillors, of the High Priests' Quorum, tlien repaired to the "feouth west corner, and laid the cor- ner stone tliereof. " The High Council, representing the Twelve laid the north-west corner stone. " The Bishops with their Councillors laid the north-east corner stone with due solemnities. " The ceremony of laying the corner stones being over, the Le- gion marched to the parade ground, and formed a hollow square for an address. Maj. General Bennett addressed the Legion at some length, applauding them for their soldierlike appearance, and for the attention which both officers and men had given to the orders. " Lieutenant-General Smith likewise e.xpressed his entire appro- bation of the conduct of the Legion and all present. " The assembly then separated with cheerful hearts, and thanking God for the great blessings of peace and prosperity by which thev were surrounded, and hearts burning with affection for their favorite and adopted state. " It was indeed a gladsome sight, and e.'ttremely affecting, to see the old revolutionary patriots, who had been driven from their homes in Missouri, strike hands and rejoice together, in a land where they knew they would be protected from mobs, and where CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 31 they could again enjoy the liberty for which they had fought many a hard battle. 1' " The day was indeed propitious — heaven and earth combined to make the scene as glorious as possible, and long, very long, will the 6th of April, A. D. 1841, be remembered by the many thousands who were present. " The whole passed off with perfect harmony and good feeling. The people were truly of one heart and mind, no contention or dis- cord; even persons unconnected with the Church forgot their pre- judices, and for once took pleasure in the society of the Saints, admired their order and unanimity, and undoubtedly received favor- able impressions by their visit. " Too much praise cannot be given toMaj. General Bennett for his active services on the occasion : he has labored diligently for the prosperity of the city, and particularly for the Legion, and it must have been a proud day for him, and entirely satisfactory, to see his efforts crowned with success, and his labor so well bestowed. "R. B. Thompson." Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 12, p. 380. " IMPORTANT. "Dr. Bennett is of the opinion that most of the bilious affections to which our citizens are subjected during the hot season, can be prevented by the free use of the Tomato — we are of the same opin- ion, and as health is essential to our happiness and prosperity as a people, we would earnestly recommend its culture to our fellow-cit- izens, and its general use for culinary purposes. Do not neglect it." Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 13, p. 404. " It is well known, that Gen. Bennett has for some time been striving to organize the militia of this state, on a plan which would make them more effective in the time of emergency. The example of his skill and ability, to effect that object, so necessary for the public weal, is now fairly before the public ; and as lovers of our country we hope that it will be satisfactory and be adopted by the citizens of this state. "In time of peace, it is necessary to prepare for war; the follow- ing remarks of Gen. Washington to botii houses of Congress, in 1793, are so appropriate, that we cheerfully give them a place. "■ I am pressing upon you the necessity of placing ourselves in a condition of complete defence, and exact the fulfilment of duties towards us. The people ought not to indulge a persuasion contrary to the order of human events. There is a rank due to the nation, which will be withheld, if not lost, by the known weakness and abso- lute neglect to improve our system of defence. If we desire to avoid insult, we must be ready to repel it.' " Times and Seasons, Yo]. II., No. 14, p. 416. " FYom the Bdleoille Advocate. " ' Mr. Boyd : I have read with much interest, the ' Inaugural Address' of Dr. John C. Bennett, of the city of Nauvoo, which was 32 HisTonr or the saints. delivered to the City Council on tlic '3d of February last, as published in the ' Times and Seasons.' "•It is a document wiiich, 1 think, is entitled to the particular notice of our respectable fellow-citizens: and if it sliould meet your views, as it does mine, diffusing a will to promote morality and science, I would be proud to see it in its verhatim character, por- trayed in the columns of your widely circulating paper, the "Belle- ville Advocate." "'I am and have been long acquainted witli Dr. Bennett, and his present character in the military department of this State is not in- ferior to any in the Union. "' With this communication, you will receive the Address. " ' With sentiments of respect, " ' I have the honor to be " ' Yours, respectfully, &c. "' W. G. GoioRTH, M. D. '"Belleville, Illinois, March 22, 18-11.' " " We should be happy to comply with the request of our worthy and esteemed M. D. friend, 'Old Pills,' to publish the 'Address,' entire, which he was kind enougli to furnish us ; but the press of other matter prevents. We have given it an attentive perusal ; and heartily concur with the sentiments contained therein. Certainly, they ought to be the guide of those who are placed in immediate authority over the morals of community, and Mayoi- Bennett clearly understands his duties. We shall make some extracts from his speech, and earnestly commend them to our readers. We think, our 'town' Trustees might profit by the example that is set them, by the Mayor of Nauvoo." Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 14, p. 419. " Not only has the Lord given us favor in the eyes of the com- munity, who are happy to see us in the enjoyment of all the rights and privileges of freemen, but we arc happy to state, that several of the principal men of Illinois, who have listened to tlie doctrines we promulge, have become obedient to the faith, and are rejoicing in the same ; among whom is John C. Bennett, M. D., Quarter-Master- General of Illinois." — Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. G, p. 275. " For the Times and Seasons. "THE NAUVOO LEGION. "The firm heart of the Sage and the Patriot is warm'd By the grand ' Nauvoo Legion : ' The ' Legion ' is form'd To oppose vile oppression, and nobly to stand In defence of the honor, and laws of the land. Base, illegal proscribers may tremble — 'tis right That the lawless aggressor should shrink with affright, From a band that's united fell mobbers to chase. And protect our lov'd country from utter disgrace. CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 33 "Fair Columbia! rejoice ! look away to the West, To thy own Illinois, where tlie saints have found rest See a phcEnix come fortji from the graves of the just, Whom Missouri's oppressors laid low in the dust: See a phoenix — a 'Legion' — a warm-hearted band, Who, unmov'd, to thy basis of freedom will stand. "When the day of vexation rolls fearfully on — When thy children turn traitors — when safety is gone — When peace in tliy borders no longer is found — When the fierce battles rage, and the war-trumpets sound; Here, here are thy warriors — a true-hearted band, To their country's best int'rest forever will stand; For tken to thy standard, the ' Legion ' will be A strong bulwark of Freedom — of pure Liberty. "Here's the silver-hair'd vet'ran, who sufFer'd to gain That Freedom he now volunteers to maintain : The brave, gallant young soldier — the patriot is here With his sword and his buckler, his helmet and spear; And the horseman whose steed proudly steps to the sound Of the soul-stirring music that's moving around ; And here, too, is the orphan, whose spirit grows brave At the mention of Boggs,' and his own father's grave; Yes, and bold-hearted Chieftains as ever drew breath, Who are fearless of danger — regardless of death; Who've decreed in the name of the Ruler on high That the Laws shall be honor' d — that treason shall die. " Should they need reunforcements, those rights to secure, Wiiich our forefathers purchas'd ; and Freedom ensure, There is still in reserve a strong Cohort above ; 'Lo.' the chariots of Israel, and horsemen thereof.' "Eliza. "Cnv OF Nautoo, June 2, 1841." Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 17, p. 467. " EXTRACT " From a Revelation given to Joseph Smith, Jr., Jan. 19, 1841. "Again, let my servant, John C. Bennett, help you in your labor, in sending my word to the Kings and people of the earth, and stand by you, even you my servant Joseph Smith in the hour of affliction, and his reward shall not fail if he receive counsel ; and for his love, he shall be great; for he shall be mine if he docs this, saith the Lord. I have seen the work he hath done, which I accept, if he continue; and will crown him with blessings and great glory." Times and Seasons, 'V^ol. II., No. 15, p. 425. 34 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. "THE WARSAW SIGNAL. " We can hardly find language to express our surprise and dis- approbation at the conduct of the Editor of the ' Signal,' as man- itested in that paper of tlie 19th ult. We had fondly hoped that the sentiments tiiere expressed, would never have dared to be uttered by any individual, in tlie comnuinity in wliieh we reside, whose friendship we esteem, and whose virtuous and honorable conduct, have secured them the approval of every patriotic and benevolent mind. We are, however, anxious to know the real feelings of indi- viduals, and are glad that the latent feelings of the Editor of the Signal, have at last, manifested themselves, clearly and distinctly. " And, we would ask llie Editor of the Signal, what is the cause of his hostility — of this sudden and unexpected ebullition of feeling — this spirit of opposition and animosity .-' Whose rights have been trampled upon .'' Whose peace have we disturbed .' General Ben- nett has been appointed Master in Chancery, by Judge Douglass, and General Bennett is a Mormon ! This is the atrocious act — this is the cause of the Editor's vile vituperation. It will not require the gift of discernment to tell what spirit the Editor was possessed of, when he wrote the following : — " ' Bennett has but recently become an inhabitant of this State — he joins a sect and advocates a creed in which no one believes he has any faith.' " It is obvious, that the intention is to make the community believe, that General Bennett is a mere renegade — hypocrite — and all that is base in humanity. But General Bennett's character as a gentleman, an officer, a scholar, and physician, stands too high to need defending by us ; suffice it to say, that he is in the confidence of the Executive, holds the office of Quarter-Master- General of this State, and is well known to a large number of persons of the first respectability throughout the State. He has, likewise, been favor- ably known for upwards of eight years by some of the authorities of the Church, and has resided three years in this State. But being a Mormon, his virtues are construed into defects, and is thought a proper object of the base, cowardly, and ungentlemanly attack of the Editor of the ' Signal.' " Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 15, pp. 431, 432. " Generals Joseph Smith, John C. Bennett, and Hyrum Smith, and some other citizens of Nauvoo, attended the military parade, at Montrose, on the ]4tli, as visitors, on the special invitation of Gen- eral Swazey, and Colonel Fuller of Iowa, the officers in command. Generals Joseph and Ilyrum Smith attended, attired in plain citi- zen's garb, as citizens, without the least military appearance about them. General Bennett, and some of his statf officers, it is true, appeared in the 'splendid and brilliant uniform of the Nauvoo Le- gion,' as the Editor of the Signal is pleased to term it. All passed off with perfect good feeling, and in a highly creditable manner." Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 23, p. 563. CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 35 "STATE GUBERNATORrAL COXVENT[ON. " City of Nauvoo, Illinois, ) December 20, A. D. 1841. J " To my friends in Illinois : — " The Gubernatorial Convention of the State of Illinois have nominated Colonel Adam W. Snyder for GOVERNOR, anA Colonel John Moore for LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR of the Slate of Illinois — election to take place in August next. Colonel Moore, like Judge Douglass, and Esq. Warren, was an intimate friend of General Bennett, long before that gentleman became a member of our community, and General Bennett informs us that no men were more efficient in assisting him to procure our great chartered privileges than were Colonel Snyder, and Colonel Moore. They are sterling men, and friends of equal rights — opposed to the oppressor's grasp, and the tyrant's rod. With such men at the head of our State Government, we have nothing to fear. In the next canvass we shall be influenced by no party consideration — and no Carthaginian coalescence or collusion, with our people, will be suf- fered to afi'ect, or operate against. General Bennett or any other of our tried friends already scmi-oJjiciaUy in the field; so the partisans in this county who expect to divide the friends of humanity and equal rights, will find themselves mistaken — we care not a fio- for Whig or Democrat: they are both alike to us; but we shall go for our friends, our tried friends, and the cause of human liberty., which is the cause of God. We are aware that ' divide and con- quer,' is the watch word with many, but with us it cannot be done — we love liberty too well — we have suffered too much to be easily duped — we have no cat's-paws amongst us. We voted for Gen- eral Harrison, because we loved him — ho was a gallant officer, and a tried statesman ; but this is no reason whj' we should always be governed by his friends — he is now dead, and all of his friends are not ours. We claim the privileges of freemen, and shall act accordingly. Douglass is a Master Spirit, and his friends are our friends — we are willing to cast our baimers on the air, and fight by his side in the cause of humanity, and equal rights — the cause of liberty and the law. Snvder, and Moore, are his friends — they are ours. These men are free from the prejudices and superstitions of the age, and such men we love, and such men will ever receive our support, be their political predilections what they may. Snyder, and Moore, are knoicn to be our friends; their friendship is vouched for by those whom we have tried. We will never be justly charged with the sin of ingratitude — they Aare served us, and we will serve them. "Joseph Smith, " Lieutenant- General of the Kauvoo Legion." Times and Seasons, Vol. III., No. 5, p. 651. " RULES OP ORDER OF THE CITY COUNCIL. " Ex'rartufrom the Minutes of the City Council. " The Council then received the following communication from the Mayor, to wit : 36 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. " JIayoh's Office, City of Nauvoo, Illinois, January '■23, A. D. 1842. " Gentlemen of the City Council ; "Aldermen and Councillors : — " I have carefully selected and prepared the following ' Rules of Order of the City Council of the City of Nauvoo,' and present them for your adoption, to wit : — " Rides of Order of the City Council of the City ofJVauvoo. " Duties of the Mayor. " 1st. The Mayor, or President pro tempore^ shall take the chair and organize the Council, within thirty minutes after the arrival of the hour to which it shall have been adjourned, and, while presid- ing, shall restrain all conversation irrelevant to the business then under consideration. " 2d. Tlie Mayor having taken the chair, and a quorum (which shall consist of a majority of the entire Council) being present, the Council shall be opened by prayer, after which the journal oi' the preceding meeting shall be read by the Recorder, to the end that any mistake may be corrected that shall iiave been made in the entries ; after which no alteration of the journal shall be permitted, without the unanimous consent of tiie members present. " 3d. The Mayor sliall decide all questions of order — subject, nevertheless, to an appeal to the Council, by any member. " 4th. When the question is taken on any subject under consid- eration, the Mayor shall call on the members in llie affirmative to say, «(/, — tliose in the negative to say, ?(o — and he shall declare tlie result. When doubts arise on the decision, he ma}' call on the members voting to rise, or take the yeas and nays — the yeas and nays, likewise, may be taken on the call of any four members. '• 5th. The Mayor shall have a riglit to vote on all occasions ; and when his vote renders the division equal, the question shall be lost. " (jth. The ]Ma3'or shall sign his name to all acts, addresses, and resolutions of the Council. " Of the Vice-Mayor. " 7lh. The Council shall elect a Vice-Mayor, to serve as Presi- dent pro tempore, who shall preside during the absence of the Mayor, and who shall be chosen by ballot — and a majority of the votes of the members present shall be necessary to a choice. "Sth. If at any meeting when a majority shall be assembled, neither the Mayor, nor the President pro tempore, shall be present, the Council shall proceed to the election of a President for that meeting. "Of the Recorder. " Pth. The Recorder shall keep a journal of the proceedings of the Council, and shall enter therein vi'hatever a majority of the members shall order ; and, in all cases, the yeas and nays, or dissent of any member, when required to do so. CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 37 '•' 10th. The Recorder shall read whatever is laid before the Coun- cil for the consideration of the members, and shall countersign every act, address, or resolution, passed by the Council, noting the date of its passage. " 11th. When the yeas and nays are called upon any question, the Recorder shall read over distinctly, lirst, the names of tlie mem- bers who voted in the affirmative, and next, the names of those who voted in the negative. " Of the Marshal. " 12th. The Marshal shall serve as Door-Keeper, and Sergeant- at-Arms, to the Council. "Order of Bosiness. " 13th. After the reading of the journal of the preceding meeting, the Mayor shall call for petitions, and no petition shall be received thereafter, unless by unanimous consent. " 14th. Petitions having been called for and disposed ©f, reports of Standing Committees shall next be received, then reports of Select Committees, and then any miscellaneous business shall be in order. " Decorum. " 15th. The Mayor shall always be at liberty to deliver his senti- ments in debate, on any question before the Council ; but when the Mayor speaks, it shall be from his chair. " 16th. In cases of disorderly conduct in spectators, the Mayor may either order the persons out, committing the disorder ; have the room cleared ; or fine or commit the offenders to prison for con- tempt. "Of Order and Debate. " 17th. When any member is about to speak in debate, or offer any matter to the Council, he shall rise from his seat, and address the Mayor as ' Mr. President,' and avoid personalities. " 18th. When two members rise at the same time, the Mayor shall name the person to speak, but in all other cases, the member first rising shall speak first. No member shall speak more than three times to the same question without leave of the Council, nor speak more than twice without leave, until every person choosing to speak shall have spoken. "l!Jth. Any member may call another to order, and when a member is so called to order, he shall immediately desist speaking, until the Mayor decide whether he is in order, or not ; and every question of order sliall be decided without debate ; but any member may appeal from his decision to the Council ; if the decision be in favor of the member called to order, he shall be at liberty to pro- ceed ; if otherwise, the Council shall determine upon the propriety of bis proceeding with his observations. "20th. When a question has been taken and carried in the affir- mative, or negative, it shall be in order for any member of tiie majority to move for the reconsideration thereof; but no motion for the reconsideration of any vote shall be in order, after the paper 4 38 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. upon which the same shall have been taken, shall hare gone out of the possession of the Council "21st. No motion, or proposition, shall be received as an amend- ment which shall be a substitute for the proposition before the Coun- cil ; but nothing shall be considered a substitute which shall have relation to the subject matter under consideration. "22d. When the yeas and nays are called, every member shall vote, unless specially excused ; and in voting by yeas and nays, the Counsellors shall be called first, the Aldermen next, and the Mayor last. "23d. When a motion is made and seconded, it shall be reduced to writing, and shall be first read aloud before any order be taken thereon ; but the question, ' Will the Council now consider it,' shall not be put, unless called for by a member, or is deemed neces- sary by the Mayor : and on motions to amend, the question of con- sideration shall in no case be put. " 24th. Any motion maybe withdrawn or modified by the mover, at any time before a final decision or amendment. " 25th. When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received but to adjourn, to lie on the table, for the previous ques- tion, to postpone indefinitely, to postpone to a day certain, to com- mit, or to amend; which several motions shall have precedence in the order they stand arranged. A motion to strike out the enacting words of a bill, shall have precedence of a motion to amend, and, if carried, shall be considered a rejection. — And a motion to refer to a Standing Committee, shall have precedence of one to refer to a Select Committee. A motion to adjourn shall always be in order ; that, and a motion to lie on the table, shall be taken without debate. "2Gth. The previous question shall be in this form, 'Shall the main question be now put.''' It shall only be admitted when de- manded by a majority of the members present ; until it is decided, shall preclude all amendment and further debate of the main ques- tion, and upon said question there shall be no debate. " 27th. Any member may call for the division of a question where the sense will admit of it, but a question to strike out and insert shall be indivisible. " 28th. When a question is carried in the affirmative by yeas and nays, any member may enter on the journal his reasons for dis- senting. " 2'Jth. It shall not be in order to introduce a bill, unless by way of report from committee, or leave be previously asked and obtained. " 30th. Every bill or resolution requiring the signature of tiie Mayor and Recorder, shall receive three several readings previous to its passage. " 3lst. The first reading of a bill shall be for information, and if opposition be made to it, the question sliall be, ' Sliall this bill be rejected J ' If no opposition be made it shall go to the second read- ing without a question, when it shall bo open for discussion and amendment, or such order as the Council may think proper to take, except the question on the passage thereof, which can only be taken, on the day of the introduction of the bill, by the consent of two thirds of the members present. CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 39 " 32nd. Before any bill or resolution requiring the signature of the Mayor and Recorder, shall be read a third time, the question shall be put, 'Shall this bill be read a third time?' and if a majority of the members present shall not vote in the afiirmative, the same shall be declared to be rejected. " 33rd. On the third reading of a bill, the question shall be on its passage, but it may be committed at any time previous to its passage. " 34th. When a blank is to be filled, and different sums or dates are proposed, the question shall be first taken on the highest sura or longest date, and thence downwards. " 35th. The Council may at any time suspend any of its rules by a majority of three fourths of the members present. " 36th. After the arrival of the hour to which the Council may stand adjourned, no member who may have appeared, shall absent himself without leave of those present, or of the Council when formed. "Of Committees. »' 37th. All Standing and Select Committees shall be appointed by the Mayor, unless otherwise directed, and the first named member shall be the Chairman. The following Standing Committees shall be appointed, to wit : A Committee of Ways and Means, to consist of one member from each ward, to whom shall be referred all subjects of taxation and revenue. A Committee of Improvement, to consist of one member from each ward, to whom shall be referred all subjects relative to repairs and opening of roads and streets, and other subjects of a similar nature. A Committee of Claims, to consist of three members, to whom shall be referred all matters of claims against the city, and applica- tions for remission of penalties. A Committee of Unfinished Business, to consist of two members, who shall examine the journal of the preceding Council, and report such business as may have remained unfinished. A Committee of Elections, to consist of three members. A Committee of Police, to consist of one member from each ward, who are empowered to call upon any officer of the Corporation, for any information, report, paper or other matter relative to the police. A Committee of Municipal Laws, to consist of five members, to whom shall be referred all bills for ordinances presented to the Council. A Committee of Public Grounds, to consist of one member from each ward. A Committee of Public Works, to consist of three members. " Of Amendment to Rules. " 38th. All motions for amendment of the rules, shall be submit- ted one month previous to a final determination thereof, unless three fourths of the members present shall assent that it shall be finally acted on the day on which it is submitted. 40 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. " Of Balloting. " 39th. In balloting for committees, a plurality of votes shall be sufficient to make a choice, but in other cases a majority of the whole number of votes shall be required to decide. " All of which is respectfully submitted. " John C. Bennett, Mayor. " The above communication was read by the Recorder to the City Council, on the Ji"2d January, 1842, and referred to a Select Com- mittee, consisting of Joseph Smith and Orson Pratt, — the Commit- tee reported back the Communication and recommended its adop- tion, which was -carried." Times and Seasons, Vol. III., No. 7, pp. 683 — 686. " In regard to the correspondence between Dr. C. V. Dyer and Gen. Bennett, referred to by Gov. Duncan, his statements are foul perver- sions of truth ; the correspondence does not show either myself or Gen. Bennett to be abolitionists, but the friends of equal rights and privileges to all men." — Times and Seasons, Vol. III., No. 15, p. 808, jFVom Sidney Rigdon, Esq., Attorney at Law, to Major- Gen. James Aiiington Bennet, LL. D., of Arlington House, L. I. " Post-Office, Nauvoo, Illinois, Jlpril 23, 1842. "Sir,— " A letter has appeared in the New York Herald, giving a description of certain individuals in this city. I take the liberty of addressing this letter to you, that I may answer my jmrt and show my opinion. The subject of this address is General J. C. Bennett. General Bennett is five feet five inches high, one hundred and forty-two pounds' weight, and thirty-seven years of age. He is at once Major-General in the Nauvoo Legion, Quarter-Master-General of the State, Mayor of the City of Nauvoo, and Master in Chancery for the County of Hancock. He is a Physician of great celebrity, and a successful practitioner ; of great versatility of talent ; of re- fined education, and accomplished manners ; discharges the duties of his respective offices with honor to himself; and credit to the peo- ple. He possesses much decision of character ; honorable in his intercourse with his fellows, and a most agreeable companion ; possessing much vivacity and animation of spirit, and every way qualified to be a useful citizen, in this or any other city. " Very respectfully, your obedient servant, "Sidney Rigdojh, Post-Master. " J. A. Bennet, Esq." Official IVithdrawal from, the Mormon Church. " May 17, 1842. "Brother James Sloan, — " You will be so good as to permit General Bennett to withdraw his name from the Church record, if he desires to do so, and this with the best of feelings towards you and General Bennett. "Joseph Smith." CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 41 " In accordance with the above I liave permitted General Bennett to withdraw his membership from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, this 17th day of May, 1842 ; the best of feehngs subsisting between all parties. Jabjes Sloan, " General Church Clerk and Recorder, " City of Naqvoo, May 17, 1842. " The above is a true copy from the original. Okson Pratt." After my withdrmoal from the Church, the Prophet and his minions withdrew from me the hand of fellowship, and ANTE-DATED the MoRMON BuLL OF ExCOMMUNICATION, and presented it to Professor Orson Pratt, A. M., one of the twelve Mormon Apostles, for his signature, some days after 1 shoioed him my official withdraioal, and Mr. Pratt REFUSED to sign it — stating as his reason that he knew NOTHING AGAINST ME. This BuLL was signed hy the Mormon Hierarchy, who forged the names of Lyman Wight, who was then in Tennessee; William Smith, who was in Pennsylvania; and John E. Page, who was in Pittsburgh ! — These are three of the Mormon Apostles. Prentice and Weissinger, the able editors of the Louis- ville Journal, in their paper of July 23, 1842, in speaking on this subject, say, — " Here Gen. Bennett publishes a copy of a highly honorable dis- mission from the Mormon Church, given him by the general clmrch clerk and recorder, at Bennett's own request, and in accordance with Joe Smith's written instructions. Subsequently to this with- drawal and honorable dismission of Gen. B., Joe Smith, in anticipa- tion of an attempt on the part of the General to expose his villanies, undertook to blast Bennett's character, and destroy his credibility, by publishing a pretended copy of a withdrawal of the fellowship of the Church from him, giving this withdrawal of fellowship a date prior to that of the honorable dismission, and appending to it the names of men, who, at the date of the document, were more than a thousand miles off. This fraud and forgery, on the part of the Prophet, is rendered so perfectly palpable, that even he himself can- not pretend to deny it." JVeiv Election of Mayor and Vice-Mayor of the City of JVauvoo, on the Resignation of General Bennett. "On the 17th instant, General John C. Bennett resigned the office of Mayor of the City of -Nauvoo, and on the 19th, General Joseph Smith, the former Vice-Mayor, was duly elected to fill Uio 4* 42 HISTORY or THE SAINTS. vacancy ; and on tlie same day, General Hyrum Smith was elected Vice-Mayor in place of General Joseph Smith, elected Mayor. " The following vote of thanks was then unanimously voted to the Ex-Mayor, General Bennett, hy the City Council, to wit : Re- solved by the City Council of the City of INauvoo, that this Coun- cil tender a vote of thanks to General John C. Bennett, for his great zeal in having good and wholesome laws adopted for the government of this city, stnd for the faithful discharge of his duty while JNIayor of the same. "Passed May 19, 1842. Joseph Smith, Mayor. " James Sloan, Recorder." From "The (Nauvoo) Wasp," of May 21, 1842, Vol. I., No. 6. It will be seen by the foregoing documents, that I was in perfectly good odor with the saints and their rulers, in the Holy City, up to the time of my withdrawal from the Church, and even afterwards. So it appears, from the Prophet's own showing, that the Lord was remarkably well pleased with his servant John C. Bennett so long as he was an advocate of the Mormon creed ; but when he came out on the pretended man of God, the Lord's Anointed Old White Hat Prophet, Joe contended that he always knew Bennett was a scoundrel. It appears, therefore, that either the Lord, or Joe, was mistaken. Which do you think it was, Christian reader? I will now conclude by giving my Patriarchal Blessing, from the Holy Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch of the whole Mormon Church, and Heir- Apparent to the Throne. A Blessing pro7iounced on the Head of J. C.Bennett, son of J. and jy. Bennett, horn in the Town of Fair Haven, Bristol County, Massachusetts, August 3, A. D. 1804, hy Hyrum Smith, Patri- arch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Sep- tember 21, 1840. " John C. Bennett — I lay my hands upon your head in the name of Jesus Christ, and inasmuch as thou art a son of Abraham, I bless you with the holy priesthood, with all its graces, and gifts, and with wisdom in all the mysteries of God. Thou shalt have knowledge given thee, and shalt understand the kej-s by which all mysteries shall be unlocked. Thou shalt have great power among the chil- dren of men, and shalt have influence among the great and the noble, even to prevail on many, and bring them to the knowledge of the truth. Thou shalt prevail over thy enemies; and shalt know when thou hast gained power over them, and in this thine heart sliall rejoice. Many souls shall believe, because of the proclamation CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 43 which thou shalt make. The Holy Spirit shall rest upon thee, insomuch, that thy voice shall make the foundation on which thou standest to shake, — so great shall be the power of God. " His favor shall rest upon thee in dreams and visions, which shall manifest the glory of God. Beloved brother, if thou art faithful, thou shalt have power to heal the sick ; cause the lame to leap like an hart ; the deaf to hear ; and the dumb to speak, and their voice shall salute thine ears ; thy soul shall be made glad and thy heart shall rejoice in God. Thou shalt be like unto Paul, who, according to his own words, was like ' one born out of due time,' and shalt have the visions of heaven open, even as they were to him. "Thy name shall be known in many nations, and thy voice shall be heard among many people. Yea, unto many of the remnants of Israel shalt thou be known, and when they shall hear of thy coming they shall rejoice, and thou shalt proclaim the gospel unto many tribes of the house of Israel. " If thou shouldst step aside from the path of rectitude at any lime because of temptation, the Lord shall call after thee, because of the integrity of thine heart, and thou shalt return to the path frona whence thou hast strayed, for God shall illume the path by the light of his everlasting covenant, and with its light thou shalt keep the way. " God is with thee, and has wrought upon thy heart to come up to this place, that thou mayest be satisfied that the servants of God dwell here. God shall reward thee for thy kindness, and thou shalt be fully satisfied hereafter. Thy soul shall be enlarged, thy mind shall be clear, and thy judgment informed, and the knowledge of all these things shall be made clear to thy understanding. Thou wilt have to pass through tribulation, but thou shalt remember the promises of the Lord, and shalt be comforted, and shalt have the greater manifestations of the power of God. " Thou must travel and labor for Zion, for this is the mind and will of God. Let thy voice be heard, and thy prayers and sup- plications and thy rejoicings be known. Turn not aside from the truth for the popularity of the world ; but be like Paul. Let God be thy shield and buckler, and he shall shield thee forever. Angels shall guide thee, and shall lift thee out of many dangers, and dif- ficulties ; and after thou art delivered, thou shalt know they have done it, and thy heart shall be comforted. " Thou shalt have power over many of thy friends, and relations, and shalt prevail with them, and when thou shalt reason with them, it shall be like Paul reasoning with Felix, and they shall tremble when they hear thy words. Thou shalt be blessed with the bless- ings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and if thou art faithful, thou shalt yet be a Patriarch, and the blessings thou shalt pronounce shall be sealed in heaven. Thou shalt have an inheritance among the Saints in time and in eternity, for this is the will of God. If tliou continue faithful and steadfast in the Everlasting Covenant, thou shalt have power over the winds and the waves, and they shall obey thy voice when thou shalt speak in the name of Jesus Christ. " The power of God shall shield thee while thou art laboring for 44 ' HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. Zion. Thou shalt outride the storm of adversity with patience, and shalt be crowned with immortahty in the Celestial Kingdom, when Christ shall descend. Even so, Amen. " R. B. Thompson, Scribe." CORRESPONDENCE. " La Habpc, Hancock County, Illinois, ) "June 18, 1842. ) "To Major-General J. C. Bennett: "Sir,— " By your solicitation, I raised the 3d Company of Cav- alry of the 2d Regiment and 1st Cohort, of the Nauvoo Legion, and accepted the office of Captain. It is now rumored, that you are about to resign the command of the Legion, which induces me to tender to you my resignation. " Yours, respectfully, "John F. Olney, " Capt. 2d C. 2d R. 1st C. K. L. "Accepted, June 20, A. D. 1842. "John C. Bennett, Major-General.' " Nautoo, June 20, A. D. 1842. "Major-General Bennett: "Dear Sir,— " I would respectfully tender you my resignation of the offices of Brevet Major-General, and Cornet of the Nauvoo Legion, which offices I was pleased to accept at your instance, and yours only, believing then, as I now do, that you were the only man in our city, capable and qualified to hold the office of Major-General in, or to command, said Legion. Be assured, sir, that nothing more or less would tempt me to resign, than the fact of your intention of doing the same. " Very respectfully, yours, &c. " Geo. W. Robinson, " Brevet Maj. Gen. and Cor. J\'. L. " Accepted, July 1, A. D. 1842. "John C. Bennett, Major-General." "Nautoo, JuJy 3, A. D. 1842. *' General Bennett : "Sir,— " The Sangamo Journal came in to-day. I expected some- thing from you, but was disappointed ; but presumed you knew nothmg of the new arrangement of the mails. I just saw Col. C. L. Higbee, and saw the affidavit of Mrs. Schindle. Good! The letter to N , [Nancy, — Miss Nancy Rigdon,] C. L. H. [Col. Chauncy L. Higbee,] will get. F. M. H. [Col. Francis M. Higbee] has it, and I told him to get it. I will leave this for the present, and await the return of our folks from meeting, before I seal it, unless the mail should come before they return. CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 45 " 2 o'clock. Our folks have returned from meeting, and the way Joe took back what he said about us, was a caution. He said he had agreed to take back what was said, but, on thinking it over, he could not do it, for any man that would sutler Bennett to come into their houses, was just as bad as he; and he would, however, say this much, that one continued course of rascality in Mr. Rigdon and myself, for some time back, was the cause of his coming out on us, and if that would be any satisfactory confession, we could have that much, and do what we pleased. He said, tliat whenever he exposed iniquity, the persons chastised would turn round and en- deavor to injure him. 'Now,' says he, '■look out! look out!! These men, I will venture to say, will come out on me, with all their power, and say and do all they can to put me down ; but do not be- lieve one word of their cursed lies, FOR I KNOW I AM A PROPHET ! ! ! ' Joe soaped over Messrs. Ivins, Hunter, and Pierce, and I think some have already consecrated^ and quite likely the balance will. Joe did not say much about Higbee. He stated that a young man came down to see him the other day, and wanted to know why he came out on him ; but, says he, ' I have settled all matters with him, and shall not mention his name, for he confessed his sins to me, and begged I would not mention him.' Francis will roar. Yours, respectfully, " Geo. W. Robinson." "Nauvoo, July 4, A. D. 1842 "General John C. Bennett: "Dear Sir,— " I received your favor by Mr. Hamilton, to-day, and have done all in my power to accomplish your business, according to your request. ********* I have talked with Mrs. G**, and labored hard to show her the necessity of coming out to befriend the innocent, and defend her own character from Joe's foul asper- sions ; but she says that she will not give her affidavit now, but thinks that she will in the course of two or three days. She wants to have a talk with O. Pratt before she gives it. I have seen Pratt, and he says, if she comes to talk with him, he will tell her, that if she knows any thing, to tell it, let it hit where it will. There were a great many out to meeting yesterday. Smith preached — said considerable against you, and stated that Messrs. Robinson apd Rig- don had requested him to recall what he had said against them; but instead of doing it, according to promise, he vilified them worse than ever, if it were possible to do it — no other names mentioned ; but he insinuated very hard on Francis in the forenoon, and on myself in the afternoon, by saying that those who had resigned, were no better than yourself, after placing you at the lowest grade he possibly could, in his awkward way of doing it. I have seen Nancj', [Nancy Rigdon,] — she told me to say to you, ^ go ahead, and make of her name as much as you please, in relating the circumstance which happened between Smith and herself Mr. Pratt and his wife say, that if ever Smith renews the attack on them, they will come out against him. and stand it no longer. " Yours, with respect, "C. L, HiGBEE." 46 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. "Nauvoo, July 6, 1842. "General John C. Bennett: "Dear Sir,— " Joseph Smith is yet thrashing about, tearing up the D****, and slandering every body. He has not Ht on Rigdon and Robinson very severely as yet, but touched them slightly on Sun- day, also myself; and we must keep things right side up. Mrs. Schindle's affidavit is a good one, and Mrs. G**, I have understood, was going to give hers. Mrs. Pratt, I think, will also give hers — also, Miss Nancy Rigdon. Joe is operating with Mrs. White, and it is reported, that he is to settle upon her a line sum soon, or return the money he and Sherman took from Bill White some time ago. You ought to see Mrs. White, and labor with her, as soon as possi- ble, and secure her testimony, because it would he great. As it respects my affidavit, sir, for God's sake, my sake, and the sake of my people, do not show it to any one on earth, as yet, never, until I give you liberty. Stiles has seen it, and you must swear him that he will keep dark as h***. I am yet true as death, and intend to stick or die, but you must keep my name back, because I am not ready as yet to leave ; and as soon as you hring my name out, they arc certain to take my life — they go it like h***, yet. I am likely to sell my property here, and as soon as I do, I will emigrate like ligJitning. Scorch them with the Missouri writ — that is what scares them like the d****, Porter not excepted. " Your dear friend, Francis M. Higbee. " P. S. I think I will be out to Carthage to see you soon : come in as soon as you can, but do not stay here long, or over night. Pratt is true — Rigdon is good. F. M. H." " Nautoo, July 5, 1842. "Doctor Bennett: " Dear Friend, — " Orissa's health is yet in a very critical situation, and we are very anxious to have your professional advice, /o?- we do notkno^o what to do without it. I will give you as accurate a description of the case as possible. *********«_ Wp \\\fih you to write your prescription in full, and send it to Sarah's, [Prof. Orson Pratt's, — Sarah M. Pratt being the sister of Mrs. Orissa A. Allred,] where we shall remain until Orissa recovers. We all, with one accord, send you our best respects. Mr. Pratt would write, but he is afraid to. He wishes to he perfectly still, until your second letter comes out — then you may hear. " Yours, respectfully, " William M. Allked." " From W. F. Parrish, Esq., Attorney at Law. " Massillon, July 31, 1842, "Dear Sir,— " Prof Wm. M. Smith, M. D., informed me, that you passed through this place on Friday last, on your way to New York, to make CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 47 an exposition of that infamous scoundrel, Joe Smitk, and others con- nected with liim, in their piracy upon the human family. I am exceed- ingly sorry, sir, that I could not have had an interview with you upon this subject, for, be assured, I consider any means which can be adopted to bring such a ruthless ruffian to justice, as most laudable, and not only worthy the attention, but imperatively demanded at the hands of him who may be in possession of facts that will enable him to accomplish that object. I am, however, aware, that the man who attempts it, puts his life in competition with a secret influence of the most dangerous, dark, and damning kind, that may be brouglit to bear upon him, at times and places, and under circumstances least anticipated, — an influence that can be known only by those who have had the means of knowing that we have, and which it is hard to make others believe exists in an enliglitened community. " I have known you by reputation for some time, but have not the pleasure of 3'our acquaintance personally ; have said but little upon the subject of your connection with the Prophet^ but have thought much, and am not disappointed in the issue. " You, no doubt, have learned, in your close connection with Joe, the position I occupied in his cabinet; and let me inquire what his present feelings are toward me .-' My life was sought for a time ; how is it now .'' I was once a peculiar favorite of the Prophet and rulers in Israel, called to be his scribe by revelation, wrote his early history, kept his daily journal, superintended his mercantile, land, and bank- ing speculations, under his directions. " 1 joined the Church in 1833, and withdrew in 1837, at the head of some forty others, and shortly after was excommunicated by a Bull from his Holiness ; and not long after that, I made Kirtland, the stake of Zion,so exceedingly unpleasant to him, that ho got a revelation to leave between two days, and has not been there since. " I lectured against them in the Temple, twice a week, during the season ; once his lickskillcts attempted to expel me by force from the sanctum sanctorum, but did not succeed. At about that time, their printing-office fell into our hands, which, if they had not con- sumed by fire, would soon have been speaking the truth as an atone- ment for an ill-spent life. Before I left them, those that were disaffected, met frequently, and consulted upon the matter, and many of the first in official stations of the Church, were convinced of the abominations of our leader, as well as m)-self, and so expressed themselves in our private councils, to wit. Bishop Whitney, Orson Hyde, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, Doctor Williams, Cahoon, and others, but had not the moral courage to come out publicly. By the by, have Orson Pratt and Rigdon left them, as you intimated in your communications.' Please write me who among the leaders have left, and what the prospects are for breaking them up. Can it be done ? Be assured, sir, I would most cliserfully assist you in this laudable undertaking, were I situated so that I could. But I do not see how I can possibly, at this time, come to New York. "My professional business, I suppose, I might leave, as I have a partner in Canton ; but I am concerned in a mercantile establish- ment in tills place also, and my partner is absent, and will be for a month at least. 48 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. " At the time I left the Church, I wrote, by way of exposition, several newspaper articles ; and the expectations of tlie public were highly raised, in anticipation that I intended to publish a book, although I did not so pledge myself, but intended to publish a weekly periodical of that character, and should have done so, had not our printing-office been burnt. " I am, no doubt, in possession of some facts that you are not ; and were I so situated that I could, I would join you in New York, and assist in your publication. " Your obedient servant, " W. F. Parrish. " General J. C. Bennett, New York." Fi-om Erastus Webb, M. />., of Cirdeville, Ohio. "CiRCLETiLLE, ^une23, 1842. \ " Dr. Bennett: | " Dear Sir,— i " Your letter of the 7th ult. was duly received. I ; have conversed with the Master and Secretary of Pickaway Lodge. [ The Secretary is at this moment making out a certificate under the seal of this Lodge, in answer to a letter received some time ago, ! from your Deputy- Grand-Master, making inquiries respecting your| standing in this Lodge. The result will be favorable, it appear- i ing on record that you were a member of tliis Lodge about fourteen years ago, and left it in peace and friendship. This will, of course, ' satisfy your calumniators. | " Dear sir, \ " 1 remain, very respectfully, 1 " Your friend, " E. Webb." ' From S. Francts, Esq., Editor of the Sangamo Journal. " Springfield, Illinois, July 6, 1842. | " Major-General Bennett : I " Dear Sir,— "Yours of the 2d came safe to hand last night. Your first number appears in our paper sent to you by the mailj which brings you this. These publications must produce intense; excitement, and, notwithstanding every effort will be made to dis-| credit- them by Smith and his friends, the people icill believe them.\ You certainly have undertaken an arduous duty ; but, judging from- your success so far, the friends of morality, of truth, of true religion,, have strong confidence that you will succeed in tearing away the I veil that has hitherto concealed the 'polluted' Monster, who styles] himself the Prophet of God. i " Go on witli the good work. You will have the best wishes of | the good. Obtain all the documentary evidence possible. Jlffidavits: from Miss Rigdon, and other ladies mentioned, would produce' mighty results. We hope to hear from you, in reference to the; CHARACTER Or THE AUTHOR. 49 Boggs affair, more fully, before next paper. Should you succeed in straiiDjling the Monster with whom you arc now grappled, you will have hio-h claims to rank with those who have achieved the hiorhest good for their species. " Respectfully yours, "S. Francis." ' •' Spkingfielc, July 10, 1842 "Dear Sir,— " We will give all your letters designed for publication. Joe flounders, but 7jour statements arc believed hij all — rest assured of this fact. " I wrote you four or five days since. Furnish all the document- ary evidence possible, all the affidavits possible, and send us your disclosures at St. Louis. Every body is now looking to the Journal for your publications. We should be glad to have from your own pen an account of the Danites, their obligations to each other, and the design of their society. Joe must come down. Governor Reynolds will be obliged to demand him, and innocent individuals must not be implicated with him. This last matter is important. A hair of the heads of those who were emploj'ed by him should not be injured, provided they will sustain you and tell the truth. " 1 have been writing to my friend Mr. Chambers, the editor of the St. Louis Republican, this evening, and I introduced your name, the object of your visit to St. Louis, and solicited for you his kind- ness, and all the assistance and counsel you may wish. Please call upon him, and mention your name — if not in his office, leave your address. " Let me hear from you promptly, and I am respectfully, &c. " S. Francis. " Generai, J. C. Bennett.' OPINIONS OF THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. Fi-om the Sangamo Journal of July 8, 1842 — a leading ivestern paper, published at Springfield, the seat of government of the State of Illinois, by S. Francis, Esq., Editor. " The public will be astounded at the statements made by General Bennett in the article which follows from under his own hand. — That in this day of light and intelligence such a man as Joe Smith should be able to collect around him a mass of people, and make Ihem believe in his shallow and miserable scheme of imposture, is matter of astonishment now, and will be more so in after times. " General Bennett is the individual appointed by Judge Douglass Master in Chancery for Hancock County — a most important and responsible office, from the fact that the Master in Chancery, in 60 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. ' ' many cases, performs the duty of a Jud^e of the Supreme Court We liave, therefore, tlie official endorsement of Judge Douglass, (wliich, however, is not needed,) in support of the character of General Bennett for truth, and all those qualities required of one who fills an office of high responsibility. "We state these facts, that the public may duly appreciate the attacks of those men upon General Bennett, who are acting with Joe Suiith, to decry and to destroy him." I^rom the Louisville Journal of July 23, 1842 — a periodical second to none in Amenca, edited by George D. Prentice, Esq. and Weisinger. " General John C. Bennett was lately, next to Joe Smith, the most distinguished member of the Mormon Church. He was com- mander of l;)ie Mormon Legion; and he was, and still is, Master in Chancery for Hancock County — a county peopled principally by the Mormons. Some time ago a quarrel broke out between him and Joe Smith, which resulted in his abandoning the Mormon Church, and laying before the world an exposition of Smith's char- acter and conduct. This exposition, as far as we have read it, is one of the most startling things of the kind wc ever saw. More- over, it is deeply interesting to the public. Joe Smith is generally regarded as a mere miserable fanatic ; but, although he may be a fanatic, he is something more; he is the Prophet and the Com- mander-in-Chief of thirty thousand Mormons, all of whom regard him as a leader sent from Heaven, and look upon his counnands as emanating from the Most High. Backed by his multitudinous and deluded host, he already attempts to control the p<3litics of Illinois, and defies both the civil and military authorities of that State to call him to account for any thing that he has done or may do." From the Sangamo Journal of July J 5, 1842. " The publications made by General Bennett are believed by all men." F>'om the JFai'saw Signal of July 9, J 842 — a paper printed in Hancocli County, (the place of Smithes residence,) and edited by Thomas C. Sharp, Esq., .Attorney at Law. " We understand that General Bennett has commenced writing for the Sangamo Journal a series of communications, going to show the rascality of Joe Smith and his clan, and tlie dangerous designs which he is capable of forming and executing. The General ask^ not to be believed on his own assertions, but proves matters as he goes; he is a man of great energy and perseverance, and we should not be surprised if he made the Mormons feel like stuck hogs for i| few months to come." CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 51 From the Cleveland Herald of July 19, 1842 — a paper edited by J. A. Harris, Esq. " By the Sang-amo Journal we have a portion of the promised disclosures touchinir the infamous conduct of the Prophet Joseph Smith, promised by^General Bennett, but recently a Mormon high in office and enjoying Smith's unbounded confidence. The dis- closuies show corruption such as had rarely been developed before the days of the Latter Day Saints ; and if tlie half Bennett states be true, Joe richly deserves the penitentiary instead of reverence and obedience from his deluded followers. Bennett g'ves names freely, and calls upon many witnesses to sustain tlie truth of his statements." From the Chicago American of Jidy 28, 1842 — a paper edited by William W. Brackett, Esq. " FROM NAUVOO. " Two gentlemen, who passed through holy Joe's city on Thurs- day of last week, state, that soon after their arrival Joe made a speech in front of the Temple. The subject of his speech was — Bennett — the Sangamo Journal — Mrs. Pratt — and other matters. Joe swore like a pirate, and used the most obscene language. He appeared to be much excited, and it would be an act of charity to suppose that the holy debauchee was drunk as well as mad. " Joe, it is said, anticipates a requisition frtr his person from the Governor of Missouri. He has the utmost horror of the idea of being given up. Joe thinks that Judge Ford will not give him up if he should be elected Governor. " Joe, it is further said, is laboring to make up the breach with Ricrdon, Pratt, and others, by offers of special favor. We trust that in this effort he will not succeed. Joe cannot now harm these men. He will not injure them. He dare not fulfil his threats, and his promises are not to be relied on. — We again call upon Messrs. Rigdon and Pratt, as they regard virtue, honor, and the reputation of their families, to come out from this Nauvoo ' Babylon, and Mother of Harlots,' the home of * the whoremonger and the adul- terer,' and ' be not a partaker of her plagues.' The developments which have been made, must sink Joe Smith to the lowest depths of infamy in the eyes of all honest men. He must fall so certain as God punishes vice and rewards virtue. " Miss Martha H. Brotherton has done herself honor, and the cause of virtue is greatly indebted to her for the publication she has made. We trust her example will be followed by Mrs. Pratt and Miss Rigdon. The holy cause of insulted virtue — of wronged innocence — of the honor and character of families — demand that the Im- postor BE UNVEILED A.N'D EXHIBITED TO THE WORLD IN ALL HIS DEFOKMiTY. — Swngamo Journal,' ' 52 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. From the Chicago American of August 1, 1849. i "Orson Pratt. — We learn from the Warsaw Signal that this gentleman Jias gone from Nauvoo. He left a communication with ! his friends which stated that he iiad been induced to take tliis course ! on account of the treatment of his wife by Smith, and of the general j management of the Church b}' liim. ■ I " We further learn from other sources that Smith, finding his at- j tempts on JNIrs. Pratt were matters of notoriety, went to her liusband! with a manufactured story tliat his wite was a base woman, and that i the fact was well known to him. This communication had such ! an effect upon Mr. Pratt — at once blasting his happiness and the reputation of a virtuous woman — that the wretched husband left | the city. I " It will be recollected tliat Mrs. Schindle, in her affidavit detail- ■ ing the attempt of Smith upon her, said — ' He told her she must never tell his propositions to her, for he had all the influence in that \ place, and if slie told he would rum her character, and she uould be under the iiccessilij of leavinjr.' ' " Tlfis same scheme has been carried out in reference to Mrs. : Pratt. She 'told' on the Impostor, and was marked by him for i destruction. In a public speech in Nauvoo on the 14th, Joe spoke ] of tliis lady — a woman whose reputation had been as fair as virtue j could make it until she came in contact with Jiim — in a manner , only befitting tlie lowest and most degraded vagabond in existence, j " The reader can lience learn the state of society at Nauvoo. I Tlie facts furnislied are presented by the holy Joe himself | " We do not know what course will be pursued by Mr. Pratt. If : he sinks under the denunciations and schemes of Joe Smith — if he I fails to defend the reputation of himself and of the woman he has ' vowed before high Heaven to protect — he will fix a stain upon his i character v/hich he can never wash out, and carry to the grave the pangs caused by ' the gnawings of the worm that never dies.' " We trust that he will secure for himself a more honorable : position in life, and will come to tlie rescue of the fiime of his lady, and expose the infamous course of the Prophet, as becomes a man, \ an honorable citizen, and a sincere Christian. — Sangamo Journal." \ " [Cr Joe Smith, in a speech in Nauvoo on Thursday the 14th j inst., (and which was heard by two gentlemen of our city,) said — \ ' He u-ished Bennett 7cas in Hell! — he iiad given him more trouble i than any man he ever had to do with.' Joe was undoubtedly sin- j cere in this expression of his wishes. ' " In tlie same speech he declared that Mrs. Pratt, the wife of Mr. i O. Pratt, ' had been a from her mother's breast.' This was the lady whom Bennett says Joe attempted to seduce, and who ; resisted all his efforts with the heroism of insulted virtue.' i " In what a horrid and depraved condition society must be in I Nauvoo! — Sancramo Jdjirnal." I Mr. Pratt returned to Nauvoo the day after he left, and '■ CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 53 has since been nobly bearding the lion in his den. His voice is lifted like ten thousand thunders against the ini- quities of the Mormon Prophet and his minions. Pratt is an honest man. From the Cinciymati Republican of July 26, 1842 — a paper edited by a C. Waller, Esq. " [11? General Bennett, the distinguished seceder from the Mor- mon faith, was in town on Sunday, and stopped at the Broadway Hotel. He has made so many startling disclosures of the iniquities practised by Joe Smith on the noodles congregated at Nauvoo that his life is considered in danger of the assassin's steel. He left yesterday morning on the Robert T. Lytle, for the east." From the Circleville Herald of My 29, 1842 — a paper edited by T. J. Davis, Esq. " But, from his intimate and confidential relationship, J. C. Bennett, a Mormon leader, had so far become acquainted with the atrocious criminality of Smith's practices, and was known to stand so high in Smith's confidence, that the latter, in order to compel him to observe secrecy himself, and at the same time hush up the whisperings and murmurings of some of his deluded followers, who could not surrender all sense of virtue and propriety to his wicked and impious requisitions under the plea of revelations from heaven, compelled Bennett to make an affidavit, and make it public in the congregation, to the effect that Smith was not guilty of what had been charged against him in his intercourse with members of the society. Bennett subsequently withdrew from the Church. And now, disregarding the oath he had been compelled to take or die, as neither legally nor morally binding upon him, he has published a detailed exposure of Mormonism as now constituted." FVom the Cincinnati Gazette of July 27, 1842 — a paper edited by the Hon. Judge John C. Wright and J. C Vaughan, Esq. « MORMONISM. " The facts developed with regard to the conduct of Joe Smith, the leader and first of the sect, are startling in the extreme. " The details are too disgusting almost for publication. They show Smith to be a monster who is using the power he possesses to gratify a brutal lust. The proof on this point is conclusive. Lead- ing western papers speak of the fair character of the witnesses, and regard their testimony as conclusive. To give some idea of the conduct of Joe Smith, and of the manner in which he attempts to carry his points, we give the testimony of Mrs. Pratt." 5 * 54 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. From the Louisville Journal of July 25, 1849. " DU' We copy below, from the Sangamo Journal, the second letter of General Bennett, portraying the character and detalHng the horrible and revolting conduct of Joe Smith, the Prophet and leader of tlie Mormons. The exposition, as our readers will see, does not rest at all upon the personal veracity of General Bennett himself, but is sustained by the afhdavits of men and women who cannot be mistalcen as to the facts stated, and who have no motive for misrep- resenting them. Those facts are proved by testimony strong enough to send any man on earth, prophet or no prophet, to tiie penitentiary or the gallows." From the Buffalo Paiiiot and Journal of July 18, 1842. "TiiK Mormons. — We have copied into another column the Mor- mon disclosures of General Bennett. The Sangamo Journal, in a postscript, says, — " ' We have another communication from General Bennett. Its disclosures are horrible. We shall publish it in an extra as soon as possible.' " Gen. B. evidently writes under high excitement, but there is much in liis communication that deserves attention. He shows up, as we believe, in its true colors, one of the most stupendous schemes of villany and religious fraud and imposture that the world ever saw. ' Errors of opinion,' said Jefferson, ' may be safely tolerated, so long as reason is left free to combat them.' The remark is true in its general sense, but the Mormons form an exception. Their errors of opinion may be tolerated, but to their religious errors they have superadded a military and political organization dangerous in the extreme, when wielded as it is by one so unscrupulous as Joe Smith." F-om the JVe;/» York Herald of August 12, 1842 — a rich and racy paper, edited by Geiwral James Gordon Bennett, LL. D. " Arrival Extraordinary. — The celebrated General John Cooke Bennett arrived in this city 3'estcrday. He is preparing to publish a book, wliich is to be a full and complete history of the Mormons, public and private — the secrets of their religion — their mode of life at Nauvoo — the celebrated Prophet Joe Smith's secret system of wives — their mode of warfare — tactics — civil and reli- gious government — with various other curious and perfectly origi- nal matters. It will be one of the richest broclmrcs that ever ema- nated from the press of any country." From the Wahash Express — a paper published at Terre Haute. « MORMON TROUBLES — EXPOSE. "We publish a very singular document from Gen. John C. Bf.n- NETT, a distinguished Mormon, dated at Nauvoo, June 27. It ap- CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR. 55 pears that himself and the Prophet, Joe Smith, have had a regular separation. If half what Gren. Bennett states be true, the new teacher is a most hardened sinner, deserving a place in the Alton penitentiary, instead of a high rank in the community of Latter Day Saints. " The writer speaks with great freedom, and in a spirit of daring b^ave^3^ Bennett has held a high rank in the Nauvoo Legion — a body of troops well disciplined ; and he is spoken of, in some of the eastern papers, as a man of eminent military talents." From the J^Tew York Sun of August 5, 1842 — a paper of very ex- tensive circuiation and great usefulness. "The Mormon Revelations. — We watch the further move ments of the Mormon expounded, and the Anti-Mormon expounder, with some degree of an.xiety, as affording a thorough explanation to the philosophy of fanaticism, whose victims we so frequently find recorded in the history of civilization. This pretty family quarrel between the Mormon chiefs, whether it originated in motives of pu- rity or in pitiable incentives to gain, will carry its salutary effects throughout tlie controversy. We doubt not that Joe Smith is a shrewd and cunnmg man, but John C. Bennett is more than a match for him even in these qualities of modern science. There was an al- most inconceivable moral courage in a man of our age, who, unedu- cated in political sciences, could call together a mighty host of un- civilized human beings, and finally adopt the holy privileges of the ancient proplietic race. " The rule of our male Cassandra, our modern Jacob — a combined prophet and patriarch — could not last forever. He has degenerated from the religious moralist and priest into the lowest grade of chi- canery and vice ; he stands before us a swindler of his community, an impious dictator over free will, and now in his most glaring, and even hideous, aspect — a libertine, unequalled in civilized life — a Giovanni of some dozens of mistresses, and these acquired under the garb of prophetic zeal. However unworthy may be the instrument of this exposition, he is deserving of thanks, and may be absolved from some taints of immorality by becoming an evidence for the moral commonwealth. The state of these revelations, although not contained in the ' Book of Mormon,' or viewed by the divine inspi- ration of Joe's stone spectacles, will soon assume the settled princi- ples of truth, and must bear conviction to the misled and ill-treated sect. " Bennett now has blasted the spiritual and temporal Joseph Smith with a charge of horrid crimes ; and Joe, in return for these favors, will attempt to blast the temporal and mortal John C. Bennett with a charge of still more horrid gunpowder. Both explosions will make a noise in the world : the moral one from the mouth of fame, the igneous one from the mouth of a pistol. At all events, both combatants appear booked on the calendar of fate — one for punish- ment in the next world, the other for a still less agreeable infliction 56 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. in this small sphere. Up to this time, however, the only murder committed, is tliat of the ' King's English.' " We firmly trust that the punishment of Smith will be heavy in the extreme : his fate should be a warning to those itinerant mongers of religion, who, in every guise and form, infest the community ; who steal away the dearest gifts of God, and render desolate firesides by their obscenity and lust. We have now an exponent of the mod- ern philosophy of religious fanaticism ; the rise of Mahomet is no longer a problem ; his effigy of the nineteenth century has been de- stroyed. We have long expected this discovery, and now it comes ; the wires are withdrawn from the animated puppet, and the excited Fantoceini twist and turn, without harmony or concord. The ruler and the sceptre have passed away ; h3'pocrisy and error can no long- er bear the powerful test of sincerity, trutli, and morality. " ' Error,' observed a scholiast, 'begets a legion of followers,' and the Mormon fanaticism has fulfilled this prediction. It has conquered the Nauvoo Legion, but soon it will exist in name alone ; its numbers are fast diminishing. Combination of societies, founded on religious and social basis, will be henceforth regarded with distrust, as weapons of misrule — instruments placed in the hands of designing oligarchs. Charity, benevolence, sympathy, and pure religion, require no asso- ciations to forward their plans ; they are the ingredients of every well-formed, cultivated mind." From the St. Louis Bulletin of July 14, 1842 — a useful paper, edited by Vespasian Ellis, Esq. and JVm. T. Yeomans, Esq. "MoRMONisM. — The disclosures being made by Gen. Bennett in relation to this sect, are far from being void of interest. W^e publish to-day some matters from Bennett in relation to the attempted as- sassination of Gov. Boggs, which are at least of sufficient importance to be inquired into. One of their own papers, the Nauvoo Wasp, while defending Smith from any participation in the matter, gloried in the act, for it says, ' It remains to be hnotcn who did the noble deed.' Apart from the act of which he is accessory, there are now pending against him in this State indictments for crimes sufficient not only to predicate a demand upon, but to induce the Governor of Illinois to give him up." From the JVeiv York Tattler of Sepietyiber 5, 1842 — an interesting and infuential periodical issued by Dillon and Hooper. " The exposures which General J. C. Bennett is making of the Mormon humbug in the west, are unique, rich, astonishing, and comical beyond precedent. It seems that there is a systematic course of carnal delight, for the especial behalf of Joe Smith and his favored few. " We think the eff'ect of making these scandalous things public will be to deter people from giving any credence to the Mormon fa- natics." JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 59 ordained by John the Baptist, in the presence of our ancient fathers, Joseph, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham and Adam, to the Aaronic priest- hood ; and also, on the same page, is an account of his ordination to the Melchisedec priesthood, by Peter, James, and Jolin. Now, what better evidence can be adduced, of the total ignorance of this man, respectmg the nature of the priesthood, than is here afforded? What is the othce and calling of a priest ? St. Paul saj's, it is to ' offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.' A priesthood cannot, there- fore, exist in the Christian church — Christ having been offered as a complete sacrifice for all. And St. Paul, in Heb. vii. 18, speaking of the priesthood, says, ' For there is verily a disannulling of the commandments going before, lor the weakness and unprojit.ableness thereof; ' and in the 17th verse, he says, ' For he, (the Fatiier,) tes- tifieth, thou, (Christ.) art a priest forever, after the order of Mel- chisedec' Now here, as by the wliole tenor of the apostle's argu- ment, it appears that the Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods were done away, and Christ created sole priest, forever, after the order of Melchisedec. He, then, is the only priest known to the Chris- tian religion. But this Latter Day Prophet has risen up to tell the world that God has annulled his former decrees, and revived the old priesthood which was abolished for its weakness and unprofitable- ness ; and that Christ is stripped of the office which was given hira forever, and he, SmitTi, made successor to him — claiming, thereby, to be equal in official dignity to the Mediator; and that too, when Christ, according to the apostles, was made a priest after the order of Melchisedec, because the priesthood would be in him unchange- able. Was there ever more abominable blasphemy.' " By reference to page 181 , Book of Covenants, it will appear that Smith is at the head of the Mormon Church. ' And thou shalt not command him who is at the head of the Church.' And, in the Book of Mormon, page 66: ' And he shall be great, like unto Moses.' " Search the annals of infallible Rome ! Read the history of her most aspiring pretenders, and where was there ever assumed higher titles, greater authority, or more immaculate holiness, than is now assumed by this image of the beast, arisen in these latter days ! " In reviewing these claims of Smith, what a striking contrast is presented between him and the apostles ! They acknowledged no head but Christ ; they sought no titles but those of apostles, ser- vants, or ministers of the New Covenant. All were permitted to receive revelations for tiie church — all were on a level, as regards their authority. But Smith, not satisfied with calling himself a seer, a prophet, and a revelator, claims to be ' great like unto Mo- ses.' It almost seems like blasphemy ; but, as thousands profess to believe in the claims of this empty pretender, it becomes a duty to expose their weakness in the most effectual manner possible. "Let us, then, ask, where is the least point of analogy between these men ? We read of Moses being sent by God, from the burning bush to deliver the Israelites from under the tyranny of Pharaoh, of the signs and wonders that attested his mission, of his leading the people out, of their journeying through the wilderness, of the division of the Red Sea, of the cloudy and fiery pillar that went before to 60 HISTOEY OF THE SAINTS. guide tJiem in tlie way, of angel's food and quails for their subsist- ence, of rivers of water flowinij from the Hinty rock to satiate tlieir thirst, of the miraculous durability of their clotijing, of their glorious reception of the lively oracles, the cloud overshadowing, the moun- tain shaking, the trump of God waxing louder and louder, the voice of Nature's Autiior heard, his glory manifested, the people quaking, and all this in attestation of the divinity of the mission cf Moses, and the laws of Jehovah. " iSow, what is there in the history of your Latter Day Prophet, that can compare with this ? Where was the pov.'er of this pretender to work miracles, when his followers, fainting with hunger, were famished on tlie way ? Where was he, when their enemies pressed sore upon them, threatening destruction ? Did he then give even the slightest assistance to his people ? No! on the contrary, he led the flight. Give us, then, at least, one well-authenticated and in- contestable instance of the miraculous power of this man, before he is claimed to be great like unto Moses. " But where is there any analogy in the character of the two men .' Moses was said to be the meekest and one of the most benevolent and upright of men. Now, is there any of this meekness in tlie character of Smith .'' Let his harangues to his people speak, let his own writings speak, and they will show him to be one of the most vindictive men that can be produced. And what evidence is there of his benevolence .' At the very time that the widows of the Church, and, indeed, the poorer class, were suffering for want of the com- mon necessaries of life, Smith demanded at the hands of the people, twelve hundred dollars per year, in order to aggrandize himseli", and enable him to live in luxury. And when some complained that this would be a violation of the rules of the Church, he remarked, that if he could not obtain his demand, his people might go to liell, and lie would go to the Rocky Mountains ! And this, too, when the Bishop is appointed by revelation, to deal out to every man according to his wants. Here, then, is a beautiful specimen of his benevolence — he must have his enormous demands satisfied, though his people starve, even by breaking through the laws of the Church. Where was there any thing like JMoses in this .' But look at his example before his people. At the very time that their enemies were pressing them, he was found, like a giddy boy, or an abandoned rencgado, wrestling for amusement, on the Sabbath day ; and when reproved, said, ' Never mind, it is a time of war.' Those who were with Smith at the periods referred to, know that these things are true. And what do the)' show.' Any thing but a Moses. " Having now shown the emptiness of Smith's claims, let us, for a moment, inquire into his real origin and character. The following remark is from the Rev. John A. Clark, of the city of Philadelphia, but formerly of Palmyra, New York: — '■• ' Joe Smith, who has since been the chief Prophet of the Mor- mons, and was one of the most prominent ostensible actors in the first scenes of this drama, belonged to a very shiftless family near Palm}-ra. They lived a sort of vagrant life, and were principally knov.n as Money-Diggers. Joe, from a boy, appeared dull, and ut- JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 61 terly destitute of genius ; but his father claimed for him a sort of second sight, a power to look into the depths of the earth, and dis- cover where its precious treasures were hid. Consequently, long before the idea of a Golden Bible entered their minds, in their excursions for money-digging, which, I believe, usually occurred in the night, that they might conceal from others the knowledge of the place where they struck upon treasures, Joe used to be usually their guide, putting into a hat a peculiar stone he had, through which he looked to decide where they should begin to dig.' " From Mor monism Unveiltd, hj E. D. Howe, Esq. " We next present to the reader, a few, among the many depo- sitions which have been obtained from tlie neighborhood of the Smith family, and the scene where the far-famed Gold Bible had its pretended origin. " The divine authenticity of the Gold Bible, or the Book of Mor- mon, is established by three special and eight collateral witnesses, making in the whole eleven, without whom there is no pretension to testimony ; and if their testimony is probable and consistent with truth, and unimpeached, according to the common rules of juris- prudence, we are bound to believe them. " Upon the principles of common law, we are prepared to meet them ; and tliey are offered to us in no other light. Under all cir- cumstances, in civil and ecclesiastical tribunals, witnesses may be impeached, and after a fair hearing, on both sides, the veracity and credibility may be adjudged. " If the eleven witnesses are considered, from what has already been said, unimpeached, we will offer the depositions of some of the most respectable citizens of our country, who solemnly declare upon their oatlis that no credit can be given to any one member of the Smith family. Many witnesses declare that they are in the pos- session of the means of knowing the Smiths for truth and veracity, and that they are not upon a par with mankind in general. Then, according to the common rules of weighing testimony, the eleven witnesses stand impeached before the public ; and, until rebutting testimony can be produced which shall go to invalidate the respect- able host which are here offered, we claim that no credit can or ought to be given to the witnet.ses to the Book of Mormon. " We have not only testimony impeaching the moral characters of the Smith family, but we show, by the witnesses, that they told contradictory stories, from time to time, in relation to their finding the plates, and other circumstances attending it, which go clearly to show that none of them had the fear of God before their eyes, but v/ere moved and instigated by the devil. " Palmyra, Wayne County, N. Y., Dec. % 1833. " I, Peter Ingersoll, first became acquainted with the family of Joseph Smith, Sen. in tlie year of our Lord, 1822. I lived in the neighborhood of said family, until about 1830 ; during which time the following facts came under my observation. 62 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. " The general employment of the family, was digging for money. 1 had frequent invitations to join the company, but always declined being one of their number. They used various arguments to induce me to accept of their invitations. I was once plougliing near the house of Joseph Smith, Sen., about noon, he requested me to walk w^ith him a short distance from liis house, for the purpose of seeing whether a mineral rod would work in my hand, saying, at the same time, he was confident it would. As my o.xen were eating, and being myself at leisure, 1 accepted the invitation. When we arrived near tlie place at which he thought there was money, he cut a small witch-hazel bush, and gave me direction how to hold it. He then went off some rods, and told me to say to the rod, ' Work to the money,' which I did, in an audible voice. He rebuked me severely for speaking it loud, and said it must be spoken in a whisper. This was rare sport for me. While the old man was standing off some rods, throwing himself into various shapes, I told liim the rod did not work. He seemed much surprised at this, and said he thought he saw it move in my hand. It was now time for me to return to my labor. On my return, I picked up a small stone and was care- lessly tossing it from one hand to the other. Said he, (looking very earnestly,) ' What are you going to do with that stone.' ' ' Throw it at the birds,' I replied. ' No,' said the old man, ' it is of great worth; ' and upon this, I gave it to him. ' Now,' says he, ' if you only knew the value there is back of my house,' and pointing to a place near, ' there,' exclaimed he, ' is one cliest of gold, and another of silver.' He then put the stone which I had given him, into his hat, and stooping forward, ho bowed and made sundry manoeuvres, quite similar to those of a stool-pigeon. At length, he took down his hat, and, being very much exhausted, said, in a faint voice, ' If you knew what I had seen, you would believe.' To see the old man thus try to impose upon me, I confess, rather had a tendency to excite contempt ti)an pity. Yet I thought it best to conceal my feelings, preferring to appear the dupe ol my credulity, than to ex- pose myself to his resentment. His son Alvin then went through with tlie same performance, which was equally disgusting. " Anotlier time, the said Joseph, Sen., told me that the best time for digging money, was in the heat of summer, wlien the heat of the sun caused the chests of money to rise near the top of the ground. ' You notice,' said he, ' tlie large stones on the top of the ground — we call them rocks, and they truly appear so, but they are, in fact, most of them chests of money raised by the heat of the sun.' " At another time, he told me that the ancient inhabitants of this country used camels instead of horses. For proof of this fact, he stated that in a certain hill, on the farm of Mr. Cuyler, there was a cave containing an immense value of gold and silver, stands of arms, also, a saddle for a camel, hanging on a peg, at one side of the cave. I asked him of what kind of wood the peg was. He could not tell, but said it had become similar to stone or iron. " The old man, at last, laid a plan which he thought would ac- complish his design. His cows and mine had been gone for some time, and were not to be found, notwithstanding our dihgent search for them. Day after day was spent in fruitless search, until, at JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 63 length, he proposed to find them by his art of divination. So he took his stand near the corner of his house, with a small stick in his hand, and made several strange and peculiar motions, and then said he could go directly to the cows. So he started off, and went into the woods, about one hundred rods distant, and found the lost cows. But, on finding out the secret of the mystery, Harrison had found the cows, and drove them to the above-named place, and milked them. So that this stratagem turned out rather more to liis profit than it did to my edification. The old man, finding that all his efforts to make me a money-digger had proved abortive, at length ceased his importunities. One circumstance, however, I will men- tion, before leaving him. Some time before young Joseph found, or pretended to find, the gold plates, the old man told me that m Canada, there had been a book found, in a hollow tree, that gave an account of the first settlement of this country, before it was dis- covered by Columbus. " In the month of August, 1827, I was hired by Joseph Smith, Jr., to go to Pennsylvania, to move his wife's household furniture up to Manchester, where his wife then was. When we arrived at Mr. Hale's, in Harmony, Pa., from which place he had taken his wife, a scene presented itself, truly affecting. His father-in-law (Mr. Hale,) addressed Joseph, in a flood of tears : ' You have stolen my daughter, and married her. I had much rather have followed her to her grave. You spend your time in digging for money — pretend to see in a stone, and thus try to deceive people.' Joseph wept, and acknowledged he could not see in a stone now, nor never could; and that his former pretensions in that respect, were all false. He then promised to give up his old habits of digging for money and looking into stones. Mr. Hale told Joseph, if he would move to Pennsylvania and work for a living, he would assist him in getting into business. Joseph acceded to this proposition. I then returned with Joseph and his wife to Manchester. One circum- stance occurred, on the road, worthy of notice, and 1 believe this is the only instance where Joe ever exhibited true Yankee wit. On our journey to Pennsylvania, we could not make the exact change at the toll gate near Ithaca. Joseph told the gate tender that he would * hand ' him the toll on his return, as he was coming back in a few days. On our return, Joseph tendered to him 25 cents, the toll being 12^. He did not recognize Smith, so he accordingly gave him back the 12.^ cents. After we had passed the gate, I asked him if he did not agree to pay double gatage on our return.' ' No,' said he, ' I agreed to hand it to him, and I did, but he handed it back again.' " Joseph told me, on his return, that he intended to keep the promise which he had made to his father-in-law ; ' but,' said he, ' it will be hard for me, for they will all oppose, as they want me to look in the stone for them to dig money.' And, in fact, it was as he predicted. They urged him, day after day, to resume his old practice of looking in the stone. He seemed much perplexed as to the course he should pursue. In this dilemma, he made me his confidant, and told me what daily transpired in the family of Smiths. One day he came and greeted me, with a joyful countenance. 64 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS Upon asking llie cause of his unusual happiness, he replied in the following language : ' As I was passing, yesterday, across the woods after a heavy shower of rain, I found, in a hollow, some beautifu. white sand, that had been washed up by the water. I took otf my frock, and tied up several quarts of it, and then went home. On my entering the house, I found the family at the table, eating din- ner. They were all anxious to know the contents of my frock. At that moment, I happened to think of what I had heard about a his- tory found in Canada, called the golden Bible ; so I very gravely told them it was the golden Bible. To my surprise, they were credulous enough to believe what I said. Accordingly I told them that I had received a commandment to let no one see it; for, says 1, no man can see it with the naked eye and live. However, I offered to take out the book and sliovv it to them, but they refused to see it, and left the room. Now,' said Joe, ' I have got the damned fools fixed, and will carry out the fun.' Notwithstanding, he told me he had no such book, and believed there never was any such book, yet, he told me that he actually went to Willard Chase, to get him to make a chest, in which he might deposit his golden Bible. But, as Chase would not do it, he made a box himself, of clapboards, and put it into a pillow-case, and allowed people only to lift it, and feel of it through the case. " In the fall of 1827, Joseph wanted to go to Pennsylvania. His brother-in-law had come to assist him in moving, biit he himself was out of money. He wished to borrow the money of me, and he presented Mr. Hale as security. I told him in case" he could obtain assistance from no other source, I would let him have some money. Joseph then went to Palmyra; and said he, 'I there met that damn fool Martin Harris, and told him that I had a command to ask the first honest man I met with for fifty dollars in money, and he would let me have it. I saw at once,' said Joe, ' that it took his no- tion, for he promptly gave me the fifty.' " Joseph thought this sum was sufficient to bear his expenses to Pennsylvania ; so he immediately started off, and since that time I have not been much in his society. While the Smiths were living at Waterloo, William visited my neighborhood ; and, upon my inquiry how they came on, he replied, ' We do better there than here ; we, were too well known here to do much.' Peter Ingersoll. "State of New York, ) Wayno County, \ ''• "I certify, that on this 9th day of December, 1833, personally appeared before me the above-named Peter Ingersoll, to me known, and made oath, according to law, to the truth of the above state- ment. "Th. p. Baldwin, "Judge of Wayne County Court.'' " Testini07iy of ffllliam Stafford. " Manchester, Ontario County, N. Y. December 8, 1833. " I, William Stafford, having been called upon to give a true Statement of my knowledge, concerning the character and conduct JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 65 of the family of Smiths, known to the world as the founders of the Mormon sect, do say, that I first became acquainted with Joseph, Sen., and his family, in the year 1820. They lived, at that time, in Palmyra, about one mile and a half from my residence. A great part of their time was devoted to digging for money : especially in the night time, when they said the money could be most easily ob- tained. I have heard them tell marvellous tales, respecting the discoveries tliey had made in their peculiar occupation of money digging. They would say, for instance, that in such a place, in such a hill, on a certain mans farm, there were deposited keys, barrels and hogsheads of coined silver and gold — bars of gold, golden images, brass kettles filled with gold and silver — gold candlesticks, swords, t&c. &c. They would say, also, that nearly all the hills in this part of New York, were tlirown up by human hands, and in them were large caves, which Joseph, Jr., could see, by placing a stone of singular appearance in his hat, in such a manner as to exclude all light; at which time they pretended he could see all things within and under the earth, — that he could see within the above-mentioned caves, large gold bars and silver plates, — that he could also discover the spirits in whose charge these treasures were, clothed in ancient dress. At certain times, these treasures could be obtained very easily ; at others, the obtaining of them was difficult. The facility of approaching them, depended, in a great measure, on the state of the moon. New moon and good Friday, I believe, were regarded as the most favorable times for obtaining these treasures These tales I regarded as visionary. However, being prompted by curiosity, I at length accepted of their invitations, to join them in their nocturnal excursions. I will now relate a few incidents attending these excursions. "Joseph Smith, Sen., came to me one night, and told me, that Joseph, Jr., had been looking in his glass, and had seen, not many rods from his house, two or three kegs of gold and silver, some feet under the surface of the earth ; and that none others but the elder Joseph and myself could get them. I accordingly consented to go, and early in the evening repaired to the place of deposit. Joseph, Sen., first made a circle, twelve or fourteen feet in diameter. This circle, said he, contains the treasure. He then stuck in the ground a row of witch-hazel sticks, around the said circle, for the purpose of keeping off the evil spirits. Within this circle he made another, of about eight or ten feet in diameter. He walked around three times on the periphery of tliis last circle, muttering to himself some- thing which I could not understand. He next stuck a steel rod in the centre of the circles, and then enjoined profound silence upon us, lest we should arouse the evil spirit who had the charge of these treasures. After we had dug a trench about five feet in depth around the rod, the old man, by signs and motions, asked leave of absence, and went to the house to inquire of young Joseph the cause of our disappointment. He soon returned, and said, that Joseph had remained all this time in the house, looking in his stone and watching the motions of the evil spirit — that he saw the spirit come up to the ring, and as soon aa it beheld the cone which we had 6 * 66 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. fotmed around tlie rod, it caused the money to sink. We then went into the house, and the old man observed, that we had made a mis- take in the commencement of the operation ; if it had not been for that, said he, we should have got the money. "At another time, they devised a scheme, by which they might satiate their hunger with the mutton of one of my sheep. They had seen in my flock of sheep, a large, fat, black wether. Old Joseph and one of the boys came to me one day, and said that Joseph, Jr., had discovered some very remarkable and valuable treasures, which could be procured only in one way. That way was as fol- lows : — That a black sheep should be taken on to the ground where the treasures were concealed — that after cutting its throat, it should be led around a circle while bleeding. This being done, the wrath of the evil spirit would be appeased : the treasures could then be ob- tained, and my share of them was to be four-fold. To gratify my curiosity, I let them have a large fat sheep. They afterwards in- formed me that the sheep was killed pursuant to commandment; but as there was some mistake in the process, it did not have the desired effect. This, I believe, is the only time they ever made money-digging a profitable business. They, however, had around them constantly a worthless gang, whose employment it was to dig money nights, and who, day times, had more to do with mutton than money. " When they found that the people of this vicinity would no longer put any faith in their schemes for digging money, they then pretended to find a Gold Bible, of which, the}' said, the Book of Mor- mon was only an introduction. This latter book was at length fitted for the press. No means were taken by any individual to suppress its publication : no one apprehended any danger from a book, origi- nating w\ih individuals who had neither influence, honesty or honor. Tiie two Josephs and Hiram, promised to show me the plates, after the Book of Mormon was translated. But, afterwards, they pre- tended to have received an express commandment, forbidding them to show the plates. Respecting the manner of receiving and trans- lating the Book of Mormon, their statements were always discordant. The elder Joseph would say that he had seen the plates, and that he knew them to be gold ; at other times he would say that they looked like gold ; and other times he would say he had not seen the plates at all. I have thus briefly stated a few of the facts, in relation to the conduct and character of this family of Smiths ; probably suffi- cient has been stated without mv going into detail. " William Stafford. "State of New York,) Wayne County, j ' " I certify, that on this 9th day of December, 1833, personally appeared before me William Stafford, to me known, and made oath to the truth of the above statement, and signed the same. "Th. p. Baldwin, " Judge of Wayne County Court." JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 67 " Testimony of Willard CJtase. " Manchester, Ontario County, New York, 1833. " 1 became acquainted with the Smith family, known as the authors of the Mormon Bible, in the year lti2G. At that time, they were engaged in the money-digging business, which they followed until the latter part of the season of 1827. In the year lb22 I was en- gaged in digging a well. I employed Alvin and Joseph Smith to assist me; the latter of whom is now known as the Mormon Prophet. After digging about twenty feet below tlie surface of the earth, we discovered a singularly appearing stone, which excited my curiosity. I brought it to the top of the well, and as we were examining it, Joseph put it into his hat, and then his face into the top of his hat. It has been said by Smith, that he brought the stone from the well ; but this is false. There was no one in the well but myself. The next morning he came to me, and wished to obtain the stone, alleg- ing that he could see in it; but I told him I did not wish to part with it, on account of its being a curiosity, but would lend it. After obtaining the stone, he began to publish abroad what wonders he could discover by looking in it, and made so much disturbance among the credulous part of community, that I ordered tlie stone to be returned to me again. He had it in his possession about two years. I believe, some time in 1825, Hiram Smith, (brother of Joseph Smith,) came to me, and wished to borrow the same stone, alleging that they wanted to accomplish some business of importance, which could not very well be done without the aid of the stone. I told him it was of no particular worth to me, but merely wished to keep it as a curiosity, and if he would pledge me his word and honor tliat I should have it when called for, he might take it; which he did, and took the stone. I thought I could rely on his word at this time, as he had made a profession of religion. But in this I was dis- appointed, for he disregarded both his word and honor. " In the fall of ]b26, a friend called upon me, and wished to see that stone, about which so much had been said; and I told him, if he would go with me to iSmith s, (a distance of about half a mile,) lie might see it. But, to my surprise, on going to Smith's, and asking him for the stone, he said, ' You cannot have it ; ' I told him it be- longed to me, repeated to him the promise he made me, at the time of obtaining the stone : upon which he faced me with a malignant look, and said, ' I don't care who in the Devil it belongs to, you shall not have it.' "In the month of June, 1827, Joseph Smith, Sen., related to me the following story : ' That some years ago, a spirit had appeared to Joseph his son, in a vision, and informed him that in a certain place there Avas a record on plates of gold, and that he was the person that must obtain them, and this he must do in the following manner: On the 22d of September, he must repair to the place where was de- posited this manuscript, dressed in black clothes, and riding a black horse, with a switch tail, and demand the book in a certain name, and after obtaining it he must go directly away, and neither lay it down nor look behind liim. They accordingly fitted out Joseph with a suit 68 HISTORY or THE SAINTS. of black clothes and borrowed a black horse. He repaired to the place of deposit and demanded the book, which was in a stone box, un- sealed, and so near the top of the ground that he could see one end of it, and raising- it up, took out the book of gold ; but fearing some one might discover wliere lie got it, he laid it down to place back the top stone, as he found it; and turning round, to his surprise there was no book in sight. He again opened the bo.x, and in it saw the book, and attempted to take it out, but was hindered. He saw in the bos something like a toad, which soon assumed the appearance of a man, and struck him on the side of his head. Not being dis- coiuraged at trifles, he again stooped down and strove to take the book, when the spirit struck him again, and knocked him three or four rods, and hurt him prodigiously. After recovering from his fright, he inquired why he could not obtain the plates; to which the spirit made reply, because you have not obeyed your orders. He then inquired when he coidd have them, and was answered thus : Come one year irom this day, and bring with you your oldest brother, and you shall have them. This spirit, he said, was the spirit of the prophet who wrote this book, and who was sent to Joseph Smith, to make known these things to him. Before the expiration of the year, his oldest brother died ; which the old man said was an accidental providence ! " Joseph went one year from that day, to demand the book, and the spirit inquired for his brother, and he said tliat he was dead. The spirit then commanded him to come again, in just one year, and bring a man with him. On asking who might be the man, he was answered that he would know him when he saw him. " Joseph believed that one Samuel T. Lawrence was the man al- luded to by the spirit, and went with him to a singular looking hill, in Manchester, and showed him where the treasure was. Lawrence asked him if he had ever discovered any thing with the plates of gold ; he said no ; he then asked him to look in his stone, to see if there was any thing with them. He looked, and said there was nothing ; he told him to look again, and see if there was not a large pair of specs with the plates ; he looked and soon saw a pair of spectacles, the same with which Joseph says he translated the Book of Mormon. Lawrence told him it would not be prudent to let these plates be seen for about two years, as it would make a great disturb- ance in the neighborhood. Not long after this Joseph altered his mind, and said L. was not the right man, nor had he told him the right place. About this time he went to Harmony in Pennsylvania, and formed an acquaintance with a young lady by the name of Em ma Hale, whom he wished to marry. In the fall of 1826 he wanted to go to Pennsylvania to be married ; but being destitute of means, he now set his wits to work how he should raise mone}-, and get recommendations, to procure the fair one of his choice. He went to Lawrence with the following story, as related to me by Lawrence himself. That he had discovered in Pennsylvania, on the bank of the Susquehannah River, a very rich mine of silver, and if he would go there with him, he might have a share in the profits ; that it was near liigh-water mark, and that tliey could load it into boats and JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 69 take it down the river to Philadelpliia, to market. Lawrence then asked Joseph if he was not deceiving liim ; no, said he, for I have been there and seen it with my own eyes, and if you do not find it so when we get there, I will bind myself to be your servant for three years. By these grave and fair promises Lawrence was induced to believe something in it, and agreed to go with him. L. soon found that Joseph was out of money, and had to bear his expenses on the way. When they got to Pennsylvania, Joseph wanted L. to recom- mend him to Miss H., which he did, although he was asked to do it; but could not well get rid of it as he was in his company. L. then wished to see the silver mine, and he and Joseph went to the river, and made search, but found nothing. Thus Lawrence had his trouble for his pains, and returned home lighter than he went, while Joseph had got his expenses borne, and a recommendation to his girl. " Joseph's next move was to get married ; the girl's parents being opposed to the match : as they happened to be from home, he took advantage of the opportunity, and went off with her and was mar- ried. " iXow, being still destitute of money, he set his wits at work how he should get back to Manchester, his place of residence ; he hit up- on the following plan, which succeeded very well. He went to an honest old Dutchman, by the name of Stowel, and told him that he had discovered on the bank of Black River, in the village of Water- town, Jefferson County, N. Y., a cave, in which he had found a bar of gold, as big as his leg, and about three or four feet long. That he could not get it out alone, on account of its being fast at one end ; and if he would move him to Manchester, N. Y., they would go to- gether, and take a chisel and mallet, and get it, and Stowel should share the prize with him. Stowel moved him. " A short time after their arrival at Manchester, Stowel reminded Joseph of his promise ; but he calmly replied, that he would not go, because his wife was now among strangers, and would be very lone- some if he went away. Mr. Stowel was then obliged to return with- out any gold, and with less money than he came. " In the fore part of September, (I believe,) 1827, the Prophet re- quested me to make him a chest, informing me that he desio-ned to move back to Pennsylvania, and expecting soon to get his gold book, he wanted a chest to lock it up, giving me to understand at the same time, that if I would make the chest he would give me a share in the book. I told him my business was such that I could not make it ; but if he would bring the book to me, 1 would lock it up for him. He said that would not do, as he was commanded to keep it two years, without letting it come to the eye of any one but himself This commandment, however, he did not keep ; for in less than two years, twelve men said they had seen it. I told him to get it and convince me of its existence, and I would make him a chest ; but he said, that would not do, as he must have a chest to lock the book in, as soon as he took it out of the ground. I saw him a few days after, when he told me that I must make the chest. I told him plainly that I could not, upon which he told me that I could have no share in the book. 70 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. " A few weeks after this conversation he came to my house, and related the following story : That on the 22d of September, he arose early in the morning-, and took a one horse wagon, of some one that had staid over night at their house, without leave or license ; and, together with his wife, repaired to the hill which contained the book. He left his wife in the wagon, by the road, and went alone to the hill, a distance of thirty or forty rods from the road; he said he then took the book out of the ground and hid it in a tree top, and returned home. He then went to tlie town of Macedon to work. After about ten days, it having^ been suggested that some one had got his book, his wife went after him; he hired a horse, and went home in the af- ternoon, staid long enough to drink one cup of tea, and tlien went for liis book, found it safe, took off his frock, wrapt it round it, put it under his arm and ran all the way home, a distance of about two miles. He said he should think it would weigh sixty pounds, and was sure it would weigh forty. On his return home, he said he was attacked by two men in the woods, and knocked them both down and made his escape, arrived safe and secured his treasure. He then observed that if it had not been for that stone, (which he acknowl- edged belonged to me,) he would not have obtained the book. A few days afterwards, he told one of my neighbors that he had not got any such book, nor never had such an one ; but that he had told the story to deceive the d d fool, (meaning me,) to get him to make a chest. His neighbors having become disgusted with his foolish stories, he determined to go back to Pennsylvania, to avoid what he called persecution. His wits were now put to the task to contrive how he should get money to bear his expenses. He met one day in the streets of Palmyra a rich man, whose name was Mar- tin Harris, and addressed him thus : ' I have a commandment from God to ask the first man I meet in the street to give me fifty dollars, to assist me in doing the work of the Lord by translating the Golden Bible.' Martin being naturally a credulous man, hands Joseph the money. In the spring of 1829 Harris went to Pennsylvania, and on his return to Palmyra, reported that the Prophet's wife, in the month of June following, would be delivered of a male child that would be able when two years old to translate the Gold Bible. Then, said he, you will see Joseph Smith, Jr., walking through the streets of Palmyra with a Gold Bible under his arm, and having a gold breastplate on, and a gold sword hanging by }iis side. This, however, by the by, proved false. " In April, 1830, I again asked Hiram for the stone which he had borrowed of me ; he told me I should not have it, for Joseph made use of it in translating his Bible. I reminded him of his promise, and that he had pledged his honor to return it ; but he gave me the lie, saying the stone was not mine nor never was. Harris at the same time flew in a rage, took me by the collar and said 1 was a liar, and he could prove it by twelve witnesses. After I had extricated myself from him, Hiram in a rage shook his fist at me, and abused me in a most scandalous manner. Thus I might proceed in describ- ing the character of these High Priests, by relating one transaction after another, which would all tend to set them in the same light in JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 71 which they were regarded by tlieir neighbors, viz. : as a pest to so- ciety. I have regarded Joseph Smith, Jr., from the time I first be- came acquainted v/ith him until he left this part of the country, as a man whose word could not be depended upon. Hiram's character was but very little better. What I have said respecting the charac- ters of these men, will apply to the whole family. What I have stated relative to the characters of these individuals, thus far, is wholly true. After tliey became thorough Mormons, their conduct v.-as more disgraceful than before. They did not hesitate to abuse any man, no matter how fair his character, provided he did not em- brace their creed. Their tongues were continually employed in spreading scandal and abuse. Although they left this part of the country without paying their just debts, yet their creditors were glad to have them do so, rather than to have them stay, disturbing the neighborhood, „ Willard Chase. " On the 11th December, 1833, the said Willard Chase appeared before rae, and made oath that the foregoing statement to which he has subscribed his name, is true, according to his best recollection and belief. Fred'k Smith, '■'■Justice of the Peace of Wayne County." " Tht Testimony of Parley Chase. " Ma>"chestek, December 2, 1833. " 1 was acquainted with the family of Joseph Smith, Sen., both before and since they became Mormons, and feel free to state that not one of the male members of the Smith family was entitled to any credit whatsoever. They were lazy, intemperate, and worth- less men, very much addicted to lying. In this they frequently boasted of their skill. Digging for money was their principal em- ployment. In regard to their Gold Bible speculation, they scarcely ever told two stories alike. Tlie Mormon Bible is said to be a reve- lation from God, through Joseph Smith, Jr., his Prophet, and this same Joseph Smith, Jr., to my knowledge, bore the reputation among his neighbors of being a liar. The foregoing statement can be cor- roborated by all his former neighbors. Parley Chase." " Palmyra, December 13, 1833. " I certify that I have been personally acquainted with Peter In- gersoll for a number of years, and believe him to be a man of strict integrity, truth and veracity. Dcrfey Chase." "Palmvra, December 4, 1833. " I am acquainted with William Stafford and Peter Ingersoll, and believe them to be men of truth and veracity. J. S. Colt." 72 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. " PiLMYRA, December 4, 1833. " We, the undersigned, are personally acquainted with William Stafford, Willard Ciiase and Peter Ingersoll, and bulieve them to be men of trutli and veracity "George Beckwitk, " Nath'l H. Beckwith, "Thomas Rogers, 2d, "Martin W, Wilcox." " TJie Testimony of David Stafford. " Manchester, December 5, 1833. "I have been acquainted with the family of Joseph Smith, Sen., for several years, and I know him to be a drunkard and a liar, and to be much in the habit of gambling. He and his boys were truly a lazy set of fellows, and jnore particularly Joseph, who very aptly followed his father's example, and in some respects was worse. When intoxicated he was very quarrelsome. Previous to his going to Pennsylvania to get married, we worked together making a coal- pit. While at worli at one time, a dispute arose between us, (he having drinked a little too freely,) and some hard words passed be- tween us, and as usual with him at such times, was for fighting- He got the advantage of me in tlio scuffle, and a gentleman by tlie nam.e of Ford interfered, when Joseph turned to fighting him. We botii entered a complaint against him and he was fined for tiie breach of the peace. It is well known, that the general employment of the Smith family was money-digging and fortune-telling. They kept around them, constantly, a gang of worthless fellows who dug for money nights, and were idle in the daytime. It v.'as a mystery to the"ir neiglibors how they got their living. I will mention some circumstances and tlie pubhc may judge for themselves. At dif- ferent times I have seen them come from the woods early in the morning, bringing meat which looked like mutton. I went into the woods one morning very early, shooting partridges, and found Joseph Smith, Sen., in compa^ny with two other men, with hoes, shovels, and meat that looked like mutton. On seeing me they run like wild men to get out of sight. Seeing the old man a few days after- I wards, 1 asked him why he run so the other day in the woods ; ' Ah,' said lie, ' you know that circumstances alter cases ; it will not do to be seen at all times.' " I can also state, that Oliver Cowdery proved himself to be a worthless person, and not to be trusted or believed when he taught school in this neighborhood. After his going into the ministry, while officiating in performing the ordinance of baptism in a brook, William Smith, (brother of Joseph Smith,) seeing a young man writing down what was said, on a piece of board, was quite offended and attempted to take it from him, kicked at him, and clinched for a scuflle. Such was the conduct of these pretended Disciples of the Lord. David Stafford. "On the 12th day of December, 1833, the said David Stafford appeared before me, and made oath that the foregoing statement, by him subscribed, is tiue. Fkid'k Ismith, " Justice of the Peace of Wayne County, M'cio York." FOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 73 " The Testimony of Barton Stafford. " Manchester, Ontario County, New York, JVovember 3, )833 " Being called upon to give a statement of the character of the family of Joseph Smith, Sen., as far as 1 know, I can state that 1 became acquainted with them in 1820, and knew them until 1831, when they left this neighborhood. Joseph Smith, Sen., was a noted drunkard and most of the family followed his example, and Jloseph, Jr., especially, who was very much addicted to intem- perance. In short, not one of the family had the least claims to respectability. Even since he professed to be inspired of tlie Lord to translate the Book of Mormon, he one day, while at work in my father's field, got quite drunk on a composition of cider, molasses and water. Finding his legs to refuse their office, he leaned upon the fence and hung for some time ; at length recovering again, he fell to scuffling with one of the workmen, wlio tore his shirt nearly off from him. His wife, who was at our house on a visit, appeared very much grieved at his conduct, and to protect his back from the rays of the sun, and conceal his nakedness, threw her shawl over his shoulders, and in that plight escorted the Prophet home. As an evidence of his piety and devotion, when intoxicated, he frequently made his religion the topic of conversation ! ! " Barton Stafford. "State of New York, ) Wayne County, J "I certify that on the 9th day of December, 1833, personally appeared before me, the above-named Barton Stafford, to me known, and solemnly affirmed according to law, to the truth of the above statement and subscribed the same. "Thos. P. Baldwin, Jl Judge of Wayne County Court.' " I, Henry Harris, do state that I became acquainted with the family of Joseph Smith, Sen., about the year 1820, in the town of Manchester, New York. They were a family that labored very little — the chief they did, was to dig for money. Joseph Smith, Jr., the pretended Prophet, used to pretend to tell fortunes ; he had a stone which he used to put in his hat, by means of which he professed to tell people's fortunes. " Joseph Smith, Jr., Martin Harris, and others, used to meet together in private, a while before the gold plates were found, and were familiarly known by the name of the ' Gold Bible Company.' They were regarded by the community in which they lived, as a lying and indolent set of men, and no confidence could be placed in them. "The character of Joseph Smith, Jr., for truth and veracity was such, that I would not believe him under oath. I was once on a jury before a Justice's Court, and the jury could not, and did not, believe his testimony to be true. After he pretended to have found the gold plates, I had a conversation with him, and asked him where he found them and how he come to know where they were. 7 74 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. He said he had a revelation from God that told him they were hid in a certain hill, and he looked in his stone and saw them in the place of deposit; that an angel appeared, and tolfi him he could not get the plates until he was married, and that when he saw the woman that was to be his wife, he should know her, and she would know him. He then went to Pennsylvania, got his wife, and they both went together and got the gold plates — he said it was revealed to him, that no one must see the plates but himself and wife. " I then asked him what letters were engraved on them, he said italic letters written in an unknown language, and that he had copied some of the words and sent them to Dr. Mitchell and Professor Anthon of New York. By looking on the plates he said he could not understand the words, but it was made known to him that he was the person that must translate them, and on looking through the stone was enabled to translate. " After the book was published, I frequently baHtered him for a copy! He asked fourteen shillings a piece for them ; I told him I would not give so much ; he told me he had had a revelation that they must be sold at that price. " Some time afterwards I talked with Martin Harris about buying one of the books, and he told me they had had a new revelation, that they might be sold at ten shillings a piece. " Henry Harris." " State of Ohio, ) Cuyahoga County, \ "Personally appeared before me, Henry Harris, and made oath in due form of law, that the foregoing statements subscribed by him are true. "Jonathan Lapham, '■'■Justice of the Peace." " Palmyra, Wayne County, New York, llt/t mo. 28tA, 1833. " In the early part of the winter in 1828, I made a visit to Martin Harris's, and was joined in company by Jos. Smith, Sen., and his wife. Tiie Gold Bible business, so called, was the topic of con- versation, to which 1 paid particular attention, that I might learn the truth of the whole matter. They told me that the report that Joseph, Jr., had found golden plates, was true, and that he was in Harmony, Pennsylvania, translating them — that such plates were in existence, and that Joseph, Jr., was to obtain them, was re- vealed to him by the spirit of one of the Saints that was on this continent, previous to its being discovered by Columbus. Old Mrs. Smith observed that she thought he must be a Quaker, as he was dressed very plain. They said that the plates he tlien had in pos- sesjiion were hvA an introduction to the Gold Bible — that all of them upon which the Bible was written, were so heavy, that it would take four stout men to load them into a cart — that Joseph had also discovered by looking through his stone, the vessel in which the gold was melted from which the plates were made, and also the machine with which they were rolled ; he also discovered in the bottom of the vessel three balls of gold, each as large as his JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 75 fist. Tlie old lady said also, that after the book was translated, the plates were to be publicly exhibited — admittance twenty-five cents. She calculated it would bring in annually an enormous sum of money — that money would then be very plenty, and the book would also sell for a great price, as it was something entirely new — that they had been commanded to obtain all the money they could borrow for present necessity, and to repay with gold. The remainder was to be kept in store for the benefit of their family and children. This and the like conversation detained me until about eleven o'clock. Early the next morning, the mystery of the spirit being like myself (one of the order called Friends) was revealed by the following circumstance : The old lady took me into another room, and after closing the door, she said, ' Have you four or five dollars in money that you can lend until our business is brought to a close .' the spirit has said you shall receive fourfold.' I told her that when I gave, I did it not expecting to receive again — as for money I had none to lend. I then asked her what her particular want of money was; to which she replied, 'Joseph wants to take the stage and come home from Pennsylvania to see what we are all about.' To which I replied, he might look in his stone and save his time and money. The old lady seemed confused, and left the room, and thus ended the visit. " In the second month following, Martin Harris and his wife were at my house. In conversation about Mormonites, she observed, that she wished her husband would quit them, as she believed it was all false and a delusion. To which I heard Mr. Harris reply : ' IVhat if it is a lie; if you icill let me alone I icill wake money out of it ! ' I was both an eye and an ear witness of what his l)een stated above, which is now fresh in my memory, and I give it to the world for the good of mankind. I speak the truth and lie not, God bearing me witness. Abigail Harris." " Palmyra, JVovember 29, 1833. " Being called upon to give a statement to t!ie world of what I know respecting the Gold Bible speculation, and also of the conduct of Martin Harris, my husband, who is a leading character among the Mormons, I do it free from prejudice, realizing that I must give an account at the bar of God for what I say. Martin Harris was once industrious, attentive to his domestic concerns, and thought to be worth about ten thousand dollars. He is naturally quick in his temper, and in his mad-fits frequently abuses all who may dare to oppose him in his wishes. However strange it may seem, I have been a great sufferer by his unreasonable conduct. At diflferent times while I lived with him, he has whipped, kicked, and turned me out of the house. About a year previous to the report being raised that Smith had found gold plates, he became very intimate with the Smith family, and said he believed Joseph could see in his stone any thing he wished. After this he apparently became very sanguine in his belief, and frequently said he would have no one in his house that did not believe in Mormonism ; and because I would not give credit to the report he made about the gold plates, 76 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. he became more austere towards me. In one of his fits of rage he struck me with the butt-end of a whip, which I think had been used for driving oxen, and was about the size of my thumb, and three or four feet long. He beat me on the head four or five times, and the next day turned me out of doors twice, and beat me in a shameful manner. The next day I went to the town of Marion, and while there my flesh was black and blue in many places. His main com plaint against me was, that I was always trying to hinder his mak- ing money. " When he found out that I was going to Mr. Putnam's, in Marion, he said he was going too, that they had sent for him to pay them a visit. On arriving at Mr. Putnam's, I asked them if they liad sent for Mr. Harris ; they replied, they knew nothing about it ; he, however, came in the evening. Mrs. Putnam told him never to strike or abuse me any more ; he then denied ever striking me ; she was however convinced that he lied, as the marks of his beating me were plain to be seen, and remained more than two weeks. Whether the Mormon religion be true or false, I leave the world to judge, for its effects upon Martin Harris have been to make him more cross, turbulent and abusive to me. His whole object was to make money by it. I will give one circumstance in proof of it. One day, while at Peter Harris's house, I told him he had better leave the company of the Smiths, as their religion was false; to which he replied, ' If you would let me alone, I could make money by it.' " It is in vain for the Mormons to deny these facts ; for they are all well known to most of his former neighbors. The man has now become rather an object of pity ; he has spent most of his property, and lost the confidence of his former friends. If he had labored as hard on his farm as he has to make Mormons, he might now be one of the wealthiest farmers in the country. He now spends his time in travelling through the country spreading the delusion of Mor- monism, and has no regard whatever for his family. " With regard to Mr. Harris's being intimate with Mrs. Haggard, as has been reported, it is but justice to myself to state what facts have come within my own observation, to show whether I had any grounds for jealousy or not. Mr. Harris was very intimate with this family, for some time previous to their going to Ohio. They lived a while in a house which he had built for their accommoda- tion, and here he spent the most of his leisure hours ; and made her presents of articles from the store and house. He carried these presents in a private manner, and frequently when he went there, he would pretend to be going to some of the neighbors, on an errand, or to be going into the fields. After getting out of sight of the house, he would steer a straight course for Haggard's house, especially if Haggard was from home. At times when Haggard was from home, he would go there in the manner above described, and stay till twelve or one o'clock at night, and sometimes until daylight. " If his intentions were evil, the Lord will judge him accord- ingly, but if good, he did not mean to let his leu hand know what JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 77 his right hand did. The above statement of facts, I affirm to be true. Lucy Harihs." " Manchester, Ontario County, December I, 1833. " I, Roswell Nichols, first became acquainted with the family of Joseph Smith, Sen., nearly five years ago, and I lived a neighbor to the said family about two years. My acquaintance with the family lias enabled me to know something of its character for good citizenship, probity and veracity — For breach of contracts, for the non-payment of debts and borrowed money, and for duplicity with their neighbors, the family was notorious. Once, since the Gold Bible speculation commenced, the old man was sued ; and while the sheriflf was at his house, he lied to him and was detected in the falsehood. Before he left the house, he confessed that it was sometimes necessary for him to tell an honest lie, in order to live. At another time, he told me that he had received an express command for me to repent and be- lieve as he did, or I must be damned. I refused to comply, and at the same time told him of the various impositions of his family. He then stated their digging was not for money, but it was for the obtainincr of a Gold Bible. Thus contradicting what he had told me before : for he had often said, that the hills in our neighborhood were nearly all erected by human hands — that they were all full of gold and silver. And one time, when we were talking on the subject, he pointed to a small hill on my farm, and said, ' In that hill there is a stone which is full of gold and silver. I know it to be so, for I have been to the hole, and God said unto me. Go not in Tioic, hit at a future day you shall go in and find the hook open, and then you shall leave the treasures.' He said that gold and silver was once as plenty as the stones in the field are now — that the ancients, half of them melted the ore and made the gold and silver, while the other half buried it deeper in the earth, wiiich accounted for these hills. Upon my inquiring who furnished the food for the whole, he flew into a passion, and called me a sinner, and said he, ' You must be eternally damned." " I mention these facts, not because of their intrinsic importance, but simply to show the weak-mindedness and low character of the man. Roswell Nichols." " Manchester, Ontario County, JVovember 15, 1833. " I, Joshua Stafford, became acquainted with the family of Joseph Smith, Sen., about the year 1819 or "iO. They then were laboring people, in low circumstances. A short time after this, they com- menced digging for hidden treasures, and soon after they became indolent, and told marvellous stories about ghosts, hobgoblins, cav- erns, and various other mysterious matters. Joseph once showed me a piece of wood which he said he took from a box of money, and the reason he gave for not obtaining the box, was, that it moved. At another time, he, (Joseph, Jr.,) at a husking, called on me to become security for a horse, and said he would reward me hand- Bomely, for he had found a box of watches, and they were as larga 78 HISTORY OT THE SAINTS. as hie fist, find he put one of them to his ear, and he could hear it ' tick forty rods.' Since he could not dispose of them profitably at Canandaigua or Palmyra, he wished to go east with them. He said if he did not return with the horse, I might take his life. I replied, tliat he knew I would not do that. ' Well,' said he, ' I did not suppose you would, yet I would be willing that you should.' He was nearly intoxicated at the time of the above conversation. Joshua Stafford. " " Manchester, Ontario County, JVovember 8, 1833. " I, Joseph Capron, became acquainted with Joseph Smith, Sen., in the year of our Lord, 1827. They have, since then, been really a peculiar people — fond of the foolish and the marvellous — at one time addicted to vice and the grossest immoralities — at another time making the highest pretensions to piety and holy intercourse with Almiglity God. The family of Smiths held Joseph, Jr., in high estiniation on account of some supernatural power, which he was supposed to possess. This power he pretended to have received through the medium of a stone of peculiar quality. The stone was placed in a hat, in such a manner as to exclude all light, except that which emanated- from the stone itself. This light of the stone, he pretended, enabled him to see any thing he wished. Accordingly he discovered ghosts, infernal spirits, mountains of gold and silver, and many other invaluable treasures deposited in the earth. He would often tell his neighbors of his wonderful discoveries, and urge them to embark in the money-digging business. Luxury and wealth were to be given to all who would adhere to his counsel. A gang was- soon assembled. Some of them were influenced by curiosity, others were sanguine in their expectations of immediate gain. I will mention one circumstance, by which the uninitiated may know how the company dug for treasures. The sapient Joseph discov- ered, north-west of my house, a chest of gold watches ; but, as they were in the possession of the evil spirit, it required skill and strata- gem to obtain them. Accordingly, orders were given to stick a parcel of large stakes in the ground, several rods around, in a cir- cular form. This was to be done directly over the spot where the treasures were deposited. A messenger was then sent to Palmyra to procure a polished sword : after which, Samuel F. Lawrence, with a drawn sword in his hand, marched around to guard any assault which his Satanic majesty might be disposed to make. Meantime, the rest of the company were busily employed in digg'ing for the watches. They worked as usual till quite exhausted. But, in spite of their brave defender, Lawrence, and their bulwark of stakes, the devil came off victorious, and carried away the watches. I might mention numerous schemes which this young visionary and im- postor had recourse to for the purpose of obtaining a livelihood. He, and indeed the whole of the family of Smiths, were notorious for indolence, foolery and falsehood. Their great object appeared to be, to live without work. While they were digging for money, they were daily harassed by the demands of creditors, which they never were able to pay. At length, Joseph pretended to find the JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 79 gold plates. This scheme, he believed, would relieve the family from all pecuniary embarrassment. His father told me, that when the book was published, they would be enabled, from the profits of the work, to carry into successful operation the money-digging busi- ness. He gave me no intimation, at that time, that the book was to be of a religious character, or that it had any thing to do with reve- lation. He declared it to be a speculation, and said he, ' When it is completed, my family will be placed on a level above the generality of mankind ! ! ' Joseph Capron." " Palmyra, JVovmber 28, 1833. " Having been called on to state a few facts which are material to the characters of some of the leaders of the Mormon sect, I will do 80 in a concise and plain manner. I have been acquainted with Martin Harris, about thirty years. As a farmer, he was industrious and enterprising, so much so, that he had (previous to his going into the Gold Bible speculation) accumulated, in real estate, some eight or ten thousand dollars. Although he possessed wealth, his moral and religious character was such, as not to entitle him to respect among his neighbors. He was fretful, peevish and quarrel- some, not only in the neighborhood, but in his family. He was known to frequently abuse his wife, by whipping her, kicking her out of bed, and turning her out of doors, &:c. Yet he was a public professor of some religion. He was first an orthodox Quaker, then a Universalist, next a Restorationer, then a Baptist, next a Pres- byterian, and then a Mormon. By his willingness to become all things unto all men, he has attained a high standing among his Mormon brethren. The Smith family never made any pretensions to respectability. G. W. Stodard. " I hereby concur in the above statement. Richard H. Ford." " Palmyra, December 4, 1833. " We, the undersigned, have been acquainted with the Smith fami- ly, for a number of years, while they resided near this place, and we have no hesitation in saying, that we consider them destitute of that moral character, which ought to entitle them to the confidence of any community. They were particularly famous for visionary projects, spent much of their time in digging for money which they pretended was hid in the earth ; and to this day, large excavations may be seen in the earth, not far from their residence, where they used to spend their time in digging for hidden treasures. Joseph Smith, Senior, and his son Joseph, were in particular considered entirely destitute of moral character, and addicted to vicious habits. " Martin Harris was a man who had acquired a handsome proper- ty, and in matters of business his word was considered good ; but on moral and religious subjects, he was perfectly visionary, — some- times advocating one sentiment, and sometimes another. And in reference to all with whom we were acquainted, that have embraced Mormonism from this neighborhood, we are compelled to say, were very visionary, and most of them destitute of moral character, and 80 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. without influence in this community ; and this may account why they were permitted to go on witli their impositions undisturbed. It was not supposed that any of them were possessed of sufficient character or influence to make any one believe their book or their sentiments, and we know not of a single individual in this vicinity that puts tlie least confidence in their pretended revelations. " Geo. N.Williams, Wells Anderson, " Clark Robinson, " Lemuel Durfee, " E. S. TOWNSEND, " Henry P. Alger, " C. E. Thayer, " G. W. Anderson, " H. P. Thayer, " L. Williams, " Geo. W. Crosby, " Levi Thayer, " R. S. Williams, " P. Sexton, " M. BCTTERFIELD, " S. P. Seymour, " D. S. Jackways, " John Hurlbdt, "H. Linnell, " Jas. Jenner, " S. Ackley, " Josiah Rice, "Jesse Townsend, "Rich'd. D. Clark, " Th. p. Baldwin, " John Sothington, " Durfey Chase, N. H. Beckwith, Philo Dcrfee, Giles S. Ely, R. W. Smith, Pelatiah West, Henry Jessup, Linus North, Thos. Rogers, 2d. Wm. Parke, Josiah Francis, Amos Hollister, G. A. Hathaway, David G. Ely, H. K. Jerome, G. Beckwith, Lewis Foster, Hiram Payne, P. Grandin, L. Hurd, Joel Thayer, E. D. Robinson, Asahel Millard, A. Ensworth, Israel F. Chilson.' " Manchester, J^'ovemher '3, 1833. " We, the undersigned, being personally acquainted with the fam- ily of Joseph Smith, Sen., with whom the celebrated Gold Bible, so called, originated, state : that they were not only a lazy, indolent set of men, but also intemperate ; and their word was not to be de- pended upon ; and that we are truly glad to dispense with their society. " Pardon Butts, A. H. Wentworth, " Warden A. Reed, Moses C. Smith, " Hiram Smith, " Alfred Stafford, " James Gee, " Abel Chase, Joseph Fish, Horace N. Barnes, Silvester Worden." «' Harmont, Pa., March 20, 1834. " I first became acquainted with Joseph Smith, Jr., in November, 1825. He was at that time ia the employ of a set of men who weio JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 81 called ' money-diggers ;' and his occupation was that of seeing, or pretending to see by means of a stone placed in his hat, and his hat closed over his face. In this way he pretended to discover minerals and hidden treasure. His appearance at this time, was that of a careless young man — not very well educated, and very saucy and insolent to his father. Smith, and his father, with several other 'money-diggers,' boarded at my house while they were employed in digging for a mine that they supposed had been opened and worked by the Spaniards, many years since. Young Smith gave the ' money- diggers ' great encouragement, at first, but when they had arrived m digging, to near the place where he had stated an immense treasure would be found — he said the enchantment was so powerful that he could not see. They then became discouraged, and soon after dis- persed. This took place about the 17th of November, 1825 ; and one of the company gave me his note for $12 68 for his board, which is still unpaid. " After these occurrences, young Smith made several visits at my house, and at length asked my consent to his marrying my daughter Emma. This I refused, and gave my reasons for so doing ; some of which were, that he was a stranger, and followed a business that I could not approve ; he then left the place. Not long after this, he returned, and while 1 was absent from home, carried off my daugh- ter, into the state of New York, where they were married without my approbation or conjgnt. After they had arrived at Palmyra, N. Y., Emma wrote to me inquiring whether she could take her property, consisting of clothing, furniture, cows, &c. I replied that her property was safe, and at her disposal. In a short time they returned, bringing with them a Peter Ingersoll, and subsequently came to the conclusion that they would move out, and reside upon a place near my residence. " Smith stated to me, that he had given up what he called ' glass- looking,' and that he expected to work hard for a livino-, and was willing to do so. He also made arrangements with my son Alva Hale, to go to Palmyra, and move his (Smith's) furniture, «fec., to this place. He then returned to Palmyra, and soon after, Alva, agreeable to the arrangement, went up and returned with Smith and his family. Soon afler this, I was informed they had brought a wonderful Book of Plates down with them. I was shown a box in which it is said they were contained, which had, to all appearances, been used as a glass box of the common window glass. I was allowed to feel the weight of the box, and they gave me to under- stand, that the Book of Plates was then in the box — into which, however, I was not allowed to look. " I inquired of Joseph Smith, Jr., who was to be the first who would be allowed to see the Book of Plates ? He said it was a young child. After this, I became dissatisfied, and informed him that if there was any thing in my house of that description, which I could not be allowed to see, he must take it away ; if he did not, I was determined to see it. After that, the plates were said to be hid in the woods. " About this time, Martin Harris made his appearance upon the 82 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. stage ; and Smith began to interpret the characters or hieroglyphics which he said were engraven upon the plates, while Hams wrote down the interpretation. It was said, that Harris wrote down one hundred and sixteen pages, and lost them. Soon after this hap- pened, Martin Harris informed me that lie must have a greater witness, and said that he had talked with Joseph about it — Joseph informed him that he could not, or durst not show him the plates, but that he (Joseph) would go into the woods where the Book of Plates was, and that after he came back, Harris should follow his track in the snow, and find the Book, and examine it for himself. Harris informed me afterwards, that he followed Smith's directions, and could not find the plates, and was still dissatisfied. " The next day after this happened, I went to the house where Joseph Smith, Jr., lived, and where he and Harris were engaged in their translation of the book. Each of them had a written piece of paper which they were comparing, and some of the words were '■viij servant sccketh a greater witness, but no greater witness can he given him.' There was also something said about ' three that were tu see the thing ' — meaning, I supposed, the Book of Plates, and that ' if the three did not go exactly according to the orders, the thing would be taken from them.' I inquired whose words they were, and was informed by Joseph or Emma, (I rather think it was the former,) that they were the words of Jesus Christ. I told them, that I considered the whole of it a delusion, and advised them to abandon it. The manner in which he pretended to read and interpret, was the same as when he looked for the money-diggers, with the stone in his hat, and his hat over his face, while the Book of Plates was at the same time hid in tlie woods ! " After this, Martin Harris went away, and Oliver Cowdery came and wrote for Smith, while he interpreted as above described. This is the same Oliver Cowdery, whose name may be found in the Book of Mormon. Cowdery continued a scribe for Smith until the Book of Mormon was completed, as I supposed and understood. " Joseph Smith, Jr., resided near me for some time after this, and I had a good opportunity of becoming acquainted witli him, and somewhat acquainted with his associates, and I conscientiously believe from the facts I have detailed, and from many other cir- cumstances, which I do not deem it necessary to relate, that the whole ' Book of Mormon ' (so called) is a silly fabrication of false- hood and wickedness, got up for speculation, and with a design to dupe the credulous and unwary — and in order that its fabricators may live upon the spoils of those who swallow the deception. " Isaac Hale. " Affirmed to and subscribed before me, March 20, 1834. " Charles Dimon, _ " J. Peace." " State of Pennsylvania, Susquehannah County, ss. " We, the subscribers, associate Judges of the Court of Conamon Pleas, in and for said county, do certify that we have been many JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 83 years personally acquainted with Isaac Hale, of Harmony township m this county, who has attested the foregoing statement ; and that he is a man of excellent moral character, and of undoubted veracity. Witness our hands. " William Thompson. " Davis Dimock. "March 21, 1834." " Elder Lewis also certifies and affirms in relation to Smith as follows : — " ' I have been acquainted with Joseph Smith, Jr., for some time : being a relation of his wife, and residing near him, I have had fre- quent opportunities of conversation with him, and of knowing his opinions and pursuits. From my standing in the Methodist Episco- pal church, I suppo.se he was careful how he conducted ot ex- pressed himself before nie. At one time, however, he came to my house, and asked my advice, whetlier he should proceed to translate the Book of Plates (referred to by Mr. Hale) or not. He said that God had commanded him to translate it, but he was afraid of the people • he remarked, that he was to exhibit the plates to the world, at a certain time, whicii was tiien about eighteen months distant. I told him I was not qualified to give advice in such cases. Smith frequently said to me that I should see the plates at tlie time appointed. " ' After the time stipulated had passed away. Smith being at my house was asked why he did not fulfil his promise, show the Golden Plates and prove himself an honest man .'' Pie replied that he him- self was deceived, but that I should see them if 1 were where they were. I reminded him then, that 1 stated at the time he made the promise, I was fearful " the enchantment would be so powerful " as to remove the plates, when the time came in which they were to be revealed. " ' These circumstances, and many others of a similar tenor, im- bolden me to say that Joseph Smith, Jr., is not a man of truth and veracity ; and that his general character in this part of the country, is that of an impostor, hypocrite and liar. ' Nathaniel C. Lewis.' " Affirmed and subscribed, before me, March 20, 1834. " Charles Dimon, "J. Peace. " We subjoin the substance of several affidavits, all taken and made before Charles Dimon, Esq. by credible individuals, who have resided near to, and been well acquainted with Joseph Smith, Jr. — illustrative of his character and conduct. " Joshua McKune states, that he ' was acquainted with Joseph Smith, Jr., and Martin Harris, during their residence in Harmony, 84 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. Pa., and knew them to be artful seducers;' — that they informed liim that ' Smitli had found a sword, breastplate, and a pair of spec- tacles, at the time he found the gold plates " — that these were to be ' shown to all the world as evidence of the truth of what was con- tained in those plates,' and that ' he (McKune) and others should see them at a specified time.' He also states, that ' tlie time for the exhibition of the plates, &.C., has gone by, and he has not seen them.' ' Joseph Smith, Jr., told him that his (Smith's) first-born child was to translate the characters, and hieroglyphics upon the plates, into our language at the age of three years ; but this child was not permitted to live, to verify the prediction.' He also states that, 'he has been intimately acquainted with Isaac Hale twenty-four years, and has always found him to be a man of truth, and good morals.' " Hezekiah McKune states that, ' in conversation with Joseph Smith, Jr., he (Smith) said he was nearly equal to Jesus Christ ; that he was a prophet sent by God to bring in the Jews, and that he was the greatest prophet that had ever arisen.' " Alva Hale, son of Isaac Hale, states, that Joseph Smith, Jr., told him, that ' his (Smith's gift in seeing with a stone and hat, was a gift from God,' — but also states, ' that Smith told him at another time that this ^^ peeping" was all d d nonsense. He (Smith) was deceived liimself, but did not intend to deceive others ; — that he in- tended to quit the business, (of peeping,) and labor for his livelihood.' That afterwards, ' Smith told him, he should see the plates from which he translated the Book of Mormon,' and accordingly at the time specified by Smith, he (Hale) ' called to see the plates, but Smith did not show them, but appeared angry.' He further states, tliat he knows Joseph Smith, Jr. to be an impostor, and a liar, and knows Martin Harris to be a liar likewise. " Levi Lewis stales that, he has ' been acquainted with Joseph Smith, Jr., and Martin Harris, and that he has heard them both say, adultery was no crime. Harris said he did not blame Smith, for his (Smith's) attempt to seduce Eliza Winters,' &c. ; — Mr. Lewis says that, he ' knows Smith to be a liar ; — that lie saw him (Smith) intoxicated at three different times while he was composing the Book of Mormon, and also that he has heard Smith, when driving oxen, use language of tlie greatest profanity. Mr. Lewis also tes- tifies that he heard Smith say, he (Smith) was as good as Jesus Christ ; — that it was as bad to injure him as it was to injure Jesus Christ.' ' With regard to the plates, Smith said God had deceived him — which was the reason he (Smith) did not show them.' " Sophia Lewis certifies that, she ' heard a conversation between Joseph Smith, Jr., and the Rev. James B. Roach, in which Smith called Mr. R. a d d fool. Smith also said, in the same conver- sation, that, he (Smith) was as good as Jesus Christ; ' and that she ' has frequently heard Smith use profane language.' She states that she heard Smith say, ' the Book of Plates could not be opened under penalty of death by any other person but his (Smith's) first-born, which was to be a male.' She says she ' was present at the birth of this child, and that it was still-born, and very much deformed.' " JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 85 Testimony of Fanny Brewer, of Boston. " Boston-, September 13, 1842, " To THE Public : — I have long desired that some one who had a. certain knoicledge of the hidden practices and abominations atNau- voo, would have the moral courage to come out with a full devel- opment; and my desires have been realized in General Bennett's disclosures. As the ice is now broken, I, too, have a tale to tell. In the spring of 1837, 1 left Boston for Kirtland, in all good faith, to assemble with the Saints, as I thought, and worship God more perfectly. On my arrival, I found brother going to law with brother, drutikeimcss prevailing to a great extent, and every species of wick- edness. Joseph Smith, a Prophet of God, (as he called himscf) ivas tinder arrest for employIiNG two of the Elders to kill a man BY the name of Grandison Newell, belonging to Mentor; but was acquitted, as the most material witness did not appear ! 1 ! I am personally acquainted with one of the employees, Davis by name, and he frankly acknowledged to me, that he zcas prepared to du the deed under the direction of the Prophet, and was only prevented from so doing by the entreaties of his wife. There was much ex- citement against the Prophet, on another account, likewise, — an c^nlawful i.n'tercourse between himself and a young orphan girl residi.n'g in his family, and under his protection ! ! ! mr. Martin Harris told me that the Prophet was most notorious for lying and LICENTIOUSNESS ! ! In the fall of 1837, the Smith family all left Kirtland, by revelation, (or necessity.) for Missouri. The Prophet left between two days. I carried from this place to Kirt- land, goods to the amount of about fourteen hundred dollars, as I was told I could make ready sales to the Saints ; but I was disappoint- ed. I accordingly sent them to Missouri to be sold by H. lledtield. Tiiore they were stored in a private room. Smith, the Prophet, hearing that they were there, took out a warrant, under pretence of searching for stolen goods, and got them into his possession. They were then, by a sham court, which he held, adjudged to him, and the boxes were opened. As the goods were taken out, piece by piece, Hyrum Smith,* loho stood by, said, in the most positive manner, that he could swear to every piece, and tell where they had been bought, although a Mr. Pcobbins, who was present, told tliem that lie knew the bores, and that the goods were mine, for I had charged him to take care of them. Dr. Williams, liUeicise, told them that they tcerc my goods, and that Hvrcm never saw^ a piece of THEM ! ! They, however, refused to give them up, but, in defiance of law and justice, kept them for their own profit. The Prophet has told many stories about this matter, but the above is the true one. / know that many of the Mormons will make any statemejits that their Prophet desires them to, and have no hesitation in resorting to tlie MOST BAREFACED PERJURY to accomplish their purposes — save their friends, or destroy their enemies. "I had strong intimations of the truth of all the matters disclosed * [It appe.irs i'rom this testimony, and that of Willaril Chase and others, tliat the bf'loved lIvRi-M i's a prince of liari, scoimdrds, cut-throals, and ruffians, under the garb of religious sanctity ; not to be believed under oath.] 8 86 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. by General Bennett, some months before they came to the public eye, by persons high in the confidence of the Prophet, and wlio liad every opportunity of knowing. " These are facts not to be contradicted, and are but a few out of the many I am acquainted with about the Prophet and his friends. Nothing could induce me to have my name appear before the public, but a hope that the united testimony of those who, by the mercy of God, have been delivered from the snares of the villains, may be the means of redeeming some of my fellow-beings, and especially my own sex, from the destruction that would fall upon them if they continued under the influence of the vile impostor. " Fanny Brewer. "Suffolk, ss. September 13, 1842. " Then personally appeared the above-named Fanny Brewer, and made oath, that the foregoing affidavit, by her subscribed, is true. " Before me, "Bradford Scmnek, '■'■Justice of the Peace.'' " Boston, September 19, 1842. " On or about the middle of June, 1837, I rode with Joseph Smith, Jr., from Fairport, Ohio, to Kirtland. When we left Fairport, we had been drinking pretty freely ; I drank brandy, he brandy and ci- der, both together ; and when we arrived at Painsville, we drank again ; and when we arrived at Kirlland, we were very drunk. " In July, William Smith, one of the twelve Apostles, arrived at Kirtland, from Chicago, drunk, with his face pretty well bunged up; he had black eyes and bunged nose, and told John Johnson that he had been milking the Gentiles to his satisfaction, for tliat time. "About the last of August, 1837, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and others, were drunk at Joseph Smith, Jr.'s liouse, all togetiier ; and a man, by the name of Vinson Knight, supplied them witli rum, brandy, gin, and port wine, from the cash store ; and I worked iu the lott, over head. He, Joseph, told Knight not to sell any of the rum, brandy, gin, or port wine, for he wanted it for his own use. They were drunk, and drinking, for more than a week. " Joseph Smith said that the Bank was got up on his having a rev- elation from God, and said it was to go into circulation to milk the Gentiles. I asked Joseph about the money. He said he could not redeem it ; he was paid for signing the bills, as any other man would be paid for it, — so he told ine, — and they must do the best they could about it. "October 13. — Hyrum Smith's wife was sick, and Brigham Young prayed with her, and laid on hands, and said she would get well ; but she died at six o'clock at night. "Joseph Smith, Jr., and others, went to Canada, in September. Said he, Joseph, had as good a right to go out and get money, as any of the brethren. He took money, in Canada, from a man by the name of Lawrence, and promised him a farm, when he arrived at Kirtland ; but when he arrived, Joseph was among the missing, and no farm for him. (He took nine hundred dollars trora Lawrence.) JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER 87 " William Smitli told Joseph if he did not give him some money he would tell where the Book of Mormon came from ; and Joseph accordmgly gave him what he wanted. G. B. Fkost. " Suffolk, as. September 19, 1842. "Then personally appeared the aforenamed G. B. Frost, and made oath that the foregoing affidavit, by him subscribed, is true. "Before me, Bradford Sumner, " Justice of the Peace." From Rev. George Montgomery West, A. M., D. D., the able Defender of the Christian Faith. "Boston, September 19, 1842. " The undersigned is personally acquainted with Miss Fanny Brewer, and has no hesitation in saying that she sustains an unblem- ished character for truth and moral worth in the city of Boston. " The undersigned is also personally acquainted with Mr. George B. Frost, of the same city ; and hereby certifies, that he is perfectly worthy of belief, and he now is, and has been, for a length of time past, a perfectly temperate man, and an accredited member of the Temperance Society. G. M. West." CHARACTER OF JOE SMITH, AND TWO OF HIS AC- COMPLICES—WILLIAM LAW AND JOHN TAYLOR — FOR TRUTH AND HONESTY. An article appeared in the (Nauvoo) Times and Sea- sons, of July 1, 1S42, from the pen of General William Law, (one of Joe's Councillors of the First Presidency, se- lected by special revelation from Heaven, through Joe, as he boasts, for his great piety and unquestioned veracity !) dated June 17, 1842, and headed, " much ado about NOTHING ! ! " as follows : — " Where is there a record against any o? our people for a. peniten- tiary crime ? Not in the State ! ! Where is there a record of fine, or comUy imprisonment, (for any breach of law,) against unij of the Latter Day Saints? I know of none in the State ! If then they have broken no law, they consequently have taken away no man's rights, they have infringed upon no man's liberties." Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and John Taylor, the Apos- tle, (the senior and junior editors of the Times and Sea- sons,) endorse the statement in an editorial, as follows: — " The above are plain matters of fact that every one may become 88 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. acquainted with by reference to the County or State records ! We might add that in regard to moral principles there is no city in the State or in the United SttUes^ that can compare with the city of J\'mtvoo ! .'.' You may hve in our city for a month, and not liear an oath sworn — you may be here as long and not see one person intoxicated ; so notorious are we for sobriety, that at the time the Washingtonian Convention passed through our city, a meeting was called for them," etc. etc. What unblushing impudence, and barefaced lying, in the face of recorded truth ! These are a trio of the most Heaven-daring liars the world ever saw, as will appear from the RECORDS ^nd facts following : — " The People of the State of Illinois ts. Timothy Lewis, (Mormon.) " Indicted for larceny, October 2, 1840. Sentenced to four years' imprisonment in the penitentiary — thirty days' solitary confinement, — for stealing horses." " The People of the State of Illinois vs. Sally Castile AND Francis Castile, (Mormons.) " Indicted for stealing a log-chain, October 5, 1841. These defend- ants were convicted by a jury of Hancock county for the above theft, — new trial granted — the venue changed to McDonough, tchere no witnesses appeared, and they were discharged." " The People of the State of Illinois vs. Johnson, (Mormon.) " Arrested for stealing, and escaped from the officers." "The People of the State of Illinois vs. Alanson Brown, (Mormon, Danite.) " In jail under process from McDonough county for stealing, and for murdering a man, by stabbing, in Hancock." " The People of the State of Illinois vs. Gear, (Mormon.) " In jail for incest and rape on his own daughter ! ! ! " " The People of the State of Illinois vs. William Wood, (Mormon.) " Change of venue from Hancock county to McDonough, and sentenced to the 'penitentiary for two years, for stealing horses." " The People of the State of Illinois vs. — — Lindsay, (Mormon.) " Sent to the penitentiary from Adams county, for stealing a sad- dle from B. F. Marsh, Esq., in Hancock county." JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 89 The above cases are from the records of Hancock, McDonough, and Adams counties. From the City Records. "State of Illiwois, ; ■,• . Hancock County, \ ''=''"='^'- " Before me, John C. Bennett, Mayor of the city of Nauvoo, in said county, personally came H. G. Sherwood, Marshal of said city, who being duly sworn according to law, deposeth and saith : That on, or about, the twenty-second day of April, 1841, in the county of Hancocii, there was stolen from his premises, or near thereto, one one-liorse wagon, in his custody as the property of said city, and this deponent verily believes that Eleazer King, Alonzo F. King, and Enoch M. King, are guilty of the fact charged; and further this de- ponent saith not. H. G. Sherwood. " Sworn to, and subscribed, before me, at my office, this twenty- third day of April, 1841. John C. Bennett, '■'•Mayor of the City of jYuuvoo." From the (Burlington) Hawk- Eye and Iowa Patriot — a paper edited by James G. Edwards, Esq. "■ Mr. Editor : It is with e.xtreme reluctance that the under- signed are induced to intrude upon the public what will probably, by many of your readers, be considered merely as private grievances. But the indignities and injuries which we have sutiered at the hands of the deluded followers of that wretched Impostor, Joe Smith, have been so many and frequent, that ' forbearance long since ceased to be a virtue ; ' and a sense of duty to ourselves and others impels us to make the following statements, which may be the means of pre- venting some individuals from making shipwreck of their fortunes and character, by embracing this miserable scheme of humbug and delusion. " It may be proper here to remark, that we shall state facts — facts that can be neither gainsaid or denied; and, if half the truth is told, it will convince the world that ' truth is stranger than fiction,' and will act like the spear of Ithuriel, in exposing, in all their deform- ity, some of the atrocious features of an imposture, as ridiculous and silly as the designs of its authors are dangerous and treasonable. " That there are not so7ne worthy men and good citizens who sincerely believe in the mission of Joe Smith as a Prophet, we should be sorry to believe ; but in speaking of a community like this, we speak of them collectively, and of the general features of their system. •'They have now been in our midst for more than two years. They came among us in a destitute and suffering condition ; a condi- tion that called into lively exercise all the benevolent feelings of our natures ; we believed that they had been persecuted on account of iheh religious ! sentiments, that a majority of them were honest, and 8* 90 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. we were disposed to give them an opportunity to live down — if false — the evil reports that have followed them, whenever they have been compelled to make a removal. In proof that a kindly disposition has been exercised, we may point to the fact, that until very recently, not a newspaper in their vicinity has published a harsh remark in reference to them or their Prophet. How has tlie kindness thus extended been requited .■' they have rung the changes on their 'persecutions in Missouri,' till it no longer possesses tiie power to bind together the discordant elements of Monnonism, and abuse of the men that have opened their doors to tliem, and ever treated them kindly, has become the order of the day. The events of the past year have forced the conviction upon us, that, in relation to their troubles in Missouri, there are ' two sides to the story.' "Three years since, we could retire at night without that painful feeling of insecurity which now exists; then it was unnecessary to lock our buildings to secure our property from robbers ; now, nothing is safe, however strongly secured by bolts and bars. " The undersigned, having been somewhat in the way of the ful- filment of a pretended revelation relative to the building up a city at Montrose, — which, being interpreted into the unknown tongue of Mormonism, meaneth 'Zarahemla,' — have been the greatest suf- ferers by these depredations ; no less than thirteen Robberies, amounting in value to more than One Thousand Dollars, having been committed on our property since the Mormons came here, and though we have offered rewards for the detection of tlie thieves and the recovery of the property, we have never, in a single instance, suc- ceeded in accomplishing either. A case in which we made an attempt to ferret out the thieves, and were thwarted by the direct interference of Joe Smith, will presently be mentioned. " We subjoin an account of the various robberies : — " Robbery 1st. — Store robbed of a general assortment of goods, a Mormon Bishop (Vinson Knight) at the time living overhead, with only a thin floor between. " Robbery 2nd. — Warehouse broken open, and robbed of one barrel of pork, two barrels sugar, and five kegs lard. "Robbery 3rd. — Smoke-house entered by breaking lock, and robbed of 33 hams and 11 shoulders. " Robbery 4th. — 1^ barrels salt stolen from the building where it was stored. " Robbery 5th. — 1 barrel salt. " Robbery 6th. — 1 saddle, bridle, and martingal, stolen from stable. " Robbery 7th. — 4 wagon wheels stolen from the wagon standing in front of the house. "Robbery 8th. — 3 saddles, bridles, and martingals stolen from stable. " Robbery 9th. — 60 bushels wheat, in sacks, stolen from granary. " Robbery 10th. — Warehouse again entered by breaking lock, and robbed of 6 boxes glass, 150 pounds bacon, (together with 2 boxes axes belonging to C. Peck, Esq.) "Robbery 11th. — 6 barrels salt, the salt taken Jrom the barrels, and the barrels left. JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 91 " Robbery 12tli. — 300 to 400 bushels of com stolen from tlie crib during the past summer, at various times. "Robbery 13th. — 1 wheel stolen from a chariotee standimr in the enclosure of the undersigned. — These are the principal robberies, to say nothing of petty, every day stealing of trifles, which is an- noying enough. The character of the articles stolen precludes the idea that they were taken to any considerable distance from Mon- trose, or JVauvoo I The robbery last mentioned must have been from sheer malice, as one wheel of a carriage could be of no benefit to any one. " The premises from which our conclusions are drawn, that tlie greater part of this mischief is done by Mormons, are, that in every case of robbery, the silly story is at once raised by them, and circu- lated with the greatest industry, that we have secreted our own property for the sake of raising an excitement against the Mormons ; or the robbery is justified, and surprise expressed that we don't lose more than we do, because we oppose the swindling schemes of their Prophet. As before stated, the stand taken by us to prevent the building up of Montrose by the ' Latter Days,' had rather thwarted tlieir plans ; the Prophet himself proclaimed that ' he did not care how much was stolen from the K s,' thus giving full license to his followers to go on and plunder as much as they pleased, often, indeed, in his discourses justifying theft, by citing the example of Christ while passing through the cornfield. On one occasion he said the world owed him a good living, and if he could not get it without, he would steal it — ' and catch me at it,' said he, ' if you can.' This is the doctrine that is- taught — not to be caught stealing — and it has for months been the common talk among the understrappers of Joe Smith that we should be driven from the place; — the various robberies of which we have given a history show the means by which such a result is to be brought about. " We come now to a circumstance which goes clearly to show the hollow-hearted character of the scoundrel Prophet and the other leading Mormons, and which convinces us that all their pretended zeal for the detection of villany and the punishment of offenders is a mere rMse to give persons abroad a favorable opinion of their morals, and is of a piece with the farce exhibited in the enactment of a law by the City Council of Nauvoo, tliat no ardent spirits should be sold within the corporate limits of Nauvoo, under severe penalties, yet winking at the establishment of a drunkery at the very portals of tlie Temple, and in full view of the Mayor's ofiice. The morning after robbery No. 10, convinced by traces in the sand on the bank of the river, that the property stolen had been taken across the river, — with a view to obtain, if possible, a further clew to tlie robbers, one of the undersigned, accompanied by a young man from Ohio, went to one of the leaders of the society (Stephen Mark- ham) at Nauvoo, and solicited his aid in ferreting out the thieves, which he appeared quite willing to render ; we examined several skiffs along the river bank, and at length came to one belonging to J. C Annis, an Elder. Markham observed that he believed James Dunn (a son-in-law of Annis) was the thief, and added, ' Old Annis is, ia 92 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. my opinion, no better.' Pointing to the skiff, he continued, ' If that sliiff could speali, it would tell you wliere your goods are.' Some further conversation was had, as to the best plan of making some discoveries of the robbers, and he (Markham) gave the names of James Dunn, an Elder; D. B. Smith, a relative of the Prophet Joe ; O. P. Rockwell ; Stevens ; J. D. Parker, Elder and Capt. Nauvoo Legion ; H. G. Sherwood, City Marshal and Elder, as being very suspicious characters, at the same time r>. marking that he did not believe Sherwood would be concerned in committing any of the robberies himself, but that he would probably be willing to share the plunder. " Tlie young man that accompanied the writer observed that he formerly knew D. B. Smith in Ohio, and he thought he could gain his confidence, and, by stratagem, obtain information of the place of concealment of the stolen goods; this, by the advice of a magistrate and a legal gentleman, he undertook. To gain their confidence he found an easy matter, and he soon had an interview with Dunn, Smith, and Rockwell, who, he avers, proposed to him to aid them in robbino- the store of the undersigned. To this he assented, and the arrancrements were made on their part to commit the robbery, and on ours to take them in the act. It is believed that up to this moment Markham was desirous that the guilty should be caught ; but he, with the other leaders, found the viatter wtis going too far — that, if we succeeded in catching so many of their elders, it would raise an excitement against them, and show the world their true character Here, too, was a fine opportunity for the gratification of those vindictive feelings by which it is well known Joe Smith is ever actuated; the Prophet therefore caused the young man to be ar- rested, ordered him to give up every thing he had on his person, cocked and presented his rifle, and threatened to shoot — to use his own language on the occasion — 'quicker than hell can scorch A FEATHER.' The young man was taken before the Mayor's Court; the six individuals above named were then called as witnesses ; and, though they appeared to rejoice at their narrow escape through the kindness of their leaders, they showed a spirit of vindictivencsa towards the young man who, from a sincere desire that justice might be done, consented to watch their movements ; — they testified that he had counterfeit coin in his possession. On the part of the defence, it was proved that the coin was loaned to him by the Magistrate, before alluded to, and the writer, — for the purpose of showing it, to induce them to believe that he could supply any quantity, and to inspire them with confidence in him. Yet, with all this testimony going to show his good intentions, that the coin was given to him for a specific purpose, and that he was engaged in a laudable en- deavor to bring the guilty to justice, this Mormon Court Martial bound him over for his appearance at Court : and where was Stephen Markham, the Mormon leader, who could in one moment have set the matter in its true light .-' The moment the young man was arrested, he mounted his horse and started for Quincy, and thus avoided giving testimony that would at once have set the young man at liberty. JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 93 " With this matter is closely connected the conspiracy, as the Mormons please to call it. A young man living with Joe, a relative of the Elect Lady, (Joe's wife,) by the name of Lorenzo D. Wasson, and O. P. Rockwell, complained that the undersigned had conspired, &c., to unlawfully procure an indictment. " The same six witnesses that appeared in the former case were sworn on the part of the prosecutor. The undersigned, viewing the whole proceedings with that contempt which they merited, asked the witnesses no questions, and introduced no witnesses themselves; yet, with all their efforts, the complaint was unsustained by a shadovv of truth. To have done any thing with us under such cir- cumstances would have been too barefaced even for a. Mormon Court Martial, and we were, of course, immediately discharged by General Bennett, the Chief Justice of the Mayor's Court. That this malicious prosecution was instigated and set on foot by Joe Smith, it is use- less for him to deny ; he said previously that he would have us arrested, and afterwards boasted that he had. As for his tool, Lo- renzo D. Wasson, we have only to say, that he did not even make his appearance in Court; it was sufficient for him that, to please the 'money-digger,' he had perjured himself for the purpose of in- juring one who never saw him or heard of him before. " The evening that these proceedings took place, and during our absence, a valuable horse was poisoned, and the evening subse- quently another was poisoned. These two horses were standing in a stable, with their heads to open windows ; three other horses, not thus exposed, escaped. " Would it be taxing our credulity too much to believe that a man who could conceive a murderous plot to assassinate a man (Mr. Grandison Newell of Ohio) that opposed his designs, and that hus a ' D.\NiTE Band' 'to haul his enemies into the brush,' and a 'De- stroying Angel,' commissioned to kill tlaeir cattle, burn their build- ings, poison their wells, and destroy their lives, if necessary to the accomplishment of his infamous designs, — would not for a moment hesitate to employ desperadoes to commit any, or all, of the acts of outrage with which we have been visited.' " Allusion has been made to a pretended revelation, which con- flicts with the interests of the undersigned and others. Our object being to strip from this Impostor the ' silver veil ' that covers his hideousness, we shall, in a future article, give a full history of the revelation, and the interest with which it conflicts. It may appear to some that our remarks about this bold Blasphemer are harsh in the extreme ; but a moment's reflection will convince any one, that he is cither what he claims to be, a Prophet of the Lord, or a scoun- drel without one redeeming quality, and capable of doing any deed of darkness. " D. W. KiLBonRN., "Edward KiLEouRN. " IMoNTROSE, Iowa, ) September -20, 1S41." \ Hundreds of such cases might be enumerated, but the above will suffice. 94 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS Few can doubt the profanity of many of the citizens of Nauvoo, and the Prophet Joe, in particular. Mr. Benja- min AvisE,.of Carthage, said that the first time he ever saw Joe and heard him speak, lie sivorc an oath ! Joe is noto- riously profane, but he says God will not notice him in cursing the damned Gentiles ! All who are acquainted with the Prophet know that he gets most gloriously drunk, occasionally ; but he says he only does this to try the faith of the Saints, and show them that he is fallible, like other men. I recollect once that I was taking tea at Joe's house, when there were present, besides myself, Mrs. Merrick and several gentlemen. Joe was in a very glorious state ; so intoxicated, indeed, that he could scarcely hold up his head. The Elect Lady, Emma, having left the room in disgust at her husband's beastly state, the Prophet began to fancy that we were all suspiciously observing him ; and I shall never forget the ludicrous gravity in which he leaned forward over the table, and addressing Mrs. Merrick, hiccoughed out, " Sister — Blerrick — do — you — feel ruined ? " Joe took the bowl of Bacchus that day with a perfect looseness ! I recollect, upon another occasion, when the female por- tion of Doctor O'Harra's family were on a visit at old Mrs. Smith's, Joe happened in, tolerably drunk, and commenced discoursing in a very low and vulgar manner, much to the annoyance of the ladies. After he had taken his exit, Miss Margaret O'Harra observed, " What ruffian is that, pray?" To which the old lady replied, " O, I per- ceive you are not acquainted with our folks ; that is our son, Joseph, the Prophet." I thank Miss O'Harra for the suggestion. " The Ruffian Prophet " is quite an appro- priate name for the beast. The reader will perceive that Joe has not that regard for temperance that his vote on the city temperance ordinance, which I wrote and procured him to present to the Council, would seem to indicate. His advocacy of that wholesome measure was a mere ruse for foreign consumption. It would appear, likewise, from the following complaint, taken from the city records, that there is some spirit sold, and consequently drank, in the Holy City. JOE SMITH HIS CLAIMS AND CHARACTER. 95 " To John C. Bennett, Mayor of the City of Nauvoo. "Respected Sir, — " I have complaints to make, against the following indi- viduals, for selling spirituous liquors, contrary to the laws of this city, viz. : — John Mcllwrick and Ebenezer Jennings. " John Mcllwrick, for retailing whisky to Margaret Robinson, on the twenty-first of April, 1842. Witnesses, — Alice Martin and Lucy Clayton. " Ebenezer Jennings, for retailing wliisky, on the seventeenth of March, 1842. Witness, — Mary Hardman. " / am sorry to sec the drunkenness that has of late manifested itself «'« our city, and for one would rejoice to see it put to an end. Cases are almost daily occurring ; but, for want of time, I ain not able to obtain the necessary evidence. The above cases are collect- ed, merely to show to the individuals concerned, that people are aware of their transgression of the laws ; and if the law is put in force upon them, I am in hopes tliat it will serve as a warning and restraint for the future. Yours, with respect, " William Clayton. "Nauvoo Citv, JUay 9, 1842." When liars, black-hearted liars, — such as the holy trio, Smith, Law, and Taylor, — are so barefaced as to chal- lenge the records, their refuge of lies shall not cover them. " Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement : when the overflowing scourge sliall pass through, it shall not come unto us : for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves." — Isaiah 28: 15. " And your covenant with death sliall be annulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand ; when tlie overflowing scourge shall pass through, then shall ye be trodden down by it." — Isaiak 28: 18. It is very evident, from the above, that these pretended men of God, who speak as they are " moved by the Holy Ghost," are not in all cases to be depended upon, even when they make careful and deliberate statements through their public newspaper, the acknowledged organ of their Church, and the frequent medium of their inspired com- munications to the world. Is it not plain, that even the Prophet can sometimes be mistaken in his assertions, even if we acquit him of the guilt of lying, by supposing that he is ignorant of the notorious facts we have quoted 1 It would also seem that the Holy City of Nauvoo is not quite so pure and inoffensive a place as has been represent- ed ; but that, on the contrary, whatever may be the moral 96 HISTORY OP THE SAINTS. professions made, the practice does not altogether conform thereto ; and that there is ahnost as much depravity as is commonly found in a Gentile city of the same size. JOE'S BANKRUPT APPLICATION. The Bankrupt law, section 2, provides that no convey- ances of property shall be made in contemplation of bank- ruptcy, subsequent to the 1st of January, 1841; and an Act concerning Religious Societies, under which the Mor- mon Church was incorporated, provides for the appoint- ment of TRUSTEES, not a sole trustee in trust, who are authorized "to purchase a quantity of land not exceed- ing five acres," 6lc. &c. See act approved Feb. 6, 1835. From a Book of Mortgages and Bonds, page 95. "City OF Nauvoo, Hancock (To., llliiiois, ( Ftbrtiary^, A. D. 1842. \ " To the County Recorder of the county of Hancock • "Dear Sir,— "At a meeting of the 'Church of Latter Day Saints' at this place, on Saturday the 30th day of January, A. D. 1841, 1 was elected sole Trustee for said Church, to hold my office durlnpi*)i)n is untrue. '• But mrtiier : the passage says that our first parents ' had no joy, fur the}' kri'^w no misery ; ' in other words, they were in a state of per- fect nentrjdJM'. and incapable of enjoyment. If this Be true, why did God planf^Bkgarden of Eden, and cause in it to grow every tree that is pleasai^fc© the sight, and good for food .' And why did he place Adam in the garden to dress it and to keep it .-■ Why, I ask, did God place man in such a perfect Paradise, surrounded by every thing to produce enjoyment, and nothing to disturb it, and yet not confer on him the power of enjoyment .'' Such nonsense is too trivial for argument. " But further : the passage says, ' Adam did no good, for he knew no sin.' According to this, there can be no good done without sin. The angels, tlierefore, who sin not, do no good. But was Adam doing no good when- iti a state of purity, obeying the commands of God ? Is not the rendition of such obedience the very height of goodness.' But if Adam, in a state of innocence, did no good, for what did God create him.' The conclusion is inevitable, tliat he created him for no purpose at all, or else he created him to sin. To suppose the former, would make God create man from a mere whim ; and to suppose the latter, would make Him, and not the Devil, the author of sin. In either case, an absurdity necessarily follows. 11* 126 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. '•' Here, then, is a short passage from this veritable book, contain- ing nothing but contradiction, nonsense, and absurdity. "Again, on the same page, (65,) we find the following: ' Where- fore men are free, according to the flesh, and all things are given tlieni wliicli is expedient unto man. And they are free to choose libert}', and eternal life, through the great mediation of all men.' Now, what are we to understand from this ? Why, certainly, nothing more nor less, than that all men are mediators; and if we obtain liberty and eternal life, at all, it must be through the mediation of all men. What, then, becomes of the words of the apostle, in Tim. ii. 5, where he says, there is ' one Mediator be- tween God and man.' Certainly the IBook of Mormon, or else St. Paul, must be wrong. " Again, on page 424, the following passage occurs : ' Behold they (speaking of oatlis and covenants) were put into the heart of Gadi- anton, by that same being wlio did entice our first parents to partake of the forbidden fruit; yea, tliat same being, who did plot with Cain, that if he would murder his brother Abel, it should not be known unto the world.' 'And he did plot with Cain, and his followers, from tliat time forth. And, also, it was that same being, who put it into the heads of the people, to build a Tower, sufficiently high, that they might get to heaven. And it was that same being which led on the people, which came from that tower, into this land.' Now, liere it is positively stated, that the being wlio tempted Eve, &c., that is, tlie Devil, was the leader of the Jaredites, or the people who came from the Tower of Babel, in Babylon, to the American continent. But, by reference to pages 539 and 540, we will find the following : « And it came to pass, the Lord did hear the brother of Jared, and he had compassion upon him, and said unto him, go to, and gather together thy flocks, both male and female, of every kind; and also, of the seed of the earth, of every kind, and thy families ; and also, Jared, thy brother, and his family ; and also thy friends, and their families. And wiien thou hast done this, tiiou shalt go at the liead of them down into the valley which is nojithward, and there will I meet thee, an'd I will go before thee, into" a hmd which is choice above all the land of the earth.' Here there is a positive contradiction. I'hese two statements both refer to the same people, and to the same journey ; in one of which, the Devil is represented as the leader, and in the other, the Lord. In reading these passages, one is reminded of the adage — 'Liars, to be consistent, should have good memories.' " But now for the climax. On page 54^, we have a description of the barges in which all the people, before referred to, crossed the ocean. It is in these words : ' And the Lord said, go to work, and build after the manner of barges, which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass, that the brotlier of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord. And they were small and they were light upon the water, even unto the lightness of a fowl, upon the water; and they were built after the manner that they were exceedingly tight, even thai they would hold water THE BOOK OF MORMON. 127 like unto a dish ; and the sides thereof were tiglit like unto a dish ; and the ends were peaked : and the top thereot" was tight like unto a dish ; and the length thereof was the length of a tree ; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish. And it came to pass, that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying : O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded rae, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed uie. And, behold, in them there is no light, whither shall we steer? and also, we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air that is in thenl; therefore are we to perish. " ' And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared, behold thou shalt make a hole in the top thereof, and also in the bottom thereof, and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole thereof, and receive air. " ' And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold ye shall stop the hole thereof, that ye may not perish in the floods. " ' And it came to pass, that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded. And he cried again unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me, and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord ! wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness ^ and the Lord said unto the broth- er of Jared, Avhat will ye that I shall do, that ye may have light in your vessels .' For behold ye cannot have windows,* for they will be dashed in pieces ; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of the fire ; for, behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea: for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, J will bring you up again, out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.' " From this description, we learn that the boats were made per- fectly tight, bottom, top, door, and sides ; and were of the length of a tree. (Very definite ! almost equal to the witness who described a stone that one man threw at another as being about the size of a piece of chalk.) But these boats, although made according to the direction of God himself, appear to have been very deficient; for they could not exist in them for want of air. (A strange oversight for God to make.) But the remedy is the funniest of all, viz., to make holes in both the top and bottom. Yet after they were made, it appears that they could be of but little use, for the boats were to be as a whale, sometimes under the water and sometimes on top. Of course, when they were under the water, they were in as bad a fix as ever ; for they had to keep the holes stopped, in order to keep out the floods. But what did they want with that hole in the bot- tom .' I was told by a Mormon expounder, that the holes in the top and bottom were so made on account of the roughness of the pas- sage — the mountain waves dashing the boats over and over, so that sometimes the top would be uppermost, and sometimes the bottom. * Q,nery. What kind of windows are liere referred to.' If of glaag, it will be recollected that such were not in use until modern times j and wliat other kind would have b««D dashed in pieces'? 128 inSTORY OF THE SAINTS. Hence the holes were made to suit either case. What an idea ! men, women, children, flocks, bees, &c. &c., all confined in a tight vessel, tumbling and rolling ; one moment heads up and the next down ; and this delightful commingling to last during the whole pas- sage from India to America. What squealing there must have been ! Truly, this was a perfect sJiakingtogetlicr of the elements, by which the new continent was to be populated. " But another idea. Trie brother of Jared, after he iiad finislied the barges, which admitted neither light nor air, asks the Lord whither he shall steer. It will be remembered that the vessels were perfectly tight ; there were no lioles for either oars or rudder, and no sails, nor could they see any place without the boat, when once shut up in it ; and yet he asks the Lord to what point he sliould steer ! Truly, ymith's nautical genius nuist have been extremely limited, or he would have told a better yarn than this. But it docs seem that he, in this description, used his utmost endeavors to see how far he could impose on the gullibility of mankind. " It will be useless to make any further comments to prove the absurdities of this extraordinary book. Enough has been said, al- ready, to shov/ it to be a perfect humbug. A great number of otlier passages might be quoted, all tending to prove its absurdities; but the limits prescribed for this book compel me to forbear." Mormonism Portrayed, pp. 10 — 14. THE BOOK OF COVENANTS — ITS ABSUHDITIES AND CONTRADICTIONS. I again quote from Harris's work : — " The Book of Covenants appears to be regarded by the Mormons as equal, in point of authority and inspiration, to the Bible. It con- tains, firstly, an exposition of the doctrines of the Church ; and secondly, a number of revelations, given to Joseph Smith, Jr., and othei-s, either explanatory of the Scriptures, or directory of the man- ner of governing tlie Church, both in things temporal and spiritual. Like the Book of Mormon, there appear on its face many absurdi- ties and contradictions to Scripture, which it may be important, for the object of this work, for one moment to examine. " On page 7, Heb. chajjter xi. verse 3, is quoted thus : ' Througli faith, we understand, that the worlds were formed by the word of God; so that things which are seen, were not made of things which do appear.' On this passage, the following wise commeiftary is made : ' By this we understand that the principle of power, which existed in the bosom of God, by which the worlds were framed, was faith, and that it is by reason of this principle of power, existino- in the Deity, that all created things exist; so that all tilings in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, exist by reason of faith, as it exists in him.' ' Had it not been for tlie principle of faith, the worlds THE BOOK OF MORMON. 129 would never have been framed, neither would man have been formed of llie dust; it is the principle by whicii Jehovah works, and through which he exercises power over all temporal as well as eter nal things; take this principle or attribute (for it is an attribute) from the Deity, and he would cease to exist.' Here is a brio-ht idea, and a bright perception of the meaning of language. I'he apostle, in the above quotation, says,' Through faith we understand.' Who understand.' 'We,' says the apostle. Understand what.' 'That the worlds were framed by the word of God,' not by faith. The evident meaning to any man, even of the most ordinary per- ception, is, that the followers of Christ, through the aid of faith, un- derstand or know that the worlds were made by the power of God. Faith must always have a subject ; but in what could God have faith.' What was there to have faith in, before the worlds were framed .' But admitting that there were other beings, God was greater than they, and what aid could he derive from having faith in inferiors.' To suppose that God, by having faith in others, could be aided, would be taking away his omnipotence ; for that which is all powerful cannot be made stronger. Furtlier, if I perform a miracle through faith in God, the miracle is not my work, but tlie work of God, done as a reward of my faith; to say, then, that God could not have made the worlds without faith in others, is to say he did not make them at all, but that they were made by those in whom he had faith. But perhaps we are to understand that God made the worlds through faith in himself. Now, faith in himself means noth- ing more than confidence in himself; to say, therefore, that God made the worlds by faith in himself, is to say that he made them by confidence in liimself What nonsense ! " On page rio, it is said that 'Enoch was twenty-five years old when he was ordained, under the hand of Adam; and he was sixty- five, and Adam blessed him, and he saw the Lord ; and he walked with him, and was before his face continually, and he walked with God three hundred and sixty-five years, making him four hundred and thirty years old when he was translated.' Per Contra. Gen. iv. 23, reads thus : ' And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years.' Here, then, is a difference of only sixty-five years between the Mosaic account of the age of Enoch, and that given by Joe Smith. Which is correct .' "On page 175, we have the following: ' For behold I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer even as J ; which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to trem- ble because of pain.' The idea of the Godhead, or Divinity, suffer- ing involuntary pain, will excite a sneer by the mere mentioning. "On page 102, it is said, 'The day shall come when you shall comprehend even God.' In these days it takes a shrewd man to comprehend a fool, but the Mormons are to comprehend even God ; of course their comprehension must be at least commensurate with his power, which is infinite. " The prophet Ezekiel said by the Lord, ' This proverb shall be no n.ore heard in Israel, " The fathers have eaten sour graphs, and the 130 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. children's teetli are set on edge.'' ' But the Mormons have revived this proverb, (page ::Jrj,) thus : after stating that if a person trespass against you, you shall forgive him three times, it says, ' But if lie trespass against thee the fourth time, thou siialt not forgive him, but thou shalt bring these testimonies before the Lord, and they shall not he blotted out until he repent and reward tJice fouri'old in all things wherewith he has tresjiassed against thee, and if he do this thou shalt forgive him with all thine heart; and if he do not this, I, the Lord, will avenge thee of thine enemies an hundred fold ; and upon his children, and his cliildren's cliildren, of all them that hate me, until the third and fourth generations.' Here is the old proverb revived with a vengeance ! For it will be perceived, by reading the next few lines, that there is no forgiveness to the children unless they restore the trespass of their fathers, and that, too, fourfold. It reads thus: 'But if the children shall repent, or the children's children, and turn unto the Lord their God, with all their hearts, and with all their might, mind, and strength, and restore fouri'old, for all their trcs])asses wherewith they have trespassed, and where- with their fathers Jiave trespassed, or tlieir fathers' fathers, then thine indignation shall be turned away, and vengeance shall no more come upon them.' If this be true, hard late for the Mormons. "On page 106, in speaking of C'hrist, it is said, that 'The saints shall be filled with his glory, and receive their inheritance, and be made equal with him.' On this passage. Parley P. Pratt, in the Voice of Warning, (a standard work of the Mormons,) makes the following argument, whicJi I give in this place as an illustration of the wild, doctrines of Mormonism : ' See the prayer of Christ recorded by John, concerning his saints becoming one with him and the father, as they are one, and certainly they are equal : and again, the saints are joint heirs with him ; and again, he that overcometh shall sit down with Christ on his throne, as he has overcome and set down with the father on his throne ; and again, the spirit shall guide his saints unto all truth, God is in possession of all truth, and no more, conse- quently his saints will know what he knows ; and it is an acknowl- edged principle that knowledge is power; consequently if they had the same knov/ledge that God has, they will have the same power. And this will fulfil the Scriptures wiiich say, unto him that believ- eth all things are possilile, and I am sure God can do no more than all things; consequently, there must be equality. Heuce the pro- priety of calling them God's, even the sons of God.' Such is the reasoning of the Apostle Parley P. Pratt, and such is the doctrine ot the Church, for they believe that they will have power to create worlds, and that those worlds will transgress the law given; conse- quently they will become saviors to those worlds, and redeem them ; never, until all this is accomplished, will their glory be complete ; and then there will be ' Lords many and Gods many.' " Mormonism Portrayed, pp. 20 — 23. THE BOOK OF MORMON. 131 MORMON PARADISE. Harris says, — " The Mormon idea of a Paradise is a singular feature in their creed. They, however, regard it as one which shows the superi- ority of tiieir system over all others, and ridicule, as absurd, tlie no- tion generally entertained of the location and nature of heaven. As a matter of curiosity, then, as well as to make a further display of the absurdities of Mormonism, I will here insert a description of the Mormon Paradise, taken from the Voice of Warning, pages 179, SO Alluding to a prophecy in the Book of Mormon, the author says, ' From this prophecy we learn. First, That America is a chosen land. Secondly, That it is the place of the new Jerusalem, which shall come down from God out of heaven upon the cait'i, when it is renewed. Thirdly, That a new Jerusalem is to be built in America, to tiie renmant of Joseph, (the Indians,) like unto or after a similar pattern to the old Jerusalem in the land of Canaan ; and that the old Jerusalem shall be rebuilt at the same time ; and this being done, botii cities will continue in prosperity on the earth, until the great and last change, when the heavens and the earth are to be renewe<}. Fourth, We learn that when this change takes place, the two cities are caught up into heaven, together with tlie inhabitants thereof, and being changed, and made new, the one comes down on t!ie American land, and the other to its ov,'n place as formerly. Fifth, Wo learn that tlie inhabitants are the same that gathered togetlicr and first builded them. The remnant of Joseph and those gathered v.-ilh tliem, inherit the new Jerusalem ; and the tribes of Israel, gathered from the north countries, and from the four quarters of the earth, inhabit the other, and thus ail things being made new, w& find those who were once strangers and pilgrims on the earth, in pos- session of that better country, and that city tor ivhich they sought.' " Here, then, is a j)icture of the Mormon Paradise. Let us now, for a moment, compare it to the Paradise cf God, or the city of in- heritance, spoken cf, and sought for, by the prophets and apostles. " Christ said, v^hen on earth, ' In my Father's house are many mansions ; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.' Now, where did Christ speak of going.'' To the earth .' He was already there, and on the very spot where one of the new Jerusalems, acrrrding to the Mormons, is to be. He meant, evidently, to his Father's house, the place where is the throne of God. Paul, in his allusion to this passage, says, 'For we know, that if this earthly house of our tabernacle were dissolved, we have a build- ing of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.' And speaking of Abraham, 'For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose maker and builder is God.' Here is Paul's idea of iieaven, ' a house not made with hands, eternal (that is, existing from, and to, all eternity) in the heavens.' The Mormon Paradise, on the other hand, is to be built by men, (not by God, as was Abra- ham's,) and does not yet e.xist. Again, Peter says, ' Blessed be the 132 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a hvel}' hope, by tile resurrection of Jesus l;^hrist from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, uudefiled, and tliat fadeth not away; reserved in the heavens for you, who are kept by the power of God; through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.' Here Peter's inheritance is ' reserved in the heavens ; ' not to be built here- after, but now being, and reserved 'ready to be revealed at the last time.' " Again, Peter, in his 2d Epistle, 3d chapter, and 10— 13th verses, says, ' The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the ele- ments shall melt with fervent heat ; the earth, also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up. Seeing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat .'' nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth rigliteousness.' T^ow, here Peter says that the old earth shall pass away, and that, according to the prom- ise of God, we look for a ' ncio heaven, and a ncic earth ; ' not the present heavens and the present earth rencircd, as the Mormons have it. To renew merely implies to change ; but Peter says that the ' earth shall pass away. Again, John, referring to the same, Rev. 21st chapter, 1st verse, savs, ' And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea.' Now, if there is to be no sea, how can the new earlli be divided into continents.'' But the Mormons say there are to ba two Jerusalenis, one on the eastern and tiie other on the west- ern continent. John goes nn to say, ' And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.' He does not say that the city was caught up into heaven, brick houses and all made by men, and then let down again, as the Mormons have it, but, ' I saw the city (not two cities) coining down from God,' on the line earth. Further, in the same chapter, 22d verse, he says, ' And I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.' Now, in the revelation giving directions for building the Mormon new Jerusalem, they are to build a Temple, &c., and, according to Pratt's account, the cities are to be caught up into heaven, and are to be let down after the earth is renewed ; of course, there are to be temples literally speaking. A great number of other passages might be quoted, to show the dissimilarity between the Mormon Paradise and that which is described in the Scriptures; but enough has been said to prove theirs a mere invention of the imagination." Mormonism Portrayed, by William Harris, pp. 23 — 25. HISTORY OF THE MORMONS. 133 HISTORY OF THE MORJVIOxNS. Mr. Harris observes, — " An account of the origin of Smith, the discovery of the plates, and their translation, will be found in another portion of this work ; 1 shall therefore confine myself more particularly, in this chapter, to the history of the Mormon, Churcli, with a view thereby more fully to illustrate its character. { Its first organization, with only six mem- bers, was shortly after the publication of the Book of Mormon, in 1830. These first members, consisting mostly of persons who were engaged with Smith in the translation of the plates, forthwith set theiuselves with great zeal to building- up tlie Church. Tlieir first eflx)rts were confined to Western New York and Pennsylvania, where they met with considerable success. After a number of converts had been made, Smith received a revelation, that he and all his followers should go to Kirtland, Ohio, and there take up their abode. Many obeyed tills command, selling their possessions, and helping eacJi other to settle in the spot designated. This place was the head- quarters of the Cliurch, and the residence of the Prophet, until 1838; but it does not appear tliat they ever regarded it as a place of per- manent settlement! for in Book of Covenants, page 150, it is said, in speaking of Kirtlamd, 'I consecrate this land unto them for a little season, until I the Lord provide for them to go hence.' I" In the spring of 1631, Smith, Rigdon, and others, were directed, by revelation, (see Book of Covenants, page 11)3,) to go on a jounaey to MissouriJand there the Lord was to show them the place of the new Jerusalem. This journey was accordingly taken, and when they aorived, a revelation was received, (see B. C., p. 154,) -jjointing out the town of Independence, Jackson county, as the central place for the Landof Promise, where they were directed to build a temple, «&c. ) Shortly after their return to Kirtland, a number of revelations were received, commanding tlie Saints, throughout the country, to pur- chase and settle in this Land of Promise. Accordingly many went and began there to build up Zion, as they called it. " In the mean time. Smith, Rigdon, &c., devoted their labors in Kirtland to building up tliemselves and the Church. " In 1831, a consecration law was established in the church, by revelation. It was first published in the Book of Conjmandments, page 93, and in the Evening and Morning Star, 1st ed., No. 3, Vol. I. It reads thus : ' If thou lovest me thou shalt keep my command- ments, and thou shalt consecrate alL of thy properties unto me, with a covenant and deed which cannot be broken.' This law, however, has been republished, in the Book of Covenants, page 122, and in the republication, has been altered. As modified, it reads thus : ' If thou lovest me thou shalt serve me and keep all of my command- ments, and behold thou phalt remember t!ie poor, and consecrate of tiiy properties for their support that which thou hast to impart unto them with a covenant and deed, which cannot be broken.' Let me digress for one moment, and ask why this alteration. It does ap- 12 134 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. pear to have been done hy command of God, but purports to be the same revelation as was first pubhshed. This is demonstration that Smith makes and alters revelations, to suit his own purposes. " Tlie details of this consecration law will be found in Book of Covenants, page 150, and reads thus : ' Hearken unto me, saith the Lord your God, and I will speak unto my servant Edward Patridge, and give unto him directions ; for it must needs be that he have directions how to organize the people ; for it must needs be tliat they are organized according to my laws. If otherwise, they will be cut off; wherefore let my servant Edward Patridge, and those whom he has chosen in whom I am well pleased, appoint unto this people their portion, every man equal according to their families, according to circumstances, and their wants and needs; and let my servant Edward Patridge, when he shall appoint a man his portion, give unto him a writing, that shall secure unto liim his portion, that he shall hold it, even this right and this inheritance in the Church, until he transgresses and is not accounted worthy by the voice of the Church, to belong to the Church, according to the laws and covenants of the Church ; and if he shall transgress and is not ac- counted worthy to belong to the Church, he shall not have power to claim that portion which he has consecrated unto the Bishop, for the poor and the needy of my Church, therefore he shall not retain the gift, but shall only have claim to that portion which is deeded unto him. — And thus all things shall be made sure according to the laws of the land. "'And let that which belongs to this people, be appointed unto this people, and the money which is left unto this people, let there be an agent appointed unto this people, to take the money to pro- vide food and raiment according to the wants of this people. And let every man deal honestly and be alike amongst this people, and receive alike, that he may be even as I have commanded you. " ' And let that which bclongeth to this people not be taken and given unto that of another church : wherefore if another church would receive money of this Church, let them pay unto this Church according as they shall agree, and this shall be done through the Bishop or the agent, which shall be appointed by the voice °of the Church.' " And again, ' Let the Bishop appoint a storehouse unto this Church, and let all things both in money and in meat, which is more than is needful for the wants of this people, be kept in the hands of the Bishop. And let him also reserve unto himself for the wants of his family, as he shall be employed in doing this business.' Again, speaking of this law, 'Behold, this shall be an example unto' my servant Edward Patridge in other places, in all churches, and whoso is found a faithful, a just, and wise steward, shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life. Verily I say unto you, I am Jesus Christ, who cometh quickly, in an hour you think not; even so. Amen.' " The penalty attached to a breach of this law will be found in the Book of Covenants, page 'Ml, thus: 'Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his HISTORY OF THE MORMONS. 135 portion, according to the law of the gospel, unto tlie poor and the needy, he shall with the wicked lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment.' " These were the provisions of the consecration laws, which, so far as I am informed, are yet unrepealed. They have never, how- ever, been put in full operation ; because the people would not sufft-r it. The whole scheme %\5as evidently designed for the benefit of Smith & Co., as will more fully appear by what follows. "In April, 1832, a firm was established by revelation, ostensibly for the benefit of the Church, consisting of the principal members in Kirlland and in Independence. (See B. C, pages- 21U and ^'^O.) The members of this firm were bound together by an oath and cov- enant, to ' manage the affairs of the poor, and all things pertaining to the bishopric, both inZion (INIissouri) and in Shinahar (Kirtland.) According to the consecration law, above quoted, the Bishop was to have charge of all consecrated property, also to have charge of the storehouse of the Church; consequently, ^as this firm superseded the Bishop, it had charge of all the consecrated property. In June, 1833, a revelation was received to lay off Kirtland in lots, and the pro- ceeds of the sale v/ere to go to this firm, (B. C, p. 234.) In 1834 or '5, the firm was divided by revelation, (B. C, 240,) so that those in Kirtland continued as one firm, and those in Missouri as another. In the same revelation, they are commanded to divide the conse- crated property between the individuals of the firm, which each separately were to manage as stewards. Previous to this, in 1833, a revelation was received to build a temple, (B. C, p. 213,) which was to be done by the consecrated funds in the management of the firm. In putting up this structure, the firm involved itself in debt to a large amount ; wherefore, in the revelation last mentioned above, the fol- lowing appears: ' Inasmuch as ye are humble and faithful, and call on my name, behold I will give you the victory, I give unto you a promise that you shall be delivered this once out of your bondage, inasmuch as you obtain a chance to loan money by hundreds and thousands, even till you have obtained enough to deliver yourselves out of bondage.' This was a command to borrow money, in order to free themselves from the debt that oppressed them. They made the attempt, but failed to get sufficient to satisfy their purposes. This led to another expedient. " In 1835, Smith, Rigdon, and others, formed a mercantile house, and purchased goods in Cleveland and in Buffalo, to a very large amount, on a credit of six months. In the fall, other houses were formed, and goods purchased in the eastern cities to a still greater amount. A great part of the goods of these houses went to pay the workmen on the Temple, and many were sold on credit, so that when the notes became due, the houses were not able to meet them. Smith, Rigdon, tfc Co., then attempted to borrow money, by issuing their notes payable at different periods after date. This expedient not being effectual, the idea of a Bank suggested itself. Accord- ingly, in J337, the far-famed Kirtland Bank was put into operation, without charter. This institution, by v.'hich so many have been swindled, was formed after the following manner : Subscribers for 136 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. stock were allowed to pay the amount of their subscriptions in town lots, at five or six times their real value ; others paid in personal property, at a high valuation; and some paid the cash. When tlie notes were first issued, they were current in the vicinity, and Smith took advantage of their credit to pay ofi', with them, the debts he and tlie brethren had contracted in the neighborhood, for land, &c. The eastern creditors, however, refused to take them. This led to the expedient of exchanging them for the notes of other banks. Accordingly, the elders were sent oiF the country to barter oiF Kirt- land money, which they did with great zeal, and continued the operation, until the notes were not worth twelve and a half cents to the dollar. As might have been expected, this institution, after a few months, exploded, involving Smith and his brethren in inextricable difliculties. The consequence was, that he and most of the mem- bers of the Church set ofi", in the spring of 1838, for Far West, Mo., being pursued by their creditors, but to no effect. " 1 will now go back for a short period. In 1836, an endowment meeting, or solemn assembly, was called, to be held m the Temple at Kirtland. It was given out that those who were in attendance at the meeting should receive an endowment, or blessing, similar to tha*. experienced by the disciples of Christ on the day of Pentecost. When the day arrived, great numbers convened from the different Churches in the country. They spent the day in fasting and prayer, and in washing and perfuming their bodies ; they also washed their feet, and anointed their heads with what they called holy oil, and pronounced blessings. In the evening, they met for the endow- ment. The fast was then broken by eating light wheat bread, and drinking as much wine as they saw proper. Smith knew well how to infuse the spirit which they expected to receive ; so he encour- aged the brethren to drink freely, telling them that the wine was consecrated, and would not make them drunk. As may be sup- posed, they drank to the purpose. After this, they began to prophe- sy, pronouncing blessings upon their friends, and curses upon their enemies. If I should be so unhappy as to go to the regions of the damned, 1 never expect to hear language more awful, or more be- coming the infernal pit, than was uttered that night. The curses were pronounced principally upon the clergy of the present day, and upon the Jackson county mob in Missouri. After spending the night in alternate blessings and cursings, the meeting adjourned. " 1 now return to Missouri. The Mormons who had settled in and about Independence, having become very arrogant, claiming the land as their own, — saying the Lord had given it to them, — and making the most haughty assumptions, so exasperated tlie old citi- zens, that a mob was raised, in 1833, and expelled the whole Mormon body from the county. They fled to Clay county, where the citi- zens permitted them to live in quiet, until 1836, when a mob spirit began to manifest itself, and the Mormons retired to a very thinly settled district of the country, where they began to make improve- ments. This district was, at the session of 1836-7 of the Missouri Legislature, erected into a county, by the name of Caldwell, with Far West for its county seat. Here the Mormons remained in HISTORY OF THE MORMONS. 137 quiet, until after the Bank explosion in Kirtland, in 1833, when ■Smith, Rigdon, &c. arrived. Shortly after tliis, tlie Danite Society was organized, — the object of whicli, at first, was to drive tlie dis- senters out of the county. The members of this society were bound togellicr by an oath and covenant, with the penalty of death attached to a breach, to defend the Presidency, and each other, unto death, — riglit or wrong. They had their secret signs, by which tliey knew each other, either by day or night ; and were divided into bands of tens and fifties, with a captain over each band, and a general over the whole. After this body was formed, notice was given to several of the dissenters to leave the county, and they were threatened severely, in case of disobedience. The etfect of this was, that many of the dissenters left ; amongut these were David Whitmer, Jolin Whitmer, Hiram Page, and Oliver Cowdery, all witnesses to the Book of Mormon, also Lyman Johnson, one of the Twelve Apostles. Tlie day after John Whitmer left his liouse in Far West, it was taken possession of by Sidney Rigdon. About lliis time, P>.igdon preached his famous 'salt sermon.' The te.xt V\"as — 'Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted; it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.' He informed the Mormons that the Church was the salt, that dissenters were the salt that had lost its savor, and that they were literally to be trodden under the feet of the Church, until their bowels should be gushed out. In order to give weight to this interpretation, he attempted to sustain his posi- tion from the Bible ! He referred to the case of Judas, informing the people that he did not fall headlong and his bowels gusli out, with- out assistance, but that the apostles threw him, and with their feet trampled them out ! He also said that Ananias and Sapphira, his wife, did not fall down dead, as translated ; but that Peter and John slew them, and the j'oung men, or deacons, carried them out and buried them. " In one of tiie meetings of the Danite Band, one of the leaders informed them that the time was not far distant, when the elders of the Church should go forth to tlie world with swords at their sides, and that they would soon have to go through the State of Missouri, and slay every man, woman, and child ! They had it in contempla- tion, at one time, to prophesy a dreadful pestilence in Missouri, and tlien to poison the waters of the State, to bring it about, and thus to destroy the inhabitants. " In the early jiart of the fall of the year 1838, the last disturb- ance between the Mormons and the MisSourians commenced. It had its origin at an election in Daviess county, where some of the Mormons had located. A citizen of Daviess, in conversation with a Mormon, remarked that the Mormons all voted one way : this was with warmth denied. A violent contest ensued ; when at last the Mormon called the Missourian a liar. Upon this the Missourian struck him. A row between the Mormons and Missourians fol- lowed. " A day or two after this. Smith, witli a company of men from Far West, went into Daviess county, for the purpose, as they said, 12* 138 HISTOKY OF THE SAINTS. to quell the mob ; but when they arrived, there was no mob there. This excited the citizens of Daviess, and they gathered in turn. But the Mormons soon collected a force to the amount of three or four hundred, and compelled the citizens to retire. They lied, leaving the country deserted for a number of miles around. At this time they killed between one and two hundred hogs, a number of cattle, took at least forty or fifty stands of honey, and at the same time destroyed several fields of corn. The word was out, that the Lord had consecrated, through the Bishop, the spoils unto his host. All this was done when they had plenty of their own, and previous to the citizens in that section of the country taking aught of theirs. They continued these depredations for near a week, when the Clay county militia were ordered out. The history of what followed will be found in another chapter. Suffice it to say, here, that Smith, Rig- don, and many others, were finally taken, and at a court of inquiry were remanded over for trial. Rigdon was afterwards discharged on habeas corpus, and Smith and his comrades, after being in prison several months, escaped from their guards, and reached Quincy, Illinois. The Mormons had been before ordered to leave the State, by direction of the Governor ; and many had retired to Illinois pre- vious to Smith's arrival. " Of this Missouri war, as it has been called, a great deal has been said, and public opinion, at the time, generally censured the conduct of Missouri. That the Missourians carried the matter too far, and treated the Mormons with an unnecessary degree of cruelty, in many instances, there can be no doubt; but that there was great cause of aggravation, tliere can be just as little. The truth is, that while the Mormon body, as a church, interfere with the pecuniary and political acts of its members, assuming the sole direction of both, it will be impossible for them to live in peace in any commu- nity. The necessary consequence of their regarding the words of Smith as the words of the Lord, is, that he can unite them when- ever it may be necessary to efi'ect his purposes. This, probably, would produce no jealousy, if his acts were confined to ecclesiastical government; but when they extend to controlling the political and pecuniary interests of his followers, it must inevitably produce dis- trust and enmity. Such a community, thus united, hold the rights of the neighboring citizens in their own hands ; and in every con- test they must come off victors. They have a capacity for secrecy, which enables them to commit any act of depredation, witliout the fear of detection ; and when a crime has been committed by one of them, they are so united to each other's interests, as to render it almost impossible, through a legal formula, to obtain a conviction. Is it any wonder, then, that a body thus controlled — their interest confined within themselves, and inimical in its nature to that of the other citizens — should excite jealousy ? And when we consider the materials of which the Church is made, the amount of ignorance, bigotry, and arrogance, that is displayed by its members, is it at all surprising that an explosion should take place between them and those by whom they arc surrounded ? Now, even admitting that the Mormons were honest, yet, taking all things into consideration, HISTORY OF THE MORMONS. 139 the Missourians acted, in. the commencement of the difRculties, as would ahaost any community in the country. I do not justify their mobs ; on the contrar}^, 1 say that a mob in no case is justifiable ; but I do say that, as society is now constituted, mobs will arise, under certain circumstances, in any community. Let, then, those who have regarded the Missourians as a set of unprinci[)led despera- does, because of their conduct towards the Mormons, bethink thein, tliat the same scenes, under the same circumstances, would, in all probability, have been enacted in their own neiarhborhoods. It wag not the mere religion of the Mormons, that exasperated the Missou- rians; it was their arrogance, — their united purpose to protect each other, and to infrino-e on the ric-hts of other citizens, — their theits, and their concealments ot eacli other s cranes. These were all, under the circumstances, injuries without legal remedies ; and, al- though this does not justify a mob, yet there are few communities in this country, that would not, if placed in the same situation, have been exasperated to violence. " The Mormons, as a body, arrived in Illinois in the early part of the year 1839. At tliis time they presented a spectacle of destitu- tion and wretchedness almost unexampled. This, together with their tales of persecution and privation, wrought powerfully upon the sympathies of the citizens, and caused them to be received with the greatest hospitality and kindness. After the arrival of Smith, the greater part of them settled at Commerce, situated on the Mis- sissippi River, at the head of the Des Moines, or Lower Rapids, — a site equal in beauty to any on the river. Here they began to build their habitations, and in the short space of two years have raised quite a city. At first, as was before said, on account of their former sufferings, and also of the great political power which they pos- sessed, they were treated by the citizens of Illinois with great re- spect; but subsequent events have served to turn the tide of feelinor against them. In the winter of 1840, they applied to the Legislature of the State for several charters — one for the city of Nauvoo, the name Smith had given to the town of Commerce, — one for the Nauvoo Legion, a military body, — one for manufacturing purposes, — and one for a University. The privileges which they asked for were very extensive ; and such was the desire to secure their politi- cal favor, that they were granted for the mere asking. Indeed the great ones of our Legislature seemed to vie with each other in syco- phancy to this set of fanatical strangers, — so anxious was each party to do some act that would secure their gratitude. This, to- gether with the sycophancy of office-seekers, tended to produce jealousy in the minds of the neighboring citizens, and fears were expressed, lest a body, so united, both religiously and politicall}'-, would become dangerous to our free institutions. The Mormons had nearly all voted at every election with their leaders, and evi- dently under their direction ; this alone made them formidable. The Legion had got under its direction a great portion of the arms of the State, and the whole body was placed under the strictest military discipline. These things, together with complaints similar to those which were made in Missouri, tended to arouse a strong feeling against them ; when at last, in tke early part of the summer oS 140 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. ISJl, a political move was made by them, and the citizens organ- ized a party in opposition. The Mormons were beaten m the con- test. The disposition now manifested by the citizens appears to be, to act on the defensive ; but to maintain their rights at all hazards. If the Mormons consent to act as other citizens, they will not be mo- lested on account of their religion ; bufe freemen will not submit to be trampled on by an organized body of men, no matter by what name they are called, or whose standard they follow. " As reo-ards the pecuniary transactions of the Mormons, smce they haveljeen in lUhiois,— Smith still uses his power for his own benefit. His present operations are to purchase land at a low rate, lay it off into town lots, and sell them at a liigh price to his followers. Thus, lots that scarcely cost him a dollar, are frequently sold for a thousand. He has made several towns in this manner, both in Iowa and in Illinois. , • -7 i " During the last year, he has made two proclamations to his tol- lowers abroad, to settle in the county of Hancock. These proclama- tions have been to a great extent obeyed, and hundreds are now flockino- in, from the Eastern States, and from England. What is to be the result of all this, I am not able to tell ; but one thing is certain, — that, in a political point of view, tiie Mormons are already dancrerous ; and as a consequence, they will be watched with jeal- ousy by their neighbors." . Morinonism Portrayed, by JVdliam Harris, pp. .; F. or i\I. Color. — Moderate skill in judging of colors, com- paring and arranging them. '•(J; F. Language. — Freedom of expression, without fluency or verbosity ; no great loquacity. "9; L. Order. — Love of arrangement; every thing in its par- ticular place. "7; jYumber. — Respectable aptness in arithmetical calculations, without extraordinary talent. "REFLECTIVES. "10; L. Mi.rthf Illness . — Wit; fun; mirth; perception and love of the ludicrous. " 9 ; L. Causality. — Ability to tiiink and reason clearly, and per- ceive the relations of cause and effect. "11; V. L. Comparison. — Extraordinary critical acumen ; great power of analysis. " THERE ARE FOUR TEMPERAMEXTS. '•The LvjiPHATic, or Plilegmatic, m which ihti secreting glands are the most active portion of the system, produces both corporeal and mental languor, dulness, and inactivity. " The Sanguine, in which the arterial portion of the sj'stem is most active, gives strong feelings and passions, and more ardor, zeal, and activity, than of strength or power. "The Bilious, in whicli the muscular portion predominates in activity, produces strength, power, and endurance of body, with great force and energy of mind and character. '• The Nervous, in which the bruin and nervous system are most active, gives the highest degree of activity, with clearness of percep- tion and of tliought, but less endurance. Sharp and prominent organs denote activity; smooth and broad ones, intensity and streno-th. " EXPL.\NATUON OF THE CHART. " The figures in the margin opposite the organs, and ranging in a scale from 1 to 12, indicate the various degrees in which tlie respective organs are developed in the head of the individual ex- amined : thns, 1, 2, indicate that the organ is verv small, or almost wholly v/anting; ',i, 4, means small, or feeble, and inactive; 5, 6, MODERATE, or active onl}' in a subordinate degree; 7, 8, full or fair, and a little above par ; 9, 10, large, or quite energetic, and hav- ing a marked influence upon the cliaracter; 11, 12, verv large, or giving a controlling influence, and extreme liability to perversion. The SIZE OF THE BRAIN, COMBIN ArtONS OF THE FACULTIES, and TEMPERAMENT, of the individual may be indicated in the same ni;niner as the degrees of the faculties or orijans. The initials V. L. denote very large ; L. large ; F. full ; M. mod- erate ; S. small ; V. S. very small. PHRENOLOGICAL CHARTS. 183 COMBINATION OF THE FACULTIES. " The fore part of the head is called the frontal portion ; and the back, the occipital ; the base, or lower part, is denominated tlie bmsHar region ; and the upper portion, the coronal. " Phrenology has ascertained what portion of" the brain the mind employs in the exercise of each mental function ; and hence, by deter- mining how much larger one part of tJie brain is than another, it can tell liow much an individual exercises certain classes of mental functions more than he does others. The combinations of the organs have, also, great influence upon tlie mental manifestations. The rule is, that the larger organs control the smaller. " When the occipital portion is larger than the frontal, there will be more of feeling than reason ; of passion than intellect ; of brutality than humanity; of propelling than directing power; of action than judgment. But when the frontal region is much larger than the occipital, as in the heads of Melancthon, Franklin, Washington, and Clinton, the individual will combine pure morality with great depth and power of intellect; a strong mind with virtuous feelings; and sound practical sense, with nobleness of conduct. , " One having large or very large intellectual organs, combined with moderate or small organs of the propensities, will possess great mental power with a want of impetus ; high intellectual and moral qualities, with inefHciehcy; but with the propensities well devel- oped, and the intellectual faculties very large, will combine great strength of mind with great energy of character, and both directed by the human sentiments, and applied to moral and intellectual ob- jects : Washington, Franklin, Clinton, and Lafayette. " One having very large perceptive faculties, combined with only full reasoning organs, will possess a practical matter-of-fact talent, and an uncommon share of general information, yet lack depth of mind and strength of intellect, and a talent for adapting means to ends. " One having the perceptive organs full or large, with very large reflective faculties, will have a universal talent, and ability both "to plan and execute ; to attend to general principles and to details ; and, with full or large propensities^ be capable of employing extraordinary talents to the best advantage, and of rising to eminence : Franklin, Washington, Clinton, Bonaparte. "One having very large reasoning organs, with only moderate or full perceptive faculties, will possess great depth and originality of mind, and profound philosophical acumen ; but will think and reason more than observe. "One in whom the basilar region greatly predominates over the coronal, will possess great force of character, and a ready talent for business, but strong passions applied to selfish purposes, with little morality and elevation of character and ft-eling. " An evenness of the head indicates uniformity of character ; and unevenness eccentricities and strong traits." 1S4 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. BENNETT'S CHART, BY PARNELL. In this chart the figures range from 1 to 22 ; 1 is the minimum, 14 the medium, and 22 the maximum! " Phremlogkal Developments of General John C. Bennett. " Remarks. — The brain may be more or less active, from temper- ament and texture, — the former to be determined by the compara- tive size of the head, thorax, and abdomen, the latter by observ- ing tlie fibre of the skin. The size of the head is always compared with the size of the body of the same individual, and the size of the faculties witli the faculties of the same head. If the size of the faculties are marked by figures, those used will be from 1 to 22 ; the medium, 14 : if by words, V. S. stands for very small ; S. for small ; R. S. for rather small ; M. for moderate ; F. for full ; V. F. for very full ; -L. for large ; V. L. for very large. "FEELINGS, OR AFFECTIVE FACULTIES " Genus One — Propensities. "17. Vitativeness. — Use; to preserve life. Abuse; too great a fear of death. Want; careless of health and life. "17. Miinentiveness. — Use; to prompt to take food. Abuse; drunkenness and gluttony. Want; careless of the kind of food. " 18. Destructiveness. — Use ; to destroy animals for food. Abuse ; anger, revenge, murder. Want; inability to destroy. " 18. jlmativcness. — Use ; propagation of the species — affection for the opposite sex. Abuse ; jealousy, lust, lasciviousness, rapes, seduction. Want ; incapacity to love the opposite sex. "14. Philoprogenitiveness. — Use ; protection of offspring. Abuse ; too great a fondness for children. Want; neglect of them, hatred of children. "16. ^rfAcsJ25£wc55. — Use ; attachment, friendship. Abuse; too great a fondness for society. Want ; averse to friendship and social society. _ "14. Concentrativeness. — Use; to give continuity to feelings and intellect. Abuse ; too great a love of home, place, country, and a disposition to dwell too long on one subject. Want ; incapacity to locate and be content, and to keep the intellect on one subject. "ID. Covihativmess. — Use ; courage, self-defence. Abuse; con- tention, quarrelling, war. Want ; timidity. "14. Secretiveness. — Use ; prudence, to conceal. Abuse ; suspi- cion, deceit, lying. Want ; inability to conceal. " 13. .Acquisitiveness. — Use ; to provide for present and future wants. Abuse ; avarice and theft. Want ; prodigality, spendthrift. " 13. Constrvctiveness. — Use ; to construct, build, and invent. Abuse ; picklocks, too great a desire to invent, and to build without judgment. Want; want of mechanical genius. PHRENOLOGICAL CHARTS. 185 " Genus Two — Sentiments. "13. Cautiousness. — Use; circumspection, care — to keep from danger. Abuse ; fear, melancholy, basiifulness, hesitation. Want ; reckless, hasty in speech and action. " 16. Approhativcness. — Use ; to gain the good-will and esteem of others, proper ambition. Abuse ; vanity, and too great a love of glory, fame, and applause- Want ; regardless of the opinion of oth- ers, want of proper ambition. "14. Self- Esteem. — Use ; proper self-respect. Abuse ; pride, and too great a love of power. Want ; want of confidence, distrust of one's abilities. " 14. . To open, alter, widen, extend, establish, grade, pave, or otherv.'ise improve and keep in repair streets, avenues, lanes, and alleys. " ' Sec. ]0. To establish, erect, and keep in repair, bridges. " ' Sec. 11. To divide the city into wards, and specify the bounda- ries thereof, and create additional wards, as the occasion may require. " ' Sec. 12. To provide for lighting the streets and erectnig lamp- posts. " ' Sec. 13. To establish, support, and regulate night watches. " ' Sec. 14. To erect market-liouses, establish jnarkets and market- places, and provide for tlie government and regulation tliereof. " ' Sec. 15. To provide for erecting all needful buildings for the use of the city. " ' Sec. 16. To provide for enclosing, improving, [and] regulating all public grounds belonging to the city. '• ' Sec. 17. To license, tax, [and] regulate auctioneers, merchants, and retailers, grocers, taverns, ordinaries, hawkers, pedlers, brokers, pawn-brokers, and money-cliangers. " ' Sec. 18. To license, tax, and regulate hacking, carriages, wag- ons, carts, and drays, and fix the rates to be charged for the carriage of persons, and for the wagonage, cartage, and drayage of propertJ^ "' Sec. 19. To license and regulate porters, and fix the rates of porterage. '"Sec. 20. To license and regulate theatrical and other exhibi- tions, shows, and amusements. "'Sec. 2]. To tax, restrain, prohibit, and suppress tippling- houses, dram-shops, gaming-houses, bawdy and other disorderly houses. " ' Sec. 22. To provide for the prevention and extinguishment of fires, and to organize and establish fire companies. ' " ' Sec. 23. To regulate the fixing of chinmej's and the flues ' thereof, and stove-pipes. •"'Sec. 24. To regulate the storage of gunpowder, tar, pitch, rosin, and other combustible materials. " ' Sec. 25. To regulate and order parapet walls and partition fences. " ' Sec. 26. To establish standard weights and measures, and regulate the weights and measures to be used in the city, in all other cases not provided for by \a.\v. "' Sec. 27. To provide for the inspection and measuring of lum- ber and other building materials; and for the measurement of all kmds of mechanical work. "'Sec. 28. To provide for the inspection and weighing of hay, lime, and stone coal, the measuring of charcoal, firewood, and other fuel, to be sold or used within the city. CHARTERS, ORDINANCES, ETC. ETC. 201 " ' Sec. 29. To provide for and regulate the inspection of tobacco, and of beef, pork, flour, meal, and whisky in barrels. "'Sec. 30. To regulate the weight, quality, and price of bread sold and used in the city. " ' Sec. 31. To provide for taking the enumeration of the inhab- itants of the city. " ' Sec. 32. To regulate the election of city ofRcers, and provide for removing from office any person holding an office created by ordinance. " ' Sec. 33. To fix the compensation of all city officers, and regu- late the fees of jurors, witnesses, and others, for services rendered under this act or any ordinance. " ' Sec. 34. To regulate the police of the city, to impose fines, and forfeitures, and penalties, for the breach of any ordinance, and provide for the recovery and appropriation of such fines and forfeit- ures, and the enforcement of such penalties. " ' Sec. 35. The City Council shall have exclusive power within the city, by ordinance, to license, regulate, and suppress and re- strain billiard tables, and from one to twenty pin alleys, and every other description of gaming or gambling. " ' Sec. 36. The City Council shall have power to make all ordi- nances which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into exe- cution the powers specified in this act, so that such ordinance be not repugnant to, nor inconsistent with, the Constitution of the United States or of this State. " ' Sec. 37. The style of the ordinances of the city shall be • " Be it ordained by the City Council of the city of Springfield." " ' Sec. 38. All ordinances passed by the City Council shall, within one month after they shall have been passed, be published in some newspaper published in the city, and shall not be in force until they shall have been published as aforesaid. " ' Sec. 39. All ordinances of the city may be proven by the seal of the corporation, and when printed and published by authority of the corporation, the same shall be received in evidence in all courts and places vdthout further proof.' ' " Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 6, p. 281 — 236. " NAUVOO LEGION. " By a letter from the Hon. S. H. Little, of the State Senate, to General Bennett, it appears that the following additional section in relation to our Legion, recently forwarded to Esquire Little by Gen- eral Bennett, has become a law, to wit : — " ' Any citizen of Hancock county, may, by voluntary enrolm,e.nt, attach himself to the JVauvoo Legion, with all the privileges which appertain to that independent military body.' "This is quite a privilege; and we say to our friends — Come on and enroll yourselves, so that there ma}' be a perfect organization by the 4^/i of July next — which day we wish to celebrate with appro- 202 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. priate military honors. The Legion will be called out, likewise, on the 6th of Jipril." — Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 8, p. 320. " AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE NAUVOO AGRICULTURAL AND MANU- FACTURING ASSOCIATION IN THE COUNTY OF HANCOCK. " Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That Sidney Rigdon, George W. Robinson, Samuel James, Wilson Law, Daniel H. Wells, Hyrum Smith, George Miller, William Marks, Peter Haws, Vinson Knight, John Scott, D. C. Smith, William Huntington, Sen., Ebenezer Rob- inson, R. B. Thompson, William Law, James Allred, John T. Bar- nett, Theodore Turley, John C. Bennett, Elias Higbee, Isaac Higbee, Joseph Smith, A. Cutler, Israel Barlow, R. D. Foster, John F. Ol- ney, John Snider, Leonard Soby, Orson Pratt, James Kelly, Sidney Knowlton, John P. Greene, John F. Weld, and their associates and successors, are hereby constituted a body corporate and politic, by the name of the Nauvoo Agricultural and Manufacturing Associa- tion, and by that name shall be capable of suing and being sued, pleading and being impleaded, answering and being answered, in all courts and places, and may have a conunon seal, and may alter the same at pleasure. " Sec. 2. The sole object and purpose of said association shall be for the promotion of agriculture and husbandry in all its branches, and for the manufacture of flour, lumber, and such other useful arti- cles as are necessary for the ordinary purposes of life. " Sec. 3. The capital stock of said association shall be one hun- dred thousand dollars, with the privilege of increasing it to the sum of three hundred thousand dollars, to be divided into sliares of fifty dollars, which siiall be considered personal property, and be assign- able in such manner as the said corporation may by its by-laws provide; which capital stock shall be exclusively devoted to the object and purposes set forth in the second section of this act, and to no other object and purposes, and to the same end the said corpo- ration shall have power to purchase, hold, and convey real estate and other property to the amount of its capital. " Sec. 4. Said corporation shall have power by its Trustees, or a majority of them present at any regularly-called meeting, to make by-laws for its own government, for the purpose of carrying out the objects of this association, Provided, the same are not repugnant to the laws and Constitution of this State, or of the United States. " Sec. 5. Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and William Law, shall be commissioners to receive subscriptions for, and distribute said capital stock for said corporation; said commissioners, or a majority of them, shall within six months after the passage of this act, either hy themselves or their duly-appointed agents, open a subscription book for said stock, at such times and places as they shall appoint, and at the time of subscription for such stock, at least ten per cent. upon each share subscribed for shall be paid to said commissioners, or their duly-appointed agents, and the remainder of said stock so CHARTERS, ORDINANCES, ETC. ETC. 203 subscribed for, shall be paid I'n such sums, and at such times, as shall be provided for by the by-laws of said corporation. " Sec. 6. In case the stock of said corporation sliall not all be taken up within one year from the passage of this act, the duties of said commissioners shall cease, and the Trustees of said corporation, or a quorum thereof, may thereafter receive subscriptions to said slock from time to time until tlie whole shall be subscribed. " Sec. 7. The stock, property and concerns of said corporation shall be managed by twenty Trustees, who shall be stockholders of said corporation, any five of whom, to be designated by a majority of the Trustees, shall form a quorum for the transaction of all ordinary business of said corporation, tiie election of which Trustees shall be annual. The first-mentioned twenty persons, wliose names are re- cited in the first section of this act, shall be the first Trustees of said corporation, and shall hold their offices until the first Monday in September, A. D. 1841, and until others shall be elected in their places. " Sec. 8. The Trustees of said corporation for every subsequent year, shall be elected on the first Monday of September in each and every year, at such place as the Trustees for the time being shall appoint, and of which election they shall give at least filteen days' previous notice, by advertisement in some newspaper in or near the city ot'Nauvoo. At every election of Trustees, each stockliolder shall be entitled to one vote on each share of stock owned by him, Pro- vided^ that no stockholder shall be entitled to more than twenty Votes, and said stockiiolders rnay vote either in person or by proxy. The election for Trustees shall be conducted in such manner as shall be pointed out by the by-laws of said corporation, and whenever a vacancy shall happen by death, resignation, or otherwise, among the Trustees, the remaining Trustees shall have power to fill such vacancy until the next general election for Trustees. " Sec. 9. Tlie Trustees of said corporation, as soon as may be after their appointment or election under this act, shall proceed to elect out of their number a President, Treasurer, and Secretary, who shall respectively hold their offices during one year, and until others shall be elected to fill their places, and whose duties shall be defined and prescribed by the by-laws of the corporation, and said Trustees shall also appoint such agents and other persons as may be necessary to conduct the proper business, and accomplish Uie declared objects of said corporation, and shall likewise have power to fill any vacancy occasioned by the death, resignation or removal of any officer of said corporation. " Sec. 10. This act shall be construed as a public act, and con- tinue in force for the period of twenty years. And the Trustees appointed under the provisions of this act, shall hold their first meetino- at the city of Nauvoo, on the first Monday of April, A. D. 1841. "VVm. L. D. Ewing, " Speaker of the House of Representatives. " S. H. Anderson, " Speaker of the Senate. " Approved, February 27, 1841. "Tho. Carlin." 204 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. "State of Illinois, ) I Office of Secretaky of State. ) i " I, Lyman Trumbull, Secretary of State, do hereby certify the i foregoing to be a true and perfect copy of the enrolled law on hie in i my ottice. ! " Given under my hand, and Seal of State, Springfield, March ' 10, 1641. i " LvMAN Trumbull, ] " Secretary of State." Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 10, pp. 355, 356. I "AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE NAUVOO HOUSE ASSOCIATION. " Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That George Miller, Lyman Wight, John Snider, and Peter Haws and their associates are hereby declared a body corporate, under the name and style of the ' JWtuvoo House Association,' and they are hereby authorized to erect and furnish a public house of entertainment to be called the ' Nauvoo House.' " Sec. 2. The above-named George Miller, Lyman Wight, John Snider, and Peter Haws, are hereby declared to be the Trus- tees of said association, with full power and authority to hold in joint tenancy by themselves and their successors in office, a certain lot in the city of Nauvoo, in the county of Hancock, and state of Illinois, known and designated on the plot of said city, as the south half of lot numbered fifty-six, for the purpose of erecting thereon the house contemplated in the first section of this act. " Sec. 3. The said Trustees are further authorized and em- powered to obtain by stock subscription, by themselves or their duly authorized agents, the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, which shall be divided into shares of fifty dollars each. " Sec. 4. No individual shall be permitted to hold more than three hundred nor less than one shares of stock, and certificates of stock shall be delivered to subscribers, so soon as their subscriptions are paid in, and not before. " Sec. 5. As soon as the above contemplated house shall have been completed and furnished, the stockholders shall appoint such agents, as tiie Trustees may deem necessary in the management of the affairs of said association. " Sec. G. The Trustees shall have power to sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded in any court of this State, in the name and style of the 'Trustees of the Nauvoo House Association.' " Sec. 7. They shall also take tiie general care and supervision in procuring materials for said house and constructing and erecting the same, and further to superintend its general management, and to do and perform all matters and things which may be necessary to bo done, in order to secure the interests and promote the objects of this association. " Sec. 8. This association shall continue twenty years from the CHARTERS, ORDINANCES, ETC. ETC. 205 passage of this act, and the house herein provided for, shall be kept for the accommodation of strangers, travellers, and all otiier persons vi'ho may resort thereto, for rest and refreshment. " Sec. !). It is moreover established as a perpetual rule of said house, to be observed by all persons who may keep or occupy the same, that spirituous liquors of every description are prohibited, and that such liquors shall never be vended as a beverage, or introduced into common use, in said house. " Sec. 10. And whereas Joseph Smith has furnished the said association with the ground whereon to erect said house, it is further declared, that the said Smith and his heirs shall hold by perpetual succession a suite of rooms in the said house, to be set apart and con- veyed in due form of law to him and his heirs by said Trustees as soon as the same are completed. " Sec. 11. The Board of Trustees shall appoint one of their number as president thereof. " Wm. L. D. Ewing, " Speaker of the House of Representatives. " S. H. Anderson, " Speaker of the Senate. " Approved, February 23, 1841. " Tho. Carlin." " State of Illinois, ) Office of Secretarv of State. ) " I, Lyman Trumbull, Secretary of State, do hereby certify the foregoing to be a true and perfect copy of the enrolled law on file in my office. " Given under my hand, and Seal of State, Springfield, March 10, 1841. Lyman Trumbull, Secretary of State." Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 11, pp. 370, 371 " OFFICERS OF THE CITY OF NAUVOO '■^ Mayor : John C. Bennett. — Recorder: James Sloan. — Attornnj: Sidney Rigdon. — Kotary Public : E.Robinson. — Marshal: H. G. Sherwood. — Marshal ad interim : D. B. Huntington. — Treasurer- John S. Fulmer. — Surveyor: A.Ripley. — .Assessor and Collector ■ Lewis Robison. — Supervisor of Streets: James Allred. — Weigher and Sealer: Theodore Turley. — Market Master : Stephen Markhara. — Sexton : W. D. Huntington. " First Ward. '■'■Mdermen: Samuel H. Smith, Hiram Kimball. — Councillors . John P. Green, Vinson Knight, Orson Pratt, Willard Richards. — High Constable: D. B. Huntington. " Second Ward. " Mdermen: N. K. Whitney, Orson Spencer. — Councillors: Hy- 18 206 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. rum Smith, Lyman Wight, Wilford Woodruff, John Taylor.— High Constable : George Morey. " Third Ward. "Aldermen: Daniel H. Wells, Gustavus Hills. — Councillors: John T. Barnett, C. C. Rich, Hugh McFall, H. C. Kimball.— High Constable : Lewis Robison. " Fourth Ward. " Aldermen: William Marks, George W. Harris. — Councillors. Joseph Smith, Wilson Law, Brigham Young, William Law. — High Constable : W. D. Huntington. " The City Council consists of the Mayor, Aldermen, and Coun- cillors, and sits on the first and third Saturday of every month, commencing at 6 o'clock, P. M. " Municipal Court. " Chief Justice : John C.Bennett. — Associate Jitsticcs : Samuel H. Smith, Hiram Kimball, N. K. Whitney, Orson Spencer, Daniel H. Wells, Gustavus Hills, William Marks, George W. Harris. — Clerk : James Sloan. " The Municipal Court sits on the first Monday hi every month, commencing at 10 o'clock, A. M. " Mayor's Court. " This is the Criminal Court of the city, and sits at such times as the business of the city requires — the Mayor presiding." Times and Seasoiis, Vol. HL, No. 4, p. 638 "AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL. " Sec. 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of the city of Nauvoo, That should any member of the City Council absent him- self from, or neglect or refuse to attend, any regular or special meet- ing of said Council, for more than thirty minutes after the time appointed, or should the Marshal or Recorder be guilty of a like offence, he shall be fined in the sum of two dollars for each offence. " Sec. 2. Should any member of said Council neglect, or refuse, to attend said meetings, forthwith, on a summons from the Mayor, served by the Marshal, or special messenger of said Council, he shall be fined in the sum of twenty-five dollars, for each offence ; Pro- vided, That the City Council may, on good cause shown, remit any fine herein, or by this ordinance, assessed. " Sec. 3. The above fines to be collected as other debts before the Mayor, at the suit of the city corporation. This ordinance to take effect, and be in force, from and after its passao^e. " Passed, February 8, A. D. 1841. " John C. Bennett, Maijor. " James Sloan, Recorder." Times and Sca.sons, Vol. H., No. 8, p. 322. CHARTERSj ORDINANCES, ETC. ETC. 207 "AN ORDINANCE FIXING THE COMPENSATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. " Sec. 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of the city of Nau- voo, That from and after the passage of this ordinance, the City Council shall meet on the second Saturday of every month, at 10 o'clock, A. M., and shall continue in session during the day, and evening, if the business of the city requires it — allowing one hour for dinner, and one for supper; and the said monthly meetings shall be called ' The Regular Meetings of the City Council.' " Sec. 2. Each member of the City Council and the Recorder, and Marshal, shall be allowed two dollars per day for attendance, cooperation, and services, at said regular meetings; and each per- son aforesaid, shall be fined in the sum of two dollars for neglecting to attend at any such regular meeting, without an excuse satisfactory to tiie City Council ; and for each part of a day so attended, or neglected, a proportionate allowance, or fine, shall be granted, or assessed, as the case may be. " Sec. 3. It is hereby made the duty of the Recorder to keep a just and accurate record of the members present, including the Re- corder and Marshal, at every such regular meeting, together with a full list of absentees, which list shall be returned to the Mayor for collection of fines quarterly. " Sec. 4. Special meetings of the City Counoil, called by order of the Mayor, by summons or otherwise, shall be governed by the aforesaid regulations. "Sec. 5. All ordinances, or parts of ordinances, contrary to the provisions of this ordinance, are hereby repealed. This ordinance to take effect, and be in force, from and after its passage. " Passed January 22, A. D. 1842. " John C. Bennett, Mayor. " James Sx-oan, Recorder." Times and Seasons, Vol. III., No. 8, p. 70J. By what stupid knave the following nondescript Alge- rinc Ordinance was penned I am unable to say. Suffice it to observe, it is in open contravention of the constitutional and statute laws, and a palpable violation of vested char- tered rights. I give it as it is, as a civic curiosity. From « The {JVauvoo) Wasp'' of August 13, 1842. : "AN ORDINANCE REGULATING THE MODE OP PROCEEDING IN CASES OF HABEAS CORPUS, BEFORE THE MUNICIPAL COURT. " Sec. 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of the city of Nau- voo, That in all cases where any person or persons, shall at any 208 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. time hereafter, be arrested, or under arrest, in this city, under any writ or process, and shall be brought before the Municipal Court of this city, by virtue of a writ of Habeas Corpus, the court shall in every such case have power and authority and are hereby required to examine into the origin, validity, and legality of the writ or pro- cess, under which such arrest was made, and if it shall appear to the court upon sufficient testimony, that said writ or process was illegally or not legally issued, or did not proceed from proper au- thority, then the court shall discharge the prisoner from under said arrest, but if it shall appear to the court, that said writ or process had issued from proper authority, and was a legal process, the court shall then proceed and fully hear the merits of the case, upon which such arrest was made, upon such evidence as may be produced and sworn before said court, and shall have power to adjourn the hear- ing, and also issue process from time to time in their discretion, in order to procure the attendance of vv^itnesses, so that a fair and impartial trial and decision may be obtained in every such case. "Sec. 2. And be it further ordained. That if upon investigation it shall be proven before the Municipal Court, that the writ or process has been issued, either through private pique, malicious intent, re- ligious or other persecution, falsehood or misrepresentation, contrary to the Constitution of this State, or of the United States, the said writ or process shall be quashed and considered of no force or effect, and the prisoner or prisoners shall be released and discharged there- from. ' " Sec. 3. And be it also further ordained, That in the absence, sickness, debility, or other circumstances disqualifying or preventing the Mayor from officiating in his office, as Chief Justice of the Municipal Court, the aldermen present shall appoint one from amongst them, to act as Chief Justice pro tempore. " Sec. 4. This ordinance to take effect, and be in force, from and after its passage. Hyrum Smith, " Vice-Mayor and President pro tempore. " Passed August 8, 1842. "James Sloan, Recorder." The Sangamo Journal of September 2, 1842, in com- menting upon this ordinance for the protection of Mormon culprits and outlaws, concocted, probably, and passed by the influence of the Mormon Collegium de Propaganda Fide, for the especial protection of Joe Smith and other murderers and criminals, very justly remarks, — " We copy the above ordinance in order to show our readers the barefaced effrontery with which the holy brotherhood at Nauvoo set at defiance the civil authorities of the State. No man having claims to even an ordinary share of common sense, can ever believe that there is the least shadow of authority in the City Council of Nau- voo to pass such an ordinance as the above ; indeed the legislature of this State has not power to do it. The City Charter gives to the Municipal Court power to issue writs of Habeas Corpus. Evidently tliis power is only granted in reference to cases of arrest under the CHARTERS, ORDINANCES, ETC. ETC. 209 municipal laws, and, by the most latitudinarian construction, cannot be made to extend to cases of an arrest under the laws of the State ; but this Mormon ordinance not only extends to all cases of arrest, but sets the laws of the United States at defiance, by givingr author- ity to the Municipal Court to inquire into the causes of the arrest — a power which even the legislature of this State cannot confer. " By the Constitution and laws of the United States, the Governor of this State is bound to deliver up fugitives from justice on the re quisition of the Governor of any other State ; and the judiciary of this State have no right to inquire, under any circumstances, into any thing further than the sufficiency of the writ on which the arrest is made. If this is in due form, and properly served, there is no power for any tribunal in this State to make any further inquiry. The guilt or innocence of the accused must be determined by the courts of the State from whence the requisition issued ; and any court of law, which institutes any inquiry of this nature, oversteps the boundaries of its jurisdiction, and openly sets at defiance tiie laws of the land. " Now, we ask our citizens, what think you of this barefaced de fiance of our laws by the City Council of Nauvoo? and, if persisted in, what must be the final result.' If these things are suffered to pass unheeded by the authorities of this State, who is safe, whether in his person or property .'' A Mormon cut-throat may take the life of one of our citizens, and returning to the City of the Saints, set at defiance the laws of the land. " Independent of the ordinance above quoted, which was ev- idently designed to give some semblance of legality to the protec- tion of criminals, we believe that the Mormon Church is just such a body as can be shelter to every blackleg, cut-throat, or horse-thief, who chooses to take refuge amongst them. While under the pro- tection of Joe, who can harm them ? What means has an officer of either discovering or arresting a man sheltered by a band who regard the laws of the land as secondary to the commands of their Prophet?" This is an act of " outlawry " with a vengeance ! The Mormon Prophet places himself above the operation of the laws, and puts at defiance every principle of criminal juris- prudence, and the legitimately-constituted authorities of his country ! ! ! Sic transit gloria miindi ! But must these things be tolerated T Never ! No, Never ! ! NO, NEVER ! ! ! Retributive justice must put forth the arm of power, and pass from the forum to the fielB, if that be necessary, to capture refugees and fugitives from justice, and make them bow to the supremacy of the laws. Good officers cannot, will not, long be foiled in the execution of a high public trust, and one, too, in which every citizen of the commonwealth is so deeply interested. 18* 210 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. UNIVERSITY OF THE CITY OF NAUVOO. Board of Regents. Chancellor: Gen. John C. Bennett, M. D. — Registrar: Gen. William Law. — Regents: Gen. Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Esq., Attorney at Law, Gen. Hyrum Smith, Rev. William Marks, Rev. Samuel H. Smith, Daniel H. Wells, Esq., Bishop N. K. Whitney, Gen. Charles C. Rich, Capt. John T. Barnett, Gen. Wilson Law, Rev. John P. Greene, Bishop Vinson Knight, Isaac Galland, M. D., Judge Elias Higbee, Rev. Robert D. Foster, M. D., Judge James Adams, Rev. Samuel Bennett, M. D., Ebenezer Robinson, Esq., Rev. John Snider, Rt. Rev. George Miller, Lenos M. Knight, M. D., Rev. John Taylor, and Rev. Heber C. Kimball. Faculty. James Kelly, A. M., President. Orson Pratt, A. M., Professor of Mathematics and English Liter- ature. Orson Spencer, A. M., Professor of Languages. Sidney Rigdon, D. D., Professor of Church History. School Wardens for Commom Schools. Wardens of First Ward: John P. Greene, N. K. Whitney, and A. Morrison. Wardens of Second Ward: Charles C. Rich, Wilson Law, and Elias Higbee. Wardens of Third Ward : Daniel H. Wells, R. D. Foster, and S. Winchester. Wardens of Fourth Ward: Vinson Knight, William Law, and E. Robinson. President Kelly is a graduate of Trinity College, Dub- lin, and is a ripe scholar. Professor Pratt is a self-made man, and has had to en- counter great difficulties in the acquisition of an edu- cation ; but he has surmounted them all. As a teacher of mathematics and English literature he is equalled by few, and surpassed by none, this side of the great waters, as the proficiency of the matriculates of the university under his care and tuition abundantly testifies. He is a gentleman ctf the first order of talents — than whom there is, probably, no better man on earth. Professor Spencer is a graduate of Union College, N. Y., in the arts, and of the Baptist Literary and Theo- logical Seminary, N. Y., in divinity. Professor Rigdon has long been regarded, by both ene- CHARTERS, ORDINANCES, ETC. ETC. 211 mies and friends, as an accomplished belles-lettres scholar and eloquent orator, possessing both the sucwitcr in modo and ihefortiter in re, — deeply learned in that department of collegiate education which has been assigned him in the university. His character, and that of his entire family, is considered above reproach. Nothing can be brought against him, I am persuaded, but his connection with the Book of Mormon and Mormonisra. "University of the Citt of Nauvoo, Illinois, ./?i(4/-«it 10, A. D. J841. " The Regents of the University of the City of Nauvoo will con- vene at the office of General Joseph Smith, on Saturday, the 4th day of September, proximo, at half past 10 o'clock, A. M., for the transaction of important business. Punctual attendance is requested. " The Department of English Literature is now in successful operation under the supervision of Professor Orson Pratt — a gentle- man of varied knowledge and extensive acquirements, who is ad- mirably qualified for the full execution of the high trust reposed in him, as an able and accomplished teacher " In this department, a general Course of Mathematics, including Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Conic Sections, Plane Trigonom- etry, Mensuration, Surveying, Navigation, Analytical, Plane and Spherical Trigonometry, Analytical Geometry, and the Differential and Integral Calculus ; — Philosophy ; — Astronomy ; — Chemistry ; — etc. etc., will be extensively taught. "Tuition. — Five Dollars per quarter, payable semi-quarterl}', in advance. " John C. Bennett, Chancellor. "William Law, Registrar." Times and Seasons, Vol. II., No. 20, p. 517. NAUVOO LEGION. This military organization comprises between two and three thousand well-disciplined troops, and constitutes a portion of the militia of the State of Illinois; and might, under proper management, be made very useful to the country. It is a division divided into two cohorts, or brigades, and these cohorts subdivided into regiments, battalions, and companies. The organization is intended to represent a Roman legion. I have not space in this Expose for the full rank-roll, and must, therefore, content myself with giving the names of a few of the most accom- plished, brave, and efficient of the corps; and amongst them I would enumerate, — 212 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. Gen. George W. Robinson, Capt. C. M. Kreymyer, Gen. Charles C. Rich, Col. John F. Weld, M. D., Col. Orson Pratt, A. M., Capt. Darwin Chase, Col. Francis M Higbee, Col. Carlos Gove, Col. Chauncey L. Higbee, Capt. John F. Olney, Capt. Justus Morse, Gen. Davison Hibard, Gen. Hiram Kimball, Capt. William M. Allred, Gen. W. P. Lyon, Capt. L. N. Scovil, Capt. Charles Alien, Col. James Sloan, Lieut. Stephen H. Goddard, Capt. Mar- cellus Bates, Col. George Schindle, Col. Amasa Lyman, Col. D. B. Smith, Col. George Coulson, M. D., Col. Alexander McRea, Gen. A. P. Rockwood, Capt. Amos Davis, Col. Jacob B. Backenstos, Capt. Samuel Hicks, Col. L. Woodvvorth, and some others of the staff and line. Joseph Smith, the Lieutenant-General, is a military novice of the first water and magnitude, scarcely knowing the difference between a general and a corporal — if it only has the rol as the suffix, Joe is therewith content. By the bye, however, the office of Lieutenant-General is unknown to the Constitution of the State, and is, therefore, a nullity. There are, likewise, various other officers who would disgrace the forces of His Tartarean Majesty, amongst w-hom I would enumerate Gen. Robert D. Foster, M. jf., Maj. Willard Richards, Maj. Hosea Stout, Capt. D. B. Huntingto"*, and others of the staff and line. The troops are very tractable, and obedient to the word of command, «nd conduct themselves on parade in a highly creditable and the most orderly manner — a la miUtaire. "COURT iMAETIAL OF THE NAUVOO LEGION. " Ordinance No. 1. " Sec. 1. Be it ordained by the Court Martial of the Nauvoo Legion in general court assembled, That tlie discipline, drill, rules, regulations, and uniforms of the United States' Army, so far as ap- plicable, be and they hereby are adopted for the Legion ; Provided, That each companj' may adopt its own uniform for the non-commis- sioned officers and privates belonging to it. " Sec. 2. That from and after the 15th day of April next, it shall be the duty of every white male inhabitant of the city of Nauvoo, between eighteen and fortj^-five j-ears of age, to enroll himself in some company of the Legion, by reporting himself to the Captain thereof, within fifteen days ; and every person neglecting or refusing to do so shall, on conviction thereof before a regular court martial, forfeit and pay the sum of one dollar, and the further sum of one dollar for every subsequent fifteen days' neglect. " Sec. 3. The Legion shall hold a general parade ©n the Ist Satur- CHARTERS, ORDINANCES, ETC. ETC. 213 day of May and September, and the 4th day of July, (the 3d when the 4th comes on Sunday,) in, or near the city of jSlauvoo ; a bat- tahon parade on the :3d Saturday of June and October, in their re- spective precincts; a company parade on the 4tli Saturday of April, June, and August, in their respective precincts; and an officer drill on the Thursday and Friday preceding each general parade, in the city of Nauvoo; and such other musters or parades as the Lieuten- ant-General, and tJie Major-General, may jointly direct, in each year : and any non-commissioned officer, musician, or private, who shall neglect or refuse to appear on said days, shall be fined in the sum of one dollar for each company, or battalion parade, and two dollars for each general parade — and the commissioned officers neg- lecting or refusing to appear in their appropriate places on parade shall be fined in the following sums, to wit: the Lieutenant-General and the Major-General — thirty dollars; Brevet Major-Generals and Brigadier- Generals — twenty-five dollars ; Colonels — fifteen dollars ; Lieutenant-Colonels and Majors — ten dollars; Captains — six dol- lars; Lieutenants — four dollars; and every commissioned officer, non-commissioned officer, musician, or private, who shall neglect or refuse to uniform himself in full, after the lapse of eigiit months from the passage of this act, shall be fined in the same sums, in ad dition, for each day of parade — every commissioned officer, non commissioned officer, or musician, who shall neglect or refuse to at- tend officer drills, shall be fined in half the sums aforesaid — and any commissioned officer who shall neglect or refuse to attend their appropriate courts martial shall be fined in one half the sums afore- said — and any commissioned officer neglecting, or refusing, to dis- charge any duty devolving upon him shall, in addition, be cashiered and disgraced, by a general court martial, detailed by the Major- General by order of the Lieutenant-General : Provided, always, That all members of this corporation, who are unable to attend parades on account of sickness in their families, or any other reason- able excuse, satisfactory to the court martial, shall, for the time be- ing, be exempt from all such fines. " Sec. 4. That no person whatever, residing within the limits of the city of Nauvoo, of fifteen days' residence, between the ages of 18 and 45 years, excepting such as are exempted by the laws of the United States, shall be exempt from military duty, unless exempted by a special act of the court martial of the Legion ; or a certificate of inability, under oath, signed by the Lieutenant-General, counter- signed by the Surgeon-General, and recorded by the Major-Gen- eral's War Secretary. " Sec. 5. Each regimental court of assessment of fines shall be composed of the Major as President — the Adjutant as Secretary — and the Captains of companies as members; and tlie court of ap- peals shall be composed of the Colonel as President — the Adjutant as Secretary — and the Lieutenant-Colonel and Major as members, — the court of assessment shall sit on the Saturday succeeding each general parade, and the court of appeals on the* second Saturday thereafter, at such places as the Colonel may direct. " Sec. 6. The regular court and law days" of the court martial of the Legion, constituting the law-making department of the corpo- 214 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. ration, shall be the 1st Friday of March, June, September, and De- cember, and such other days as may be appointed by the joint gen- eral orders of the Lieutenant-General and the Major-General, with- in the city of Nauvoo, on a notice of ten days. " Sec. 7. The statF of the Lieutenant-General shall consist of an Inspector-General with the rank of Major-General, a Drill officer, a Judge-Advocate, and four Aids-de-Camp, with the rank of Colo- nels; and a guard of twelve Aids-de-Camp, and a Herald and Armor-Bearer, with the rank of Captain. " Sec. 8. The staiT of the Major-General shall consist of an Ad- jutant-General, a Surgeon-General, a Cornet, a Quarter-Master- General, a Commissary-General, a Pay-Master-General, a Chaplain, two Assistant inspectors- General, four Aids-de-Camp, and a War Secretary, with the rank of Colonel; a Quarter-Master, Sergeant, Sergeant-Major, and Cliief Musician, with the rank of Major; and four Musicians, and a Herald and Armor-Bearer, with the rank of Captain. " Sec. 9. The staff of each Brigadier- General shall consist of two Aids-de-Camp, an Assistant Quarter-Master- General, an Assistant Commissary- General, and a Surgeon, with the rank of Lieutenant- Colonel ; six Assistant Chaplains, with the rank of Major ; and a Herald and Armor-Bearer, with the rank of Captain. " Sec. 10. The staff of each Colonel shall consist of an Adjutant, a Quarter-Master-Sergeant, and a Sergeant-Major, with the rank of Captain. " Sec. 11. Each Regiment shall be officered with a Colonel, a Lieutenant-Colonel, a Major, and company officers. " Sec. 12. Each Company shall be officered with a Captain, three Lieutenants, five Sergeants, one Pioneer, and four Corporals. " Sec. 13. The Lieutenant-General, and the Major-General, may by their joint act grant brevet commissions to such persons as may merit appointment and promotion at their hands. " Sec. 14. That all laws, and parts of laws, inconsistent with this ordinance, bo and they hereby are repealed. "Passed March 12th, 1842. " Joseph Smith, " Lieutenant-General, and President of the Court Martial. " John C. Bennett^ " Major-General, and Secretary of the Court Martial." Times and Seasons, Vol. HL, No. 10, pp. 733, 734. THE CALL. The Sangamo Journal, of July 1, 1842, says that the recent acts of the Prophet and the position of the Mor- mons have attracted " public attention to the movements of Joe Smith, — THE CALL. 215 io the tyranny exercised by him over liis followers, — to the moral principles by which he is governed ; and it is now not likely that he will much longer deceive the mass of the people, hov\-ever much he may deceive those who have surrendered all their interests — spirit- ual and temporal — into his hands. " There are individuals in his flock, possessed of talents and dis- position to use them for the benefit of their sect and the country. Among these individuals we reckon General Bennett, Sidney Rigdon, Esq., Mr. George Robinson, and others. But tlie Prophet will scarcely permit them to think or act, except in entire subservience to his wishes. It is now understood that, within a few da^s past, . Smith has made a desperate, blackguai'd, and abusive public attack on General Bennett, Sir. Rigdon, and Mr. Robinson ; and reports — and we place great reliance upon them — go so far as to say that the life of the former has been tlireatened, and that orders have been issued to the Danitc Band to murder him in a clandestine manner on the first opportunity. Indeed, the report goes.furtlier, and states that two of the Danites have been in hot pursuit of General Bennett for sev- eral days, in order to accomplish tlie nefarious purpose, and tlms pre- vent a public exposition of the corruptions of the great Impostor. " We call upon the people of our State to have an eye upon this matter, and, it" either of the individuals mentioned should be miss- ing, that there shall be no hesitation in placing the responsibility of the act upon its proper authors, and in making them feel in their own persons that murder shall be avenged. " We take no pleasure in placing these remarks upon paper. If a secret band of assassins shall prowl about among this community, who is safe ? The fate of Governor Boggs is an event not to be un- heeded. But we should be unworthy of our position, should we fail to meet this matter as it deserves. And we now call upon General Bennett, if the rumors we have stated have just foundation, ' to take his life into his hands,' if that be required, and, with the true spirit of a soldier and a patriot, expose the crimes, if such exist, of tiie Heaven-daring Impostor. We call upon General Bennett to come out NOW. We appeal to him to do this in behalf of his fellow-citizens, who claim this of him, by all the considerations which can be pre- sented to him as a lover of his species and as the servant of his God. Such an exposure ma}' save life — majj^ expose corruption — ma^r avert consequences whicJi no man can contemplate without fearful apprehensions. We call ujjon General Bennett to produce docu- mentary evidence, that t!ie public may form opinions tliat cannot be gainsaid — that they may understand the entire character, as it stands naked before his God, of a long successful religious Impostor. " Among the subjects which we call upon General Bennett, Messrs. S. Rigdon, G. VV. Robinson, and others, to notice, arc the rumors that Joe Smith, some short time before he applied for the benefits of the bankrupt law, was in possession of most valuable property — a part of which he made over to himself as sole trustee for the use of the iMormon Church, and another part for the use, of his wife and children. The records of Hancock county will show if these things are so. And if these rumors are true, we call upon Mr. Robinson to come here with his proof, and let it be placed before the U. S. Circuit Court at its first session. We trust that tJiere will be no 216 HISTORY or THE SAINTS. hesitation in doing this — that there will be no compromise — no eiForts to injure the innocent, and no pains spared to expose the guilty. " Such is the opinion we hold of General Bennett, that we shall expect he will respond to the calls made in this article. It appears to us, under all tlie circumstances of the case, he will not refuse to do so. While he will be upon his guard against midnight assassi- nation — while he will regard with contempt the ' bulls of excom- munication ' issued against him — lie will proceed to make develop- ments that will astonish the world." To this Call I have responded, and this Expose contains the evidence that I have been enabled to procure. The public can now judge for themselves. I will simply say that my motives have been impugned, and my conduct animad- verted upon, by those persons and presses only who are either in the pay of the Prophet, or profoundly ignorant of the nature of the Mormon difficulties. The leading public journals of the country have sustained me, and the cause of truth, morality, and true religion, against knavery, corruption, and religious fraud and imposture. The truth of the disclosures in this Expose does not at all depend upon my testimony, but upon a concatenation of circum- stances and events, substantiated by depositions, affidavits, and statements, of so irresistible a character, as to carry conviction to the mind of every intelligent, honest indi- vidual. The truth is as clear as the sun in the firmament at noonday — whatever may be said to the contrary, by the Prophet and his myrmidons in the Holy City, or their powerful, but mistaken, ally — the able "Napoleon" Edi- tor of the Herald, in the eastern metropolis. The public press has always been, and will always be, divided into two grand parties — the one contends for golden lore, and sustains the cause of truth and im-tiie, — the other contends for golden ore, and pleads the cause of false- hood, corruption, and fraud: the former embraces the grand mass of leading journals ; the latter, the scurrilous, egotistical, puff-ball sheets, which so often infest the com- munity, and prove a serious annoyance to the moral com- monwealth. " Truth is mighty, and will prevail," and the God cf all truth will sustain it at the winding-up scene. Though the earth be dissolved, and the heavens fall, the truth of the disclosures in this Expose will appear brighter and brighter, until the great day of final retribution. " THE MORMON SERAGLIO. 217 THE MORMON SERAGLIO. From the Louisville Journal. " General Bennett has written us another letter. How long are the God-defying leaders of the Mormons to be allowed to perpetrate their horrible outrages with impunity ? *' To the Editors of the Louisville Journal : "Cleveland, Oliio, July 30, 184:2. " I wrote you from Cincinnati, according to promise, and I pre- sume you are in receipt of that hurried production, which, however, may not be wholly uninteresting. Tliis letter will, of necessity, be short and hurried as the former, as all communications tcritten upon the icing, must necessarily be. " In the New York Plerald, of the 26th inst., the editor says, ' Tills presents a strange and curious state of things for the centre of the niueteentli century ; and the developments are the most remarkable we ever heard of. The initiatory proceedings at Joe's "Order Lodge" resemble those practised by Matthias at Pearson's house, only his members were females, and they danced round a stone, whilst Mattliias anointed them. But, perhaps, after all, Joe Smith has a secret lodge of women ! We shall see.' Yes, Joe has a secret lodge of women ! and the editor loilL see. Joe's female lodge (the Mormon inquisition, and seraglio) is the most singular tiling of the age. The anointing, a la Joe, is a caution to David Crocket. The investment, the ocith, the ceremonies, the lectures, and the GRAND FINALE, are all done up in such a manner, as to place Matthias in the shade, and to cover Mahomet, the Oriental prophet, in the rubbish of things that were. The ' Historj^ of the Saints' will give a full account of this nondescript lodge of the Mormon ladies of pleasure and the fine arts, including all their Cloistered, Chambered, and Cyprian maids and maidens ! ! " The elections will terminate next Monday, and I hope that Missouri will then demand Joe, and secure him. I will be ready to make good the charges ; and politicians will then see whether the Mormon disclosures were made for political effect. Time will de- velop facts, and show the truth, the undeniable truth, of all the charges against Smith, as clear as the sun in the firmament at noon- day. The Roman pontiff never exercised the domination over the minds and property of the Catholic church, as Joe, the chief of the Mormon hierarchy, does over his subjects — the fiiithful ; and the pontifical bull is harmless in comparison with the Mormon bull, (Joe's letter of marque and reprisal,) as the latter terminates not in spiritual excommunication and damnation from all Mormon gospel privileges from off the face of God's earth, b\it in murder, cold- blooded, Danite murder ! Joe is now making a desperate struggle to save himself from merited disgrace and condign punishment, by the lorgeries and perjuries of his Cyprian girls, cloistered and chambered 19 218 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. mistresses, and the Danites. If you will take the trouble to examine all the evidence, you will find that forgery, perjury, theft, robbery, burglary, arson, treason, and murder, are vtry little tilings in the eyes of the Mormons, so long as the Holy Joe can, by a ' Tlivs saitk the Lord,^ pardon initpiity, transgression, and sin ! ! Joe's father, the devil, was a liar from the beginning, and the world believed him not; neither will they believe Joe, the son, the delectable modern Prophet of the Latter Day Sinners ; nor the sworn Danites, the grand- children, though covered with all the habiliments of latter day glory. '• Joe's words are lies, and the affidavits of his followers and friends, PATENT LIES. Tlicy swcar as they are moved upon by Joe's holy ghost, and say the things that gold, or interest, or the Prophet's mandate, dictates ! ! "In haste, yours, respectfully, " John C. Bennett." The most extraordinary and infamous feature of the social and religious system established by the Mormon Prophet, and one in which he closely resembles his master and model, Mahomet, is the secret regulations he has formed for directing the relations of the sexes. The scenes and practices I am about to reveal, will, I am aware, be considered almost incredible, when related ' as occurring in a civilized and Christian country, and in the enlightened nineteenth century. Their enormity would appear marvellous, if they had been transacted in the most luxurious and corrupt empires of pagan antiquity, or at any of those licentious Oriental courts, where de- bauchery has been, for ages, systematized and sanctioned by law and religion, on the most extensive scale. The profligacy of Sardanapalus, of Solomon, of Tiberius, of Heliogabalus, and of the modern Turkish and Moorish sultans, has been fully equalled by that of an American Citizen in our own day, and one, too, who professes to be the Prophet of the Lord, and the founder of a new and more holy religion than any now existing. Before proceeding to describe the Mormon seraglio, it may not be amiss to speak of similar institutions on the eastern continent, from which, undoubtedly, the Holy Joe first derived the idea of his more extensive and elaborate system. The earliest one on record, we believe, is that of King Solomon, formed by him after he had fallen from his religion, and become corrupted and enslaved by the fascinations of the women of Egypt. The Hebrew records THE MORMON SERAGLIO. 219 give US no other details of his harem, than the mere num- ber of its inmates. It is in the histories, however, of the Oriental and African monarchs, both in ancient and modern times, that we find the most glaring examples of the practice of polyg- amy and concubinage. We read of Persian, Chinese, and Moorish sovereigns, who kept thousands of women confined in the interiors of their palaces, and to whom were born hundreds of sons, and uncounted numbers of daughters. But the most renowned and remarkable potentate, in this respect, is the African king of Dahomey, who is by law obliged to maintain no less than thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty-three wives ! It is supposed that the stability of the monarchy depends upon this magical number, which is vigilantly kept complete. In numbers, at least, this black patriarch must be acknowledged to exceed the Holy Joe. Perhaps, however, the most striking parallel to the career of the Mormon, in this, and indeed in other par- ticulars, is that of the Veiled Prophet of Khorassan, the famous Mokanna, whose defeat and downfall have been celebrated by Thomas Moore in his Lalla Rookh. The poet gives the following brilliant description of this impostor's harem : — " Between the porphyry pillars that uphold The ricli nioresque work of the roof of gold, Aloft the harem's curtained galleries rise, Where, through the silken net-work, glancing eyes, From time to time, like sudden gleams that glow Through autumn clouds, shine o'er the pomp below. What impious tongue, ye blushing saints, would dare To hint that aught but Heaven hath placed you there ? Or that the loves of this light world could bind In their gross chain your Prophet's soaring mind? No — wronorful thought ! commissioned from above To people Eden's bowers with shapes of love, (Creatures so bright, that the same lips and eyes They wear on earth will serve in paradise,) There to recline among heaven's native maids, And crown th' elect with bliss that never fades ! — Well hath the Prophet-Chief his bidding done ; And every beauteous race beneath the sun, From those who kneel at Bramah's burning founts To the fresh nymphs bounding o'er Yemen's mounts ; From Persia's eyes of full and fawn-like ray, To the small, half-shut glances of Kathay j 220 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. And Georgia's bloom and Azab's darker smiles, And the gold ringlets of the western isles ; All, all are there ; — each land its flower hath given To form that fair young nursery for heaven ! " I will now proceed to describe the seraglio of the mod- ern Mokanna, the Holy Joseph, who differs as much from his Hebrew namesake, the younger son of Jacob, in chastity as in other virtues. The Mormon seraglio is very strictly and systematically organized. It forms a grand lodge, as it were, and is divided into three distinct orders, or degrees. The first and lowest of these is styled the " Cyprian SaiJits;" the second, the '^Chambered Sisters of Charity;" and the third and highest degree is called the " Cloistered Saints," or " Consecratees of the Cloister." To give a clear idea of the system, it will be necessary to treat of these in regular order. THE CYPRIAN SAINTS. The members of the Female Relief Society, who are ever upon the watch for victims, have the power, when they know, or even suspect, that any Mormon female has, however slightly, lapsed from the straight path of virtue, without the sanction or knowledge of the Prophet, of bring- ing her at once before the Inquisition. This body is solemnly organized in secret and select council, and by its members, the poor, terrified female is questioned and threat- ened, until she confesses the crime she has committed, or perhaps, in her confusion and terror, accuses herself of what she was never guilty of She is immediately, by the council, pronounced a Cyprian, and is excluded from any further connection with the Relief Society. She takes the White Veil, and her name and failing are stealthily pro- mulgated among the trustworthy members of the Church, at whose command she is, for licentious purposes, forever after. Many young and beautiful females have thus been ruined eternally, who, even after a single fault, might have lived to redeem, by repentance and future good conduct, their names and characters from degradation, and their souls from guilt and from remorse. But the secret council ol THE MORMON SERAGLIO. 221 the Inquisition instantly condemns them, on the confession or proof of their transgression, to perpetual association with a class devoted to the most infamous purposes; a class set apart and appropriated to the gratification of the vilest appetites of the brutal Priests and Elders of the Mor- mon Church, Was there ever known, in the history of the world, a more diabolical system than this? Instead of interposing the sacred priestly and prophetical character and influence for the salvation and reformation of an err- ing sister, to go deliberately to work, to sink her irreclaim- ably into the pit of crime and misery ! Do not the authors and abettors of this horrid, this monstrous system deserve most richly the execration and prompt vengeance of an out- raged and indignant community? Should such miscreants be longer suffered to pollute, with their contaminating presence, a Christian and civilized land ? Humanity and decency loudly demand their punishment, and the rescue of their victims, many of whom realize the beautiful de- scription of the poet — " Rich and rare were the gems she wore. And a bright gold ring on her wand she bore ; But, O ! her beauty was far beyond Her sparkling geras or snow-white wand." But even the means used to increase the order of Cyprian Saints do not exhaust the depraved ingenuity of the Holy Old White Hat Prophet, and his confidential counsellors. Let us examine the second degree of his female lodge, which is entitled THE CHAMBERED SISTERS OF CHARITY. This order comprises that class of females who indulo-e their sensual propensities, without restraint, whether mar- ried or single, by the express permission of the Prophet. Whenever one of the "Saints," (as the Mormons style themselves,) of the male sex, becomes enamored of a female, and she responds to the feeling by a reciprocal manifestation, the loving brother goes to Holy Joe, and states the case. It makes, by the bye, no difference what- ever if one or both the parties are already provided with conjugal helpmates. The Prophet gravely buries his 19* 222 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. face in his hat, in which lies his peep-stone, and inquires of the Lord what are his will and pleasure in the matter. Sometimes, when Joe wants the woman for his own pur- poses, an unfavorable answer is given ; but, generally, the reply permits the parties to follow the bent of their inclina- tions, which they do without further ceremony, though with a strict observance of secrecy, on account of the Gentiles, who have no right to the blessings and privileges so liberally granted to the Latter Day SaiiHs. Thus these poor, deluded females, while incited by their very religion (if it deserves that name) to indulgence in the most degrading passions, have their consciences soothed, and their scruples appeased, by the sanction of the pretended Apostle and Prophet of the Lord, in whom they have the utmost confidence, and whose lightest word is with them a law. The result of this system is, that not unfrequently men havinor wives of their own are living in licentious inter- course with other women, and not unfrequently with other men's wives; thus multiplying their adulteries, and pro- ducing an incalculable amount of domestic discord and misery. Families are estranged and separated, children neglected, and all the tender and important relations of society outraged and perverted. The Chambered Sisters of Charity are much more nu- merous than the Cyprian Saints. This results naturally from the greater respectability of their order. They are •' Saints of the Green Veil," and are by no means nig- gardly of their favors to any of the faithful. Provided the Holy Joe does not desire to monopolize any of them, they are at the service of each and all of the Apostles, High Priests, and Elders of Israel. It occurs to me, however, that, when the uninitiated portion of the Mormon Church discover how their wives and daughters are used by their rulers, and spiritual guides, and teachers, there will be some slight disturbance of the peace in the Holy City of Nauvoo. I cannot think it probable that Americans, however deluded by an artful Impostor, will tamely permit those dearest to them to be prostituted, even to gratify the immaculate Joe himself The third and hiorhest order of the Mormon harem is that which is styled THE MORMON SERAGLIO. 223 THE CONSECRATEES OF THE CLOISTER, OR CLOISTERED SAINTS. This degree is composed of females, whether married or unmarried, who, by an express grant and gift of God, through his Prophet the Holy Joe, are set apart and con- secrated to the use and benefit of particular individuals, as secret, spiritual wives. They are the Saints of the Black Veil, and are accounted the special favorites of Heaven, and the most honorable among the daughters of Jacob. Their spiritual husbands are altogether from the most eminent members of the Mormon Church, and participate in the holiness of their consecrated wives. In the words of the poet, they can say, not unaptly, — " From the consecrate girl of my soul shall I fly To seek somewhere else a more orthodox kiss .' No ! perish the hearts and the lazes that would try Truth, valor, or love, by a standard like this ! " This is the highest degree in the Harem, and, in the order of the Prophet's licentious arrangements, is held as the very acme of perfection, and it is, indeed, the ne plies ultra of depravity. Its ranks are filled up in the following manner : When an Apostle, High Priest, Elder, or Scribe, conceives an affection for a female, and he has satisfactorily ascertained that she experiences a mutual flame, he com- municates confidentially to the Prophet his ajfaire clu cceur, and requests him to inquire of the Lord whether or not it would be right and proper for him to take unto himself the said woman for his spiritual wife. It is no obstacle what- ever to this spiritual marriage if one or both of the parties should happen to have a husband or wife, already united to them according to the laws of the land. The Prophet puts this queer question to the Lord, and, if he receives an answer in the affirmative, which is always the case where the parties are in favor with Joe, His Holiness, either in person or by a duly-authorized admin- istrator, proceeds to consecrate the sacred sister in the following solemn manner : — The parties assemble in the lodge room, and place themselves kneeling before the altar; the administrator commences the ceremony by saying, — 224 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. " You, separately and jointly, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, do solemnly covenant and agree that you will not disclose any matter relating to the sacred act now in progress of consumma- tion, whereby any Gentile shall come to a knowledge flf the secret purposes of this order, or whereby the Saints may suffer persecu- tion ; your lives being the forfeit." After the bow of assent is given by each of the pair, the administrator then proceeds — " In the name of Jesus Christ, and by the authority of the holy priesthood, I now consecrate you and set you apart by the imposi- tion of my hands, as husband and wife, according to the laws of Zion, and the will of God our heavenly Father; for which especial favor you now agree to serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind, and to obey his Prophet in all things according to his divine will." Again the nod of assent is given by the man and woman, and the administrator continues in a solemn and impres- sive manner — " I nowanoint you with holy, consecrated oil, in the name of Jesus Christ, and by the authority of the holy priesthood, that you may be fully and unreservedly consecrated to each other, and to the ser- vice of God, and that with affection and fidelity you may nourish and cherish each other, so long as you shall continue faithful and true in the fellowship of the Saints ; and I now pronounce upon you the blessings of Jacob, whom God honored and protected in the en- joyment of like special favors; and may the peace of Heaven, which passeth all understanding, rest upon you in time and in eternity ! " The parties then rise and embrace each other, and the robe of investiture is placed upon and around them by the administrator, who says, — " According to the prototype, I now pronounce you orte, flesh, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." The robe is then removed, and the parties leave the cloister, with generally a firm belief, at least on the part of the female, in the sacredness and validity of the cere- monial, and thereafter consider themselves as united in spiritual marriage, the duties and privileges of which are in no particular different from those of any other marriage covenant. " Here we dwell in holiest bowers. Where angels of light o'er our orisons bend. Where sighs of devotion and breathings of flowers To heaven in mingled odors ascend ! Do not disturb our calm, O Love ! So like is thy form to the cherubs above, It well might deceive such hearts as ours.' ' THK MORMON SERAGLIO. 225 The above is a faithful and unexaggerated account of the most enormous and detestable system of depravity that vi^as ever concocted by the corrupt heart of a human being. The extensive scale upon which it was carried on, and the lofty and sacred character pretended to by the arch villain who contrived and perpetrated it, are equally remarkable. Is it not astonishing that a man professing to be the Apostle and Prophet of the Most High and Pure God, and the founder of a new and holy religion, based, in some degree, upon the Christian Scriptures, — a man claim- ing daily and hourly familiar intercourse with the Creator of heaven and earth, should, despite these high pretensions, which, however false, ought to have made him endeavor to act in some degree of accordance with them, — is it not astonishing, I say, that this man should so deliberately and shamelessly have gone to work to gratify, in so mon- strous a manner, his abominable lusts? Will it not here- after be deemed incredible that hundreds and thousands, yea, tens of thousands, of Americans and Christians, were, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-two, so miserably, so awfully deceived as to believe that this monster of iniquity, this brutally sensual wretch, was the Prophet and Vicegerent of God upon earth ? And will it not be deemed still more incredible, that chaste and pious women should also be so far deluded by his arts and impostures, as to sacrifice themselves, body and soul, to him and to his myrmidons, despite all restraints of their former religious education, and of that decency and modesty which seem inherent qualities of the female soul ? But there is no absurdity so great that it will not be believed, no tiuormity so monstrous that it will not be practised, by those who have once yielded up their minds to the sway of superstition. The imposture of Joseph Smith has never had its parallel, if we consider not only its magnitude and grossness, but the age and the people when and among whom it was devised and promulgated. In quitting this subject, I can only say that I have not told the tenth part of the Prophet's licentiousness. Numer- ous scenes and incidents could not, of course, be related, because of their obscene and disgusting nature, and be- cause they involve the names and future reputation of his victims. 226 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. AMOURS, ATTEMPTED SEDUCTIONS, AND CRIM. CON. CASES. Under this head I shall arrange two descriptions of cases ; — the amours and attempted seductiojis, as in the cases of JMrs. Sarah M. Pratt, Mrs. Emeline White, Miss Martha H. Brotherton, and Miss Nancy Rigdon, where the Prince of tiie Seraglio was signally defeated ; and the amours and crim. con. cases, as in the instances of Mrs. Warren, (late widow Fuller,) Mrs. Miller, and the long retinue of Cyprians, Chambered, and Cloistered Saints, where the Lord of the Harem glutted his brutal lusts to the maximum of his sensual desires, in his halcyon days of prophetic glory. AMOURS AND ATTEMPTED SEDUCTIONS. MRS. SAR.\H M. PRATT. This lady is the wife of Orson Pratt, A. M., Professor of Mathematics in the University of the City of Nauvoo, and is one of the most elegant, graceful, amiable, and ac- complished women in the place. Mr. S. Francis, editor of the Sangamo Journal, in speaking of her, says, " It will be recollected that Mrs. Schindle, in her affidavit de- tailing the attempt of Smith upon her, said, ' He then told her that she must never tell of his propositions to her, for he had all influence in that place, and if she told, he %coiild ruin her character, and she rcould he under the ne- cessity of leaving J This same scheme hfis«been carried out in reference to Mrs. Pratt. She ' told ' on the Impos- tor, and was marked by him for destruction. In a public speech in Nauvoo, on the 14th July, Joe spoke of this lady — a woman whose reputation had been as fair as vir- tue could make it until she came in contact with him — in a manner only befitting the lowest and most degraded vagabond in existence." Yes, her reputation was unsal- lied, and her character as pure as the virgin snow; nor was even the Mormon Don Juan able to blight this bloom- ing flower. — This noble and lovely woman was marked out by Joe as a victim. Her husband was sent to Europe AMOURS AND ATTEMPTED SEDUCTIONS. 227 to convert the lieaihen, under a solemn promise that his family should be honorably provided for by the Church ; but, as Mrs. Pratt was a beautiful and charming woman, Joe's real object was to convert her in another way — from virtue, unsophisticated virtue, to vice, soul-damning vice, — from the path of innocence and peace, to the pol- luted way of the libertine, — from the pure teachings of heaven's high King, to the loathsome caresses of the beast and the false prophet ; but the fowler's snare was broken, and the intended victim saved. Mrs. Pratt is a highly- educated lady, and had always been used to living well ; but no sooner had her husband crossed the ocean, than Joe ordered the Bishops to restrict her in her allowance, and reduce her to a state of absolute want and suffering, in order to make her a more easy prey. The mandate was obeyed, and, in drear winter, without fuel or food, she found herself in a miserable hovel, with her darling child, exposed to storm and tempest, and dependent upon the tender mercies of a cold and unfeeling fraternity to sup- ply her actual wants! ! ! The sufferings and privations through which she passed are indescribable ; the blackest fiends of hell would shudder at the thought of such inhu- man treatment; but, alas! she drank the bitter cup, and sipped the dregs. A public contribution was then taken up for her, an(i pocketed by the Bishop ; but the venerable prelate, Vinson Knight, was willing to see her provided for on one condition, and that was, the sacrifice of virtue! But she spurned his proffered mercies, and doffed the mitre from his reverend brow. Joe Smith and Vinson Knight — par fratrum nobile ! Emma, the Electa Si/ria of the Church, and wife of the Holy Joe, the male Cas- sandra of the Mormon Hierarchy, (who was very envious of Mrs. Pratt's superior intellectual endowments,) advised her to hire out as a servant to some Mormon nabob ; but that base attempt at human degradation of one in every way superior to herself, became abortive ; and Mrs. Pratt turned from the delectable Emma, the Lady Abbess of the Seraglio, or " Mother of the Maids," as Lord Byron calls it, with loathing and ineffable contempt. Mrs. Pratt, however, by the assistance of a few humane individuals, and her persevering industry, was enabled to support her- 228 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. self and little boy, until the return of her husband from a two years' mission, which was greeted with acclamations of joy. The cup of sorrow was broken, and she rejoiced once more in the society of vl protector, a husband, and a friend. But she had a dreadful tale to tell. Joe Smith told me, confidentially, during the absence of her husband, that he intended to make Mrs. Pratt one of his spiritual tvives, one of the Cloistered Saints, for the Lord had given her to him as a special favor for his faithfulness and zeal ; and, as I had influence with her, he desired me to assist him in the consummation of his hellish purposes; but I refused compliance, and told him that she had been much neglected and abused by the Church, in order to cloister her, so far without success, and that, if the Lord had given her to him, he must attend to it himself, for I should never offer her an indignity. "Well," said he, " I shall approach her, for there is no harm in it if she submits to be cloistered, and if her hus- band should never find it out ; and if she should expose me, as she did Bishop Knight, I will blast her character; so there is no material risk for so desirable a person." I then called upon Mrs. Pratt, and apprized her of Joe's contemplated attack on her virtue, in the name of the Lord, and that she must prepare to repulse him, in so infamous an assault, by opposing revelation to revelation. She replied, "Joseph cannot be such a man; I cannot believe it until I know it for myself, or have it from his own lips ; he cannot be so corrupt." I told her that she would see, unless he changed his mind, for he was an un- principled libertine, unequalled in the history of civilized man. Accordingly, in a few days, Joe proposed to me a visit to Ramus, which I accepted, and we started from his house, in an open carriage, about 4 o'clock, P. M., rode into the prairie a few miles, and returned to the house of Captain John T. Barnett, in Nauvoo, about dusk, where we put up the horse, with Barnett's permission. Joe pre- tended we were looking for thieves. After perambulating for an hour or two, we proceeded to the residence of Mrs. Pratt, and found her at home, and alone, with the excep- tion of her little boy, who was then asleep in bed. We were hospitably received, and our situation rendered as AMOURS AND ATTEMPTED SEDUCTIONS. 2r29 comfortable and agreeable as the tenement would admit of. After considerable desultory conversation, Joe asked her if she would keep a secret for him ; to which she as- sented, 'i Do you pledge me your honor," said he, " that you will never tell without my permission ? " She replied in the affirmative. He then continued, " Sister Pratt, the Lord has given you to me as one of my spiritual wives. I have the blessings of Jacob granted me, as God granted holy men of old ; and as I have long looked upon you with favor, and an earnest desire of connubial bliss, I liope you will not repulse or deny me." She replied, " And is that the great secret that I am not to utter ? Am I called upon to break the marriage covenant, and prove recreant to my lawful husband ? / never will. My sex shall not be disgraced, nor my honor sullied. I care not for the blessings of Jacob, and I believe in no such revelations, neitlier will I consent, under any circumstances whatever. I have one good husband, and that is enough for me." He tlien went off to see Miss Louisa Beeman, at the house of Mrs. Sherman, and remained with her about two hours, when we returned to Barnett's, harnessed our horse, started for Ranuis, arrived at Carthage early in the morning, and took breakfast at Mr. Hamilton's. We then went to Ramus, transacted some business in relation to real estate, returned to Carthage that night, and put up at the house of Esquire Comer. Next day, we returned to Nauvoo. I then called upon Mrs. Pratt, and asked her if her opinion of Joseph, the Prophet, was the same as heretofore. She replied, " No ; he is a bad man, beyond a doubt — 'wicked, sensual, devilish;' but it will not do for me to express myself openly, or my life might atone for it. It becomes me to move in this matter with much circumspection ; I must be as ' wise as a serpent, and harmless as a dove ; ' for I see plainly that Joseph is de- termined to transgress the laws, change the ordinance, and break the everlasting covenant of our heavenly Father, and to set at open defiance every principle of true godliness and moral rectitude. I exceedingly fear and tremble for the weak and uneducated of my sex ; for an unprincipled libertine, sensualist, and debauchee, of such unbounded prophetic influence, in a community like this, may utterly 20 230 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. ruin hundreds of pious, unsuspecting females, under the potent dictum of a 'Thus saith the Lord;' and all the proof they would require would be his simple //;>e (lixit. O, W}iAT TOTAL DEPRAVITY ! ! What iguorance and im- pudence in a land of Bibles, where Christians ought to dwell, and worship the Great Ruler of the Universe in the beauty of holiness ! Surely God will not suffer it long ! I remember well when you told me of his desiring you tp procure the engraving of new plates of the Book of Mor- mon, for the further and more perfect blinding of the people — of his gross wickedness and perfidy — of his fraud and corruption — of his spiritual wickedness in high places, and his secret abominations, — and so forth ; but I could never realize it before. I had a better opinion of human nature ; but, alas ! I was deceived. The scales, however, have fallen from my eyes, and ' lohcreas I was once blind, now I see.' I am in great trouble on another account. My husband is a good and pious n)an, and a true believer in Blormonism, devotedly attached to Joseph as the spiritual leader of the Ciiurch. He believes him to be a pure man, and a ^^rophet of the Lord. Now, if I should tell him the true story of my sufferings, priva- tions, and insults, and Joseph should circumvent or meet it with his infcdliblc rebuff o{ a 'Verily, thls saith the Lord,' I fear that Orson would believe him in preference to me, mdrss his faith can be shaken. How shall I extri- cate myself from this fearful dilemma? As a confidential friend, I look to you for advice and protection, until the return of Mr. Pratt." " Be quiet," said I, " Sarah, under these circumstances, until some event transpires by which Orson can have ocular and auricular demon.stration of the palpable imposture of the whole scheme of Mormonism, and of the infidelity and brutality of the Mormon Mounte- bank, that Svi Generis Prophet, who was constituted per se, and not bij the appointment of Almighty God ; and such an event mu.st soon be consummated, unless there should be a manifest change in the Mormon Adminis- tration." Joe afterwards tried to convince Mrs. Pratt of the pro- priety of his spiritual wife doctrine, and she at last told him peremptorily, " Joseph, if you ever attempt any thing AMOLTRS AND ATTEMPTED SEDUCTIONS. 231 of the kind with me again, I will make a full disclosure to Mr. Pratt on his return home. Depend upon it, I will ^certainlij do it." Joe replied, " Sister Pratt, I hope you will not expose me, for if I suffer, all must suffer; so do not expose me. Will you promise me that you will not do it ?" " If," said she, " you will never insult me again, I will not expose you, unless strong circumstances should require it." " If you should tell," said he, "I will ruin your reputation ; remember that ; and as you have repulsed me, it becomes sin, unless sacrijice is offered." He then desired that a lamb should be procured and slain, and the door-posts and the gate sprinkled with its blood, and the kidneys and entrails taken and offered upon an altar of twelve stones that had not been touched with a hammer, as a burnt sin-offering, for the purpose of saving him and his priesthood. His desire was complied with, and the lamb procured from Captain Barnett, and slain by Lieu- tenant Stephen H. Goddard ; and the kidneys and entrails were offered in sacrifice, as Joe desired ; and he observed, " All is now safe ; the Destroying Angel will pass over without harming any of us." About this time, Mrs. Pratt, in a conversation with Mrs. Goddard, observed, " Sister Goddard, Joseph is a corrupt man ; I know it, for he made an attempt upon me, in the name of the Lord. I now detest the man." Time passed on without further moles- tation, until one day, after Mr. Pratt's return from Europe, Joe called at her new house, and, looking at Mrs. Pratt, thought, — " And, O ! how often in these eyes, Which melting beamed like azure skies In dewy vernal weather — How often have I raptured read The burning glance, that silent said, Now, love, we Jed together," — and grossly insulted her again, by stealthily approaching and kissing her. This highly offended her, and she told her husband, Colonel Orson Pratt, who was highly incensed, and gave Joe a severe rebuke. Joe observed, " I did not desire to kiss her ; Bennett made me do it ! " Joe couldn't come the "extreme unction" over that intelligent lady ; she was far above his polluted breath, his ribaldry, 232 HISTORY OP THE SAINTS. ' low vituperation, calumny, and detraction. lie lied to her \ in the name of Israel's God. Let the base blasphemer j remember that, and weep ! Let him look at his black cat-' ; alogue of crimes — his seductions and attempted seduc- lions, in the name of the Lord — his thefts — his robberies ; — and his murders ! Why, Satan blushes to behold so ' corrupt and loathsome a mortal, — one whose daring deeds of crime so far surpass hell's darkest counsels, as to hide ; the sable Prince in impenetrable darkness forever ! If Joe j Smith is not destined for the Devil, all I can say is, that ' the duties of a devil have not been clearly understood. ; " I've had a dream that bodes no good Unto the Holy Brotherhood. i I can't be wrong, and I confess — : As far as it is right or lawful 1 For one, no conjurer, to guess — i It seems to me extremely awful." J Joe lied to Colonel Pratt afterwards, in the name op THE Lord. This shook his faith, and he told the Prophet to his face that he was a liar, an infamous liar; and his noble voice has since been heard thundering against that Uncircumcised Philistine, the fell Monster of Iniquity, and | that at the very portals of the Temple. Dephoy column. Colonel Pratt, and let your heavy ordnance and battering- rams ply upon the ramparts of General Joe's imperial fortifications! Demolish the bastions and curtains of his ' fortresses ! Open your artillery upon his concealed recesses, and storm his strong-holds ! Let loose the dogs of war upon : his gathering hosts of Tartarean fugitives and refugees, and i secure to yourself an imperishabJe reputation as a moral victor, and a servant of your God ; and Mormonism will soon be numbered with the things that were, the glory of j which is now in the sear and yellow leaf. , j IVom Mrs. Emeline White. ,. „ T r^ r. " ^^*i'*'oo. -^iigust 3, 1842. "Generai, John C. BenxVett : " Respected friend, — "Your friends are anxiously awaiting your return to the west. If it is possible, be here by the 1st of September. You can avert AMOURS AND ATTEMPTED SEDUCTIONS. 233 a great calamity, and add greatly to the amount of human hap- piness by so doing. I dare not write you to what I allude, but would gladly tell you. I called on Mrs. Fratt this morning, in order to learn where to address you; and she and Mr. Pratt" dined at father's to-day. We had a long talk with them about the troubled waters, the present attitude in which they are placed, and the ulti- mate issue or final result of the czpusi. I was much pleased to see them so happy, and firm in the advocacy of truth. Mr. Pratt has publicly defended her, from the stand, against the foul aspersions attempted to be cast upon her irreproachable reputation by her in- terested persecutors. She is certainly one of the best of women, above reproach, of noble bearing, and' great moral excellence; and Mr. Pratt will ever sustain her in exposing corruption and fraud. Tliey request me to say to you that you nmst excuse them for not writing, as their time has hitherto been so completely engrossed. They are your unwavering friends, and cannot be driven from the truth by your enemies. Some here have dealt very treacherously with you, and they shall reap their reward hereafter; the curses of Heaven will fall upon their heads, for God will protect you in a virtu- ous cause. May all your undertakings prosper, and may God bless, and guardian angels watch over and hover around you, in this your time of danger and peril ! Your friends here are firm as the adaman- tine rocks, and will ever sustain you in defending virtue and expos- ing vice. Father and mother join me in their respects to you. Please to write circumstantially at your earliest convenience " Respectfully, yours, "Emeline White." The following affidavit of Me.ssrs. Carter, Whiting, and Leland, though unexpected by me, is quite opportune: — " Boston, September 17, 1842. "To THE Public : " Without solicitation or the previous knowledge of any one, we would respectfully state that we liave seen letters from four individuals, residing in and near Nauvoo, addressed to and received by ditferent gentlemen in the States of New York and Massachu- setts, through the post-office department, tending fully and unequiv- ocally to confirm the truth of the disclosures of General Bennett, in relation to Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, and his followers, especially so far as regards the Seraglio and Order Lodge, and the cases of Mrs. Sarah M. Pratt, Miss Nancy Rigdon, and Mrs. Erne- line White. The writers of these letters are persons of great respect- ability, holding high official stations. They request that their names shall not be made public, for fear of secret murder by the Mormon Destroying Angel, or the Daughter of Zion. 20 "Robert Carter, " WiLLARD J. Whiting, " Emerson Leland." 234 HISTOKY OF THE SAINTS. " Suffolk, ss. September 17, 1842. " Then personally appeared the above-named Robert Carter, Willard J. Whiting, and Emerson Leland, and made oath that the above affidavit, by them subscribed, is true. * " Before me, Bradford Sumnek, " Justice of the Peace." The Sangamo Journal, of July 22, 1842, in commenting on the Prophet's amours and secret abominations, says, — " In this community, we verily believe that tliere is not a man, disconnected with the Mormons, who does not place implicit confi- dence in the disclosures of General Bennett. These disclosures show that the rulers of this Mormon confederacy are steeped in pol- lutions of the blackest dye — pollutions and crimes violatory of all laws, human and divine — and for which we can hardly find a parallel, without going back to the ingulfed 'cities of the plain.' " It will be seen that the affidavit of Messrs. Carter, Whiting, and Leland, unequivocally sustains various other matters disclosed in this Expose ; and the whole testi- mony places Mrs. Pratt high on the vantage-ground, and far above reproach. Thus, by the assistance of a most pow- erful intellect, and the great God, has this noble lady signally triumphed over her insidiously persecuting enemies, and placed her foot upon the neck of the Monster of Iniquity, the Beast and the False Prophet ; and her noble husband, too, has done himself immortal honor in battering down the bulwarks of prophetic security, behind which the Mor- mon Pontiff screened himself from merited infctmy and dis- grace. The course of the Prophet has been very singular in its inception, its prosecution, and its termination. MRS. EMELINE WHITE. Mrs. White is no Mormon. Her father, General Davi- son Hibard, resided at Nauvoo before the Mormons located themselves there. She is, however, what is much better, one of the most beautiful and accomplished women in the Holy City. Her form is noble, yet exquisitely propor- tioned ; her features regular, and glowing with a thousand charms, not the least attractive of which is the amiable gayety that beams from every line of her countenance. She possesses fine musical talent, and realizes, in every way, the description of the poet, — AMOURS AND ATTEMPTED SEDUCTIONS. 235 " She sung of love — while o'er her lyre The rosy rays of evening fell, As if to feed with their soft fire The soul within that trembling shell. The same rich light hung o'er her cheek, And played around those lips that sung And spoke as flowers v.'ould sing and speak, If love could lend their leaves a tongue." The fine intellect and superior intelligence of this lovely woman secured her effectually from falling into the Mor- mon delusion. She rejected, with decision and contempt, their base and absurd belief; and, so far as I am aware, rose triumphant above the libertine arts and temptations of the Prophet himself, though tliose arts and those tempta- tions were put forth with all his strength. The following letter was addressed to her by Joe, who was, when he wrote it, in Springfield, Illinois : — "My Sweet Emeline: "You know that my love for you, as David said to Jonathan, is 'wonderful, passing the love of women.' And jiow can that be ? You know it is only figurative. I mean you have my most supreme affections. O that I had yours as truly ! May I not hope that it will be so? At all events, be my friend, my best friend. If you want any thing while I am gone, call upon either of the Bishops, — Vinson Knight or Alanson Ripley, — and show them the signature of 'Old White Hat,' and they will provide for j'ou. Do not be afraid to receive any thing from me, and these men are con- fidential. You need not fear to write me ; and I do assure you that a few lines would be very consoling on a journey. Sign it ' Ro- sanna.' " Your humble servant, " Old White Hat." This letter had no other effect upon this vis^uous lady, than to excite her scorn and indignation. She saw throucrh the Monster and his detestable dpctrines, and cmild not be persuaded, by any offers, to participate in his vileness. I am informed by General Robinson and Colonel Hig- bee, that the brother of Dr. John F. Weld has in his pos- session two other letters from this Old White Hat Prophet to Mrs. White, which are said to be exceedingly rich specimens of rigmarole, abounding in the warmest protes- tations of love, interlarded with quotations from Scripture. The Mormon Don Juan failed again in the application of the '^extreme unction," and virtue once more triumphed over the insidious arts and machinations of a malevolent 236 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. caliph. The unbounded coura£;e and inflexible moral purity of purpose of this beautiful lady, combined with a vigorous intellect, enabled her to hold the tyrant at bay, even in the Holy City of the Saints, until she could effectually present the shield and 7-apier. This she did, and vanquished. No- ble woman ! may the escutcheon of her honor ever remain as spotless as the album of Diana, and the God of virtue will be her Protector and her Friend. MISS MARTHA 1!. BROTHERTON. Miss Brotherton is a very good-looking, amiable, and accomplished English lady, of highly respectable parent- age, cultivated intellect, and spotless moral character. She was selected as one of the victims for the Cloister, in order to be consecrated to apostolic brutality. The Right Reverend Brigham Young, the President of the Mormon College of Apostles, {Collcginm ele Propaganda Fide,) it is well known regarded her with an evil eye, and she was also eagerly sought after by the Holy Prophet Joe, and by Apostle Ileber C. Kimball. Gods ! what a triumvirate ! and united, too, for such a sanctified purpose ! These celestial gladiators, armed with the "sword of the Spirit," leaguing themselves in a Holy Alliance for the destruction of a defenceless and innocent woman, and urging on their work of sin and pollution with the most fiendish zeal and malignity ! " Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askclon." These three Mormon demigods, these Prophets and Apostles, were completely foiled in their hopeful scheme, and utterly defeated by the determined resistance of their intended victim, as will be seen by the following graphic letter from her own pen : — " St. Loris, Missouri, July 13, A. D. 1842. " Geskral John C. Bennktt : "Dear Sir,— " I left Warsaw a short time since for this city, and having been called upon by you, through the ' Sanganio Journal,' to come out and disclose to the vi^orld the facts of the case in relation to certain propositions made to me at Nauvoo, by some of tlie Mormon leaders, I now proceed to respond to the call, and discliarge what I consider to be a duty devolving upon me as an innocent, but insulted and abused female. I had been at Nauvoa near three weeks, during AMOURS AND ATTEMPTED SEDUCTIONS. 237 which time my father's family received frequent visits from Elders Bricrhain Youn^ and Heber C. Kimball, two of the Mormon Apos- tles ; when, early one morning, they both came to my brother-in-law's (John Mclhvrick's) liouse, at v\^hich place I then was on a visit, and particularly requested me to go and spend a few days with them. I told tiiem I could not at that time, as my brother-in-law was not at home ; however, they urged me to go the next day, and spend one day with them. The day being fine, I accordingly went. When I arrived at the foot of the hill. Young and Kimball were standing conversing together. They both came to me, and, after several flattering compliments, Kimball wished me to go to his house first. I said it was immaterial to me, and accordingly went. We had not, however, gone many steps when Young suddenly stopped, and said he would go to that brother's, (pointing to a little log hut a few yards distant,) and tell him that you (speaking to Knnball) and brother Glover, or Grover, (I do not remember which,) will value his land. When he had gone, Kimball turned to me and said, ' Martha, I want you to say to ray wife, when you go to my house, that you want to buy some things at Joseph's store, (Joseph Smith's,) and I will say I am going with you, to show you the way. You know you want to see the Prophet, and you will then have an opportunity.' I made no reply. Young again made his appearance, and the subject was dropped. We soon reached Kimball's house, where Young took his leave, saying, ' I shall see jj'ou again, Martha.' I remained at Kimball's near an hour, when Kimball, seeing that 1 would not tell. the lies he wished me to, told them to his wife him- self. He then went and whispered in her ear, and asked if that would please her. ' Yes,' said she, ' or I can go along with you and Martha.' 'No,' said he, 'I have some business to do, and I will call for you afterwards to go with- me to the debate," meaning the debate between yonrself and Joseph. To this she consented. So Kimball and 1 went to the store together. As we were going along, he said, ' Sister Martha, are you willing to do all that the Prophet requires you to do .' ' I said I believed I was, thinking of course he would require nothing wrong. ' Then,' said he, ' are you ready to take counsel .' ' I answered in the affirmative, thinking of the great and glorious blessings that had been pronounced upon my head, if I adhered to the counsel of those placed over me in the Lord. ' Well,' said he, ' there are many things revealed in these last days that the world would laugh and scoff at ; but unto us is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom.' He further observed, ' Martha, you nmst learn to hold your tongue, and it will be well with you. You will see Joseph, and very likely have some conversation with him, and he will tell you what you shall do.' W^hen we reached the building, he led me up some stairs to a small room, the door of wliich was locked, and on it the folhnving inscription : ' Positively no admit- tance.' He observed, ' Ah ! brother Joseph must be sick, for, strange to say, he is not here. Come down into the tithing-office, Martha.' He then left me in the tithing-office, and went out, I know not where. In this office were two men writing, one of whom, William Clayton, I had seen in England ; the other I did not know. Young came in, and seated himself before me, and asked 238 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. where Kimball was. I said he had gone out. He said it was all right. Soon after, Joseph came in, and spoke to one of the clerks, and then went up stairs, followed by Young. Immediately after, Kimball came in. ' Now, Martha,' said he, ' the Prophet has come; come up stairs.' I went, and we found Young and the Prophet alone. I was introduced to the Prophet by Young. Joscpli offisred me his seat, and, to my astonishment, the moment 1 was seated, Jo- seph and Kimball walked out of the room, and left me with Young, who arose, locked the door, closed tlie window, and drew the cur- tain. He then came and sat before me, and said, ' This is our private room, Martha.' ' Indeed, sir,' said I, ' I must be highly honored to be permitted to enter it.' He smiled, and then proceeded — ' Sister Martha, I want to ask you a few questions ; will you answer them .' ' ' Yes, sir,' said I. ' And ^will you promise not to mention tliem to any one .'' ' 'If it is your desire, sir,' said I, ' I will not.' ' And you will not tliink any tlie worse of me for it, will you, Martha '; ' said he. ' No, sir,' I replied. ' Well,' said he, ' what are your feelings towards me ? ' I replied, ' My feelings are just the same towards you that they ever were, sir.' ' But, to come to the point more closely,' said he, 'have not you an atfection for me, that, were it lawful and right, you could accept of me for your husband and companion .' ' My feelings at that moment were indescribable. God only knows them. What, thought I, are these men, tliat I thought almost perfection itself, f/eceircji-A' .? and is all my fancied happiness but a dream ? 'Twas even so ; but my next thought was, which is tlie best way for me to act at this time .'' If I say no, they may do as they think proper ; and to say yes, I never would. So I considered it best to ask for time to think and pray about it. I therefore said, ' If it was lawful and right, perhaps I might ; but you know, sir, it is not.' ' Well, but,' said he, ' brother Joseph has had a revelation from God that it is lawful and right for a man to have two wives ; for, as it was in the days of Abraham, so it shall be in these last days, and whoever is the first that is willing to take up the cross will receive the greatest blessings ; and if 3'ou will accept of me, 1 will take you straight to the celestial kingdom ; and if you will have me in this world, I will have you in that which is to come, and brother Joseph will marry us here to-day, and you can go home this evening, and your parents will not know any thing about it.' ' Sir,' said I, ' I should not like to do any thing of the kind without the permission of my parents.' 'Well, but,' said he, 'you are of age, are you not .-" ' No, sir,' sfiid I, ' I shall not be until the 24th of Ma}'.' ' Well,' said he, ' that does not make any difference. You will be of age before they know, and you need not fear. If you will take my counsel, it will be well with you, for I know it to be right ])efore God, and if there is any sin in it, I will answer for it. But brother Joseph wishes to have some talk with you on the subject — he will explain things — will you hear him ? ' ' I do not mind,' said I. ' Well, but I want you to say something,' said he. ' I want time to think about it,' said I. ' Well,' said he, ' I will have a kiss, anyhow," and then rose, and said he would bring Joseph. He then unlocked the door, and took the key, and locked me up alone. He was absent about ten minutes, and tlien returned with Joseph. ' Well,' said Young, A5I0URS AND ATTEMPTED SEDUCTIONS. 239 ' sister Martha would ho willing if she know it was lawful and right before God.' ' Well, Martha,' said Joseph, ' it is lawful and right before God — I knoto it is. Look here, sis ; don't you believe in me.''' I did not answer. 'Well, Martha,' said Joseph, 'just go ahead, and do as Brighani wants you to — lie is the best man in the world, except me.' ' O ! ' said Brighani, ' then you are as good.' ' Yes,' said Joseph. ' Well,' said Young, ' we believe Joseph to be a Prophet. I have known him near eiglit years, and always found him the same. ' Y'es,' said Joseph, ' and I know that this is lawful and right before God, and if there is any sin in it, I will answer for it before God; and I have the keys of the kingdom, and whatever I bind on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever I loose on earth is loosed in heaven , and if you will accept of Brighain, you shall be blessed — God shall bless you, and my blessing shall rest upon you; and if you will be led byliiai, you will do well; for I know Brighani will take care of you, and if he don't do his duty to you, come to me, and I will make him ; and if you do not like it in a month or two, come to ine,and I will make you free again ; and if he turns you otF, I will take you on.' ' Sir,' said 1, rather warmly, ' it will bo too late to tiiink in a month or two after. I want time to think first.' ' Well, but,' said he, ' the old proverb is, " Nothing ventured, noth- ing gained; " and it would be the greatest blessing that was ever bestowed upo'n you.' ' Yes,' said Young, ' and you will never have reason to repent it — that is, if I do not turn from rigliteousness, and that I trust I never shall ; for I believe God, who has kept me so long, will continue to keep me faithful. Did you ever see me act in any way wrong in England, Martha .'' ' ' No, sir,' said I. 'No,' said he ; ' neither can any one else lay any thing to my charge.' ' Well, then,' said Joseph, 'what are you afraid of, sis.'' Come, let me do the business for you.' ' Sir,' said I, ' do let ine have a little time to think about it, and I will promise not to mention it to any one.' ' Well, but look here,' said he ; ' you know a fellow will never be damned for doing the best he knows how.' ' Well, then,' said I, ' the best way I know of, is to go home and think and pray about it.' ' Well,' said Young, ' I shall leave it with brother Joseph, whether it would be best for you to have time or not.' ' Well,' said Joseph, ' I see no harm in her having time to think, if she will not fall into temptation.' ' O, sir,' said I, ' there is no fear of my falling into temptation.' 'Well, but,' said Brigliam, 'you must promise me you will never mention it to anyone.' ' I do promise it,' said I. ' Well,' said Joseph, 'you must promise me the same.' I promised him the same. ' Upon your honor,' said he, ' you will not tell. ' No, sir, I will lose my life first,' said I. ' Well, that will do,' saia he ; ' that is the principle we go upon. I think I can trust you, Martlia,' said he. ' Yes,' said 1, ' I think you ought.' Joseph said, ' She looks as if she could keep a secret.' I then rose to go, when Joseph com- menced to beg of me again. He said it was the best opportunity they might have for months, for the room was often engaged. I, however, had determined what to do. ' Well,' said Young, ' 1 will see you to-morrow. I am going to preach at the school-house, oppo- site your house. I have never preaclu^d there yet ; you will be there, I suppose.' 'Yes,' said I. — The next day being Sunday, 1 240 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. sat down, instead of going to meeting, and wrote the conversation, and gave it to my sister, who was not a little surprised ; but she said j it would be best to go to meeting in the afternoon. We went, and | Young administered the sacrament. After it was over, I was pass- j ing out, and Young stopped me, saying, ' Wait, Martha, I am com- ' ing.' I said, 'I cannot; my sister is waiting for me.' He then threw , his coat over his shoulders, and followed me out, and whispered, i ' Have 3'ou made up your mind, Martha .' ' ' Not exactly, sir,' said I ; ' and we parted. I sliall proceed to a justice of the peace, and make oath to the truth of these statements, and you are at liberty to make '. what use of them you may think best. ^ " Yours, respectfully, • I "Martha H. Brotherton. '• " Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 13th day of July, A. D. ' 1842. " Du BouFFAY Frf.mo.v, I ^^Justice of the Peace for St. Louis County." "What a tale of infamy ! What a record of black-hearted i villany and depravity ! Well does this young lady deserve j the praise of her sex and the world, for her courage and [ virtue in resistincr and repulsinw with such sicrnal success ' the toul miscreants who were tempting her to crime by I the most insidious and powerful arts. I The North-Western Gazette and Galena Advertiser of ; July '2S, 1842, a pn.per edited by H. H. Haughton, Esq., in speaking on this subject, says, — "In our columns to-day will be found the affidavit of Martha H. Brothkrton, who, it will be remembered, was called upon to make a public statement of her treatment while among the Mor- mons. Her story is told in an artless manner, and goes strongly to \ corroborate Bennett's statement. There is something peculiarly ' infamous in the practice of sending to England to induce simple- j hearted females to leave their homes, to be exposed to the arts of as ; shrewd a set of scamps as could well be congregated together." j The Pittsburgh MorninIENT. 313 " Your petitioner further represents, some time about the 8th of September last, that three individuals were arrested by the said Mormons, in Caldwell county, and held in custody, and your pe- titioner represents that he believes they are still in confinement, without any warrant of law. Your petitioner further represents that he verily believes that no civil officer of the State could cause to be executed any legal process within either of said counties of Caldwell or Daviess. " Your petitioner, therefore, respectfully prays your Excellency to furnish the civil officers, within and for the counties of Daviess and Caldwell, a sufficient number of troops to enable them to exe- cute the laws of the land, and bring the offenders, aforesaid, to justice. To this end your petitioner will ever pray, &.c. " William Dryden, " Justice of the Peace, Daviess County. " SepUmber 15, 1838." Statement of C. Jackson and Others. "Camp near De Witt, October!, 1838. " To the Citizens of Howard County : " Gentlemen, — " This county is the theatre of a civil war, and will soon be one of desolation, unless the citizens of the adjoining counties lend immediate assistance. The infatuated Mormons have assem- bled in large numbers in De Witt, prepared for war, and are contin- ually pouring in from all quarters where these detestable fanatics reside. " The war is commenced! blood has been shed — they shed it ; they waylaid and fired upon a body of the citizens of Carroll county, and wounded some. They are the aggressors — they have been guilty of high treason ; they have violated the laws, and shed the blood of our citizens ; and we think this one of the cases of emergency in which the people ought to take the execution of justice in their own hands. Speedy action is necessary; the progress of their imposition, insult, and oppression, ought to be checked in the beginning. The people must act together — they must act energetically. " It is now 12 o'clock at night — the Mormons are lurking around our camp, and making preparations to attack us before day. Our numbers are much less than theirs, and we will have to act on the defensive, until we procure more assistance. About two hours ago, the Mormons were reinforced by sixty-two mounted men, well armed, from Far West ; they are arriving every night ; two nights ago, it is thought one hundred came to De Witt, for the purpose of making war upon the people of this county. " Under such circumstances, you cannot fail to come forward im- mediately. Can you not be here by Sunday or Monday at furthest .' Come by fives and tens, if you cannot come by companies ; bring all you can. This is no false excitement or idle rumor — it is the cold reality, too real. We will anticipate you immediately, and shall ex- 27 314 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. pect your cooperation and assistance in expelling the fanatics, who are mostly aliens by birtli, and aliens in principle from the county. We must be enemies to the common enemies of our laws, religion, and country. " Your friends and fellow-citizens, " CoNGRAVE Jackson, John L. Tomlin, " Larkin K. Woods, Sidney S. Woods, " Thomas Jackson, Geo. Crigler, " RoLLA M. Daviess, W.m. L. Banks, " James Jackson, Jr., Whitfield Dicken. " Johnson Jackson, "P. S. Our guard was just now fired upon by the Mormons. They have become imboldened by their, recent reunforcements, and we will have to act on the defensive, until assistance arrives." "State of Missouri County of Daviess, Jlffidavit of Philip Coxnngtx)n. ! SB. " I, Philip Covmgton, an acting Justice of the Peace within and for said countj^, do certify, that on the 18th inst., one hundred or more Mormons marched to Gallatin, and drove the citizens from said place, then robbed the store and post-office, and burned said store and office. On the 20tli of this inst., twenty-five armed Mormons came to my house, and gave me orders to leave the county against next morning, or they would be upon me and my famil}". Myself, with many other citizens, have left the county. They are now rob bing and burning the dwellings of the defenceless citizens. ' Given under my hand, this 22d day of September, 1838. " Philip Covington, J. P." Colonel Peniston to the Governor. "Datiess Cou.ntv, Missouri, Octol/er 21, 1B38. To His Excellency the Governor of Missouri : « Sir,— " I deem it my duty, made so not only from the law as an officer, but also as an individual, to report and make known to your Excellency the unheard-of and unprecedented conduct and high- handed proceedings of the Mormons of this and Caldwell counties, towards the other citizens of this county, being myself one of the sufferers. " On Mondav, the loth inst., we learned that the Mormons were collecting in Far West, for the purpose of driving what they term the mob from this county, by whicli we understand the citizens that were not Mormons; and accordingly they have come, and our worst apprehensions have been already fulfilled. They have plun- dered or robbed and burned every house in Gallatin, our county seat, among the rest our post-office ; have driven almost every indi- EXTRACTS FROM A MISSOURI DOCUMENT. 315 vidual from the county, who are now flying before them with their families, many of wliom have been forced out witkoitt necessary clothing; their wives and little children wading, in many INSTANCES, THROUGH THE SNOW WITHOUT A SHOE'.!! VVhcn the miserable families are thus forced out, their houses are laundered and burned; they are making this universal throughout the county. They have burned for me two houses ; and, sir, think this not ex- aggeration, /or all is not told ; and for the trutli of all and every state- ment here made, I pledge the honor of an othcer and gentleman. " These facts are made known to you, sir, hoping that 3'our authority will be used to stop the course of this banditti of Canadian refugees, and restore us to our lost homes. I neglected to state that, among the rest, our County Treasurer's office has been also burned I will only ask, in conclusion, can such proceedings be submitted to in a government of laws.' I think not, and must answer my inter- roo-atory — No, notwithstanding the political juggling of such men as and some others, whose reports and circulations, setting the conduct and character of the Mormons favorably before the community, are believed by the people of this county to be prompted by the hope of interest or emolument. " I am yours, sir, " With due regard, " Wm. p. Peniston, Col. mth Reg.-2d Brig. M Die. Mo. Mi. " P. S. Since writing the above, I have procured the testimony, on oath, of some si.x: or eight persons, corroborating my statement, which accompanies this. ti y^ p_ p -> Affidavit of Samuel Venable. " This is to certify that I was called upon last night to wait upon a lady who was about to increase her family ; she had travelled, as she told me, about eight miles in labor, to get from the Mormons, who were engaged in driving off the people from their homes, giving them only about three days' notice, plundering and rolling their houses. The lady alluded to above, Mrs. Smith by name, stopped on the camp ground on the east of Daviess county, where she in- creased her family. There was another lady who stopped on the camp ground, loiwse hahij was but four days old. " I was also at Mr. White's this morning, who lives in Livingston county, who was on yesterday very much injured in property by tlie Mormons. 1 saw a good deal of the mischief by them done, and was told by Mrs. White that, in addition to the above, she received from them invectives ; that they had plundered the house, taken cloths, and other articles; destroyed all their bee-stands ; taken off. drawing chains, log chains, &c. The quantity of oats, fodder, and corn taken from White's must have been considerable, as they fed about two hundred horses, leaving on the ground where they fed a (Treat deal of oats, &c. Given under my hand, this ^2d October, 1(|38_ Samuel Venable. 316 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. "I certify that the above is a true copy of the instrument given, sworn to, and subscribed before me on 2yd of this instant, this 22d October, 183d. Levi F. Gaben, J. P." Citizens of Bay County to the Governor. "Richmond, Missouri, October S3, 183S. " To the Governor of the State of Missouri : "Sir,— " The alarming state of Daviess county, and the panic produced by the late movements of the Mormons in that county, have produced a degree of excitement and alarm here, that has not been heretofore witnessed. The latest accounts from Daviess county that have reached us, say that all the inhabitants of Daviess county have k ft, and sought refuge in Livingston or this county. Tlie storehouse of Jacob Stollings, in Gallatin, was robbed and burned by the Mormons ; the post-office kept there was also de- stroyed, and we believe that the houses of five or six of the inhabitants of Daviess have been destroyed by fire, the property taken away, and the women and children obliged to flee. The arms of all the citizens in Daviess, they could find, have been taken by them forcibly ; they have carried away the cannon from Livingston coun- ty, and have it now in their possession. " The Mormons have robbed George Worthington, post-master, at Gallatin, of his notes and property, to the amount of nearly $2000. In short, the news from them reaches us hourly, that they are de- stroying the property of the citizens they cannot carry away, and all that theycan carry away, they take. Blood and plunder appear to be their object, and those v\'ho do not join with them in their incendiary conduct, are banished from Caldwell, and all those of other counties who are opposed to them, are threatened. It is the desire of the citizens that his Excellency would visit this section of country, and call out a sufficient number of troops to put a stop to the further ravages of these fanatics. If some such measures are not taken shortly, the whole country will be overrun. We now firmly believe thcij are aggressors, and say they will indemnify them- selves for losses in Jackson and Carroll. We are not alarmists, and have had no fears, until lately, that these fanatics would have dared to behave as they have lately. There seems to be but one opinion here on the subject, and that is, unless a military force is brought to act against them, and that shortly, they will destroy as far as they are able. We think it our duty to advise you of these things. " Very respectfully, " R. S. Mitchell, M. P. Long, "John N. Hughes, James S. Bell, "Thos. McKinney, B. J. Brown, Sheriff, "Jesse Comer, George Woodward, "T. L. D. W. Shaw, Lewis S. Jacobs, " G. Lenhart, Berry Huges, "John C. Richardson, Wm. Hcdcjns, P.M. EXTRACTS FBOM A MISSOURI DOCUMENT. 317 " We are deficient in arms ; if there are any to spare, we wish them brought up here. Wm. Hudgins." T. C Burch to the Governor. " Richmond, Missouri, October 23, 1838. " To His Excellency the Governor of Missouri : " The Mormon difficulties are arising, and have arisen here to an alarming height. It is said (and I believe truly) that they have recently robbed and burned the storehouse of Mr. J. Stol- lings, in Gallatin, Daviess county, and that they have burned sev- eral dwelling-houses of the citizens of Daviess, taken their arms from them, and have taken some provisions. "Mormon dissenters are daily flying to this county for refuge from the ferocity of the Prophet Joe Smith, who, they say, threat- ens the lives of all Mormons who refuse to take up arms at his bidding, or to do his commands. Those dissenters (and they are numerous) all confirm the reports concerning the Dunite Band, of which you have doubtless heard much, and say that Joe infuses into the minds of his followers a spirit of insubordination to the laics of the land, telling them that the kingdom of the Lord is come, which is superior to the institutions of the earth, and encourages them to fight, and promises them the spoils of the battles. " A respectable gentleman of my acquaintance, from Livingston, is here now, who informs me that the Mormons are robbing the citi- zens of Livingston, on the borders of Caldwell, of their corn and what- ever el.se they want; that they have taken a cannon from Livingston county, and are prowling about the country, a regularly-formed banditti. That the Prophet Joe Smith has persuaded his Church, that they are not, and ought not to be, amenable to the laws of the land, and is still doing it, I have no doubt. The Danite Band, as I am informed by numbers of the most respectable of the Mormons, (who are now dissenters,) binds them to support the High Council of the Mormon Church and one another in all things, ichether right or icrong, and that even by false sioearing. I have taken much pains to^be informed correctly about this Danite Band, and I am well satisfied that my information, as above stated, is correct. 1 have no doubt but tliat Joe Smith is as lawless and consummate a scoun- drel, as ever was the Veiled Prophet of Khorassan. I believe the criminal law in Caldwell county cannot be enforced upon a Mormon. Grand juries there will not indict. Joe declares, in his public addresses, that he can revolutionize the United States, and that if provoked he will do it. This declaration has been heard by Colonel Williams of this place, and other gentlemen of equal veracity. I have hoped that the civil authority would prove sufficient for the exigency of the case, but I am now convinced that it is not, so long as indictments have to be found by a jury of the county in which the offence may be committed. " I do not pretend to have wisdom enough to make a suggestion aa to what your E.xcellency should do. The evil is alarming, 27* 318 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. beyond all doubt. 1 suggest the foregoing facts for your con sideration. " I am, very respectfully, " Your obedient servant, " Thos. C. Burch. " P. S. Judge King will give you some information by the next mail. • T. C. B." Hon. A. A. King to the Governor. " Richmond, October ^A, 1838. "Dear Sir,— " As Mr. Williams will be to see you in reference to our Mormon difficulties, and will be able to say all to you, per- haps, that can be said, 1 deem it a duty, notwithstanding, to give you such information as I have sought and obtained, and it is such that I assure you may be relied on. " Our relations with the Mormons are such that I am perfectly satisfied the arm of the civil authority is too weak to give peace to the country. Until lately, I thought the Mormons were disposed to act only on the defensive ; but their recent conduct shows that they ARE THE AGGhESsoRS, and that they intend to take the law into their own hands. Of their recent outrages in Daviess county, you have doubtlessly heard much already ; of their course of conduct in Daviess, I will give you the general facts, for to give particulars would far transcend the limits of a letter. " On Sunday, before they marched to Daviess, Joe Smith made known his views to the people, and declared the time had come when they would avenge their own wrongs, and that all who was not for them, and take up arms with them, should be considered against them ; that their property should be confiscated, and their lives also be forfeited. With this declaration, and much else said by Smith, calculated to excite the people present, the next day was set to meet and see who was for them and who against them, and under such severe penalties there was none, that I learn, who did not turn out, and about three or four hundred men, with Smith at their head, marched to Daviess ; this was on Tuesday ; the next day was the snow-storm, and upon Thursday they commenced their ravages upon the citizens, driving them from their houses and taking their property. Between eighty and one hundred men went to Gallatin, pillaged houses, and the store of Mr. Stollings, and the post- office, and then burned the houses ; they carried off the spoils on horse- back and in wagons, and now have them, I understand, in a storehouse near their camp. Houses have been robbed of their contents, beds, clothing, furniture, «&-c., and all deposited, and they term it a con- secration to the Lord. At this time there is not a citizen in Daviess except Mormons. Many have been driven without warning ; others have been allowed a few hours to start. The stock of the citizens have been seized upon, killed and salted up by hundreds. From fifty to one hundred wagons are now emploj'ed in hauling in t/te corn from the surrounding country. They look for a force EXTRACTS FROM A MISSOURI DOCUMENT. 319 against them, and are consequently preparing for a siege, building bfock-houses, &c. They have lately organized themselves into a band, of what they call Danltcs, and sworn to support their leading men in all they say and do, right or icroiig, and further to put to instant death those who will betray them. Tliere is another band, of twelve, called the Destructives, whose duty it is to watch the movements of men, and of committees, and to avenge themselves for supposed wrongful movements against them, by privately burning houses, property, and even laying in ashes towns, &c. '• I find I am running out my letter too much in detail ; I do not deem it necessary to give you a minute detail of all the facts of which I am possessed, but I give you the above in order that you may form some idea of the disposition of these people. The Mor- mons expect to settle the affair at the point of the sword, and I am well warranted in saying to you that the people in this quarter of the State look to you for that protection which they believe you will atford when you have learned the facts. I do not pretend to advise your course, nor make any suggestions other than what I have stated, — that it is utterly useless tor the civil authorities to pretend to inter- pose. The country is in great commotion, and I can assure you that, either with or without authority, something will shortly have to be done. " I hope you will let me hear from you by the return of Mr. Wil- liams, and if you should come up the country shortly, it will give me pleasure to take the trouble to see you. " I am, very respectfully, " Austin A. King." Affidavit of Thomas B. March, " At the request of a committee of the citizens of Ray county, 1 make the following statement in relation to the recent movements, plans, and intentions, of the Mormons in the counties of Caldwell and Daviess : — " Shortly after the settlement of the difficulties at De Witt, in Car- roll county, a call was made by the Mormons at Far West, in Cald- well count/, for volunteers co go to Daviess county to disperse the mob, as they said. On the day before this, Joseph Smith, tlie Proph- et, had preached, in which lie said, that all the Mormons who refused to take up arms, if necessary, in difficulties with the citizens, should be shot, orothericise put to death; and as I was there with my family, I thought it most prudent to go, and did go, with my wagon, as the driver. We marched to Adam-on-diahmon, and found no troops or mob in Daviess county. Scouting parties frequently went out, and brought in intelligence that they had seen from three to five hundred men. We got°to 'Diahmon on Tuesday evening, and on the next day a company of about eighty of the Mormons, commanded by a man fictitiously named Captain Fearnought, marched to Gallatin. They returned, and said they had run off from Gallatin twenty or thirty men, and had taken Gallatin, — had token one prisoner, and another had joined the company. I afterwards learned from the Mormons that they had burnt Gallatin, and tliat it was done by tlie aforesaid 320 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. company that marched there. The Mormons informed me that they had liauled away all the goods from the store in Gallatin, and depos- ited them -at tJie Bishop's storehouses at 'Diahmon. On the same day, Lynaan Wight marched about eighty horsemen for Millport. He returned before night, and called for Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith, to report to them, (said Hyrum being counsellor of said Joseph the Prophet,; and said Wight reported that ho had been in sight of Millport — saw no one to fight — but that the people gcneraUy had gone and left their houses and property. The Prophet, on hear- ing the property was left, commenced a reply, and said, ' We had better see to it,' when Wight stopped him by saying, ' Never mind, we will have a private council ;' and Smith replied, ' Very well.' The private council 1 did not hear. The men were determined to go to their camps. The same evening, a number of footuicn came up from the direction of Millport, laden with property, which I was informed consisted of beds, clocks, and other household furniture. The same night, 1 think, about three wagons were despatched for about forty bcc-gums, and the next day 1 saw several gums, when they were splitting them up, and taking the honey and burning the gums, in which business of taking out the honey, but few were engaged, for fear, as they said, they would be called on as witnesses against them. When Wight returned from Millport, and informed Smith that the people were gone and the property left, Smith asked liim if tiiey had left any of tiie negroes for them, and Wight replied, ' No ; ' upon which some one laughed, and said to Smith, ' You have lost your negro thc7i.' During the same time, a company, called the Fur CoMPAivy, were sent out to bring in fat hogs and cattle, calling the hogs BEARS, and the cattle buffaloes, [and the houey sweet oil — BEAR MEAT, BUFFALO, and SWEET OIL — pretty good living !] They brought in at one time seven cattle, and at another time, four or five, belonging to the people of Daviess. Hogs were brought in dead, but I know not how many ; I saw only two. Tliey have among tlicm a com- pany consisting of all that are considered' true Moriuoiio, called the Danites, who have taken an oath to support the heads of the Church in all things, that they say or do, whether right or wrong. Many, however, of this band are nmch dissatisfied with this oath, as being against moral and religious principles. On Saturday last, I am in- formed by the Mormons that they had a meeting at Far West, at which they appointed a company of twelve, by the name of the Destruction Company, for the purpose of burning and destroying ; and that if the people of Buncombe came to do mischief upon the people of Caldwell, and committed depredations upon the Mormons, they were to burn Buncombe ; and if the people of Clay and Ray made any movements against them, this destroying company were to burn Liberty and Richmond. Tiiis burning was to be done secretly, by going as incendiaries. At the same meeting, I was informed, they passed a decree that no Mormon dissenter should leave Caldwell county alive ; and that such as attempted to do it, should be shrjt down, and sent to tell their tale in eternity. In a con- versation between Dr. Avard and other Mormons, said Avard pro- posed to start a pestilence among the Gentiles, as he called them, by poisoning their corn, fruit, &C., and saying it was the work of the EXTRACTS FROM A MISSOURI DOCUMENT. 321 ; Lord ; and said Avard advocated lying for the support of their reli- gion, and SAID IT WAS no harm to lie for the Lord ! ! The plan of said Sniitli, the Prophet, is to take this State ; and lie professes to his people to intend taking the United States, and ultimately the whole world. This is the belief of the Church, and my own opinion of the Prophet's plans and intentions. It is my opinion that neither said Joseph Smith, the Prophet, nor any one of the principal men, who is firm in the faith, could be indicted for any otFence in the county of Caldwell. The Prophet inculcates the notion, and it is believed by every true Mormon, that Smith's prophecies are superior to the law of the land. I have heard the Prophet say that he should yet tread down his enemies, and walk over their dead bodies ; that if he was not let alone, he would be a second Mahomet to this genera- tion, and that he would make it one gore of blood from the Rocky Mountains to the Mlantic Ocean ; that like Mahomet, whose motto, in treating for peace, was ' the Alcoran or the Sword,' so should it be eventually with us, ' Joseph Smith or the Sword.' These last statements were made during the last summer. The number of armed men at Adam-on-diahmon was between three and four hun- dred. - Tho.mas B. March. " Sworn to and subscribed before me, the day herein written. " Henry Jacobs, J. P., Ray County, Missouri. " Richmond, Missouri, October 24, 1838." Affidavit of Orson Hyde. " The most of the statements in the foregoing disclosure of Thomas B. March / know to be true; the remainder I believe to be true. Orson Hyde. "Richmond, October 24, 1838. *' Sworn to and subscribed before me, on the day above written. " Henry Jacobs, J. P." Certificate of Thomas C. Burch and Others. " The undersigned committee, on the part of the citizens of Ray county, have no doubt but Thomas B. March and Orson Hyde, whose names are signed to the foregoing certificates, have been members of the Mormon Church in full fellowship until very re- cently, when they voluntarily abandoned the Mormon Church and faith, and that said March was, at the time of his dissenting, the president of the twelve Apostles, and president of the Church at Far West, and that said Hyde was at that time one of the twelve Apos- tles, and that they left the Church, and abandoned the faith of the Mormons, from a conviction of their immorality and impiety. " Thos. C. Burch, J. R. Hendley, " William Hudgins, C. R. Morehead, " Henry Jacobs, O. H. Searcy. " George Woodward, "BicBMOMD, Oeteb$r2i, 1S38." 322 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. General Clark to the Governor. * Head-Quarters or the Mtlitia employed against the Mormons, ) Richmond, JVoveniber 10, 1838. ) •' To His Excellency L. W. Boggs: "Sir,— " I find, by inquiry, that with all the enormities we have heard charged against these people, [the Mormons,] many of which charges we looked upon as the offspring of prejudice on" the part of our citizens, THE half has not yet been told!! There is no crime, from treason doicn to the most petty larceny, but these people, or a majority of them, hare been guilty of, all, too, under the counsel of Joseph Smith, Jr., the Prophet! They have committed TREASON, MURDER, ARSON, BURGLARY, ROBBERY, LARCENY, AND PERJURY!!! They have societies formed under the most binding covenants in form, and the most hmrid oaths, to circumvent the laws, and put them at defiance, and to plunder, and burn, and murder, and divide the spoils for the use of the Churcli. This is what they call the Danite Society. * * * « " Under this horrid system many of the citizens of Daviess county, who went to that frontier poor, and-who, by their industry and economy, had acquired a good living, have been robbed of every article of property they have, their homes burnt before their eyes, and they and their icives and children driven out of the county, without any kind of shelter! In one instance I have been informed that a family was ordered off, and their houses burnt in their sight, and a woman driven out ichilc it teas snotcing, with a child only four days old ; in another case, I was informed the family was driven away, and the woman icas compelled to ask protection in a few miles, 7chere she teas delivered of a child a short time after she teas thus treated! These, sir, are some of the offences of these people. * « » " I am, sir, " Your obedient servant, " John B. Clark, " Major- General Commanding." The Governor to General Clark, "Executive DEPARTiMENT, City of Jefferson, ^''ovetnher 1, 1838. "Major-General John B. Clark: "Sir,— " Your communication, by express, of October 30, en- closing one from Major-General Atchison and Lucas, of the 2Sth October, has been received. It is impossible for me to leave here; the near approach of the meeting of the legislature renders it neces- sary that every moment of my time be employed in preparation to meet thcni. It was considered by me that full and ample powers were vested in you to carry into effect my former orders. The case is now-a very plain one; the Mormons must be subdued, and peack EXTRACTS FROM A MISSOURI DOCUMENT. 323 restored to the community. You will, therefore, proceed without delay to execute the former orders. Full confidence is reposed in your ability to do so; your force will be amply sufficient to accom- plish the object. Should you need the aid of artillery, I would sug- gest that an application be made to the commandiiifr officer of Fort Leavenworth, for such as you may need. You are authorized to request the loan of it in the name of the State of Missouri. My presence then could effect nothing-. I therefore again repeat that you are authorized, and full power is given you, to take whatever steps you deem necessary, and such as the circumstances of the case may seem to demand, to subdue the insurgents, and give peace and quiet to the country. The ringleaders of this rebellion should be made an example of; and, if it should become NECESS-iRV for THE PUBLIC PEACE, the Mormons should be exterminated or ex- pelled from the State. In order that no difficulty may arise in rela- tion to the command, I must inform you that neither General Atchison nor Lucas have been called into service under the late order, (except General Lucas was directed to raise four hundred men in his division, and to place them under the command "of a Brigadier-General.) The privilege ^vas ofiered him of commanding the troops from his own division, though subject to your orders. All the troops now under arms, and those that may arrive at the seat of war, are placed under your command. " You will report to me by express, and keep me regularly in- formed of any thing of importance which may occur. The near approach of winter requires that your operations should be hastened. After having restored quiet, you will cause the people of Daviess county, who have been driven from tiieir homes, to be reinstated. " 1 am, respectfully, " Your obedient servant, " L. VV. BoGGs, " Commander-in- Cliief." Cei-tificcUe of Mormons as to the Conduct of General Clark and his Troops. "Richmond, JVocemJcr 23, 1833. " Understanding that Major-General Clark is about to return with the whole of his command from the scene of difficulty, we avail ourselves of this occasion to state that we were present when the Mormons surrendered to Major-General Lucas at Far West, and remained there until Major-General Clark arrived ; and we are happy to have an opportunity, as well as the satisfaction, of stating that the course of him and his troops, while at Far West, was of the most respectful, kind, and obliging character towards the said Mor- mons ; and that the destitute among that people are much indebted to him for sustenance during his stay. The modification of the terms upon which the Mormons surrendered, by permitting them to remain until they could safely go in the spring, was also an act that gave general satisfaction to the Mormons. We have no hesitation 324 HISTORY OF THE SAINTS. in saying that the course taken by General Clark with the Mormons was necessary for the public peace ; and that the Mormons are gen- erally satisfied with his course, and feel in duty bound to say that the conduct of the General, his staff officers, and troops, was highly honorable as soldiers and citizens, so far as our knowledire extends; and we have heard of nothing derogatory to the dio-nity of the State in the treatment of the prisoners. " Respectfully, &c , " W. W. Phelps, " Geo. Walter, " John Cleminson, " G. M. Hi.s-kle, " John Corrill." EVIDENCE GIVEN BEFORE THE HON. AUSTIN A. KING, judge of thk fifth judicial circuit in the state of MISSOUKr, m^t the Cowi-House in Richmond, in a Criminal Court of Inquiry, begun JVovemher 12, Jl. D. 1838, on the Trial oj Joseph Smith, Jr., and Others, for High Treason, and other Crimes against the State. "State of Missouri ts. Joseph Smith, Jr., Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, Ebenezer Robinson, Alanson Ripley, and others; who were charged with the several crimes of high treason against the State, murder, burglary, arson, ROBBERY, and LARCENY. " Sampson Avard, a witness produced, sworn, and examined ou behalf of the State, deposeth and saith : ' That about four months ago, a band, called the Daughter of Zion, (since called the Danite Band.) was formed of the members of the Mormon Church, the original object of which was to drive from the county of Caldwell all those who dissented from tlie Mormon Church; in which they succeeded admirably, and to the satisfaction of those concerned. / consider Joseph Smith, Jr., as the prime mover and organizer of this Danite Band. The officers of the band, according to tlieir grades, were brought before him, at a school-house, together with Hyrum Smith and Sidney Rigdon ; the three composing the First Presidency of the whole Church. Joseph Smith, Jr., blessed them, and prophesied over them; declaring that they should be the means, in the hands of God, of bringing forth the millennial kingdom. It was stated by Joseph Smith, Jr., that it was necessary that this band should be bound together, by a covenant, that those who revealed the secrets of the Society should be put to death. The covenant taken by tiie EVIDENCE GIVEN BEFORE JUDGE KWC. 8'^5 Danite Band was as follows, to wit : They declared, holdinir up their right hands, " In the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, I do solemnly obligate myself ever to conceal, and never to reveal, the secret purposes of this society, called the Daughter of Zion. Should I ever do the same, I hold my life as the forfeiture." The Prophet, Joseph Smith, Jr., together with his two councillors, (Hy- rum Smith and Sidney Rigdon,) were considered