Utah and the Mormons/Chapter 5
CHAPTER V.
HISTORY CONTINUED.
- Mormons quit Clay and remove into Caldwell County.
- Joseph's Journeys into Missouri.
- Sets up a Bank at Kirtland.
- Leaves Kirtland in the Night.
- Troubles in Missouri.
- "Danites."
- Joseph arrested, and Mormons agree to leave the State
- Murder at Hawn's Mill.
- Mormons remove to Illinois.
- Evidence on the Trial of Joseph.
- His Imprisonment and Escape.
The Mormons went into Clay county as a temporary refuge from the popular storm then raging against them, and until they could return to Zion or obtain some other abiding-place. Under the encouraging predictions of the prophet, they confidently expected soon to be restored in triumph to their chosen metropolis. But delays ensued. The people of Jackson county, determined to be forever rid of the nuisance which they had thus summarily abated, pertinaciously refused all terms of accommodation based upon the idea that the Saints were to return among them.
In the mean time, persecution seems to have given them exactly the kind of aid needed for a rapid accumulation of numbers. New converts flocked in, and spread from Clay into Caldwell and Davies counties, and this portion of Missouri bid fair to become completely Mormonized. The people of Clay county became seriously alarmed. They found in their midst an ignorant, clannish population, combined together by religious fanaticism, arrogant and overbearing in their pretensions, and completely under the control of a single will. Their numbers were rapidly increasing; they were purchasing lands; and there was every appearance that they intended to remain. They were non-slaveholders, and excited the fears of the people in regard to their slaves; they proclaimed that the Indians were a remnant of the Israelites, and were making strenuous efforts to convert them to the new faith; and the tomahawk and scalping-knife became, in popular imagination, fearful additions to the destructive elements which seemed to be combining for evil in their midst. A meeting of the citizens was held at Liberty on the 29th of June, 1836, in which these matters were taken into consideration. The Mormons were reminded of the circumstances under which they were received, and requested to leave, time being given them to harvest their crops and dispose of their property. Fortunately for all concerned, the Saints admitted the conditions under which they were received by the citizens, and agreed to leave on the terms proposed, denying strenuously that they had ever tampered with the slaves, or had any idea of exciting an Indian war.
The Mormons, being thus compelled to leave Clay county, settled principally in Caldwell county, founding the city of Far West, and other smaller places. The popular storm, however, which had never fully abated, gathered new strength, and ultimately drove them from the state.
The prophet, who had kept himself out of the way of danger during the warfare in Jackson county, and had made a missionary excursion into Canada, seeking for new converts, projected a journey into Missouri soon after the Saints had got safely settled in Clay county. Many had grown weak in the faith, and become discouraged by reason of the troubles at Independence. This journey was therefore intended to build up the breaches in the walls of Zion by a fresh display of revelations, and other signs and wonders. He journeyed partly in disguise, to avoid the anticipated hostility of the wicked Gentiles, and was attended by a body-guard of about one hundred young men, secretly armed. This was in May, 1834. After passing the Illinois River, they came to some of those mounds so common in the Western States. One of these was opened, and the bones of a dead Indian exposed to view, with an arrow between his ribs. Joseph was instantly favored with a vision, and declared the remains to be the skeleton of one of the ancient Lamanites by the name of Zelph, who had been killed in a battle 
DISCOVERY OF THE LAMANITE SKELETON.
with the Nephites. The journey occupied some time. On reaching the first settlement of the brethren, they were joined by Brother Hyrum Smith, with about one hundred armed men; and with this re-enforcement he visited the Saints, gave forth some consoling and reassuring revelations, worked some miracles, and, after reducing things to proper order, returned to Kirtland in July.
The principal object of the prophet's residence at Kirtland, as avowed by himself, was to make money, for the purpose of facilitating which he set up a bank, in connection with a mill and store; and in this way he carried on business operations for a few years. But financial and commercial enterprises were altogether beyond his depth; his forte lay in another direction; the universal panacea of revelation could not ward off the blow; the celestial councils got into a decided fog; to make a long story short, the whole concern exploded in 1837. He had great difficulty in preventing the whole Mormon scheme from exploding with the bank. The sufferers grumbled. One Elder Boynton contumaciously complained that "he understood the bank was instituted by the will of God, and he had been told that it should never fail, let men do what they would." But Joseph adroitly threw the blame on the managers, claiming that a blessing had been promised only on the condition of its being conducted on proper principles. The following, from his autobiography, shows the straits to which he was reduced at this critical period:
"At this time the spirit of speculation in lands, and property of all kinds, which was so prevalent throughout the whole nation, was taking deep root in the Church; as the fruits of this spirit, evil surmisings, fault-finding, disunion, dissension, and apostacy followed in quick succession, and it seemed as though all the powers of earth and hell were combining their influence in an especial manner to overthrow the Church at once, and make a final end. Other banking institutions refused the 'Kirtland Safety Society's' notes. The enemy abroad and apostates in our midst united in their schemes; flour and provisions were turned toward other markets; and many became disaffected toward me, as though I were the sole cause of those very evils I was most strenuously striving against, and which were actually brought upon us by the brethren not giving heed to my counsel.
"No quorum in the Church was entirely exempt from the influence of those false spirits who were striving against me for the mastery; even some of the Twelve were so far lost to their high and responsible calling as to begin to take sides, secretly, with the enemy."
In addition to these troubles, the outside barbarians in and around Kirtland, who fancied themselves swindled by these banking operations, became excited, and procured legal process for the arrest of the prophet and Elder Rigdon. In the profane and vulgar language of the day, Joseph and his coadjutor "run away" in the night of January 12th, 1838. It is curious to see how differently the same thing is viewed by different minds. The following is the aspect of the case when viewed through Mormon spectacles:
"A new year dawned upon the Church in Kirtland in all the bitterness of the spirit of apostate mobocracy, which continued to rage, and grow hotter and hotter, until Elder Rigdon and myself were obliged to flee from its deadly influence, as did the apostles and prophets of old, and as Jesus said, 'When they persecute you in one city, flee to another;' and on the evening of the 12th of January, about ten o'clock, we left Kirtland, on horseback, to escape mob violence, which was about to burst upon us, under the color of legal process to cover their hellish designs, and save themselves from the just judgment of the law."
The people were thoroughly exasperated, and Joseph and his prime minister had to run for it:
"The weather was extremely cold, and we were obliged to secrete ourselves in our wagons sometimes, to elude the grasp of our pursuers, who continued their race more than two hundred miles from Kirtland, armed with pistols, &c., seeking our lives."
Once fairly beyond the risk of seizure by the persecuting Kirtlanders, the fugitive prophet took the matter more leisurely, and, after journeying about four weeks, arrived at Far West, which at this period must be regarded as the "Latter-day" metropolis. His presence here had become a necessity. The affairs of Zion, though prospering in point of numerical accession, were any thing but promising, and another collision with the Gentiles was evidently approaching.
Ever since their expulsion from Independence, the Mormons had made the most persevering efforts to return, and among the means contemplated was a resort to arms, in case milder means did not succeed. They had applied to the Governor for a military force to restore them to their lost Eden, and also for permission to organize companies among themselves, to be armed by the state. The Governor manifested his willingness to reinstate them in their former possessions, so far as lay in his power; but, as it was manifestly impossible to keep a standing army at Independence, there was no guarantee that the same troubles would not be renewed; and he advised them to continue their reliance on the courts for redress. The people of Jackson, however, were fully determined that none of the Saints should from henceforth settle in their midst; and, to put the question at rest, they made a more than equitable proposition to purchase the lands and improvements of the Mormons, at a price to be fixed by three disinterested arbitrators, with one hundred per cent in addition. Strange to say, this extremely favorable proposition was rejected. Zion had been distinctly located at Independence by a revelation, and the prophet could not bear to have the prediction falsified; and accordingly, under date of December 5th, 1833, from Kirtland, he had written: "You will recollect that the Lord has said that Zion should not be removed out of her place; therefore the land should not be sold, but be held by the Saints, until the Lord, in his wisdom, opens a way for your return."
They not only refused to sell their property at double its value, in obedience to the prophet's injunctions, but instituted civil and criminal proceedings against those who had been most active in ejecting them from their possessions.
In the mean time, precisely the same causes which made the Saints fugitives from Independence, were arousing against them the popular indignation in Caldwell and Davies counties. As numbers and prosperity gathered around them, they became arrogant, and soon acquired, whether founded or unfounded, their former reputation for licentiousness, thieving, and other kindred practices. Matters, went on from bad to worse; one scene of violence led to another a little more flagrant—buildings were burned, and blood was shed; the executive of the state interfered and called out the militia, and something very much resembling civil war began to rage in this unlucky portion of the state. Which party, the Mormon or anti-Mormon, committed the first act of open violence, is not very clear, though the weight of evidence in this respect is against the Saints. At all events, it is quite evident that Joseph at this period had made up his mind to resist the laws, and, if possible, play the part of Mohammed. To further these objects, he had organized a formidable band of ruffians, as the nucleus of a disciplined military force, but whose present business it was to inflict vengeance upon apostates and obnoxious Gentiles, and, in fact, like the executioners of the German Vehme, to commit any crime, however horrible, in obedience to the mandates of the prophet. These were the "Danites," or "Brothers of Gideon." But "the pear was not yet ripe."
The Governor acted with vigor. A strong military force was organized and placed under the command of General J. B. Clark, who, by a rapid march, surrounded Far West, and made Joseph and Hyrum Smith, with some forty others, prisoners, and virtually ended the struggle without a battle. The Mormons, panic-struck, delivered up their arms, and entered into a treaty by which they agreed to leave the state. During this period of commotion, some lamentable scenes occurred, exhibiting the revengeful bitterness of the popular mind, among which was the murder of sixteen Mormons, including two boys, at Hawn's Mill, by a lawless band of armed men. The Saints charged this dastardly violence upon those in command; and, unfortunately, the phraseology of General Clark's instructions, and of his subsequent address to the Mormons, furnishes some plausibility to the accusation.
In a dispatch from the general to the Governor, dated November 10th, 1838, he says: "There is no crime, from treason down to petit larceny, but these people, or a majority of them, have 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 horrid 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 Church."
It was in answer to this that the Governor wrote to General Clark, that "the ringleaders of this rebellion should be made an example of; and, if it should become necessary to the public peace, the Mormons should be exterminated or expelled from the state."
This was extremely unguarded, and seems to have been too literally construed. In an address of General Clark to the Mormons, we find the following:
"Another thing yet remains for you to comply with—that is, that you leave the state forthwith; and, whatever your feelings concerning this affair, whatever your innocence, it is nothing to me. General Lucas, who is equal in authority with me, has made this treaty with you. I am determined to see it executed. The orders of the Governor to me were, that you should be exterminated, and not allowed to continue in the state; and had your leader not been given up, and the treaty complied with, before this you and your families would have been destroyed, and your houses in ashes." "I did not say that you should go now; but you must not think of staying here another season, or of putting in crops, for the moment you do, the citizens will be upon you. I am determined to see the Governor's message fulfilled, but shall not come upon you immediately; do not think that I shall act as I have done any more; but if I come again, because the treaty which you have made here shall be broken, you need not expect any mercy, but extermination."
Making all due allowance for the exasperated state of the public mind, these threats of "extermination" sound a little too savage in Anglo-Saxon ears. They were undoubtedly intended to intimidate the Mormons into a compliance with the stipulations of the treaty which they had made. But they were impolitic, because they gave plausibility to the idea that the Saints were the victims of a cruel and unrelenting religious persecution, and furnished them with one of the surest means of future success. The prophet was not slow in using the weapons thus placed in his hands; the cry of persecution was rung in all its changes through Christendom; his followers were compared to the early Christian martyrs, suffering under the tortures inflicted by the enemies of the Church; and converts rapidly gathered around the new Zion.
By the treaty above referred to, the Mormons were required to quit the state, and five commissioners were appointed to sell their property, pay their debts, and aid them in removing. Many families being destitute, and without the means of removing, the state appropriated two thousand dollars for their relief; the citizens of the adjacent counties also contributed in money and goods to the same object.
Once more fugitives and wanderers, the Saints crossed the Mississippi and found refuge in the neighboring State of Illinois. The prophet and his fellow-prisoners were arraigned for treason against the state, and on a
CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI.
preliminary examination of the case before Judge King, some startling facts were disclosed in regard to the designs of the Mormon chief, the dangerous fanaticism of his followers, and the atrocities which had been sanctioned by him.
It appears by the testimony of Samuel Avard that the first object of the Danite band was "to drive from the county of Caldwell all those who dissented from the Mormon Church, in which they succeeded admirably, to the satisfaction of those concerned." "The prophet, Joseph Smith, Jr., together with his two counselors (Hyrum Smith and Sidney Rigdon), were considered the supreme head of the Church; and the Danite band felt themselves as much bound to obey them as to obey the supreme God."
John Cowill, another Mormon, swore: "This Mormon Church has been represented as being the little stone spoken of by Daniel, which should roll on, and crush all opposition to it, and ultimately should be established as a temporal as well as a spiritual kingdom. These things were to be carried on through the instrumentality of the Danite band, as far as force was necessary, they being organized into bands of tens, fifties, &c., ready for war." "I think the original object of the Danite band was to operate on the dissenters; but afterward it grew into a system to carry out the designs of the presidency, and, if it was necessary, to use physical force to uphold the kingdom of God."
John Cleminson (Mormon) swore: "Some time in June I attended two or three Danite meetings, and it was there taught as a part of the duty of the band that they should support the presidency, right or wrong; that whatever they said was to be obeyed, and whoever opposed the presidency in what they said or desired done, should be expelled the county, or have their lives taken."
William W. Phelps, then a Mormon dissenter, but now again a member in good standing, and member of the Utah Legislative Assembly, swore: "It was observed in the meeting, that if any person spoke against the presidency, they would-hand him over to the hands of the 'Brothers of Gideon.'" "The object of the meeting seemed to be to make persons confess and repent of their sins to God and the presidency, and arraign them for giving a false account of their money and effects they had on hand; and they said, whenever they found one guilty of these things, they were to be handed over to the 'Brothers of Gideon.'" "There was a short speech made by Joseph Smith, Jr., about carrying on the war, in which he said it was necessary to take spoils to live on. This was in reference to the dissenters, as well as to the people of Davies, where they were going." "Wight asked Smith, Jr., twice, if it had come to the point now to resist the laws. Smith replied, the time had come when he should resist all law."
A great deal of testimony was taken, disclosing a fearful catalogue of stealing, robbery, burning, &c., by the Mormons, with the sanction of their prophet.
Among the affidavits on which the prosecution was founded is one made by Thomas B. Marsh, a seceder, in which it is stated, "They have among them a company, consisting of all that are considered true Mormons, 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." "In a conversation between Dr. Avard and other Mormons, said Avard proposed to start a pestilence among the Gentiles, as he called them, by poisoning their cows, fruit, &c., and saying it was the work of the Lord; and said Avard advocated lying, for the support of their religion, and said it was no harm to lie for the Lord. The plan of said Smith, the prophet, is to take this state; and he professes to his people to intend taking the United States, and ultimately the whole world. The prophet inculcated the notion, and it is believed by every true Mormon, that Smith's prophecies are superior to the laws of the land. I have heard the prophet say that he would yet tread down his enemies and walk on their dead bodies; that, if he was not let alone, he would be a second Mohammed to this generation, and that he would make it one gore of blood from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean; that, like Mohammed, 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-Diahman was between three and four hundred."
These statements of Marsh were endorsed by Orson. Hyde, then a seceder, but now one of the twelve apostles, member of the Legislative Assembly of Utah, &c., in the following terms:
All the testimony taken on the examination was subsequently communicated to the Missouri Legislature in 1840, by Governor Boggs, among the documents accompanying his message, and published. In his message he thus speaks of the Mormons:
"These people had violated the laws of the land by open force and avowed resistance to them; they had undertaken, without the aid of the civil authority, to redress their real or fancied grievances; they had instituted among themselves a government of their own, independent and in opposition to the government of this state, that had, at an inclement season of the year, driven the inhabitants of an entire county from their homes, ravaged their crops, and destroyed their dwellings. Under these circumstances, it became the imperious duty of the executive to interfere, and exercise the powers with which he was invested to protect the lives and property of our citizens, to restore order and tranquillity to the county, and maintain the supremacy of the laws."
This accumulation of evidence furnishes abundant proof that the prophet had, at this early period, infused into his followers a fanatical belief in his pretensions, and the most extravagant notions of their future greatness. In all likelihood, the unexpected success of the scheme induced Smith to believe that he could play the part of the Arabian impostor; and he might have done so had he possessed equal resources, and found a field of popular ignorance and delusion sufficiently extensive for his operations.
He was thrown into prison, where he remained until the spring of 1839, when he managed to make his escape and join his followers-in Illinois.