Utah and the Mormons/Chapter 4

CHAPTER IV.

HISTORY CONTINUED.

• Coincidence between Book of Mormon and "Manuscript Found."
• Witnesses, their Character
• Church organized at Fayette, N. Y.
• Removal to Kirtland, Ohio.
• Zion located at Independence, Mo.
• Lands purchased in Jackson County, Mo.
• Discords among the Saints.
• Quorum of Three.
• Troubles with the Gentiles.
• Mormons expelled from Jackson County.

In 1830, the Book of Mormon made its appearance. The following is a brief description of it by Parley P. Pratt, one of the Mormon apostles:

"The Book of Mormon contains the history of the ancient inhabitants of America, who were a branch of the house of Israel, of the tribe of Joseph, of whom the Indians are still a remnant; but the principal nation of them having fallen in battle in the fourth or fifth century, one of their prophets, whose name was Mormon, saw fit to make an abridgment of their history, their prophecies, and their doctrines, which he engraved on plates, and afterward being slain, the records fell into the hands of his son Moroni, who, being hunted by his enemies, was directed to deposit the records safely in the earth, with a promise from God that it should be preserved, and should be brought to light in the latter days by means of a Gentile nation who should possess the land. The deposit was made about the year 420, on a hill then called Cumora, now in Ontario county, where it was preserved in safety until it was brought to light by no less than the ministry of angels, and translated by inspiration; and the Great Jehovah bore record of the same to chosen witnesses, who declare it to the world."

The occurrence of the same leading events and names in the "Manuscript Found" and the Book of Mormon, which fact is proved by a perfect cloud of witnesses living in and about New Salem, Ohio, establishes to the satisfaction of the anti-Mormon the identity of the two works beyond all possible question, whatever of confusion or contradiction there may be in regard to the ultimate destination of Spaulding's book. In the death of the principal personages, it is easy to confuse dates and circumstances; but such a series of coincidences could not by possibility have happened by chance, and seems to demonstrate either that Spaulding took a peep into the stone box at Cumora, or that Joseph got possession of his manuscript.

The prophet was a bold innovator. In defiance of the maxim that truth is open and aboveboard, and that roguery requires mystery and concealment, he strenuously guarded the sacred plates from the gaze of profane curiosity. It was accordingly revealed to him that they were not to be exhibited to any, except the witnesses chosen by the Lord for that purpose; and it seems that after the translation and witnessing, the angel who had negotiated the whole business on the part of the supernal powers took them in charge. In the first place, three witnesses were obtained—Oliver Cowdry, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, who certify to having seen the plates, and to their having been "translated by the gift and power of God"—and they declare, "with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engraving thereon."

Afterward eight more witnesses were procured, who signed a short certificate in terms much more general than the first—John Whitmer, Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jr., Hiram Page, Joseph Smith, Senr., Hyrum Smith, and Samuel H. Smith. Who were these witnesses upon whose testimony depends the authenticity of a new Bible, and the verity of a new religious dispensation? Three of them are the father and two brothers of the prophet, and five are made up of a family of Whitmers; and Hiram Page was a brother-in-law of the Whitmers. If we are to credit the affidavits made by sundry of the neighbors, their characters are all very much below par, according to the Gentile standard. But it will perhaps be more satisfactory to adduce Mormon testimony on the subject.

Harris, who, it will be recollected, exhibited a specimen of the mysterious characters to Professor Anthon, subsequently lost the bulk of his property in the Mormon adventure, and fell into utter disgrace with the prophet himself, who spoke of him in the following disparaging terms in the "Elder's Journal:" "There are negroes who wear white skins as well as black ones. Grames Parrish and others, who acted as lackeys, such as Martin Harris, &c., but they are so far beneath contempt that a notice of them would be too great a sacrifice for a gentleman to make."

From a statement of Sidney Rigdon, while the Saints were at Independence in 1838, it appears that Oliver Cowdry and David Whitmer were connected with a gang of "counterfeiters, thieves, liars, and blacklegs of the deepest dye, to deceive, cheat, and defraud the Saints." But this is not all; Hyrum Smith, in 1839, wrote an account of his sufferings while in confinement in Missouri, in which he speaks in the following terms of Oliver Cowdry: "Those with whom I had been acquainted from my youth, and who had ever pretended the greatest friendship toward me, came to my house while I was in prison, and ransacked and carried off many of my valuables: this they did under the cloak of friendship. Among those who treated me thus, I can not help making mention of Lyman Cowdry, who, in connection with his brother, Oliver Cowdry, took from me a great many things; and, to cap the climax of his iniquity, compelled my aged father, by threatening to bring a mob upon him, to deed over to him, or to his brother Oliver, about one hundred and sixty acres of land, to pay a note which I had given to Oliver for one hundred and sixty-five dollars." This note he pronounced a forgery. Oliver Cowdry was afterward arraigned before the Church, and found guilty of sundry charges, among which were,

2d. "For seeking to destroy the character of Joseph Smith, Jr., by falsely insinuating that he was guilty of adultery," &c.

8th. "For disgracing the Church by being connected in the bogus business, as common report says."

Oliver and Martin were expelled or seceded, but afterward received again into the bosom of the Church, possessing too many of the qualifications of good membership to be long absent from the Latter-day sanctuary. The true believers greatly wondered that the Mormon divinity should have made such a mistake in the character of his chosen witnesses, but were sufficiently reassured when instructed that it was a trial of their faith.

On the 1st of June, 1830, the prophet organized his Church at Fayette, in the county of Ontario, consisting of thirty members. But this was found to be an unfavorable locality: these embryo saints were held in light repute in that region; and, in the course of the same year, Joseph removed to, and established his headquarters at Kirtland, Ohio; not exactly as the future capital of his new religious empire, but as one of the stakes of Zion yet to be located. Here the furnace of this new fanaticism got into full and powerful blast. Superadded to the power of translating the Book of Mormon in particular, and all mysterious hieroglyphies in general, through a mammoth pair of spectacles, Joseph received the gift of prophecy and revelation: he became not only the translator of these ancient records, but the prophet, seer, and revelator of the current era. These extraordinary gifts he exercised without stint or measure. The fount of revelation poured forth through this chosen aqueduct a seemingly unceasing and never-ending flood: the shrines of ancient heathendom were altogether cast into the shade by this modern oracle, which obediently responded at all times and on all occasions, to meet the exigencies and gratify the desires of Joseph and his coadjutors. All the movements of the Church and its members, whether of a secular or religious character, were regulated by these celestial responses. Any one curious in the lights, shadows, branchings, and ramifications of pseudo-religious commotions, can be gratified by reading the book of "Doctrines and Covenants," where the most important of these Sibylline leaves are collated for the edification and guidance of the Latter-day Saints. Missionaries were sent forth by revelation, and entered upon their work with zeal, performing miracles, speaking with unknown tongues, healing the sick, &c. The thing was new, mysterious, and marvelous; its pretensions were great; its advocates bold and plausible; where there was so much smoke, it was readily believed there must be some fire; the last days were believed to be at hand, and multitudes rushed into the new Zion.

Such an aggregation of combustible materials produced a corresponding conflagration, and all accounts agree that the wildest vagaries of modern revivalism were manifested to such a degree, that Joseph was compelled to attach a safety-valve to the boiler, lest the concern should explode. He moderated the zeal of the over-zealous, rebuked the too lofty pretensions of some who were disposed to "see visions and dream dreams" on their own hook, and established the very important principle that he alone was the only reliable medium of revelation. Like a prudent general, too, he made seasonable provision for his own safety. As early as July, 1830, a revelation on this point ran in the following strain:

"Magnify thine office; and after thou hast sowed thy fields and secured them, go speedily unto the Church which is in Colesville, Fayetteville, and Manchester, and they shall support thee."

In February, 1831, the oracle was still more explicit: "And again, it is meet that my servant Joseph Smith, Jr., should have a house built, in which to live and translate." "If ye desire the mysteries of my kingdom, provide for him food and raiment, and whatsoever thing he needeth."

Kirtland was never intended to be the metropolis of Mormonism; it was selected as a temporary abiding-place, to make money in reference to a removal further west. Oliver Cowdry was sent forward as a missionary to the Lamanites, and to explore a place for the future. Zion. On his return, he gave so flattering an account of the western borders of Missouri, that Joseph resolved to go himself. Accordingly, he and Sidney Rigdon, in obedience to a revelation (June, 1831), repaired to Jackson county, Missouri, and fixed on the spot where Independence now stands as the site of the great Mormon temple, and the gathering-place of the Latter-day Saints.

SMITH PREACHING IN THE WILDERNESS.

Every thing appeared so sunny in this delightful region, on the borders of civilized and savage life, where the Lamanites and the Gentiles could be within convenient range of the Mormon batteries, that Joseph was tempted to obtain a revelation, in which matters were more clearly defined than is usual in prophetic annunciations. The following is the heavenly response on this occasion (July, 1831):

"Hearken, O ye elders of my Church, saith the Lord your God, who have assembled yourselves together, according to my commandments, in this land which is the land of Missouri, which is the land which I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the Saints. Wherefore this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion. Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the centre place, and the spot for the Temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the Court-house: wherefore it is wisdom that the land should be purchased by the Saints; and also my tract lying westward, even unto the line running between Jew and Gentile; and also my tract bordering by the prairies, inasmuch as my disciples are enabled to buy lands. Behold, this is wisdom, that they may obtain it for an everlasting inheritance."

By the Jew is here understood the Lamanite or Indian. The site of Zion having been thus duly fixed, the enginery of revelation was also put in motion to raise the means. From a number we select the following:

"He that sendeth up treasures unto the land of Zion shall receive an inheritance in this world, and his works shall follow him; and also reward in the world to come." "Let all the moneys that can be spared, it mattereth not whether it be little or much, be sent up unto the land of Zion, unto them whom I have appointed to receive." (August, 1831.)

The following looks very much like "letters-of-marque" against the Gentiles:

"Behold, it is said in my laws, or forbidden, to get in debt to thine enemies; but behold, it is not said at any time that the Lord should not take, when he please, and pay as seemeth to him good; wherefore, as ye are agents, and are on the Lord's errand; and whatever ye do according to the will of the Lord is the Lord's business, and he has sent you to provide for his Saints in these last days, that they may obtain an inheritance in the land of Zion."

There is no disputing a logical sequence upon the premises here assumed. If the Saints were really upon the Lord's business, and that business really required a foray upon the flocks and herds of the Gentiles, it would seem to be a fair conclusion that the Lord should settle the bills when he pleased.

In obedience to these celestial mandates, the means were obtained, and a large tract of land purchased in Jackson county, Missouri. Arrangements were speedily made for the establishment of a store, a printing-press, and the usual mechanical operations necessary for the convenience of a town. William W. Phelps, a broken-down political hack in the State of New York, was placed at the head of the paper. The Saints flocked in, and a town sprang up as by magic. Joseph returned to Kirtland, where he proposed to remain five years, to make money for ulterior purposes.

During this period of separation the elements of discord began to appear. Rigdon was a discontented spirit. He knew that he had furnished an equal share of the capital in starting the adventure, and became exceedingly restive in being compelled, by the superior tactics of his co-partner, to occupy a subordinate position. Phelps, too, was an uneasy genius, and, like the frog in the fable, was determined to swell himself into importance. He had a ready skill in the dialect of lampoons and half-way libels common to a class of editors at that period; knew something of the weak points of human nature, and could tease it as effectually as the horse is tormented by a hungry swarm of flies. These and other kindred spirits began to question the legitimacy of the powers assumed by the prophet over the Church, and accused him, "in rather an indirect way, of seeking after monarchical power and authority." They began in whispers and covert insinuations, but finally broke out into open accusations, and boldly opened a correspondence with him on the subject. The prophet could not have been more annoyed had a chestnut burr been securely fastened to a sensitive part of his body. He would willingly have put down this rebellion by hurling the thunderbolts of revelation at the heads of the audacious traitors; but he was absent, from the seat of discontent, and did not know how extensive or deeply rooted it might be. His position was exceedingly embarrassing, and he manifested a curious mixture of grief and indignation. In answer to one of Phelps's letters, he writes (January 11th, 1833), "Our hearts are greatly grieved at the spirit which is breathed both in your letter and that of Brother G******s—the very spirit which is wasting Zion like a pestilence; and if it is not detected and driven from you, it will ripen Zion for the threatened judgments of God." "Let me say to you, seek to purify yourselves, and also all the inhabitants of Zion, lest the Lord's anger be kindled to fierceness."

In addition to these threats of divine vengeance, he caused a conference of high-priests to be held, and a general epistle to be written, rebuking the rebellious spirit of the Mormon camp. In this epistle, signed by Orson Hyde and Hyrum Smith, "Brother Phelps' letter" is spoken of as betraying "a lightness of spirit that ill becomes a man placed in the important and responsible station that he is placed in." He is significantly reminded, "If you have fat beef and potatoes, eat them in singleness of heart, and not boast yourselves in these things," and the malcontents are warned that "Brother Joseph will not settle in Zion until she repent and purify herself, and abide by the new covenant, and remember the commandments that have been given her, to do them as well as to say them." The prophet, however, soon found that the rebellion was too serious to be put down by these "paper pellets of the brain," and he was eventually compelled, in compromise of the difficulty, to associate two others with him in the presidency of the Church. The oracle in this emergency runs in this wise: "And again, verily, I say unto you, thy brethren, Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, their sins are forgiven them also, and they are accounted as equal with thee in holding the keys of this last kingdom" (March, 1833). Here we have the quorum of three, which has now become the most important department in the government of the Church.

In the mean time, the Saints went on gathering at Independence until they numbered about twelve hundred. "The Evening and Morning Star," under the management of Phelps, was established in 1832, and opened its batteries upon the Gentile world. Every thing seemed to go on swimmingly. The Saints, encouraged by increasing numbers and the indications of prosperity, became arrogant and overbearing, and talked of ultimately possessing the whole land. They soon, too, acquired a doubtful reputation for licentiousness, stealing, and fraudulent practices under various forms. To cap the climax, the "Star" published some incendiary articles in regard to the colored population, which aroused the jealousy of the slaveholders for the safety of the peculiar institution. The people became uncontrollably excited, and held a meeting at Independence, July 20, 1833, in which they resolved on the expulsion of the Mormons. They required that the office of the Star should be closed, and that the Saints should pledge themselves to remove; in which case they were to be "allowed to remain a reasonable time, to sell their property and close their business without any material sacrifice." The Saints wished for time to consult with their brethren in Ohio, but this being regarded by the angry multitude as an evasion, they again assembled, after a few hours' delay, leveled the printing-office to the ground, and tarred and feathered two of the principal Saints.

On the 23d of July, three days after, the mob again assembled, well armed, and the Mormons, becoming alarmed for their safety, agreed to remove from the county in a reasonable time. An agreement to this effect was drawn up and signed, by which one half were to remove by the first of January, and the rest by the first of April following, in consideration of which the people agreed that no further violence should be offered. Had these terms been complied with, probably no further violence would have occurred in Jackson SMITH TARRED AND FEATHERED. county. The prophet was at this time at Kirtland, and to him some of the brethren resorted in this emergency, and under his direction made an appeal to Governor Dunklin. The Governor, in answer, admitted that they had been illegally treated, and advised them to appeal to the courts for redress. In consequence of this, they commenced a number of suits against sundry of the mob, and resolved to remain. Of course, this led to further violence, and finally to something like a regular skirmish, in which two of the Missourians were killed. Blood being fairly spilled, there seemed every prospect of a civil war, when the main body of the Mormons, hastily and in much confusion, abandoned their homes, and fled into Clay county, on the other side of the Missouri. This took place in November, 1833: women and children were exposed to the inclemency of the weather, and there was much suffering and some loss of property. They were, however, received with great kindness by the people of Clay county, and the prophet managed to take off the rough edge of these reverses by a revelation that they were in consequence of the "contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires" among the Saints, whereby they had "polluted their inheritances;" and they are comforted with the assurance that "Zion shall not be moved out of her place, notwithstanding her children are scattered; they that remain and are pure in heart shall return and come to their inheritances, they and their children, with songs of everlasting joy, to build up the waste places of Zion. And, behold, there is none other place appointed than that which I have appointed for the work of the gathering of my Saints, until the day cometh when there is found no more room for them, and then I have other places which I will appoint unto them; and they shall be called stakes for the curtains, or the strength of Zion" (August, 1833). He also reveals to them that they were to appeal to the judiciary, and, if that was in vain, then to the Governor, and, if that was unsuccessful, then to the President of the United States, and if the appeal was still unheeded, "then the Lord God himself would arise, and come forth out of his hiding-place, and in his fury vex the nation!"

These appeals were all subsequently made without success; but, unfortunately for the prediction, the Lord does not seem to come forth from his "hiding-place;" and, although Missouri was to be overflowing with Saints before the "stakes for the curtains" were appointed, yet they have been compelled to appoint these "stakes" without returning to Independence at all. The truth is, these revelations in regard to the seat of Zion were a little too definite. The prophet, in due time, discovered that he led the Mormon deity into a mistake, and did all he could to explain the failure. It was difficult, however, in the face of such predictions, to change the venue, and the notion is therefore still prevalent among a portion of the Saints that they are to return in triumph to Missouri and drive out the Gentiles.