http://www.saintswithouthalos.com/b/burnett_s.phtml; http://www.gospeldoctrine.com/DoctrineandCovenants/DC%2080.htm
587. George
A. Smith writes: [May 26, 1833] … we arrived at Kirtland, Ohio, having
travelled 500 miles … on the next day we hired a house in the City of
Brother Joseph Coe & moved into it. Brother Cousin Joseph took
Brother Brown's family home with him—his Wife asked Sister Brown if she would
like a cup of tea or coffee after her long journey—in a few days they
settled in company with Elder Jos. H Wakefield they purchased a large wagon … & settled [in Chagrin] contrary to the council of the Prophet & they all
afterward apostatized, assigning as a reason that the Prophet's Wife had
offered them tea & coffee <w[hi]ch was> contrary to the word of
wisdom, & that they had actually seen Joseph the Prophet <come down out
of> the translating room & go to play with t his children.
589. From
the life of Vienna Jacques: She was many things to the Church including serving as a
witness at the first baptism for the dead in Nauvoo:
Joseph Kingsbury, 21, was one of the priesthood holders
who participated in laying the cornerstones. His biographer, Lyndon W. Cook,
wrote: “The Prophet had designated Kingsbury one of the 24 men to participate
in the service, but at the last minute it was learned that [Kingsbury] was not
a Melchizedek Priesthood holder. Instead of giving the honor to another with
proper authority, Joseph Smith took young Kingsbury aside and ordained him an elder. . .
and [Kingsbury] fondly remembered the occasion for the rest of his life.”
615. City of Seth: On Saturday, September 1, 1838, the First Presidency made
its way from Far West toward Littlefield's halfway house—about halfway between
Adam-ondi-Aham and Far West—for the purpose of appointing a city of Zion. It
was named the City of Seth in honor of Adam's son. The center of this city,
which could have been the site of a public square and future temple, was never
established due to the expulsion of the Saints from Missouri shortly after the
city was appointed.
“‘Make a solemn proclamation of my gospel . . . to all the
kings of the world, to the four corners thereof . . . and to all nations of the
earth.’ ( D&C 124:2–3 .) He was to invite them to come to the light of truth,
and use their means to build up the kingdom of God on earth.
646. On Oliver Cowdery
being chosen as a school teacher in the Manchester, New York area: About this time, the elder Joseph and Lucy met Oliver
Cowdery for the first time. His brother Lyman had applied to teach school in
the Manchester district and had spoken first with twenty-eight-year-old Hyrum,
a trustee of the district, who called a meeting of the other trustees. They
agreed to employ Lyman and settled on the terms. But, as Lucy later recalled,
“the next day [Lyman} brought his brother Oliver and requested them to receive
him in the place of himself.” Whether because of coincidence or providence,
Lyman Cowdery was unable to fulfill his obligation; Lucy remembered that
business “had arisen” that would oblige him to disappoint them. Whatever this
unnamed business was it set Oliver Cowdery’s life on a startling new course.
Richard Lloyd Anderson, “The Whitmers: A Family That
Nourished the Church,” Ensign, August 1979, 35.
651. Oliver Cowdery returned to the Church in 1848 after having
been absent from membership for ten years. He visited the Saints in Kanesville,
where he was rebaptized. He hoped to travel west with the Saints, but his health failed him and he died in
1850 in Richmond, Missouri. The monument is located over his gravesite. The
monument was erected in 1911 under the direction of Junius F. Wells. A metal
casket within a concrete base was placed under the monument which contained
copies of the History of the Church, Volume 1, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine
& Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, the Cowdery Family Genealogy, the
Contributor, Volume 5 containing George Reynolds’ “History of the Book of
Mormon,” and engraved portraits of Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, & David
Whitmer. The dedication of the monument occurred on November 22, 1911 and was
performed by Elder Heber J. Grant.
656. From
the life of Thomas B. Marsh: I remained in Boston several years engaged in the type
foundry. During this period I became acquainted with several friends whose
opinions concerning religion were like my own. We kept aloof from sectarians,
and were called by them Quietists, because we resembled so much a sect in
France known by that name professing to be led by the Spirit.
The next two occurrences of the shout came in connection
with the mission of the Twelve to England. Joseph Smith was not present on
either occasion. The first was the anointing of John Taylor in November 1839,
and the second came when Brigham Young "landed on the shore [and] gave a
loud shout of hosannah." He had been confined to his berth with
seasickness for the
entire trip but had promised such a shout before leaving
Illinois.
The last time Joseph Smith participated in a hosanna shout
was 11 April 1844, two days after his last and perhaps greatest general
conference where he delivered his famous King Follet sermon. Meeting with the
recently organized Council of Fifty, Joseph Smith said: "had a very
interesting time. The Spirit of the Lord was with us, and we closed the council
with loud shouts of
Hosanna!"
Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness
(Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969), 127-128.
666. Considering the dangers facing these relatively small ships as they crossed the oceans, it is a remarkable thing to note that between 1840 and 1890, not a single vessel carrying Mormon emigrants across the Atlantic Ocean was lost at sea—not one went down in 550 voyages. This is in sharp contrast to the fact that at least 59 non-Latter-day Saint immigrant ships were lost at sea while crossing the Atlantic just between the years of 1847-53, alone.
666. Considering the dangers facing these relatively small ships as they crossed the oceans, it is a remarkable thing to note that between 1840 and 1890, not a single vessel carrying Mormon emigrants across the Atlantic Ocean was lost at sea—not one went down in 550 voyages. This is in sharp contrast to the fact that at least 59 non-Latter-day Saint immigrant ships were lost at sea while crossing the Atlantic just between the years of 1847-53, alone.
http://josephsmith.net/josephsmith/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=6c8fd2efbece4010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&exhibit=a81808961ece401008961ece401059340c0a____
684. Those to whom the Prophet Joseph Smith revealed this
doctrine [plural marriage] were morally obligated to live the law. The
Twelve understood this all too well—hence Brigham Young’s response to the doctrine, “it was the first time in my life that I had
desired the grave, and I could hardly get over it for a long time.”
“These religious impostors’… object is to acquire
political power as fast as they can, without any regard to the means they made
use of. They are ready to harness in with any party that is willing to degrade
themselves by asking their assistance. They now carry nearly a majority of this
township, and every man votes as directed by the prophet and his elders.
Previous to the recent township elections here, it was generally understood
that the Mormons and Jacksonians had agreed to share the ‘spoils’ equally, in
consequence of which the other citizens thought it useless to attend the polls.
This brought out an entire Mormon ticket which they calculated to smuggle in,
independent of the ‘democrats’ not under the orders of the prophet. This
caused the citizens to rally and make an effort, which, by a small majority,
saved the township from being governed by revelation for the year to
come.” (Ohio, Painesville Telegraph, Friday, April 17, 1835 from http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/OH/paintel4.htm)
688. The
following incident related by Isaac Haight:
“The spirit bore testimony to me
of the truth and after close investigation I became convinced that God had set
up his kingdom on the earth again and on the third day of March 1839 I and my
wife were buried in the waters of baptism for the remission of sins, much to
the mortification of our friends. Although the cold was severe--so much that
our clothes froze stiff the moment we came out of the water -- yet our hearts
were warm with the spirit of God.
“Many reviled against the truth
and tried to discourage us and turn us back from the truth to the weak and
beggarly elements of the world. We had to go about a quarter of a mile to
change our clothes, which when we had done we were confirmed as members of the
Church of Latter-day Saints, and then Elder Brown ordained me an elder by the
spirit of revelation.”
Autobiography
and Journal of Isaac Haight, Typescript, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young
University; htpp://www.boap.org/
689. Levi
Hancock shares the following experience:
“This was in the year of 1830 in
the month of November. I preached from place to place where the folks were well
acquainted with me. Not long after I came to Rome, lies began to circulate
through the land concerning the church. This caused the people to be more cold.
However, some believed that there was something on the doctrine worthy of
notice.
“In December I went about three
miles west to work on a house laying the floors. It was white top plank, I had
to match. I hired a Mr. Baldwin to help me. He was a good man and after we had
laid the floor we concluded to make a fire and lie down until morning.
“As I was praying a personage
stood before me with a small yoke in his hands, said he, ‘this is the yoke of
Christ.’ There were many lamps placed on the top of this small yoke. I thought
it was the Lord talking to me and I felt willing to obey him and put forth my
hand and laid it on one lamp and saw a smoke rise from it. I then touched two
more and saw a blue blaze, then some more and some smoked and others burned blue.
Three shone as bright as any lamp I ever saw in my life. He stood and held them
a short time and then said, ‘These I will take into heaven and give you a sign that
you may know that you are my servant.’ He then drew in his breath and blew in
my face and said, ‘You will tarry till I come again.’ As he breathed on me,
faith came, the heavens sent forth a shower of spirit, it took me in the face
and filled me until I ran over with it. No person could feel better than I did.
My spirit took its flight and left my body on the floor. I thought I was dead.
All my senses were perfect and I realized many things that I am not able to
write nor express with my tongue, I was told by the spirit to come back and
bear testimony to the world of the truth of the work. I then entered into my
body and told the vision to Mr. Baldwin. I told him how the lamps all went out
but the three that burned so bright, and how smart and what a gentleman the
personage was who came without anything on his head, with ruffles shirt to me,
even Satan and how modest and innocent the man was who called himself the Lord.
I saw tears run down from his eyes. I saw the unfortunate son who fell, when he
tried to approach me the wave of my hand would cause him to go from me.”
Autobiography
of Levi Hancock, Typescript, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University;
http://www.boap.org/
690. The
following is in reference to the persecution during the Missouri years of the
Church as told by Mosiah Hancock:
“I can hold it no longer-----and I
tell the truth when I say.....I saw a thing in the shape of a man grab an
infant from its mother's arms and bash it's brains out against a tree! Two men
got hold of me and had it their own way for awhile; but before they commenced,
they told me I could pray. I rehearsed a part of a piece spoken by a young
Indian, ‘the sun sets at night and the stars shun the day; but glory remains
when twilight fades away. Begin ye tormentors, your threats are in vain; for
the son of Alnasmak will never complain.’ They showed me no mercy! . . I could
look upon my body, and I was far above them and was glad; for behold, I saw a
personage draped in perfect white who said to me, ‘Mosiah, you have got to go
back to the earth, for you have a work to do!’ How I ever came back I can never
say!
Autobiography
of Mosiah Hancock, Typescript, BYU-S; http://www.boap.org/
691. Stakes were large in the early 1900’s. The
Utah Stake had forty-nine Sunday Schools organized with a total enrollment of
eleven thousand Saints.
The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Church History In The Fulness
Of Time (Salt Lake City: Published by the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, 1993), 459.
692. The forerunner to the Doctrine and Covenants
was the Book of Commandments which was never published by the Church although
The Church of Christ (Hedrickites) has published it. This church is a break-off
from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is centered in Independence,
Missouri.
Berrett,
William Edwin, The Restored Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Company, 1973), 102.
693. During construction of the Manti Temple,
master mason Edward L. Parry had a dream in which he saw a workman fall off of
some scaffolding. Bothered by the dream, Brother Parry immediately arose and
went to the temple site and noticed a very important support rope that had
broken free of the scaffolding. Because of his obedience to this warning no one
was hurt.
The Manti
Temple (Manti, Utah: Manti Temple Centennial Committee, 1988), 25.
694. The
following from James Little:
“In the spring of 1850 I felt like
making an effort to gather with the Saints in the mountains. This at first
appeared impossible, as my animals had all strayed off, and I could not learn
of their whereabouts.
“I had concluded to remain another
year, when I dreamed, for three nights in succession, where my oxen were, and
went and got them. I found my other lost animals in the same manner.”
James A.
Little, Jacob Hamblin in Three Mormon
Classics, Preston Nibley, comp. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988),
217-218.
695. The predecessor to the Institute of
Religions was the Deseret Clubs operated by the Department of Education in the
Church. These clubs were discontinued in 1970.
Berrett,
William Edwin, The Restored Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company,
1973), 307.
696. When there was some uncertainty as to where
the Saints would eventually settle, Brigham
Young and the Quorum of the Twelve
sent a letter of inquiry to the Governor of Arkansas seeking permission to
reside in that state. Being familiar with the situation in Missouri and
Illinois, the Governor refused this request.
Golder, Frank Alfred, The Mormon Battalion (New York: Century
Press, 1928), 41, 46.
697. The first Latter-day Saint Boy Scout Troop
to be organized was in 1911 in the
Waterloo Ward, Granite Stake by T. George Woods. This organization took place
two years before the Church officially adopted the Boy Scouts of America.
The Church News, Feb. 3,
1968.
698. The following is William Cahoons first visit
as a home teacher to the Prophet Joseph Smith and his family:
“Before I close my testimony
concerning this good man (Joseph Smith), I wish to mention one circumstance
which I shall never forget. I was called and ordained to act as a ward teacher
to visit the families of the Saints. I got along very well until I was obliged
to pay a visit to the Prophet. Being young, only 17 years of age, I felt my
weakness in the capacity of a teacher. I almost felt like shrinking from my
duty.
“Finally, I went to the door and
knocked and in a minute the Prophet came to the door. I stood there trembling
and said to him; ‘Brother Joseph, I have come to visit you in the capacity of a
ward teacher, if it is convenient for you.’ He said, ‘Brother William, come
right in. I am glad to see you. Sit down in the chair there and I will go and
call my family in.’ They soon came in and took seats. The Prophet said,
‘Brother William, I submit myself and family into your hands,’ and took his
seat. ‘Now, Brother William,’ said he, ‘Ask all the questions you feel like.’
“By this time my fears and trembling
had ceased and I said, ‘Brother Joseph, are you trying to live your religion?’
He answered, ‘Yes.’ I then said, ‘Do you pray in your family?’ He answered
‘Yes.’ ‘Do you teach your family the principles of the gospel?’ He replied,
‘Yes, I am trying to do it.’ ‘Do you ask a blessing on your food?’ He said he
did. ‘Are you trying to live in peace and harmony with all your family?’ He
said he was.
“I turned to Sister Emma, his wife,
and said, ‘Sister Emma, are you trying to live your religion? Do you teach your
children to obey their parents? Do you try to teach them to pray?’ To all these
questions she answered, ‘Yes, I am trying to do so.’ I then turned to Joseph
and said, ‘I am now through with my questions as a teacher and now if you have
any instructions to give, I shall be happy to receive them.’ He said, ‘God
bless you Brother William, and if you are humble and faithful you shall have
power to settle all difficulties that may come before you in the capacity of a
teacher.’ I then left my parting blessing upon him and his family, as a
teacher, and departed.
Autobiography (1813-1878) in Stella Shurtleff and Brent Farrington
Cahoon eds., Reynolds Cahoon and His Stalwart Sons (Salt Lake City:
Paragon Press, 1960)
699. On June 6, 1846,
a movement started at Warsaw to drive out the remaining Mormons at the point of
the sword. The mob militia assembled at Golden Point for this purpose, but at
this time it was rumored that Stephen Markham had returned to Nauvoo with
several hundred armed men. As Markham’s name was a terror among his enemies,
the mob hastily disbanded. Markham had returned to Nauvoo to remove some Church
property but had brought no more than a few teamsters and wagons for that
purpose.
Berrett,
William Edwin, The Restored Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Company, 1973), 226.
700.
The following from the journal of
Warren Foote dated July 13, 1838 on his journey to join the Saints in Missouri:
“13th. Today
we traveled 13 miles and stopped to noon. While nooning they heard of a man,
who wanted to hire hands to cut his wheat. The company concluded to stop and
work awhile, as they were nearly out of money. The fact is we have been living
on mush, and milk for a long time past: It has been mush and milk for
breakfast, milk and mush for dinner, and for a change mush and milk for supper.
When we commenced eating mush and milk for breakfast, I began to think that
they would starve me out, as I could not eat enough to last me one hour, but
before we got to this place, I could fill up, so as to stand it first rate.”
Autobiography
of Warren Foote, Typescript, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University;
http://www.boap.org/
701. Within a few years all the men who took part
in that raid [the tarring and feathering of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon at
the John Johnson farm] had suffered a painful death. Miles Norton who poisoned
the Johnson watch dog was killed by a ram in the barnyard, its spiral horn
being thrust through Norton’s body. Warren Waste and Carnot Mason boasted of
having bent the Prophet’s legs over his back, holding them in that position as
he lay on the ground face downward. Waste was later killed by a falling log
while he was building a house. Mason died from a spinal affliction that was
“more painful than a Boston Crab.” The man who tried to pour the poison into
the prophet’s mouth was buried alive while digging a well.
N.B.
Lundwall, The Fate of the Persecutors of the Prophet Joseph Smith (Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1952.), 72.
702. “It was the disposition of the
Prophet Joseph when he saw little children in the mud to take them up in his
arms and wash the mud from their bare feet with his handkerchief. And oh how
kind he was to the old folks as well as to little children. He always had a
smile for his friends and was always cheerful.”
Autobiography of Mosiah Hancock, Typescript,
BYU-S; http://www.boap.org/
703. John Corrill on Joseph Smith: “Thus I
reasoned, and became satisfied, that it was just as consistent to look for prophets
in this age as in any other. As to the person of Joseph Smith, Jr., he might as
well be a prophet as anyone else, but it was said of him that he was a money
hunter, and a bad man before he was called to be a prophet. So it was said of
Moses, that he murdered a man, hid him in the sand, and ran away from justice,
and while in this state God called him to be a prophet.”
John
Corrill, A Brief History of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints (Commonly
Called Mormons, Including an Account of their Doctrine and Discipline, with the
Reasons of the Author for Leaving the Church) (St. Louis, n.p., 1839)
704. In Nauvoo Joseph Smith was a confident and
powerful speaker; in Fayette he was not. As with all men he had to grow up into
the office that was his. Oliver Cowdery was called on to deliver the first
public discourse in this dispensation. That took place five days later, on Sunday,
at the home of Peter Whitmer Sr., where this revelation was received on the day
the Church was organized.
Joseph
Fielding McConkie and Craig J. Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration (Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2000), 178.
705. “I shall never forget the deep feeling of
sympathy and regard manifested in the countenance of Brother Joseph as he drew
nigh to Hyrum, and, leaning over him, exclaimed, ‘Oh! My poor, dear brother
Hyrum!’ He, however, instantly arose, and with a firm, quick step, and a
determined expression of countenance, approached the door, and pulling the
six-shooter left by Brother Wheelock from his pocket, opened the door slightly,
and snapped the pistol six successive times; only three of the barrels,
however, were discharged. I after wards understood that two or three were
wounded by these discharges, two of whom, I am informed, died.”
Joseph Smith
Jr., History of the Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1950),
7:102.
706. “I travelled westward about 100 miles to the
Mississippi River, where I took passage on a steamer to Nauvoo. I landed in the
night. In the morning, I asked a young man where the Prophet lived. He pointed
out the way to the residence of Joseph Smith, Jr., and said, ‘If you are going
to see the Prophet, do not take any money with you. If you do, he will get it.’
“I asked the youth if he was a
‘Mormon.’ He replied that he was, and that his father was a High Priest. I
thought it strange that he should talk as he did.
“As I passed along one of the
streets of the town, I saw a tall, noble-looking man talking with another. An
impression came over me that he was the person I was looking for. Inquiring of
a bystander, I learned that my impression was correct.
“One of the company asked the
Prophet for some money he had loaned him. He replied that he would try and get
it during the day. I offered him the money, but he said: ‘Keep your money. I
will not borrow until I try to get what is owing me. If you have just come in
and wish to pay your tithing, you can pay it to Brother Hyrum; he sees to
that.’
“I soon learned to discriminate
between the different kinds of people who had gathered to Nauvoo. Some were
living the lives of Saints; others were full of deceit and were stumbling-blocks
in the way of those who were striving to do right.”
James A.
Little, Jacob Hamblin in Three Mormon Classics, Preston Nibley, comp. (Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988), 207-208.
707. The following is in relation to the desertion
of Carthage, Ill., after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.
“As soon as this was done the
whole country was deserted; men, women and children fled for their lives, not
taking time to shut their doors after them. Stores were left standing open and
there was gloom cast over the country, so much that strangers passing through
the country spoke of it. As I was out looking, I met a stranger. He ask me what
was the matter. That everything looks so gloomy and lonesome. I told him that
last evening (27th of June, 1844)
Joseph Smith the Prophet and his brother Hyrum were murdered at Carthage
Illinois, and the people here all fled and left the country and when the blood
of a prophet is shed it has a tendency to cast a gloom over the country.”
708. “It seems that a party of the mob had come
to Golding's Point [located between Nauvoo and Carthage] on their way to
Nauvoo, and that messengers were sent to them to order them to disperse. At
this, their leader, Colonel [Levi] Williams ordered all who were not willing to
go to Carthage and kill the Smiths to lay down their arms, and the rest to step
out together, saying now is the time or never. This was soon done, and the
murderers disguised themselves by blacking their faces and started on their way
to shed blood, and came to the place about 5 o'clock in the evening of the 27th
[June, 1844].
A young man named [William M.]
Daniels, who had given up his gun, went with them, as he said to see what they
would do, and was an eye witness to all that passed. He heard Wills say he had
shot Hyrum. This Wills was one of the company of Saints (an Irish man) who came
with me from England with his wife and two children. He was an elder in the
Church. It is understood that he received a wound in the arm from a bullet by
Brother Joseph. It took his wrist and ran up by the bone, of which wound he
soon after died.”
Joseph
Fielding, Diary (1843-1846), Church Archives in "They Might Have Known
That He Was Not a Fallen Prophet"--The Nauvoo Journal of Joseph
Fielding," transcribed and edited by Andrew F. Ehat, BYU Studies 19
(Winter 1979).
709. Read
how Gilbert Belnap describes the Kirtland Temple:
“After listening to a long
conversation between Abner [?] Cleveland and a man by the name of Colesburg
about the locality of the town of Kirtland, and the beauty and construction of
the Mormon Temple, prompted by curiosity and being of a roving disposition, I
longed to form an acquaintance with that people and to behold their temple of
worship. Accordingly, the third day after the conversation, I found myself on
my way to see the wonders of the world constructed
by the Latter-day Saints, commonly called Mormons.”
Autobiography
of Gilbert Belnap, Typescript, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University,
http://www.boap.org/
710. “These
abuses, with many others of a very aggravated nature, so stirred up the
indignant feelings of our people, that a party of them, say about 30, met a
company of the mob of about double their number, when a battle took place in
which some two or three of the mob and one of our people were killed. This
raised as it were the whole county in arms, and nothing would satisfy them but
an immediate surrender of the arms of our people, and they forthwith to leave
the county--Fifty-one guns were given up, which have never been returned or
paid for to this day.
“It is here to be particularly
noted, that Lilburn W. Boggs, then Lieutenant Governor, was acting in concert
with the militia officer, who headed this attack upon the Mormons, and assisted
in making the treaty by which they pledged themselves to give up their guns and
leave the county, on condition that they should be protected from all wrong and
insult while so doing.”
“Facts Relative to the Expulsion of the Mormon’s or
Latter-day Saints, From the State of Missouri, Under the ‘Exterminating
Order,’” John P. Greene (Cincinnati: R.P. Brooks, 1839).
711. “Joseph and Hyrum were Master Masons, yet
they were massacred through the instrumentality of some of the leading men of
that fraternity, and not one soul of them has ever stepped forth to administer
help to me or my brethren belonging to the Masonic Institution, or to render us
assistance, although bound under the strongest obligations to be true and
faithful to each other in every case and under every circumstance, the
commission of crime excepted.
“Yes, Masons, it is
said, were even among the mob that murdered Joseph and Hyrum in Carthage Jail.
Joseph, leaping the fatal window, gave the Masonic signal of distress. The
answer was the roar of his murderers’ muskets and the deadly balls that pierced
his heart. . . .
“. . . .When the enemy surrounded
the jail, rushed up the stairway, and killed Hyrum Smith, Joseph stood at the
open window, his martyr-cry being these words, “O Lord My God!” This was not
the beginning of a prayer, because Joseph Smith did not pray in that manner.
This brave, young man who knew that death was near, started to repeat the
distress signal of the Masons, expecting thereby to gain the protection its
members are pledged to give a brother in distress.”
E. Cecil
McGavin, Mormonism and Masonry, (), 16-17.
712. “Our meetings were held in the printing
office [Kirtland], or rather in a room under it. The room was not large enough
to contain the people who came. It was quite a curiosity to see them coming so
early almost as soon as light in order to get a seat. And finally they decided
on taking their turns in staying away, as the weather was so cold, and it was
unpleasant for those who stood outside. The females usually had seats. My
husband worked for three months on the temple before it was dedicated, which
was nearly the first he had ever done at the business.”
Kenneth
W. and Audrey M. Godfrey, Jill Mulvay Derr, Women's Voices (Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book Company, 1982), 46-57.
713. In an
effort to explain to non-Church members the true story of the Latter-day Saints
people and to combat adverse publicity, the Church established the Temple
Square Mission. As early as 1875, Charles J. Thomas, custodian of the Salt Lake
Temple, then under construction, was assigned to meet tourists, show them
around Temple Square, and answer their questions. He kept a book in which
visitors to Temple Square could sign their names. In subsequent years, many
famous people, including two presidents of the United States signed Brother
Thomas’s register.
“Charles
J. Thomas: Early Guide on Temple Square, Improvement Era, March 1963,
pp. 167, 202-6.
714. The
Twelve Apostles were promised that “in whatsoever place ye shall proclaim my
name an effectual door shall be opened unto you, that they may receive my word”
(D&C 112:19). This promise was fulfilled the very day it was
revealed, 23 July 1837, when Elder Heber C. Kimball and his companions were
invited to preach in the Vauxhall Chapel in Preston, England, an invitation
resulting in the first baptisms in the British Isles.
The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Church History In The Fulness Of Times (Salt Lake City: Published by the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, 1993), 225.
715. Sidney Rigdon converted Parley P. Pratt to the
Reformed Baptist Church. A few years later, Parley P. Pratt returned the favor
and converted Sidney Rigdon to the Church in 1830 during Parley P. Pratt’s
first mission.
William
W. Slaughter, Life in Zion (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1995),
6.
716. The
following story is told about the Joseph Glanvil family:
Joseph was sent on a mission
leaving a wife and a large family in Salt Lake City. Sister Glanvil did all she
could to help with expenses, including baking bread to sell. One day as this
mother had the bread cooling under a kitchen towel; she discovered someone had
stolen from the window sill one loaf of the bread and the kitchen towel.
A letter soon came from Elder
Glanvil that described how he had found himself without funds and without food,
exhausted and ill. He crawled under a bush for protection from the wind and
rain, and in a prayer of desperation asked for not only food, but also
assurance that he was truly on the Lord’s errand. As he finished his prayer, a
loaf of warm bread wrapped in a kitchen towel that he recognized appeared
beside him.
When the letter was received by
his faithful wife and family telling of this experience, they were assured that
the Lord loved them and that their husband and father was on a mission that was
the will of the Lord. From then on, it mattered not what hardship followed;
they knew the Lord would be there to help them through it.
The red and white kitchen towel
accompanied this father for the rest of his mission, and today it has a sacred
place among the posterity of the Glanvil family.
Joseph Glanvil wrote, “What is
impossible to all humanity may be possible to the metaphysics and physiology of
angels.”
Lucille
Johnson, Enjoy the Journey (American Fork, Utah: Covenant
Communications, Inc., 1996), 173-74.
717. The
following is an event that Wilford Woodruff experienced on a mission in the
Tennessee area:
“The landlord wanted a little fun,
so he said he would keep me if I would preach. He wanted to see if I could
preach.
“I must confess that by this time
I became a little mischievous, and pleaded with him not to set me preaching.
“The more I plead to be excused,
the more determined Mr. Jackson was that I should preach. He took my valise,
and the landlady got me a good supper.
“I sat down in a large hall to eat
supper. Before I got through, the room began to be filled with some of the rich
and fashionable of Memphis, dressed in their broadcloth and silk, while my
appearance was such as you can imagine, after traveling through the mud as I
had been.
“When I had finished eating, the
table was carried out of the room over the heads of the people, I was placed in
the corner of the room, with a stand having a Bible, hymn book and candle on
it, hemmed in by a dozen men, with the landlord in the center.
“There were present some five
hundred persons who had come together, not to hear a good sermon, but to have
some fun.
“Now boys, how would you like this
position? On your first mission, without a companion or friend, and to be called
upon to preach to such a congregation? With me it was one of the most pleasing
hours of my life, although I felt as though I should like company.
“I read a hymn, and asked them to
sing. Not a soul would sing a word.
“I told them I had not the gift of
singing; but with the help of the Lord I would both pray and preach. I knelt
down to pray and the men around me dropped on their knees. I prayed to the Lord
to give me His spirit and to show me the hearts of the people. I promised the
Lord in my prayer I would deliver to that congregation whatever He would give
to me. I arose and spoke one hour and a half and it was one of the best sermons
of my life.
The lives
of the congregation were opened to the vision of my mind, and I told them of
their wicked deeds and the reward they would obtain. The men who surrounded me
dropped their heads. Three minutes after I closed I was the only person in the
room.
“Soon I was shown to a bed, in a
room adjoining a large one in which were assembled many of the men whom I had
been preaching to. I could hear their conversation.
“One man said, he would like to
know how that “Mormon” boy knew of their past lives.
“In a little while they got to
disputing about some doctrinal point. One suggested calling me to decide the
point. The landlord said ‘No, we have had enough for once.’
“In the morning I had a good
breakfast. The landlord said if I came that way again to stop at his house, and
stay as long as I might choose.
Leaves of
My Journal, compiled by Preston Nibley (Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1988), 23-24.
718. Samuel Brannan, an energetic Elder of the
Church in the New York branch, was appointed to take charge of the Saints who
should go to California by water. The ship “Brooklyn” was finally chartered at a
cost of $1,200 a month for the journey. Over three hundred Saints asked for
places. Two hundred and thirty-eight were finally taken at a total cost for
passage of $50 each.
Berrett,
William Edwin, The Restored Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Company, 1973), 230.
719.
The following is one of the agreements that the Government
entered into with the Saints at the formation of the Mormon Battalion:
On July 1, Captain Allen had been
assured by Brigham Young that the Battalion would be raised. On the following
day ten Indian chiefs, then near Council Bluffs, were brought before Captain
Allen and induced to put their marks as signatures to a treaty guaranteeing to
the Mormons the right to stop upon the Indian lands, to cultivate the soil, and
to pass to and from through it without molestation.
Journal
History of the Church, M.S., July 18, 1846, p. 91-100.
720. A further benefit was soon realized. The
Battalion men were allowed to wear their regular clothing rather than uniforms,
and were paid in advance for this clothing when the companies reached Fort
Leavenworth. A years’ pay in advance for their clothing, at the rate of $3.50
per month, would mean $42.00 each, or $21,000 for the entire Battalion. The
greater part of this was sent back to their families, together with their first
month’s pay. Secret agents were also sent by the Saints to Santa Fe through
which the Battalion would pass to bring back to the Camps of Israel the pay
checks which would then have accrued. In a letter to the Battalion, Brigham
Young said:
“We consider the money you have
received, as compensation for your clothing, a peculiar manifestation of the
kind providence of our Heavenly Father at this particular time, which is just
the time for the purchasing of provisions and goods for the winter supply of
the camp.”
The pay of the Battalion men
ranged from $7.00 a month for privates to $50 a month for captains. At the end
of one year’s service their equipment was to become the personal property of
the men, on their discharge in California.
History
of Mormon Church, American, March, 1912, p. 310.
721. When the Mormon Battalion entered Santa Fe
they received a one-hundred gun salute.
Berrett,
William Edwin, The Restored Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Company, 1973), 241.
722. Captain Allen allowed the enlisted men to
choose their officers with his approval. The enlisted men voted unanimously
that Brigham Young nominate the officers for the men.
Golder,
Frank, The March of the Mormon Battalion (New York: The Century Company,
1928), 123-124.
723. It’s interesting that Brigham Young
addressed his battalion correspondence to Captain Jefferson Hunt and not Levi
W. Hancock, one of the General Authorities who was one of the Seven Presidents
of the Seventies at the time.
Authority
Conflicts in the Mormon Battalion, Eugene E.
Campbell, BYU Studies, Winter 68, p. 129.
724. The first group of Saints carried a leather
boat across the plains with them which they named the “Revenue Cutter.” This
boat was capable of handling loads of 1500-1800 pounds and was instrumental in
ferrying the Saints across rivers, in addition to serving non-members on the
Oregon Trail who would pay the Saints in flour.
Berrett,
William Edwin, The Restored Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Company, 1973), 256.
Between
June 18 to July 1, 1847, what is the traffic that the ferry handled?
500 wagons with 1,553 of the
Saints left the Elkhorn River to follow the trail the Pioneers had blazed.
These companies had 2,213 oxen, 124 horses, 887 cows, 358 sheep, 716 chickens,
and number of pigs.
Berrett,
William Edwin, The Restored Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Company, 1973), 256.
725. Death frequently visited the Saints as they
slowly made their way west. On 23 June 1850 the Crandall family numbered
fifteen. By the week’s end seven had died of the dreaded plague of cholera. In
the next few days five more family members died. Then on 30 June Sister
Crandall died in childbirth along with her newborn baby.
Our
Heritage, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake
City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1996), 76.
726. Shortly
after the Mormon troops came from Davies [Daviess], they received news that a
company was gathered on Crooked River, and that some of them had been to some
houses on Log Creek, in Caldwell, and ordered off the families, with severe
threats if they were not off by sunrise the next morning. They took away their
arms, and it was said, also burnt a wagon and a house, and took three men prisoners.
On receiving this news, a company was fitted out to disperse them. Captain
Fear-not (David W. Patten) commanded them.
John
Corrill, A Brief History of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints (Commonly
Called Mormons, Including an Account of their Doctrine and Discipline, with the
Reasons of the Author for Leaving the Church) (St. Louis, n.p., 1839)
727. 9
September 1845: Daniel Spencer has returned a few days ago from the West. He
reported in substance as follows:-“Their mission was to the Seneca Indians.
They proceeded to about 500 miles up the Missouri River. They there met brother
Denay and from him learned that Dunham was dead. They tarried five weeks with
the Stockbridge tribe. This tribe manifested great kindness towards them and
the Mormon people. They have considerable knowledge of the Mormons and of what
is going on; their interest seems to be identified with ours. From Denay they
learned what the Cherokees had given permission for many number of our people
to settle nearby them and were willing to lend us an assistance they could, or
to go west with us to explore the country. George Herring has been with several
tribes and says they are all friendly and seem to understand what is going on
and are ready to render us any assistance they can. Many of the Stockbridge
tribe are joined in with the Baptists but are dissatisfied. Their chief expects
to be here about the 6th of October. They
preached to them and they seem satisfied with our doctrine. From what brother
Denay said they concluded it unnecessary to go to the Seneca tribe, they
learned that Denay had accomplished what they were sent for.
728. The
Battle of Nauvoo: There were only about 50 of the Mormon men against 2,000 of
the mob, ten of them had to be on guard, two on top of the Temple with spy
glasses. They went into Law's cornfield and there they had their battle, they
were seen to fill two wagons with the wounded and killed. The next morning a
woman stood in the second story house and saw the mob put 76 bodies in Calico
slips with a draw string around the top before they left home. The Mormon women
rolled the cannon balls up in their aprons, took them to our boys and they put
them in the cannon and shoot them back again when they were hot. But there were
a great many more missing, it was a fearful time. I could have crossed the
river but I would not leave my husband. In about two days we had to surrender,
lay down their arms. I saw the mob all dressed in black ride two by two on
horseback. It looked frightful, they said there were 2,000 of them rode around
the Temple in Nauvoo.
Autobiography of Tamma Durfee, Typescript, HBLL;
htpp://www.boap.org/
729. For the Ohio Observer.
MORMONISM
Mr. Editor.
Dear
Sir:- Having been for the last four years located in Kirtland, on the Western
Reserve, I have thought proper to make some communication to the public in
relation to the Mormons, a sect of Religious Fanatics, who are collected in
this town. This service I have considered as due to the cause of humanity, as
well as to the cause of truth and righteousness. What I have to communicate
shall be said in the spirit of candor and christian charity.
Mormonism, it is well known,
originated with Joseph Smith in the town of Manchester, adjoining Palmyra, in
the state of New York. Smith had previously been noted among his acquaintances
as a kind of Juggler, and had been employed in digging after money. He was
believed by the ignorant to possess the power of second sight, by looking
through a certain stone in his possession. He relates that when he was 17 years
of age, while seeking after the Lord he had a nocturnal vision, and a wonderful
display of celestial glory. An angel descended and warned him that God was
about to make an astonishing revelation to the world, and then directed him to
go to such a place, and after prying up a stone he should find a number of
plates of the color of gold inscribed with hieroglyphics, and under them a
breastplate, and under that a transparent stone or stones which was the Urim
and Thummim mentioned by Moses. The vision and the command were repeated four
times that night and once on the following day. He went as directed by the
angel, and pried up the stone under which he discovered the plates shining like
gold, and when he saw them his cupidity was excited, and he hoped to make
himself rich by the discovery, although thus highly favored by the Lord. But
for his sordid and unworthy motive, when he attempted to seize hold of the
plates, they eluded his grasp and vanished, and he was obliged to go home
without them. It was not till four years had elapsed, till he had humbled
himself and prayed and cast away his selfishness that he obtained a new revelation
and went and obtained the plates.
The manner of translation was as
wonderful as the discovery. By putting his finger on one of the characters and
imploring divine aid, then looking through the Urim and Thummim, he would see
the import written in plain English on a screen placed before him. After
delivering this to his amanuensis, he would again proceed in the same manner
and obtain the meaning of the next character, and so on till he came to a part
of the plates which were sealed up, and there was commanded to desist: and he
says he has a promise from God that in due time he will enable him to translate
the remainder. This is the relation as given by Smith. A man by the name of
[Martin] Harris, of a visionary turn of mind, assisted in the translation, and
afterwards Oliver Cowdery. By the aid of Harris's property, the book was
printed; and it is affirmed by the people of that neighborhood, that at first
his motives were entirely mercenary,--a mere money speculation. The book thus
produced, is called by them The Book of Mormon; and is pretended to be of the
same Divine Inspiration and authority as the Bible. The Mormons came in
Kirtland about six years ago; being taught by their leaders that this was one
of the stakes of Zion--the eastern borders of the promised land. Not long after
their arrival in Kirtland, a revelation was obtained that the seat and center
of Zion was in Jackson county, in the western part of Missouri; and thither a
multitude of them repaired, with Smith at their head. Soon after they were
routed and expelled from the county by the infidels, and many of them returned
to Kirtland. There they have been gathering their converts from various parts
of the United States, until their present number probably amounts to upwards of
one thousand: besides the transient companies of pilgrims who come here from
the east to inquire the way to Zion, and then pass on to Missouri.
They have built a huge stone
[Kirtland] temple in this town, fifty feet high, and 60 by 80 on the ground, at
an expense of $40,000. On the front is this inscription, "The House of the
Lord, built by the Latter-day Saints." The lower story is the place of
worship, the middle for the school of the prophets, and the upper for an
academical school; a distinguished professor of Hebrew is their teacher. He is
now giving his second course, with about one hundred in each class.
While I am exposing these palpable
impositions of the apostles of Mormonism, candor obliges me to say, that many
of the common people are industrious, good neighbors, very sincerely deceived,
and possibly very sincere Christians. They seem to delight in the duty of
prayer, and the services of devotion, and their zeal goes far beyond anything
seen among sober Christ-Christians. Some are enterprising and intelligent,
conversant with the bible, and fond of reading: and here, I apprehend, many who
have heard of them only by common report, are mistaken; supposing them all to
be ignorant and degraded, and beneath the notice of all respectable people. The
prevalence of religious delusion is not to be attributed so much to mere
ignorance, as to the structure and prejudices and pernicious habits of the
mind, a predisposition to be captivated with anything that is new or wonderful.
It is furthermore proper to notice
that this religious sect have been slandered, and belied, and persecuted beyond
measure. We entirely disapprove of those violent measures which have been taken
with them in Missouri and some other places; 1st, because it is an outrage upon
inalienable rights--all men justly claiming to be protected in the enjoyment of
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and 2d, because it is unwise;
persecution being the most effectual way to build up fanatics in error and
delusion. But since there is a certain class in every community who are
predisposed to embrace any wild delusion which chances to meet them, and since
many such have already been deceived and lured away to Kirtland and to Zion and
have been disappointed and distressed, and reduced to poverty and want; and,
moreover, since there are now many converts abroad who are looking to this
place with longing eyes, as to a land flowing with milk and honey, and
expecting, when they find the means of getting here, to bid farewell to all
earthly sorrow, we think the world have a right to know the state of things
among them. Many of them live in extreme indigence. They suffer accumulated
evils by crowding a multitude of poor people together, when, by a wider
distribution, they might have better means of supplying their wants. Some of
them are wealthy, and they have purchased 3 or 4000 acres of land in different
parts of this town. A grotesque assemblage of hovels and shanties and small
houses have been thrown up wherever they could find a footing; but very few of
all these cabins would be accounted fit for human habitations.
Truman
Coe "Mormonism," The Ohio Observer (Hudson), 11 August 1836
Reprinted in The Cincinnati Journal and Western Luminary, 25
August 1835 (p. 4)
730. President Young responded with the following
to a New York newspaper editor’s inquiry:
“The
result of my labors for the past 26 years, briefly summed up, are: The peopling
of this Territory by the Latter-day Saints of about 100,000 souls; the founding
of over 200 cities, towns and villages inhabited by our people, . . . and the
establishment of schools, factories, mills and other institutions calculated to
improve and benefit our communities. . . .
Our Heritage, The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, 1996), 91.
731. The
following is a letter that George Foote sent to Warren Foote. George, the
non-member father to Warren, quotes a newspaper article and Warren (who is a
member of the Church) responds in his journal to the article. The article has
reference to the Missouri/Mormon problems.
Ypsilanti bank has broke, with
hundreds and thousands of dollars of its paper palmed on the public; while the
stockholders make themselves, and friends rich by it. I will give you a short
sketch published in the Advocate that I received yesterday.
"It is hard to tell which
party were the aggressors. It is the prevailing sentiment, so far as I can
learn, that the Mormons committed the first depredations, in the character of a
mob, and such was the excitement, that the militia were twice called out to
suppress the gathering. After the troops were called home the last time, the
Mormons commenced burning, plundering, taking prisoners, and threatening to
murder every thing in Daviess County. The apprehensions of the citizens, of Ray
County were so fearful, that they thought their safety required a guard to be
placed on the line between Caldwell and Ray Counties. This guard consisted of
about 45 soldiers, legally ordered out. [Battle of Crooked River] They were
attacked in the night, by about 100 Mormons, and some were killed, and wounded
on both sides. This defiance of the laws kindled a flame in the bosom of every
patriot. The country was soon in arms, and things began to wear a gloomy and
awful aspect. Vengeance seemed determined on both sides.
The Mormons rallied to their
strong hold, men, women and children, to witness the fulfillment of prophecy
viz. that God would send angels to fight their battles. Never did there seem to
be more depending on an action; the truth, or falsehood of prophecy, was to be
tested by it, the fate of hundreds were depending on the issue. Both parties
seemed certain of victory.
The day, the hour, at last came.
3000 citizens were encamped within half a mile of the village of Far West. They
were marched to the town, and a line of battle formed. An engagement was
expected, but prevented (blessed be God) by a truce, until an unconditional
surrender was made. Their leaders were given up prisoners of war, and there
grounded at the feet of their enemies.
About 50 Mormons have been killed
during the war. Since their surrender, a company of Mormons, calling themselves
Danites, that had entered into a conspiracy against the government have been
detected and about 50 are now in Richmond jail. There is no doubt but both parties
are to blame, and I rejoice to say, that it is the determination of the
officers to punish all who have acted as a mob on both sides. The state of
Missouri will have to pay dear for such acts. Two hundred thousand dollars
would not pay the expense, it is thought. What I have stated I have done on the
veracity of men, who were in the war. I have had no share in it; more than to
stay home and defend my family. Their condition is truly deplorable. Their
lands are taken to pay their debts; they are without homes, without money, and
without friends. Let the followers of the humane Jesus, as far as they can,
relieve their distress, by feeding the hungry and clothing the naked."
Signed H. L. Dodds. Independence Mo. (Nov. 22nd 1838)
I want you to write as soon as you
get this--do not delay. As I have run ashore of paper I am obliged to close.
George Foote.
The following is
Warren’s reply to his father’s letter:
The foregoing letters were all
written on one double sheet of paper. I answered all of George’s queries and
corrected the statements made by H. L. Dodds. The Mormons were not the first
aggressors, neither did they threaten to murder every thing in Daviess County.
The mobbers commenced plundering, and threatened to drive all the Mormons from
that county, and when they found that the Mormons were to much for them, they
set fire to their own houses, and fled into the adjoining counties, and spread
the report that the Mormons had burned their houses, and drove them from their
homes. Previous to this, the mobbers took some of the Mormons prisoners, and
treated them most illy. One person they beat over the head with a gun barrel
until his brains oozed out, and left him for dead, but he afterward recovered.
I saw him in Illinois and examined his head. I could have lain my finger in the
wound after it was healed. The Mormons did not feel justified, to tamely submit
to such brutal treatment to have their brethren murdered in cold blood, their
women ravished, and their property destroyed by these devils in human shape.
After appealing in vain to the authorities of the state, they found that they
would have to protect themselves or be destroyed, therefore they arose en
masse, and put a stop to mobbing in Daviess County. But when they found that
the Governor had ordered the militia of the state to march to Far West, and
take them prisoners, they threw down their arms, and submitted to banishment,
trusting in the God of Israel for that protection, which the governor had
refused them, who instead of protecting them in their rights, as American
Citizens, had ordered his Generals to exterminate them.
732. Many people feared that the Nauvoo Legion,
due to its size and training, would most likely attack the local citizenry at
the preference of its leaders. Newspapers were largely responsible for these
claims as it was said that the Legion will attack such places as Missouri,
Texas, Mexico, and even the United States.
Chillicothe
Intelligencer, July 1, 1843; The Freeman, July 23, 1842; Lee
County Democrat, May 14, 1842
733. Not
everything written about the Church was negative. Read the following:
FACTS RELATIVE TO THE EXPULSION OF THE MORMONS
FROM THE STATE OF MISSOURI
From the Quincy (Illinois) Argus, March 16, 1839
THE MORMONS, OR LATTER DAY SAINTS
We give in today's paper the
details of the recent bloody tragedy acted in Missouri--the details of a scene
of terror and blood unparalleled in the annals of modern, and under the
circumstances of the case, in ancient history--a tragedy of so deep, and fearful,
and absorbing interest, that the very life-blood of the heart is chilled at the
simple contemplation. We are prompted to ask ourselves if it be really true,
that we are living in an enlightened, a humane and civilized age--in an age and
quarter of the world boasting of its progress in every thing good, and great,
and honorable, and virtuous, and high-minded--in a country of which, as
American citizens, we could be proud--whether we are living under a
constitution and laws, or have not rather returned to the ruthless times of the
stern Atilla--to the times of the fiery Hun, when the sword and flame ravaged
the fair fields of Italy and Europe, and the darkest passions held full revel
in all the revolting scenes of unchecked brutality, and unbridled desire?
We have no language sufficiently
strong for the expression of our indignation and shame at the recent
transaction in a sister state--and that state Missouri--a state of which we had
long been proud, alike for her men and history, but now so fallen, that we
could wish her star stricken out from the bright constellation of the Union. We
say we know of no language sufficiently strong for the expression of our shame
and abhorrence of her recent conduct. She has written her own character in
letters of blood--and stained it by acts of merciless cruelty and brutality
that the waters of ages cannot efface. It will be observed that an organized
mob aided by many of the civil and military officers of Missouri, with Governor
Boggs at their head, have been the prominent actors in this business, incited
too, it appears, against the Mormons by political hatred, and by the additional
motives of plunder and revenge. They have but too well put in execution their
threats of extermination and expulsion, and fully wreaked their vengeance on a
body of industrious and enterprising men, who had never wronged, nor wished to
wrong them, but on the contrary had ever comported themselves as good and
honest citizens, living under the same laws and having the same right with themselves
to the sacred immunities of life, liberty, and property.
The
following advertisement was placed by Joseph Smith Sr. in the Wayne
Sentinel, which was printed in Palmyra, on six successive Wednesdays from
September to November of 1824. This ad was placed to those who had started a
rumor that Alvin Smith’s body had been dug up from its grave and mutilated.
To the
Public
Whereas reports have been
industriously put in circulation, that my son Alvin had been removed
from the place of his interment and dissected, which reports, every person
possessed of human sensibility must know, are peculiarly calculated to harrow
up the mind of apparent and deeply wound the feelings of relation—therefore,
for the purpose, I, with some of my neighbors, this morning repaired to the
grave, and removing the earth, found the body which had not been disturbed.
This method is taken for the
purpose of satisfying the minds of those who may have heard the report, and of
informing those who have put it in circulation, that it is earnestly requested
they would desist therefrom; and that it is believed by some, that they have
been stimulated more by a desire to injure the reputation of certain persons
than a philanthropy for the peace and welfare of myself and friends.
Joseph Smith.
Palmyra,
Sept. 25th, 1824.
Wayne
Sentinel
734. The
following is in reference to the Book of Mormon. Remember 5,000 copies were
printed in that first edition.
Now came the great task of
publishing the manuscript as a book. For perspective, consider that large print
jobs of that day were 2,000 copies of a two-to three-page pamphlet or 1,000
copies of a book.
Joseph and Oliver searched for a
printer who would take on the mammoth order they had in mind-5,000 copies of a
590-page book.
Scot
Facer Proctor, Witness of the Light (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Company, 1991), 77.
735. Looking back at that era, current mayor of
Quincy, Illinois, Charles W. Scholz, suggests, “In 1839 there were about 1,500
people here in Quincy. And those settlers welcomed 5,000 Mormons, that had been
forcibly driven from the state of Missouri under harsh winter conditions, had
walked across the frozen Mississippi. And, they were offered food and clothing
and shelter. Now to put that in perspective, that would be like the 42,000
residents of Quincy today taking care of 150,000 refugees. . . . That is one of
the most incredible acts of humanity, I think, in the history of this country.”
Heidi S.
Swinton, Sacred Stone (American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications,
Inc., 2002), 24.
736. The following is a listing of what Henry
Bigler, his father, and John Chase took with them on the Mormon Trail:
Outfit of five wagons, nine
horses, six of which are good serviceable horses, two yoke of oxen, one
thousand pounds of flour, twelve bushels of cornmeal, two bushels of parch
cornmeal, three hundred and fifty pounds of biscuit or sea bread, one hundred and
fifty pounds meat, two bushels of seed buck wheat and one hundred pounds of
fall wheat, and a variety of garden seeds. Two set of plows, one shovel plow,
two spades, two hoes, two froes, one iron wedge, five angers, thirty pounds of
iron, 20 extra horseshoes, thirty pounds cutnails, one extra king bolt, two
three quartered bots, two light draft chains, fifty pounds of soap, one hundred
papers of smoking tobacco, three rifle guns, three muskets, one brace of belt
pistols, two kegs of powder, 100 lbs. of lead. . . .
Autobiography
of Henry William Bigler, Typescript HBLL, htpp://www.boap.org/
737. Mr.
Cowdery was an able lawyer and a great advocate. His manners were easy and
gentlemanly; he was polite, dignified, yet courteous. He had an open countenance,
high forehead, dark brown eyes, Roman nose, clenched lips and prominent lower
jaw. He shaved smooth and was neat and cleanly in his person. He was of light
stature, about five feet, five inches high, and had a loose, easy walk. With
all his kind and friendly disposition, there was a certain degree of sadness
that seemed to pervade his whole being. His association with others was marked
by the great amount of information his conversation conveyed and the beauty of
his musical voice. His addresses to the court and jury were characterized by a
high order of oratory, with brilliant and forensic force. He was modest and
reserved, never spoke ill of anyone, never complained.
William Lang to Thomas Gregg, 5 Nov 1881, cit.
Charles A. Shook, The True Origin of The Book of Mormon (Cincinnati:
Standard Publishing Co., 1914), 56-57.
738. As the result of a severe cold, contracted
sometime during 1849, he [Oliver Cowdery] became infected with the dreaded
disease known then as "consumption," which brought about his death on
March 3, 1850. Oliver Cowdery, at the time, was a few months past his 43rd
birthday. Of his death, David Whitmer, who was present, relates:
"Oliver died the happiest man I ever saw.
After shaking hands with the family and kissing his wife and daughter, he said:
`Now I lay me down for the last time: I am going to my Savior'; and he died
immediately with a smile on his face."
739. The
following experience is related by Wilford Woodruff:
When Father Joseph Smith gave me
my patriarchal blessing, among the many wonderful things of my life, he
promised me that I should bring my father’s household into the kingdom of God,
and I felt that if I ever obtained the blessing, the time had come for me to
perform it.
By the help of God, I preached the
gospel faithfully to my father’s household and to all that were with him, as
well as to my other relatives, and I had appointed a meeting on Sunday, the 1st of
July, at my father’s home.
My Father was believing my
testimony, as were all in his household, but upon this occasion the devil was
determined to hinder the fulfillment of the promise of the patriarch unto me.
It seemed as though Lucifer, the
son of the morning, had gathered together the hosts of hell and exerted his
powers upon us all. Distress overwhelmed the whole household, and all were
tempted to reject the work. And it seemed as though the same power would devour
me. I had to take to my bed for an hour before the time of meeting. I there
prayed unto the Lord with my whole soul for deliverance, for I knew the power
of the devil was exercised to hinder me from accomplishing what God had
promised me.
The Lord heard my prayer and
answered my petition, and when the hour of meeting had come I arose from my
bed, and could sing and shout for joy to think I had been delivered from the
power of the evil one.
Filled with the power of God, I
stood up in the midst of the congregation and preached the gospel of Jesus
Christ unto the people in great plainness.
At the close of the meeting we
assembled on the banks of the Farmington River, “because there was much water
there,” and I led six of my friends into the river and baptized them for the remission
of their sins.
All of my father’s household were
included in this number, according to the promise of the Patriarch. They were
all relatives except Dwight Webster, who was a Methodist class-leader and was
boarding with my father’s family.
I organized the small number of
nine persons, eight of whom were my relatives, into a branch of the Church, and
ordained Dwight Webster to the office of a Priest and administered the
sacrament unto them.
It was truly a day of joy to my
soul. My father, step-mother and sister were among the number baptized. I
afterwards added a number of relatives. I felt that this days’ work alone amply
repaid me for all my labor in the ministry.
Who can comprehend the joy, the
glory, the happiness and consolation that an Elder of Israel feels in being an
instrument in the hands of God of bringing his father, mother, sister, brother,
or any of the posterity of Adam through the door that enters into life and
salvation? No man can, unless he has experienced these things, and possesses
the testimony of Jesus Christ and the inspiration of Almighty God.
Leaves of
My Journal, Preston Nibley comp., (Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1988), 59-61.
740. Kirtland, Ohio, December 22, 1835 [Letter
from Michael H. Chandler]
Dear Brother in
the Lord [William Frye]:
. . . Upon the subject of the
Egyptian records, or rather the writings of Abraham and Joseph, and may I say a
few words. This record is beautifully written in papyrus with black, and a
small part, red ink or paint, in perfect preservation. The characters are such
as you find upon the coffins of mummies, hieroglyphics and etc., with many
characters or letters exactly like the present, though perhaps not quite so
square form of the Hebrew without points.
These records were obtained from
one of the catacombs in Egypt, near the place where once stood the renowned
city of Thebes, by the celebrated French traveller Antonio Sebolo [Lebolo], in
the year 1831. He procured license from Mohemet Ali, then Viceroy of Egypt
under the protection of Chevralier [Chevalier] Drovetti, the French Consul, in
the year 1828; employed 433 men four months and two days, (if I understood
correctly, Egyptian or Turkish soldiers), at from four to six cents per diem,
each man; entered the catacomb June 7, 1831, and obtained eleven mummies. There
were several hundred mummies in the same catacomb. About one hundred embalmed
after the first order and deposited and placed in niches and two or three
hundred after the second and third order, and laid upon the floor or bottom of
the grand cavity, the two last orders of embalmed were so decayed that they
could not be removed and only eleven out of the first, found in the niches.
On his way from Alexandria to
Paris he put in at Trieste, and after ten days illness, expired. This was in
the year 1832. Previous to his decease, he made a will of the whole to Mr.
Michael H. Chandler, then in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his nephew, whom he
supposed to have been in Ireland.
Accordingly the whole were sent to
Dublin, addressed according, and Mr. Chandler's friends ordered them sent to
New York where they were received at the customhouse in the winter or spring of
1833. In April of the same year Mr. Chandler paid the duties upon his mummies
and took possession of the same. Up to this time they had not been taken out of
the coffins nor the coffins opened.
On opening the coffins he
discovered that in connection with two of the bodies were something rolled up
with the same kind of linen, saturated with the same bitumen, which when
examined proved to be two rolls of papyrus, previously mentioned. I may add
that two or three other small pieces of papyrus, with astronomical
calculations, epitaphs, etc., were found with others of the mummies.
When Mr. Chandler discovered that
there was something with the mummies, he supposed or hoped it might be some
diamonds or other valuable metal, and was no little chagrined when he saw his
disappointment. He was immediately told while yet in the customhouse, that
there was no man in that city, who could translate his rolls; but was referred
by the same gentleman, (a stranger) to Mr. Joseph Smith, Jr., who continued
[that] he possess some kind of power or gift by which he had previously
translated similar characters. Brother Smith was then unknown to Mr. Chandler.
Neither did he know that such a book or work as the record of the Nephites had
been brought before the public. From New York he took his collection to
Philadelphia, [Pennsylvania], where he exhibited them for a compensation. The
following is a certificate put into my hands by Mr. Chandler, which he obtained
while in Philadelphia and will show the opinion of the scientific of that city:
"Having examined with
considerable attention and deep interest, a number of mummies from the
catacombs, near Thebes, in Egypt and now exhibiting in the Arcade, we beg leave
to recommend them to the observation of the curious inquirer on subjects of a
period so long elapsed; probably not less than three thousand years ago.
"The features of some of the
mummies are in perfect expression. The papyrus covered with black or red ink,
or paint, in excellent preservation, are very interesting. The undersigned,
unsolicited by any person connected by interest with this exhibition, have
voluntarily set their names hereunto, for the simple purpose of calling the
attention of the public to an interesting collection, not sufficiently known in
this city." signed
John Redman Cone,
M.D., E. H. Rivinius, M.D., Richard Harlan, M.D., J. Pencoat, M.D., Wm. P. C.
Barton, M.D., Samuel G. Morgan, M.D."
While Mr. Chandler was in
Philadelphia he used every exertion to find someone who would give him the
translation of his papyrus, but could not satisfactorily, though from some few
men of the `first eminence' he obtained in a small degree the translation of a
few characters.
Here he was referred to Brother
Smith. From Philadelphia he visited Harrisburg, [Pennsylvania] and other places
east of the mountains, and was frequently referred to Brother Smith for the
translation of his Egyptian relic.
It would be beyond my purpose to
follow this gentleman in his different circuits to the time he visited this
place, the last of June or first of July, at which time he presented Brother
Smith with his papyrus. Till then neither myself nor Brother Smith knew of such
relics being in America. Mr. Chandler was told that his writings could be
deciphered, and very politely gave me privileges of copying some four or five
different sentences or separate pieces, stating at the same time, that unless
he found someone who "could give him a translation soon he would carry
them to London."
I am a little in advance of my
narrative. The morning Mr. Chandler first presented his papyrus to Brother
Smith, he was shown by the latter, a number of characters like those upon the
writings of Mr. C. [Chandler] which were previously copied from the plates
containing the history of the Nephites, or Book of Mormon.
Being solicited by Mr. Chandler to
give an opinion concerning his antiquities, or a translation of some of the
characters, Brother J. [Joseph] gave him the interpretation of some few for his
satisfaction. For your gratification I will here annex a certificate which I
hold, from under the hand of Mr. Chandler, unsolicited however, by any person
in this place, which will show how far he believed Brother Smith able to unfold
from these long obscure rolls, the wonders obtained thereon:
"Kirtland
July 6th, 1835
This is to make known to all who
may be desirous, concerning the knowledge of Mr. Joseph Smith, Jr., in
deciphering the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic characters, in my possession,
which I have, in many eminent cities, shown to the most learned; and from the
information that I could ever learn, or meet with, I find that Mr. Joseph
Smith, Jr., to correspond in the most minute matters.
Signed Michael H.
Chandler
Traveling with
and proprietor of Egyptian Mummies."
The foregoing is verbatim as given
by Mr. Chandler excepting the addition of punctuation, and speaks sufficiently
plain without requiring comment from me and it was given previous to the
purchase of the antiquities, by any person here.
The language in which this record
is written is very comprehensive, and many of the hieroglyphics exceedingly
striking.
Oliver Cowdery
Letters, Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, San Marino, California
(hereafter cited as Huntington), letters of Oliver Cowdery cited in Stanley R.
Gunn, Oliver Cowdery: Second Elder and Scribe (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1962)
and LDS Church Archives. With the exception of two letters, the letters in this
collection have been printed in Gunn's work and were located at the time of the
publication of that work in the Huntington Library or Church Archives.
741. The following from the journal of Warren Foote
dated May 13, 1837:
13th. The rest of our company
being somewhat anxious to see the Prophet Joseph, and the Temple, concluded to
accompany Father, and myself to Kirtland. We hired a man to take us to that
place for $5.00-distant 12 miles. We arrived there about noon. In the afternoon
we went into the [Kirtland] Temple, and saw the mummies and the records which
were found with them (we went to the prophet's house to see him. This is the
first I saw him, and shook hands with him). Joseph Smith Sen. explained them to
us, and said the records were the writings of Abraham & Joseph, Jacob's
son. Some of the writing was in black, and some in red. He said that the
writing in red, was pertaining to the Priesthood.
Autobiography
of Warren Foote, Typescript, HBLL; htpp://www.boap.org/
742. What
was the purchasing price that Joseph Smith paid for the Egyptian mummies?
$2400.00
Prolegomena
to Any Study of the Book of Abraham, Hugh Nibley,
BYU Studies, Winter 68, p. 181.
743. The
following is an incident that happened as a result of a member trying to get
Saints in Iowa to sell their property and move to Nauvoo.
There was an
elder by the name of James Carl. He had formerly been a Methodist preacher and
very enthusiastic. He got the whole branch excited in relation to the judgments
of God that was to precede the coming of the Messiah. He made the members of
the branch believe that these instructions were to take place almost
immediately, and that our land would be of no benefit to us. But I still
opposed selling. This same James Carl had visited a small branch about 30 miles
up the river and raised an excitement in the settlement. The inhabitants being
very much enraged in consequence of his preaching false doctrine. So Alva
Tippits was appointed to that mission. He invited me and Benjamin Leyland to
accompany him up there. James Carl also went along, intruding himself on the
company.
On arriving at the place, we found
the citizens very much exasperated and forbid the branch holding any more meetings.
Alva Tippits called a council of the elders to decide what to do. And it was
agreed to appoint a meeting the next day at 12 o’clock. The appointed time
arrived and the house filled up for the meeting.
The opening services being
concluded Brother Leyland arose to speak to the people, when announcement was
given that the mob was coming. There were about 40 of them armed with clubs and
bowie knives and pistols. They marched upon the door full of rage, cursing and
swearing and damning old Joe Smith and the Mormons, brandishing their clubs and
knives in the air. At this the congregation became frightened, the women and children
were crying screaming, and then all rushed out the back door as the mob were
coming in the front door. Leyland stopped preaching. James Carl crouched up in
the corner under the desk and Leyland followed suit. This left Brother Tippits
and myself to face the music. The house being filled with an infuriated mob. I
sprang upon one of the benches and said,
“Gentlemen don’t be excited. I am
an American citizen and I presume you are also Americans. We enjoy the liberty,
the rights and privileges that our fathers fought for in the Revolutionary war
and many of them laid down their lives to secure us the privilege we now enjoy,
or living on our farms and pleasant houses unmolested. I was a volunteer in the
Blackhawk war and ventured my life to reach this country, the Iowa Territory,
from the hands of the Indians, even this land on which you have your homes. My
father also was a volunteer in the War of 1812 and ventured his life for the
protection of our liberties. My grandfather was a commander on the seas and
commanded a large fleet and fought one of the most decisive battles in the
Revolutionary War. We as American citizens are enjoying the fruits of their
sufferings and labors. We wish you to enjoy the privileges of living on your
farms unmolested. We have not come here out of any evil motives. We believe in
God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. We came here to
have a visit with the folks up here and to have a little meeting. Now I ask you
kindly if you have any objections to our having a little prayer meeting this
evening? And as far as the Mormons are concerned you will never be disturbed in
the enjoyment of your homes and your rights and privileges. And after our
meeting we will return to our homes.”
They listened to my remarks with
marked attention. The captain of the mob stepped upon a bench and said,
“That does not agree with the
ideas we have heard about the Mormons. We believe them to be the most wicked,
corrupt, scoundrels that live upon the earth. And as to your believing the
Bible, you are as far from it as the East to the West. We want no more Mormon
meetings in our settlement. Yet, I don’t know that I have any objections to
your having a meeting this evening.”
He then asked his company if they
were willing that we should have a meeting to which they agreed. So they went
to their homes. And then Leyland and Carl crawled out from under the desk.
Appointment was given out for a meeting that evening.
The time came, the house was
crowed, and among the audience was the mob. The meeting opened, the privilege
was given for anyone to speak that wished to. Several of the brethren bore
testimony to the truth of Mormonism. Some of the sisters spoke in tongues. Also
some of the brethren spoke in tongues and prophesied. We had a splendid
meeting. I was moved upon to speak in a language unknown to me. At this the
Captain of the mob got up and said no one could deny but that was a pure
language, but how do we know but that they have learned that language. There
was the most strict attention paid to everything that was said. The meeting was
dismissed and the best to feelings enjoyed by all, both Saints and mob.
744. Letter
of Alfred Cordon to Joseph Smith:
Some of the tools of Satan are
doing more in spreading the truth than we are able to do; one in particular, a Mr.
Brindley, is publishing a periodical showing the “errors and blasphemies” of
“Mormonism;” and in order to do this, he publishes many of the revelations of
God given to us, and through this means, the testimony is visiting the mansions
of the high and mighty ones-the “reverends, high reverends” and all the noble
champions of sectarians receive them as a precious morsel; and they are read
with much interest; whereas, if we had sent them, they would have been spurned
from their dwellings, and would not have been considered worth reading.
Joseph
Smith Jr., History of the Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company,
1950), 4:515.
745. The
following is from John Corrill. He wrote this after he had left the church.
Brother Corrill has an interesting perspective on what it is people should have
done if they wanted to rid the world of Mormonism:
The high priests, elders and
priests, have from the commencement of the Church, labored indefatigably to
proclaim the gospel and gain disciples, and they have generally been
successful, though strongly opposed. On the sixth day of April, 1830, there were
but six members in the Church, but now their members are differently estimated
from ten to forty thousand, though, in my opinion, there are from twelve to
twenty thousand. Much exertion has been used to confute and put down their
doctrine and belief, but as foolish as it is, their elders have generally been
able to compete with and baffle their opponents. Several publications have
appeared against them, as well as newspaper prints, but the misfortune
generally has been, that they contained so much misrepresentation, that it has
destroyed the confidence of the public in the truth they did contain. Men of
influence in the Church have, at different times, turned against it, become its
violent enemies, and tried to destroy it, but generally without success. If
Smith, Rigden [Rigdon] and others, of the leaders, had managed wisely and
prudently, in all things, and manifested truly a Christian spirit, it would
have been very difficult to put them down. But their imprudence and
miscalculations, and manifest desire for power and property, have opened the
eyes of many, and did more to destroy them than could possibly have been done
otherwise. My opinion is, that if the Church had been let alone by the
citizens, they would have divided and subdivided so as to have completely
destroyed themselves and their power, as a people, in a short time.
John
Corrill, A Brief History of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints (Commonly
Called Mormons, Including an Account of their Doctrine and Discipline, with the
Reasons of the Author for Leaving the Church) (St. Louis, n.p., 1839).
746. The following is a letter from Oliver Cowdery.
Kirtland, January 21, 1834
Dear Brothers Wm. [William W. Phelps] and John
[Whitmer]:
I am yet alive and anxiously wait till the Lord
grants us the privilege of meeting again.
Our office is yet in the brick building, though
we expect in the spring to move on the hill near the Methodist meeting house.
Our enemies have threatened us but thank the Lord we are yet on earth. They
came out on the 8th about 12 o'clock at night, a little west and fired cannon.
We suppose to alarm us, but no one was frightened, but all prepared to defend
ourselves if they made a sally upon our houses.
My love to Elizabeth,
Write again that I may publish it.
Oliver Cowdery
Oliver Cowdery Letters, Henry E.
Huntington Library and Art Gallery, San Marino, California (hereafter cited as
Huntington), letters of Oliver Cowdery cited in Stanley R. Gunn, Oliver
Cowdery: Second Elder and Scribe (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1962) and LDS
Church Archives. With the exception of two letters, the letters in this
collection have been printed in Gunn's work and were located at the time of the
publication of that work in the Huntington Library or Church Archives.
747. But about the setting in of winter
mobocracy, which had been gradually increasing after the settling of the
Mormons in that part of the country, gained a fearful climax, in so much that
it was really unsafe to be known as such. In Farmington, a place five miles
from Bonepart, they would take a man if they knew he was a Mormon and hang him
up to a tree or anything that would answer their purpose in the street in open
daylight. They would hang him until nearly dead before taking him down. One old
man by the name of McBride, an old revolutionary soldier, died in consequence
of the hanging. They would also cut holes in the ice in the river and hold them
in the water until nearly dead. These outrages were perpetrated without
preferring any charge. But these outrages, although of frequent occurrence, did
not satisfy their diabolical thirst for malice and unprovoked spite. The spirit
which raged with violence and savage cruelty in Illinois and Missouri was
exhibited in Farmington in the vindictive spirit in which they sought to harass
and persecute the Saints.
748. The following event takes place at Jackson
County, Missouri.
On Tuesday [1833], when the mob
again assembled, they went to the houses of several of the leading Mormons;
and, taking Isaac Morley, David Whitmer, and others, they told them to bid
their families farewell, for they would never see them again. Then driving them
at the point of the bayonet to the public square, they stripped and tarred and
feathered them, amidst menaces and insults. The commanding officer then called
twelve of his men, and ordering them to cock their guns and present them at the
prisoner's breasts, and to be ready to fire when he gave the word,--he
addressed the prisoners, threatening them with instant death, unless they
denied the book of Mormon and confessed it to be a fraud; at the same time
adding, that if they did so, they might enjoy the privileges of citizens. David
Whitmer, hereupon, lifted up his hands and bore witness that the Book of Mormon
was the Word of God. The mob then let them go.
“Facts Relative to the Expulsion of the Mormon’s or
Latter-day Saints, From the State of Missouri, Under the ‘Exterminating
Order,’” John P. Greene (Cincinnati: R.P. Brooks, 1839).
749. The following is in reference to the Missouri
persecutions:
In order that it may be fully
understood what were the relative states of mind of the Mormons and the people
of Daviess County, at this time, reference may be made to a letter from Major
George Woodward to his wife, which was seen and read by me, John P. Greene, to
whom Mrs. Woodward showed it. It was dated headquarters, Daviess County. He
says, that after having been patrolling Daviess County for the last two days,
for the purpose of ascertaining where the fault lay, and who were under arms,
he had found many of the people of Daviess and other counties armed and
apparently hostile to the Mormons; and that having visited the city of
Adam-ondi-Ahman, to his great astonishment, instead of block-houses and
entrenchments and cannon, as had been reported by the citizens of Daviess
County, he had found a poor but industrious people, living in pole houses, and
no men under arms, but each engaged about his own business. He continues he is
surprised to see such violence of feeling existing against a people who seem so
inoffensive.
“Facts Relative to the Expulsion of the Mormons or Latter-day
Saints, From the State of Missouri, Under the Exterminating Order,’” John P.
Greene (Cincinnati: R. P. Brooks, 1839).
750. We have often heard how Alexander Doniphan disobeyed
General Moses Wilsons command to have Joseph Smith and other Church leaders
executed the next morning at Far West. Apparently, according to the Alanson
Ripley, Joseph Smith had others on his side.
There were
seventeen officers who composed this court martial and twelve out of seventeen
consented to the death of these men, but thank God there was virtue enough in
the minority to overrule the infamy of the majority, therefore their lives were
spared.
Times and Seasons, Vol. 1. No. 3.,
Commerce, Illinois, January, 1840.
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