Utah and the Mormons/Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII.
HISTORY CONTINUED.
- Apparent Prosperity.
- Internal Difficulties.
- Arrogance.
- Joseph's Licentiousness.
- Polygamy.
- Spiritual Wife-ism.
- Troubles with Higbee and Foster.
- Attempt to arrest Joseph.
- Joseph and Hyrum surrender on Pledge of Safety.
- Are murdered.
- Character of Joseph Smith.
The Mormon community at this period presented a spectacle of much apparent prosperity: increasing numbers, great industry among the masses, an efficient military organization, the protection and favor of a powerful state, and its chief one of the candidates for the presidency. Why could it not continue? Because it contained within itself the seeds of its own destruction. It was a strange combination of incongruous materials; a festering mass of arrogance, discontent, hypocrisy, chicanery, licentiousness, and crime; and was surely destined to internal commotion, collision with the laws of the land, and ultimate dispersion.
Large numbers, attracted by the novelty and outside appearances, like insects gathering into the open mouth of the alligator, to be drawn into the reptile's maw, were hopelessly ruined; and these were discontented. The fanatical portion were arrogant, and, in their estimation, the rights of the Gentiles were of the smallest weight in the balance against the superior privileges of the Saints. These feelings were necessarily fostered and brought into terrible activity by the whole tenor of Mormon teaching. Both the press and the pulpit were rife with the dismal condition of the Gentile world; calamities by "flood and field," earthquakes, fires, popular commotions, rumors and prospects of war, which were regarded as the sure forebodings of its speedy destruction. The Saints, however, like the followers of the camp on the eve of battle, were to come in and enjoy the spoils.
"It is a day of strange appearances. Every thing indicates something more than meets the eye. Every nation is opening events which astonish mankind: even the heart of man begins to melt at the prospect before it. The unquenchable thirst for news; the continuity of emigration; the wars and rumors of wars, with many other signs of the distress of nations from the Old World—as it is called across the ocean—whispers so loud to the understanding, that he that runs may read the label on the eastern sky. The end is nigh."—Times and Seasons, p. 642.
The following is from a discourse delivered by Hyrum Smith at the April Conference, 1844.
"The reason why I feel so good is because I have a big soul; we have gathered out all the big souls from the ends of the earth; the Gospel picks out all the big souls out of all creation; and we will get all the big souls out of all the nations, and we shall have the largest city in the world; God Almighty has made men's souls according to the society which he lives in, with very few exceptions, and when men come to live with the Mormons, their souls swell as if they were going to stride the planets."—P. 597.
Sidney Rigdon, at the same Conference, was particularly spicy on the outside barbarians: "I want devils to gratify themselves, and if howling, yelling, yelping will do you any good, do it till you are all damned. If calling us devils, &c., will do you any good, let us have the whole of it, and you can then go your way to hell without a grunt."
Elder Kimball, on a subsequent occasion, was peculiarly felicitous: "They will be glad to black our boots and lick the dust that is under our feet, and this is nothing to what will come to pass; I might stand here all day and tell you things of the future, and you would not believe the half of it."
In fine, the Gentiles were decidedly a scurvy race, condemned to speedy destruction, and of no more account than the felon who already feels the tightening squeeze of the halter. Under such circumstances, was it very strange for the true believer occasionally to anticipate events, and make free with Gentile goods a little before the day of final execution? Accordingly, we are regaled with the same old complaints against the Saints, for nearly all the crimes in the calendar, which had previously been made against them in Missouri, and, unfortunately, the criminal records of Hancock county bear strong evidence of their truth.
But the most fruitful element of internal commotion, and that which more immediately led to the prophet's death, was the introduction of polygamy as one of the numerous privileges of the Saints. This extraordinary addition to the curious collection of Mormon doctrines and practices grew legitimately out of the character of Joseph himself, which was a combination of cunning and sensuality. The latter quality, indeed, seems eventually to have become the absorbing and governing passion of his soul, which respected neither the ties of kindred nor friendship; nor do his followers take much pains to conceal this feature of his character. A devout Mormon at Salt Lake informed me that Joseph's wife adopted five orphan girls, brought them up with great care, and became much attached to them; and that two of them, as they grew up to womanhood at Nauvoo, became the victims of his improper solicitations, and were turned away by the indignant wife. His unfortunate proclivity in this direction is spoken of as a failing which was intended as a trial of their faith, rather than as a vice to be condemned. It is a remarkable fact, that he was in the habit of having revelations accusing himself of falling away, and threatening punishment, which were succeeded by other revelations that he had repented and was forgiven; and in this the pious Saint sees strong confirmation of the truth of his pretensions, reasoning that such denunciatory oracles would not have been invented by himself. The prophet's habits did not mend with increasing years and prosperity; and these threatening and whitewashing revelations, to satisfy the scruples of the over-prudish, became irksome. The celestial powers were again invoked, and on the 12th of July, 1843, responded by granting to, and rather enjoining upon, the Saints the practice of polygamy.
The prophet was aware that he was entering upon a ticklish experiment even with his own disciples, to say nothing of the Gentiles; and he prefaced its reception by pretending to be in great trouble. He told some of his most influential followers that if they knew what a hard and unpalatable revelation he had had, they would drive him from the city. The heavenly powers, however, were not to be trifled with, and a day was appointed when the important mandate was to be submitted to a convocation of the authorities of the Church. The time arrived; the priests and elders convened; but Joseph, in virtuous desperation, concluded rather to flee the city than be the medium of communicating a matter so repugnant to his mind. He mounted his horse and galloped from the town, but was met by an angel with a drawn sword, and threatened with instant destruction unless he immediately returned and fulfilled his mission. He returned, accordingly, in submissive despair, and made the important communication to the assembled notables. Such is substantially the account of the matter given by simple-minded believers at Salt Lake.
A revelation promulgated with such awful sanctions could not but make a deep impression upon credulous and superstitious minds. A copy is given, by way of appendix, from the "Deseret News Extra" of September 14, 1852. From its commencement, it would appear that the prophet, in the first instance, inquired how Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon were justified in having "many wives and concubines;" and that the Mormon divinity takes the interrogatory as a sort of text, and branches out into a new set of definitions in regard to adultery, and establishes a new order in the Church, prefacing the whole with dire threats of damnation against all who should refuse to obey. Whether the main subject would ever have been entertained by the heavenly councils, had it not been first broached by Joseph, must probably forever remain a mystery. Perhaps, in accordance with the laws which regulate such deities, the priest must first mount the tripod, and propound a query before the oracle can speak. The same simpleminded believers to whom allusion has been made have expressed to me their deep regret that the prophet should ever have questioned the Lord on the subject.
The cream of this long revelation will be found in the last paragraph but one, and is as follows:
"And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent; and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then he is justified; he can not commit adultery, for they are given unto him; for he can not commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him, and to none else; and if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he can not commit adultery; for they belong to him, and they are given unto him—therefore he is justified. But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed; for they are given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfill the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world; and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued that he may be glorified."
By the next paragraph due provision is made in case the first wife should prove contumacious, and not give her consent:
"Therefore it shall be lawful in one, if she receive not this law, for him to receive all things, whatsoever I the Lord his God will give unto him, because she did not believe and administer unto him according to my word; and then she becomes the transgressor, and he is exempt from the law of Sarah, who administered unto Abraham according to the law when I commanded Abraham to take Hagar to wife."
The oracle is careful to provide for future changes of policy in the celestial councils on this subject: "And now, as pertaining to this law, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will reveal more unto you hereafter; therefore let this suffice for the present."
This revelation, of course, legalized Joseph's numerous left-hand marriages already contracted, and gave a general license for future matrimonial engagements. It was not generally made known among the Saints at the time, but seems to have been kept as a choice titbit for the prophet, and those of his followers who were judged to be prepared for so important a development of Mormonism. The Gentiles, of course, were to be kept in ignorance of the true state of the affair. The prophet was diligent in persuading his most confidential friends to become polygamists. Some were ready for the sacrifice. Brigham Young was the first, and Heber C. Kimball the second who followed his example. But others needed urging, and some utterly refused, among the latter of whom was Hyrum Smith, who is said to have remained a faithful and devoted husband to his first and only wife.
In the mean time, it became essential to prepare the Saints generally, and after them the Gentiles, for the reception of the new revelation. This was the origin of what has been called the spiritual wife doctrine—a species of Platonism which has not been very clearly defined, but by virtue of which a Saint might be favored with a vivid internal impression, or dictate, that a certain woman (not his wife) was his spiritual wife, and, if assented to, the relationship brought with it privileges and obligations not necessary now to detail. This doctrine was evidently put forth as a feeler, to try the temper of the uninitiated on this delicate subject, and prepare the way for the open recognition of polygamy. But human propensities are not always easily controlled, even under the severe restraints of law, and the privileged Saints were soon found poaching on each other's warrens. Every one whose inclinations led him in that direction had the necessary impressions and visions, and they very soon began to stand sadly in each other's way. A man could have half a dozen spiritual wives, but it was found inconvenient to allow a woman to have the same number of spiritual husbands. Collisions growing out of this kind of license became bitter animosities; and, accordingly, we find them at this period accusing one another of the most scandalous practices.
Joseph was compelled to change his tack. In order to purge the Church, in public estimation, from seandals, becoming of too widespread notoriety, he cut off and gave over to the buffetings of Satan, under the charge of seduction and adultery, various scapegoats who had been encouraged to preach the spiritual wife doctrine, and a regular system of denial that any such practices existed was adopted. This, however, was dangerous business. Among others, one Francis M. Higbee entered with zest into spiritual wife-ism, and, as he proved somewhat intractable, was cut off from the Church. Higbee, in revenge, prosecuted Joseph Smith, Sen., for slander, and had him arrested under a capias. The defendant sued out a habeas corpus (May 6th, 1844) before the Municipal Court of Nauvoo, and, in support of this proceeding, the prophet and others were sworn as witnesses, disclosing an inconceivably corrupt state of morals in that city, in which the names of R. D. Foster, John C. Bennett, and others appear as active agents. The deposition of one Eaton throws some light on the spiritual wife machinery:
"Soon after I went in, the said Higbee commenced talking about the spiritual wife system. He said he had no doubt but some of the elders had ten or twelve apiece. He said they married them, whether the females were willing or not; and they did it by recording the marriage in a large book, which book was sealed up after the record was made, and was not to be opened for a long time, probably not until many of the husbands of those who were thus married were dead. They would then open the book and break the seals in the presence of those females, and when they saw their names recorded in that book, they would believe that the doctrine was true, and they must submit. He said this book was kept at Mr. Hyrum Smith's."
The patriarch Smith was of course liberated; but the trouble did not end here. The Mormon chief was in the unfortunate predicament of the conjuror who is unable to get rid of the fiend raised by his own incantations. The trial of the Higbee matter disclosed some attempts on the part of the prophet to seduce the wife of Doctor Foster. The latter believed, or professed to believe, this and other scandalous stories in relation to his late spiritual chief, and, in connection with one Law, established a paper called the Expositor in Nauvoo, in which he published a batch of affidavits tending to prove the truth of these stories. Joseph was too absolute in his own dominions quietly to submit to so gross an insult. As mayor of Nauvoo, he assembled the city authorities, and caused this audacious press to be pronounced a nuisance, and ordered to be abated; and, in obedience to the mandate, the marshal, with a posse, leveled the establishment to the ground. Foster and his coadjutors fled, and, in revenge for these summary injuries, procured a warrant for the arrest of Joseph and Hyrum Smith and some others. The prophet refused to acknowledge the validity of this Gentile document, and the officer who had it in charge was unceremoniously expelled from the city. The militia of the county were thereupon ordered out to support the officer in the execution of his process, and the Mormons in Nauvoo and its vicinity prepared to defend the prophet. The excitement rapidly spread, the militia of the adjacent counties were ordered out, the Governor repaired to the scene of disturbance, and, as in Missouri, there was every prospect of civil war.
Here again was a collision between Mormonism and the laws of the land; one or the other must yield.
In this emergency, on the 21st of June, 1844, the Governor proposed to the Smiths that they should surrender themselves as prisoners under the warrant, upon his pledge for their safety from personal violence; and, to satisfy the people that the Mormons were peaceably disposed, he further proposed that the Nauvoo Legion should surrender its arms, and be placed under the command of a Gentile officer. After an anxious consultation, the prophet concluded to comply with these terms, and on the 24th, with his brother Hyrum, started for Carthage, the capital of Hancock county. On their way they were met by Captain Dunn, with a company of sixty men, having an order for the surrender of the state arms at Nauvoo. After a parley, it was agreed that the prophet should return to the city to see the order executed, and then repair to Carthage under the protection of Captain Dunn's company. This was done. On the evening of the 24th, Captain Dunn arrived at Carthage with his prisoners; on the 25th they surrendered themselves to the constable, and, at the same time, were arrested on a charge of treason. In the afternoon of the same day they were brought before the magistrate for examination; but the popular excitement had become fearfully intense, and the prisoners, under the advice of their counsel, gave bail for their appearance at the ensuing Oyer and Terminer to answer for the riot. When this part of the business was completed, it was late, and the justice adjourned his court, nothing being said about the more serious offense. Upon this the constable produced a mittimus on the charge of treason, and lodged his prisoners in jail, they protesting, and claiming that the examination for that charge should go on immediately. A guard was placed about the jail by the Governor for their protection, and on the morning of the 26th he visited them, and "again pledged himself for their personal safety, and said if the troops went to Nauvoo, as was then contemplated, they should go along to insure their protection." The examination of the prisoners was postponed, first to the 27th, which was subsequently changed to the 29th.
The Governor, instead of marching the troops to Nauvoo on the 27th, changed his mind on ascertaining that nothing less than the destruction of that place would satisfy a portion of them, and disbanded the whole force except three companies, two of which were reserved to guard the jail, and with the other he proceeded to the city. One of the counsel for the prisoners, by the name of Reid, states that the Carthage Grays, whose conduct had exhibited the most hostility to the prisoners, were among the troops left to guard them; and that only eight of them were stationed at the prison, the rest being in camp about one fourth of a mile off.
About six o'clock on the evening of the 27th, the guard at the jail were overpowered by an armed party of some 200 men, disguised by paint, who forced the prison, and assassinated the two Smiths, and desperately wounded John Taylor. The following is an account of the murder, as given by Willard Richards, who was an inmate of the prison at the time:
"TWO MINUTES IN JAIL.
"Possibly the following events occupied near three minutes, but I think only about two, and have penned them for the gratification of many friends.
This terrible murder produced the wildest fears that the Mormons would rush in a body from their capital to revenge it, and the citizens of Carthage began to flee from their houses. To prevent any such outbreak, a messenger was dispatched to Nauvoo with the following letter from three leading Mormons:
The Governor at the same time, fearing some demonstration against the Mormons, sent them directions to defend themselves, if necessary, until protection could be furnished. So brutal a murder, committed in the face of such solemnly-repeated pledges of safety, demanded from the Governor some explanation. All that he could probably give appears in the following, from a statement published by him:
"I desire to make a brief but true statement of the recent disgraceful affair at Carthage, in regard to the Smiths, so far as circumstances have come to my knowledge. The Smiths, Joseph and Hyrum, have been assassinated in jail; by whom it is not known, but will be ascertained. I pledged myself for their safety; and upon the assurance of that pledge, they surrendered as prisoners. The Mormons surrendered the public arms in their possession, and the Nauvoo Legion submitted to the command of Captain Singleton, of Brown county, deputed for that purpose by me. All these things were required to satisfy the old citizens of Hancock that the Mormons were peaceably disposed, and to allay jealousy and excitement in their minds. It appears, however, that the compliance of the Mormons with every requisition made upon them failed of that purpose. The pledge of security to the Smiths was not given upon my individual responsibility. Before I gave it, I obtained a pledge of honor, by a unanimous vote from the officers and men under my command, to sustain me in performing it. If the assassination of the Smiths was committed by any portion of these, they have added treachery to murder, and have done all they could to disgrace the state and sully the public honor.
"On the morning of the day the deed was committed, we had proposed to march the army under my command into Nauvoo. I had, however, discovered, on the evening before, that nothing but utter destruction of the city would satisfy a portion of the troops; and that, if we marched into the city, pretexts would not be wanting for commencing hostilities. The Mormons had done every thing required, or which ought to have been required of them. Offensive operations on our part would have been as unjust and disgraceful, as they would have been impolitic, in the present critical season of the year, the harvest and the crops. For these reasons, I decided in a council of officers to disband the army, except three companies, two of which were reserved as a guard for the jail. With the other company I marched into Nauvoo, to address the inhabitants there, and tell them what they might expect in case they designedly or imprudently provoked a war. I performed this duty, as I think, plainly and emphatically, and then set out to return to Carthage. When I had marched about three miles, a messenger informed me of the occurrences at Carthage. I hastened on to that place. The guard, it is said, did their duty, but were overpowered."
Fortunately, owing to the precautions taken, no further disturbances took place connected with the arrest and assassination of the Smiths. Their bodies were removed to Nauvoo, and buried amid solemn and imposing ceremonies; and the grave which closed over them, under such appalling circumstances, has effectually concealed from the Mormon's vision the faults and vices of his prophet. In his estimation Joseph died a martyr's death, and sealed the truth of his great pretensions by his blood.
"He was," says the Times and Seasons, p. 584, "one of the best men that ever lived on the earth. The work he has thus far performed toward establishing pure religion and preparing the way for the great gathering of Israel, in the short space of twenty years since the time when the angel of the Lord made known his mission, and gave him power to move the cause of Zion, exceeds any thing of the kind on record. Without learning, without means, and without experience, he has met a learned world, a rich century, a hardhearted, wicked, and adulterous generation, with truth that could not be resisted, facts that could not be disproved, revelations whose spirit had so much God in them that the servants of the Lord could not be gainsayed or resisted, but, like the rays of light from the sun, they have tinged every thing they lit upon with a lustre and livery which has animated, quickened, and adorned.
"The pages of General Smith's history, though his enemies never ceased to persecute him and hunt for offenses against him, are as unsullied as virgin snow. On about fifty prosecutions for supposed criminal offenses, he came out of the legal fire, heated, like Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, seven times hotter than it was wont to be, without the smell of fire, or a thread of his garments scorched. His foes of the world and enemies of his own household, who have sought occasions against him, in order secretly to deprive him of his life, because his goodness, greatness, and glory exceeded theirs, have a poor excuse to offer the world for shedding his innocent blood, and no apology to make to the Judge of all the earth at the day of judgment. They have murdered him because they feared his righteousness."
It is the duty, however, of impartial truth to strip this singular being of his bloody cerements, and view him as he was. That he possessed some extraordinary traits of character, would seem to be established by the degree of success attending the strange hierarchy originated by him. In 1827, he announced the discovery of the Golden Book, when only twenty-two years of age; and at the time of his death in 1844, his followers must have numbered over one hundred thousand. To operate on so many minds, even though upon a low plane and easily affected by the marvelous, bring them under a distinct organization, and sway them at will, in the very midst of hostile influences, prove that he had some mental powers, which we are compelled to respect, however much we may condemn the motives by which he was influenced.
The remarkable tenacity of purpose which he exhibited under discouraging circumstances, and the apparent sincerity of his professions, have been suggested as evidence that he was really a religious enthusiast, who became the victim of his own delusions. But it must be recollected that he had every thing to lose, and but little to gain, by an abandonment of his imposture. His character had become bad in public estimation; and he could go back into society, and settle down into some useful employment, no easier than the state's prison convict, whom every one shuns as he would a pestilence. He had fixed the mark of Cain upon his own forehead, and could have no future fellowship with his kind, except as an impostor. This is sufficient to account for the desperation of his efforts—it was with him a struggle of life and death. Such, in fact, is the history of all grades of cheats and impostors. What is the career of the counterfeiter but one of peril and punishment—a series of narrow escapes and durance? Look at him through life: he suffers every thing; runs the gauntlet of human contumely and prisons; and yet with what tenacity will he adhere to his hazardous employment. No one ever thought, however, of suggesting that such men really believed they were performing good uses to society. Why should the religious impostor be judged by any other rule?, Whether he practices upon the credulity of mankind as a pretended prophet, or robs them by debasing the currency, makes no great practical difference, except that the former causes the greater mischief. Both have a similar object in view; they only pursue different roads to the same destination, and are to be judged by the same standard of right.
He was no religious enthusiast who began in fraud and ended in sincerity. He lacked every element of the character. Self-convicted enthusiasts have been ascetics, subjecting themselves to lonely vigils, self-torture, and rigid mortifications of the flesh. The Mormon prophet, however, inculcated and practiced self-indulgence. His epicurean traits marked his whole career. He was the jolly landlord—the bon-vivant boon companion—the fair-weather militia general, caracoling in gay plumage at the head of his staff on the parade-ground—the man of many wives or concubines—the heated partisan, entering the lists for office, and belaboring his antagonists in the style of the bar-room politician. What room was there in the mind of such a man for sincere enthusiasm?
He possessed a mind extremely fertile in taking advantage of circumstances as they occur. In a community imbued with popular superstitions and enthusiastic fancies, it is not a hard task to explain away or soften down apparent inconsistencies or untoward events. He was, however, an adept at this business; and not only always ready with a plausible reason for the non-fulfillment of a prophecy or failure of a miracle, but wonderfully skillful in turning them to account. To great cunning he added apparent enthusiasm; and as he dealt with the weakness instead of the strength of human nature, his success more than realized his anticipations.
Joseph Smith possessed great popularity of manners, and extraordinary powers of impressing the popular credulity with faith in the sincerity of his pretensions. In those lay the principal secret of his success. Notwithstanding his numerous vices—which, indeed, may be said to form the subsoil from which all his mental fertility received its nourishment—his name is venerated, and his words are law, among his followers. An incident, illustrative of his popularity, is related of him while at Nauvoo. Passing along the streets, he found a number of men engaged at pitching quoits. He pulled off his coat, and entered with zest into the amusement. After the game was finished, he said, "Come, boys, we've had our fun, now let us go and cut a load of wood for Widow B." No quicker said than done—the wood-pile was soon ready for the stove.
He did not possess a high order of talent. He lacked in sagacity and comprehensiveness-traits not commonly found united with sensuality and cunning such as his. He could raise the whirlwind, but could not direct the storm. A better balanced mind would have avoided the troubles at Independence and at Nauvoo; perhaps, too, a better balanced mind would not have engaged at all in the business of imposture. His cunning, indeed, was on a low plane; it fell far below sagacity, and could only operate on the weakest points of humanity. This furnishes some explanation of the extraordinary degree of credulity and patient submission manifested by the mass of his followers. They were the only materials with which he could work—the only minds on which he could impose. This was the extent of his reach, and he could no more go beyond it than the common blacksmith could fashion a Venus de Medici or Greek Slave. His capacity was not even equal to cementing together, in regular form, the materials which he collected together; and the imposture would speedily have become a bygone event, had he not been aided by men of more sagacity, though quite as little troubled with conscientious misgivings as himself.
Joseph Smith was no martyr. There was, in his case, no passive and resigned submission to the bigotry of the religious persecutor, which has ever distinguished the martyr suffering in defense of his faith. If a martyr, he must have been the first who died with arms in his hands, fighting with his foes. His death was not at the hands of Gentile persecutors, but at those of his own quondam followers—the Higbees, the Fosters, the Laws, and others—in revenge for the numerous wrongs which they charged to his account. The husband whose wife had been dishonored—the brother whose sister had been seduced—the farmer whose horse had been stolen, or building burned—revenged themselves upon the prophet's head, in that hour of retribution, for the injuries which they believed had been inflicted upon them through his agency. His death, nevertheless, was a political mistake, and ought to have been prevented, without reference to pledges given for his safety. He ought, in the regular administration of justice, to have found his way to the penitentiary. Joseph, in the dress of a convict, making shoes or cutting stone, in the service of the state, would have been stripped of the lion's hide, and his followers, in gazing at the disgraced impostor through the bars of a prison, would have become disgusted with the idol of their worship.