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HAROLD  B.  LEE  LIBRARY 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG  UNIVERSITY 

PRCVO.  UTAH 


^\./ 


RISE  A.. 


15y 


BY    ELDER    B.    H.    ROBERTS, 

^UTHOK  OB-    "OfTLTlifES  OF  EcCLESrASTlCAL    HISTORY,"     "A  ^^'E'VV  WlTXESS  FOR   Goi>,' 

"The  >Iissouki  Persecl'tio-s,''    '"The  GosPEt,."     '  St-ccB&sio>- 
IN  THE  Preside:,    v,"  etc. 


SALT  LAKE  CITY,   UTAH: 

THE    DESK  RET   NEWS,    PUBLISHERS, 
I  goo. 


PREFACE. 


npHE  Rise  and  Fall  of  Nauvoo  is  a  companion  volume 
-■-  and  stands  in  historical  sequence  to  "The  Missouri  Perse- 
cutions." It  was  written  with  the  same  object  in  view,  viz.,  "To 
place  in  the  hands  of  the  youth  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  a  full 
statement  of  the  persecutions  endured  by  the  early  members  of 
The  Church  in  this  last  dispensation;  *  *  *  ^^^^^ 
they  may  be  made  acquainted  with  the  sacrifices  which  their 
fathers  have  made  for  the  word  of  God  and  the  testimony  of 
Jesus  Christ."  And  I  indulge  the  same  hope  with  reference  to 
jthis  book  that  I  did  with  respect  to  "The  Missouri  Persecutions," 

wiz.^  t)iat  by  "becoming  acquainted  with  the  story  of  the  suffer- 

i 

ings  ot  the  early  Saints,  the  faith  of  the  Gospel  will  become  all 
the  mire  dear  to  the  hearts  of  their  immediate  posterity,  and 
all  the  youth  of  Zion,  for  many  generations  to  come."* 

The  Author. 


*&:e  Preface  to  "The  Missouri  Persections." 


CONTRNTS. 


Introduction 9 

CHAPTER  I. 

Nauvoo 17 

CHAPTER  n. 

The  Reception  of  the  Exiles  in  Illinois 21 

CHAPTER  III. 

Commerce — Land  Purcliases : 24 

_                     .              ^'             CHAPTER  IV. 
"As  Flies  In  the  Ointment". 33 

.  /            CHAPTER  V. 
Political  Agitation V 35 

CHAPTER  VI. 
A  Day  of  God's  Power 39 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Departure  of  the  Twelve  for  England 43 

^y  CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  "Times  and  Seasons". .\. 47 

CHAPTER  IX. 
An  Appeal  to  the  General  Government  for  Redress  of  Grievances 50 

CHAPTER  X. 
Orson  Hyde's  Mission  to  Jerusalem 60 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Death's  Harvest  in  Xauvoo— Return  of  Prodigals 64 

CHAPTER  XII. 
John  C.  Bennett 7r5 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Renewal  of  Hostilities  by  Missouri 76 

CHAPTER  XrV.  -^ 

Founding  a^  City- /gO/ 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Nauvoo  Legion 85 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Reconstruction  of  Quorums— the  Nauvoo  House  and  the  Temple 90 

CHAPTER  X\TI. 
The  Conference  of  April  6th,  1841 94 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 
Prophet's  Trial  at  Monmouth 97 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Events  of  the  Summer  of  1841 103 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Introduction  of  the  New  Marriage  System ^I5? 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Camp  Followers— Bankruptcy 128 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Suspicions  of  Treachery 1B4 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Attempted  Assassination  of  Governor  Boggs 141 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

The  Prophet's  Trial  at  Springfield— Missouri  Again  Thwarted 148 

CHAPTER    XXV. 

Incidents  of  the  Trial  and  Acquittal 158 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Doctrinal  Development  at  Nauvoo--Interpretation  of  the  Scriptures 163 

CHAPTER    XXVII. 
Doctrinal  Development  at  Nauvoo— the  Kingdom  of  God  and  the  Resur- 
rection   1T7 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Doctrinal  Development— Prophecies 189 

CHAPTP]R  XXIX. 

Doctrinal  Development  at  Nauvoo— of  the  Being  and  Nature  of  God 195 

CHAPTER    XXX. 

Doctrinal  Development  at  Nauvoo— Miscellaneous  Items 210 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 

The  Prophet  Arrested  on  Missouri's  old  Charge 21S 

CHAPTER    XXXII. 

Minor  Matters  In  the  New  Move  Against  the  Prophet 224 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
Political  Perplexities— Joseph  Smith  a  Candidate  for  President  of  the 

United  States 242 

CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

The  Projected  Movement  to  the  West 200 

CHAPTER    XXXV. 

The  Standard  of  Peace 271 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

"In  Peril  Among  False  Brethren" 280 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Compliance  with  the  Demands  of  Governor  Ford 292 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

The  Martyrdom 300 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

Confusion— Choosing  a  Leader 32:-! 

CHAPTER  XL. 

The  Trial  of  the  Murderers 334 

CHAPTER  XLI. 
The  Exodus— the  Fall  of  Nauvoo 342 

APPENDIX  I. 

Correspondence  Between  Joseph  Smith  and  John  C.  Calhoun 373 

/  APPENDIX  II. 

Clay's  Letter  to  Joseph  Smith  and  the  Latter's  Reply 380 

APPENDIX  III. 
Joseph  Smith's  Views  of  the  Power  and  Policy  of  the  Government  of  the 

United  States 389 

APPENDIX  IV. 
An  Account  of  the  Martyrdom  of  Joseph  Smith,  hy  President  John  Tay- 
lor    404 


INTRODUCTION. 


Once  in  an  ancient  city,         *        *        * 

Raised  aloft  on  a  column,  a  brazen  statue  of  Justice 

Stood  in  the  public  square,  upholding  the  scales  in  its  left  hand, 

And  in  its  right  hand  a  sword,  as  an  emblem  that  justice  presided 

Over  the  laws  of  the  land,  and  the  hearts  and  the  homes  of  the  people. 

But  in  the  course  of  time  the  laws  of  the  land  were  corrupted; 

Might   took  the  place  of  right,  and  the  weak  were  oppressed,  and 

the  mighty — 
Ruled  with  an  iron  rod. — Evangeline. 

QUEEN  ANNE'S  war  was  brought  to  a  close  by  the  treaty  of 
Utrecht,  in  1713.  By  this  treaty  the  French  province,  Nova 
Scotia,  was  ceded  by  France  to  England;  and,  of  course,  the  in- 
habitants, nearly  exclusively  French,  and  numbering  some  three 
thousand,  became  subjects  of  Orecit  Britain.  Less  than  half  a 
centurv  later,  when  the  French  and  Indian  war  broke  out,  the 
French  population  had  increased  to  eighteen  thousand — out- 
numbering the  English  three  to  one.  In  fact  the  presence  of 
the  English  amounted  to  nothing  more  than  a  military  occupa- 
tion of  the  peninsula.  These  French  peasants,  usually  called 
Acadians,  had  brought  under  cultivation  large  tracts  of  land; 
owned  about  sixty  thousand  head  of  cattle;  had  built  neat  cot- 
tage homes,  established  peaceful  hamlets,  and  lived  in  a  state  of 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

plenty,  but  great  simplicity.  They  were  reputed  to  be  a  peace- 
able, industrious,  and  amiable  race;  governed  mostly  by  their 
pastors,  who  exercised  a  paternal  authority  over  them. 

Thus  dwelt  together  in  love  these  simple  Acadian  farmers — 
Dwelt  in  the  love  of  God  and  of  man.     Alike  were  they  free  from 
Fear,  that  reigns  with  the  tyrant,  and  envy,  the  vice  of  republics. 
Neither  locks  had  they  to  their  doors,  nor  bars  to  their  windows; 
But  their  dwellings  were  open  as  day,  and  the  hearts  of  their  owners; 
There  the  richest  were  poor,  and  the  poorest  lived  in  abundance. 

When  the  French  and  Indian  war  broke  out,  these  people 
were  quietly  cultivating  their  farms,  and  manifested  no  warlike 
disposition.  Still,  the  deputy  governor  of  the  province,  Law- 
rence by  name,  pretended  to  fear  an  insurrection,  should  the 
French  in  Canada  attempt  an  invasion  of  Acadia.  Therefore 
when  General  Braddock  met  in  council  with  the  colonial  gov- 
ernors at  Alexandria,  Lawrence  urged  the  assembly  to  do  some- 
thing to  overawe  the  French,  and  strengthen  the  English  au- 
thority. A  plan  to  humiliate  the  Acadians  was  decided  upon, 
and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  infamous  deputy  governor,  Law- 
rence, and  Colonel  Monckton  to  execute. 

A  flf^^t  of  forty  vessels  with  three  thousand  regular  troops 
on  board,  left  Boston  in  May,  1755,  and  after  a  S^lCC^ZlZ^.  voy- 
age anchored  in  Chignecto  Bay.  Landing  their  troops,  they  be- 
sieged Fort  Beau-Sejour,  which  had  been  erected  by  the  French, 
on  the  isthmus  connecting  Nova  Scotia  with  New  Brunswick. 
After  a  feeble  resistance  the  fort  capitulated,  and  in  less  than 
a  month,  with  the  loss  of  only  twenty  men,  the  English  had 
made  themselves  masters  of  the  whole  country.  The  inglorious 
campaign  was  ended,  but  the  fact  still  existed  that  the  obnox- 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

ious  Acadians  outnumbered  the  English;  and  the  question 
remained  as  it  was  before  the  invasion.  The  deputy  governor 
convened  a  council  ''to  consider  what  disposal  of  the  Acadians 
the  security  of  the  country  required."  The  result  of  the  delib- 
erations was  this:  The  security  of  the  country  required  the  ban- 
ishment of  the  entire  French  population! 

Lawrence  and  his  associates  soon  inv^ented  a  scheme  which 
furnished  an  excuse  for  carrying  into  effect  this  infamous  or- 
der. An  oath  of  allegiance  was  formulated  to  which  the  Aca- 
dians as  consistent  Catholics  could  not  subscribe,  without  doing 
violence  to  their  consciences.  They  refused  to  take  the  oath, 
but  declared  their  loyalty  to  the  English  government.  This 
they  were  told  was  insufficient.  At  one  fell  stroke  they  were 
adjudged  guilty  of  treason,  and  the  surrender  of  their  boats  and 
firearms  demanded.  To  these  acts  of  tyranny  the  Acadians 
submitted.  They  even  offered  to  take  the  oath  first  required  of 
them,  but  the  deputy  governor  said  the  day  of  grace  was  past; 
that  once  having  refused  to  take  it,  they  must  now  endure  the 
consequences. 

Their  lands,  houses  and  cattle  were  declared  forfeited; 
their  peaceful  hamlets  were  laid  waste;  their  houses  given  to 
the  flames;  the  fruits  of  years  of  honest  industry  and  strict 
economy  were  wantonly  destroyed,  and  the  people  driven  to  the 
larger  coast  towns.  In  one  district  two  hundred  and  thirty-six 
houses  were  burned  to  the  ground  at  once.  Part  of  the  inhabi- 
tants who  had  escaped  to  the  woods  beheld  all  they  possessed 
wickedly  destro>  ed  by  bands  of  marauders,  without  making  any 
resistance  until  their  place  of  worship  was  wantonly  set  on  fire. 
Exasperated  by  this  unhallowed  deed,  they  rushed  from  their 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

hiding  places,  killed  about  thirty  of  the  incendiaries,  and  re- 
treated to  the  woods. 

To  render  this  scheme  of  tyrannical  banishment  completely 
effective,  further  treachery  was  necessary.     In  each  district 
the  people  were  commanded  to  meet  at  a  certain  place  and  day 
on  important  business,  the   nature  of  which  was  carefully  con- 
cealed from  them,  until  they  were  assembled  and  surrounded  by 
English  troops;  then  the  inhuman  edict  of  banishment  was  an- 
nounced to  the  heart-broken  peasants.     Very   little   time  was 
allowed  them  for  preparation.     In  mournful  crowds  they  were 
driven  to  the  beach.     Women  with  white  faces  pressed  their 
babes  to  their  hearts;  children  dumb  with  terror  clung  to  their 
parents;  the  aged  and  the  infirm   as   well  as  the  young  and 
strong  shared  the  common  fate. 

At  the  large  village  of  Grand  Pre,  when  the  moment  for 
embarkation  arrived,  the  young  men,  who  were  placed  in  the 
front,  refused  to  move;  but  files  of  troops  with  fixed  bayonets 
forced  obedience.  As  soon  as  they  were  on  board  the  British 
shipping,  heavy  columns  of  black  smoke  ascending  from  Grand 
Pre  announced  to  the  wretched  Acadians  the  destruction  of 
their  lovely  village. 

The  embarkation  of  these  peasants,  and  the  burning  of 
Grand  Pre  is  thus  described  by  Longfellow: 

Thus  to  the  Gaspereau's  mouth  moved  on  that  mournful  procession. 
There  disorder  prevailed,  and  the  tumult  and  stir  of  embarking. 
Busily  plied  the  freighted  boats;  and  in  the  confusion 
Wives  were  torn  from  their  husbands,  and  mothers,  too  late,  saw 
their  children 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

Left  on  the  land,  extending  their  arms  with  wildest  entreaties. 

Suddenly  rose  from  the  South  a  light,  as  in  Autumn  the  blood  red 
Moon  climbs  the  crystal  walls  of  heaven,  and  o'er  the  horizon 
Titan-like,  stretches  its  hundred  hands  upon  mountain  and  meadow, 
Seizing  the  rocks  and  the  rivers,  and  piling  huge  shadows  together; 
Broader  and  ever  broader  it  gleamed  on  the  roofs  of  the  village. 
Gleamed  on  the  sky  and  the  sea,  and  the  ships  that  lie  in  the  road- 
stead. 
Columns  of  shining  smoke  uprose  and  flashes  of  flame  were 
Thrust  through  their  folds  and  withdrawn,  like  the  quivering  hands 

of  a  martyr. 
Then  as  the  winds  seized  the  gleeds  and  the  burning  thatch,  and, 

uplifting, 
Whirled  them  aloft  through  the  air,  at  once  from  a  hundred  house- 
tops 
Started  the  sheeted  smoke  with  flashes  of  flame  intermingled. 

These  things  beheld  in  dismay  the  crowd  on  the  shore  and  on  ship- 
board. 

Speechless  at  first  they  stood,  then  cried  aloud  in  their  anguish, 

"  We  shall  behold  no  more  our  homes  in  the  village  of  Grand  Pre.' 

The  property  which  had  before  escaped  the  hands  of  the 
spoilers  was  now  laid  waste  on  the  plea  of  discouraging  the  re- 
turn of  the  exiles,  who,  through  their  blinding  tears,  saw  the 
land  of  their  homes  and  their  hopes  fade  from  view. 

No  preparations  had  been  made  for  their  settlement  else- 
where; nor  did  they  receive  any  compensation  for  their  property 
from  which  they  were  forced,  or  that  had  been  wickedly  de- 
stroyed. In  a  starving  and  penniless  state,  they  were  put 
ashore  in  small  groups  at  diflPerent  points  along  the  coast  of 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

New  England,  where  many  of  them  perished  through  the  hard- 
ships they  endured.  A  pathetic  representation  of  their  wrongs 
was  addressed  to  the  English  government,  and  by  reference  to 
solemn  treaties  made  between  them  and  the  provincial  govern- 
ment, they  proved  their  banishment  to  be  "as  faithless  as  it  was 
cruel."  "No  attention,  however,"  says  Marcus  Wilson,  "was 
paid  to  this  document,  and  so  guarded  a  silence  was  preserved 
by  the  government  of  Nova  Scotia  upon  the  subject  of  the  re- 
moval of  the  Acadians,  that  the  records  of  the  province  make 
no  allusion  whatever  to  the  event." 

After  the  close  of  the  French  and  Indian  war,  France 
ceded  all  her  possessions  in  Canada  to  victorious  England.  The 
case  of  the  Acadians  was  again  brought  before  the  English 
government,  but  no  compensation  was  ever  allowed  them  for  the 
outrages  committed  against  them.  The  property  of  which  they 
were  ruthlessly  plundered  was  never  restored.  They  were  al- 
lowed to  return  to  the  province,  and,  on  taking  the  customary 
oaths,  could  receive  lands;  but  of  the  eighteen  thousand  that 
were  banished,  less  than  two  thousand  returned: 

Still  stands  the  forest  primeval;  but  under  the  shade  of  its  branches 
Dwells  another  race,  with  other  customs  and  language. 
Only  along  the  shore  of  the  mournful  and  misty  Atlantic 
Linger  a  few  Acadian  peasants,  whose  fathers  from  exile 
Wandered  back  to  their  native  land  to  die  in  its  bosom. 

For  such  atrocious  acts  as  these,  we  find  no  apologist 
among  our  historians.  On  every  hand  they  meet  with  execra- 
tion.    Such  wanton  cruelty — such  palpable  violations  of  human 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

rights  are  stains  upon  the  escutcheon  of  the  nation  that  per- 
mits them  to  be  perpetrated  within  her  borders. 

It  is  quite  generally  supposed  that  such  atrocious  crimes 
as  this  against  the  French  peasants  of  Acadia  are  only  to  be 
met  with  in  former  ages  or  among  non-Christian  countries.  But 
in  writing  the  history  of  the  Rise  and  Fall  of  Nauvoo — strange 
as  it  may  appear,  and  almost  past  believing — it  is  my  task  to  re- 
late events  which  have  taken  place  in  the  nineteenth  century, 
in  this  age  of  boasted  enlightenment  and  toleration,  that  shall 
make  the  expulsion  of  the  French  peasants  from  Acadia  pale  in 
comparison  with  them;  events  which  have  occurred  in  the  United 
States,  the  boasted  asylum  for  the  oppressed  of  all  nations; 
events  which  would  be  more  in  keeping  with  the  intolerance  of 
the  dark  ages  and  the  cruelty  of  Spain,  during  the  reign  of  the 
inquisition,  than  in  this  age  and  in  this  nation.  What  events 
are  these  that  so  thunder  in  the  index?  Such  deeds  as  outrage 
humanity,  and  well-nigh  destroy  one's  confidence  in  human 
governments;  mock  justice;  deride  the  claims  of  mercy;  and 
pull  down  the  wrath  of  an  offended  God  upon  the  people  who  per- 
form them,  and  upon  the  government  which  allows  them  to  go 
unwhipped  of  justice.  Listen  to  the  history  of  the  Rise  and 
Fall  of  Nauvoo. 


THE 

PISE  AND  rALL  OP  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  L 

NAUVOO. 

THE  history  of  the  Rise  and  Fall  of  Nauvoo  is  worthy  the 
attention  of  the  readers  of  this  book  because  its  story  is 
connected  with  one  of  the  most  important  religious  movements 
of  this  or  any  other  age;  and  with  the  life  and  death  of  one  of  the 
world's  greatest  and  most  unique  characters,  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith.  It  is  worthy  of  the  reader's  attention  because  the  relig- 
ious institution  founded  under  God  by  this  man — the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints— survives  him,  and  presents 
to  the  world  the  greatest  religious  wonder  of  the  age,  a  right 
conception  of  which  cannot  be  formed  without  a  knowledge  of 
(this  Nauvoo  period  of  the  history  of  The  Church;  a  period 
'  which  is  essentially  a  formative  one,  especially  in  regard  to  what 
may  be  considered  the  higher  and  more  complex  doctrines  of 
Mormonism.  Jt  was  in  Nauvoo  that  Joseph  Smith  reached  the  sum- 
mit of  his  remarkable  career.  It  was  in  Nauvoo  he  grew  bolder 
in  the  proclamation  of  those  doctrines  which  stamp  Alormonism 
as  the  great  religion  of  the  age.  It  was  in  Nauvoo  that  Joseph 
Smith's  life  expanded  into  that  eloquent  fullness  which  gives  so 
much  promise  of  what  that  man  will  be  in  eternity.  It  was  in 
Nauvoo  he  contended  against  a  world  of  opposition;  against  the 
power  of  falsehood  and  misrepresentation;  against  priestcraft; 


18  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

against  corruption  in  high  places;  from  here  he  corresponded 
with  statesmen,  and  rebuked  demagogues;  from  here  he  went  to 
martyrdom  -to  seal  his  testimony  with  his  blood.  And  after 
his  death,  it  was  from  here  his  people  fled  to  the  wilderness  in 
the  most  remarkable  exodus  of  modern  times.  The  Church  fled 
into  the  wilderness-J-not,  however  to  be  hidden  from  the  world, 
but  to  be  lifted  up  on  high  as  an  ensign  to  the  nations,  to  be  as 
a  city  sitting  upon  a  hill  that  cannot  be  hid,  but  on  the  contrary, 
from  its  lofty  eminence  challenges  the  attention  of  the  world. 
In  Ilhnois,  as  in  Missouri,  the  religious  toleration  guaranteed  in 
the  Constitutions  of  both  the  State  of  Illinois  and  of  the  United 
States — religious  toleration,  at  once  the  boast  and  pride  of 
Americans,  and  also  the  test  of  true  enlightenment  and  the 
highest  civilization — this  vaunted  toleration  was  in  Nauvoo  put 
to  the  test  and  found  wanting.  That  is,  before  the  exodus  of 
The  Church  from  Nauvoo,  it  became  evident  that  a  people  ac- 
cepting what  to  their  neighbors  was  a  singular  faith,  and  one 
that  was  unpopular  withal,  could  not  live  in  peace  among  their 
fellow-citizens  of  other  faiths,  and  hence  the  exodus,  not  only 
from  Nauvoo  but  from  the  entire  State  of  Illinois  and  also  from 
the  United  States.  The  Latter-day  Saints,  in  a  word,  were  ex- 
patriated from  the  United  States,*  and  sought  an  asylum  in  the 
wilderness,  and  among  tribes  of  savages.  From  whence,  after 
half  a  century,  that  same  Church  emerges,  enlarged,  prosperous, 
more  firmly  rooted  in  safety  and  in  strength  of  faith  than  ever 
before — a  greater  enigma  to  the  religious  world  than  when  it 
made  its  exodus  from  Illinois. 

r  All  these  things  have  a  relation  to  Nauvoo,  for  The  Church 
had  a  sort  of  second  birth  there,  which  makes  the  Rise  and 
Fall  of  Nauvoo  a  theme  of  peculiar  interest  to  those  interested 


*  When  the  Mormon  Pioneers  arrived  in  the  Salt  Lake  valley, 
that  whole  mtermountain  region  still  belonged  to  the  republic  of 
Mexico. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  19 

in  what  the  world  calls  Mormonism.  jAnd  who  is  not  or  should 
not  be  interested  in  a  religious  movement  of  such  proportions, 
of  such  pretensions  and  of  such  achievements  in  the  face  of  such 
opposition  as  it  has  met?        ****** 

Nauvoo,  then,  its  rise  and  its  fall,  is  to  be  the  subject  of 
my  discourse./  The  word  Nauvoo  comes  from  the  Hebrew,  and 
signifies  beautiTul  situation;  "carrying  with  it  also,"  says  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  ''the  idea  of  rest."  And,  indeed,  the 
location  of  the  city  is  beautiful.  No  sooner  does  one  come  in 
view  of  it  than  he  exclaims,  "It  is  rightly  named  !"_J  The  city,  or- 
at-least  the  marred  remains  of  it,  stands  on  a  bold  point  around 
which  sweeps  the  placid  yet  majestic  "Father  of  Waters" — the 
Mississippi.  The  city  is  at  least  half  encircled  by  that  noble 
stream.  From  its  banks  the  ground  rises  gradually  for  at  least 
a  mile  where  it  reaches  the  common  level  of  the  prairie  that 
stretches  out  to  the  eastward,  farther  than  the  eye  can  reach, 
in  a  beautifully  undulating  surface,  once  covered  by  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  natural  grasses  and  wild  flowers,  with  here  and  there 
patches  of  timber;  but  now  chequered  with  meadows,  and,  at 
the  time  of  my  visit,  in  1885,  with  fields  of  waving  corn. 

Opposite  Nauvoo,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  the  bluffs 
rise  rather  abruptly,  almost  from  the  water's  edge,  and  are  cov- 
ered, for  the  most  part,  with  a  fine  growth  of  timber.  Nestling  at 
the  foot  of  one  of  the  highest  of  these  bluffs,  and  immediately  on 
the  bank  of  the  river,  is  the  little  village  of  Montrose,  to  which  I 
shall  have  occasion  to  refer  in  these  pages.  Back  of  these  bluffs 
before  mentioned,  roll  off  the  alternate  prairie  and  woodlands 
of  Iowa.  Between  Montrose  and  Nauvoo,  and  perhaps  two  thirds 
of  the  distance  across  the  river  from  the  Illinois  side,  is  an 
island,  from  three-fourths  of  a  mile  to  a  mile  in  length,  and  from 
fifty  to  one  or  two  hundred  yards  in  width,  having  its  greatest 
extent  north  and  south. 

Nauvoo  is  situated  just  at  the  head  of  what  are  usually 
called  the  Des  Moines  Rapids,  about  one  hundred  and  ninety 


20  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

miles  above  St.  Louis.  These  rapids  were  a  serious  obstacle  to  the 
navigation  of  the  Mississippi  at  this  point,  in  an  early  day,  as  in 
the  season  of  low  water  they  could  not  be  passed  by  the  steam- 
boats plying  the  river.  This  difficulty  of  late,  however,  has  been 
obviated  by  the  general  government  building  a  fine  canal,  run- 
ning parallel  with  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  from  Keokuk  to 
Montrose,  a  distance  of  twelve  or  fifteen  miles.  I  was  unable  to 
learn  the  cost  of  the  construction,  but  judge  it  must  have  re- 
quired at  least  several  millions  of  dollars. 

Such  is  the  location  of  Nauvoo;  such  its  immediate  sur- 
roundings. It  now  remains  for  me  to  relate  the  events  which 
led  to  the  establishment  of  a  thriving  city  on  the  site  we  have 
briefly  described ;  how  it  was  converted  from  a  sickly  wilderness 
to  the  most  desirable  section  of  the  great  State  of  Illinois;  and 
then  how,  through  acts  of  injustice  and  treachery,  some  of  its 
principal  founders  were  murdered  and  the  rest  of  its  inhabitants 
cruelly  driven  from  the  city  by  mob  violence  into  the  wilderness; 
and  how  the  city  sank  from  its  prosperous  condition,  to  become 
the  semi-desolate  place  it  is  today;  and,  what  is  of  more  im- 
portance, to  trace  the  development  of  that  faith  taught  by 
Joseph  Smith,  which  is  destined  to  become,  and  indeed  now  is, 
one  of  the  world's  great  religions. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  21 


CHAPTER  IL 

HE  RECEPTION  OF  THE  EXILES  IN  ILLINOIS. 

N  what  is  properly  a  companion  volume  to  this— "The  Mis- 
souri Persecutions" — I  have  told  ho\^\the  Latter-day  Saints 
were  driven  from  Missouri  under  a  threat  of  exterminationj 
from  the  executive  of  that  State,  LiUmm-iY^Oggs.  When 
fleeing  from  Missouri,  where  they  had  suffered  so  much  from 
mob  violence,  and  from  the  State  government  officials,  the 
Mormon  exiles  crossed  the  Mississippi  into  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, at  the  point  near  where  the  city  of  Quincy  is  located — in 
fact,  at  the  Quincy  Ferry.  Their  destitute  condition,  together 
with  the  injustice  they  had  suffered  in  Missouri — the  spectacle 
of  a  people  in  free  America  being  driven  from  their  homes  and 
exiled  from  one  of  the  States  of  the  American  Union  because 
of  religious  beliefs — aroused  the  indignation  and  excited  the 
sympathy  of  the  people  of  Quincy  and  vicinit][i  (^  kind  recep- 
tion was  given  to  the  exiles  by  the  people  of  this  section  of 
Illinois)  one  very  similar  to  that  given  to  many  of  the  same 
people  by  the  inhabitants  of  Clay  County,  when  a  cruel  perse- 
cution had  driven  some  twelve  hundred  of  them  from  their 
homes  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  five  years  before.*  The 
Democratic  Association  of  Quincy  was  especially  active  in 
the  interests  of  the  exiles.  In  the  month  of  February  a 
meeting  was  called  by  this  association  to  inquire  into  the  situ 
ation  of    the  Mormon  exiles.     At  this  first  meeting  all  that 


*  Missouri  Persecutions,  Chapter  xiv. 


22  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

was  done  was  to  pass  a  resolution,  to  the  effect  that  the  people 
called  Latter-day  Saints  were  in  a  situation  requiring  the  aid  of 
the  people  of  Quincy.  A  committee  of  eight  was  appointed  to 
call  a  general  meeting  of  both  citizens  and  Mormons,  and  to 
receive  a  statement  from  the  latter  of  their  condition,  with  a 
view  to  relieving  their  necessities.  /"The  committee  was 
instructed  to  get  the  Congregational  church  in  which  to  hold 
the  next  meeting,  but  the  directors  having  in  charge  that 
building  would  not  allow  it  to  be  used  for  that  purpose^  I 
speak  of  this  to  show  the  kind  of  charity  existing  in  the 
breasts  of  some  pretended  followers  of  Him  who  taught  that 
charity  was  the  crowning  virtue.  /Failing  to  secure  the  church, 
the  second  meeting  was  held  in  the  courthouse.^ 

At  this  meeting  the  special  committee  appointed  at  the 
first  meeting  reported  its  labors.  The  committee  had  received 
statements  from  Sidney  Rigdon  and  others  in  relation  to  the 
expulsion  of  the  Mormons  from  Missouri,  and  suggested  a 
series  of  resolutions  setting  forth  that  the  exiled  strangers 
were  entitled  to  the  sympathy  and  aid  of  the  people  of  Quincy; 

That  a  numerous  committee,  composed  of  individuals  from 
every  part  of  the  town,  be  appointed  to  allay  the  prejudices  of 
the  misguided  citizens  of  Quincy,  and  explain  that  it  was  not 
the  design  of  the  exiled  Saints  to  lower  the  wages  of  the 
laboring  classes,  but  to  secure  something  to  save  them  from 
starvation; 

That  a  standing  committee  be  appointed  to  relieve,  so  far 
as  in  their  power,  the  wants  of  the  destitute  and  homeless;  and 
to  use  their  utmost  endeavors  to  procure  employment  for  those 
who  were  able  and  willing  to  labor. 

The  report  closed  by  saying: — 

We  recommend  to  all  the  citizens  of  Quincy  that  in  all  their 
intercourse  with  the  strangers,  they  use  and  observe  a  becoming 
decorum  and  delicacy,  and  be  particularly  careful  not  to  indulge  in 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  23 

any  conversation  or  expression  calculated  to  wound  their  feelings,  or 
in  any  way  to  reflect  upon  those  who,  by  every  law  of  humanity,  are 
entitled  to  our  sympathy  and  commiseration. 

/  This  good  work  begun  by  the  Democratic  xlssociation  was 
continued  by  them,  and  substantial  assistance  was  given  to  the 
suffering  Saints  through  their  exertions  J  At  a  subsequent 
meeting  of  the  association  the  following  resolutions  were 
adopted: 

That  we  regard  the  right  of  conscience  as  natural  and  inalien- 
able, and  the  most  sacredly  guaranteed  by  the  Constitution  of  our 
free  government; 

That  we  regard  the  acts  of  all  mobs  in  violation  of  law;  and 
those  who  compose  them  individually  responsible,  both  to  the  laws 
of  God  and  man,  for  every  depredation  committed  upon  the  prop- 
erty, rights,  or  life  of  any  citizen; 

That  the  inhabitants  upon  the  western  frontier  of  the  State 
of  Missouri,  in  their  late  persecution  of  the  people  denominated 
Mormons,  have  violated  the  sacred  rights  of  conscience  and 
every  law  of  justice  and  humanity; 

That  the  governor  of  Missouri,  in  refusing  protection  to  this 
class  of  people,  when  pressed  upon  by  a  heartless  mob,  and  turn- 
ing upon  them  a  band  of  unprincipled  militia,  with  orders  encour- 
aging their  extermination, /has  brought  a  lasting  disgrace  upon 
the  State  over  which  he  presides. 

frhus  with  expressions  of  sympathy  and  material  aid  did  the 
people  of  Quincy  assist  the  exiles  and  bid  them  hope  for  better 
days.  Nor  was  this  kindly  feeling  confined  to  the  people  of 
Quincy  and  vicinity;  it  extended  throughout  the  State;  and 
especially  was  it  exhibited  by  some  of  the  leading  men  thereof, 
including  Governor  Carlin,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  Dr.  Isaac 
Galland  and  many  others. 


-S) 


24  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER    III. 

COMMERCE — LAND    PURCHASES. 

IN  the  fall  of  1838  a  brother  by  the  name  of  Israel  Barlow 
left  the  State  of  Missouri  under  the  exterminating  order  of 
Governor  Boggs.  By  missing  his  way,  or,  what  is  more  likely, 
directed  by  the  hand  of  a  kind  Providence,  he  did  not  leave  the 
State  by  the  same  route  as  the  great  body  of  his  people,  but 
taking  a  northeasterly  course,  struck  the  Des  Moines  River  a 
short  distance  above  its  mouth,  in  the  Territory  of  Iowa.  He 
was  without  food  and  destitute  of  clothing.  Making  his  wants 
known  to  the  people  living  in  that  locality,  they  kindly  supplied 
him  with  food  and  raiment.  To  them  he  related  the  story  of 
the  persecution  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  Missouri,  and  how 
his  people,  poor  and  destitute  as  himself,  were  fleeing  from  the 
State  en  masse.  His  relation  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Saints, 
and  the  cruelties  heaped  upon  them  by  their  heartless  persecu- 
tors, enlisted  the  sympathies  of  his  hearers,  and  they  gave 
him  letters  of  introduction  to  several  gentlemen,  among  which 
was  one  to  Dr.  Isaac  Galland,  a  gentleman  of  some  influence 
living  at  Commerce,  a  small  settlement  on  the  banks  of  the 
Mississippi,  in  Illinois,  and  which  afterward  became  the  site  of 
Nauvoo. 

Dr.  Galland  owned  considerable  land  in  Commerce,  and  he 
wrote  the  Saints  located  in  Quincy  that  several  farms  could 
doubtless  be  rented  in  his  locality,  and  that  perhaps  some  fifty 
families  could  be  accommodated  at  Commerce.  In  addition  to 
this  offer  of  lands  made  to  The  Church,  another  and  a  previous 
one  had  been  made  of  twenty  thousand  acres,  between  the  Des 


RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  25 

Moines  and  the  Mississippi  rivers.  This  tract  could  have  been 
purchased  at  two  dollars  per  acre,  to  be  paid  in  twenty  annual 
payments  without  interest.  A  conference  was  convened  at 
Qumcy  in  February,  and  the  advisability  of  making  the  pur- 
chase and  settling  the  Saints  in  a  body  came  up  for  considera- 
tion. It  was  decided  by  the  conference  that  it  was  not 
advisable  to  locate  lands  at  that  time.  ^ 

Subsequently,  however,  on  the   ninth  day  of  March,  the 
Samts  having  received  further  offers  of  land  in  Illinois  and 
owa,  called  another  public  meeting  and  appointed  a  committee 
to  go  and  examine  the  lands  offered.     In  Iowa,  the  people  and 
officers  of  the  Territory  expressed  a  kindly  feeling  toward  the 
exiled  Saints.      The   governor   of    Iowa-Robert   Lucas-had 
known  the  Saints  in  Ohio,  and  testified  to  Dr.  Galland  that  the 
Mormon  people,  when  they  were  in  Ohio,  were  good  citizens, 
and   he  respected  them  as  such  now,  and  would  treat  them 
accordingly,  should  they,  or  any  part  of  them,  decide  to  settle 
m  his  Territory.     The  statement  is  made  in  answer  to  a  letter 
of  inquiry  on  the  subject  of   the  Mormons  settling  in  Iowa 
tie  wrote  to  Dr.  Isaac  Galland  as  follows: 

Executive  Office,  Iowa,  Burlington 

March.  1839. 
Dear  Sir  -On   my  return  to   this  city,  after   a   few  weeks' 

f.  9.'!.'°u  '''*'"''  '^  ^^'  ^''''^''^'  ^  ^^^^i^^d  your  letter  of 
the  25th  ultimo,  in  which  you  give  a  short  account  of  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  people  called  Mormons,  and  ask  "whether  they  could  be 
permitted  to  purchase  lands,  and  settle  upon  them,  in  the  Terri- 
tory of  Iowa,  and  there  worship  Almighty  God  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  their  own  consciences,  secure  from  oppression,"  etc 

In  answer  to  your  inquiry,  I  would  say,  that  I  know  of  no 
authority  that  can  constitutionally  deprive  them  of  this  right  Thev 
are  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  are  entitled  to  all  the 'rights 
and  privileges  of  other  citizens.  The  2nd  section  of  the  4th  Article 
of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  (which  all  are  solemnly 


26  RISE  AND   FALL  OF   NAUVOO. 

bound  to  support),  declares  that  the  "citizens  of  each  State  shall  be 
entitled  to  all  the  privileges  and  immunities  of  citizens  of  the  sev- 
eral States."  This  privilege  extends  in  full  force  to  the  Territories 
of  the  United  States.  The  first  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  declares  that  "Congress  shall  make  no  law  respect- 
ing an  establishment  of  religion,  or  prohibiting  the  free  exercise 
thereof." 

The  Ordinance  of  Congress  of  the  13th  July,  1787,  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Territory  northwest  of  the  river  Ohio,  secures  to  the 
citizens  of  said  Territory,  and  the  citizens  of  the  States  there- 
after to  be  formed  therein,  certain  privileges  which  were,  by  the  late 
Act  of  Congress  organizing  the  Territory  of  Iowa,  extended  to  the 
citizens  of  this  Territory. 

The  first  fundamental  Article  in  that  Ordinance,  which  is 
declared  to  be  forever  unalterable,  except  by  common  consent,  reads 
as  follows,  to-wit:  "No  person  demeaning  himself  in  a  peaceable 
and  orderly  manner,  shall  ever  be  molested  on  account  of  his  mode  of 
worship,  OF  religious  sentiments  in  said  Territory." 

These  principles,  I  trust,  will  ever  be  adhered  to  in  the  Territory 
of  Iowa.  They  make  no  distinction  between  religious  sects.  They 
extend  equal  privileges  and  protection  to  all;  each  must  rest  upon  its 
^wn  merits,  and  will  prosper  in  proportion  to  the  purity  of  its  prin- 
ciples, and  the  fruit  of  holiness  and  piety  produced  thereby. 

With  regard  to  the  peculiar  people  mentioned  in  your  letter,  I 
know  but  little.  They  had  a  community  in  the  northern  part  of 
Ohio  for  several  years;  and  I  have  no  recollection  of  ever  having 
heard  in  that  State  of  any  complaints  against  them  from  violating 
the  laws  of  the  country.  Their  religious  opinions,  I  consider,  has 
nothing  to  do  with  our  political  transactions.  They  are  citizens  of 
the. United  States,  and  are  entitled  to  the  same  political  rights  and 
legal  protection  that  other  citizens  are  entitled  to. 

The  foregoing  are  briefly  my  views  on  the  subject  of  your 
inquiries. 

With  sincere  respect, 

I  am  your  obedient  servant, 

Robert  Lucas. 
To  Isaac  Galland,  Esq.,  Commerce,  Illinois. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  27 

This  communication  Dr.  Gal  land  sent  to  the  Quincy  Argus ^ 
accompanied  by  the  following  note: 

Commerce,  Illinois, 

April  12,  1839. 
Messrs.  Editors: — Enclosed  I  send  you  a  communication  from 
Governor  Lucas  of  Iowa  Territory.  If  you  think  the  publication 
thereof  will  in  any  way  promote  the  cause  of  justice,  by  vindicating 
the  slandered  reputation  of  the  people  called  Mormons,  from  the 
ridiculous  falsehoods  which  the  malice,  cupidity  and  envy  of  their 
murderers  in  Missouri  have  endeavored  to  heap  upon  them,  you  are 
respectfully  solicited  to  publish  it  in  the  Argus.  The  testimony  of 
Governor  Lucas  as  to  the  good  moral  character  of  these  people,  I 
think  will  have  its  deserved  influence  upon  the  people  of  Illinois,  in 
encouraging  our  citizens  in  their  humane  and  benevolent  exertions  to 
relieve  this  distressed  people,  who  are  now  wandering  in  our  neigh- 
borhoods without  comfortable  food,  raiment,  or  a  shelter  from  the 
pelting  storm. 

I  am,  gentlemen,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Isaac  Galland. 

Ijn  conversation  with  Dr.  Galland,  Isaac  Van  Allen^JEs^^- 
torneyigeneral  for  the  same  Territory  (Iowa),  gave  him  to  un- 
derstand that  he  would,  so  far  as  within  his  power,  protect  the 
Mormon  people  from  insult  and  injury,  j  It  was  these  assur- 
ances of  sympathy  and  protection  which^ed  to  a  reconsidera- 
tion of  the  conclusion  of  the  former  conference,  and  the 
appointment  of  a  committee  to  examine  the  lands  offered. 
But  little  or  nothing  was  ever  done  by  this  committee. 

On  the  twenty-second  of  April,  1839,  the  Prophet  Joseph 
joined  the  exiled  Saints  at  Quincy.  After  a  cruel  imprison- 
ment of  over  five  months,  he  had  escaped  from  his  persecutors 
while  en  route  from  Liberty  prison.  Clay  County,  to  Columbia, 
Boone  County,  to  which  he  and  his  companions  in  prison  had 
taken  a  change  of  venue  for  trial.     The  guards  got  drunk  and 


28  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

were  evidently  willing  for  their  prisoners  to  escape.  At  any 
rate,  the  Prophet,  in  stating  the  circumstance  in  his  history, 
says:  "We  thought  it  a  favorable  opportunity  to  make  our 
escape;  knowing  that  the  only  object  of  our  enemies  was  our 
destruction;  and  likewise  knowing  that  a  number  of  our  breth- 
ren had  been  massacred  by  them  on  Shoal  Creek,  amongst 
whom  were  two  children;  and  they  had  sought  every  opportu- 
nity to  abuse  others  who  were  left  in  the  State;  and  that  they 
were  never  brought  to  an  account  for  their  barbarous  proceed- 
ings, but  were  winked  at  and  encouraged  by  those  in  authority. 
We  thought  that  it  was  necessary  for  us,  inasmuch  as  we  loved 
our  lives,  and  did  not  wish  to  die  by  the  hand  of  murderers 
and  assassins;  and  inasmuch  as  we  loved  our  families  and 
friends,  to  deliver  ourselves  from  our  enemies."  And  so  the 
Prophet  and  his  companions  escaped  and  arrived  in  Quincy  as 
already  stated. 

I  need  not  stop  to  undertake  a  description  of  the  scenes  of 
this  exiled  people  welcoming  their  youthful  Prophet  into  their 
midst,  after  such  trials  as  they  had  passed  through,  in  which 
the  strength  of  each  man's  soul  and  love  for  his  brethren  had 
been  tested.  The  Saints  had  seen  their  Prophet  and  his  fellow 
prisoners  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  a  merciless  enemy,  and 
knew  that  a  court-martial  of  the  Missouri  State  militia  had 
condemned  him  and  his  companions  to  be  shot  in  the  public 
square  at  Far  West.  They  had  seen  him  and  his  fellow-prison- 
ers torn  away  from  their  parents  and  families,  and  their  people, 
under  circumstances  the  most  distressing.  Q'hey  had  been  told 
by  the  haughty  commander-in-chief  of  the  mob  militia  forces 
which  invested  Far  West — General  Clark — that  the  doom  of 
their  leaders  was  sealed,  and  they  need  not  expect,  nor  even  let 
it  enter  into  their  hearts  that  they  would  be  permitted  to  see 
them  againi]  Many  of  them  had  seen  him  chained  like  a  felon, 
standing  before  unjust  judges,  whose  hearts  were  filled  to  over- 
flowing with  hatred  towards  him.     Contrary  to  every  principle 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  29 

of  justice,  he  had  been  sent  to  langjuish  in  prison  in  the  midst 
of  his  enemies;  while  they  themselves,  with  bursting  hearts 
and  blinding  tears,  were  compelled  to  sign  away  their  lands  and 
homes  at  the  muzzle  of  the  musket  and  flee  from  the  Christian 
State  of  Missouri,  under  the  exterminating  order  issued  by 
Governor  Boggs.  Yet  in  all  these  trials,  from  the  dangers  of 
the  murderous  militia  camps,  from  the  malice  of  corrupt 
courts,  and  the  injustice  of  drunken  juries,  and  at  last  from 
the  prison's  gloom,  a  kind  Providence  had  delivered  him,  and 
he  was  again  in  their  midst,  again  with  them  to  still  their  fears 
and  direct  their  movements. 

His  presence  was  the  signal  for  action.  He  arrived  in 
Quincy  on  the  22nd  of  April.  The  day  following  he  wspent 
in  greeting  his  friends,  and  receiving  visits  from  the  breth- 
ren; but  on  the  twenty- fourth  he  called  and  presided  over 
a  conference,  at  which,  in  connection  with  Bishop  Knight  and 
Alanson  Ripley,  he  was  appointed  to  go  to  Iowa  to  select  a 
place  for  the  gathering  of  the  exiled  Saints.  The  conference 
also  advised  the  brethren,  who  could  do  so,  to  go  to  Commerce 
and  locate  in  Dr.  Galland's  neighborhood. 

On  the  first  of  May  the  committee  purchased  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres,  for  which  they  agreed  to  pay 
five  thousand  dollars;  also  another  and  a  larger  farm  of  Dr. 
Galland  for  nine  thousand  dollars.  The  committee  desired  that 
these  farms  should  be  deeded  to  Alanson  Ripley,  but  Sidney 
Rigdon,  manifesting  a  rather  sour  disposition,  said  that  no 
committee  should  control  any  property  that  he  had  anything  to 
do  with.  So  the  purchase  made  of  Dr.  Galland  was  deeded  to 
Sidney  Rigdon's  son-in-law,  G.  W.  Robinson,  with  the  under- 
standing that  he  should  deed  it  to  The  Church  as  soon  as  it 
was  paid  for  according  to  the  contract.  This  was  the  first  pur- 
chase of  lands  made  in  Commerce.  The  place  is  thus  described 
by  Joseph:     ''When  I  made  the  purchase  of  White  and  Galland, 


30  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

there  was  one  stone  house,  three  frame  houses,  and  two  block- 
houses, which  constituted  the  whole  city  of  Commerce." 

This  small  collection  of  houses  was  immediately  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  and  scattered  between  them  and  what  after- 
wards became  the  south  part  of  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  were  one 
stone  and  three  log  houses.  It  was  one  of  these  humble  dwell- 
ings that  Joseph  moved  into  on  the  tenth  of  May,  1839.  Back 
some  distance  from  the  river,  however,  were  other  dwellings 
scattered  over  the  country,  one  of  which  was  the  home  of 
Daniel  H.  Wells,  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  the  district  of  Com- 
merce, and  who  afterwards  became  a  prominent  Church  leader, 
one  of  the  counselors,  in  fact,  in  the  First  Presidency  of  The 
Church. 

Later,  when  referring  to  the  purchase  of  lands  about  Com- 
.  merce,  the  Prophet  Joseph  said: 

'  '^  The  place  was  literally  a  wilderness.     The  land  was  mostly  cov- 

ered with  trees  and  bushes,  and  much  of  it  was  so  wet  that  it  was 
with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  a  footman  could  get  through,  and 
totally  impossible  for  teams.  Commerce  was  unhealthy,  very  few 
could  live  there;  but  believing  that  it  might  become  a  healthy  place 
by  the  blessing  of  heaven  to  the  Saints,  and  no  more  eligible  place 
presenting  itself,  I  considered  it  wisdom  to  make  an  attempt  to  build 
up  a  city. 

Having  spoken  of  the  first  purchase  of  lands  at  Commerce, 
it  may  not  be  amiss  here  to  say  that  subsequently  more  exten- 
sive purchases  were  made  of  Dr.  Galland  and  Messrs.  Hubbard, 
Wells,  Hotchkiss  and  others.  Considerable  difficulty  and 
embarrassment  to  Joseph  personally  and  to  The  Church  in  gen- 
eral arose  over  misunderstandings  about  the  Hotchkiss  land 
purchase.  Hotchkiss  sold  to  Joseph  for  The  Church  upwards  of 
five  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Commerce,  for  which  he  was  to 
receive  fifty-three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  half  to  be  paid 
in  ten  years,  and  the  remainder  in  twenty  years.  This  amount 
was  secured  to  Hotchkiss  &  Company  by  two  notes,  one  payable 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  31 

in  ten  years  and  the  other  in  twenty,  signed  by  Joseph  Smith, 
Hyrum  Smith  and  Sidney  Rigdon.  The  difficulty  connected  with 
this  extensive  land  purchase  arose  from  some  exchanges  that 
were  made  of  property  in  the  east,  by  some  of  the  Saints,  for 
its  equivalent  in  value  in  land  out  of  the  Hotchkiss  purchase  in 
Commerce;  the  matter,  however,  was  finally  amicably  settled. 

The  terms  on  which  Dr.  Galland  let  The  Church  have  lands 
were  extremely  advantageous  to  the  Saints.  He  sold  at  a  rea- 
sonable rate,  and  on  long  credit,  that  the  people  might  not  be 
distressed  in  paying  for  the  inheritance  they  purchased.  In 
addition  to  the  first  purchase,  he  exchanged  lands  with  the 
Saints  in  the  vicinity  of  Commerce  for  lands  in  Missouri,  to  the 
value  of  eighty  thousand  dollars.  And  he  gave  them  a  good 
title  to  the  same.  He  is  described  as  a  man  of  literary  attain- 
ments and  extensive  information  and  inflaence.  All  of  which 
he  used  for  the  good  of  the  exiled  Saints  in  giving  them  a 
standing  among  his  friends.  Finally  he  joined  The  Church, 
thus  casting  his  lot  with  the  exiled  people  he  had  assisted,  and 
from  that  time  until  his  death,  partook  of  their  joys  and  their 
sorrows;  shared  their  fortunes  and  reverses. 

In  addition  to  these  land  purchases,  The  Church  made 
others;  some  of  them  even  more  extensive  than  those  already 
mentioned.  The  village  of  Nashville,  in  Lee  County,  Iowa,  and 
twenty  thousand  acres  of  land  adjoining,  was  bought,  though 
upon  what  terms  the  purchase  was  made  cannot  be  learned. 
Another  purchase  also  in  Iowa  was  made  by  Bi.<hop  Knight,  and 
a  settlement  was  started  there  called  Zarahemla,  which  was 
opposite  Nauvoo.     This  place  was  organized  into  a  stake*  of 


*  A  slake  of  Zion  is  a  territorial  division  of  The  Church  that  em- 
braces several  wards  or  branches.  The  stake  is  presided  over  by  a 
president,  who  must  be  a  High  Priest,  assisted  by  two  counselors,  also 
High  Priests.  There  must  also  be  in  each  stake  of  Zion  a  high  coun- 
cil, consisting  of  twelve  High  Priests,  over  which  council  the  presi- 


32  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

Zion,  but  in  January,  1842,  the  stake  organization  was  discon- 
tinued; though  Zarahemla  continued  as  an  organized  branch  of 
The  Church. 

Stakes  of  Zion  in  the  following  year  were  organized  at 
Lima,  in  Illinois;  also  at  Quincy,  in  Adams  County,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Saints  who  continued  there.  Another  stake  was 
organized  at  Columbus,  in  Adams  County,  Illinois,  known  as 
Mount  Hope  stake;  besides  these  stakes,  branches  of  the  Church 
were  organized  in  various  parts  of  Lee  County,  Iowa,  and 
Adams  and  Hancock  counties,  Illinois.  But  as  Nauvoo  rose 
from  the  swamps  and  underbrush  of  Commerce,  and,  under  the 
industry  and  enterprise  of  the  Saints,  and  the  blessings  of  a 
kindly  disposed  Providence,  developed  into  a  healthy,  beautiful 
and  prosperous  commercial  and  manufacturing  city,  these  stake 
organizations  in  the  surrounding  country  were  discontinued, 
and  Nauvoo  became  the  one  great  gathering  place  of  the 
Saints. 


dency  of  the  stake  preside.  This  high  council  constitutes  the  judi- 
cial power  (ecclesiastical)  of  the  stake,  to  which  appeals  lie  from  the 
bishops'  courts. 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  33 


CHAPTER    IV. 

"as  flies  in  the  ointment." 

T  I  AVING  described  the  site  of  Nauvoo,  and  related  the  cir- 
A  A  cumstances  connected  with  its  establishment  as  a  gathering 
place  of  the  Saints,  it  is  necessary  to  return  to  the  consider- 
ation of  some  events  which   occurred  at  Quincy  during  the 
sojourn  of  the  Saints  at  that  place.  \ 

Paul,  in  his  day,  told  the  Hebrews  that  all  were  not  Israel 
that  were  of  Israel:  so  all  were  not  Saints  that  flocked  into 
Qaincy  with  the  exiles  from  Missouri;  many  of  them  were  alto- 
gether unworthy  of  the  association  of  the  people  of  God.  These 
preyed  upon  the  hospitality  of  the  people  of  Quincy  to  such  an 
extent,  that  The  Church  by  action  of  a  conference  authorized 
Elder  John  Taylor,  then  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  who 
afterwards  became  President  of  the  Church,  to  write  the  follow- 
ing letter,   which  was  printed  in  the  Quincy  Argus: 

In  consequence  of  so  great  an  influx  of  strangers,  arriving  in  this 
place  daily,  owing  to  their  late  expulsion  from  the  State  of  Missouri, 
there  must  of  necessity  be,  and  we  wish  to  state  to  the  citizens  of 
Quincy  and  the  vicinity,  through  the  medium  of  your  columns,  that 
there  are  many  individuals  among  the  numbers  who  have  already  ar- 
rived, as  well  as  among  those  who  are  now  on  their  way  here,  who 
never  did  belong  to  our  Church,  and  others  who  once  did,  but  who,  for 
various  reasons,  have  been  expelled  from  our  fellowship.  Among  these 
are  some  who  have  contracted  habits  which  are  at  variance  with 
principles  of  moral  rectitude  (such  as  swearing,  dram-drinking,  etc.,) 
which  immoralities  the  Church  of  Latter-day  Saints  is  liable  to  be 
charged  with,  owing  to  our  amalgamation  under  our  late  existing  cir- 
cumstances.    And  as  we  as  a  people  do  not  wish  to  lay  under  any 


34  RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

such  imputation,  we  would  also  state,  that  such  individuals  do  not 
hold  a  name  or  a  place  amongst  us;  that  we  altogether  discountenance 
everything  of  the  kind,  that  every  person  once  belonging  to  our  com- 
munity, contracting  or  persisting  in  such  immoral  habits,  have  hither- 
to been  expelled  from  our  society;  and  that  such  as  we  may  hereafter 
be  Informed  of,  we  will  hold  no  communion  with,  but  will  withdraw 
our  fellowship  from  them. 

We  wish  further  to  state,  that  we  feel  laid  under  peculiar  obli- 
gations to  the  citizens  of  this  place  for  the  patriotic  feelings  which 
have  been  manifested,  and  for  the  hand  of  liberality  and  friendship 
which  was  extended  to  us,  in  our  late  difficulties;  and  should  feel  sorry 
to  see  that  philanthropy  and  benevolence  abused  by  the  wicked  and 
designing  people,  who  under  pretense  of  poverty  and  distress,  should 
try  to  work  up  the  feelings  of  the  charitable  and  humane,  get  into 
their  debt  without  any  prospect  or  intention  of  paying,  and  finally,' 
perhaps,  we  as  a  people  be  charged  with  dishonesty. 

We  say  that  we  altogether  disapprove  of  such  practices,  and  we 
warn  the  citizens  of  Quincy  against  such  individuals  who  may  pre- 
tend to  belong  to  our  community. 

I  have  given  this  letter  in  extenso,  because  it  bears  upon 
its  face  the  evidence  of  the  honesty  of  The  Church,  and  its  dis- 
position to  treat  the  people  of  Illinois,  who  had  so  nobly  and 
kindly  received  its  members  in  the  days  of  their  distress,  with 
candor.  It  also  tells  us  of  a  class  even  then  in  The  Church, 
who  by  the  vileness  of  their  lives  gave  some  coloring  to  the 
charges  subsequently  so  unjustly  made  against  the  whole  Church; 
a  class  who  brought  upon  The  Church  reproach;  an  unrighteous, 
apostate  element,  which  lingered  with  The  Church  for  the  sake 
of  advantage — the  bane  of  the  body  religious. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  35 


CHAPTER  V. 

POLITICAL  AGITATION. 

[X  BOUT  this  time,  too,  the  good  feeling  entertained  toward 
^tv.  the  Saints  by  the  people  of  Quincy  and  vicinity  was 
not  a  little  endangered  through  the  unwise  course  of  Lyman 
Wight.  He  began  the  publication  of  a  series  of  letters  in 
the  Quincy  Whig,  in  which  he  laid  the  responsibility  of  the 
outrages  perpetrated  against  the  Saints  in  Missouri  upon  the 
Democratic  party,  implicating  not  only  the  Democrats  of  Mis- 
souri, but  indirectly  the  National  Democratic  party.  This 
gave  much  dissatisfaction  to  members  of  that  party  in  the 
vicinity  of  Quincy,  a  number  of  whom  had  been  very  active  in 
assisting  the  Saints;  and  some  of  the  leading  men  approached 
prominent  brethren,  who  still  remained  in  Quincy,  and  desired 
to  know  if  The  Church  sustained  the  assertions  of  Lyman 
WighE)  Elder  R.  B.  Thompson  wrote  a  letter  to  President 
Joseph  Smith  on  the  subject,  in  which  he  protested  against  the 
course  taken  by  Lyman  Wight,  because  of  the  influence  it  was 
having  on  many  of  those  who  had  so  nobly  befriended  the 
Saints  in  the  day  of  their  distress.  Besides,  it  was  altogether 
unjustrior  no^particular  politij:al_party  in  ^lissouri  was  respon- 
sible  for  the  cruelty  practiced  towarjs  tbe_Saints.  Those  who 
were  in  the  mobs  which  robbed  them  of  their  homes,  burned 
their  houses,  ran  off  their  stock,  and  who  whipped,  murdered 
and  finally  drove  the  people  from  the  State  of  Missouri,  were 
made  up  of  individuals  of  every  shade  of  political  faith,  and  of 
every  religion,  and  many  of  no  religion  whatever.^  It  was 
unfair,  then,  under  these  circumstances,  that  the  responsibility 


36  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

should  be  laid  at  the  charge  of  any  one  party  or  sect  of 
religion.  So  that  Wight's  course  was  not  only  doing  much 
mischief,  but  was  also  unjust. 

To  counteract  the  evil  effect  of  Lyman  Wight's  communi- 
cation to  the  Whig,  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Hyrum 
Smith,  then  the  presiding  quorum  of  the  Church,  published  a 
letter  in  the  Whig,  from  which  I  make  the  following  quotation: 

We  have  not  at  any  time  thought  there  was  any  political  party, 
as  such,  chargeable  with  the  Missouri  barbarities,  neither  any  relig- 
ious society,  as  such.  They  were  committed  by  a  mob,  composed  of 
all  parties,  regardless  of  difference  of  opinion,  either  political  or 
religious. 

The  determined  stand  in  this  State,  and  by  the  people  of  Quincy 
in  particular,  made  against  the  lawless  outrages  of  the  Missouri 
raobbers  by  all  parties  in  politics  and  religion,  have  entitled  them 
equally  to  our  thanks  and  our  profoundest  regards,  and  such,  gentle- 
men, we  hope  they  will  always  receive  from  us.  *  *  *  \^e 
wish  to  say  to  the  public,  through  your  paper,  that  we  disclaim  any 
intention  of  making  a  political  question  of  our  difficulties  with  Mis- 
souri, believing  that  we  are  not  justified  in  so  doingj 

Lyman  Wight  was  a  bold,  independent-spirited  man; 
inclined  to  be  self-willed  and  refractory.  No  one  could  con- 
trol him;  and  even  counsel  or  advice  was  usually  disregarded 
— except  it  was  from  Joseph  Smith.  A  few  years  subsequent 
to  the  time  of  which  I  am  now  writing,  Lyman  Wight  himself 
said:  /'Joseph  Smith  is  the  only  man  who  ever  did  control  me; 
he  is  the  only  man  who  ever  shall."  But  to  Joseph's  words 
Lyman  Wight  gave  respectful  attention,  and  bent  his  own 
strong  will  to  comply  with  the  wishes  of  the  Prophet.  He 
himself  was  a  master  spirit,  and  could  apparently  bring  himself 
to  acknowledge  but  one  to  whom  he  was  willing  to  yield  his 
own  judgment  and  his  own  will,  and  that  one  was  Joseph  Smith. 
\lt  is  said  by  those  acquainted  with  him,  that  in  the  Prophet's 
hands  his  spirit  was  as  pliable  as  that  of  a  childT^x 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  37 

It  was  one  of  Joseph's  peculiar  characteristics  to  be  able 
to  control  men — men,  too,  who  were  themselves  master  spirits; 
who  were  themselves  naturally  leaders;  and  it  is  seldom,  indeed, 
that  such  characters  are  willing  to  take  a  second  place.  But 
in  the  presence  of  Joseph  they  seemed  naturally  to  accord  him 
the  leadership.  He  was  a  leader  even  among  master  spirits; 
a  leader  of  leaders;  and  it  may  not  be  amiss  here  to  briefly 
inquire  into  the  apparently  mysterious  influence  which  the 
Prophet  exerted  over  the  minds  of  others,  by  reason  of  which 
he  controlled  them,  since  this  particular  instance  in  w^hich 
Lyman  Wight  figures,  illustrates  it. 

In  reply  to  the  letter  of  R.  B.  Thompson,  Joseph  admitted 
that  the  course  of  Wight  was  unfair,  and  said:  The  Church 
was  not  willing  to  make  of  their  troubles  a  political  question; 
but  he  also  said  that  he  considered  it  to  be  "the  indefeasible 
right  of  every  free  man  to  hold  his  own  opinion  in  politics  and 
religion;"  and  therefore  would  have  it  understood  that,  as  an 
individual,  Lyman  Wight  had  the  right  to  entertain  and  express 
whatever  opinion  he  pleased  in  regard  to  their  troubles  in  Mis- 
souri; only  intimating  that  care  should  be  taken  not  to  set 
forth  individual  views  as  the  views  of  The  Church.  In  writing 
to  Lyman  Wight  on  the  subject,  Joseph  did  not  upbraid  him, 
nor  peremptorily  order  him  to  discontinue  the  publication  of 
his  letters,  or  retract  them,  but  he  informed  him  that  the  mat- 
ter had  been  considered  in  a  council  of  The  Church,  and  that 
the  result  was  that  his  course  was  disapproved.  But  Joseph 
took  occasion  to  express  his  confidence  in  Wight's  good  inten- 
tions, and  said: 

Knowing  your  integrity  of  principle,  and  steadfastness  in  the 
cause  of  Christ,  I  feel  not  to  exercise  even  the  privilege  of  counsel 
on  the  subject,  save  only  to  request  that  you  will  endeavor  to  bear 
in  mind  the  importance  of  the  subject,  and  how  easy  it  might  be  to 
get  a  misunderstanding  with  the  brethren  concerning  it;  and  though 
last,  but  not  least,  that  whilst  you  continue  to  go  upon  your  own 


/ 


38  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

credit,  you  will  steer  clear  of  making  The  Church  appearas  either 
supporting  or  opposing  you  in  your  politics,  lest  such  a  course  may 
have  a  tendency  to  bring  about  persecution  on  The  Church,  where  a 
little  wisdom  and  caution  may  avoid  it.  I  do  not  know  that  there  is 
any  occasion  for  my  thus  cautioning  you  in  this  thing,  but  having 
done  so,  I  hope  it  will  be  well  taken,  and  that  all  things  shall  eventu- 
ally be  found  to  work  together  for  the  good  of  the  Saints.  ■*  *  * 
With  every  possible  feeling  of  love  and  friendship  for  an  ^  old 
fellow-prisoner  and  brother  in  the  Lord,  I  remain,  sir,  your  sincere 
friend. 

Throughout  this  whole  affair  it  will  be  observed  that 
Joseph  starts  out  with  the  idea  that  every  individual  is  abso- 
lutely free  and  independent  as  to  entertaining  views  and  in 
giving  expression  to  them,  both  in  politics  and  religion,  so  long 
as  he  makes  no  one  else  responsible  for  them;  that  in  correct- 
ing Lyman  Wight,  he  does  it  by  appealing  to  the  man's  reason, 
and  by  pointing  out  the  possible  result  of  his  course,  which 
may  be  avoided  by  a  little  discretion;  while  the  whole  commu- 
nication breathes  such  a  spirit  of  confidence  in  the  man  he  is 
correcting,  and  love  for  him  as  an  "old  fellow-prisoner,"  that  iV 
was  altogether  irresistible.  And  this  is  the  secret  of  Joseph's 
power  to  control  his  brethren.  There  was  no  petty  tyranny  in 
his  government.  He  was  above  that.  Every  right  he  claimed 
for  himself,  he  accorded  to  others;  while  his  mildness  in  cor- 
recting errors  and  his  unbounded  love  for  his  brethren  knit 
them  to  him  in  bands  stronger  than  steel.  It  was  ever  his 
method  to  teach  correct  principles  and  allow  men  to  govern 
themselves. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  39 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  DAY  OF  god's  POWER. 

DURING  the  summer  of  1839  the  Saints  who  had  been 
driven  from  Missouri  continued  to  gather  at  Nauvoo  and 
settle  on  the  lands  which  had  been  purchased  by  The  Church  au- 
thorities. The  violent  persecution  they  had  passed  through  in 
Missouri  had  well  nigh  wrecked  the  people.  They  had  been 
stripped  of  their  earthly  possessions,  until  they  were  reduced  to 
the  most  abject  poverty.  And  the  exposure  and  hardships 
endured  made  them  an  easy  prey  to  the  malaria  that  infected 
Nauvoo  and  vicinity.  Another  thing  which  doubtless  contributed 
to  make  them  unable  to  resist  the  ravages  of  disease,  was 
the  fact  that  a  period  of  relaxation  was  following  the  intense 
excitement  under  which  they  had  lived  for  more  than  two 
years.  «»  . 

The  spirit  has  such  power  when  it  is  once  thoroughly 
aroused,  that  for  a  time  it  so  braces  up  the  body  as  to  make  it  al-. 
most  impregnable  to  disease  and  unconscious  of  fatigue.  But 
this  cannot  continue  long.  It  wears  out  the  body;  and  as  soon 
as  the  excitement  is  removed,  then  comes  the  period  of  relaxa- 
tion and  the  body  sinks  down  from  sheer  exhaustion. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  i  exiled  Saints  who  came 
flocking  into  Nauvoo,  in  the  summer  of  1839.  Thej  had  reached 
a  haven  of  rest.  The  fearful  straiif  on  the  nervous  system  un- 
der  which  they  had  labored  during  the  mobbings  in  Missouri  and 
their  flight  from  that  State  was  removed;  and  they  fell  down  in 
Nauvoo  exhausted,  to  be  a  prey  to  the  deadly  malaria  prevalent 
in  that  locality.     Such  was   their  condition  on  the  morning  of 


40  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

the  22nd  of  July.  Joseph's  house  was  crowded  with  the  sick 
whom  he  was  trying  to  nurse  back  to  health.  In  his  door-yard 
were  a  number  of  people  camped  in  tents,  who  had  but  newly 
arrived,  but  upon  whom  the  fever  had  seized.  Joseph  himself 
was  prostrate  with  sickness,  and  the  general  distress  of  the 
Saints  weighed  down  his  spirit  with  sadness.  While  still  think- 
ing of  the  trials  of  his  people  in  the  past,  and  the  gloom  that 
then  overshadowed  them,  the  purifying  influence  of  God's  Spirit 
rested  upon  him  and  he  was  immediately  healed.  He  arose  and 
began  to  administer  to  the  sick  in  his  house,  all  of  whom  im- 
mediately recovered.  He  then  healed  those  encamped  in  his 
door-yard,  and  from  thence  went  from  house  to  house  calling  on 
the  sick  to  arise  from  their  beds  of  aflfliction,  and  they  obeyed 
and  were  healed. 

In  company  with  P.  P.  Pratt,  Orson  Pratt,  John  Taylor, 
Heber  C.  Kimball,  and  John  E.  Page,  he  crossed  the  river  to 
Montrose,  and  healed  the  sick  there.  One  case  is  mentioned  by 
all  who  have  written  on  the  subject  as  being  very  remarkable. 
This  was  the  case  of  Elijah  Fordham.  He  was  almost  uncon- 
scious and  nearly  dead.  Bending  over  him,  the  Prophet  asked 
the  dying  man  if  he  knew  him,  and  believed  him  to  be  a  servant 
of  God.  In  a  whisper  he  replied  that  he  did.  Joseph  then  took 
him  by  the  hand,  and  with  an  energy  that  would  have  awoke 
the  dead,  he  commanded  him  in  the^name  6f~Jesur~Christ  to 
Cerise  from  his  bed  and  walk.  Brother  Fordham  leaped  from  his 
^  bed,  removed  the  bandages  and  mustard  plasters  from  his  feet, 
dressed  himself,  ate  a  bowl  of  bread  and  milk,  and  accompanied 
the  Prophet  to  other  houses  on  his  mission  of  love. 

All  day  the  work  continued;  and  to  the  Saints  who  wit- 
nessed the  remarkable  manifestation  of  God's  power  in  behalf 
of  the  sick,  the  twenty-second  day  of  July,  1839,  is  remembered 
with  gratitude  to  Almighty  God,  who  through  the  demonstra- 
tion of  His  power  that  day,  gave  an  indisputable  witness  to  the 
world  that  He  was  with  Joseph  Smith,  and  had  authorized  him 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  41 

to  speak  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  To  the  Saints  it  was  a 
testimony  that  God  was  with  them;  for  they  witnessed  a  fulfill- 
ment of  God's  ancient  promise  to  His  people,  viz. — 

Is  any  sick  among  you?  Let  him  call  for  the  Elders  of  the 
Church;  and  let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil,  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord:  and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick,  and  the 
Lord  shall  raise  him  up."^ 

And  again: 

These  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe:   In  My  name  shall 
they  cast  out  devils;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues;    *    *    * 
they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick  and  thev  shall  recover. t 

These  ancient  promises  to  God's  people  had  also  been  re- 
newed to  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  modern  revelations  to  the 
Church  through  the  Prophet  Joseph  himself : 

As  I  said  unto  mine  apostles  I  say  unto  you  again,  that  every 
soul  who  believeth  on  your  words,  and  is  baptized  by  water  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  shall  receive  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  these  signs  shall 
follow  them  that  believe.  In  my  name  they  shall  do  many  wonderful 
works: 

In  my  name  they  shall  cast  out  devils; 

In  my  name  they  shall  heal  the  sick; 

In  my  name  they  shall  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  and  unstop 
the  ears  of  the  deaf;  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  shall  speak;  and  if 
any  man  shall  administer  poison  unto  them  it  shall  not  hurt  them. 

*  *  "^  But  a  commandment  I  give  unto  them,  that  they 
shall_not  boast  themselves  of  these  things,  neither  speak  them  before 
the  world. t 

Again,  I  say,  to  the  Saints  who  witnessed  the  demonstration 
of  God's  power  on  the  22nd  of  July,  1839,  in  the  healing  of  the 


*James  v:  14,  15. 
jMark  xvi:  17. 

t  Doc.  &  Cov.,  Sec.  Ixxxiv.     The   revelation   was  given   in   Sep- 
tember, 1832. 
3 


42  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

sick  in  fulfillment  of  these  promises  ancient  and  modern,  it  was 
a  witness  to  them  that  God  was  with  them  and  with  their 
Prophet. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  43 


CHAPTER  VII. 

DEPARTURE  OF  THE  TWELVE  FOR  ENGLAND. 

A  REVELATION  had  been  received  by  the  Prophet  Joseph 
on  the  eighth  of  July,  1838,  in  which  a  commandment  was 
given  to  fill  up  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  by  ordaining 
John  Taylor,  John  E.  Page,  Wilf ord  Woodruff,  and  Willard  Rich- 
ards to  take  the  places  of  those  who  had  fallen  through  apos- 
tasy. The  following  spring  "let  them  depart,"  said  the  revel- 
ation, "to  go  over  the  great  waters,  and  there  promulgate  my 
Gospel,  the  fullness  thereof,  and  bear  record  of  my  mame.  Let 
them  take  leave  of  my  Saints  in  the  city  of  Far  West,  on  the 
twenty-sixth  day  of  April  next,  on  the  building  spot  of  my 
house."  By  the  twenty-sixth  of  April,  the  day  set  for  them  to 
take  leave  of  the  Saints  to  start  on  their  mission,  nearly  all  the 
members  of  The  Church  had  been  driven  from  Far  West.  I  have 
already  related,  however,  in  "The  Missouri  Persecutions"  how 
five  of  the  Apostles  and  several  who  were  to  be  ordained  re- 
turned by  different  routes  to  Far  West,  met  with  a  few  of  the 
•  Saints  there  and  fulfilled  the  mandates  of  this  revelation,  not- 
withstanding the  boasts  of  the  mob  that  it  should  fail.*  For 
some  time  the  Apostles  who  started  from  the  public  square  at  Far 
West  for  England  were  detained  to  aid  in  settling  the  Saints  at 
Nauvoo,  but  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  1839  found  them 
making  every  exertion  to  continue  their  journey. 

Wilford  Woodruff  and  John  Taylor  were  the  first  of  the 
quorum  to  leave  Nauvoo  for  England.     Elder  Woodruff  at  this 


* '. 


Vlissouri  Persecutions,  Chapter  xlviii. 


44  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

time  was  living  at  Montrose,  and  was  rowed  across  the  river  in 
a  canoe  by  Brigham  Young.  On  landing,  he  lay  down  to  rest  on 
a  side  of  sole  leather,  near  the  post  office.  While  there  Joseph 
came  along  and  said:  ''Well,  Brother  Woodruff,  you  have  start- 
ed on  your  mission?" 

"Yes,  but  I  feel  and  look  more  like  a  subject  for  the  dis- 
secting room  than  a  missionary,"  was  the  reply. 

''What  did  you  say  that  for?"  asked  Joseph.  "Get  up  and 
go  along,  all  will  be  well  with  you." 

Shortly  afterwards  Elder  Woodruff  was  joined  by  Elder 
Taylor,  and  together  they  started  on  their  mission.  On  their  way 
they  passed  Parley  P.  Pratt,  stripped,  bareheaded  and  bare- 
footed, hewing  some  logs  for  a  house.  He  hailed  the  brethren 
as  they  passed  and  gave  them  a  purse,  though  he  had  nothing 
to  put  in  it.  Elder  Heber  C.  Kimball,  who  was  but  a  short  dis- 
tance away,  stripped  as  Elder  Pratt  was,  came  up  and  said:  *'As 
Brother  Parley  has  given  you  a  purse,  I  have  a  dollar  I  will  give 
you  to  put  in  it."  And  mutually  blessing  each  other,  they 
separated  to  meet  again  in  foreign  lands. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  August,  Parley  P.  Pratt  and  his 
brother  Orson  started  for  England,  leaving  Nauvoo  in  their  own 
carriage. 

On  the  fourteenth  of  the  following  month  Brigham  Young 
left  his  home  at  Montrose  and  started  for  England.  He  had 
been  prostrated  for  some  time  by  sickness,  and  at  the  time  of 
starting  on  his  mission  was  so  feeble  that  he  had  to  be  assisted 
to  the  ferry,  only  some  thirty  rods  from  his  house.  All  his 
children  were  sick,  and  he  left  his  wife  with  a  babe  but  ten 
days  old,  and  in  the  poorest  of  circumstances,  for  the  mobs  of 
Missouri  had  robbed  him  of  all  he  had.  After  crossing  the 
river  to  the  Nauvoo  side,  Israel  Barlow  took  him  on  a  horse  be- 
hind him  and  carried  him  to  the  house  of  Elder  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball, where  his  strength  altogether  failed  him,  and  he  had  to  re- 
main there  for  several  days,  nursed  by  his  wife,  who,  hearing 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  45 

that  he  was  unable  to  get  farther  than  Brother  KimbaH's,  had 
crossed  the  river  from  Montrose  to  care  for  him. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  the  month,  however,  Brigham,  in 
company  with  Heber  C.  Kimball,  made  another  start.  A  brother 
by  the  name  of  Charles  Hubbard  sent  a  boy  with  a  team  to 
take  them  a  day's  journey  on  their  way.  Elder  Kimball  left  his 
wife  in  bed  shaking  with  ague,  and  all  his  children  sick.  It 
was  only  by  the  assistance  of  some  of  the  brethren  that  Heber 
himself  could  climb  into  the  wagon.  'It  seemed  tome,"  he  re- 
marked afterwards  in  relating  the  circumstance,  "as  though  my 
very  inmost  parts  would  melt  within  me  at  the  thought  of  leav- 
ing my  family  in  such  a  condition,  as  it  were,  almost  in  the 
^rms  of  death.     I  felt  as  though  I  could  scarcely  endure  it." 

"Hold  up!"  said  he  to  the  teamster,  who  had  just  started. 
"Brother  Brigham,  this  is  pretty  tough,  but  let  us  rise  and  give 
them  a  cheer."  Brigham,  with  much  difficulty,  rose  to  his  feet, 
and  joined  Elder  Kimball  in  swinging  his  hat  and  shouting, 
"Hurrah,  hurrah,  hurrah  for  Israel!"  The  two  sisters  hearing 
the  cheer  came  to  the  door — Sister  Kimball  with  great  diffi- 
■culty — and  waved  a  farewell;  and  the  two  Apostles  continued 
on  their  journey  without  purse,  without  scrip,  for  England. 

The  departure  of  Elders  George  A.  Smith,  Reuben  Hedlock, 
and  Theodore  Turley  was  but  little  less  remarkable.  They  were 
feeble  in  health,  in  fact,  down  with  the  ague.  Before  they 
were  out  of  sight  of  Nauvoo  their  wagon  upset,  and  spilled 
them  down  the  bank  of  the  river.  Elders  Smith  and  Turley 
were  unable  to  get  up,  not  because  of  any  injuries  they  had  re- 
ceived, but  because  of  their  illness.  Elder  Hedlock  helped 
them  into  their  wagon  and  they  resumed  their  journey.  They 
had  not  proceeded  far  when  they  met  some  gentlemen  who 
stopped  their  team  and  said  to  the  driver:  "Mr.,  what  grave- 
yard have  you  been  robbing?"  There  mark  being  elicited  by  the 
ghostly  appearance  of  the  Elders  en  route  for  England. 

Thus  in  sickness  and  poverty,  without  purse  and  without 


46  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

scrip,  leaving  their  families  destitute  of  the  comforts  of  life^ 
with  nothing  but  the  assurances  of  the  people,  who  were  as 
poor  as  themselves,  that  they  should  be  provided  for,  the  Twelve 
turned  their  faces  toward  Europe,  to  preach  the  Gospel  to 
the  highly  civilized  peoples  of  the  world.  Shaking  with  the 
ague,  and  then  burning  up  with  the  fever;  now  in  the  homes  of 
the  wealthy,  then  in  the  hovels  of  the  poor;  now  derided  by  the 
learned  and  self-styled  refined,  and  now  welcomed  by  the  poor 
of  this  world  who  rejoiced  in  the  message  they  bore — they 
journeyed  on,  never  looking  back,  nor  complaining  of  the  hard- 
ships through  which  they  were  called  to  pass  for  the  Master's 
sake.     They  had  ringing  in  their  ears  the  words  of  Jesus: 

"He  that  loveth  father  or  mother,  houses  or  lands,  wives 
or  children  more  than  he  loveth  me  is  not  worthy  of  me."  And 
again  they  had  the  promise:  *'There  is  no  man  that  hath  left 
houses,  or  parents,  or  brethren,  or  wife,  or  children  for  the 
kingdom  of  God's  sake,  who  shall  not  receive  manifold  more  in 
this  present  time,  and  in  the  world  to  come  life  everlasting." 

With  this  warning  and  this  promise  before  them,  they 
made  their  way  by  different  routes,  but  at  last  met  in  England, 
where  an  effectual  door  was  opened  for  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel,  and  thousands  with  joy  embraced  the  truth. 

These  men  went  out  weeping,  bearing  precious  seed;  they 
returned  in  time  bringing  their  sheaves  with  them,  and  ha3  joy 
in  their  harvest.  And  what  shall  separate  these  men  who  en- 
dured so  much  for  the  Gospel's  sake,  from  the  love  of  God? 
''Shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution,  or  famine,  or 
nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword?"  ''Nay,  in  all  these  things  they 
shall  be  more  than  conquerors  through  Him  that  loved  them." 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  47 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   "times   and  SEASONS." 

THE  power  of  the  press  in  sustaining  the  work  he  had  begun, 
was  early  recognized  by  Joseph  Smith  and  his  associates; 
and  it  was  this  recognition  of  its  powers  which  led  him  to  estab- 
lish, as  early  as  possible,  a  paper  that  would  be  under  the  con- 
trol of  The  Church,  voice  its  sentiments  and  defend  its  princi- 
ples. The  Church  had  been  organized  but  eighteen  months,  and 
its  membership  was  very  small  when  a  conference  held  in  Ohio 
authorized  the  purchase  of  a  press,  and  instructed  W.  W,  Phelps 
to  begin  the  publication  of  a  paper  in  Independence,  Missouri. 
In  June,  1832,  the  first  number  of  that  paper,  the  Evening  and 
Morning  Star,  was  published. 

The  following  year  the  Evening  and  Morning  Star  press  was 
broken  and  the  type  scattered  by  the  mob,  w^hich  collected  at 
Independence  to  drive  the  Saints  from  Jackson  County.     The  y 

press  and  the  book-binding  property  were  never  again  restored 
to  The  Church,  though  the  Star  afterwards  reappeared  in  Kirt- 
land,  edited  by  Oliver  Cowdery. 

Another  periodical  w^as  also  published  in  Kirtland  called 
The  Saints'  Messenger  and  Advocate,  the  first  number  of  which 
appeared  in  December,  1833.     This  periodical  was  superceded 
in  a  few  years — 1837 — by  the  Elders'  Journal.    But  when  Joseph      ^ 
Smith  and  Sidney  Rigdon  had  to  flee  from  Kirtland  for  their       I 
lives,  in  the  spring  of  1838,  the  press  and  type  on  which  the  i 

Journal  was  printed  were  removed  to  Far  West.   Here  an  effort  | 

was  made  to  re-issue  the  Journal,  Sidney  Rigdon  being  appointed 
editor.  But  again  the  assembling  of  angry  mobs  hindered  the 
work.     And  the  night  that  General  Lucas'  mob-militia  force  sur- 


48  RISE   AND   FALL   OP   NAUVOO. 

rounded  Far  West,  this  press  and  type  were  buried  in  the  door- 
yard  of  a  brother  by  the  name  of  Dawson.  The  form  for  a 
number  of  the  Elders'  Journal  was  buried,  with  the  ink  on  it,  in 
the  hurry  to  get  it  safely  hidden  from  the  enemy.  It  remained 
in  its  ^rave  until  taken  up  by  Elias  Smith,  Hyrum  Clark  and 
some  others,  and  taken  to  Commerce,  where,  in  the  fall  of  1839, 
it  was  set  up  in  a  cellar,  through  which  a  spring  of  water  was 
running,  and  on  it  was  published  the  Times  and  Seasons. 

This  periodical  was  issued  first  as  a  sixteen  page  monthly, 
but  afterwards  became  semi-monthly.  Its  first  editor  and  man- 
ager was  Don  Carlos  Smith,  the  youngest  brother  of  Joseph 
Smith,  who  learned  the  printer's  art  in  the  office  of  Oliver 
Cowdery,  and  at  the  time  he  took  charge  of  the  Times  and  Sea- 
sons was  but  twenty-four  years  of  age.  His  associate  was 
Ebenezer  Robinson.  The  paper  was  first  issued  in  November, 
1839. 

Don  Carlos  Smith  continued  to  act  as  editor  of  this  paper 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  seventh  of  August,  1841. 
Ebenezer  Robinson  then  became  the  editor  and  Elder  Robert  B. 
Thompson  was  appointed  to  assist  him.  The  manner  in  which 
the  paper  was  conducted  was  very  unsatisfactory  to  The  Church 
authorities,  and  the  Twelve  Apostles  took  charge  of  it  with  Elders 
John  Taylor  and  Wilford  Woodruff  as  its  managers,  and  Presi- 
dent Joseph  Smith  as  editor-in-chief.  It  was  conducted  by  these 
parties  for  about  a  year,  when  the  Prophet  Joseph  resigned  the 
editorial  chair,  and  Elder  John  Taylor  was  assigned  to  the  posi- 
tion of  chief  editor,  and  kept  that  place  until  the  discontinuance 
of  the  publication,  in  consequence  of  the  Saints  being  driven 
from  Nauvoo.  It  was  a  valuable  means  of  communication  for 
The  Church  authorities,  as  they  were  enabled  to  reach  the  Saints 
through  its  columns  notwithstanding  their  scattered  condition; 
and  in  its  pages  are  collected  the  principal  historical  events 
which  occurred  in  the  early  days  of  The  Church;  which,  in  con- 
nection with  the  principles  and  doctrine  expounded  by  its  editors, 


RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  49 

and  the  communications  from  the  Prophet,  make  it  of  inestim- 
able value  to  the  student  of  Church  history  or  the  development 
of  Church  doctrine. 


50  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


/ 


CHAPTER    IX. 

AN   APPEAL    TO    THE    GENERAL    GOVERNMENT   FOR   REDRESS   OF 

GRIEVANCES. 

4 

IT  will  be  remembered  by  those  who  have  read  'The  Missouri 
Persecutions,"  that  Sidney  Rigdon  was  released  from  prison 
in  Liberty,  Missoun,  before  Joseph  and  the  other  brethren 
escaped.  On  his  arrival  in  Quincy,  his  position  as  one  of  the 
presidents  of  The  Church,  his  education  and  eloquence,  gave  him 
the  attention  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Quincy,  and  particularly 
enlisted  the  sympathy  of  Governor  Carlin,  of  Illinois.  By  com- 
ing in  contact  with  him,  and  relating  the  cruelties  practiced 
against  the  Saints  in  Missouri,  he  conceived  the  altogether  fanci- 
ful and  utterly  impracticable  idea  of  impeaching  the  charter 
of  Missouri  on  an  item  in  the  Constitution,  viz:  ''that  the 
general  government  shall  give  to  each  State  a  republican  form 
of  government."  And  it  was  his  point  to  prove  that  such  a  gov- 
ernment did  not  exist  in  Missouri.  His  plan  was  to  present  the 
story  of  the  Saints'  wrongs  to  the  governors  of  the  respective 
States,  before  the  assembly  of  the  several  legislatures,  and  in- 
duce as  many  of  them  as  possible  to  bring  the  case  before  the 
legislatures  in  their  messages.  Another  part  of  the  plan  was 
to  have  a  man  at  each  State  capital  armed  with  affidavits  that 
would  give  the  necessary  information  to  the  legislatures.  After 
the  action  of  the  State  legislatures  the  case  was  to  be  presented 
to  the  national  Congress  for  its  consideration  and  action. 

To  carry  out  his  plans  George  W.  Robinson  was  appointed 
to  take  affidavits  and  collect  general  information  bearing  on  the 
subject,  and  Sidney  Rigdon  himself  secured  letters  of  introduc- 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   XAUVOO.  51 

tion  to  the  governors  of  several  States  and  to  the  President  of  the 
United  States  from  Governor  Carlin,  of  Illinois,  and  Governor 
Robert  Lucas,  of  Iowa.  On  the  fifth  of  May,  1839,  however,  at 
a  conference  of  The  Church  held  near  Quincy,  Joseph  Smith  pre- 
siding, the  gigantic  and  fanciful  scheme  conceived  by  Sidney 
Rigdon  was  considered  and  somewhat  reduced  of  its  unwieldy 
proportions  by  the  conference  simply  resolving: 

That  this  conference  send  a  delegate  to  the  city  of  Washington, 
to  lay  our  case  before  the  general  government;  and  that  President 
Rigdon  be  the  delegate:  and  that  Colonel  Lyman  Wight  be  appointed 
to  receive  the  affidavits  which  are  to  be  sent  to  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington. 

Here  the  matter  rested  for  a  time  through  the  inactivity  of 
President  Rigdon,  whose  ardor  in  the  work  of  God  about  this 
time  began  to  wane. 

In  consequence  of  the  inactivity  and  lack  of  interest  mani- 
fested by  Sidney  Rigdon  in  going  to  Washington  to  present  the 
case  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  vs.  the  State  of  Missouri  to  the 
President  and  Congress  of  the  United  States,  at  a  High  Council 
meeting,  held  at  Commerce  on  the  twentieth  of  October,  1839, 
the  Prophet  Joseph  was  appointed  to  be  the  delegate  toWashing- 
ton,  and  a  few  days  later  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Elias  Higbee  were 
appointed  by  the  same  council  to  assist  him  in  this  mission. 

As  a  contrast  between  the  two  men,  Sidney  Rigdon  and 
Joseph  Smith,  I  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  after  his  appoint- 
ment to  go  to  Washington  to  petition  the  general  government 
for  a  redress  of  grievances,  in  behalf  of  the  Saints,  Sidney  Rig- 
don had  allowed  nearly  six  months  to  pass  away  without  doing, 
anything;  but  the  ninth  day  after  Joseph  was  appointed  to  this 
mission  he  was  found  leaving  Commerce  with  a  two-horse  car- 
riage, accompanied  by  Rigdon,  Higbee  and  Orin  P.  Rockwell,  en- 
route  for  Washington.  The  Prophet  was  always  prompt  in  ac~ 
tion.     There  were  no  tedious  delays  in  anythinghe  under  took; 


52  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

no  letting  "I  dare  not  wait  upon  I  would,  like  the  old  cat  'i  the 
adage."  His  motto  for  the  commencement  of  his  career  had 
been,  ''When  the  Lord  commands,  do  it."  And  it  was  pretty 
much  the  same  thing  when  a  council  of  the  Priesthood,  or  him- 
self individually,  had  determined  upon  any  particular  course  of 
action,  he  at  once  set  himself  about  performing  it. 

The  mission  for  the  city  of  Washington  passed  through 
Springfield,  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  on  their  journey, 
and  here  met  with  Dr.  Robert  D.  Foster,  who  afterwards,  as  we 
shall  see,  became  prominently  connected  with  events  at  Nauvoo. 
Elder  Rigdon  being  ill.  Dr.  Foster  administered  medicines  to  him, 
journeying  with  Joseph's  party  for  several  days  for  that  pur- 
pose. At  last,  however.  Elder  Rigdon  became  so  weak  that  it 
became  necessary  to  leave  him  near  Columbus,  Ohio;  and  Orin 
P.  Rockwell  and  Dr.  Foster  remained  with  him,  while  Joseph 
and  Judge  Higbee  continued  their  journey  to  Washington. 

It  was  during  this  journey,  too,  that  Joseph  met  another 
man  destined  to  perform  a  prominent  part  in  the  drama  enacted 
at  Nauvoo.  This  was  William  Law,  whom  Joseph's  party  met 
at  Springfield,  Illinois.  He  was  then  leading  a  small  company 
of  Saints  from  Canada  to  Nauvoo.  Joseph's  company  remained 
several  days  at  Springfield,  and  he  preached  there  several  times, 
staying  at  the  home  of  James  Adams,  the  probate  judge  of  that 
county.  Judge  Adams  treated  the  Prophet  with  the  kindness  of 
a  father. 

An  incident  occurred  as  the  party  approached  Washington 
which  borders  on  the  domain  of  the  romantic,  or  perhaps  may 
he  considered  to  enter  directly  into  it.  The  coachman  stopped 
his  horses  in  front  of  one  of  the  many  public  houses  they  passed 
en  route,  to  get  his  grog,  when  the  horses  took  fright,  and  dashed 
down  the  road  at  break-neck  speed.  The  passengers,  as  might 
be  expected,  became  terror-stricken,  and  one  woman  in  her  ex- 
citement tried  to  throw  her  babe  out  of  the  window;  she  was 
prevented,  however,  by  Joseph,  who  calmed  her  fears,  and  per- 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   XAUVOO.  53 

suaded  the  rest  of  the  passengers  to  keep  their  seats.  He  then 
opened  the  door  of  the  coach  and  succeeded  in  climbing  up  the 
side  of  the  vehicle,  and  reaching  the  driver's  seat.  Gathering 
up  the  reins,  he  stopped  the  horses  before  any  accident  occurred 
either  to  coach  or  passengers. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  Joseph's  heroism  drew  from  his 
fellow-passengers  their  warmest  expressions  of  admiration  and 
gratitude.  No  terms  were  sufficiently  strong  to  convey  their 
admiration  of  his  daring.  Among  the  passengers  were  several 
members  of  Congress  who  proposed  mentioning  the  incident  to 
Congress,  for  they  believed  that  body  would  reward  Joseph's 
conduct  by  some  public  act.  With  this  object  in  view  they  asked 
for  his  name,  and  were  doubtless  dumf ounded  to  learn  that  they 
had  been  saved  from  their  imminent  peril  by  the  courage  of  the 
Mormon  Prophet.  At  any  rate  the  profusion  of  thanks  and 
admiration  was  stayed,  ''and,"  says  Joseph,  "I  heard  no  more  of 
their  praise,  gratitude  or  reward."  Need  one  stop  to  moralize 
on  the  littleness  of  man  when  he  allows  prejudice  to  dictate  his 
action  instead  of  reason? 

It  was  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  November,  1839,  that  Joseph 
and  Judge  Elias  Higbee  arrived  in  Washington,  and  took  up  their 
abode  at  an  unpretentious  boarding  house,  on  the  corner  of  Mis- 
souri and  Third  Streets.  They  were  very  much  cramped  on  ac- 
count of  means,  as  the  people  they  represented  were  poor  in 
this  world's  goods,  and  unable  to  supply  the  means  necessary  to 
enable  their  delegates  to  indulge  in  the  luxurious  style  of  living 
usually  adopted  by  those  who  go  to  the  seat  of  government  on 
special  missions. 

The  day  following  his  arrival,  Joseph  obtained  an  interview 
with  President  Martin  Van  Buren,  who  had  been  elected  to  the 
presidency  by  the  Democratic  party.  I  give  Joseph's  own 
account  of  this  visit  to  President  Van  Buren,  that  our  readers 
may  judge  of  the  impression  he  made  upon  the  Prophet,  and 
what  the  Prophet  thought  of  Congress  generally: 


54  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

On  Friday,  the  twenty-ninth,  we  proceeded  to  the  house  of  the 
President.  We  found  a  very  large  and  splendid  palace,  surrounded 
with  a  splendid  enclosure,  decorated  with  ail  the  fineries  and  elegan- 
cies of  the  world.  We  went  to  the  door  and  requested  to  see  the 
President,  when  we  were  immediately  introduced  into  an  upper  apart- 
ment, where  we  met  the  President,  and  were  introduced  into  his  par- 
lor, where  we  presented  him  with  our  letters  of  introduction.  As 
soon  as  he  had  read  one  of  them,  he  looked  upon  us  with  a  kind  of 
half  frown  and  said:  .  **What  can  I  do?  I  can  do  nothing  for  you! 
If  I  do  anything,  I  shall  come  in  contact  with  the  whole  State  of 
Missouri."* 

I  cannot  determine  whether  it  was  on  the  occasion  of  this 
visit  that  President  Van  Buren  made  use  of  the  expression, 
**Your  cause  is  just,  but  I  can  do  nothing  for  you,"  or  whether 
he  so  expressed  himself  at  some  subsequent  meeting.  But  un- 
der date  of  February  6th,  1840,  Joseph  remarks,  in  speaking  of 
his  mission  to  Washington: 

During  my  stay  I  had  an  interview  with  Martin  Van  Buren,  the 
President,  who  treated  me  very  insolently,  and  it  was  with  great  re- 
luctance he  listened  to  our  message,  which,  when  he  heard,  he  said: 
"Gentlemen,  your  cause  is  just,  but  I  can  do  nothing  for  you.  If  I 
take  up  for  you,  I  shall  lose  the  vote  of  Missouri."  His  whole  course 
went  to  show  that  he  was  an  office-seeker,  that  self-aggrandizement 
was  his  ruling  passion,  and  that  justice  and  righteousness  were  no 
part  of  his  composition. 

As  this  language  is  somewhat  different  to  that  reported 
by  Joseph  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  visit  to  the  President,  I 
am  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  the  language  attributed  to  him 
in  the  latter  quotation  was  used  at  some  subsequent  meeting 
to  the  first.     I  again  quote  from  Joseph's  letter  to  Hyrum: 

Now  we  shall  endeavor  to  expres?  our  feelings  and   views   con- 


^lyCtter  to  Hyrum  Smith,  Dec.  5, 1839. 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  55 

-cerning  the  President,  as  we  have  been  eye-witness  to  his  majesty. 
He  is  a  small  man,  sandy  complexion,  and  ordinary  features,  with 
frowning  brow,  and  considerable  body,  but  not  well  proportioned  as 
to  his  arms  and  legs,         *        *        *        ^^^  ^^   g^^^  ^^   ^^^^   ^•_ 

rectly  to  the  point,  he  is  so  much  of  a  fop  or  a  fool  (for  he  judged 
our  cause  before  he  knew  it),  we  could  find  no  place  to  put  truth  into 
him.  We  do  not  say  the  Saints  shall  not  vote  for  him,  but  we  do 
say  boldly,  that  we  do  not  intend  he  shall  have  our  votes. 

Joseph  speaks  very  highly  of  the  senators  and  representa- 
tives from  Illinois,  who  rendered  him  some  considerable  assist- 
ance in  getting  a  hearing  before  a  congressional  committee, 
but  he  was  not  favorably  impressed  with  congressmen  or  their 
conduct  on  the  whole.    He  says: 

For  a  general  thing  there  is  but  little  solidity  and  honorable  de- 
portment among  those  who  are  sent  here  to  represent  the  people, 
but  a  great  deal  of  pomposity  and  show.  *  *  *  There 
is  such  an  itching  disposition  to  display  their  oratory  on  the  most 
trivial  occasions,  and  so  much  etiquette,  bowing  and  scraping,  twist- 
ing and  turning,  to  make  a  display  of  their  witticism,  that  it  seems 
to  us  rather  a  display  of  folly  and  show,  more  than  substance  and 
gravity,  such  as  becomes  a  great  nation  like  ours.  However,  there 
are  some  exceptions. 

After  the  meeting  with  the  President,  a  meeting  with  the 
Hlinois  delegation  in  Congress  was  arranged,  to  take  into  con- 
sideration the  best  means  of  getting  the  wrongs  of  the  Saints 
before  Congress.  This  meeting  took  place  on  the  sixth  of  De- 
cember. A  Mr.  Robinson  of  that  delegation,  whether  a  member 
of  the  House  or  Senate  I  do  not  know,  took  a  stand  against  the 
Saints  presenting  any  claims  to  be  liquidated  by  the  United 
States;  but  Joseph  contended  against  him,  and  presented  the 
constitutional  rights  of  the  people,  and  Mr.  Robinson  promised 
to  reconsider  the  subject,  and  at  the  meeting  the  next  day  it 
was  decided  that  a   memorial   and  petition  be  drawn  in  concise 


o 


56  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

form  and  presented  by  Judge  Young,  who  had  taken  a  lively  in- 
terest in  the  cause  of  the  Saints.  At  this  stage  of  the  proceed- 
ings, Joseph  and  Judge  Higbee  learned  that  it  was  necessary  to 
have  more  positive  testimony  on  the  subject  in  hand,  so  that 
they  sent  to  Nauvoo  and  a  very  large  number  of  affidavits  were 
taken  and  forwarded  to  Washington  to  sustain  the  statements 
to  be  presented  to  Congress. 

The  petition  presented  to  Congress  related  the  outrages 
committed  against  the  Saints  at  considerable  length,  from  the 
commencement  of  difficulties  in  Jackson  County,  in  the  autumn 
of  1833,  until  their  final  expulsion  from  the  State  in  the  winter 
of  1838-9;  and  made  emphatic  the  infamy  of  Governor  Boggs' 
exterminating  orders, which  gave  the  coloring  of  authority  for  the 
action  of  the  State  mob-militia.  They  said  in  their  statement  of 
wrongs  that  if  given  an  opportunity  they  could  prove  every  allega- 
tion they  made  against  the  State  of  Missouri.  And  that  "neither 
the  Mormons  as  a  body,  nor  as  individuals  of  that  body,  had  been 
guilty  of  any  offense  against  the  laws  of  Missouri,  or  of  the 
United  States:  but  their  only  offense  had  been  their  religious 
opinions." 

X      In  conclusion  the  petition  represents  that  for  the  wrongs 
endured — 


The  Mormons  ought  to  have  some  redress;  yet  how  and  where 
Q4,        shall  they  seek  and  obtain  it? 

Your  Constitution  guarantees  to  every  citizen,  even  the  humblest, 
the  enjoyment  of  life,  liberty  and  property.  It  promises  to  all  their 
religious  freedom,  the  right  to  worship  God  beneath  their  own  vine 
and  fig  tree,  according  to  their  own  conscience.  It  guarantees  to  all 
J  the  citizens  of  the  several  States  the  right  to  become  citizens  of  any 
'  one  of  the  States,  and  to  enjoy  all  the  rights  and  immunities  of  the 
citizens  of  the  State  of  his  adoption.  Yet  of  all  these  rights  have  the 
Mormons  been  deprived.  They  have,  without  a  cause,  without  a 
trial,  been  deprived  of  life,  liberty  and  property.  They  have  been 
persecuted  for  their  religious  opinions.    They  have  been  driven  from 


RISE   AND    FALL   OF   XAUVOO.  57 

the  State  of  Missouri  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  prevented  from 
enjoying  and  exercising  the  rights  of  citizens  of  the  State  of  Mis- 
souri. It  is  the  theory  of  our  laws,  that  for  the  protection  of  every 
legal  right,  there  is  a  legal  remedy.  What,  then,  we  would  ask,  is  the 
remedy  for  the  Mormons?  Shall  they  appeal  to  the  legislature  of 
the  State  of  Missouri  for  redress?  They  have  done  so.  They  have 
petitioned,  and  these  petitions  have  been  treated  with  silence  and  con- 
tempt. Shall  they  apply  to  the  federal  courts?  They  were,  at  the 
time,  citizens  of  the  State  of  Missouri.  Shall  they  apply  to  the 
courts  of  the  State  of  Missouri?  Whom  shall  they  sue?  The  order 
for  their  destruction,  their  extermination,  was  granted  by  the  exec- 
utive of  the  State  of  Missouri.  Is  not  this  a  plea  of  justification  for 
the  loss  of  individuals,  done  in  pursuance  of  the  order?  If  not,  before 
whom  shall  the  Mormons  institute  a  trial?  Shall  they  summon  a 
jury  of  the  individuals  who  composed  the  mob?  An  appeal  to  them 
were  in  vain.  They  dare  not  go  to  Missouri  to  institute  a  suit,  their 
lives  would  be  in  danger. 

For  ourselves  we  see  no  redress,  unless  it  be  awarded  by  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States.  And  we  here  make  our  appeal  as  Ameri- 
can citizens,  as  Christians,  and  as  men — believing  the  high  sense  of 
justice  which  exists  in  your  honorable  bodies,  will  not  allow  such 
oppression  to  be  practiced  upon  any  portion  of  the  citizens  of  this 
vast  republic  with  impunity,  but  that  some  measure  which  your  wis- 
dom may  dictate,  may  be  taken,  so  that  the  great  body  of  people  who 
have  been  thus  abused,  may  have  redress  for  the  wrongs  which  they 
have  suffered. 

The  statement  of  wrongs  and  petition  for  their  redress 
was  introduced  into  the  Senate  by  Judge  Young,  and  referred 
to  the  committee  on  judiciary  of  which  General  Wall  was  chair- 
man. 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings  Joseph  left  Washington 
and  went  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  labored  in  the  ministry 
among  the  Saints;  but  Judge  Elias  Higbee  was  left  in  Washing- 
ton to  look  after  the  interest  of  the  petitioners  before  the  Senate 
committee.     The  subject  was  held  under  advisement  and  discussed 


58  RISE   AND  FALL   OP  NAUVOO. 

occasionally,iintil  the  fourth  of  March,  1840,  when  the  committee 
reported.  That  report  was  of  a  character  to  crush  forever  the 
hopes  of  obtaining,  at  the  hands  of  the  general  government, 
any  redress  for  the  outrages  perpetrated  against  them  in  Mis- 
souri. The  report  said  that  after  full  examination  and  consid- 
eration, the  committee  unanimously  concurred  in  the  opinion: 
''That  the  case  presented  for  their  investigation  is  not  such  a 
one  as  will  justify  or  authorize  any  interposition  of  this  govern- 
ment." 

They  stated  that  the  wrongs  complained  of  were  not  alleged 
to  have  been  committed  by  officers  of  the  United  States;  that 
the  charges  were  all  against  the  citizens  and  authorities  of  the 
State  of  Missouri;  that  the  petitioners  were  citizens  or  inhabi- 
tants of  Missouri;  that  the  grievances  complained  of  were  com- 
mitted within  the  territory  of  Missouri;  and  for  these  reasons 
the  Senate  judiciary  committee  did  "not  consider  themselves 
justified  in  inquiring  into  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  facts  charged 
in  the  petition."  The  committee  represented  that  if  the 
charges  were  true,  then  the  petitioners  must  seek  redress  in 
the  courts  of  judicature,  either  of  Missouri  or  of  the  United 
States,  whichever  might  have  jurisdiction  in  the  case.  "Or," 
said  the  report,  "the  petitioners  may,  if  they  see  proper,  apply 
to  the  justice  and  magnanimity  of  the  State  of  Missouri — an 
appeal  which  the  committee  feel  justified  in  believing  will  never 
be  made  in  vain  by  the  injured  or  oppressed."  The  report  said 
that  it  could  not  be  presumed  that  a  State  wanted  either  the 
power  or  lacked  the  disposition  to  redress  the  wrongs  of  its 
own  citizens,  committed  within  its  own  territory,  "whether  they 
proceed  from  the  lawless  acts  of  her  officers  or  any  other  per- 
son." 

The  report  closed  by  asking  the  passage  of  the  following 
resolution : 

Resolved,  That  the  committee  on  the  judiciary  be  discharged 
from  the  further  consideration  of  the  memorial  in  this  case;  and  that 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  59 

the  memorialists  have  leave  to  withdraw  the  papers  which  accompany 
their  memorial. 

The  resolution  was  passed  without  dissent,  and  thus  the 
appeal  to  Congress  for  redress  of  the  outrapjes  committed 
against  the  Saints  by  Missouri  ended.  , j 

At  a  conference  of  The  Church  held  in  April  following,  a 
number  of  resolutions  were  adopted,  regretting  and  condemn- 
ing the  action  of  the  Senate  judiciary  committee,  and  approv- 
ing the  course  pursued  by  their  delegation  to  Congress,  Joseph 
Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Elias  Higbee,  and  requesting  them  to 
continue  their  exertions  to  obtain  redress  for  a  suifering  people 
as  opportunities  became  more  favorable  for  such  efforts,  and  if 
at  last  all  hopes  of  obtaining  satisfaction  for  the  injuries  done 
us  be  entirely  blasted,  that  they  then  ''appeal  our  case  to  the 
Court  of  Heaven,  believing  that  the  Great  Jehovah,  who  rules 
over  the  destiny  of  nations,  and  who  notices  the  falling  spar- 
rows, will  undoubtedly  redress  our  wrongs,  and  ere  long  avenge 
us  of  our  adversaries." 


60  RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  X. 

ORSON  HYDE'S  MISSION  TO  JERUSALEM. 

T^HOSE  who  have  read  ''The  Missouri  Persecutions,"  will  re- 
member the  disaffection  of  Orson  Hyde  at  Far  West,  and 
the  statements  he  made  in  connection  with  Thomas  B.  Marsh 
against  The  Church,  in  the  autumn  of  1838 — that  time  when 
men's  hearts  were  failing  them  for  fear,  and  death  and  destruc- 
tion were  rife;  when  even  strong  hearts  grew  faint  and  brave 
cheeks  were  blanched.  Well,  as  stated  in  the  account  of  his 
disaffection,  like  Peter  of  old,  this  modern  Apostle  wept  bitterly 
for  his  error,  returned  to  The  Church,  was  forgiven;  and  during 
the  conference  held  at  Commerce  in  April,  1840,  he  was  called 
to  go  on  a  mission  to  Jerusalem. 

^cA.is*4t'  appears  that  Elder  Hyde  in  a  heavenly  vision  saw  himself 
on  the  Mount  of  Olives  blessing  the  land  for  the  return  of  the 
people  of  Judah,  hence,  that  he  might  be  obedient  to  the  vision, 
he  was  appointed  to  go  to  that  land  for  the  purpose  mentioned. 
In  the  letter  of  appointment,  which  the  Prophet  gave  him,  occurs 
the  following  passage: 

The  Jewish  nation  have  been  scattered  abroad  among  the  Gentiles 
for  a  long  period;  and  in  our  estimation  the  time  of  the  commence- 
ment of  their  return  to  the  Holy  Land  has  already  arrived.  *  *  * 
It  is  highly  important,  in  our  opinion,  that  the  present  views  and 
movements  of  the  Jewish  people  be  sought  after,  and  laid  before  the 
American  people  for  their  consideration,  their  profit  and  their  learn- 
ing. 

On  the  15th  of  the  same  month  that  Elder  Hyde  was  called, 
he  left  his  family  at  Nauvoo  and  started  for  Jerusalem  without 
purse  or  scrip.     The  next  day  he  met  with  John  E.  Page,  who 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  61 

subsequently  to  the  conference  at  which  Orson  Hyde  had  been 
•called,  was  appointed  to  go  with  him  to  the  Holy  Land. 

They  traveled  through  several  States  together,  preaching 
as  they  went.  In  the  city  of  Cincinnati  they  succeeded  in  rais- 
ing up  a  large  and  prosperous  branch  of  The  Church;  and  while 
Elder  Page  remained  in  Cincinnati  to  strengthen  the  Saints,  Elder 
Hyde  made  his  way  to  New  York. 

These  labors  consumed  the  summer  of  1840,  and  in  January, 
1841,  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  saying 
that  he  was  not  well  pleased  with  the  long  delays  of  his  servants 
in  starting  on  their  mission  to  Jerusalem,  and  they  were  re- 
quested to  hasten  their  departure.  In  the  meantime,  however, 
Elder  Page  had  lost  the  spirit  of  his  appointment  and  had  no 
disposition  to  go,  but  Orson  Hyde  on  the  receipt  of  this  reproof 
set  sail  at  once  from  New  York  for  England. 

It  is  not  our  design  to  follow  him  through  all  his  meander- 
ings  in  Europe,  or  relate  his  trials  or  his  perils  in  crossing  the 
mighty  seas,  and  passing  through  states  in  which  w^ar  was  rag- 
ing. He  succeeded  in  reaching  the  Holy  City  some  time  in 
October,  and  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  that  month,  1841,  early  in 
■the  morning,  was  seated  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  as  he  had  seen 
himself  in  vision;  and  wrote  the  pi'ayer  he  had  to  oifer  in  behalf 
of  the  Jews  and  their  city,  which  had  been  for  so  long  a  time 
trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles. 

In  that  prayer  he  referred  to  the  prophecies  of  God's  serv- 
ants in  relation  to  the  Jews  and  Jerusalem,  and  asked  that  all 
might  be  fulfilled.  He  called  for  the  richest  blessings  of  heaven 
upon  the  Jews;  he  blessed,  by  virtue  of  his  Priesthood,  the  city, 
the  land,  and  all  the  elements,  to  the  end  that  Judah  might  be 
gathered,  Jerusalem  rebuilt,  and  become  an  holy  city,  that  the 
Lord's  name  might  be  glorified  in  all  the  earth.  At  the  conclu- 
.sion  of  his  prayer,  he  says: 

On  the  top  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  I  erected  a  pile  of  stones,  as  a 


62  RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

witness  according  to  ancient  custom.  On  what  was  anciently  called 
Mount  Zion,  where  the  temple  stood,  I  erected  another,  and  used  the 
rod  according  to  the  prediction  upon  my  head. 

Just  what  he  meant  by  saying  that  he  had  used  the  rod 
'^according  to  prediction  on  his  head,"  I  have  been  unable  to 
learn,  except  /that  it  was  a  rod  with  which  he  had  measured 
the  city.      / 

I  hav,e  called  the  attention  of  my  readers  to  this  mission  of 
Elder  Hyde's  to  Jerusalem,  because  it  doubtless  has  a  greater 
significance  than  most  people  would  be  inclined  to  give  ik/^TET 
rebuilding  of  Jerusalem  is  regarded  by  Mormonism  as  of  as  much 
importance  as  the  establishment  of  Zion;  the  gathering  of  the 
dispersed  of  Judah  is  as  much  a  part  of  the  great  latter-day 
work  a3  the  reassembling  of  the  other  tribes  of  Israel^  and  the- 
commencement  of  that  work  was  made  by  Elder  Hyde,  when^by 
the  authority  of  his  apostleship,  he  consecrated  that  land  to 
the  return  of  the  house  of  Judah,  to  inhabit  it,  and  rebuild  their 
city  according  to  the  predictions  of  their  prophets.  -It  may  be 
somewhat  beyond  the  scope  of  this  chapter  to  call  attention  to 
it,  but  surely  it  will  be  of  interest  to  the  reader  to  know  that 
this  apostolic  mission  and  blessing  upon  the  Holy  Land  has  not 
been  fruitless,  but  blessings  as  a  result  are  flowing  unto  it,  and 
the  Jews  are  beginning  to  return  to  it.  At  the  time  of  Apostle 
Hyde's  visit  and  ceremonies  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  but  very 
few  Jews  were  in  the  city  or  in  Judea.  As  late  as  twenty  years 
ago  the  consular  reports  show  that  there  were  not  more  than 
fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  Jews  in  all  Jerusalem.  But  in  a  popu- 
lar magazine  for  August,  1896,  under  the  editorial  caption — 
*'The  Plan  for  a  Hebrew  Nation" — the  magazine  said: 

A  movement  of  which  Americans  hear  very  little,  but  which  may 
have  an  important  effect  upon  the  history  of  the  coming  century,  is 
going  forward  upon  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean.  This  is  the  re- 
turn of  the  Jews  to  their  ancient  home  in  Palestine — theZionite  move- 
ment it  is  called.  For  hundreds  of  years  there  has  been  talk  of  the  Jew 


RISE  AND   FALL  OF   NAUVOO.  63 

returning  to  Jerusalem.  Through  all  his  years  of  oppression  and 
wandering,  this  vision  of  his  native  land  has  been  held  before  his  eyes 
by  certain  of  his  teachers.  But  it  is  only  in  the  last  twelve  years, 
since  the  renewal  of  persecution  in  Russia,  that  the  idea  has  taken 
shape.  There  are  now  more  than  four  thousand  colonists  in  Palestine. 
At  Jaffa  the  schools  are  Hebrew,  the  ancient  language  being  spoken 
altogether,  and  a  Hebrew  literature  is  being  developed.  The  works 
of  the  great  English,  French  and  German  authors  are  being  translated, 
and  writers  of  their  own  race  are  being  encouraged. 

The  Zionite  movement  is  backed  by  the  influence  of  the  Roths- 
childs and  other  great  Jewish  families  and  societies,  and  as  we  see  its 
stirring  in  every  country,  we  can  believe  it  only  requires  a  great 
popular  leader  to  make  it  one  of  the  important  movements  in  history. 
That  it  is  not  purely  religious,  but  racial,  is  proven  by  the  co-op- 
eration of  Rabinowitz,  the  Christian  Jew  who  became  so  well  known 
here  duri^ag  the  World's  Fair  Congress.  There  is  already  one  Jewish 
Christian  colony  in  Palestine.  *  *  *  As  a  Jewish  state,  Pales- 
tine might  well  become  a  country  that  would  claim  consideration 
among  the  family  of  nations.  If  the  Zionite  continues  to  grow,  such 
a  result  is  almost  assured. 

During  the  same  month,  namely,  in  its  impression  of  Aug- 
ust 11th,  1896,  the  St.  Louis  Globe-Democrat  published  the  fol- 
lowing; 

Only  two  decades  ago  there  were  not  more  than  fifteen  or  twenty 
thousand  Jews  in  Jerusalem.  At  that  [time]  no  houses  were  to  be  found 
outside  the  walls  of  the  city.  Since  then  many  changes  have  taken  place 
and  the  Hebrew  population — mainly  on  account  of  the  increase  of  the 
Jewish  immigration  from  Russia — now  stands  at  between  sixty  and 
seventy  thousand.  Whole  streets  of  houses  have  been  built  outside 
the  walls  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  suburban  districts,  which  for  hun- 
dreds of  years  have  remained  deserted.  It  is  not,  however,  only  in 
Jerusalem  itself  that  the  Jews  abound,  but  throughout  Palestine  they 
are  buying  farms  and  establishing  themselves  in  a  surprisingly  rapid 
manner.  In  Jei/usalem  they  form  at  present  a  larger  community  than 
either  the  Chri.(tian  or  the  Mohammedan. 


64  RISE   AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XL 

death's   harvest  in  NAUVOO — RETURN  OF  PRODIGALS. 

DURING  the  summer  of  1840,  death  reaped  a  rich  harvest 
in  Nauvoo.  Before  his  ruthless  stroke  fell  many  worthy 
Saints  who  had  been  connected  with  The  Church  from  the  time 
it  was  founded.  Among  the  first  to  fall  was  Bishop  Edward 
Partridge.  He  died  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  May,  in  the  forty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  the  first  Bishop  in  The  Church, 
and  in  that  capacity  had  presided  over  the  Saints  who  gathered 
to  Zion,  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  during  the  years  1831-33. 
Joseph  described  him  as  a  "pattern  of  piety,"  and  the  Lord 
himself  declared  that  he  was  like  Nathaniel  of  old — his  heart 
was  pure  before  him,  and  he  was  without  guile.  His  life  was 
indeed  an  eventful  one.  He  was  called  from  his  merchandizing, 
and  became  a  preacher  of  righteousness.  Much,  in  fact  all, 
of  his  riches  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  mobs  of  Jackson  County, 
in  the  autumn  of  1833,  and  upon  his  meek  and  uncovered  head 
fell  a  double  portion  of  their  fury.  Five  years  later,  he  passed 
through  those  trying  times  experienced  by  the  Saints  in  their 
exodus  from  the  State  of  Missouri,  under  the  exterminating 
order  of  the  infamous  Governor  Boggs;  and  at  that  time,  he 
again  saw  the  fruits  of  his  industry  fall  a  prey  to  the  rapacity 
of  his  relentless  enemies.  Stripped  of  his  earthly  possessions 
and  broken  in  health,  he  reached  Commerce,  but  the  trials 
through  which  he  passed  had  proven  too  much  for  his  consti- 
tution, which  was  never  robust,  and  he  passed  away,  a  victim 
to  the  intolerance  and  religious  bigotry  of  this  generation. 

In  September  of  the    same    year    Father  Joseph  Smith, 


RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  65 

Patriarch  to  The  Church,  and  father  of  the  Prophet  Joseph, 
was  "gathered  to  his  final  home,"  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his 
age.  He  was  baptized  on  the  sixth  day  of  April,  1830,  and  was 
one  of  the  six  who  organized  The  Church  on  that  date.  Indeed 
he  was  the  one  who  first  received  the  testimony  of  his  son  after 
the  angel  Moroni  visited  him  on  that  memorable  night  of 
September  21,  1823;  and  it  was  he  who  first  exhorted  his 
prophet  son  to  be  faithful  and  diligent  to  the  message  he  had 
received.  He  endured  many  persecutions  on  account  of  the 
claims  made  by  his  son  Joseph  to  being  a  prophet  of  God;  for 
Joseph's  declarations  that  he  had  received  heavenly  visions  and 
revelations  together  with  a  divine  commission  to  preach  the 
Gospel  of  Christ,  not  only  brought  upon  himself  the  wrath  of 
the  ungodly,  but  involved  his  whole  family  in  the  persecutions 
-which  followed  him  throughout  his  life.  Of  these  things,  however, 
his  father  never  complained,  but  endured  all  things  patiently, 
and  with  true  heroism,  and  ever  supported  his  son  in  carrying 
out  the  counsels  of  Heaven.  He  was  born  on  the  twelfth  of 
July,  1771,  in  Topsfield,  Massachusetts;  and  was  the  second  of 
the  seven  sons  of  Asahel  and  Mary  Smith;  his  forefathers 
'being  among  those  who  early  came  from  England  to  Massachu- 
setts. He  was  a  large  man,  ordinarily  weighing  two  hundred 
pounds,  was  six  feet  two  inches  tall,  and  well  proportioned, 
strong  and  active;  and  he  stood  unbowed  beneath  the  accumu- 
lated sorrows  and  hardships  he  had  experienced  during  his 
nearly  three  score  and  ten  years  of  sojourn  in  this  life.  The 
exposures,  however,  that  he  suffered  in  the  exodus  from 
Missouri  brought  on  him  consumption,  of  which  he  died.  His 
was  an  unassuming  nature— noted  mostly,  perhaps,  for  its 
sincerity  and  unwavering  integrity.  He  was  a  child  of  nature, 
and  one  of  nature's  noblest;  his  life  had  been  spent  in  parts 
remote  from  the  busy  marts,  where  "wealth  accumulates  and 
men  decay;"  and  he  had  passed  through  his  probation  on  earth 
without  being  corrupted  by  the  evil  influences  of  luxury  or 


66  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

enervating  civilization.  He  was  a  type  of  men,  so  well  de- 
scribed by  one  of  our  poets,  in  the  following  lines: 

Simple  their  lives — yet  theirs  the  race 
When  liberty  sent  forth  her  cry^ 
Who  crowded  conflicts  deadliest  place, 
To  fight — to  bleed — to  die; 
Who  stood  on  Bunker's  heights  of  red, 
By  hope  through  years  were  led — 
And  witnessed  Yorktown's  sun 
Shine  on  a  nation's  banner  spread, 
A  nation's  freedom  won! 

Such  was  the  character  of  the  first  Patriarch  of  The  Church  in 
this  dispensation. 

Another  circumstance  of  interest  in  Nauvoo  during  this 
eventful  summer  of  1840  was  the  return  of  a  number  of  prodi- 
gals to  The  Church.  I  have  already  stated  the  case  of  Orson 
Hyde.  Frederick  G.  Williams  was  dropped  from  his  posi- 
tion as  counselor  to  the  Prophet  in  November,  1837,  and  in 
March,  1839,  was  excommunicated  at  a  conference  in  Quincy,. 
Illinois.  At  the  April  conference  in  1840,  however,  he  came 
before  the  assembled  Church  and  "humbly  asked  forgiveness, 
and  expressed  his  determination  to  do  the  will  of  God  for  the 
future."  He  was  forgiven  by  the  Saints  but  was  never  restored 
to  his  former  position  in  the  First  Presidency. 

About  the  time  Thomas  B.  Marsh  and  Orson  Hyde  fell  dur- 
ing the  trying  scenes  in  Missouri,  W.  W.  Phelps  and  Oliver  Cow- 
dery  left  The  Church.  Elder  Phelps  was  a  man  who  had  been 
of  great  service  to  The  Church  and  to  the  Prophet  in  a  literary 
way,  though  some  of  his  work  in  that  line  was  marred  by  pe- 
dantic verbosity,  and  pretension  to  a  knowledge  of  ancient  lan- 
guages which  was  not  justified  by  any  extended  acquaintance 
he  had  of  them.  Still,  he  it  was  who  in  the  early  rise  of  The 
Church  gave  the  cast  to  very  much  of  The  Church  literature, 


RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  67 

and,  as  I  remarked,  he  had  been  useful  to  The  Church  and  the 
Prophet  in  the  capacity  of  an  editor  and  writer. 

During  the  summer  of  1840  he  began  to  feel  his  way  back 
from  his  apostasy  into  The  Church.  He  had  seen  his  folly  and 
began  to  tremble  at  the  gulf  which  opened  at  his  very  feet  to 
devour  him.  He  felt  debased  and  humbled,  and  most  piteously 
begged  to  be  forgiven  and  taken  back  in  the  confidence  of  his 
brethren  and  the  Saints.  So  interesting  are  the  circumstances 
connected  with  his  return  that  I  give  in  extenso  the  letters 
which  passed  between  himself  and  the  Prophet. 

W.  W.  PHELPS'  LETTER  TO  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

Dayton,  Ohio,  June  29,  1840. 

Brother  Joseph — I  am  alive,  and  with  the  help  of  God  I  mean 
to  live  still.  I  am  as  a  prodigal  son,  though  I  never  doubt  or  disbe- 
lieve the  fullness  of  the  Gospel.  I  have  been  greatly  abused  and 
humbled,  and  I  blessed  the  God  of  Israel  when  I  lately  read  your 
prophetic  blessing  on  my  head,  as  follows: 

"The  Lord  will  chasten  him  because  he  taketh  honor  to  himself, 
and  when  his  soul  is  greatly  humbled  he  will  forsake  the  evil.  Then 
shall  the  light  of  the  Lord  break  upon  him  as  at  noonday,  and  ia  him 
shall  be  no  darkness,"  etc. 

>v  I  have  seen  the  folly  of  my  way,  and  I  tremble  at  the  gulf  I  have 
passed.  So  it  is,  and  why  I  know  not.  I  prayed  and  God  answered, 
but  what  could  I  do?  Says  I,  "I  ^fill  repent  and  live,  and  ask  my  old 
brethren  to  forgive  me,  and  though  they  chasten  me  to  death,  yet  / 
will  die  with  them,  for  their  God  is  my  God.  The  least  place  icith 
them  is  enough  for  me,  yea  it  is  bigger  and  better  than  all  Babylon." 
Then  I  dreamed  that  I  was  in  a  large  house  with  many  mansions, with 
you  and  Hyrum  and  Sidney,  and  when  it  was  said,  "Supper  must  be 
made  ready,"  by  one  of  the  cooks,  I  saw  no  meat,  but  you  said  there  was 
plenty,  and  showed  me  much,  and  as  good  as  I  ever  saw;  and  while 
cutting  to  cook,  your  heart  and  mine  beat  within  us,  and  we  took 
each  other's  hand  and  cried  for  joy,  and  I  awoke  and  took  courage. 

I  know  my  situation,  you  know  it,  and  God  knows  it,  and  I  want 
to  be  saved  if  my  friends  will  help  me.     Like  the  captain  that  was 


68  RISE   AND   PALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

cast  away  on  a  desert  island;  when  he  got  off,  he  went  to  sea  again, 
and  made  his  fortune  the  next  time — so  let  my  lot  be.  I  have  done 
wrong,  and  am  sorry.  The  beam  is  in  my  own  eye.  I  have  not 
walked  with  my  friends  according  to  my  holy  anointing.  I  ask  for- 
giveness in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  all  the  Saints,  for  I  will  do 
right,  God  helping  me.  I  want  your  fellowship;  if  you  cannot  grant 
that,  grant  me  your  peace  and  friendship,  for  we  are  brethren,  and 
our  communion  used  to  be  sweet,  and  whenever  the  Lord  brings  us  to- 
gether again,  /  will  make  all  the  satisfaction  on  every  point  that  Saints 
or  God  can  require.    Amen. 

W.  W.  Phelps. 

Elders  Hyde  and  Page,  en  route  for  the  east  on  their  mission 
to  Jesusalem,  met  with  Phelps  at  Dayton,  and  at  his  request 
these  brethren  added  the  following  to  his  communication: 

Brother  Phelps  requests  us  to  write  a  few  lines  in  his  letter,  and 
we  cheerfully  embrace  the  opportunity.  Brother  Phelps  says  he 
wants  to  live;  but  we  do  not  feel  ourselves  authorized  to  act  upon  his 
case,  but  have  recommended  him  to  you;  but  he  says  his  poverty  will 
not  allow  him  to  visit  you  in  person  at  this  time,  and  we  think  he 
tells  the  truth.  We  therefore  advise  him  to  write,  which  he  has 
doneu 

He  tells  us  verbally,  that  he  is  willing  to  make  any  sacrifice  to 
procure  your  fellowship,  life  not  excepted,  yet,  reposing  that  confi- 
dence in  your  magnanimity  that  you  will  take  no  advantage  of  this 
open  letter  and  frank  confession.  If  he  can  obtain  your  fellowship, 
he  wants  to  come  to  Commerce  as  soon  as  he  can.  But  if  he  cannot 
be  received  into  the  fellowship  of  The  Church,  he  must  do  the  best  he 
can  in  banishment  and  exile. 

Brethren,  with  you  are  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom;  to  you  is  power 
given  to  "exert  your  clemency,  or  display  your  vengeance."  By  the 
former  you  will  save  a  soul  from  death,  and  hide  a  multitude  of 
sins:  by  the  latter  you  will  forever  discourage  a  returning  prodigal, 
cause  sorrow  without  benefit,  pain  without  pleasure,  ending  in 
wretchedness  and  despair.  But  former  experience  teaches  that  you  are 
workmen  in  the  art  of  saving  souls;  therefore  with  the  greater  con- 
fidence do  we  recommend  to  your  clemency  and  favorable  considera- 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  ^  69 

tion,  the  author  and  subject   of   this   communication.     "Whosoever 
will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely."    Brother  Phelps  says 
he  will,  and  so  far  as  we  are  concerned,  we  say  he  may. 
In  the  bonds  of  the  covenant, 

Orson  Hyde, 
John  E.  Page. 

To  this  piteous  appeal  from  one  who  had  wandered  far  from 
the  fold,  and  who  had  been  torn  by  the  thorns,  the  Prophet  wrote 
a  most  worthy  reply — a  reply  which  clearly  indicates  that  the 
spirit  of  the  Master  burned  brightly  in  the  breast  of  the  ser- 
vant. 

JOSEPH  smith's  letter  TO  W.  W,  PHELPS. 

Nauvoo,  Hancock  Co.,  Illinois,  July  22,  1840. 

Dear  Brother  Phelps — I  must  say  that  it  is  with  no  ordinary 
feelings  I  endeavor  to  write  a  few  lines  to  you  in  answer  to  yours  of 
the  29th  ultimo;  at  the  same  time  I  am  rejoiced  at  the  privilege 
granted  me. 

You  may  in  some  measure  realize  what  my  feelings,  as  well  as 
Elder  Rigdon's  and  Brother  Hyrum's  were,  when  we  read  your  letter — 
truly  our  hearts  were  melted  into  tenderness  and  compassion  when 
we  ascertained  your  resolves,  etc.  I  can  assure  you  I  feel  a  disposition 
to  act  on  your  case  in  a  manner  that  will  meet  the  approbation  of  Je- 
hovah, (whose  servant  I  am)  and  agreeably  to  the  principles  of  truth 
and  righteousness  which  have  been  revealed;  and  inasmuch  as  long- 
suffering,  patience  and  mercy  have  ever  characterized  the  dealings  of 
our  Heavenly  Father  towards  the  humble"'and  penitent,  I  feel  disposed 
to  copy  the  example,  cherish  the  same  principles,  and  by  so  doing  be 
a  savior  of  my  fellow  men. 

It  is  true,  that  we  have  suffered  much  in  consequence  of  your  be- 
havior— the  cup  of  gall,  already  full  enough  for  mortals  to  drink,  was 
indeedfilled  to  overflowing  when  you  turned  against  us.  One  with  whom 
we  had  oft  taken  sweet  counsel  together,  and  enjoyed  many  refreshing 
seasons  from  the  Lord — "had  it  been  an  enemy,  we  could  have  borne 
it."  "In  the  day  that  thou  stoodest  on  the  other  side,  in  the  day  when 
strangers  carried  away  captive  his  forces,  and  foreigners  entered  into 


'70  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

his  gates,  and  cast  lots  upor  Far  West,  even  thou  wast  as  one  of  them; 
but  thou  shouldest  not  have  looked  on  the  day  of  thy  brother,  in 
the  day  that  he  became  a  stranger,  neither  shouldest  thou  have  spoken 
proudly  in  the  day  of  distress." 

However,  the  cup  has  been  drunk,  the  will  of  our  Father  has  been 
done,  and  we  are  yet  alive,  for  which  we  thank  the  Lord.  And  hav- 
ing been  delivered  from  the  hands  of  wicked  men  by  the  mercy  of 
our  God,  we  say  it  is  your  privilege  to  be  delivered  from  the  powers 
of  the  adversary,  be  brought  into  the  liberty  of  God's  dear  children, 
and  again  take  your  stand  among  the  Saints  of  the  Most  High,  and  by 
diligence,  humility,  and  love  unfeigned,  commend  yourself  to  our  God, 
and  your  God,  and  to  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Believing  your  confession  to  be  real,  and  your  repentance  gen- 
uine, I  shall  be  happy  once  again  to  give  you  the  right  hand  of  fel- 
lowship, and  rejoice  over  the  returning  prodigal. 

Your  letter  was  read  to  the  Saints  last  Sunday,  and  an  expres- 
sion was  taken,  when  it  was  unanimously — 

Resolved,  That  W.  W.  Phelps  should  be  received  into  fellowship. 

"Come  on,  dear  brother,  since  the  war  is  past, 
For  friends  at  first  are  friends  again  at  last." 

Yours  as  ever, 

Joseph  Smith,  Jr. 

Some  time  after  this,  when  laying  out  work  for  the  brethren 
to  do,  in  a  sudden  burst  of  kindness  he  said  to  his  secretary: 

Write  Oliver  Cowdery,  and  ask  him  if  he  has  not  eaten  husks 
long  enough.  If  he  is  not  almost  ready  to  return,  be  clothed  with 
robes  of  righteousness,  and  go  up  to  Jerusalem.  Orson  Hyde  hath 
need  of  him. 

A  letter  was  written  accordingjly,  but  the  Prophet's  gener- 
ous tender  of  forgiveness  and  fellowship  called  forth  no  re- 
sponse from  Oliver  Cowdery,  once  the  second  Elder  of  The 
Church,  and  the  first  to  make  public  proclamation  of  the  Gospel 
to  the  world.  Subsequently,  however,  he  did  return,  namely  in 
1848. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  71 

It  may  not  be  amiss  here  to  call  the  attention  of  the  reader 
to  a  peculiarity  of  Mormonism,  which  is  illustrated,  not  only 
by  this  case  of  Phelps,  but  by  a  multitude  of  other  cases  of  the 
same  character;  and  that  is:  whenever  the  religion  of  the  Latter- 
day  Saints — the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ — takes  hold  of  men,  and 
conviction  of  its  truth  has  struck  deep  into  the  human  soul, they 
may  through  transgression  lose  the  fellowship  of  the  Saints  and 
of  The  Church;  they  may  wander  out  upon  the  hills  and  through 
the  deserts^  away~rrom  the  fold,  but  they  can  never  forget  the 
J  sweet  communion  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  which  they  enjoyed  be- 
fore their  fall;  nor  can  they  forget  the  fact  that  they  once 
knew  that  Mormonism  was  true.  The  recollection  of  those 
things  operates  upon  the  mind,  and  not  unfrequently  leads  to  a 
sincere  repentance;  and  it  has  often  happened,  in  the  experi- 
ence of  The  Church,  that  men  who  through  transgression  turned 
away  from  the  truth,  after  thorns  have  torn  their  flesh,  and  the 
wild  briar  stripped  them  of  their  covering,  they  return  and  hum- 
bly beg  to  be  re-admitted  into  their  Father's  house.  Lucifer-like, 
they  cannot  forget  the  heights  from  which  they  fell,  they  can- 
not all  forget  the  splendor  of  that  glory  and  the  happiness  of 
that  peace  they  enjoyed  in  God's  Kingdom,  and  wicked  indeed 
must  that  heart  become,  that  these  recollections  will  not  lead 
to  repentance.  May  not  they  have  so  far  transgressed  that 
they  cannot  repent,  and  are  beyond  even  the  desire  for  forgive- 
ness? Are  they  not  the  sons  of  perdition?  Thank  God,  their 
numbers  are  few! 

Again,  those  who  fall  away  from  Mormonism  carry  with 
them  the  evidences  of  that  fall.  Unbelievers  say  to  Mormons, 
''Come  out  of  the  darkness  of  your  superstitions  into  God's  sun- 
light of  freedom" — but  when  one  looks  upon  the  fate,  the  con- 
dition and  experience  of  those  who  have  denied  the  faith,  he 
receives  small  encouragement  to  obey  the  summons.  Seldom 
indeed  are  they  prospered  even  in  the  affairs  of  this  world,  and 
the  canker-worm  gnawing  within,  writes  upon  their  faces  the 


72  RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

anguish  of  heart  which  their  lying  lips  deny.  They  smile,  but 
smiling  suffer;  the  heart  still  beats,  but  brokenly  lives  on;  and 
who  so  blind  that  he  would  exchange  the  peace,  the  joy,  the 
holy  aspirations  and  assurances  which  the  Gospel  brings,  for  the 
unrest,  the  gloom,  darkness,  uncertainty  and  fearfulness,  which 
forever  haunt  the  mind  of  the  apostate?  Only  those  who 
would  exchange  the  glorious  light  of  heaven  for  the  murky 
blackness  of  hell. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  78 


CHAPTER  XII. 


JOHN   C.   BENNETT. 


ABOUT  this  time,  there  were  other  characters  which  had  be- 
-  come  attracted  to  The  Church,  and  who  became  promi- 
nent in  the  events  which  occurred  at  Nauvoo.  Among  them 
was  Dr.  John  C.  Bennett,  described  as  "a  man  of  enterprise,  ex- 
tensive acquirements,  and  of  independent  mind,  one  calculated 
to  be  of  great  benefit  to  The  Church."  His  attention  had  been 
attracted  to  the  Mormon  people  during  their  persecutions  in 
Missouri.  At  that  time  he  was  brigadier-general  of  the  "In- 
vincible Dragoons"  of  Illinois,  and  wrote  to'the  leaders  of  The 
Church  in  the  hours  of  their  deepest  distress,  proffering  to  go 
to  their  assistance  with  all  the  forces  he  could  raise  in  Illinois, 
as  his  bosom  swelled  with  indignation  at  the  treatment  the 
Saints  received  at  the  hands  of  the  cruel  but  cowardly  Mis- 
sourians.  That  proffered  service,  however,  was  not  accepted; 
doubtless  because  the  Saints  depended  for  vindication  of  their 
reputation,  and  redress  of  their  wrongs,  upon  the  officers  of  the 
State  and  Nation,  rather  than  upon  adventurers  who  offered  their 
service  to  wage  war  upon  their  enemies.  But  after  the  Saints 
began  gathering  at  Commerce,  he  again  expressed  a  desire  to 
connect  his  fortunes  with  theirs. 

As  this  man  may  properly  be  regarded  as  the  "Benedict 
Arnold"  of  The  Church  at  Nauvoo,  I  shall  take  the  liberty  of 
now  noting  a  few  expressions  in  his  first  letters  to  Joseph  the 
Prophet,  which,  if  they  fail  to  adorn  a  tale,  they  will  at  least 
point  a  moral. 

When   he    contemplated  joining   his   fortunes    with   The 


74  RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

Church  at  Commerce,  he  held  the  position  of  quartermaster- 
general  in  the  militia  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  a  position  he  did 
not  wish  to  resign.  Indeed  he  expressed  a  desire  to  hold  the 
position  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  also  a  physician  with 
an  extensive  practice,  and  sent  extracts  from  the  Louisville 
Courier- Journal  which  gave  evidence  of  high  standing  in  his 
profession.     Writing  of  these  things  to  Joseph,  he  said: 

I  do  not  expect  to  resign  my  office  of  quartermaster-general  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  in  the  event  of  my  removal  to  Commerce,  unless 
you  advise  otherwise.  I  shall  likewise  expect  to  practice  my  profes- 
sion, but  at  the  same  time  your  people  shall  have  all  the  benefit  of 
my  speaking  power,  and  my  untiring  energies  in  behalf  of  the  good 
and  holy  faith. 

In  a  communication  following  the  one  from  which  I  make 
the  above  quotation  he  said: 

You  are  aware  that  at  the  time  of  your  most  bitter  persecution, 
I  was  with  you  in  feeling,  and  proffered  you  my  military  knowledge 
and  powers. 

The  egotism  of  the  man  plainly  appears  in  these  expres- 
sions, and  manifests  a  spirit  that  is  altogether  at  variance  with 
the  humility  required  by  the  Gospel,  and  doubtless  that  self- 
importance  laid  the  foundation  of  his  subsequent  fall.  While 
Joseph  extended  a  hearty  welcome  to  the  doctor  to  come  to 
Nauvoo,  he  by  no  means  held  out  very  flattering  inducements  to 
him,  as  may  be  seen  by  Joseph's  letters  to  him  in  answer  to 
those  of  Bennett's,  expressing  his  determination  to  join  the  Saints 
at  Commerce.     He  said: 

I  have  no  doubt  that  you  would  be  of  great  service  to  this  com- 
munity in  practicing  your  profession,  as  well  as  those  other  abilities 
of  which  you  are  in  possession.  Though  to  devote  your  time  and 
abilities  in  the  cause  of  truth  and  a  suffering  people,  may  not  be  the 
means  of  exalting  you  in  the  eyes  of  this  generation,  or  securing  you 


RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO.  75 

the  riches  of  this  world,  yet  by  so  doing  you  may  rely  on  the  approval 
of  Jehovah,  "that  blessing  which  maketh  rich  and  addeth  no  sorrow." 
*  *  *  Therefore,  my  general  invitation  is,  let  all  who  will 
come,  come  and  partake  of  the  poverty  of  Nauvoo,  freely. 

I  should  be  disposed  to  give  you  a  special  invitation  to  come  as 
early  as  possible,  believing  you  will  be  of  great  service  to  us.  How- 
ever, you  must  make  your  own  arrangements  according  to  your  cir- 
cumstances. Were  it  possible  for  you  to  come  here  this  season  to 
suifer  affliction  with  the  people  of  God,  no  one  will  be  more  pleased 
to  give  you  a  cordial  welcome  than  myself. 

Surely  this  was  frank  enough,  and  ought  to  have  dispelled 
from  the  doctor's  mind,  if  at  that  time  such  ideas  lurked  there, 
all  thoughts  of  winning  worldly  fame,  or  gratifying  vain  ambi- 
tion, by  linking  his  fortunes  with  those  of  The  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ. 


76  RISE  AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

RENEWAL  OF  HOSTILITIES  BY  MISSOURI. 

IT  would  appear  that  Hatred's  hunger  is  never  fed;  it  seems  to 
possess  an  appetite  which  is  insatiable,  and  can  never  feel 
at  ease  so  lon^  as  the  object  of  its  detestation  remains  within 
its  reach;  and  even  when  that  object  is  removed  beyond  the  im- 
mediate power  of  Hatred  to  do  it  harm,  as  the  dragon  of  the 
apocalypse  when  he  could  not  follow  the  woman  he  had  perse- 
cuted into  the  wilderness,  cast  out  of  his  mouth  a  flood  of  water 
after  her  to  destroy  her — even  so  Hatred,  when  baflled  in  his 
efforts  to  destroy  his  victims,  sends  out  floods  of  falsehood  to 
overwhelm  them  by  infusing  his  own  venom  into  the  breasts  of 
others;  that  that  destruction  which  he  could  not  bring  to  pass 
himself,  might  be  brought  about  by  another. 

Such  was  the  course  of  hate-blinded  Missouri  towards  the 
Saints  of  God,  whom  she  had  driven  beyond  her  borders.  See- 
ing that  she  had  not  destroyed  them,  but  that  they  were  now 
upon  the  eve  of  enjoying  an  era  of  prosperity  such  as  they  had 
never  enjoyed  while  within  her  borders,  she  employed  all  her 
cunning  to  incite  the  hatred  of  the  citizens  of  Illinois  against 
them.  But  this  was  not  easy  of  accomplishment;  and  at  first, 
the  misrepresentations  of  a  State  that  had  been  guilty  of  such 
outrages  as  those  committed  by  Missouri  against  the  Latter-day 
Saints,  had  but  little  weight  in  Illinois. 

Finding  that  their  accusations  against  the  people  whom 
they  had  so  wronged  had  little  or  no  effect,  an  effort  was  made 
to  give  coloring  to  their  statements;  and  stolen  goods  were  con- 
veyed from  Missouri  to  the  vicinity  of  Commerce,  so  that  when 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  77 

they  were  found,  suspicion  might  rest  upon  the  people  in  whose 
neighborhood  the  stolen  articles  were  discovered. 

Nor  did  their  outrages  stop  at  this.  But  doubtless  being 
emboldened  by  reason  of  the  general  government's  refusing  to 
make  any  effort  to  redress  the  wrongs  of  the  Saints,  a  company 
of  men  led  by  William  Allensworth,  H.  M.  Woodyard,  Wm.  Mar- 
tin, J.  H.  Owsely,  John  Bain,  Light  T.  Lait  and  Halsay  White, 
crossed  over  the  Mississippi  to  Illinois,  at  a  point  a  few  miles 
above  Quincy,  and  kidnapped  Alanson  Brown,  James  Allred, 
Benjamin  Boyce  and  Noah  Rogers;  and  without  any  writ  or  war- 
rant of  any  character  whatever,  they  dragged  them  over  to 
Missouri,  to  a  neighborhood  called  Tully,  in  Lewis  County.  These 
unfortunate  men  were  imprisoned  for  a  day  or  two  in  an  old  log 
cabin,  during  which  time  their  lives  were  repeatedly  threatened. 
At  one  time  Brown  was  taken  out,  a  rope  placed  around  his 
neck,  and  he  was  hung  up  to  a  tree  until  he  was  nearly  stran- 
gled to  death.  Boyce  at  the  same  time  was  tied  to  a  tree, 
stripped  of  his  clothing  and  inhumanly  beaten.  Rogers  was  also 
beaten,  and  Allred  was  stripped  of  every  particle  of  clothing, 
and  tied  up  to  a  tree  for  the  greater  part  of  the  night,  and 
threatened  frequently  by  a  man  named  Monday,  exclaiming: 
*'G — d  d — n  you,  I'll  cut  you  to  the  hollow."  He  was  finally, 
however,  released  without  being  whipped. 

After  they  had  received  this  inhuman  treatment,  their  cap- 
tors performed  an  act  purely  Missourian  in  its  character,  that 
is,  they  gave  them  the  following  note  of  acquittal: 

Tully,  Missouri,  July  12,  1840. 
The  people  of  Tully,  having  taken  up  Mr.  Allred,  with  some  others, 
and  having  examined  into  the  offenses  committed,  find  nothing  to 
justify  his  detention  any  longer,  and  have  released  him. 
By  order  of  the  committee. 

H.  M.  Woodyard. 

As  soon  as  the  people  of  Commerce  and  vicinity  were  in- 


78  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

formed  of  this  outrage,  Gentiles  as  well  as  Mormons  were  loud 
in  their  condemnation  of  it,  and  at  once  a  mass  meeting  was 
called,  and  resolutions  were  adopted,  expressing  their  unquali- 
fied indignation,  and  calling  upon  the  governor  of  Illinois  to  take 
the  necessary  steps  to  punish  those  who  had  committed  this  out- 
rage, and  by  vindicating  the  law,  give  the  Missourians  to  under- 
stand there  was  a  limit  beyond  which  their  deeds  of  violence 
must  not  pass. 

D.  H.  Wells,  not  then  a  member  of  The  Church,  and  George 
Miller  were  appointed  a  committee  to  wait  upon  Governor  Carlin, 
and  lay  the  case  before  him.  For  this  purpose  they  repaired  to 
Quincy,  and  at  the  recital  of  the  cruelties  practiced  upon  the 
men  who  were  the  victims  of  the  Missourians,  the  governor's 
wife,  who  was  present  at  the  interview,  was  moved  to  tears,  and 
the  governor  himself  was  greatly  agitated.  He  promised  to  coun- 
sel with  the  State  attorney,  who  by  law  was  made  his  adviser, 
and  promised  to  take  such  steps  as  the  case  seemed  to  require, 
and  the  law  to  justify.  Just  what  was  done  by  Governor  Carlin, 
however,  I  amx  unable  to  learn;  but  one  thing  is  certain,  and 
that  is,  the  guilty  parties  were  never  brought  to  justice,  nor 
even  to  a  trial — indeed  it  may  be  that  even  then  the  love  which 
Governor  CarHn  once  had  for  the  Saints,  and  which  at  last  be- 
came dead,  had  begun  to  grow  cold. 

Scarcely  had  the  excitement  occasioned  by  the  kidnapping 
of  Allred  and  his  associates  subsided,  when  Governor  Boggs  of 
Missouri  made  a  requisition  on  Governor  Carlin,  of  Illinois,  for 
the  persons  of  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Lyman  Wight, 
P.  P.  Pratt,  Caleb  Baldwin  and  Alanson  Brown,  as  fugitives  from 
justice.  Governor  Carlin  granted  the  requisition — was  it  another 
case  of  Herod  and  Pilate  being  made  friends  over  the  surrender 
of  God's~Trophet?  But  fortunately  when  the  sheriff  went  to 
Commerce  with  his  requisition,  Joseph  and  his  brethren  were  not 
at  home,  and  could  not  be  found;  so  that  the  officers  returned 
without  them.     These  men  were  not  fugitives  from  justice,  no 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  79 

process  had  ever  been  found  against  them,  the  governor  him- 
self had  connived  at  their  escape  from  the  hands  of  the  officers 
charged  with  the  duty  of  conducting  them  from  Liberty,  Clay 
County,  to  Boone  County;*  and  these  men  did  not  feel  disposed 
to  try  again  *'the  solemn  realities  of  mob  law  in'  Missouri." 

These  circumstances  gave  the  Saints  to  understand  that 
their  peace  in  their  beautiful  situation  on  the  banks  of  the  placid, 
grand,  old  Mississippi  was  not  to  be  without  alloy;  the  goal  of 
their  final  triumph  and  rest  had  not  been  reached.  These  in- 
cidents were  a  premonition  of  danger;  they  were  indeed  the  few 
drops  of  rain  which  sometimes  precede  the  storm,  but  a  kind 
Providence  shut  out  from  their  vision  how  fierce  that  storm 
would  be,  or  how  would  they  have  had  the  courage  to  meet  it? 

*  Missouri  Persecutions,  Chapter  xi^vii. 


80  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FOUNDING   A  CITY. 

MEANTIME  Commerce  had  become  Nauvoo.  The  city  of 
^"^auvoo  was  incorporated  by  act  of  the  legislature  of 
Illinois,  on  the  fourteenth  of  December,  1840.  The  charter 
granted  on  that  date  described  the  boundaries  of  the  city,  but 
gave  to  the  citizens—  whom  it  erected  a  body  corporate  and  poli- 
tic— the  right  to  extend  the  area  of  the  city  whenever  any  tract 
of  land  adjoining  should  have  been  laid  out  into  town  lots  and 
recorded  according  to  law.  The  city  council  was  to  consist  of 
a  mayor,  four  aldermen  and  nine  councilors  to  be  elected  by  the 
qualified  voters  of  the  city.  The  first  Monday  in  February  was 
appointed  for  the  first  election  of  officers. 

The  charter  granted  to  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo  the  most 
plenary  powers  in  the  management  of  their  local  affairs.  In- 
deed, about  the  only  limit  placed  upon  their  powers  was,  that 
they  do  nothing  inconsistent  with  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  State  constitution  of  Illinois.  But  inside  of 
those  lines  they  were  all  powerful  to  make  and  execute  such  or- 
dinances as  in  the  wisdom  of  the  city  council  were  necessary 
for  the  peace,  good  order,  and  general  welfare  of  the  city.  It 
afterwards  became  a  question  in  the  State  as  to  whether  or  not 
powers  too  great  had  not  been  granted  the  city  government — 
but  of  that  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  further  on. 

The  leading  men  of  the  State  appeared  not  only  willing 
but  anxious  to  grant  the  privileges  of  this  city  government  to 
the  Saints.  S.  H.  Little,  of  the  upper  house  of  the  State  legisla- 
ture, especially  stood  by  the  Saints,  and  pleaded  for  their  rights; 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  81 

together  with  Messrs.  Snyder,  Ralston,  Moore,  Ross  and  Stapp; 
while  Mr.  John  F.  Charles,  the  representative  to  the  lower 
house  from  the  district  in  which  Nauvoo  was  located,  manfully 
discharged  his  duties  to  the  Nauvoo  portion  of  his  constituents, 
by  using  all  his  energy  to  secure  them  their  city  government^ 

An  incident  connecting  Abraham  Lincoln  with  the  passage 
of  this  charter  may  not  be  without  interest.  The  State  of  Illi- 
nois was  at  that  time  divided  into  two  political  parties,  Whigs 
and  Democrats.  Both  parties  were  friendly  to  the  Saints,  who 
considered  themselves  equally  bound  to  both  parties  for  acts  of 
kindness.  Lincoln  was  a  Whig,  and  in  the  November  election 
his  name  was  on  the  State  electoral  ticket  as  a  Whig  candidate 
for  the  State  legislature.  But  many  of  the  people  of  Nauvoo, 
wishing  to  divide  their  vote,  and  to  show  a  kindness  to  the 
Democrats,  erased  the  name  of  Lincoln,  and  substituted  that  of 
Ralston,  a  Democrat.  It  was  with  no  ill  feeling,  however, 
towards  Mr.  Lincoln  that  this  was  done,  and  when  the  vote  was 
called  on  the  final  passage  of  the  Nauvoo  charter,  he  had  the 
magnanimity  to  vote  for  it;  and  congratulated  John  C.  Bennett 
on  his  success  in  securing  its  enactment. 

The  Saints  rejoiced  in  the  prospects  of  liberty  secured  to 
them  by  their  city  government,  and  of  it  Joseph  said : 

I  concocted  it  for  the  salvation  of  The  Church,  and  on  principles 
so  broad,  that  every  honest  man  might  dwell  secure  under  its  protect- 
ing influences,  without  distinction  of  sect  or  party. 

An  inspection  of  the  charter  will  bear  out  this  opinion  of 
it,  for  while  it  was  "concocted  for  the  salvation  of  The  Church," 
it  by  no  means  secured  that  s  alvation  by  trespassing  upon  the 
rights  of  others,  but  by  recognizing  the  rights  of  the  Saints  to 
be  equal  to  the  rights  of  other  citizens.  Nor  was  it  intended 
that  Nauvoo  should  be  an  exclusive  city  for  people  of  the  Mor- 
mon faith;  on  the  contrary,  all   worthy   people   were  invited  to 


82  RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

come  and  assist  to  build  it  up  and  partake  of  its  liberty  and 
anticipated  prosperity.  An  official  proclamation,  issued  over 
the  signatures  of  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Hyrum 
Smith,  who  then  constituted  the  First  Presidency  of  The  Church, 
contains  the  following  passage: 

We  wish  it  likewise  to  be  distinctly  understood,  that  we  claim 
no  privileges  but  what  we  feel  cheerfully  disposed  to  share  with  our 
fellow-citizens  of  every  denomination;  and  every  sentiment  of  reli- 
gion; and  therefore  say,  that  so  far  from  being  restricted  to  our  own 
faith,  let  all  those  who  desire  tc  locate  in  this  place  (Nauvoo)  or  the 
vicinity,  come,  and  we  will  hail  them  as  citizens  and  friends,  and 
shall  feel  it  not  only  a  duty,  but  a  privilege  to  reciprocate  the  kind- 
ness we  have  received  from  the  benevolent  and  kind-hearted  citizens. 
of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

And  as  an  earnest  of  the  intention,  so  far  as  the  Saints- 
were  concerned,  of  carrying  out  in  practice  these  liberal  senti- 
ments and  extending  equal  rights  to  people  of  all  religious  per- 
suasions, among  the  first  acts  of  the  city  council  was  the  pas- 
sage of  the  following  ordinance,  introduced  by  Joseph  Smith: 

Section  l  Be  it  ordained  by  the  city  council  of  the  city  of 
Nauvoo  that  the  Catholics,  Presbyterians,  Methodists,  Baptists,  Lat- 
ter-day Saints,  Quakers,  Episcopalians,  Universalists,  Unitarians,  Mo- 
hammedans, and  all  other  religious  sects  and  denominations,  what- 
ever, shall  have  free  toleration  and  equal  privileges  in  this  city;  and 
should  any  person  be  guilty  of  ridiculing  and  abusing,  or  otherwise 
deprecating  another,  in  consequence  of  his  religion,  or  of  disturbing 
or  interrupting  any  religious  meeting  within  the  limits  of  this  city, 
he  shall,  on  conviction  before  the  mayor  or  municipal  court,  be  con- 
sidered a  disturber  of  the  public  peace,  and  fined  in  any  sum  not  ex- 
ceeding five  hundred  dollars,  or  imprisoned  not  exceeding  six  months, 
or  both,  at  the  discretion  of  said  mayor  and  court. 

The  second  section  made  it  the  duty  of  all  municipal  offi- 
cers to  notice  and  report  any  violation  of  the  law — and  in  fact. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  83 

of  any  other  law  of  the  city — to  the  mayor;  and  the  municipal 
officers  were  authorized  to  arrest  all  violators  of  this  law,  either 
with  or  without  process;  so  that  the  fullest  religious  liberty  was 
secured  to  all  sects,  and  all  religions,  and  to  people  of  no  reli- 
gion at  all  if  any  such  there  should  be.  Under  such  an  ordinance, 
people  could  worship  Almighty  God  according  to  the  dictates  of 
their  consciences,  without  fear  of  molestation  from  any  one; 
but  they  were  restrained  from  interfering  with  the  religion  or 
mode  of  worship  of  their  fellows — they  were  told,  in  a  manner, 
that  their  liberties  ended  where  those  of  other  people  com- 
menced. 

On  the  first  of  February,  1841,  the  first  election  for  mem- 
bers of  the  city  council  took  place,  as  provided  by  the  city 
charter.  John  C.  Bennett  was  chosen  mayor;  William  Marks, 
Samuel  H.  Smith,  D.  H.  Wells,  and  N.  K.  Whitney,  aldermen; 
Joseph  Smith,  Hyrum  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Chas.  C.  Rich,  John 
T.  Barnett,  Wilson  Law,  Don  C.  Smith,  J.  P.  Greene  and  Vinson 
Knfght,  councilors.  On  the  third  of  the  month  the  city  council 
was  organized,  by  appointing  the  following  officers:  marshal, 
H.  G.  Sherwood;  recorder,  James  Sloan;  treasurer,  R.  B.  Thomp- 
son; assessor,  James  Robinson;  supervisor  of  streets,  Austin 
Cowles. 

Mayor  Bennett,  the  same  day,  delivered  his  inaugural  ad- 
dress. Kfter  making  several  recommendations  to  the  council 
relative  to  the  establishment  of  an  educational  institution,  a 
militia,  the  enactment  of  a  temperance  ordinance,  and  other 
measures  affecting  the  manufacturing  and  commercial  interests 
of  the  city;  and  further  recommending  that  the  protecting  aegis 
of  the  corporation  be  thrown  around  every  moral  and  religious 
institution  of  the  day,  which  was  in  any  way  calculated  to  en- 
noble or  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  citizens\  he  concluded 
his  speech  in  these  words:  ^ 

As  the  chief  magistrate  of  your  city,  I  am  determined  to  execute 
all  State  laws,  and  city  ordinances  passed  in  pursuance  of  law,  to  the 


84  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

very  letter,  should  it  require  the  strong  arm  of  military  power  to  en- 
able me  to  do  so.  As  an  officer,  I  know  no  man;  the  peaceful,  unof- 
fending citizen  shall  be  protected  in  the  full  exercise  of  all  his  civil, 
political  and  religious  rights,  and  the  guilty  violator  of  the  law  shall 
be  punished  without  respect  to  persons. 

The  first  act  of  the  city  council,  after  its  organization,  was 
to  express  its  gratitude  for  its  privileges  and  powers  conferred 
upon  the  city  by  its  charter.  For  this  purpose  the  following 
resolution  was  introduced  by  Joseph  Smith,  and  adopted : 

Resolved,  by  the  city  council  of  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  that  the 
unfeigned  thanks  of  this  community  be  respectfully  tendered  to  the 
governor,  council  of  revision,  and  legislature  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, as  a  feeble  testimonial  of  their  respect  and  esteem  of  noble, 
high-minded,  and  patriotic  statesmen;  and  as  an  evidence  of  gratitude 
for  the  signal  powers  recently  conferred — and  that  the  citizens  of 
Quincy  be  held  in  everlasting  remembrance  for  their  unparalleled 
liberality  and  marked  kindness  to  our  people,  when  in  their  greatest 
state  of  suffering  and  want. 

The  next  move  was  to  pass  a  temperance  ordinance,  which 
practically  made  Nauvoo  a  prohibition  city — that  is,  so  far  as 
prohibitory  ordinances  prohibit. 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  85 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  NAUVOO  LEGION. 

THE  Nauvoo  charter  proper  really  contained  two  other 
charters,  viz:  One  for  the  establishment  of  a  university 
within  the  limits  of  the  city  "for  the  teaching  of  the  arts  and 
sciences,  and  learned  professions,"  and  another  for  the  organi- 
zation of  an  independent  military  body  to  be  called  the  "Nauvoo 
Legion." 

An  ordinance  was  passed  on  the  third  of  February,  in  re- 
lation to  the  university,  appointing  a  chancellor  and  board  of 
regents.  A  site  for  a  building  was  selected,  and  plans  of  the 
structure  were  drawn,  but  that  was  as  far  as  the  matter  went, 
as  the  city  had  no  funds  with  which  to  proceed  with  the  work 
of  construction. 

An  ordinance  was  also  passed  on  the  above  date  authoriz- 
ing the  organization  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion.  The  original  pro- 
vision in  the  Nauvoo  charter  establishing  this  military  body 
provided  that  the  city  council  might  organize  the  inhabitants  of 
the  city,  subject  to  military  duty  under  the  laws  of  the  State, 
into  an  independent  body  of  militia;  and  a  subsequent  amend- 
ment to  the  charter  extended  the  privilege  of  joining  the 
Legion  to  any  citizen  of  Hancock  County,  who  might  by  vol- 
untary enrollment  desire  to  do  so;  and  in  that  event  he  was 
to  have  all  the  privileges  to  be  enjoyed  by  members  of  that 
organization.  The  charter  provided  that  the  officers  of  the 
Legion  should  be  commissioned  by  the  governor;  and  that  the 
members  thereof  be  required  to  perform  the  same  amount  of 
military  duty  as  the  regular  militia  of  the   State;  they  were  to 


86  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

he  at  the  disposal  of  the  mayor  inexecuting  the  laws  and  or- 
dinances of  the  city,  and  the  laws  of  the  State;  and  also  at  the 
disposal  of  the  governor  for  the  public  defense,  and  the  execu- 
tion of  the  laws  of  the  State  and  of  the  United  States;  and  were 
entitled  to  their  proportion  of  the  public  arms;  but  were  exempt 
from  all  military  duty  not  specified  in  these  provisions. 

The  commissioned  officers  of  the  Legion  were  constituted 
its  court-martial,  which  was  its  law-making  department;  but  no 
law  inconsistent  with  either  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  or  the  State  of  Illinois  was  to  be  enacted  by  this  court. 
The  privilege  of  organizing  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  and  as  many 
of  the  citizens  of  Hancock  County  as  might  desire  to  unite  with 
them,  into  an  independent  military  body,  was  highly  gratifying 
to  the  people  of  Nauvoo,  but  more  especially  so  to  Joseph 
Smith,  who,  in  speaking  of  it,  in  a  proclamation  to  the  Saints 
scattered  abroad,  said: 

The  Nauvoo  Legion  embraces  all  our  military  power,  and  will 
enable  us  to  perform  our  military  duty  by  ourselves,  and  thus  afford, 
us  the  power  and  privileges  of  avoiding  one  of  the  most  fruitful 
sources  of  strife,  oppression  and  collision  with  the  world.  It  will 
enable  us  to  show  our  attachment  to  the  State  and  Nation,  as  a  peo. 
pie,  whenever  the  public  service  requires  our  aid,  thus  prov- 
ing ourselves  obedient  to  the  paramount  laws  of  the  land,  and  ready 
at  all  times  to  sustain  and  execute  them. 

The  city  ordinance  provided  that  the  Legion  should  be  di- 
vided kito  two  cohorts,  the  horse  troops  to  constitute  the  first 
cohort,  and  the  infantry  the  second.  The  commander-in-chief 
of  the  Legion  was  to  be  known  as  the  lieutenant-general,  who 
was  also  made  the  reviewing  officer  and  president  of  the  court- 
martial  and  Legion.  His  staff  was  to  consist  of  two  principal 
aides-de-camp  with  the  rank  of  colonel  of  cavalry;  and  a  guard 
of  twelve  aides-de-camp  with  the  rank  of  captain  of  infantry; 
and  a  drill  officer,  with  the  rank  of  colonel  of  dragoons,  to  be 
the  chief  officer  of  the  guard. 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  87 

The  second  officer  was  a  major-general,  to  act  as  the  secre- 
tary of  the  court-martial  and  Legion.  His  staff  consisted  of 
an  adjutant;  surgeon -in-chief,  a  cornet,  quartermaster,  pay- 
master, commissary,  and  chaplain;  all  to  hold  the  rank  of  colo- 
nel of  cavalry;  besides  these,  there  were  to  be  in  his  staff,  a 
surgeon  for  each  cohort,  quartermaster  sergeant,  sergeant- 
major,  and  a  chief  musician — with  the  rank  of  captain  of  light 
infantry;  and  two  musicians  with  the  rank  of  captain  of  infan- 
try. Besides  these  officers  there  were  created  by  the  ordinance 
an  adjutant  and  inspector-general;  and  a  brigadier- general  to 
command  each  cohort.  The  staff  of  each  brigadier-general  con- 
sisted of  an  aide-de-camp  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel  of 
infantry,  and  when  not  otherwise  in  service,  these  brigadiers 
had  access  to  the  staff  of  the  major-general. 

The  ordinance  organizing  this  body  of  militia  provided  that 
the  court-martial  should  adopt  for  the  Legion,  so  far  as 
practicable,  the  discipline,  drill,  uniform,  rules  and  regula- 
tions of  the  United  States  army.  And  a  law  passed  by  the 
court-martial  shortly  after  its  organization,  required  all  male 
citizens  within  the  limits  of  Nauvoo,  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  forty-five,  excepting  such  as  were  exempted 
from  service  under  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  to  perform 
military  duty  under  the  penalty  of  being  fined  for  absence  from 
general  parades,  as  follows:  generals,  twenty-five  dollars;  colo- 
nels, twenty  dollars;  captains,  fifteen  dollars;  lieutenants,  ten 
dollars;  and  musicians  and  privates,  five  dollars.  For  absence 
from  company  parades — of  course  without  good  reason  for  the 
absence — the  fines  were  fixed  at  these  rates:  commissioned  offi- 
cers, five  dollars;  non-commissioned  officers,  three  dollars;  and 
musicians  and  privates,  two  dollars. 

The  first  election  of  officers  of  the  Legion  took  place  on  the 
fourth  of  February,  1841;  and  resulted  in  Joseph  Smith  being 
unanimously  chosen  lieutenant-general;  John  C.  Bennett,  major- 
general;  Wilson  Law,  brigadier-general  of   the  first   cohort; 


88  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

and  Don  Carlos  Smith,  brigadier-general  of  the  second  cohort. 
The  staffs  of  the  respective  generals  were  chosen  from  the  lead- 
ing citizens  of  Nauvoo,  some  of  whom  were  not  members  of  the 
Mormon  Church.  There  were  but  six  companies  at  the  time  the 
Legion  was  organized,  in  February,  1841,  but  in  September  fol- 
lowing, the  number  of  men  had  increased  to  one  thousand  four 
hundred  and  ninety;  and  at  the  time  of  the  Prophet  Joseph's 
death,  some  three  years  later,  the  Legion  numbered  about  five 
thousand. 

With  such  strict  regulations,  accompanied  by  a  natural  en- 
thusiasm for  military  display,  and  drilled  by  competent  military 
officers,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  if  the  Legion  became  the  best 
body  of  militia  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  It  excited  the  jealousy  and 
envy  of  the  rest  of  the  militia  in  the  surrounding  counties,  and  all 
the  laudable  efforts  of  the  Legion  to  become  an  efficient  body  of 
militia,  with  a  view  of  assisting  in  the  execution  of  the  State 
and  National  laws,  if  occasion  should  require,  were  construed  by 
their  enemies  to  mean  a  preparation  for  rebellion,  and  the  es- 
tablishment and  spread  of  the  Mormon  religion  by  conquests  of 
J;he  swx)rd,  as,  it  is  alleged,  Mohammed  established  his  religion. 
Thus  the  forming  of  an  independent  body  of  militia,  enabling 
the  Saints  to  perform  their  military  duty  by  themselves,  which 
the  Prophet  fondly  hoped  would  remove  "one  of  the  most  fruit- 
ful sources  of  strife,  oppression  and  collision  with  the  world," 
and  which  he  further  hoped  would  give  the  Saints,  as  a  people, 
an  opportunity  of  showing  their  attachment  to  the  State  and 
Nation,  whenever  the  public  servicelrequired  their  aid  —by  the 
misrepresentation  of  their  enemies,  was  made  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal rocks  of  offense,  and  was  used  to  excite  the  apprehensions 
and  prejudices  of  the  good  people  of  Illinois. 

The  people  of  the  United  States  have  always  been  jealous 
of  military  power,  and  hence  have  been  careful  in  forming  their 
political  institutions  to  subordinate  the  military  to  the  civil 
authority,  except  in  times  of  actual   war;   and,  therefore,  not- 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  89 

withstanding  the  very  good  intentions  of  the  Saints  at  Nauvoo, 
it  was  a  very  easy  matter  for  their  enemies  to  excite  the  preju- 
dice and  awaken  the  fears  of  the  people  of  Illinois  by  point- 
ing to  the  existence  of  this  elaborate  and  efficient  military  or- 
ganization with  its  frequent  musters  and  parades,  and  captained 
by  a  great  religious  leader,  wh  )m,  notwithstanding  his  virtues 
and  the  uprightness  of  his  intentions — they  had  come  to  regard 
as  a  wild,  religious  fanatic,  prepared  to  go  to  what  lengths 
they  knew  not  in  the  promulgation  of  his  rc-ligion.  Hence  that 
which  wai_tp  be  a  bulwark  to  the  city,  and  a  protection  to  the 
Saints,  was  transformed  by  their  enemies  into  an  occasion  of 
offense,  and  an  excuse  for  assailing  them. 


90  RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

RECONSTRUCTION    OF    QUORUMS— THE   NAUVOO   HOUSE   AND 

THE  TEMPLE. 

IN  the  meantime  important  changes  in  The  Church  organiza- 
tion were  pending.  An  important  revelation  was  received  on 
the  nineteenth  of  January,  1841,*  which  provided  for  filling  the 
vacancies  in  the  several  quorums  and  a  reconfirmation  of  all  the 
authorities  of  the  Church.  Hyrum  Smith,  who  had  stood  in  the 
position  of  counselor  to  his  brother  Joseph,  since  the  apostasy 
of  F.  G.  Williams  and  his  expulsion  from  The  Church,  on  the 
seventh  of  November,  1837— was  appointed  to  succeed  his  father 
a3  Patriarch  to  The  Church;  to  hold  the  sealing  blessings  of  The 
Church,  even  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  whereby  the  Saints  are 
sealed  up  unto  the  day  of  redemption,  that  they  may  not  fall, 
notwithstanding  the  day  of  temptation  that  might  come  upon 
them.  He  was  also  appointed  a  prophet,  seer,  and  revelator, 
as  well  as  Joseph  with  whom  he  was  to  act  in  concert,  and  from 
whom  he  was  to  receive  counsel.  The  Prophet  was  to  show  unto 
him  the  keys  whereby  he  might  ask  and  receive,  "and  be  crowned 
with  the  same  blessing  and  glory  and  honor  and  priesthood,  and 
gifts  of  the  priesthood  that  once  were  put  upon  him  that  was 
my  servant  Oliver  Cowdery." 

Joseph  Smith  was  given,  as  the  presiding  Elder  of  The 
Church,  to  be  a  translator,  a  revelator,  a  seer  and  prophet. 
Sidney  Rigdon  was  admonished  of  his  neglect  of  duty,  and  of  his 
lack  of  faith;  he  was  told,  however,  if  he  would  repent  of  his 


*  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  Section  124. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  91 

sins,  and  stand  in  his  place  and  calling,  he  might  continue  to 
act  as  counselor  to  Joseph,  and  the  Lord  promised  to  heal  him, 
and  make  him  powerful  in  testimony.  The  reason  for  this  ad- 
monition, as  one  may  judge  from  the  spirit  of  it,  was  that  he  to 
whom  it  was  given  had  become  sour  in  his  feelings  toward  the 
work  of  God.  His  ardor  was  cooling,  and  his  zeal,  which  at 
times  had  been  inordinate,  seemed  now  to  be  oozing  out  of  his 
disposition. 

William  Law,  whom,  it  will  be  remembered,  Joseph  first  met 
when  en  route  for  Washington — Law  then  leading  a  small  com- 
pany of  Saints  toNauvoofrom  Canada — was  appointed  to  fill  the 
vacancy  in  the  First  Presidency  made  by  the  appointment  of 
H}rum  Smith  to  the  office  of  Patriarch.  And  such  blessings  and 
spiritual  powers  were  pronounced  upon  him  by  the  Lord,  as 
seldom  falls  to  the  lot  of  man.  On  condition  of  his  faithfulness 
he  was  to  have  powder  to  heal  the  sick,  cast  out  devils,  be  de- 
livered from  those  who  administered  unto  him  poison,  and  the 
serpent  that  might  lay  hold  upon  his  heel;  "And  what  if  I 
will,"  said  the  Lord,  "that  he  should  raise  the  dead,  let  him  not 
hold  his  voice." 

Brigham  Young  was  appointed  the  president  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles,  and  liberty  w^as  given  to  appoint  another  man  to  fill 
the  vacancy  made  in  the  quorum  through  the  death  of  David  W^. 
Patten,  who  was  killed  by  the  mob,  at  the  battle  of  Crooked 
Piver,  in  Missouri.  The  High  Council  for  Nauvoo  was  named, 
and  a  presidency  given  to  the  High  Priests;  the  seven  presi- 
dtnts  of  the  Seventies  were  appointed;  and  all  the  quorums  of 
the  Priesthood  both  in  the  Melchisedek  and  Aaronic  divisions 
were  set  in  order,  so  far  as  the  appointment  of  presidents  was 
concerned. 

Besides  setting  the  Priesthood  in  order,  the  Lord  in  this 
revelation  required  that  a  house  should  be  built  to  His  name;  "a 
house  w'orthy  of  all  acceptation;  that  the  weary  traveler  may 
find  health  and  safety  while  he  contemplates  the  word  of  the 


92  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

Lord;"  and  the  Prophet  Joseph  and  his  family  were  to  have  a 
right  of  permanent  residence  in  it.  It  was  to  be  known  as  the 
"Nauvoo  House,"  and  built  unto  the  name  of  the  Lord.  The  pos- 
session of  individual  stock  was  to  range  from  fifty  dollars  to 
fifteen  thousand  dollars;  no  person  being  allowed  to  put  in  less 
than  fifty,  nor  more  than  fifteen  thousand.  And  it  was  specially 
provided  that  none  but  those  who  believed  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon and  the  revelations  of  God  were  to  be  permitted  to  hold 
stock  in  the  house. 

In  addition  to  this  commandment  to  build  the  Nauvoo  House, 
the  Lord  told  the  Saints  that  there  was  not  a  place  found  on  the 
earth  to  which  He  might  come  and  restore  that  which  was  lost, 
or  which  he  had  taken  away,  even  the  fullness  of  the  Priesthood; 
nor  was  there  a  baptismal  font  upon  the  earth  where  the  Saints 
might  be  baptized  for  the  dead. 

The  doctrine  of  baptism  for  the  dead  had  been  made  known 
to  the  Saints  some  time  previous  to  this,  and  the  ordinance  had 
been  performed  in  the  Mississippi  and  other  convenient  places;  but 
this  is  an  ordinance  of  God's  house,  and  cannot  be  acceptable  to 
Him  when  performed  elsewhere,  only  in  the  days  of  the  poverty  of 
His  people.  And  as  more  prosperous  times  had  dawned  upon  The 
Church,  the  Saints  were  required  to  build  a  temple  to  the  name 
of  the  Most  High;  and  they  were  further  told  that  they  were 
granted  sufficient  time  to  build  a  temple,  and  if  they  failed  to 
build  it  at  the  expiration  of  that  appointed  time,  they  should  be 
rejected  as  a  Church  together  with  their  dead.  To  show  to  The 
Church  the  importance  of  erecting  this  temple,  the  Lord  re- 
minded them  how  He  had  commanded  Moses  to  build  a  taber- 
nacle, that 'the  children  of  Israel  could  bear  with  them  into  the 
wilderness,  that  those  ordinances  might  be  revealed  which  had 
been  hidden  from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world.  There- 
fore said  the  Lord — 

Let  this  house  be  built  unto  my  name  that  I  may  reveal  mine 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  93 

ordinances  therein,  unto  my  people.  For  I  design  to  reveal  unto  my 
Church  things  which  have  been  kept  hid  from  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world,  things  that  pertain  to  the  dispensation  of  the  fullness 
of  times;  and  I  will  show  unto  my  servant  Joseph  all  things  pertain- 
ing to  this  house,  and  the  Priesthood  thereof.  *  *  *  ^jj^j 
ye  shall  build  it  on  the  place  where  you  have  contemplated  building  it, 
for  that  is  the  spot  which  I  have  chosen  for  you  to  build  it. 

The  location  which  the  Saints  had  contemplated  as  the  site 
for  the  temple  was  on  a  bold  eminence  overlooking  the  river,  the 
landscape  on  the  Iowa  side,  and  all  the  surrounding  country  for 
miles  around.  It  was  not  only  by  far  the  noblest  site  in  Nauvoo 
for  a  temple,  but  ideal  in  its  fitness. 


94  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  CONFERENCE  OF  APRIL  6tH,  1841. 

THE  sixth  of  April,  1841,  was  a  memorable  day  in  the  his- 
tory of  Nauvoo.  That  day  the  corner  stones  of  the  great 
temple  which  God  by  revelation  had  commanded  His  people  to 
build  were  to  be  laid.  To  the  Prophet  Joseph  the  day  must 
have  been  a  veritable  gleam  of  sunshine  amid  the  constantly  re- 
newing storms  of  his  eventful  career.  It  was  a  beautiful  day, 
clear  and  balmy — propitious  for  the  exercises  to  take  place. 

Early  in  the  morning  there  was  a  hurrying  to  and  fro  in 
the  streets  of  militiamen,  for  the  presence  of  sixteen  uniformed 
companies  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion  was  to  add  brightness  and  in- 
terest to  the  imposing  ceremonies.  A  great  procession  was 
formed  and  marched  to  the  temple  site.  Here  the  Legion  was 
formed  in  a  hollow  square  surrounding  the  excavations  made 
for  the  foundation  of  the  temple  and  enclosing  the  officers  of 
the  Legion,  choir,  citizens  and  prominent  Elders  of  The  Church 
who  were  to  lay  the  corner  stones  of  that  structure.  Sidney 
Rigdon  was  the  orator  of  the  occasion;  and,  doubtless  owing  to 
the  recent  admonition  he  had  received  in  the  revelation  from 
the  Lord  —to  which  reference  has  been  made — he  was  aroused 
from  his  lethargy  for  the  time.  At  any  rate,  on  this  occasion 
he  spoke  with  his  old  fervor  and  eloquence.  He  reviewed  the 
trials  of  the  past,  the  blessings  they  then  enjoyed,  the  brighten- 
ing prospects  of  the  future,  and  dwelt  at  some  length  upon  the 
importance  of  building  temples,  and  the  labor  to  be  performed 
in  them. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  oration,  at  the  direction  of  the 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  95 

First  Presidency,  the  architects   lowered  the  southeast  corner- 
stone to  its  place,  and  Joseph  Smith  said: 

This  principal  corner-stone  in  representation  of  the  First  Presi- 
dency, is  now  duly  laid  in  honor  of  the  great  God;  and  may  it  there 
remain  until  the  whole  fabric  is  completed;  and  may  the  same  be  ac- 
complished speedily;  that  the  Saints  may  have  a  place  in  which  to 
worship  God,  and  the  Son  of  Man  nave  where  to  lay  His  head. 

To^wbich  Sidney  Rigdon  added: 

May  the  persons  employed  in  the  erection  of  this  house  be  pre- 
served from  all  harm  while  engaged  in  its  construction,  till  the  whole 
is  completed,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.     Even  so,  amen. 

Thus  were  laid  the  corner-stones  of  the  Nauvoo  Temple, 
amid  the  rejoicing  of  the  Saints;  and  even  strangers  forgot 
their  prejudices  and  joined  with  hearty  good  will,  as  interested 
spectators  of  the  proceedings.  "Such  an  almost  'countless 
multitude  of  people,"  says  one  enthusiastic  account  of  the  scenes 
of  the  day,  written  at  the  time,  "moving  in  harmony,  in  friend- 
ship, in  dignity,  told  with  a  voice  not  easily  misunderstood,  that 
they  were  a  people  of  intelligence,  and  virtue,  and  order;  in 
short,  that  they  were  Saints;  and  that  the  God  of  love,  purity 
and  light,  was  their  God,  their  exemplar  and  director;  and  that 
they  were  blessed  and  happy." 

While  on  this  subject,  I  quote  the  instructions  on  temple 
building  from  the  history  of  the  Prophet: 

If  the  strict  order  of  the  Priesthood  were  carried  out  in  the 
building  of  temples,  the  first  stone  will  be  laid  at  the  southeast  cor- 
ner, by  the  First  Presidency  of  The  Church.  The  southwest  corner 
should  be  laid  next.  The  third,  or  northwest  corner  next;  and  the 
fourth  or  northeast  corner  the  last. 

The  First  Presidency  should  lay  the  southeast  corner-stone,  and 
dictate  who  are  the  proper  persons  to  lay  the  other  corner-stones. 


96  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

If  a  temple  is  built  at  a  distance,  and  the  First  Presidency  are 
not  present,  then  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  are  the  proper 
persons  to  dictate  the  order  for  that  temple;  and  in  the  absence  of 
the  Twelve  Apostles,  then  the  presidency  of  the  stake  will  lay  the 
southeast  corner-stone.  The  Melchisedek  Priesthood  laying  the  cor- 
ner-stones on  the  east  side  of  the  temple,  and  the  Lesser  Priesthood 
those  on  the  west  side. 

During  the  remaining  days  of  the  conference,  opened  with 
such  splendid  ceremonies,  the  Saints  were  instructed  in  princi- 
ple and  doctrine,  the  quorums  of  the  Priesthood  were  arranged 
in  their  proper  order  and  the  important  questions  of  business 
put  to  each  qu  )rum  separately  and  voted  upon;  especially  the 
names  of  those  whom  God  had  appointed  and  reappoin'ed  to  fill 
the  respective  positions  alluded  to  in  the  revelation  above  quoted. 

Besides  this,  the  several  charters  of  Nauvoo,  the  Legion, 
University,  Agricultural  and  Manufacturing  Association,  Nau- 
voo House  Association,  etc.,  were  read  and  accepted  by  the 
people.  Lyman  Wight  was  sustained  to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the 
quorum  of  the  Twelve.  John  C.  Bennett  was  presented  in  con- 
nection with  the  First  Presidency  as  assistant  President  until 
Sidney  Rigdon's  health  should  be  restored.  Everything  neces- 
sary for  the  welfare,  happiness  and  prosperity  of  the  Saints  was 
considered,  and  preparations  made  to  push  the  work  of  God  for- 
ward in  all  its  departments.  The  conference  lasted  from  Wed- 
nesday morning  until  Sunday  night;  and  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant ever  held  by  The  Church. 

Indeed  the  circumstances  surrounding  the  Saints  at  the 
time  were  of  a  character  to  bid  them  hope  that  Nauvoo  would 
be  to  them  "a  safe  retreat."  Tne  friendship  of  nearly  all  of 
the  leading  men  of  the  State;  the  universal  sympathy  felt  by 
the  people  of  Illinois  for  the  victims  of  Missouri's  fury;  the 
action  of  the  State  legislature  in  granting  the  several  charters 
noted  in  chapter  fifteen — all  supported  the  hopes  entertained. 


RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  97 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

prophet's  trial  at  MONMOUTH. 

EARLY  in  the  summer  of  1841,  an  event  happened  which 
threatened  the  peace  of  the  inhabitants  of  Nauvoo.  When 
busily  intent  in  the  performance  of  some  labor,  or  duty,  or  even 
when  in  pursuit  of  pleasure,  how  often  it  happens  that  we  work 
on,  or  enjoy  our  pleasure  in  the  bright  sunshine,  without  ever 
thinking  of  storms,  until  a  sudden  clap  of  thunder  startles  us, 
and  looking  up  we  see  that  dark  clouds  have  arisen  above  the 
horizon;  the  bright  skies  are  rapidly  becoming  overcast — a 
storm  is  impending!  So  it  was  with  the  Saints  at  Nauvoo  con- 
cerning the  matter  of  which  we  speak,  (jt  fell  upon  them  as 
unexpectedly  as  falls  a  thunderbolt  from  a  cloudless  sky.  ■ 

It  occurred  in  this  manner:  When  Hyrum  Smith  and  Wil- 
liam Law  started  on  the  mission  to  the  Eastern  States,  to  which 
they  were  appointed  by  the  revelation  of  January  19,  1841, 
Joseph  accompanied  them  as  far  as  Quincy;  and  when  returning 
to  Nauvoo  he  stopped  at  Heberlin's  hotel,  on  Bear  Creek,  some 
twenty-eight  miles  south  of  that  city.  While  here  a  sheriif's 
posse  under  the  direction  of  Thomas  King,  sheriff  of  Adams 
County,  accompanied  by  an  officer  from  Missouri,  arrested  him 
on  a  requisition  from  the  governor  of  the  State  of  Missouri.  The 
warrant  upon  which  the  arrest  was  made  was  the  one  issued  by 
the  authorities  of  Missouri  early  in  September,  1840;  an  effort 
to  serve  which  was  made  on  the  fifteenth  of  that  month,  but  the 
officers  failed  in  their  errand,  as  the  brethren  wanted,  viz:  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Lyman  Wight,  P.  P.  Pratt,  Caleb 


98  RISE   AND   FALL  OF   NAUVOO. 

Baldwin  and  A.  Brown  were  not  in  Nauvoo,  that  is,  they  evaded 
arrest,  as  already  related  in  a  former  chapter. 

The  complaint  on  which  the  requisition  of  the  governor  of 
Illinois  was  based  charged  that  these  men  were  fugitives  from 
justice;  and  they  were  wanted  in  Missouri  to  answer  to  the  old 
charges  of  ''theft,  arson  and  murder,"  supposed  to  have  been 
committed  in  Caldwell  and  Daviess  counties  in  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1838. 

What  made  Joseph's  arrest  more  a  matter  of  surprise  to 
him  was,  that  only  a  few  hours  previous  to  its  being  made,  he 
had  been  in  company  with  Governor  Carlin  at  the  latter's  resi- 
dence, and  was  treated  with  the  greatest  respect  and  kindness; 
yet  not  one  word  was  said  by  the  governor  about  the  requisition 
made  by  Missouri  for  his  arrest. 

Joseph  returned  to  Quincy  in  company  with  the  sheriffs 
posse  and  secured  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  from  Charles  A.  War- 
ren, master  in  chancery.  The  same  evening,  Saturday,  June  5th, 
Judge  Stephen  A.  Douglass  arrived  in  Quincy,  and  appointed  the 
hearing  on  the  writ  to  take  place  the  following  Tuesday,  at 
Monmouth,  Warren  County. 

In  the  meantime  the  news  of  Joseph's  arrest  reached  Nauvoo 
and  created  no  little  excitement.  A  party  af  seven  men,  under 
the  leadership  of  Hosea  Stout,  left  Nauvoo  for  Quincy,  Sunday 
morning,  in  a  skiff,  to  render  the  Prophet  any  assistance  in  their 
power,  and  prevent  if  possible  his  enemies  taking  him  to  Mis- 
souri. They  struggled  against  a  head- wind  all  day,  but  reached 
Quincy  at  dusk,  only  to  learn  that  Joseph  had  gone  to  Nauvoo 
in  charge  of  Sheriff  King  and  another  officer;  there  was  nothing 
for  them  to  do  but  to  return. 

Sheriff  King  was  taken  sick  at  Nauvoo,  but  Joseph  nursed 
him  with  all  the  tenderness  of  a  brother,  and  the  day  following 
Monday,  started  for  Monmouth,  accompanied  by  a  large  number 
of  the  leading  men  of  Nauvoo,  and  the  sheriff,  whom  Joseph  cared 
for  personally  during  the  journey  of  seventy-five  miles.     The 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  99 

party  arrived  at  Monmouth  on  Tuesday,  but  at  the  request  of 
the  State  attorney,  who  claimed  he  was  not  prepared  on  the 
case,  the  hearing  was  postponed  until  the  next  day. 

The  appearance  of  Joseph  in  Monmouth  caused  considerable 
excitement.  He  was  invited  to  preach,  but  thought  it  best,  as 
he  was  a  prisoner,  not  to  do  so;  but  he  appointed  Amasa  Lyman 
to  preach  in  the  court  room  on  Wednesday  evening. 

The  prejudice  of  the  people  of  Monmouth  was  as  excessive 
as  it  was  blind.  They  employed  at  their  own  expense  several  at- 
torneys to  assist  the  prosecution,  and  declared  that  if  there 
were  any  lawyers  in  the  district  who  would  even  undertake  the 
defense  of  the  Prophet,  they  never  need  look  to  the  people  of 
that  county  again  for  political  favors.  But  there  were  strong 
men  in  attendance  at  the  court,  men  not  to  be  frightened  by 
such  threats,  and  whose  souls  despised  the  petty  minds  that  could 
frame  them;  Joseph,  therefore,  was  ably  defended  by  Messrs. 
Charles  A.  Warren,  Sidney  H.  Little,  0.  H.  Browning,  James  H. 
Ralston,  Cyrus  W^alker,  and  Archibald  Williams. 

The  pleadings  of  the  lawyers  for  the  defense  were  pecu- 
liarly affecting,  since  all  of  them  were  more  or  less  acquainted 
with  the  condition  of  the  Saints  when  they  fled  from  the  violence 
of  Missourians  to  Illinois.  0.  H.  Browning  had  seen  several  of 
these  companies  of  Saints  in  their  flight  and  could  trace  them 
by  the  blood  left  in  their  footprints  on  the  snow;  his  recital  of 
their  suflferings  moved  Judge  Douglass,  most  of  the  officers  of 
the  court  and  the  spectators  to  tears.  One  of  the  brethren  pres- 
ent who  wrote  an  account  of  the  trial  for  the  Nau^^oo  propers 
says:  ■'     ■ 

He  [Mr.  Browning]  concluded  his  remai'ki  by  SEtyir.g-,  "^o  te4  Ihe 
prisoner  to  go  to  Missouri  for  a  trial  was  adaiag  if  salt  to  injury,  and 
then  said:  "Great  God!  Have  I  not  seen  it?  Yes,"  n'y  oyes  hr.vp  be- 
held the  blood-stained  traces  of  innocent  women  and  chilar'in,  ia  the 
dreary  winter,  who  had  traveled  hundreds  of  miles  barefoot,  through 
frost  and  snow,  to  seek  a  refuge  from  their  savage  pursuers.    'Twas 


100  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

a  scene  of  horror,  sufficient  to  have  enlisted  the  sympathy  of  an  ada- 
mantine heart.  And  shall  this  unfortunate  man,  whom  their  fury  has 
seen  proper  to  select  for  sacrifice,  be  driven  into  such  a  savage  land, 
where  none  dare  to  enlist  in  the  cause  of  justice?  If  there  was  no  other 
voice  under  heaven  ever  to  be  heard  in  this  cause,  gladly  would  1  stand 
alone,  and  proudly  spend  my  latest  breath  in  defense  of  an  American 
citizen." 

The  lav^ers  for  the  prosecution,  according  to  Joseph's  own 
account,  acted  honorably  and  confined  themselves  to  the  merits 
of  the  case,  excepting  two — Messrs.  Knowlton  and  Jennings. 
They  made  an  appeal  both  to  the  passions  and  prejudices  of  the 
people,  and  sought  to  create  an  excitement  over  the  matter. 
Judge  Douglass,  however,  was  impartial  in  his  rulings,  and  doubt- 
less one  officer  of  the  court  -the  sheriff  of  Warren  County — 
thought  him  severe  in  his  efforts  to  protect  the  prisoner.  The 
court  room  was  densely  packed  and  the  judge  ordered  the  sheriff 
to  keep  the  spectators  back;  but  this  he  neglected  and  the  judge 
fined  him  ten  dollars.  In  a  few  minutes  the  order  to  keep  the 
spectators  from  crowding  the  prisoner  and  witnesses  was  re- 
peated, and  the  sheriff  told  the  court  that  he  had  ordered  a  con- 
stable to  do  it.  ''Clerk,"  said  Judge  Douglass,  'add  ten  dollars 
more  to  that  fine."  This  was  effectual,  the  ,  sheriff  after  that 
did  his  duty.     "~ ;; 

Joseph  claimed  in  this  case  that  he  was  unlawfully  held  a  pris- 
oner, and  he  could  prove  that  the  indictment  upon  which  he  was 
arrested  had  been  obtained  by  fraud,  bribery  and  duress.  This  line 
of  defense.,. ijowever,  raised  the  question  as  to  whether  the  court 
had  th^  right  to  ii^quire  into  the  merits  of  the  case.  A  long 
debate  b.el:V'een, opposing  counsel  followed.  But  it  will  be  re- 
membereil  that  an.attemi^t  to  arrest  Joseph  on  the  requisition 
from  the  goverucr  \)f  Missouri  had  been  made  in  September  pre- 
vious; and  j[.t  appears  that  after  the  fruitless  effort  to  make  the 
^n:est,  the  sheriff  of  Hancock  County  returned  the  writ;  and  the 
defense  claimed  that  after  the  return  of  the  writ  to  the  execu- 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  101 

tive,  the  defendant  could  not  be  again  legally  arrested  upon  it.  It 
v/as  upon  this  point  that  the  court  set  Joseph  at  liberty.  Fol- 
lowing is  Judge  Douglass'  decision  on  this  point: 

The  writ  being  once  returned  to  the  executive  by  the  sheriff  of 
Hancock  County  was  dead,  and  stood  in  the  same  relationship  as  any 
other  writ  which  might  issue  from  the  Circuit  court,  and  consequently 
the  defendant  cannot  be  held  in  custody  on  that  writ. 

On  the  other  point  in  the  case — as  to  whether  evidence  in 
the  case  was  admissible  — the  judge  withheld  his  opinion  for 
further  consideration,  as  the  question  was  a  grave  one,  involving 
the  future  conduct  of  the  States  in  their  relationship  with  each 
other;  but  on  the  ground  that  the  wTit  was  void,  dead  by  reason 
of  a  former  return  being  made  on  it  by  the  sheriff  of  Han- 
cock County,  he  ordered  the  discharge  of  the  prisoner.  And 
Missouri  was  again  foiled  in  her  designs  upon  the  life  of  the 
Prophet. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  trial  Joseph  ordered  dinner  for  his 
company,  which  numbered  by  that  time  some  sixty  men.  **And 
when  I  called  for  the  tavern  bill,"  says  Joseph,  "the  unconscien- 
tious fellow  replied,  'only  one  hundred  and  sixty  dollars.' "  Some 
time  after  this,  in  September  following,  Joseph  sent  the  costs 
of  this  trial  to  the  sheriff  of  Adams  County,  of  which  the  follow- 
ing is  a  copy : 

Nauvoo,  September  30,  1841. 
To  the  Deputy  Sheriff  of  Adams  County: 

The  following  is  a  statement  of  my  expenses,  costs  and  liabilities, 
consequent  upon  my  arrest  and  trial  while  in  your  custody,  to-wit: 

To  amount  of  fees  to  Esquires  Ralston,  Warren 

&  Co $250  00 

To  Esquires  Little,  Williams,  Walker  and  Brown- 
ing      100  00 

To  seven  days  for  self,  horse  and  carriage,  (3  $5.00 

per  day 35  00 


102  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

To  money  spent  during  that  time  consequent  upon 

arrest 60  00 

To  twelve  witnesses 240  00 


$685  00 
To  which  was  added  this  note: 

Dear  Sir  — You  will  please  take  such  measures  as  to  put  me  in 

possession  of  the  above  amount,  which  is  justly  due  me  as  above 

stated;  to  say  nothing  of  false  imprisonment  and  other  expenses. 
Hi        *        * 

Receive  my  respects,  etc. 

Joseph  Smith. 

With  the  exception  of  the  difficulty  just  considered,  the 
summer  of  1841  glided  pleasantly  by,  bringing  to  the  busy  in- 
habitants of  Nauvco  many  occasions  of  social  and  spiritual  en- 
joyment. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  103 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

EVENTS  OF  THE  SUMMER  OF  1841. 

NAUVOO  was  the  most  promising  and  thrifty  city  in  Illi- 
nois, and  the  fame  thereof  extended  throughout  the 
nation,  due,  in  part,  of  course,  to  the  peculiar  religion  of  its  in- 
habitants. Strangers  from  far  and  near  made  it  a  point  to  visit 
Nauvoo,  and  the  peace,  sobriety,  industry  and  public  spirit  of 
the  citizens  challenged  their  admiration,  whatever  views  they 
might  entertain  respecting  their  religion.  A  large  bowery  was 
constructed  just  west  of  the  temple  site  where  the  people  as- 
sembled for  worship.  Here  the  Prophet  Joseph  preached  some 
of  his  most  powerful  discourses,  and  taught  his  people  in  the 
doctrine  of  the  heavenly  kingdom;  and  not  unfrequently  it  hap- 
pened that 

Fools  who  came  to  mock,  remained  to  pray. 

The  Saints  never  intended  to  make  either  their  city  or  the 
Nauvoo  Legion  exclusively  Mormon.*    On  the  contrary,  the  peo- 


*The  Legion  is  not,  as  has  been  falsely  represented  by  its  ene- 
mies, exclusively  a  Mormon  military  association,  but  a  body  of  citizen 
soldiers  organized  (without  regard  to  political  preferences  or  religious 
sentiments)  for  ihe  public  defense,  the  general  good,  and  the  preser- 
vation of  law  and  order — to  save  ^.he  innocent,  unofifending  citizens 
from  the  iron  grasp  of  the  oppressor,  and  perpetuate  and  sustain  our 
free  institutions  against  misrule,  anarchy  and  mob  violence;  no  other 
views  are  entertained  or  tolerated.— Joseph  Stnith.  From  an  official  let- 
ter published  May  4,  1841. 


104  RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

pie  at  Nauvoo  expressed  a  willingness  to  unite  with  their  fellow- 
citizens  in  every  good  work  and  enterprise,  and  tolerate  reli- 
gious differences.  Indeed,  repeated  invitations  were  sent  out 
to  the  honorable  men,  not  only  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  but  of 
the  United  States,  to  men  of  capital  and  of  influence  and  of  in- 
tegrity, asking  them  to  come  to  Nauvoo,  and  assist  in  building 
up  a  glorious  city. 

In  July,  Sidney  H.  Little,  of  the  State  senate,  was  killed 
by  leaping  from  his  carriage,  while  his  horse  was  unmanageable; 
and  that  the  ''Saints  might  mourn  with  those  who  are  called  to 
mourn,"  the  eighteenth  day  of  July  was  set  apart  as  a  day  of 
fasting  among  the  people  of  Nauvoo.  By  thus  manifesting  a 
feeling  of  sympathy  and  interest,  they  sought  to  cultivate  peace 
and  good- will  among  their  fellow-citizens,  and  a  number  of  hon- 
orable, and  some  of  them  influential  men,  while  not  accepting 
the  faith  of  the  Siints,  became  friendly  disposed  towards  them, 
and  associated  with  them  in  various  business  transactions. 

f  But  the  good-will  of  the  Saints  was  not  very  generally  recip- 
rocated by  the  people  of  Illinois;  and  there  were,  even  at  that 
early  date,  envyings  and  bitterness  manifested  by  those  who 
were  jealous  of  the  prosperity  and  increasing  power  of  the 
Mormons  in  Nauvoo  and  vicinity.  The  same  spirit  existed  to  some 
extent  in  Iowa  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  occurrence: 
General  Swazey,  in  command  of  the  militia  of  Iowa,  Territory, 
invited  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  and  General  Bennett  to  at- 
tend the  parade  of  the  militia  of  that  Territory  at  Montrose. 
The  invitation  was  accepted,  and  General  Swazey  received  his 
visitors  courteously,  and  so  did  the  militia.  But  during  a  re- 
cess in  the  exercises  taken  at  noon,  a  Mr.  D.  W.  Kilburn  tried 
to  create  a  disturbance  by  circulating  the  following  note  among 
the  troops: 

Citizens  of  Iowa — The  laws  of  Iowa  do  not  require  you  to  mus- 
ter or  be  reviewed  by  Joe  Smith  or  General  Bennett;  and  should  they 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  105 

have  the  impudence  to  attempt  it,  it  is  hoped  that  every  person  hav- 
ing a  proper  respect  for  himself,  will  at  once  leave  the  ranks. 

The  facts  are  that  these  militia  companies  were  not  mus- 
tered by  Joseph's  order,  nor  did  he  expect  to  review  them.  He 
had  simply  accepted  General  Swazey's  invitation  to  witness  the 
movements  of  the  troops  as  other  spectators  were  doing,  and 
neither  Joseph  nor  Hyrum  was  in  uniform.  General  Swazey 
had  been  several  times  invited  to  attend  the  drills  and  reviews 
of  the  Legion  at  Nauvoo,  and  he  had  simply  returned  the  cour- 
tesy to  the  officers  of  the  Legion.  Kilburn's  effort,  however, 
to  create  a  disturbance  was  not  successful,  though  the  papers 
of  the  State  commented  upon  it,  and  some  of  them  began  to 
whisper  that  it  was  Joseph's  ambition  to  build  up  a  military 
church  and  extend  his  faith,  "Mohammed-like,"  by  the  sword. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1841,  in  fact  in  the  month  of  May, 
Joseph  called  upon  the  Saints  everywhere  to  come  into  Han- 
oock  County,  that  there  might  be  a  concentration  of  effort  to 
build  up  Nauvoo.     The  proclamation  closed  with  these  words: 

Let  it  therefore  be  understood  that  all  the  stakes  excepting 
those  in  this  county  (Hancock)  and  in  Lee  County,  Iowa,  are  dis- 
continued; and  the  Saints  instructed  to  settle  in  this  county  as  soon 
as  circumstances  will  permit. 

The  Twelve  Apostles,  whose  departure  from  Nauvoo  on 
their  missions  to  England  under  very  tryingcir  cumstances,  was 
related  in  a  former  chapter,  returned  during  the  summer,  after 
accomplishing  one  of  the  most  successful  and  remarkable  mis- 
sions in  modern  times.  They  were  a  tower  of  strength  to 
Joseph,  and  he  was  not  long  in  availing  himself  of  their  valu- 
able support.  At  a  special  conference  convened  in  Nauvoo  on 
the  sixteenth  of  August,  1841,  Joseph  said: 

The  time  had  come  when  the   Twelve  should  be  called  upon  to 

7 


106  RISE  AND   FALL'  OF  NAUVOO. 

stand  in  their  place  next  to  the  First  Presidency;  and  attend  to  the 
settling  of  emigrants  and  the  business  of  The  Church  at  the  stakes, 
and  assist  to  bear  off  the  kingdom  victoriously  to  the  nations.* 

And  he  at  once  turned  over  to  their  management  many  of 
the  temporal  affairs,  with  which  he  had  been  perplexed,  and  de- 
voted himself  more  exclusively  to  spiritual  labors. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  events  that  happened,  during  the 
summer  of  which  I  write,  was  the  visit  of  the  Indian  chief  Keo- 
kuk to  Nauvoo.  He  was  accompanied  by  Kiskukosh,  Appenoose 
and  about  one  hundred  chiefs  and  braves  of  the  Sac  and  Fox 
tribes,  together  with  their  families.  They  were  brought  over  from 
the  Iowa  side  on  the  ferry  and  two  large  flat  boats.  The  band  and 
a  detachment  of  the  Legion  met  them  at  the  landing,  but  as 
soon  as  Keokuk  failed  to  recognize  Joseph  among  those  who  had 
come  to  bid  him  welcome,  he  refused  to  land  or  allow  any  of 
his  party  to  go  ashore  until  Joseph  made  his  appearance.  The 
arrangement  had  been  made  for  the  band  and  the  detachment 
of  the  Legion  to  lead  the  dusky  visitors  to  the  grove  where  the 
Saints  held  their  meetings;  and  there  Joseph  would  have  joined 
them.  But  Keokuk  seemed  to  have  his  own  ideas  in  relation  to 
the  etiquette  to  be  observed  at  his  reception,  and  waited  until 
the  Prophet  met  him  at  the  landing  and  bade  him  welcome  to 
Nauvoo. 

At  the  grove  Joseph  addressed  the  Indians  at  some  length, 
upon  what  the  Lord  had  revealed  to  him  concerning  their  fore- 
fathers, and  recited  to  them  the  glorious  promises  contained  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon  respecting  themselves,  the  despised  rem- 
nants of  a  once  splendid  race.  How  their  hearts  must  have 
glowed  and  their  eyes  brightened  as  they  listened  to  the  young 
Prophet  relate  the  story  of  their  forefathers'  rise  and  fall,  and 
the  bright  promises  held  out  to  them  of  redemption  from  their 


^Minutes  ot  special  conference,  Aug.  i6,  1841.     Millennial  Star, 
Vol.  xviii,  page  630. 


RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  107 

fallen  state!  In  conclusion  Joseph  counseled  them  to  cease  kill- 
ing each  other,  and  warring  with  other  tribes  or  with  the  whites. 
To  Joseph's  speech  Keokuk  replied: 

I  have  a  Book  of  Mormon  at  my  wigwam  that  you  gave  me  a 
number  of  moons  ago.  I  believe  you  are  a  great  and  good  man. 
Keokuk  looks  rough,  but  I  am  a  son  of  the  Great  Spirit,  I  have 
heard  your  advice.  We  intend  to  quit  fighting,  and  follow  the  good 
talk  you  have  given  us. 

After  the  "talk,"  they  were  feasted  by  the  Saints  with 
good  food  and  dainties  and  melons.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
feast,  they  gave  a  specimen  of  their  war  dance  to  entertain  the 
spectators,  and  then  returned  to  the  Iowa  side  of  the  river  to 
their  encampment. 

Thus  passed  away  the  summer  of  1841 ;  and  by  the  first  of 
October — the  date  fixed  for  the  semi-annual  conference — the 
early  autumn  frosts  had  tinged  the  forest  leaves  with  purple 
and  gold,  giving  to  the  splendid  scenery  about  Nauvoo  an  addi- 
tional charm.  President  Joseph  Smith  was  not  present  at  the 
opening  of  the  conference.  He  had  that  morning  gone  to  assist 
in  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  Nauvoo  House  which  the  Saints 
by  revelation  had  been  commanded  to  build;*  and  the  confer- 
ence was  opened  by  President  Brigham  Young. 

The  principal  subject  brought  before  the  people  at  this 
conference  was  the  redemption  of  the  dead,  and  building  the 
temple.  This  matter  appeared  to  impress  itself  upon  the  mind 
of  Joseph  with  great  force,  and  nothing,  apparently,  gave  him 
more  delight  than  to  explain  its  importance  to  his  people.  Up 
to  this  time  many  baptisms  for  the  dead  had  been  performed  in 
the  river,  but  it  was  now  announced  that  no  more  baptisms 
for  the  dead  should  be  attended  to,  until  it  could  be  done  in  the 


*  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  Section  124. 


108  RISE  AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

font  of  the  Lord's  house,  for  thus  had  the  Lord  commanded. 
The  Saints,  however,  were  not  long  denied  the  privilege  of  per- 
forming this  work  of  baptism  for  their  dead,  as  on  the  eighth  of 
November,  following  the  conference,  a  temporary  baptismal 
font  had  been  completed  and  dedicated  in  the  basement  of  the 
temple.* 

On  the  occasion  of  the  angel  Moroni's  first  appearance  to 
Joseph  Smith,  in  1823,  he  repeated  to  the  young  Prophet  the 
words  of  Malachi,  recorded  in  the  fourth  chapter  of  the  Book  of 
Malachi,  the  fifth  and  sixth  verses,  though  quoting  somewhat 
differently  from  the  language  of  King  James'  translation,  as 
follows: 

Behold,  I  will  reveal  unto  you  the  Priesthood,  by  the  hand  of  Eli- 
jah the  prophet,  before  the  coming  of  the  great  and   dreadful  day  of 


*  The  font  was  constructed  of  pine  timber,  an.l  put  together  of 
staves tongued  and  grooved,  oval  shaped,  sixteen  feet  long  east  and 
west,  and  twelve  feet  wide,  seven  feet  high  from  the  foundation,  the 
basin  fotrr  feet  deep;  the  moulding  of  the  cap  or  base  was  formed  of 
beautiful  carved  wood  in  antique  style,  and  the  sides  were  finished 
with  panel  work.  There  were  steps  leading  up  and  down  into  the 
basin  in  the  north  and  south  sides,  guarded  by  side  railings.  The 
font  stood  upon  twelve  oxen,  four  on  each  side  and  two  at  each  end, 
their  heads,  shoulders  and  forelegs  projecting  out  from  under  the 
font.  They  were  carved  out  of  pine  plank,  glued  together,  and  copied 
mfter  the  most  beautiful  five-year-old  steer  that  could  be  found  in  the 
country.  *  *  *  -pj^g  oxen  and  ornamental  mouldings  of 
the  font  were   carved   by  Elder   Elijah    Fordham,    from  New   York. 

*  *  *  The  font  was  inclosed  by  a  temporary  frame 
building  sided  up  with  split  oak  clap-boards,  with  a  roof  of  the  same 
material,  but  was  so  low  that  the  timbers  of  the  first  story  o'  the  tem- 
ple were  laid  above  it.  The  water  was  supplied  from  a  well  thirty 
feet  deep  in  the  east  end  of  the  basement.  This  font  was  built  for  the 
baptism  for  the  dead  until  the  temple  could  be  completed,  when  a 
more  durable  one  was  to  take  its  place. — Millennial  Star,  Volume 
xviii,  744. 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  109 

the  Lord;  and  he  will  plant  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  the  prom- 
ises made  to  the  fathers,  and  the  hearts  of  the  children  shall  turn  to 
their  fathers;  if  it  were  not  so,  the  whole  earth  would  be  utterly 
wasted  at  his  coming. 

In  fulfillment  of  this  promised  visitation,  in  April,  1836, 
Elijah  the  prophet  appeared  to  Joseph  Smith  and  Oliver  Cow- 
dery  and  said: 

Behold,  the  time  has  fully  come,  which  was  spoken  by  the  mouth 
of  Malachi,  testifying  that  he  (Elijah)  should  be  sent  before  the  great 
and  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord  come,  to  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers 
to  the  children,  and  the  children  to  the  fathers,  lest  the  whole  earth 
be  smitten  with  a  curse.  Therefore  the  keys  of  this  dispensation 
are  qpmmitted  into  your  hands,  and  by  this  ye  may  know  that  the 
great  and  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord  is  near,  even  at  the  doors. 

And  now  when  something  like  peace  had  come  to  The 
Church,  and  settled  conditions  obtained,  the  Prophet  of  -God  be- 
gan to  unfold  the  doctrine  of  salvation  for  the  dead — the  ap- 
plication of  those  principles  of  salvation  to  past  generations 
who  had  lived  upon  the  earth  when  neither  the  Gospel  nor  di- 
vine authority  to  administer  its  ordinances  were  among 
men. 

In  addition  to  the  main  idea  of  this  doctrine  which  he  taught 
with  such  great  power,  the  following  gems  are  gathered  from  his 
teachings  at  this  conference,  chiefly  relating  to  the  same  sub- 
ject: 

The  proclamation  of  the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel,  was  a 
means  of  salvation  to  men  individually,  and  it  was  the  truth  and  not 
men  that  saved  them;  but  men  by  actively  engaging  in  rites  of  sal- 
vation substantially  became  instruments  in  bringing  multitudes  of  > 
their  kindred  into  the  Kingdom  of  God.  [And  hence]  he  presented 
baptism  for  the  dead  as  the  only  way  by  which  men  can  appear  as 

saviors  on  Mount  Zion. 

■^  *  * 

The  difference  between  an  angel  and  a  ministering"spirit:theone 


110  RISE  AND  FALL   OP  NAUVOO. 

[the  first]  is  a  resurrected  or  translated  body  with  its  spirit  ministering 
to  embodied  spirits;  the  other  a  disembodied  spirit  visiting  and  minis- 
tering to  disembodied  spirits. 

*  *  * 

Jesus  Christ  became  a  ministering  spirit  (while  his  body  was 
laying  in  the  sepulchre)  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  to  fulfill  an  important 
part  of  his  mission,  without  which  he  could  not  have  perfected  his 
work  or  entered  into  his  rest.  After  his  resurrection  he  appeared  as 
an  angel  to  his  disciples. 

*  *  * 

Translated  bodies  cannot  enter  into  rest  until  they  have  under- 
gone a  change  equivalent  to  death.  • 

*  *  * 

Translated  bodies  are  designed  for  future  missions.  ' 

*  -x-  * 

The  angel  which  appeared  to  John  on  the  Isle  of  Patmos  was  a 
translated  or  resurrected  body. 

*  4:  « 

Jesus  Christ  went  in  body  after  his  resurrection  to  minister  to 

translated  and  resurrected  bodies. 

*  *  * 

It  is  no  more  incredible  that  God  should  save  the  dead   than  that 

he  should  raise  the  dead. 

^  ^  ^ 

There  is  never  a  time  when  the  spirit  is  too  old  to  approach 
God. 

*  *  * 

All  are  within  the  reach  of  pardoning  mercy,  who  have  not  com- 
mitted the  unpardonable  sin,  which  hath  no  forgiveness,  neither  in 
this  world,  nor  in  the  world  to  come.  There  is  a  way  to  release  the  spirit 
of  the  dead;  that  is  by  the  power  and  authority  of  the  Priesthood — by 
binding  and  loosing  on  earth.  This  doctrine  appears  glorious,  inasmuch 
as  it  exhibits  the  greatness  of  divine  compassion  and  benevolence  in 
the  extent  of  the  plan  of  human  salvation. 

This  glorious  truth  is  well  calculated  to  enlarge  the  understand- 
ing, and  to  sustain  the  soul  under  troubles,  difficulties,  and  distresses. 


RISE   AND  FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  Ill 

For  illustration,  suppose  the  case  of  two  men,  brothers,  equally  intel- 
ligent, learned,  virtuous  and  lovely,  walking  in  uprightness  and  in  all 
good  conscience,  so  far  as  they  had  been  able  to  discern  duty  from 
the  muddy  stream  of  tradition,  or  from  the  blotted  page  of  the  book  of 
nature.  One  dies  and  is  buried,  having  never  heard  the  Gospel  of  recon- 
ciliation; to  the  other  the  message  of  salvation  is  sent,  he  hears  and 
embraces  it,  and  is  made  the  heir  of  eternal  life.  Shall  the  one  be- 
come a  partaker  of  glory,  and  the  other  consigned  to  hopeless  perdi- 
tion? Is  there  no  chance  for  his  escape?  Sectarianism  answers, 
none!  none!  !  none! !  !  Such  an  idea  is  worse  than  atheism.  The 
truth  shall  brtak  down  and  dash  in  pieces  all  such  bigoted  Pharisaism; 
the  sects  shall  be  sifted,  the  honest  in  heart  brought  out,  and  their 

priests  left  in  the  midst  of  their  corruption. 

*  *  * 

This  doctrine  presents  in  a  clear  light  the  wisdom  and  mercy  of 
God  in  preparing  an  ordinance  for  the  salvation  of  the  dead,  being 
"baptized  by  proxy,  their  names  recorded  in  heaven,  and  they  judged 
according  to  the  deeds  done  in  the  body.  This  doctrine  was  the  bur- 
den of  the  Scriptures.  Those  Saints  who  neglect  it,  in  behalf  of  their 
deceased  relatives,  do  it  at  the  peril  of  their  own  salvation.  The 
dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times  will  bring  to  light  the  things 
that  have  been  revealed  in  all  former  dispensations;  also  other  things 
that  have  not  been  before  revealed. 

Another  interesting  feature  of  the  conference  was  the  re- 
port made  by  the  Prophet  of  The  Church  property  in  his  charge 
as  trustee-in-trust  for  The  Church.  He  also  took  occasion  to 
report  the  amount  of  his  own  earthly  possessions,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  copy: 

Old  Charley,  a  horse  given  to  him  several  years  before  in  Kirtland; 
twopetdeers;twoold  turkeys  and  four  young  ones;  an  old  cow  given  to 
him  by  a  brother  in  Missouri;  old  Major,  a  dog;  his  wife,  children, 
and  a  little  household  furniture! 

Surely  his  earthly  possessions  did  not  far  exceed  those  of 
Him  who  had  not  where  to  lay  His  head! 


112  RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

INTRODUCTION   OF  THE   NEW  MARRIAGE  SYSTEM. 

ANOTHER  matter  of  very  great  importance,  and  one 
which  has  exercised  a  great  influence  upon  the  course  of 
events  in  the  history  of  The  Church — and  especially  upon  the 
events  of  this  Nauvoo  period — belongs  to  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer of  1841;  and  many  things  of  our  history  will  be  all  the 
plainer  if  the  matter  referred  to  be  considered  now.  I  refer 
to  the  introduction,  in  practice,  of  the  marriage  system  which 
afterwards  obtained  in  The  Church.  The  chief  and  greatest 
feature  of  this  marriage  system — celestial  marriage  it  is  called 
by  The  Church,  because  it  is  the  marriage  system  that  obtains 
in  celestial  worlds— is  the  eternity  of  the  marriage  covenant. 
"Until  death  us  do  part"  is  usually  the  mutual  covenant  of  man 
and  woman  in  the  orthodox  ''Christian"  marriage  ceremony.* 
That  is,  the  marriage  covenant  is  understood  among  "Chris- 
tians" generally  as  being  a  matter  that  pertains  to  time  only, 
the  contract  obligations  ending  with  death.  But  this  celestial 
marriage  system  of  The  Church  regards  the  incident  of  death 
not  at  all,  but  makes  the  covenant  of  marriage  for  time  and 
for  all  eternity;  a  covenant  which  is  sealed  and  ratified  by  that 
power  of  the  Priesthood  in  the  administrator  which  binds  on 
earth  and  it  is  bound  in  heaven.f     That  is,  the  covenant  of 


*  See  The  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  Church  of  England,  article, 
Soletnnization  of  Matrimony. 

t  Jesus  said  unto  Peter:  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  king- 
dom of  heaven:  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth  vShall  be 
bound  in  heaven:  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be 
loosed  in  heaven. — Matt,  xvi:  19. 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  113^ 

marriage  holds  good  through  time  and  will  be  in  effect  and. 
of  binding  force  in  and  after  the  resurrection.  In  other  words 
this  marriage  system  regards  man  as  enduring  eternally,  and 
formulates  his  marriage  covenants  in  harmony  with  that  view 
of  him.  Of  course  this  contemplates  the  continuation  of  the 
marriage  state  in  eternity.  Not  only  the  spiritual  and  intellec- 
tual companionship,  but  all  the  relations  of  the  wedded  state, 
with  the  joys  of  parentage — the  power  of  endless  lives  being 
among  the  means  of  man's  exaltation  and  glory.  That  this  is  a 
view  of  marriage  quite  distinct  from  the  usual  "Christian" 
view,  goes  without  saying.  It  throws  a  new  light  upon  man's 
future  existence.  It  destroys  the  vagueness  which  through 
nearly  all  ages  like  a  mystic  pall  has  hidden  the  glory  and 
exaltation  destined  for  man  in  the  future  eternities  of  God.  _Ut 
should  be  said,  in  this  connection,  that  the  revelations  of  God  tSL 
.Tnspph  Smith  f^yen  before  this  marriage  system  was  made 
known,  held  out  to  man  the  hope  of  a  tangible  future  exist- 
ence in  a  resurrected,  immortal  body  of  flesh  and  bones 
quickened  by  the  spirit,  and  clothed  with  the  glory  of  immor- 
tal  youth,  ^  The  future  life  was  to  be  a  reality,  not  a  land 
of  shadows;  his  heavenly  home  was  to  be  upon  the  earths- 
after  it  had  become  sanctified  and  made  a  celestial  sphere.  His 
relations  with  his  kindred  and  friends  were  to  be  of  a  nature  to 
satisfy  the  longings  of  the  human  heart  for  society,  for  fellow- 
ship; and  needed  only  the  revelation  of  this  marriage  system  to 
complete  the  circle  of  his  promised  future  felicity.  For  grant  to 
man  in  his  resurrected  state  a  real,  tangible  existence;  an  immor- 
tal youth  that  knows  no  pain  or  sickness  or  disease;  the  power  to 
"hive"  knowledge  and  wisdom  as  the  centuries,  the  millenniums 
and  eternities  roll  by;  grant  him  the  power  to  build  and  inhabit;: 
to  love  and  be  loved;  and  add  to  that  the  power  of  endless  lives — 
the  power  and  privilege  to  perpetuate  his  race  under  an  eter- 
nal marriage  covenant — grant  this,  and  the  future  happiness, 
exaltation  and  glory  of  man  stands  revealed  as  being  absolutely 


114  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

without  limitations,  and  far  greater  and  beyond  in  majesty  any- 
thing within  our  power  to  conceive  in  our  present  state  of 
semi-dullness. 

I  say  that  the  primary  principle  of  the  marriage  system  of 
The  Church  is  the  eternity  of  the  marriage  covenant;  but  ow- 
ing to  the  fact  that  the  system  also  includes  the  doctrine  of  a 
plurality  of  wives,  the  importance  and  grandeur  of  the  doctrine 
of  the  eternity  of  the  marriage  covenant  to  a  very  great  ex- 
tent has  been  lost  sight  of  in  the  discussion  of  and  the  popular 
clamor  concerning  the  plurality  feature  of  this  new  marriage 
system.  The  revelation  making  known  this  marriage  doctrine 
came  about  in  this  way :  First  it  should  be  stated — and  it  is 
evident  from  the  written  revelation  itself,  which  bears  the  date 
of  July  12th,  1843,* — that  the  doctrine  was  revealed  and  the 
practice  of  it  began  before  the  partialf  revelation  now  in  the 
Doctrine  and  Covenants  was  written.  As  early  as  1831  the  right- 
fulness of  a  plurality  of  wives  under  certain  conditions  was  made 
known  to  Joseph  Smith.  In  the  latter  part  of  that  year,  especially 
from  November  1831,  and  through  the  early  months  of  1832, 
the  Prophet  with  Sidney  Rigdon  as  his  assistant  was  earnestly 
engaged  at  Hiram,  a  village  in  Portage  County,  near  Kirtland, 
Ohio,  in  translating  the  Jewish  scripture.t  It  must  have  been 
while  engaged  in  that  work  that  the  evident  approval  of  God  to 
the  plural  marriage  system  of  the  ancient  patriarchs  attracted 
the  Prophet's  attention  and  led  him  to  make  those  inquiries  of 
the  Lord  to  which  the  opening  paragraphs  of  the  written  revela- 
tion refer,  viz: — 

Verily,  thus  saith  the  Lord  unto  you,  my  servant  Joseph,  that  in- 


*  See  Doc.  and  Cov.  Sec.  132:  52. 
t  Ibid^  verse  66. 

X  See  Millennial  Star,  Vol.  xiv.  (Supplement)  pp  80,83;  also   pp. 
114  and  116  same  volume.     Doc.  and  Cov.  Sec.  76:  11-16. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  115 

asmuch  as  you  have  inquired  of  my  hand,  to  know  and  understand 
wherein  I,  the  Lord,  justified  my  servants  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob; 
as  also  Moses,  David  and  Solomon,  my  servants,  as  touching  the 
principle  and  doctrine  of  their  having  many  wives  and  concubines: 
behold!  and  lo,  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  answer  thee  as 
touching  this  matter. 

The  doctrine  revealed  at  that  time  to  the  Prophet,  however, 
was  not  to  be  made  known  to  the  world;  but  Joseph  did  make 
known  what  had  been  revealed  to  him  to  a  few  trusted  friends, 
among  whom  were  Oliver  Cowdery  and  Lyman  E.  Johnson,  the 
latter  confiding  what  the  Prophet  had  taught  him  to  Orson 
Pratt,  his  missionary  companion.  With  these  and  a  few  other 
exceptions,  perhaps,  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  and  righteous- 
ness of  this  principle  of  the  future  marriage  system  of  The 
Church  was  locked  up  in  the  bosom  of  the  Prophet  of  God. 

*,' About  1840,  however,  the  Prophet  began  to  be  moved 
upon' to  make  known  the  doctrine  to  others.  He  taught  the 
principle  to  Joseph  Bates  Noble  for  one,  as  early  as  the  fall  of 
1840.  According  to  the  affidavit  of  Noble,  given  before  James 
Jack,  a  notary  public,  in  and  for  the  county  of  Salt  Lake,  Utah, 
in  June,  1869,  Joseph  Smith  declared  to  Noble  that  "he  had  re- 
ceived a  revelation  from  God  on  the  subject,  and  that  an  angel 
of  the  Lord  had  commanded  him  (Joseph  Smith)  to  move  for- 
ward in  the  said  order  of  marriage;  and  farther,  that  the  said 
Joseph  Smith  requested  him  (Joseph  B.  Noble)  to  step  forward 
and  assist  him  in  carrying  out  the  said  principle."  This  same 
man  Noble  gives  the  following  affidavit  with  reference  to  the 
introduction  of  the  practice  of  this  principle  by  Joseph  Smith, 
the  Prophet:  ) 

Territory  of  Utah,  ) 

County  of  Salt  Lake,        j 

Be  it  remembered  that  on  this  26th  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1869, 
personally  appeared  before  me,  James  Jack,  a  Notary  Public  in  and 
for  said  county,  Joseph  Bates  Noble,  who  was   by   me  sworn   in  due 


116  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

form  of  law,  and  upon  his  oath  saith,  that  on  the  fifth  day  of  April,. 
A.  D.,  1841,  at  the  City   of  Nauvoo,  County  of  Hancock,  State  of 
Illinois,  he  married  or  sealed  Louisa  Beaman,  to  Joseph  Smith,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  according  to- 
the  order  of  celestial  marriage  revealed  to  the  said  Joseph  Smith. 

(Signed)    Joseph  B.  Noble. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  the  said  Joseph  Bates  Noble  the 
day  and  year  first  above  written. 

James  Jack,  Notary  Public. 

The  introduction  of  the  practice  of  plural  marriage  by  the- 
Prophet  then  began  even  before  the  return  of  the  Twelve 
from  England.  On  their  return  Joseph  soon  began  to  teach  the 
principle  to  them,  and  urged  upon  them  the  importance  of 
putting  it  into  practice.  The  dread  with  which  the  doctrine 
was  regarded,  the  prejudices  against  it  in  the  hearts  of  those 
faithful  men  who  accepted  it  as  a  revelation  from  God  through; 
the  Prophet,  are  all  illustrated  in  the  reflections  and  testimony 
of  Elder  John  Taylor,  one  of  the  Twelve  at  that  time,  and  sub- 
sequently the  President  of  the  Church.  And  here  let  me  repeat- 
what  I  said  in  his  biography  some  years  ago:  iJ'The  world  never 
made  a  greater  mistake  than  when  it  supposed  that  plural 
marriage  was  hailed  with  delight  by  the  Elders  who  were  com- 
manded of  the  Lord  to  introduce  its  practice  in  this-  genera- 
tion. They  saw  clearly  that  it  would  bring  additional  reproach 
upon  them  from  the  world;  that  it  would  run  counter  to  the 
traditions  and  prejudices  of  society,  as,  indeed,  it  was  contrary 
to  their  own  traditions;  that  their  motives  would  be  misunder- 
stood or  misconstrued.  All  this  they  saw,  and  naturally  shrunk 
from  the  undertaking  required  of  them  by  the  revelation  of 
God." -^And  now  Elder  Taylor  :— 

Joseph  Smith  told  the  Twelve  that  if  this  law  was  not  practiced, 
if  they  would  not  enter  into  this  covenant,  then  the  Kingdom  of  God 
could  not  go  one  step  further.  Now,  we  did  not  feel  like  preventing 
the  Kingdom   of  God  from  going  forward.     We  professed   to  be  the 


ItlSE  AND  FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  117 

.Aposttes  of  tlie  Lord,  and  did  not  feel  like  putting  ourselves  in  a 
•'position  to  retard  the  progress  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  The  revela- 
tion says  that  "All  those  who  have  this  law  revealed  unto  them  must 
obey  the  same."  Now,  that  is  not  my  word.  I  did  not  make  it.  It 
was  the  Prophet  of  God  who  revealed  that  to  us  in  Xauvoo,  and  I 
bear  witness  of  this  solemn  fact  before  God,  that  he  did  reveal  this 
sacred  principle  to  me  and  others  of  the  Twelve,  and  in  this  revela- 
tion it  is  stated  that  it  is  the  will  and  law  of  God  that  "all  those  who 
have  this  law  revealed  unto  them  must  obey  the  same." 

I  had  always  entertained  strict  ideas  of  virtue,  and  I  felt  as  a 
married  man  that  this  was  to  me,  outside  of  this  principle,  an  appall- 
ing thing  to  do.  The  idea  of  going  and  asking  a  young  lady  to  be 
married  to  me  when  I  had  already  a  wife!  It  was  a  thing  calculated 
to  stir  up  feelings  from  the  innermost  depths  of  the  human  soul.  I 
had  always  entertained  the  strictest  regard  of  chastity.  I  had  never 
in  my  life  seen  the  time  when  I  have  known  of  a  man  deceiving  a 
woman — and  it  is  often  done  in  the  world,  where,  notwithstanding 
the  crime,  the  man  is  received  into  society  and  the  poor  woman  is 
looked  upon  as  a  pariah  and  an  outcast — I  have  always  looked  upon 
such  a  thing  as  infamous,  and  upon  such  a  man  as  a  villain.  *  *  ^ 
Hence,  with  the  feelings  I  had  entertained,  nothing  but  a  knowledge 
of  God,  and  the  revelations  of  God,  and  the  truth  of  them,  could  have 
induced  me  to  embrace  such  a  principle  as  this. 

\We  [the  Twelve]  seemed  to  put  off,  as  far  as  we  could,  what 
might  be  termed  the  evil  day.  ^^ 

Some  time  after  these  thijrgs  were  made  known  unto  us,  I  was 
riding  out  of  Nauvoo  on  horseback,  and  met  Joseph  Smith  coming  in, 
he,  too,  being  on  horseback.  *  *  *  j  bowed  to  Joseph,  and  hav- 
ing done  the  same  to  me,  he  said:  "Stop;"  and  he  looked  at  me  very 
intently.  "Look  here,"  said  he,  "those  things  that  have  been  spoken 
of  must  be  fulfilled,  and  if  they  are  not  entered  into  right  away  the 
keys  will  be  turned." 

Well,  what  did  I  do?  Did  I  feel  to  stand  in  the  way  of  this 
great,  eternal  principb,  and  treat  lightly  the  things  of  God?  No. 
I  replied:     "Brother  Joseph,  I  will  try  and  carry  these  things  out." 

So  indeed  he  did,  for    within   two  years,  in  Nauvoo,   he 


118  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

married  Elizabeth  Haigham,  Jane  Ballantyne  and  Mary  A.  Oak- 
ley. 

After  this  the  testimony  is  abundant  that  plural  marriage 
as  well  as  marriage  for  eternity  was  abundantly  practiced  in 
Nauvoo,*  though  the  revelation  which  made  its  rightfulness 
known  was  not  written  until  July  12th,  1843.    ,    ' 

I  have  remarked  in  the  opening  of  this  chapter  that  the 
consideration  of  this  subject  at  this  period  of  Nauvoo's  history 
would  aid  the  reader  to  understand  more  clearly  many  things 
in  the  subsequent  events  we  have  to  relate.,  It  is  to  be 
observed  first  of  all  that  this  principle  of  plural  marriage  had 
to  be  introduced  secretly;  first,  because  of  the  traditions  and 
prejudices  of  the  Saints  themselves;  and,  secondly,  because  of 
the  advantage  that  their  enemies  surrounding  them  would  have 
when  once  the  doctrine  was  publicly  proclaimed.  This  enforced 
secrecy,  then,  which  a  reasonable  prudence  demanded,  gave 
rise  to  apparent  contradictions  between  the  public  utterances 
of  leading  brethren  in  The  Church  and  their  practice.  Wicked 
men  took  advantage  of  the  situation  and  brought  sorrow  to 
the  hearts  of  the  innocent  and  reproach  upon  The  Church.  Some, 
possessed  of  a  zeal  without  wisdom,  knowing  of  this  doctrine, 
hastened  without  authority  to  make  public  proclamation  of  it 
and  had  to  be  silenced,  as,  for  instance,  a  number  of  Elders 
who  were  reproved  by  Hyrum  Smith  for  preaching  this  doctrine 
at  a  branch  of  The  Church  at  China  Creek,  near  Nauvoo  ;t  and 
later  one  Hiram  Brown  who  did  the  same  thing  in  Lapeer 
County,  Michigan;  for  which  he  was  disfellowshiped  from  The 
Church  and  notified  by  Joseph  and   Hyrum  to   attend  the  con- 


*  See  a  collection  of  affidavits  on  this  subject  in  the  Historical 
Record,  Andrew  Jenson,  compiler;  and  also  affidavits  in  Succession  in 
Presidency,  2nd  edition. 

t  See  Times  and  Seasons  for  March,  1844. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  119 

ference  in  April  of  that  year  to  give  a  further  account  of  his 
proceedings.* 

^  Then  again  there  were  others  who  falsely  taught  that  the 
Prophet  approved  of  promiscuous  intercourse  between  the  sexes, 
and  that  there  was  no  sin  in  such  relations  so  long  as  they 
were  kept  secret  and  brought  no  scandal  upon  th^  community. 
This  afforded  villains  their  opportunity,  and  such  men  as  John 
C.  Bennett:  the  LawSj^Wjlson^nd  William;  Dr.  Foster;  the  young 
Higbees,  Chancy  L.,  and  Francis  M. ;  and  others,  to  reap  their 
harvest  of  wickedness.  There  was  necessarily  enough  of  mys- 
tery in  the  movements  of  the  Prophet  and  his  faithful  brethren 
connected  with  the  matter  of  plural  marriage  to  give  something 
of  color  to  the  false  statements  of  these  wretches,  and  hence 
many  otherwise  good  people  were  deceived.  The  duty  of  the 
Prophet  and  his  associates,  however,  to  denounce  this  wicked- 
ness that  had  crept  into  The  Church  was  not  shirked  by  the 
leading  Elders  of  The  Church.  The  Prophet  was  bold  in  his  de- 
nunciation of  the  evil  and  snatched  the  masks  from  the  faces  of 
corrupt  men,  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  protect  the  innocent 
from  the  deceptions  of  the  vicious,  though  it  pluck  down  upon 
his  own  head  the  vengeful  wrath  of  the  ungodly.  With  this 
situation  in  mind  I  am  sure  the  reader  will  better  appreciate  the 
many  complications  which  follow. 

In  order  that  the  reader  who  is  a  stranger  to  Mormonism 
may  see  how  far  the  principle  of  the  eternity  of  the  marriage 
covenant  and  the  plural  marriage  system  of  The  Church  is  re- 
moved from  the  sensuality  that  is  often  attributed  to  it,  1  quote 
in  extenso,  in.  concluding  this  chapter,  the  revelation  which  justi- 
fies and  authorized  it: 

Verily,  thus  saith  the  Lord  unto  you,  my  vservant  Joseph,  that  in- 
asmuch as  you  have  inquired  of  my  hand,  to  know  and  understand 


See  Times  and  Seasons  for  February  ist,  1844. 


"J.20  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

wherein  I,  the  Lord,  justified  my  servants  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob; 
as  also  Moses,  David  and  Solomon,  my  servants,  as  touching  the  prin- 
ciple and  doctrine  of  their  having  many  wives  and  concubines: 

Behold !  and  lo,  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  answer  thee  as 
touching  this  matter: 

Therefore,  prepare  thy  heart  to  receive  and  obey  the  instructioife 
which  I  am  about  to  give  unto  you;  for  all  those  who  have  this  law 
revealed  unto  them  must  obey  the  same; 

For  behold!  I  reveal  unto  you  a  new  and  everlasting  covenant; 
and  if  ye  abide  not  that  covenant,  then  are  ye  damned;  for  no  one 
<5an  reject  this  covenant,  and  be  permitted  to  enter  into  my  glory; 

For  all  who  will  have  a  blessing  at  my  hands,  shall  abide  the  law 
which  was  appointed  for  that  blessing,  and  the  conditions  thereof,  as 
were  instituted  from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world; 

And  as  pertaining  to  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant,  it  was 
instituted  for  the  fullness  of  my  glory;  and  he  that  receiveth  a  full- 
ness thereof,  must  and  shall  abide  the  law,  or  he  shall  be  damned, 
Baith  the  Lord  God. 

And  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  the  conditions  of  this  law  are 
these: — All  covenants,  contracts,  bonds,  obligations,  oaths,  vows,  per- 
formances, connections,  associations,  or  expectations,  that  are  not 
made,  and  entered  into,  and  sealed,  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  of 
him  who  is  anointed,  both  as  well  for  time  and  for  all  eternity,  and 
that  too  most  holy,  by  revelation  and  commandment  through  the  me- 
dium of  mine  anointed,  whom  I  have  appointed  on  the  earth  to  hold 
this  power,  (and  I  have  appointed  unto  my  servant  Joseph  to  hold  this 
power  in  the  last  days,  and  there  is  never  but  one  on  the  earth  at  a 
time,  on  whom  this  power  and  the  keys  of  this  Priesthood  are  con- 
ferred,) are  of  no  efficacy,  virtue  or  force,  in  and  after  the  resurrec- 
tion from  the  dead;  for  all  contracts  that  are  not  made  unto  this  end, 
have  an  end  when  men  are  dead. 

Behold!  mine  house  is  a  house  of  order,  saith  the  Lord  God,  and 
not  a  house  of  confusion. 

Will  I  accept  of  an  offering,  saith  the  Lord,  that  is  not  made  in 
jmy  name! 

Or,  will  I  receive  at  your  hands  that  which  I  have  not  appointed! 

And  will  I  appoint  unto  you,  saith  the  Lord,  except  it  be  by  law, 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  121 

even  as  I  and  my  Father  ordained  unto  you,  before  the  world 
was! 

I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  I  give  unto  you  this  commandment, 
that  no  man  shall  come  unto  the  Father  but  by  me,  or  by  my  word, 
which  is  my  law,  saith  the  Lord; 

And  everything  that  is  in  the  world,  whether  it  be  ordained  of 
men,  by  thrones,  or  principalities,  or  powers,  or  things  of  name,  what- 
soever they  may  be,  that  are  not  by  me,  or  by  my  word,  saith  the 
Lord,  shall  be  thrown  down,  and  shall  not  remain  after  men  are  dead, 
neither  in  nor  after  the  resurrection,  saith  the  Lord  your  God; 

For  whatsoever  things  remain,  are  by  me;  and  whatsoever  things 
are  not  by  me,  shall  be  shaken  and  destroyed. 

Therefore,  if  a  man  marry  him  a  wife  in  the  world,  and  he  marry 
her  not  by  me,  nor  by  my  word;  and  he  covenant  with  her  so  long  as 
he  is  in  the  world,  and  she  with  him,  their  covenant  and  marriage  are 
not  of  force  when  they  are  dead,  and  when  they  are  out  of  the  world; 
therefore,  they  are  not  bound  by  any  law  when  they  are  out  of  the 
world; 

Therefore,  when  they  are  out  of  the  world,  they  neither  marry 
nor  are  given  in  marriage;  but  are  appointed  angels  in  heaven,  which 
angels  are  ministering  servants,  to  minister  for  those  who  are  worthy 
of  a  far  more,  and  an  exceeding,  and  an  eternal  weight  of  glory; 

For  these  angels  did  not  abide  my  law,  therefore  they  cannot  be 
enlarged,  but  remain  separately  and  singly,  without  exaltation,  in 
their  saved  condition,  to  all  eternity,  and  from  henceforth  are  not 
Gods,  but  are  angels  of  God,  for  ever  and  ever. 

And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  marry  a  wife,  and 
make  a  covenant  with  her  for  time  and  for  all  eternity,  if  that  cov- 
enant is  not  by  me,  or  by  my  word,  which  is  my  law,  and  is  not  sealed 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  through  him  whom  I  have  anointed 
and  appointed  unto  this  power — then  it  is  not  valid,  neither  of  force 
when  they  are  out  of  the  world,  l^ecause  they  are  not  joined  by  me, 
saith  the  Lord,  neither  by  my  word;  when  they  are  out  of  the  world,  it 
cannot  be  received  there,  because  the  angels  and  the  Gods  are  appointed 
there,  by  whom  they  cannot  pass;  they  cannot,  therefore,  inherit  my 
glory,  for  my  house  is  a  house  of  order,  saith  the  Lord  God. 

And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  marry  a  wife  by  my 


122  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

word,  which  is  my  law,  and  by  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant,  and 
it  is  sealed  unto  them  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  by  him  who  is 
anointed,  unto  whom  I  have  appointed  this  power,  and  the  keys  of 
this  Priesthood;  and  it  shall  be  said  unto  them,  ye  shall  come  forth 
in  the  first  resurrection;  and  if  it  be  after  the  first  resurrection,  in 
the  next  resurrection;  and  shall  inherit  thrones,  kingdoms,  principali- 
ties, and  powers,  dominions,  all  heights  and  depths — then  shall  it  be 
written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life,  that  he  shall  commit  no  murder 
whereby  to  shed  innocent  blood,  and  if  ye  abide  in  my  covenant,  and 
commit  no  murder  whereby  to  shed  innocent  blood,  it  shall  be  done 
unto  them  in  all  things  whatsoever  my  servant  hath  put  upon  them, 
in  time,  and  through  all  eternity,  and  shall  be  of  full  force  when  they 
are  out  of  the  world;  and  they  shall  pass  by  the  angels,  and  the  Gods, 
which  are  set  there,  to  their  exaltation  and  glory  in  all  things,  as 
hath  been  sealed  upon  their  heads,  which  glory  shall  be  a  fullness  and 
a  continuation  of  the  seeds  for  ever  and  ever. 

Then  shall  they  be  Gods,  because  they  have  no  end;  therefore 
shall  they  be  from  everlasting  to  everlasting,  because  they  continue; 
then  shall  they  be  above  all,  because  all  things  are  subject  unto  them. 
Then  shall  they  be  Gods,  because  they  have  all  power,  and  the  angels 
are  subject  unto  them. 

Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  abide  my  law,  ye  cannot 
attain  to  this  glory; 

For  straight  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  the  way  that  leadeth  unto 
the  exaltation  and  continuation  of  the  lives,  and  few  there  be  that 
find  it,  because  ye  receive  me  not  in  the  world,  neither  do  ye  know 
me. 

But  if  ye  receive  me  in  the  world,  then  shall  ye  know  me,  and 
shall  receive  your  exaltation,  that  where  I  am,  ye  shall  be  also. 

This  is  eternal  lives,  to  know  the  only  wise  and  true  God,  and 
Jesus  Christ,  whom  he  hath  sent.  I  am  he.  Receive  ye,  therefore, 
my  law. 

Broad  is  the  gate,  and  wide  the  way  that  leadeth  to  the  deaths, 
and  many  there  are  that  go  in  thereat;  because  they  receive  me  not, 
neither  do  they  abide  in  my  law. 

Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  marry  a  wife  according 
to  my  word,  and  they  are  sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  ac- 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  123 

cording  to  mine  appointment,  and  he  or  she  shall  commit  any  sin  or 
transgression  of  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant  whatever,  and  all 
manner  of  blasphemies,  and  if  they  commit  no  murder,  wherein  they 
shed  innocent  blood — yet  they  shall  come  forth  in  the  first  resurrec- 
tion, and  enter  into  their  exaltation;  but  they  shall  be  destroyed  in 
the  flesh,  and  shall  be  delivered  unto  the  buffetings  of  Satan  unto  the 
day  of  redemption,  saith  the  Lord  God. 

The  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  shall  not  be  for- 
given in  the  world,  nor  out  of  the  world,  is  in  that  ye  commit  murder, 
wherein  ye  shed  innocent  blood,  and  assent  unto  my  death,  after  ye 
have  received  my  new  and  everlasting  covenant,  saith  the  Lord  God; 
and  he  that  abideth  not  this  law,  can  in  no  wise  enter  into  my  glory, 
but  shall  be  damned,  saith  the  Lord. 

I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  give  unto  thee  the  law  of  my 
Holy  Priesthood,  as  was  ordained  by  me,  and  my  Father,  before  the 
world  was. 

Abraham  received  all  things,  whatsoever  he  received,  by  revela- 
tion and  commandment,  by  my  word,  saith  the  Lord,  and  hath  entered 
into  his  exaltation,  and  sitteth  upon  his  throne. 

Abraham  received  promises  concerning  his  seed,  and  of  the  fruit 
of  his  loins, — from  whose  loins  ye  are,  namely,  my  servant  Joseph, — 
which  were  to  continue  so  long  as  they  were  in  the  world;  and  as  touch- 
ing Abraham  and  his  seed,  out  of  the  world  they  should  continue;  both 
in  the  world  and  out  of  the  world  should  they  continue  as  innumer- 
able as  the  stars;  or,  if  ye  were  to  count  the  sand  upon  the  sea  shore, 
ye  could  not  number  them. 

This  promise  is  yours,  also,  because  ye  are  of  Abraham,  and  the 
promise  was  made  unto  xlbraham;  and  by  this  law  are  the  continua- 
tion of  the  works  of  my  Father,  wherein  he  glorifieth  himself. 

Go  ye,  therefore,  and  do  the  works  of  Abraham;  enter  ye  into  ray 
law,  and  ye  shall  be  saved. 

But  if  ye  enter  not  into  my  law  ye  cannot  receive  the  promise  of 
my  Father,  which  he  made  unto  Abraham. 

God  commanded  Abraham,  and  Sarah  gave  Hagar  to  Abraham  to 
wife.  And  why  did  she  do  it?  Because  this  was  the  law,  and  from 
Hagar  sprang  many  people.  This,  therefore,  was  fulfilling  among 
other  things,  the  promises. 


124  RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

Was  Abraham,  therefore,  under  condemnation?  Verily,  I  say 
unto  you.  Nay;  for  I,  the  Lord,  commanded  it. 

Abraham  was  commanded  to  offer  his  son  Isaac;  nevertheless,  it 
was  written,  thou  shalt  not  kill.  Abraham,  however,  did  not  refuse, 
and  it  was  accounted  unto  him  for  righteousness. 

Abraham  received  concubines,  and  they  bear  him  children,  and  it 
was  accounted  unto  him  for  righteousness,  because  they  were  given 
unto  him,  and  he  abode  in  my  law,  as  Isaac  also,  and  Jacob  did  none 
other  things  than  that  which  they  were  commanded;  and  because  they 
did  none  other  things  than  that  which  they  were  commanded,  they 
have  entered  into  their  exaltation,  according  to  the  promises,  and  sit 
upon  thrones,  and  are  not  angels,  but  are  Gods. 

David  also  received  many  wives  and  concubines,  as  also  Solomon 
and  Moses  my  servants;  as  also  many  others  of  my  servants,  from  the 
beginning  of  creation  until  this  time;  and  in  nothing  did  they  sin, 
save  in  those  things  which  they  received  not  of  me. 

David's  wives  and  concubines  were  given  unto  him,  of  me,  by  the 
hand  of  Nathan,  my  servant,  and  others  of  the  prophets  who  had  the 
keys  of  this  power;  and  in  none  of  these  things  did  he  sin  against  me, 
save  in  the  case  of  Uriah  and  his  wife;  and,  therefore  he  hath  fallen 
from  his  exaltation,  and  received  his  portion;  and  he  shall  not  in- 
herit them  out  of  the  world;  for  I  gave  them  unto  another,  saith  the 
Lord. 

I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  I  gave  unto  thee,  my  servant  Joseph, 
an  appointment,  and  restore  all  things;  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall 
be  given  unto  you  according  to  my  word: 

And  as  ye  have  asked  concerning  adultery — verily,  verily  I  say 
unto  you,  if  a  man  receiveth  a  wife  in  the  new  and  everlasting  cov- 
enant, and  if  she  be  with  another  man,  and  I  have  not  appointed  unto 
her  by  the  holy  anointing,  she  hath  committed  adultery,  and  shall 
be  destroyed. 

If  she  be  not  in  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant,  and  she  be  with 
another  man,  she  has  committed  adultery; 

And  if  her  husband  be  with  another  woman,  and  he  was  under  a 
vow,  he  hath  broken  his  vow,  and  hath  committed  adultery. 

And  if  she  hath  not  committed  adultery,  but  is  innocent,  and  hath 
not  broken  her  vow,  and  she  knoweth  it,  and  I  reveal  it  unto  you, 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  125 

my  servant  Joseph,  then  shall  you  have  power,  by  the  power  of  my 
Holy  Priesthood,  to  take  her,  and  give  her  unto  him  that  hath  not 
committed  adultery,  but  hath  been  faithful;  for  he  shall  be  made 
ruler  over  many; 

For  I  have  conferred  upon  you  the  keys  and  power  of  the  Priest- 
hood, wherein  I  restore  all  things,  and  make  known  unto  you  all  things 
in  due  time. 

And  verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  whatsoever  you  seal  on 
earth,  shall  be  sealed  in  heaven;  and  whatsoever  you  bind  on  earth, 
in  my  name,  and  by  my  word,  saith  the  Lord,  it  shall  be  eternally 
bound  in  the  heavens;  and  whosesoever  sins  you  remit  on  earth  shall 
be  remitted  eternally  in  the  heavens;  and  whosesoever  sins  you  retain 
on  earth,  shall  be  retained  in  heaven. 

And  again,  verily  I  say,  whomsoever  you  bless,  I  will  bless,  and 
whomsoever  you  curse,  I  will  curse,  saith  the  Lord;  for  I,  the  Lord, 
am  thy  God. 

And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  my  servant  Joseph,  that  what- 
soever you  give  on  earth,  and  to  whomsoever  you  give  anyone  on 
earth,  by  my  word,  and  according  to  my  law,  it  shall  be  visited  with 
blessings,  and  not  cursings,  and  with  my  power,  saith  the  Lord,  and 
shall  be  without  condemnation  on  earth,  and  in  heaven; 

For  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  be  with  thee  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world,  and  through  all  eternity;  for  verily,  I  seal  upon  you 
your  exaltation,  and  prepare  a  throne  for  you  in  the  kingdom  of  my 
Father,  with  Abraham  your  father. 

Behold,  I  have  seen  your  sacrifices,  and  will  forgive  all  your  sins; 
I  have  seen  your  sacrifices,  in  obedience  to  that  which  I  have  told 
you;  go,  therefore,  and  I  make  a  way  for  your  escape,  as  I  accepted 
the  offering  of  Abraham,  of  his  son  Isaac. 

Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  a  commandment  I  give  unto  mine  hand- 
maid, Emma  Smith,  your  wife,  whom  I  have  given  unto  you,  that  she 
stay  herself,  and  partake  not  of  that  which  I  commanded  you  to  offer 
unto  her;  for  I  did  it,  saith  the  Lord,  to  prove  you  all,  as  I  did  Abra- 
ham; and  that  I  might  require  an  offering  at  your  hand,  by  covenant 
and  sacrifice; 

And  let  mine  handmaid,  Emma  Smith,  receive  all  those  that  have 
been  given  to  my  servant  Joseph,  and  who  are  virtuous  and  pure  be- 


126  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

fore  me;  and  those  who  are  not  pure,  and  have  said  they  were  pure, 
shall  be  destroyed,  saith  the  Lord  God; 

For  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  ye  shall  obey  my  voice;  and  I 
give  unto  you  my  servant  Joseph,  that  he  shall  be  made  ruler  over 
many  things,  for  he  hath  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  and  from 
henceforth  I  will  strengthen  him. 

And  I  command  mine  handmaid,  Emma  Smith,  to  abide  and  cleave 
unto  my  servant  Joseph,  and  to  none  else.  But  if  she  will  not  abide 
this  commandment,  she  shall  be  destroyed,  saith  the  Lord;  for  I  am 
the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  destroy  her,  if  she  abide  not  in  my  law; 

But  if  she  will  not  abide  this  commandment,  then  shall  my  serv-. 
ant  Joseph  do  all  things  for  her,  even  as  he  hath  said;  and  I  will  bless 
him  and  multiply  him  and  give  unto  him  an  hundred-fold  in  this  world, 
of  fathers  and  mothers,  brothers  and  sisters,  houses  and  lands,  wives 
and  children,  and  crowns  of  eternal  lives  in  the  eternal  worlds. 

And  again,  verily  I  say,  let  mine  handmaid  forgive  my  servant 
Joseph  his  trespasses;  and  then  shall  she  be  forgiven  her  trespasses, 
wherein  she  has  trespassed  against  me;  and  I,  the  Lord  thy  God,  will 
bless  her,  and  multiply  her,  and  make  her  heart  to  rejoice. 

And  agair,  I  say,  let  not  my  servant  Joseph  put  his  property  out 
of  his  hands,  lest  an  enemy  come  and  destroy  him;  for  Satan  seeketh 
to  destroy;  for  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  he  is  my  servant;  and  be- 
hold! and  lo,  I  am  with  him,  as  I  was  with  Abraham,  thy  father,  even 
unto  his  exaltation  and  glory. 

Now,  as  touching  the  law  of  the  Priesthood,  there  are  many  things 
pertaining  thereunto. 

Verily,  if  a  man  be  called  of  my  Father,  as  was  Aaron,  by  mine 
own  voice,  and  by  the  voice  of  him  that  sent  me:  and  I  have  endowed 
him  with  the  keys  of  the  power  of  this  Priesthood,  if  he  do  anything 
in  my  name,  and  according  to  my  law,  and  by  my  word,  he  will  not 
commit  sin,  and  I  will  justify  him. 

Let  no  one,  therefore,  set  on  my  servant  Joseph;  fori  will  justify 
him;  for  he  shall  do  the  sacrifice  which  I  require  at  his  hands,  for  his 
transgressions,  saith  the  Lord  your  God. 

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 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  127 

vowed  to  no  other  man,  then  he  is  justified;  he  cannot  commit  adul- 
tery, for  they  are  given  unto  him;  for  he  cannot  commit  adultery 
with  that  that  belongeth  unto  him  and  to  no  one  else; 

And  if  he  have  ten  virgins  given  unto  him  by  this  law,  he  cannot 
commit  adultery,  for  they  belong  to  him,  and  they  are  given  unto  him, 
therefore  is  he  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  v/ork  of  my  Father  continued,  that  he  may 
be  glorified. 

And  again,  verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  any  m.anhave  a  wife, 
who  holds  the  keys  of  this  power,  and  he  teaches  unto  her  the  law  of 
my  Priesthood,  as  pertaining  to  these  things,  then  shall  she  believe, 
and  administer  unto  him,  or  she  shall  be  destroyed,  saith  the  Lord 
your  God,  for  I  will  destroy  her;  for  I  will  magnify  my  name  upon 
all  those  who  receive  and  abide  in  my  law. 

Therefore,  it  shall  be  lawful  in  me,  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  administer  unto  him  according  to  my 
word;  and  she  then  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. 

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.     Behold,  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega.     Amen. 


128  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

CAMP  FOLLOWERS. — BANKRUPTCY. 

AMONG  the  most  despicable  occupations  that  men  engage 
in,  that  of  camp  follower  holds  a  front  rank.  By  plunder- 
ing the  dead,  by  the  practice  of  extortion  upon  the  living,  by 
taking  advantage  of  the  license  and  reign  of  terror  that  follows 
in  the  wake  of  an  army,  the  camp  follower  plunders  the  terrified 
people,  not  unfrequently  claiming  to  be  authorized  by  the  com- 
manders of  the  army,  in  order  to  be  more  successful  in  his 
rapine.  Thus  he  seeks  to  enrich  himself  upon  the  misfortunes 
and  terrors  of  others  and  at  the  expense  of  the  reputation  of 
armies  and  their  commanders.  More  loathsome  are  such  char- 
acters than  the  vultures  that  hover  about  the  fields  made  red 
by  human  gore,  to  glut  themselves  upon  the  festering,  swollen 
bodies  of  the  dead.  Yet  more  to  be  despised  than  the  camp 
follower  is  that  man  who  will  attach  himself  to  a  religious  asso- 
ciation with  a  view  of  profiting  in  schemes  of  villainy;  and 
when  discovered  in  his  crimes  throws  the  responsibility  of  his 
evil  doing  upon  the  leaders  of  said  association,  claiming  that 
his  crimes  have  been  taught  to  him  as  a  part  of  his  religion! 
Such  men  are  wholesale  character  assassins,  for  by  their  deeds 
virtuous  communities  are  brought  into  disrepute,  and  reproach 
is  cast  upon  their  religion. 

Some  such  characters  had  attached  themselves  to  the 
Saints  in  Nauvoo  and  vicinity,  and  gave  a  coloring  to  the 
charges  that  were  made  against  The  Church,  to  the  efliect  that 
the  leaders  thereof  sanctioned  stealing,  so  long  as  it  was  prac- 
ticed on  the  Gentiles — those  not  belonging  to  The  Church.  Such 


RISE   AND   FALL   OP   NAUVOO.  129 

were  the  rumors  given  out  by  some  members  of  The  Church  en- 
gaged in  this  infamous  business.  On  the  eighteenth  of  Novem- 
ber a  nest  of  such  vipers  was  uncovered  at  Ramus,  near  Nauvoo; 
and  they  were  promptly  excommunicated  from  The  Church  by 
the  Apostles,  who  were  holding  a  conference  at  the  place  on  the 
date  above  mentioned.  Both  Joseph  and  Hyrum  took  advan- 
tage of  the  occasion  to  make  affidavits  before  proper  officers  of 
the  law  to  the  effect  that  they  had  never  given  their  sanction  to 
such  infamous  doctrine  as  that  attributed  to  them;*  and  the 
Twelve  Apostles  in  an  epistle  to  the  public  disavowed  ever  sanc- 
tioning the  crime  of  theft. 

Hyrum  in  his  affidavit  says: 

I  hereby  disavow  any  sanction,  or  approbation  by  me  of  the 
crime  of  theft,  or  any  other  evil  practice  in  any  person  or  persons 
whatever,  whereby  either  the  lives  or  property  of  our  fellow-men 
may  be  unlawfully  taken  or  molested;  neither  are  such  doings  sanc- 
tioned or  approbated  by  the  First  Presidency  or  any  other  persons  in 
authority  or  good  standing  in  The  Church,  but  such  acts  are  alto- 
gether in  violation  of  the  rules,  order  and  regulations  of  The  Church, 
contrary  to  the  teachings  given  in  said  Church,  and  the  laws  of  both 
God  and  man. 

In  a  public  declaration  to  which  Joseph  appended  his  affi- 
davit, the  Prophet  said: 

It  has  been  proclaimed  upon  the  housetops  and  in  the  secret 
chamber,  in  the  public  walks  and  private  circles  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  this  vast  continent,  that  stealing  by  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  has  received  my  approval;  nay,  that  I  have  taught  them 
the  doctrine,  encouraged  them  in  plunder,  and  led  on  the  van — than 
which  nothing  is  more  foreign  from  my  heart.  I  disfellowship  the 
perpetrators  of  all  such  abominations;  they  are  devils  and  not  Saints, 
totally  unfit  for  the  society  of .  Christians  or  men.     It  is  true  that 


*  Times  and  Seasons  for  December,  184 1. 


130  RISE   AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

some  professing  "to  be  Latter-day  Saints  have  taught  such  vile  here- 
sies, but  all  are  not  Israel  that  are  of  Israel;  and  I  want  it  distinctly 
understood  in  all  coming  time,  that  The  Church  over  which  I  have 
the  honor  of  presiding,  will  ever  set  its  brows  like  brass,  and  its  face 
like  steel,  against  all  such  abominable  acts  of  villainy  and  crime. 

Nor  were  the  Twelve  less  forcible  in  denouncing  this  iniq- 
uity. In  an  epistle  printed  at  the  same  time  with  the  above 
they  said: 

We  know  not  how  to  express  our  abhorrence  of  such  an  idea, 
and  can  only  say  it  is  engendered  in  hell,  founded  in  falsehood,  and  is 
the  offspring  of  the  devil;  that  it  is  at  variance  with  every  principle 
of  righteousness  and  truth,  and  will  damn  all  that  are  connected 
with  it.  *  *  *  We  further  call  upon  The  Church  to  bring  all 
such  characters  before  the  authorities,  that  they  may  be  tried  and 
dealt  with  according  to  the  law  of  God  and  delivered  up  to  the  laws 
of  the  land. 

About  this  time,  too,  there  were  ^^angs  oi  robbers  operat- 
ing up  and  down  the  Mississippi  river  from  which  the  Saints 
suffered,  as  many  of  their  horses  and  cattle  were  stolen;  but 
more  serious  injury  arose  from  the  fact  that  the  acts  of  these 
robbers  were  attributed  to  the  Saints  themselves,  and  did  much 
to  prejudice  the  minds  of  the  public  against  them. 

In  the  month  of  December  the  attempt  to  build  up  the  town 
of  Warren,  located  one  mile  south  of  Warsaw,  was  abandoned. 
As  early  as  the  fall  of  1839  Daniel  S.  Witter,  a  man  owning 
a  sawmill  at  Warsaw,  held  out  inducements  to  the  First  Presi- 
dency of  The  Church  to  settle  at  or  in  the  vicinity  of  W^arsaw, 
but  the  location  where  the  Saints  built  up  Nauvoo  was  considered 
preferable.  Still  Witter,  Aldrich,  Warren,  and  oth^-s  continued 
to  solicit  the  authorities  of  The  Church  to  make  an  attempt  to 
build  up  a  city  near  Warsaw;  and  finally,  in  the  spring  of  1841, 
an  agreement  was  entered  into  between  The  Church  authorities 
and  Witter,  Warren  and  Aldrich — owners  of  the  school  section 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  131 

located  just  south  of  Warsaw — by  which  any  of  the  Saints  set- 
tling on  this  school  section,  already  surveyed  into  town  lots  and 
called  Warren,  were  to  have  certain   privileges  granted  them. 

In  September,  Willard  Richards  was  located  at  Warsaw 
and  made  what  preparations  he  could  to  receive  settlers.  Some 
few  families  of  Saints  gathered  there,  and  in  November  two 
hundred  and  four  emigrants  from  England  were  counseled  to 
locate  in  that  vicinity.  But  no  sooner  had  preparations  to 
build  up  the  place  been  made  than  the  citizens  of  Warsaw 
attempted  to  form  an  anti-Mormon  association,  and  manifested 
other  symptoms  of  an  unfriendly  character.  They  raised  the 
rents — Mr.  Witter  himself  raised  one  dollar  per  barrel  on  flour, 
while  Aldrich  forbade  the  people  using  the  old  wood  on  the 
school  section.  These  unfriendly  demonstrations  led  to  the 
abandonment  of  the  enterprise  of  building  up  Warren,  and  the 
Church  authorities  promptly  advised  the  Saints  who  had  located 
there  to  remove  to  Nauvoo. 

The  winter  of  1841t2  was  a  busy  one  for  Joseph  and  those 
who  labored  with  him  as  his  scribes.  He  read  the  proof-sheets 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon  previous  to  its  being  stereotyped;  and 
prepared  that  concise  yet  admirable  historical  sketch  of  the 
Rise  and  Progress  of  the  Church,  together  with  a  summary  of 
the  principles  it^eaches — now  known  as  the  Articles  of  Faith 
— for  Mr.  Wemworth  of  Chicago,  who  was  writing  a  history  of 
Illinois.  He  also  prepared  for  publication  his  translation  of  the 
Book  of  Abraham  from  Egyptian  papyrus,  and  which  in  its  im- 
portance as  a  record  of  the  ancient  saints  brought  to  light  in 
this  age,  stands  only  second  to  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

The  Egyptian  papyrus  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
Prophet  through  one  Michael  H.  Chandler,  who  was  traveling 
through  Ohio  exhibiting  several  Egyptian  mummies  and  rolls  of 
papyrus  that  were  found  in  the  coffin  containing  the  mummies. 
Chandler  claimed  to  have  obtained  the  Egyptian  treasures  as  a 
bequest  from  an  uncle  who  had  traveled  in  Egypt.     But  it  mat- 


132  RISE   AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

ters  little  how  Chandler  came  into  possession  of  the  mummies; 
the  Saints  in  Kirtland  purchased  them,  and  the  two  rolls  of 
papyrus  proved  to  be  the  writings  of  Abraham  and  of  Joseph 
who  was  spld  into  Egypt;  and  the  record  of  Abraham,  at  least 
in  part,  was  translated  and  published  by  the  Prophet.  Its  im- 
portance is  of  the  character  above  stated.* 

These  labors,  together  with  instructing  the  Saints,  attend- 
ing debating  schools,  laboring  in  the  city  council,  and  organizing 
and  instructing  women's  Relief  Societies,  occupied  the  attention 
of  the  Prophet  until  the  opening  of  spring. . 

Meantime  Nauvoo  had  been  rapidly  building  up.  Work  on 
the  temple  and  Nauvoo  House  was  being  pushed  with  consider- 
able vigor;  and  many  neat  cottages  had  taken  the  place  of  the 
rude  temporary  cabins  that  had  been  constructed  to  shelter  the 
people  until  their  industry  could  win  better  homes.  The  popu- 
lation in  the  spring  of  1842  was  between  eight  and  ten  thousand. 
The  stream  of  emigration  from  the  British  mission  by  that  time 
had  commenced  to  flow  in  and  the  new  citizens  assisted  in  no 
small  degree  to  increase  the  prosperity  of  this  central  gather- 
ing place  of  the  Saints. 

But  The  Church  had  passed  through  a  long  period  of  disas- 
ter. Time  and  again  the  early  members  of  The  Church  had  been 
driven  away  from  their  homes,  and  while  their  faith  in  their 
religion  remained  unshaken,  these  frequent  drivings  and  mob- 
bings  stripped  them  of  their  property  and  of  course  ruined 
their  financial  schemes;  and  though  their  prospects  at  Nauvoo 
began  to  brighten,  the  people  were  constantly  plagued  by  the 
presentation  of  old  claims  upon  them,  their   creditors  making 


*  Those  who  would  know  more  of  this  ancient  record  are  referred 
to  the  Pearl  of  Great  Price  where  they  will  find  the  translation  of  it; 
and  for  a  pretty  full  consideration  of  its  claims  to  being  a  genuine  an- 
cient record,  and  an  inspired  book,  the  reader  is  referred  to  "The 
Divine  Authenticity  of  the  Book  of  Abraham,"  by  Elder  George 
Reynolds. 


RISE   AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO.  133 

small  or  no  allowance  for  the  disasters  which  had  overtaken 
them.  This  was  a  constant  draft  upon  their  resources  and  a 
great  hindrance  to  the  growth  of  Nauvoo.  Finally,  as  a  means 
of  protection  against  unreasonable,  importunate  creditors,  a 
number  of  the  leading  brethren,  among  them  the  Prophet 
Joseph,  took  advantage  of  the  bankrupt  law.  Under  this  law 
any  one  owing  a  certain  amount  more  than  he  was  able  to  pay, 
made  out  a  schedule  of  his  property  and  likewise  of  his  debts, 
and  placed  both  in  the  hands  of  an  assignee,  who  paid  his 
creditors  whatever  percentage  of  his  debts  his  property 
amounted  to;  and  the  assignor  could  start  again  without  being 
compelled  to  pay  any  of  the  old  claims  held  against  him  pre- 
vious to  his  declared  insolvency.  In  whatever  light  this  action 
on  the  part  of  the  brethren  may  appear  at  first  sight,  an  exam- 
ination into  all  the  circumstances  will  reveal  the  fact  that  as 
a  means  of  self-protection  it  became  absolutely  necessary. 
They  were  financially  down,  and  before  they  could  rise  to  their 
feet,  inexorable  creditors  were  upon  them  to  take  away  their 
substance.  If  it  is  possible  for  an  individual  or  a  company  to 
be  justified  in  taking  advantage  of  the  bankrupt  law,  then  the 
Mormon  leaders  were.  There  was  no  effort  on  the  part  of 
those  who  took  advantage  of  the  bankrupt  law  to  defraud 
their  creditors.  To  parties  with  whom  Joseph  had  contracted 
for  lands,  he  wrote  that  he  still  considered  his  contracts  with 
them  as  good;  and  in  the  case  of  the  Hotchkiss  purchase  he 
proposed  to  renew  the  contract.  This  step  placed  the  breth- 
ren beyond  the  power  of  their  unjust  creditors,  and  necessity 
compelled  the  action 


134  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

SUSPICIONS  OF  TREACHERY. 

AS  early  as  January,  1842,  Joseph,  as  lieutenant-general  of 
the  Legion,  issued  orders  for  a  general  military  parade 
and  review  of  the  Legion  to  take  place  on  the  seventh  of  May 
following.  A  subsequent  order,  issued  in  April,  marking  out 
the  programme  for  the  day's  exercises,  contained  the  following 
clause: 

At  three  o'clock  p.  m.  the  cohorts  will  separate  and  form  in  line 
of  battle,  the  brigadiers  assuire  their  respective  commands,  and  Gen- 
eral Law's  command  [cavalry]  will  make  a  descent  upon  that  of  Gen- 
eral Rich's  [cohort  C,  infantry]  in  order  of  sham  battle. 

The  lieutenant-general  had  invited  the  consolidated  staff  of 
the  Legion  to  partake  of  a  repast  militaire  on  the  occasion,  at 
his  house. 

On  the  morning  of  the  day  appointed  for  the  drill  and  re- 
view two  thousand  troops  were  in  the  field;  and  an  immense 
concourse  of  spectators,  both  of  Saints  and  strangers.  Such 
was  the  interests  taken  in  the  movement  of  the  people  of  Nau- 
voo,  that  a  number  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  State  within 
reach  of  the  city  attended  the  review.  Judge  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
lass adjourned-  the  circuit  court,  then  in  session  at  the  county 
seat,  Carthage,  in  order  to  attend.  As  soon  as  the  lieutenant- 
general  heard  of  the  presence  of  Judge  Douglass,  he  sent  him 
an  invitation  to  attend  the  military  dinner  given  at  his  house, 
which  the  judge  accepted. 

It  was  a  glorious  day,  passing  off  without  noise  or  disorder; 


RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO.  135 

and  even  the  strangers  expressed  themselves  as  highly  satisfied 
with  what  they  had  witnessed.  But  even  during  the  brightest 
days  clouds  will  sometimes  drift  across  the  sun's  disc:  so  in  the 
moments  of  man's  supreme  happiness,  it  often  occurs  that 
shadows  arise  to  alarm  his  fears,  and  remind  him  how  fleeting 
are  the  joys  of  this  life — 

Some  drops  of  joy  with  draughts  of  ill  between; 
Some  gleams  of  sunshine  'mid  renewing  storms, 

are  all  that  he  may  hope  for.  So  was  it  with  the  principal 
founder  of  Nauvoo  on  the  day  of  the  sham  battle.  When  the 
respective  cohorts  were  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle,  facing  each 
other,  Major-General  John  C.  Bennett  rode  up  to  General  Smith 
and  asked  him  to  lead  the  charge  of  the  first  cohort,  but  Joseph 
declined.  He  next  asked  him  to  take  a  position  in  the  rear  of 
the  cavalry  without  his  staflf  during  the  engagement,  but  against 
this  Captain  A.  P.  Rockwood,  the  commander  of  Joseph's  life 
guard,  objected,  and  Joseph  with  his  staff  chose  his  own  posi- 
tion. 

Of  this  incident — and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  I  have  re- 
ferred to  this  parade  and  sham  battle — Joseph  remarks: 

Jf  General  Bennett's  true  feelings  towards  me  are  not  made 
manifest  to  the  world  in  a  very  short  time  then  it  may  be  possible 
that  the  gentle  breathings  of  that  Spirit  which  whispered  to  me  on 
parade  that  there  was  mischief  in  that  sham  battle,  were  false; , 
short  time  will  determine  the  point.  Let  John  C.  Bennett  answer  a 
the  day  of  judgment,  Why  did  you  request  me  to  command  one  of 
the  cohorts,  and  also  to  take  my  position  without  my  staff,  during 
the  sham  battle  on  the  seventh  of  May,  1842,  where  my  life  might 
have  been  forfeited  and  no  man  have  known  who  did  the  deed?" 

This  is  about  the  first  intimation  that  we  have  in  any  of 
The  Church  records  of  John  C.  Bennett's  disafltection  towards 
Joseph  or  The  Church.  Two  years  before  he  had  come  to  Nauvoo 


136  RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

— then  Commerce— filled  with  that  fiery  zeal  "for  the  holy 
faith"  which  is  only  known  to  the  newly-made  convert.  He  was 
a  man  of  considerable  learning  and  ability,  and  devoted  himself 
assiduously  to  bring  to  pass  the  prosperity  of  Nauvoo.  He  was 
of  great  service  to  Joseph  as  a  lieutenant,  and  the  Prophet  was 
wont  to  say  of  him  that  he  was  about  the  first  man  he  had  about 
him  who  could  do  exactly  what  he  wanted  done,  the  way  it  should 
be  done,  and  who  would  do  it  at  once.  In  training  the  Legion  and 
assisting  in  the  drafting  of  the  Nauvoo  and  other  charters,  he 
had  rendered  invaluable  service;  and  had  he  possessed  qualities 
of  heart  equal  to  those  of  his  mind,  he  was  calculated  to  have 
been  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the  city  of  Nauvoo.  Nor  am  I 
willing  to  believe  that  his  motives  in  uniting  himself  with  The 
Church  were  altogether  evil,  notwithstanding  his  life  previous 
to  his  joining  The  Church  was  immoral.  I  am  quite  willing  to 
believe  that  when  he  came  to  the  Saints  it  was  his  determina- 
tion to  reform  and  win  for  himself  an  honorable  standing  among 
his  fellow-men;  but  the  evil  habits  he  had  contracted  were  too 
strong  for  his  will,  and  he  sought  the  gratification  of  his  lusts 
which  led  to  his  fall. 

Soon  after  he  settled  at  Nauvoo,  he  paid  his  addresses  to  a 
respectable  young  lady  of  the  city,  and  she,  believing  him  to  be 
an  honorable  man,  accepted  them,  and  he  promised  to  marry 
her.  In  the  meantime,  however,  Joseph  had  received  informa- 
tion from  the  vicinity  of  Bennett's  former  residence  to  the  ef- 
fect that  the  doctor  was  a  wicked  man,  and  that  he  had  a  wife 
and  several  children  in  McConnellsville,  Morgan  County,  Ohio — 
a  thing  the  doctor  had  kept  concealed.  Learning  this,  Joseph 
persuaded  him  to  discontinue  his  attentions  to  the  young  lady; 
but  he  soon  renewed  them;  whereupon  Joseph  threatened  to 
expose  him  if  he  did  not  desist,  which,  to  all  appearances,  had 
the  desired  effect. 

Being  foiled  in  his  advances  toward  this  young  lady,  and 
finding  that  Joseph  stood  like  a  lion  in  his  path  to  prevent  the 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  137 

accomplishment  of  his  evil  designs  and  protect  the  unsuspecting, 
he  drew  around  him  a  covering  of  hypocrisy,  carefully  con- 
cealed his  movements  from  the  Prophet,  and  proceeded  to  teach 
some  women,  who  only  knew  him  as  an  honorable  man,  that  pro- 
miscuous intercourse  of  the  sexes  was  a  doctrine  believed  in  by 
the  Latter-day  Saints,  and  that  there  was  no  harm  in  it.  In  his 
first  efforts  he  was  unsuccessful;  but  in  his  subsequent  advice, 
in  the  same  line,  he  told  them  that  Joseph  and  others  of  The 
Church  authorities  both  sanctioned  and  practiced  this  wicked- 
ness, saying  that  the  Prophet  only  denounced  such  things  so 
vehemently  in  public,  because  of  the  prejudice  of  the  people 
and  the  trouble  it  might  create  in  his  own  house.  In  this  man- 
ner he  succeeded  in  overcoming  the  scruples  of  some  of  his 
dupes,  and  seduced  several  females.  Nor  did  the  evil  end  here. 
Bennett  induced  other  men  to  adopt  his  evil  practices;  among 
them  Francis  M.  and  Chauncy  L:  Higbee.  These  men  repeated 
the  assertions  made  by  the  doctor,  and  thus  the  evil  spread,  and 
the  reputation  of  the  Prophet  was  being  undermined. 

But  evils  of  this  character  cannot  long  be  practiced  with- 
out coming  to  light,  and  Doctor  Bennett,  finding  that  his  corrup- 
tion was  about  to  be  uncovered,  began  to  prepare  for  the  shock. 
When  confronted  with  positive  evidence  that  it  was  known  that  he 
had  a  wife  and  family,  and  that  his  seductions  were  also  known, 
he  attempted  suicide  by  taking  poison,  and  resisted  the  admin- 
istration of  antidotes,  but  he  was  rescued  from  this  fate  in 
spite  of  himself. 

Before  his  evil  course  was  known,  arrangements  were  made 
to  run  the  doctor  for  representative  from  the  district  in  which 
Nauvoo  was  included,  to  the  State  legislature.  But  one  day 
Joseph  met  the  doctor  in  the  presence  of  Squire  Wells,  and  ad- 
dressed him  in  substance  as  follows:  ''Doctor,  I  can  sustain 
you  no  longer.  Hyrum  is  against  you,  the  Twelve  are  against 
you,  and  if  I  do  not  come  out  against  sin  and  iniquity  I  shall 
myself  be  trodden  under  foot  as  a  Prophet  of  God."    That  sen- 


138  RISE  AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

tence  sounded  the  death  knell  to  the  standing  of  Dr.  Bennett  in 
Nauvoo.  Joseph  had  clung  to  him  in  the  hope  of  reforming 
him,  but  that  could  no  longer  be  expected;  and  when  the 
Prophet  let  go  his  hold  upon  him,  there  was  nothing  could  avert 
his  downfall. 

On  the  nineteenth  of  May  Bennett  resigned  his  position  as 
mayor  and  Joseph  was  elected  to  that  office.  On  this  occasion, 
and  before  the  whole  city  council,  Joseph  asked  Doctor  Bennett 
if  he  had  anything  against  him,  to  which  the  doctor  replied : 

I  know  what  I  am  about,  and  the  heads  of  The  Church  know 
what  they  are  about,  I  expect;  I  have  no  difficulty  with  the  heads'of 
The  Church.  I  publicly  avow  that  if  any  one  has  said  that  I  have 
stated  that  General  Joseph  Smith  has  given  me  authority  to  hold  illicit 
intercourse  with  women  he  is  a  liar  in  the  face  of  God.  Those  who 
have  said  it  are  damned  liars;  they  are  infernalliars.  He  never  either 
in  public  or  private  gave  me  any  such  authority  or  license,  and  any 
person  who  states  it  is  a  scoundrel  and  a  liar.  *  *  ^t  j 
intend  to  continue  with  you,  and  hope  the  time  may  come  when  I  may 
be  restored  to  full  confidence  and  fellowship,  and  my  former  stand- 
ing in  The  Church,  and  that  my  conduct  may  be  such  as  to  warrant 
my  restoration,  and  should  the  time  ever  come  that  I  may  have  the 
opportunity  to  test  my  faith,  it  will  then  be  known  whether  I  am  a 
traitor  or  a  true  man. 

Joseph — Will  you  please  state  definitely  whether  you  know  any- 
thing against  my  character,  either  in  public  or  private. 

Doctor  Bennett — I  do  not.  In  all  my  intercourse  with  General 
Smith  in  public  and  in  private  he  has  been  strictly  virtuous. 

In  addition  to  this  statement  before  the  city  council,  Doc- 
tor Bennett  made  affidavit  before  Squire  Wells  to  the  same  ef- 
fect as  the  above. 

On  the  twenty-sixth  of  May,  the  case  of  Bennett  came  up 
in  the  Masonic  lodge,  of  which  the  doctor  was  a  member,  as 
were  also  nearly  all  the  principal  men  of  Nauvoo.  In  the  pres- 
ence of  one  hundred  of  the  fraternity,  he  confessed  his  licen- 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  139 

tious  practice?,  and  acknowledged  that  he  was  worthy  of  the 
severest  chastisement,  yet  he  pleaded  for  mercy,  and  especially 
that  he  might  not  be  published  in  the  papers.  So  deep,  appar- 
ently, was  his  sorrow,  that  Joseph  pleaded  for  mercy  in  his  be- 
half, and  he  was  forgiven  as  a  Mason;  but  previous  to  this,  the 
First  Presidency  of  The  Church,  the  Twelve  and  the  Bishop  had 
sent  a  formal  notice  to  him  that  they  could  not  fellowship 
him  as  a  member  of  The  Church,  but  they  withheld  the  matter 
from  publication,  at  his  earnest  solicitation,  because  of  his 
mother. 

~  ^  John  C.  Bennett,  however,  had  fallen  too  far  to  recover 
from  the  effects  of  his  deep  transgression.  He  suddenly  left 
Nauvoo,  and  soon  afterward  was  found  plotting  with  the  ene- 
mies of  the  Saints  for  the  destruction  of  The  Church.  By  this 
time  the  Masonic  lodge  found  that  he  was  an  expelled  Mason, 
and  had  palmed  himself  off  on  the  Nauvoo  lodge  as  a  Mason  in 
regular  standing,  consequently  he  was  disfellowshiped  from  the 
Nauvoo  lodge,  and  was  also  cashiered  by  the  court-martial  of 
the  Nauvoo  Legion;  and  thus  plucked  of  all  his  glory,  he  was 
left  to  wander  as  a  vagabond  and  an  outcast  among  men.   \ 

After  he  so  suddenly  left  Nauvoo,  he  again  said  that  the 
Prophet  Joseph  had  authorized  and  encouraged  sexual  wicked- 
ness, and  when  confronted  with  his  own  affidavit,  which  de- 
clared Joseph  to  be  a  virtuous  man,  and  a  teacher  of  righteous- 
ness, and  upright  both  in  his  public  and  private  character,  he 
claimed  that  he  was  under  duress  when  he  made  that  affidavit. 
But  Squire  Wells,  before  whom  he  had  qualified  to  make  his 
sworn  statement,  went  before  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  made 
affidavit  that  during  the  time  that  this  development  of  his 
wickedness  was  going  on,  and  he  making  statements  favorable 
to  Joseph  and  The  Church,  that — 

During  all  this  time,  if  he  (Doctor  Bennett)  was  under  duress  or 
fear,  he  must  have  had  a  good  faculty  of  concealing  it;  for  he  was  at 


140  RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

liberty  to  go  and  come  when  and  where  he  pleased,  so  far  as  I  am 
capable  of  judging. 

Squire  Wells  further  testifies  in  the  same  statement: 

I  was  always  personally  friendly  with  him,  after  I  became  ac- 
quainted with  him.  I  never  heard  him  say  anything  derogatory  to 
the  character  of  Joseph  Smith,  until  after  he  had  been  exposed  by 
said  Smith  on  the  public  stand  in  Nauvoo. 

So  soon  as  it  was  learned  that  the  doctor  had  left  Nauvoo, 
and  was  operating  for  the  destruction  of  The  Church,  the  whole 
case  was  published  in  the  Nauvoo  papers,  and  his  corruption 
made  known  to  the  world.  Those  whom  he  had  involved  in  his 
vile  snares,  both  men  and  women,  were  brought  before  the 
proper  tribunals  of  The  Church;  some  of  them  were  disfellow- 
shiped,  and  others  who  sincerely  repented  were  forgiven. 

The  only  description  I  have  seen  of  Doctor  Bennett  is  given 
in  the  Essex  County  Washingtonian,  published  in  Salem,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  that  is  contained  in  the  issue  of  the  fifteenth  of 
September,  1842.  According  to  that  description  he  was  a  man 
five  feet  nine  inches  high,  well  formed,  black  hair  sprinkled 
with  grey,  dark  complexion,  a  rather  thin  face,  and  black,  rest- 
less eyes. 

The  fall  of  Doctor  Bennett  added  another  evidence  to  the 
fact  that  neither  natural  nor  acquired  attainments,  however 
brilliant  they  may  be,  can  secure  one  a  safe  standing  in  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  when  not  accompanied 
with  righteousness  of  life.  Moreover,  experience  has  proven 
that  to  brilliancy  of  intellect  highly  cultivated,  may  be  added 
inspired  dreams,  visions,  the  revelations  of  God,  and  the  visita- 
tion of  angels — and  yet,  if  the  daily  life  and  Conversation  runs 
not  hand  in  hand  with  righteousness,  these  things  furnish  at 
best  but  an  insecure  foundation  on  which  to  stand. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  141 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

ATTEMPTED  ASSASSINATION  OF  GOVERNOR  BOGGS. 

IT  was  rumored  in  Nauvoo  about  the  middle  of  the  month  of 
May,  1842,  that  ex-Governor  Boggs,  of  Missouri,  had  been 
assassinated  by  an  unknown  hand,  at  his  residence  in  Independ- 
ence, Jackson  County,  Missouri.  The  ex- governor,  however, 
did  not  die  from  the  wounds  he  received,  but  recovered  in  the 
course  of  several  days.  The  assault  made  upon  him  by  his  ene- 
my, whoever  he  might  be,  occurred  on  the  sixth  of  May,  in  the 
year  above  named.  He  was  seated  in  a  room  by  himself,  when 
some  person  discharged  a  pistol  loaded  with  buckshot,  through 
the  adjoining  window.  Three  of  the  shot  took  effect  in  his 
head — one  of  which,  it  was  said,  penetrated  his  brain.  His 
son,  hearing  the  shot,  burst  into  the  room  and  found  him  in  a 
helpless  condition.  The  pistol  from  which  the  shot  was  fired 
was  found  tinder  the  window,  and  there,  too,  were  the  footprints 
of  the  would-be  assassin. 

No  sooner  was  the  news  of  the  affair  heard  than  specula- 
tion was  rife  as  to  the  parties  who  had  perpetrated  the  deed; 
and  in  consequence  of  the  infamous  part  taken  by  Boggs  in 
driving  the  Saints  from  the  State  of  Missouri,  during  the  period 
that  he  was  governor,  it  was  not  long  before  "Joe  Smith  and 
the  Mormons"  were  accused  of  the  deed.  The  Quincy  Wkig, 
in  its  issue  of  May  21st,  said : 

There  are  several  rumors  in  circulation  in  regard  to  the  horrid 
affair;  one  of  which  throws  the  crime  upon  the  Mormons,  from  the 
fact,  we  suppose,  that  Mr.  Boggs  was  governor  at  the  time,  and  in  no 
small  degree  instrumental  in  driving  them  from  the  State.   Smith,  too, 


142  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

the  Mormon  Prophet,  as  we  understand,  prophesied  a  year  or  so 
ago,  his  death  by  violent  means.  Hence,  there  is  plenty  of  founda- 
tion for  rumor. 

To  this  statement  the  Prophet  Joseph  wrote  a  reply  and 
sent  it  to  the  editor  of  the  Whig,  Mr.  Bartlett: 

Dear  Sir — In  your  paper  of  the  21st  inst.,LMay]  you  have  done  me 
manifest  injustice,  in  ascribing  to  me  a  prediction  of  the  demise  of 
Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  Esq.,  ex-governor  of  Missouri,  by  violent  hands. 
Boggs  was  a  candidate  for  the  State  senate,  and,  I  presume,  fell  by 
the  hand  of  a  political  opponent,  with  his  hands  and  face  yet  dripping 
with  the  blood  of  murder;  but  he  died^  not  through  my  instrumental- 
ity. My  hands  are  clean  and  my  heart  pure,  from  the  blood  of  all 
men. 

As  soon  as  Boggs  recovered  sufficiently,  he  went  before 
Samuel  Weston,  a  justice  of  the  peace  at  Independence,  and  one 
of  the  characters  that  some  of  my  readers  of  "The  Missouri  Per- 
secutions" will  remember  as  taking  part  in  driving  the  Saints  from 
their  homes  in  Jackson  County — before  him  Boggs  made  affi- 
davit that  he  had  reason  to  believe,  from  evidence  and  informa- 
tion then  in  his  possession,  that  ''Joseph  Smith,  the  Mormon 
Prophet,  was  accessory  before  the  fact  of  the  intended  mur- 
der;" and  therefore  applied  to  Thomas  Reynolds,  governor  of 
Missouri,  to  make  a  demand  on  the  governor  of  Illinois,  to  de- 
liver Joseph  Smith  up  to  some  person  authorized  to  receive  him 
on  behalf  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  to  be  dealt  with  according 
to  law. 

Governor  Reynolds  promptly  granted  the  request  and 
made  the  demand  on  the  governor  of  Illinois  for  the  surrender 
of  Joseph  to  one  E.  R.  Ford,  who  was  appointed  the  agent  of 


*  It  was  then  supposed  that  Boggs  was  dead.  It  was  not  until 
several  days  later  that  the  news  of  his  recovery  reached  Nauvoo  or 
Quinry. 


RISE   AND  FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  143 

Missouri  to  receive  him.     In   making   the   demand,   Governor 
Reynolds  said: 

Whereas  it  appears  *  *  *  l^^j^t  one  Joseph  Smith 
is  a  fugitive  from  justice,  charged  with  being  accessory  before  the 
fact,  to  an  assault  with  intent  to  kill,  made  by  one  0.  P.  Rockwell,  on 
Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  in  this  State  [Missouri];  and  is  represented  to  the 
executive  department  of  this  State  as  having  fled  to  the  State 
of  Illinois;  Now,  therefore,  I,  *        *        *        do  by  these  pres- 

ents demand  the  surrender  and  delivering  of  the  said  Joseph  Smith, 
etc.,  etc. 

We  have  given  this  extract  for  the  requisition  verbatim, 
because,  in  the  first  place,  the  affidavit  of  Boggs,  upon  the 
strength  of  which  Governor  Reynolds  made  his  demand  for  the 
surrender  of  Joseph  Smith,  does  not  claim  that  he  was  a  fugi- 
tive from  justice,  or  that  he  had  fled  from  the  State  of  Mis- 
souri to  Illinois;  but  on  the  contrary,  the  affidavit  says  that  he 
was  a  "citizen  or  resident  of  Illinois,"  hence  the  statement  of 
fact  in  the  affidavit  was  not  sufficient  to  justify  the  demand  for 
Joseph  Smith  to  be  surrendered  to  Missouri.  A  person  resi- 
dent in  a  State  may  not  be  delivered  up  to  the  authorities  of 
another  State  for  alleged  offenses,  unless  it  is  represented  that 
he  has  fled  from  the  State  making  the  demand  for  his  surrender, 
to  escape  from  justice.  This  charge  was  not  made  by  Boggs  in  his 
affidavit,  which  was  Governor  Reynolds'  only  authority  for  mak- 
ing the  demand.  But  in  what  Boggs  failed.  Governor  Rey- 
nolds made  up ;  and  upon  his  own  responsibility,  charged  in  his 
demand  on  Illinois  that  Joseph  Smith  was  "a  fugitive  from 
justice,"  and  had  "fled  to  Illinois;"  a  statement  that  was  at 
once  untrue,  and  wholly  gratuitous  on  the  part  of  the  executive 
of  Missouri,  and  proves  him  to  be  a  willing  persecutor  of  the 
innocent.  Secondly,  it  was  this  assumption  on  the  part  of 
Reynolds  that  did  much  towards  making  the  demand  on  Illinois 
void.     But  more  of  this  anon. 

Governor  Carlin,  of  Illinois,  respected  the  demand  of  Mis- 


144  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

souri,  and  issued  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  0.  P.  Rockwell  as 
principal  and  Joseph  Smith  as  accessory  before  the  fact,  in  an 
assault  with  intent  to  kill,  upon  ex-Governor  Boggs.  The 
p'apers  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  deputy  sheriff  of  Adams 
County, who, with  two  assistants,  at  once  repaired  to  Nauvoo,  and 
on  the  eighth  of  August,  1842,  arrested  the  above  named  parties. 
There  was  no  evasion  of  the  officers,  but  the  municipal  court 
of  Nauvoo,  at  once,  on  the  application  of  the  parties  arrested, 
issued  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  requiring  the  officers  having  the 
prisoners  in  charge,  to  bring  them  before  that  tribunal,  in  order 
that  the  legality  of  the  warrant  under  which  they  were  ar- 
rested might  be  tested.  This  the  sheriff  refused  to  do,  as  he 
claimed  that  the  municipal  court  had  no  jurisdiction  in  the  case, 
but  he  left  the  prisoners  in  the  care  of  the  city  marshal, without, 
however,  leaving  the  original  writ  upon  which  alone  they  could 
be  held;  and  the  deputy  sheriff  and  his  assistants  returned  to 
Quincy;  the  prisoners  being  turned  loose  to  go  about  their  busi- 
ness. 

During  the  absence  of  the  deputy  sheriff,  Joseph  had  se- 
cured a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  from  the  master  in  chancery,  as 
it  was  questionable  if  the  municipal  court  of  Nauvoo  had 
the  authority  to  issue  such  writs  in  cases  arising  under  the  laws 
of  the  State  or  the  United  States.*  The  officers  returned  from 
Quincy  on  the  tenth,  but  in  the  interim  it  had  been  decided  by 
Joseph  and  his  friends,  that  the  best  thing  for  himself  and  Rock- 
well to  do  under  the  excitement  of  public  sentiment  then  exist- 


*  I  say  "questionable"  as  representing  the  views  of  the  Prophet's 
friends.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  my  judgment,  there  could  be  no  ques- 
tion about  the  municipal  court  having  no  such  power.  And  if  the  letter 
ot  the  Nauvoo  charter  justified  the  idea  that  the  municipal  court  pos- 
sessed any  such  power  to  interrupt  the  process  of  the  State  and 
United  States  courts,  it  was  a  manifest  defect  in  the  wording  of 
the  charter,  a  solecism  that  would  render  that  part  of  the  charter  void. 


RISE   AND  FALL   OP  NAUVOO.  145 

ing  was  to  keep  out  of  the  way  for  a  season;  so  that  the  offi- 
cers were  unable  to  find  them  on  their  return. 

Joseph  crossed  the  river  and  stayed  at  his  uncle  John's 
house  for  a  few  days,  in  the  settlement  called  Zarahemla;  but 
on  the  night  of  the  eleventh  of  August,  he  met  by  appointment 
his  brother  Hyrum,  Rockwell,  his  wife  Emma  and  several  other 
friends  at  the  south  point  of  the  island  that  stands  midway  in 
the  river  between  Nauvoo  and  Montrose. 

It  had  been  rumored  that  the  governor  of  Iowa  had  also 
issued  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  Joseph  and  Rockwell,  where- 
upon it  was  decided  that  it  would  be  better  for  them  to  remain 
on  the  Illinois  side  of  the  river.  Subsequent  events,  however, 
proved  that  this  rumor  was  a  false  one.  Joseph  was  rowed  up 
the  river  by  a  Brother  Dunham  to  a  point  near  the  home  of  a 
Brother  Derby.  Rockwell  had  been  set  ashore  and  had  pro- 
ceeded to  the  same  point  on  foot,  where  he  built  a  fire  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  that  Dunham  might  know  where  to  land.  At 
Derby's,  the  Prophet  remained  in  hiding  for  some  time,  and  Rock- 
well went  east,  remaining  for  several  months  in  Pennsylvania 
and  New  Jersey. 

NFrom  his  place  of  concealment,  Joseph  directed  the  move- 
ments of  the  people  at  Nauvoo,  and  managed  his  own  business 
through  faithful  agents,  who  met  with  him  occasionally.  Emma 
spent  considerable  of  her  time  with  him,  and  beguiled  the  lone- 
liness of  those  weary  hours  of  inactivity  that  he,  whose  life  is 
the  synonym  for  activity,  had  to  endure.  \ 

During  those  days  of  exile,  one  gets  a  glimpse  of  the 
Prophet's  private  life  and  character,  that  in  part  explains  the 
mystery  of  his  power  and  influence  over  his  friends  and  his  people : 
— it  was  his  unbounded  love  for  them.  Speaking  of  the  meet- 
ing with  his  friends  in  the  night  at  the  island,  in  the  account  he 
gives  of  it  in  the  Book  of  the  Law  of  the  Lord,  he  says: 

How  glorious  were  my  feelings  when  I  met  that  faithful  and 
friendly  band,  on  the  night  of  the  eleventh  [of  August],  on  the  island 


146  RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

at  the  mouth  of  the  slough  between  Zarahemla  and  Nauvoo.  With 
what  unspeakable  delight,  and  what  transports  of  joy  swelled  my 
bosom,  when  I  took  by  the  hand,  on  that  night,  my  beloved  Emma — 
she  that  was  my  wife,  even  the  wife  of  my  youth,  and  choice  of  my 
heart.  Many  were  the  vibrations  of  my  mind  when  I  contemplated 
for  a  moment  the  many  scenes  we  had  been  called  to  pass  through, 
the  fatigues  and  the  toils,  the  sorrows  and  sufferings,  and  the  joys 
and  the  consolations,  from  time  to  time,  which  had  strewed  our  paths 
and  crowned  our  board.  Oh,  what  a  commingling  of  thoughts  filled 
my  mind  for  the  moment! — and  again  she  is  here,  even  in  the  seventh 
trouble — undaunted,  firm  and  unwavering — unchangeable,  affection- 
ate Emma! 

Of  his  brother  Hyrum  on  the  same  occasion  he  says: 

There  was  Brother  Hyrum,  who  next  took  me  by  the  hand — a 
natural  brother.  Thought  Ito  myself ,  Brother  Hyrum,  what  a  faith- 
ful heart  you  have  got!  Oh,  may  the  Eternal  Jehovah  crown  eternal 
blessings  upon  your  head,  as  a  reward  for  the  care  you  have  had  for 
my  soul!  Oh,  how  many  are  the  sorrows  we  have  shared  together! 
and  again  we  find  ourselves  shackled  by  the  unrelenting  hand  of  op- 
pression. Hyrum,  thy  name  shall  be  written  in  the  Book  of  the  Law 
of  the  Lord,  for  those  who  come  after  to  look  upon,  that  they  may 
pattern  after  thy  works.* 

"*  So  he  goes  on  to  call  the  faithful  by  their  names  and  record 
their  deeds  of  love  manifested  towards  himself,  and  pronounces 
his  blessings  upon  them;  and  if,  as  one  of  old  said,  "We  know 
that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life  because  we  love  the 
brethren" — surely  Joseph  Smith  possessed  that  witness — he 
loved  his  brethren  better  than  his  life! 


*  Some  years  before  this,  in  December,  1835,  Joseph  said  of  Hyrum: 
"I  could  pray  in  my  heart  that  all  men  were  like  my  brother  Hyrum, 
who  possesses  the  mildness  of  a  lamb,  and  the  integrity  of  a  Job,  and 
in  short,  the  meekness  and  humility  of  Christ;  and  I  love  him  with 
that  love  that  is  stronger  than  death,  for  I  never  had  occasion  to  re- 
buke him,  nor  he  me." — Mill.  Star,  vol.  vx.  p.  521. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  147 

Some  of  the  brethren  proposed  that  Joseph  should  go  up 
to  the  pine  woods  of  Wisconsin,  where  a  number  of  the  breth- 
ren were  engaged  in  getting  out  timber  for  the  Temple  and 
Nauvoo  House,  until  the  excitement  should  subside  in  Illinois. 
Of  this  proposition,  Joseph  said  in  a  letter  to  Emma: 

My  mind  will  eternally  revolt  at  every  suggestion  of  that  kind. 
*  *  *  My  safety  is  with  you  if  you  want  to  have 

it  so.  *  *  *  If  I  go  to  the  pine  country,  you  shall  go 
along  with  me,  and  the  children;  and  if  you  and  the  children  go  not 
with  me,  I  don't  go.  I  do  not  wish  to  exile  myself  for  the  sake  of 
my  own  life.  I  would  rather  fight  it  out.  It  is  fcr  your  sakes  there- 
fore that  I  would  do  such  a  thing. 

This  plan,  however,  was  abandoned. 


148  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE   prophet's   TRIAL   AT   SPRINGFIELD — MISSOURI   AGAIN 

THWARTED. 

IT  appears  that  Joseph  had  resolved  to  submit  no  longer  to  the 
injustice  he  had  suffered  from  the  hands  of  the  people  of 
Missouri.  It  was  rumored  that  the  officers  on  leaving  Nauvoo, 
breathed  out  threats  of  returning  with  sufficient  force  to  search 
every  house  in  the  city  and  vicinity;  and  Sheriff  Ford,  the  agent 
of  Missouri,  threatened  to  bring  a  mob  against  the  Mormons,  if 
necessary  to  arrest  the  Prophet.  Hearing  these  rumors,  Joseph 
exchanged  several  letters  with  William  Law,  who  had  been 
recently  elected  major-general  of  the  Legion,  vice  John  C.  Ben- 
nett, cashiered;  in  which  he  admonished  him  to  have  all  things 
in  readiness  to  protect  the  people  in  their  rights,  and  not  for 
one  moment  to  submit  to  the  outrages  that  were  threatened. 

"You  will  see,  therefore,"  said  he,  in  a  letter  written  on  the 
fourteenth  of  August,  to  Law,  "that  the  peace  of  the  city  of  Nau- 
voo is  kept,  let  who  will,  endeavor  to  disturb  it.  You  will  also  see 
that  whenever  any  mob  force  or  violence  is  used,  on  any  citizen 
thereof, or  that  belongeth  thereunto,  you  will  see  that  force  or  vio- 
lence is  immediately  dispersed,  and  brought  to  punishment,  or 
meet  it,  and  contest  it  at  the  point  of  the  sword,  with  firm,  un- 
daunted and  unyielding  valor;  and  let  them  know  that  the  spirit 
of  old  Seventy-six,  and  of  George  Washington  yet  lives,  and  is 
contained  in  the  bosoms  and  blood  of  the  children  of  the  fathers 
thereof.  If  there  are  any  threats  in  the  city,  let  legal  steps  be 
taken  against  them;  and  let  no  man,  woman  or  child  be  intimi- 
dated, nor  suffer  it  to  be  done.     Nevertheless,  as  I  said  in  the 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  149 

first  place,  we  will  take  every  measure  that  lays  in  our  power, 
and  make  every  sacrifice  that  God  or  man  could  require  at  our 
hands,  to  preserve  the  peace  and  safety  of  the  people  without 
collision." 

To  these  sentiments  there  was  a  willing  response  of  acqui- 
escence on  the  part  of  the  major-general,  and  he  pledged  him- 
self to  faithfully  carry  out  Joseph's  orders,  provided  the  emer- 
gency for  doing  so  should  arise.  After  a  little,  however,  the 
excitement  began  to  subside;  and  as  Joseph's  hiding  place  at 
Derby's  was  discovered  by  a  young  man  who  suddenly  came 
upon  him  and  his^kind  host  while  they  were  walking  out  in  the 
woods  for  exercise,  the  Prophet  moved  quietly  into  the  city, 
staying  first  at  the  house  of  one  friend  a  day  or  two,  and  then 
removing  to  that  of  another. 

In  the  meantime  the  case  was  plainly  placed  before  Gov- 
ernor Carlin;  and  the  course  that  Joseph  had  taken  fully  vindi- 
cated by  letters  written  to  him  by  Emma  his  wife,  who  displayed 
no  mean  ability  in  the  correspondence  she  opened  up  with  the 
governor,  which  so  nearly  concerned  the  peace  of  her  family. 
She  directed  the  attention  of  the  governor  to  the  fact  that  Joseph 
had  not  been  in  the  State  of  Missouri  for  some  three  or  four 
years — that  if  her  husband  had  been  accessory  before  the  fact, 
to  the  assault  upon  ex-Governor  Boggs,  the  crime,  if  committed 
at  all — which  she  stoutly  averred  was  not  the  case — was  done  in 
Illinois,  and  there  was  no  law  to  drag  a  man  from  a  State  where 
the  crime  was  committed,  into  a  State  where  it  had  not  been 
committed,  for  trial;  and  as  her  husband  had  not  been  in  the 
State  of  Missouri  for  several  years  previous  to  the  assault  on 
Boggs,  he  could  not  have  fled  from  the  justice  of  that  State, 
and  therefore  ought  not  to  be  given  up  under  the  f ugitive-from- 

iustice  law.  ^  :A 

—  1 
Letters  from  many  prominent  citizens  of  Nauvoo  were  also  I 

sent  to  the  governor;  and  the  Female  Relief  Society  called  his 

attention  to  the  threat  of  mob  violence  and  invasion  from  Mis- 


150  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

souri,  and  asked  that  sufficient  military  protection  might  be  given 
to  insure  the  peace  and  safety  of  Nauvoo.  All  these  things  the 
governor  treated  lightly,  and  claimed  that  the  only  excitement 
that  existed  was  with  the  Mormon  people  at  Nauvoo,  and  no- 
where else;  and  there  was  no  need,  he  insisted,  of  taking  the 
precautions  hinted  at  by  the  people;  though  when  talking  on 
another  subject  he  unwittingly  remarked  that  persons  were  offer- 
ing their  services  every  day  either  in  person  or  by  letter,  and 
held  themselves  in  readiness  to  go  against  the  Saints  when- 
ever he  should  call  upon  them;  but  he  never  had  the  least  idea 
of  calling  on  the  militia,  neither  had  he  thought  it  necessary. 
He  maintained  that  the  proper  thing  for  Joseph  to  do  was  to 
give  himself  up  to  the  authorities  of  Missouri  for  trial,  and  he 
had  no  doubt  that  he  would  be  acquitted.  Judge  Ralston  asked 
him  how  he  thought  Mr.  Smith  would  go  through  the  midst  of 
his  enemies  without  being  subject  to  violence;  and  how  after 
his  acquittal,  he  would  be  able  to  return  to  Illinois.  To  that 
proposition  the  governor  could  give  no  satisfactory  answer,  but 
made  light  of  the  whole  matter.  And  in  spite  of  all  the  protests 
sent  in  by  the  people  of  Nauvoo,  he  made  a  proclamation  that 
as  Joseph  Smith  and  0.  P.  Rockwell  had  resisted  the  laws,  by 
refusing  to  go  with  the  officers  who  had  them  in  custody,  and  had 
made  their  escape,  he  offered  a  reward  of  two  hundred  dollars 
for  each  or  either  of  those  ''fugitives  from  justice."  Governor 
Reynolds  also  offered  a  reward  for  their  arrest,  three  hundred 
dollars  for  each  one  or  either  of  them. 

Joseph  continued  to  remain  in  the  city  and  moved  about 
cautiously,  attending  to  his  business.  A  tide  of  popular  preju- 
dice had  set  in  of  such  proportions  that  it  seemed  that  it  would 
overwhelm  the  Saints.  It  had  been  created  largely  through  the 
misrepresentations  of  John  C.  Bennett,  and  Joseph  at  once  de- 
termined to  counteract  it  if  possible.  He  ordered  that  a  special 
conference  be  called  to  meet  on  the  29th  of  August,  to  appoint 
Elders  of  The  Church  to  go  through  the  State  of  Illinois  and  the 


RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO.  151, 

east  to  flood  the  country  with  the  truth  in  relation  to  Bennett's 
character.  The  conference  was  called,  and  in  the  interim  docu- 
ments and  affidavits  were  prepared  that  the  brethren  might  be 
armed  with  proofs  in  relation  to  the  facts  respecting  Bennett 
and  his  misrepresentations. 

The  conference  convened  on  the  day  appointed  and  Hyrum 
Smith  addressed  them  on  the  mission  that  many  of  them  were 
expected  to  take.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  remarks,  Joseph  sud- 
denly stepped  into  the  stand  to  the  great  joy  of  his  people,  many  of 
whom  thought  he  had  gone  to  Washington,  and  others  to  Europe. 
His  appearance  created  great  cheerfulness  and  animation  among 
the  people.  Joseph,  naturally  impulsive,  was  overjoyed  to  again 
stand  before  the  Saints.  He  addressed  them  in  more  than  his 
usual  spirited  manner  and  called  upon  the  brethren  to  go  through 
the  States  taking  documents  with  them,  "to  show  to  the  world 
the  corrupt  and  oppressive  conduct  of  Boggs,  Carlin  and  others, 
that  the  public  might  have  the  truth  laid  before  them."  In  re- 
sponse to  this  call  to  sustain  the  Prophet's  character,  three 
hundred  and  eighty  Elders  volunteered  their  services,  and  an- 
nounced their  willingness  to  go  immediately. 

For  several  days  after  the  conference  the  Prophet  con- 
tinued about  home,  but  it  being  revealed  to  him  that  his  enemies 
were  again  on  the  move  to  take  him,  he  found  it  necessary  to 
drop  out  of  sight.  It  was  during  this  time  of  hiding  that  he 
wrote  those  instructions  respecting  baptism  for  the  dead,  con- 
tained in  the  127th  and  128th  sections  of  the  Book  of  Doctrine 
and  Covenants. 

But  notwithstanding  his  enemies  were  on  the  watch  for 
him,  he  now  and  then  visited  his  home;  and  on  the  occasion  of 
paying  one  of  these  visits  to  his  family  he  nearly  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  officers.  He  was  at  dinner  with  his  family  at  the 
''Mansion,"  when  Deputy  Sheriff  Pitman,  of  i\.dams  County,  and 
an  assistant  suddenly  presented  themselves  at  the  door.  For- 
tunately John  Boynton,  w^ho  was  present,   saw  them  first  and 


152  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

went  to  the  door  to  meet  them.  They  asked  him  if  Joseph 
Smith  was  present,  to  which  he  gave  an  evasive  answer,  saying 
that  he  had  seen  Joseph  that  morning,  but  did  not  say  he  had 
seen  him  since.  During  this  conversation  the  Prophet  stepped 
out  of  the  back  door,  ran  through  the  corn  in  his  garden  and  so 
to  the  house  of  Bishop  N.  K.  Whitney.  Emma  now  engaged  the 
sheriff  in  conversation.  He  said  he  wanted  to  search  the  house. 
She  asked  if  he  had  a  search  warrant,  to  which  he  answered  in 
the  negative;  but  insisted  on  searching  the  house  nevertheless, 
and  as  she  knew  that  Joseph  had  escaped,  she  did  not  refuse. 
Of  course  the  search  was  fruitless. 

It  was  reported  that  a  party  of  fifteen  left  Quincy  with  the 
sheriff  the  day  before,  and  that  they  rode  all  night  expecting  to 
reach  Nauvoo  before  daylight,  surround  the  ''Mansion,"  and  cap- 
ture Joseph.  But  in  the  night  they  got  scattered  and  did  not 
meet  again,  nor  did  Sheriff  Pitman  reach  Nauvoo  until  about 
noon,  when  he  made  the  effort  above  detailed. 

About  the  first  of  October,  Elder  Rigdon  and  Elias  Higbee 
were  in  Carthage,  and  from  a  conversation  with  Judge  Douglass, 
they  learned  that  Governor  Carlin  had  purposely  issued  an  illegal 
writ  for  the  arrest  of  Joseph,  thinking  he  would  go  to  Carthage 
to  be  acquitted  on  habeas  corpus  proceedings  before  Judge 
Douglass;  when  an  officer  of  the  State  would  be  present  with  a 
legal  writ  and  serve  it  upon  him  immediately,  and  thus  drag  him 
to  Missouri.  The  plot,  however,  was  discovered  in  time  to 
thwart  it,  and  Joseph,  in  company  with  Elder  John  Taylor,  Wil- 
son Law  and  John  D.  Parker,  left  Nauvoo  for  the  home  of  Elder 
Taylor's  father,  about  a  day.  and  a  half's  ride  from  Nauvoo,  and 
there  the  Prophet  remained  for  about  a  week. 

Meantime,  through  Major  Warren,  master  in  chancery, 
Joseph's  case  was  presented  to  Justice  Butterfield,  of  Chicago, 
and  United  States  attorney  for  the  district  of  Illinois.  He  wrote 
out  an  elaborate  review  of  the  case  in  which  he  claimed  that 
Joseph  could  be  released  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus;  that  he 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  153 

would  have  the  right  to  prove  that  he  was  not  in  Missouri  at 
the  time  the  alleged  crime  was  committed — that  of  necessity, 
if  he  was  guilty  of  the  crime  with  which  he  was  charged,  he 
must  have  committed  it  in  Illinois,  and  therefore  was  not  a  fugi- 
tive from  justice — and  the  governor  of  Illinois  had  no  right  to 
surrender  him  to  the  authorities  of  Missouri  as  such.  Mr.  Butter- 
field  contended  that  a  warrant  for  the  action  of  the  governor  of 
a  State,  in  delivering  up  a  person  to  the  authorities  of  another 
State,  was  found  in  that  clause  of  the  Constitution  which  says: 

A  person  charged  in  any  State  with  treason,  felony  or  other 
crime,  who  shall  flee  from  justice,  and  be  found  in  another  State,  shall » 
on  demand  of  the  executive  authority  of  the  State  from  which  he  fled, 
be  delivered  up,  to  be  removed  to  the  State  having  jurisdiction  of  the 
crime.     (Constitution,  Article  4;  Section  2.) 

Mr.  Butterfield  insisted  that  it  was  unnecessary  to  inquire 
into  the  laws  that  had  been  enacted  by  Congress  on  the  subject, 
since: 

Congress  has  just  so  much  power  and  no  more  than  is  expressly 
given  by  the  said  clause  in  the  Constitution. 

"What  persons,  then,"  he  inquires,  "can  be  surrendered  up 
by  the  governor  of  one  State  to  the  governor  of  another?" 

First:  He  must  be  a  person  charged  with  treason,  felony  or  other 
crime.  It  is  sufficient  if  he  be  charged  with  the  commission  of  crime, 
either  by  indictment  found  or  by  affidavit.  Second:  He  must  be  a 
person  who  shall  flee  from  justice,  and  be  found  in  another  State.  It 
is  not  sufficient  to  satisfy  this  branch  of  the  Constitution,  that  he 
should  be  "charged"  with  having  fled  from  justice.  Unless  he  has 
actually  fled  from  the  State,  where  the  offense  was  committed,  into 
another  State,  the  governor  of  this  State  has  no  jurisdiction  over  his 
person  and  cannot  deliver  him  up. 

Mr.  Butterfield  reviewed  the  subject  of  habeas  corpus  writs 
and  their  operations  both  in  England  and  the  United  States,  and 

10 


154  RISE  AND  FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

quoted  a  number  of  cases  from  the  courts  of  New  York,  and  the 
action  of  the  executives  of  the  several  States  to  support  the 
principles  he  contended  for,  and  concluded  his  communication  in 
these  words: 

I  would  advise  that  Mr.  Smith  procure  respectable  and  sufficient 
affidavits  to  prove  beyond  all  question  that  he  was  in  this  State  [Illi- 
nois] and  not  in  Missouri  at  the  time  the  crime  with  which  he  was 
charged  was  committed,  and  upon  these  affidavits,  apply  to  the  gov- 
ernor to  countermand  the  warrant  he  has  issued  for  his  arrest.  If  he 
should  refuse  so  to  do,  I  am  already  of  the  opinion  that,  upon  that 
state  of  facts,  the  supreme  court  will  discharge  him  upon  habeas 
corpus. 

Joseph  acted  upon  this  advice,  and  sent  agents  with  all  the 
necessary  papers  to  Springfield  and  applied  to  Governor  Ford — 
Carlin's  term  of  office  in  the  meantime  having  expired — to  re- 
voke the  writ  and  proclamation  of  ex-Governor  Carlin  for  his 
arrest.  The  supreme  court  being  in  session,  Governor  Ford 
submitted  the  petition  and  all  the  papers  pertaining  thereto  for 
their  opinion,  and  they  were  unanimous  in  their  belief  that  the 
Missouri  writ  was  illegal,  but  were  divided  as  to  whether  it 
would  be  proper  for  the  present  executive  to.  interfere  with  the 
official  acts  of  his  predecessor,  and  therefore  Governor  Ford  re- 
fused to  interfere;  but  said,  in  a  personal  letter  addressed  to 
the  Prophet: 

I  can  only  advise  that  you  submit  to  the  laws  and  have  a  judicial 
investigation  of  your  rights.  If  it  should  become  necessary,  for  this 
purpose  to  repair  to  Springfield,  I  do  not  believe  that  there  will  be 
any  disposition  to  use  illegal  violence  towards  you;  and  I  would  feel 
it  my  duty  in  your  case,  as  in  the  case  of  any  other  person,  to  pro- 
tect you  with  any  necessary  amount  of  force,  from  mob  violence 
whilst  asserting  your  rights  before  the  courts,  going  to  and  return- 
ing. 

This  reply  was  endorsed   by  Mr.  'Butterfield   and  James 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  155 

Adams,  in  whom  Joseph  had  great  confidence;  and  in  con- 
formity with  the  advice,  Joseph  was  arrested  by  Wilson  Law, 
on  Carlin's  proclamation.  Application  was  made  at  Carthage 
for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  to  go  before  the  court  at  Spring- 
field. No  writ  could  be  obtained  at  the  court  in  Carthage,  as 
the  clerk  had  been  elected  to  the  State  senate;  but  an  order 
for  such  writ  was  issued  on  the  master  in  chancery,  and  with 
that  document  Joseph,  in  the  company  of  his  brother  Hyrum, 
John  Taylor  and  others,  and  in  charge  of  Wilson  Law,  started 
for  Springfield,  where  they  arrived  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
thirtieth  of  December,  1842. 

Judge  Pope  had  continued  his  court  two  or  three  days  in 
order  to  give  Joseph's  case  a  hearing,  and  in  the  first  interview 
the  judge  had  with  him,  agreed  to  try  the  case  on  its  merits, 
and  not  dismiss  it  on  any  technicality-  The  deputy  sheriflf  of 
Adams  County  was  present,  but  refused  at  first  to  say  whether 
he  had  the  original  writ  or  not;  but  finally  King,  his  associate, 
admitted  he  had  it. 

Fearing  that  it  was  the  object  of  these  men  to  hold  the 
original  writ  until  after  proceedings  had  concluded  on  the 
arrest  made  by  virtue  of  Governor  Carlin's  proclamation,  and 
thus  create  more  trouble,  a  petition  was  made  to  Governor 
Ford  to  issue  a  new  writ,  that  the  case  might  come  up  on  its 
merits,  which  was  granted,  and  Joseph  was  arrested  by  Mr. 
Maxey,  and  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  issued  by  the  court; 
but  as  several  days  must  elapse  before  a  hearing  could  be  had, 
Joseph  was  placed  under  $4,000  bonds,  Wilson  Law  and  Gen- 
eral James  Adams  being  his  bondsmen. 

At  last  the  day  of  trial  came  on  and  the  attorney-general 
of  the  State  made  the  following  objection  to  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  court: 

1.  The  arrest  and  detention  of  Smith,  was  not  under  or  by  color 
of  authority  of  the  United  States,  or  of  any   officer  of  the  United 


156  RISE  AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

States,  but  under  and  by  color  of  authority  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
by  the  officer  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

2.  When  a  fugitive  from  justice  is  arrested  by  authority  of 
the  governor  of  any  State,  upon  the  requisition  of  the  governor  of 
another  State,  the  courts  of  justice,  neither  State  nor  Federal,  have 
any  authority  or  jurisdiction  to  inquire  into  facts  behind  the  writ. 

These  points  were  ably  argued  pro  and  con  by  Mr.  But- 
terfield  for  the  defense,  and  the  attorney-general  for  the  State. 
After  giving  a  patient  hearing,  the  court  gave'its  opinion,  say- 
ing in  relation  to  the  first  objection,  that,  *'The  warrant  on  its 
face  purports  to  be  issued  in  pursuance  of  the  Constitution 
and  laws  of  the  United  States,  as  well  as  of  the  State  of 
Illinois;"  and  therefore  the  court  had  jurisdiction. 

"The  matter  in  hand,"  said  Judge  Pope,  ''presents  a  case 
arising  under  the  second  section  of  article  IV  of  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States,  and  an  act  of  Congress  of  February 
12th,  1793,  to  carry  it  into  effect.  The  Constitution  says: 
'The  judicial  power  shall  extend  to  all  cases  in  law  or  equity 
arising  under  this  Constitution,  the  laws  of  the  United  States, 
and  treaties  made,  and  which  shall  be  made  under  their 
authority.' " 

Therefore,  on  that  line  of  reasoning,  the  judge  concluded 
the  court  had  jurisdiction.  As  to  the  second  objection— the 
right  of  the  court  to  inquire  into  facts  behind  the  writ — the 
judge  held  it  unnecessary  to  decide  that  point,  as  Smith  was 
entitled  to  his  discharge,  for  defect  in  the  affidavit  on  which 
the  demand  for  his  surrender  to  Missouri  was  made.  To  justify 
the  demand  for  his  arrest  the  affidavit  should  have  shown, 
''First,  that  Smith  committed  a  crime;  second,  that  he  com- 
mitted it  in  Missouri.  And  it  must  also  appear  'that  Smith  had 
fled  from  Missouri.' "  None  of  these  things  the  affidavit  of 
Boggs  did,  and  the  judge  held  that  it  was  defective  for  those 
reasons,  and  added: 

The  court  can  alone  regard  the  facts  set  forth  in  the  affidavit  of 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  157 

Boggs  as  having  any  legal  existence.  The  mis-recitals  and  over- 
statements in  the  requisition  and  warrant  are  not  supported  by  oath 
and  cannot  be  received  as  evidence  to  deprive  a  citizen  of  his  liberty, 
and  transport  him  to  a  foreign  State  for  trial.  For  these  reasons, 
Smith  must  be  discharged. 

And  Joseph  had  scored  another  victory  over  his  old   ene- 
mies in  Missouri. 


158  RISE  AND  FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

INCIDENTS  OF  THE  TRIAL  AND  ACQUITTAL. 

DURING  the  trial,  excitement  at  times  ran  high  and  threat- 
ened to  break  out  into  acts  of  violence.  When 
Joseph  first  made  his  way  through  the  throng  about  the  court- 
house, some  one  in  the  crowd  recognized  him,  and  exclaimed: 
''There  goes  Smith  now!"  *'Yes,"said  another,  "and  a  fine  look- 
ing man  he  is,  too."  "And  as  damned  a  rascal  as  ever  lived!" 
put  in  a  third.  Hyrum  Smith,  overhearing  the  last  remark  said : 
"And  a  good  many  ditto!"  "Yes,"  said  the  person  addressed, 
"ditto,  ditto,  G — d  d-rn  you,  and  every  one  that  takes  his  part 
is  as  d — d  a  rascal  as  he  is."  "I  am  that  man;"  shouted  Wilson 
Law,  "and  I'll  take  his  part!"  Whereupon  both  parties  pre- 
pared for  a  fight;  but  Mr.  Prentice,  the  marshal,  interfered  and 
quelled  the  disturbance;  and  the  excitement  soon  quieted  down. 

During  the  progress  of  the  trial  the  Prophet  had  good  oppor- 
tunity of  associating  with  some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  State, 
among  them  the  judges  of  the  supreme  court,  and  Governor  Ford, 
who  ventured  to  caution  the  Prophet  to  have  nothing  to  do  with 
electioneering  in  political  contests ;  a  thing,  the  Prophet 
said  in  reply,  he  had  never  done.  Governor  Ford  also  told  him 
that  he  had  a  requisition  from  the  governor  of  Missouri  for  the 
arrest  of  himself  and  others  on  the  old  charge  of  treason,  arson, 
etc.,  but  he  happened  to  know  that  the  charges  were  dead.  The 
State  legislature  was  also  in  session  and  consequently  there  was 
a  general  gathering  of  the  principal  men  of  Illinois,  and  the 
Prophet  extended  largely  his  circle  of  acquaintances  among 
them. 

The  time  occupied  by  the  trial  kept  Joseph  and  his  party 
over  one  Sunday  in  Springfield,  and  the  use  of  the  hall  of  repre- 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  159 

sentatives  was  tendered  him  in  which  to  hold  religious  services. 
The  use  of  the  hall  was  accepted  and  Orson  Hyde  preached  in 
the  forenoon,  and  Elder  John  Taylor  in  the  afternoon;  the  ser- 
vices being  largely  attended  by  members  of  the  legislature. 

It  required  several  days  to  make  the  journey  from  Spring- 
field to  Nauvoo,  and  the  Prophet's  party  suffered  no  little  from 
the  extreme  coldness  of  the  weather.  The  news  of  Joseph's 
triumph  had  preceded  him,  and  as  his  party  approached  the  city, 
of  which  he  was  the  chief  founder,  the  people  turned  out  almost 
en  masse  to  bid  him  welcome  to  his  home;  and  though  there  was 
little  or  none  of  the  pomp  and  circumstance  and  splendor  that 
attend  the  welcome  of  a  king  by  his  subjects,  yet  never  did 
king  receive  more  hearty  or  sincere  welcome  from  his  people 
than  did  Joseph  from  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo. 

The  day  following  his  return  home  the  Prophet  issued  in- 
vitations to  the  Twelve  Apostles  and  their  wives  and  other  lead- 
ing citizens  to  attend  a  feast  at  his  house  in  honor  of  his  release 
from  his  enemies.  The  Twelve  at  the  same  time  issued  a  proc- 
lamation inviting  the  Saints  in  Nauvoo  to  unite  with  them  in 
dedicating  Tuesday,  the  seventeenth  of  January,  1843,  as  "a  day 
of  humiliation,  fasting,  praise,  prayer  and  thanksgiving  before 
the  Great  Eloheim,"  because  of  the  deliverance  He  had  wrought 
out  for  His  servant.  The  Bishops  were  instructed  to  provide 
suitable  places  in  their  respective  wards  for  the  people  to  meet 
in,  and  one  or  more  of  the  brethren  who  had  been  with  Joseph  at 
Springfield,  would  be  present  to  relate  what  had  happened. 

Although  to  relate  here  the  circumstances  that  befell  the 
man  who  was  accused  as  the  chief  actor  in  the  assault  upon  ex- 
Governor  Boggs — 0.  P.  Rockwell — takes  us  beyond  many  events 
of  which  we  desire  to  speak,  we  think  it  proper  to  re- 
cord how,  after  spending  several  months  in  the  eastern  States, 
he  returned  to  St.  Louis  where  he  was  recognized  by  Elias 
Parker,  who  made  affidavit  that  he  was  the  0.  P.  Rockwell  ad- 
vertised for  in  the  papers,  and  on  the  fourth  of  March,  1843, 


160  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

was  arrested  by  Mr.  Fox,  and  taken  to  Independence  for  trial. 
Rockwell  wrote  from  his  prison  in  Independence  to  Bishop  N. 
K.  Whitney,  for  bail,  which  was  fixed  at  five  thousand  dollars; 
but  as  the  court  in  Missouri  would  only  take  some  responsible 
person  resident  in  Missouri,  bail  could  not  be  secured  for  him. 

I  have  not  the  space  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  all  Rock- 
well's adventures  and  sufferings  during  his  weary  imprisonment  of 
nearly  eight  months.  He  suffered  much  cruelty  in  prison  life, 
and  when  his  case  came  before  the  grand  jury  there  wasn't 
sufficient  evidence  to  justify  an  indictment  against  him.  But 
in  the  meantime  he  had  made  an  effort  to  escape,  and  was  held 
on  a  charge  of  jail-breaking,  for  which,  when  he  came  to  be 
tried,  he  was  sentenced  to  five  minutes'  imprisonment,  though 
they  kept  him  for  several  hours  while  an  effort  was  made 
to  trump  up  new  charges  against  him. 

One  incident  occurred  during  Rockwell's  imprisonment  that 
we  can  not  pass  without  notice.  Sheriff  Reynolds  made  an  ef- 
fort to  induce  him  to  go  to  Nauvoo,  and  as  the  Prophet  Joseph 
had  great  confidence  in  him,  Reynolds'  proposition  was  that 
he  should  drive  Joseph  in  a  carriage  outside  of  Nauvoo,  where 
the  Missourians  could  capture  him;  and  then,  as  to  himself,  he 
could  either  remain  in  Illinois,  return  to  Missouri  or  go  where 
he  pleased.  "You  only  deliver  Joe  Smith  into  our  hands,"  said 
Reynolds,  "and  name  your  pile."  "I  will  see  you  all  damned 
first,  and  then  I  won't,"  replied  Rockwell. 

After  meeting  with  many  adventures  he  arrived  in  Nauvoo 
on  an  evening  when  there  was  a  social  party  in  progress  at  the 
Prophet's  house.  In  the  midst  of  the  festivities  Joseph  observed 
a  rough-looking  man  with  long  hair  falling  down  over  his  should- 
ers, staggering  among  his  guests  as  if  intoxicated,  and  the  sus- 
picion arose  at  once  that  he  was  a  Missourian.  Joseph  quietly 
spoke  to  the  captain  of  police  who  was  present,  and  told  him  to 
put  the  stranger  out.  A  struggle  ensued,  and  during  its  prog- 
ress the  Prophet  had  a  full  view  of  the  man's  face,  and  at  once 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  161 

recognized  his  devoted  friend  0.  P.  Rockwell.  It  is  needless  to 
say  he  was  given  a  hearty  welcome  or  that  the  story  of  his  ad- 
ventures among  the  Missourians  contributed  no  little  to  the  en- 
joyment of  the  evening,  though  some  portions  of  his  narrative 
were  so  burdened  with  accounts  of  his  sufferings  and  the  cruelties 
practiced  towards  him,  that  they  were  calculated  to  produce 
sorrow  rather  than  joy.  But  these  feelings  were  banished  by 
the  fact  that  he  was  now  delivered  out  of  them  all,  and  honor- 
ably discharged  in  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  uttered  by  Joseph 
shortly  after  he  heard  of  Rockwell's  arrest  in  St.  Louis,  nearly 
a  year  before.  The  party  which  had  been  so  rudely  yet  so 
pleasantly  interrupted,  proceeded,  no  one  enjoying  it  more  than 
the  "long-haired  stranger." 

A  few  days,  only,  after  the  departure  from  Springfield  of 
the  Prophet  and  his  party,  John  C.  Bennett  arrived  there.  The 
measures  he  then  set  on  foot,  and  which  produced,  ultimately, 
what  very  nearly  became  serious  results,  may  be  judged  from 
the  following  letter  addressed  to  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Orson  Pratt, 
under  date  of  January  10,  1843: 

Dear  Friends — It  is  a  long  time  since  1  have  written  to  you, 
and  I  should  now  much  desire  to  see  you;  but  I  leave  tonight  for  Mis- 
souri, to  meet  the  messenger  charged  with  the  arrest  of  Joseph  Smith, 
Hyrum  Smith,  Lyman  Wight  and  others,  for  murder,burglary,treason, 
etc.,  etc.,  and  who  will  be  demanded  in  a  few  days  on  new  indict- 
ments found  by  a  grand  jury  of  a  called  court  on  the  original  evi- 
dence, and  in  relation  to  which  a  nolle  prosequi  was  entered  by  the  dis- 
trict attorney. 

New  proceedings  have  been  gotten  up  on  the  old  charges,  and 
no  habeas  corpus  can  then  save  them.  We  shall  try  Smith  on  the 
Boggs  case,  when  we  get  him  into  Missouri.  The  war  goes  bravely 
on;  and  although  Smith  thinks  he  is  now  safe,  the  enemy  is  near, 
even  at  the  door.  He  has  awoke  the  wrong  passenger.  The  govern- 
or will  relinquish  Joe  up  at  once  on  the  new  requisition.  There 
is  but  one  opinion  on  the  case,  and  that  is,  nothing  can  save  Joe  on 
the  new  requisition  and  demand,  predicated  on  the  old  charges  on  the 


162  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

institution  of  new  writs.  He  must  go  to  Missouri;  but  he  will  not 
be  harmed  if  he  is  not  guilty;  but  he  is  a  murderer,  and  must  suffer 
the  penalty  of  the  law.     Enough  on  this  subject. 

I  hope  that  both  of  your  amiable  families  are  well,  and  you  will 
please  to  give  to  them  all  my  best  respects.  I  hope  to  see  you  soon. 
When  the  officer  arrives  I  shall  be  near  at  hand,  I  shall  see  you  all 
again.     Please  write  me  at  Independence  immediately. 

This  letter  was  handed  by  Orson  Pratt  to  Joseph,  and  was 
read  by  him  to  Sidney  Rigdon  and  the  company  which  gathered  at 
the  Nauvoo  Mansion  to  celebrate  the  Prophet's  release  by  a  feast, 
to  the  discomfiture  of  Sidney  Rigdon,  who  of  course  was  averse  to 
having  it  known  that  he  held  any  correspondence  with  Bennett. 
The  action  of  Orson  Pratt  in  this  matter  paved  the  way  for  his 
return  to  his  position  in  The  Church,  for  he  had  been  suspended 
from  his  quorum  in  the  Priesthood,  having  been  led  to  oppose 
the  counsels  and  falsely  accuse  the  Prophet,  in  consequence  of 
the  misrepresentations  and  malicious  schemes  of  John  C.  Ben- 
nett. But  after  the  above  incident,  he  was  re-baptized  by  the 
Prophet  and  received  back  into  the  quorum  of  the  Apostles  in 
full  confidence  and  fellowship. 

Meantime  Nauvoo  was  growing.  At  this  period— the 
winter  of  1843 — her  inhabitants  are  variously  computed  from 
twelve  to  sixteen  thousand.  Her  public  buildings,  chiefly  the 
Temple  and  the  Nauvoo  House,  were  progressing  rapidly.  More 
pretentious  buildings  were  being  erected,  and  new  additions 
to  the  original  town  plat  were  made,  and  the  city,  early  in  De- 
cember, 1842,  had  been  divided,  ecclesiastically,  into  ten  wards? 
and  Bishops  were  appointed  by  the  High  Council  to  preside  over 
each.  The  city  council  was  active  in  passing  ordinances  to 
meet  the  growing  necessities  of  a  rapidly  increasing  popula- 
tion, looking  especially  to  the  cleanliness,  health  and  morality 
of  the  city.  In  February,  1843,  Joseph  was  elected  a  second 
time  to  be  mayor,  and  all  things  considered,  Nauvoo  was  rap- 
idly approaching  the  high  water  mark  of  her  prosperity. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  163 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

DOCTRINAL  DEVELOPMENT  AT  NAUVOO — INTERPRETATION  OF  THE 

SCRIPTURES. 

AFTER  the  effort  of  the  Prophet's  enemies  to  drag  him  into 
Missouri  on  the  charge  of  being  an  accessory  before  the 
fact  in  an  attempt  upon  the  life  of  ex-Governor  Boggs,  Nauvoo 
was  granted  a  blessed  season  of  peace,  lasting  from  January, 
1843,  to  the  month  of  June  following.  It  is  well  to  note  the  cir- 
cumstance, for  Nauvoo  had  few  such  periods.  Peace  is  essential 
to  the  growth  of  cities.  Commerce  flees  from  strife;  and  trade 
sinks  into  decay  where  conflicts  distract  the  people.  Nauvoo 
was  favorably  located  and  no  city  in  the  inland- West  gave  bet- 
ter promise  of  becoming  an  important  center  of  domestic  com- 
merce, manufactures,  and  inland  and  river  trade.  With  peace 
it  could  easily  have  become  the  rival  of  St.  Louis  or  Chicago; 
and  Kansas  City  and  Omaha  as  outfitting  points  for  the  great 
West  might  scarcely  have  been  known.  In  addition  to  being  a 
center  of  trade,  manufactures  and  domestic  commerce,  the 
presence  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
would  have  made  it  a  shrine,  a  gathering  place  for  the  faithful 
from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  an  educational  center  also;  for 
already  the  charters  were  secured  and  the  faculty  chosen  for  a 
great  university;  and  the  keen  interest  which  the  Prophet  and 
his  followers  had  ever  manifested  in  education  gave  every  prom- 
ise that  Nauvoo  in  time  would  be  one  of  the  prominent  cen- 
ters of  higher  education  in  the  United  States. 

The  peace  essential  to  this  material  and  educational  growth, 


164  RISE   AND  FALL   OP  NAUVOO. 

however,  was  not  granted  to  Nauvoo.  Sectarian  bitterness 
against  the  religion  of  the  Prophet  and  his  followers  was 
too  deep-rooted;  political  jealousy  was  too  strong;  and 
hence  strife,  plots,  threats  of  violence,  actual  violence, 
rumors  of  invasions  from  Missouri,  hints  of  assistance 
from  mobs  in  Illinois,  the  frequent  arrest  of  the  founder  of  the 
city,  the  false  reports  that  went  abroad  concerning  its  inhabit- 
ants— all  combined  to  blight  the  growth  which  otherwise  might 
have  been  hoped  for  from  Nauvoo's  favorable  position  and  early 
development.  But  this  lull  referred  to  in  that  all  but  incessant 
storm  which  beat  upon  the  uncovered  head  of  Joseph  Smith 
from  the  time  he  announced  to  the  world  a  revelation  from 
God  until  this  period  of  grace — from  January,  1843,  to  the  June 
following — was  employed  by  him  to  good  advantage  in  the  mat- 
ter of  the  doctrinal  development  of  The  Church.  It  was  in  this 
period  that  he  unfolded  the  doctrines  which  most  distinguish 
The  Church,  which  under  God  he  had  founded,  from  the  secta- 
rian churches  founded  by  men.  Unfortunately  we  do  not  have 
verbatim  reports  of  his  discourses  during  this  period.  Most  of 
them  were  reported  in  long-hand  by  Willard  Richards,  his  confi- 
dential friend  and  secretary,  and  Wilford  Woodruff,  one  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles  and  noted  among  other  things  for  daily  jour- 
nalizing events  passing  under  his  observation.  But  these 
reports  are  not  verbatim,  and  there  doubtless  exist  many  ver- 
bal inaccuracies,  and  often  the  impression  of  the  idea  left  upon 
the  mind  of  the  reporter  rather  than  the  idea  itself.  But  not- 
withstanding some  verbal  inaccuracies  that  may  exist,  and  even 
the  statement  of  the  impression  of  ideas  for  the  ideas  them- 
selves, still  these  long-hand  reports  of  the  discourses  of  the 
Prophet,  stand  among  the  most  valued  documents  of  our  an- 
nals. 

Without  strict  regard  to  the  chronological  order  in  which 
occur  his  discourses,  conversations,  letters,  and  revelations 
quoted  in  the  following  pages  of  the  chapters  devoted  to  doc- 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  165 

trinal  subjects,  I  wish  to  present  the  substance  of  his  teachings 
within  the  period  named. 

THE  FUNCTIONS  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD  TO  BLESS. 

To  Orson  Hyde,  one  of  the  Twelve,  somewhat  given  to 
prophesying  calamities  and  speaking  with  severity  to  those  slow 
to  receive  his  words,  the  Prophet  took  occasion  to  say  in  a 
council  meeting  of  the  Twelve: 

I  told  Elder  Hyde  that  when  he  spoke  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
it  should  prove  true;  but  he  must  not  curse  the  people — rather  bless 
them. 

A  remark  which  at  once  recognizes  the  power  of  -that 
Priesthood  held  by  Orson  Hyde — even  though  he  curse  the  people 
— but  he  more  especially  points  out  the  fact  that  the  chief  func- 
tion of  that  Priesthood  is  to  bless  and  not  curse. 

THE  SCRIPTURES  AND  THEIR  INTERPRETATION. 

Occasionally  the  Prophet  expounded  the  Scriptures,  and  in 
this  he  was  most  happy:  not  so  much  on  account  of  his  knowl- 
edge of  ancient  languages — though  that  knowledge,  when  his 
opportunities  for  acquiring  it  are  taken  into  account,  was  sur- 
prisingly extensive — as  from  that  divine  inspiration  which  so 
mightily  rested  upon  him  at  times.  Of  the  Bible  itself  the 
Prophet  said: 

I  believe  the  Bible  as  it  read  when  it  came  from  the  pen  of  the 
original  writers.  Ignorant  translators,  careless  transcribers,  or  de- 
signing and  corrupt  priests  have  committed  many  errors. 

As  an  example  of  the  errors  which  had  crept  into  the  holy 
record  he  put  in  contrast  the  following: 

It  repented  the  Lord  that  he  had  made  man  on  the  earth.  —Gen- 
esis v:  6. 


166  RISE   AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

God  is  not  a  man,  that  he  should  lie;  neither  the  son  of  man  that 
he  should  repent. — Numbers  xxiii:  19. 

His  exegesis,  which  at  once  harmonizes  the  conflicting  pas- 
sages, and  satisfies  the  understanding,  is  as  follows: 

It  ought  to  read:  It  repented  Noah  that  God  had  made  man. 
This  I  believe,  and  then  the  other  quotation  [meaning  the  second] 
stands  fair.  If  an^  man  will  prove  to  me  by  one  passage  of  holy 
writ  one  item  I  believe  to  be  false,  I  will  renounce  and  disclaim  it  as 
far  as  I  have  promulgated  it. 

In  like  manner  he  set  the  following  passage  right,  Hebrews 
VI :  1-6. 

The  first  principles  of  the  Gospel,  as  I  believe,  are.  Faith,  Re- 
pentance, Baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins,  with  the  promise  of  the 
'Holy  Ghost.  Look  at  Hebrews  vi:  1,  for  contradictions!  "Therefore 
leaving  the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  let  us  go  on  unto  per- 
fection." If  a  man  leaves  the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  how 
can  he  be  saved  in  the  principles?  This  is  a  contradiction.  *  *  * 
I  will  render  it  as  it  should  be:  "Therefore  rioHeaving  the  principles 
of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  let  us  go  on  unto  perfection,  not  laying 
again  the  foundation  of  repentance  from  dead  works,  and  of  faith  to- 
wards God,"  etc. 

In  like  manner  he  pointed  out  a  solecism  in  the  Lord's 
prayer.     It  reads  in  our  common  version: 

Lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil,  for  thine 
is  the  kingdom,  the  power,  etc. 

In  contrast  with  this  may  be  placed  the  statement  of  James: 

Let  no  man  say  when  he  is  tempted,  I  am  tempted  of  God:  for 
God  cannot  be  tempted  with  evil,  neither  temptethheany  man. — James 
i:  13. 

Then  why  pray  to  God  the  Father — 

And  lead  us  not  into  temptation? 

The  Prophet's  exegesis  was: 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  167 

The  passage  should  read:  And  leave  us  not — or,  suffer  us  not 
to  be  led,  into  temptation,  for  thine  is  the  kingdom,  etc. 

Again,  in  a  public  discourse  he  dealt  with  the  following  pas- 
sage: 

Among  those  that  are  born  of  women,  there  hath  not  arisen  a 
greater  prophet  than  John  the  Baptist:  nevertheless,  he  that  is  least 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  greater  than  he. 

Taking  up  the  first  part  of  the  question,  viz:  the  greatness 
of  John,  he  thus  expounded  it: 

Firstly,  he  [John]  was  trusted  with  a  divine  mission  of  prepar- 
ing the  way  before  the  face  of  the  Lord.  Whoever  had  such  a  trust 
committed  to  him  before  or  since?  No  man.  Secondly,  he  was  in- 
trusted with  the  important  mission,  and  it  was  required  at  his  hands 
to  baptize  the  Son  of  Man.  .  Whoever  had  the  honor  of  doing  that? 
Whoever  had  so  great  a  privilege  and  glory?  Whoever  led  the  Son 
of  God  into  the  waters  of  baptism,  and  had  the  privilege  of  beholding 
the  Holy  Ghost  descend  in  the  form  of  a  dove,  or  rather  in  the  sign 
of  a  dove,  in  witness  of  that  administration?  *  *  *  Thirdly, 
John  at  that  time  was  the  only  legal  administrator  in  the  affairs  of 
the  kingdom  there  was  then  on  earth  and  holding  the  keys  of  power. 
The  Jews  had  to  obey  his  instructions  or  be  damned  by  their  own  laws, 
and  Christ  Himself  fulfilled  all  righteousness  in  becoming  obedient  to 
the  law  which  He  had  given  to  Moses  on  the  mount,  and  therebv 
magnified  it  and  made  it  honorable,  instead  of  destroyinp;  it.  The  son 
of  Zachariah  wrested  the  keys,  the  kingdom,  the  power,  the  glory, 
from  the  Jews,  by  the  holy  anoirtin"-  ar  J  decree  of  heaven;  and 
these  three  reasons  consJii't%,^c-  nim  the  greatest  Prophet  born  of 
women. 

Taking  up  the  second  part  of  the  subject — "He  that  is  least 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  greater  than  he,"  [i.  e.,  greater 
than  John] — it  was  made  easy  to  understand  in  the  following 
manner: 

How  was  the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  greater  than  he 


168  RISE   AND  PALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

[John]  ?  In  reply,  I  ask  who  did  Jesus  have  reference  to  as  being  the 
least?  Jesus  was  looked  upon  as  having  the  least  claim  in  all  God's 
kingdom,  and  was  least  entitled  to  their  credulity  as  a  Prophet,  as 
though  he  had  said:  "He  that  is  considered  the  least  among  you,  is 
greater  than  John — that  is  myself." 

Explaining  the  matter  of  interpretation  itself,  he  said: 

What  is  the  rule  of  interpretation?  Just  no  interpretation  at 
all.  Understand  it  precisely  as  it  reads.  I  have  a  key  by  which  I 
understand  the  Scriptures.  I  inquire,  what  was  the  question  which 
drew  out  the  answer  or  caused  Jesus  to  utter  the  parable?  *  *  * 
To  ascertain  its  meaning,  we  must  dig  to  the  root  and  ascertain  what 
it  was  that  drew  the  saying  out  of  Jesus. 

While  this  was  said  especially  in  relation  to  the  parable 
of  the  prodigal  son,  it  may  well  be  given  a  wider  application; 
and  it  will  be  found  a  great  aid  in  arriving  at  the  truth  of  many 
supposedly  hard  sayings  of  the  Scriptures.  But  while  this  key 
or  rule  of  interpretation  w^as  doubtless  of  great  service  to  the 
Prophet  in  his  study  of  the  scriptures,  he  was  helped  in  another 
and  a  more  important  way  to  understand  them;  to  understand 
them  in  a  manner  which  I  cannot  explain  better  than  by  quoting 
a  passage  with  which  he  dealt  at  an  earlier  date  than  the  period 
with  which  I  am  now  dealing,  but  which  is  of  such  moment  and 
ho]T)s  to  illustrate  the  work  we  find  him  doing  at  Nauvoo  during 
this  interim  o"^  peace,  that  we  can  well  afford  to  stop  and  con- 
sider it.  As  early  a^iJSSl  the  Prophet  with  Sidney  Rigdon  set 
about  the  task  of  bringing  lortrtx  a  new  and  inspired  translation 
of  the  Bible.  Their  work  extended  aVs'  into  the  year  1832.  On 
the  16th  day  of  February  of  that  year,  they  came,  in  the  course 
of  their  work,  to  the  twenty-ninth  verse  of  the  fifth  chapter  of 
John's  Gospel,  speaking  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  con- 
cerning those  who  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and 
shall  come  forth,  and  which  in  our  common  version  stands: 

And  shall  come  forth;  'they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the  resur- 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  169 

rection  of  life;  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the  resurrection  of 
damnation. 

But  to  the  Prophet  it  was  given: 

*  *  *  And  shall  come  forth:  they  who  have  done  good  in 
the  resurrection  of  the  just,  and  they  who  have  done  evil,  in  the 
resurrection  of  the  unjust. 

Then  follows  upon  this  rendering  of  the  passage  by  the 
Spirit,  a  revelation  concerning  the  future  state  of  man  and  the 
different  degrees  of  glory  which  he  will  inherit,  the  like  of  which 
is  not  to  be  found  elsewhere  in  all  that  is  written  among  the 
children  of  men;  and  which,  in  part,  I  quote.  Reverting  to  the 
passage  as  given  by  the  Spirit,  the  Prophet  says: 

Now  this  caused  us  to  marvel,  for  it  was  given  unto  us  of  the 
Spirit;  and  while  we  meditated  upon  these  things,  the  Lord  touched 
the  eyes  of  our  understandings  and  they  were  opened,  and  the  glory 
of  God  shone  round  about; 

THE  VISION  OF  THE  SON'S  GLORY. 

And  we  beheld  the  glory  of  the  Son,  on  the  right  hand  of  the 
Father,  and  received  of  his  fullness; 

And  saw  the  holy  angels,  and  they  who  are  sanctified  before  his 
throne,  worshiping  God,  and  the  Lamb,  who  worship  him  for  ever  and 
ever. 

And  now,  after  the  many  testimonies  which  have  been  given  of 
him,  this  is  the  testimony  last  of  all,  which  we  give  of  him,  that  he 
lives; 

For  we  saw  him,  even  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  and  we  heard 
the  voice  bearing  record  that  he  is  the  Only  Begotten  of  the  Father — 

That  by  him  and  through  him,  and  of  him  the  worlds  are  and 
were  created,  and  the  inhabitants  thereof  are  begotten  sons  and 
daughters  unto  God. 

THE  FALL   OF   LUCIFER. 

And  this  we  saw  also,  and  bear  record,  that  an  angel  of  God  who 
11 


170  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

was  in  authority  in  the  presence  of  God,  who  rebelled  against  the 
Only  Begotten  Son,  whom  the  Father  loved,  and  who  was  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Father — was  thrust  down  from  the  presence  of  God  and 
the  Son, 

And  was  called  Perdition,  for  the  heavens  wept  over  him — he  was 
Lucifer,  a  son  of  the  morning. 

And  we  beheld,  and  lo,  he  is  fallen!  is  fallen!  even  a  son  of  the 
morning. 

And  while  we  were  yet  in  the  Spirit,  the  Lord  commanded  us 
that  we  should  write  the  vision,  for  we  beheld  Satan,  that  old  serpent 
— even  the  devil — who  rebelled  against  God,  and  sought  to  take  the 
kingdom  of  our  God,  and  his  Christ, 

Wherefore  he  maketh  war  with  the  saints  of  God,  and  encompasses 
them  round  about. 

And  we  saw  a  vision  of  the  sufferings  of  those  with  whom  he 
made  war  and  overcame,  -for  thus  came  the  voice  of  the  Lord  unto  us. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord,  concerning  all  those  who  know  my  power, 
and  have  been  made  partakers  thereof,  and  suffered  themselves, 
through  the  power  of  the  devil,  to  be  overcome,  and  to  deny  the  truth 
and  defy  my  power — 

They  are  they  who  are  the  sons  of  perdition,  of  whom  I  say  that 
it  had  been  better  for  them  never  to  have  been  born. 

For  they  are  vessels  of  wrath,  doomed  to  suffer  the  wrath  of  God, 
with  the  devil  and  his  angels  in  eternity; 

Concerning  whom  I  have  said  there  is  no  forgiveness  in  this  world 
nor  in  the  world  to  come. 

Having  denied  the  Holy  Spirit  after  having  received  it,  and  hav- 
ing denied  the  Only  Begotten  Son  of  the  Father — having  crucified  him 
unto  themselves,  and  put  him  to  an  open  shame. 

These  are  they  who  shall  go  away  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  brim- 
stone, with  the  devil  and  his  angels, 

And  the  only  ones  on  whom  the  second  death  shall  have  any 
power; 

Yea,  verily,  the  only  ones  who  shall  not  be  redeemed  in  the  due 
time  of  the  Lord,  after  the  sufferings  of  his  wrath; 

For  all  the  rest  shall  be  brought  forth  by  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  through  the  triumph  and  the  glory  of  the  Lamb,  who  was  slain, 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  171 

who  was    in  the  bosom  of    the  Father  before  the  worlds   were 
made. 

And  this  is  the  gospel,  the  glad  tidings  which  the  voice  out  of 
the  heavens  bore  record  unto  us, 

That  he  came  into  the  world,  even  Jesus,  to  be  crucified  for  the 
world,  and  to  bear  the  sins  of  the  world,  and  to  sanctify  the  world, 
and  to  cleanse  it  from  all  unrighteousness; 

That  through  him  all  might  be  saved  whom  the  Father  had  put 
into  his  power  and  made  by  him. 

Who  glorifies  the  Father,  and  saves  all  the  works  of  his  hands, 
except  those  sons  of  perdition,  who  deny  the  Son  after  the  Father  has. 
revealed  him; 

Wherefore,  he  saves  all  except  them  they  shall  go  away  into 
everlasting  punishment,  which  is  endless  punishment,  which  is  eternal 
punishment,  to  reign  with  the  devil  and  his  angels  in  eternity,  where 
their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched,  which  is  their 
torment; 

And  the  end  thereof,  neither  the  place  thereof,  nor  their  torment, 
no  man  knows. 

Neither  was  it  revealed,  neither  is,  neither  will  be  revealed  unto 
man,  except  to  them  who  are  made  partakers  thereof: 

Nevertheless  I,  the  Lord,  show  it  by  vision  unto  many,  but 
straightway  shut  it  up  again; 

Wherefore  the  end,  the  width,  the  height,  the  depth,  and  the 
misery  thereof,  they  understand  not,  neither  any  man  except  them 
who  are  ordained  unto  this  condemnation. 

And  we  heard  the  voice,  saying.  Write  the  vision,  for  lo!  this  is 
the  end  of  the  vision  of  the  sufferings  of  the  ungodly! 

OF  THOSE  WHO  INHERIT  THE  CELESTIAL  GLORY. 

And  again,  we  bear  record,  for  we  saw  and  heard,  and  this  is  the 
testimony  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  concerning  them  who  come  forth 
in  the  resurrection  of  the  just; 

They  are  they  who  received  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  and  believed 
on  his  name  and  were  baptized  after  the  manner  of  his  burial,  being 
buried  in  the  water  in  his  name,  and  this  according  to  the  command- 
ment which  he  has  given, 


172  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

That  by  keeping  the  commandments  they  might  be  washed  and 
cleansed  from  all  their  sins,  and  receive  the  Holy  Spirit  by  the  lay- 
ing on  of  the  hands  of  him  who  is  ordained  and  sealed  unto  this 
power, 

And  who  overcome  by  faith,  and  are  sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
promise,  which  the  Father  sheds  forth  upon  all  those  who  are  just 
and  true. 

They  are  they  who  are  the  church  of  the  first  born. 

They  are  they  into  whose  hands  the  Father  has  given  all  things — 

They  are  they  who  are  Priests  and  Kings,  who  have  received  of 
his  fullness,  and  of  his  glory. 

And  are  Priests  of  the  Most  High,  after  the  order  of  Melchisedek, 
which  was  after  the  order  of  Enoch,  which  was  after  the  order  of  the 
Only  Begotten  Son; 

Wherefore,  as  it  is  written,  they  are  Gods,  even  the  sons  of 
God- 
Wherefore  all  things  are  theirs,  whether  life  or  death,  or  things 
present,  or  things  to  come,  all  are  theirs  and  they  are  Christ's  and 
Christ  is  God's; 

And  they  shall  overcome  all  things; 

Wherefore  let  no  man  glory  in  man,  but  rather  let  him  glory  in 
God,  who  shall  subdue  all  enemies  under  his  feet — 

These  shall  dwell  in  the  presence  of  God  and  his  Christ  for  ever 
and  ever. 

These  are  they  whom  he  shall  bring  with  him,  when  he  shall 
come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  to  reign  on  the  earth  over  his  people. 

These  are  they  who  shall  have  part  in  the  first  resurrection. 

These  are  they  who  shall  come  forth  in  the  resurrection  of  the 
just. 

These  are  they  who  are  come  unto  Mount  Zion,  and  unto  the  city 
of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly  place,  the  holiest  of  all. 

These  are  they  who  have  come  to  an  innumerable  company  of 
angels,  to  the  general  assembly  and  church  of  Enoch,  and  of  the  first 
born. 

These  are  they  whose  names  are  written  in  heaven,  where  God 
and  Christ  are  the  judge  of  all. 

These  are  they  who  are  just  men  made  perfect  through  Jesus  the 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  173 

mediator  of  the  new  covenant,  who  wrought  out  this  perfect  atone- 
ment through  the  shedding  of  his  own  blood. 

These  are  they  whose  bodies  are  celestial,  whose  glory  is  that  of 
the  sun,  even  the  glory  of  God,  the  highest  of  all,  whose  glory  the  sun 
of  the  firmament  is  written  of  as  being  typical. 

THOSE  OF  THE  TERRESTRIAL  GLORY. 

And  again,  we  saw  the  terrestrial  world,  and  behold  and  lo,  these 
are  they  who  are  of  the  terrestrial,  whose  glory  differs  from  that  of 
the  church  of  the  first  born,  who  have  received  the  fullness  of  the 
Father,  even  as  that  of  the  moon  differs  from  the  sun  in  the  firma- 
ment. 

Behold,  these  are  they  who  died  without  law, 

And  also  they  who  are  the  spirits  of  men  kept  in  prison,  whom 
the  Son  visited,  and  preached  the  gospel  unto  them,  that  they  might 
be  judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh. 

Who  received  not  the  testimony  of  Jesus  in  the  flesh,  but  after- 
wards received  it. 

These  are  they  who  are  honorable  men  of  the  earth,  who  were 
blinded  by  the  craftiness  of  men. 

These  are  they  who  receive  of  his  glory,  but  not  of  his  fullness. 

These  are  they  who  receive  of  the  presence  of  the  Son,  but  not 
of  the  fullness  of  the  Father; 

Wherefore  they  are  bodies  terrestrial,  and  not  bodies  celestial, 
and  differ  in  glory  as  the  moon  differs  from  the  sun. 

These  are  they  who  are  not  valiant  in  the  testimony  of  Jesus; 
wherefore  they  obtain  not  the  crown  over  the  kingdom  of  our  God. 

And  now  this  is  the  end  of  the  vision  which  we  saw  of  the  ter- 
restrial, that  the  Lord  commanded  us  to  write  while  we  were  yet  in 
the  Spirit. 

THOSE  WHO  INHERIT  THE  TELESTIAL  GLORY. 

And  again,  we  saw  the  glory  of  the  telestial,  which  glory  is  that 
of  the  lesser,  even  as  the  glory  of  the  stars  differs  from  that  of  the 
glory  of  the  moon  in  the  firmament. 


174  RISE   AND  FALL   OP  NAUVOO. 

These  are  they  who  received  not  the  gospel  of  Christ,  neither  the 
testimony  of  Jesus. 

These  are  they  who  deny  not  the  Holy  Spirit. 

These  are  they  who  are  thrust  down  to  hell. 

These  are  they  who  shall  not  be  redeemed  from  the  devil,  until 
the  last  resurrection,  until  the  Lord,  even  Christ  the  Lamb  shall  have 
finished  his  work. 

These  are  they  who  receive  not  of  his  fullness  in  the  eternal 
world,  but  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  the  ministration  of  the  ter- 
restrial; 

And  the  terrestrial  through  the  ministration  of  the  celestial; 

And  also  the  telestial  receive  it  of  the  administering  of  angels 
who  are  appointed  to  minister  for  them,  or  who  are  appointed  to  be 
ministering  spirits  for  them,  for  they  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation. 

SUMMARY  OF  THE  GREAT  VISION. 

And  thus  we  saw  in  the  heavenly  vision,  the  glory  of  the  telestial, 
which  surpasses  all  understanding, 

And  no  man  knows  it  except  him  to  whom  God  has  revealed  it. 

And  thus  we  saw  the  glory  of  the  terrestrial,  which  excels  in 
all  things  the  glory  of  the  telestial,  even  in  glory,  and  in  power,  and 
in  might,  and  in  dominion. 

And  thus  we  saw  the  glory  of  the  celestial,  which  excels  in  all 
things — where  God,  even  the  Father,  reigns  upon  his  throne  for  ever 
and  ever; 

Before  whose  throne  all  things  bow  in  humble  reverence  and 
give  him  glory  for  ever  and  ever. 

They  who  dwell  in  his  presence  are  the  church  of  the  first  born, 
and  they  see  as  they  are  seen,  and  know  as  they  are  known,  having 
received  of  his  fullness  and  of  his  grace; 

And  he  makes  them  equal  in  power,  and  in  might,  and  in  domin- 
ion. 

And  the  glory  of  the  celestial  is  one,  even  as  the  glory  of  the 
sun  is  one. 

And  the  glory  of  the  terrestrial  is  one,  even  as  the  glory  of  the 
moon  is  one. 

And  the  glory  of  the  telestial  is  one,  even  as  the  glory  of  the 


RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  17 

stars  is  one,  for  as  one  star  differs  from  another  star  in  glory,  even 
so  differs  one  from  another  in  glory  in  the  telestial  world; 

For  these  are  they  who  are  of  Paul,  and  of  Apollos,  and  of 
Cephas. 

These  are  they  who  say  they  are  some  of  one  and  some  of 
another — some  of  Christ  and  some  of  John,  and  some  of  Moses,  and 
some  of  Elias,  and  some  of  Esaias,  and  some  of  Isaiah,  and  some  of 
Enoch; 

But  receive  not  the  gospel,  neither  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  neither 
the  prophets,  neither  the  everlasting  covenant. 

Last  of  all,  these  all  are  they  who  will  not  be  gathered  with  the 
saints,  to  be  caught  up  unto  the  church  of  the  first  born,  and  received 
into  the  cloud. 

These  are  they  who  are  liars,  and  sorcerers,  and  adulterers,  and 
whoremongers,  and  whosoever  loves'  and  makes  a  lie. 

These  are  they  who  suffer  the  wrath  of  God  on  the  earth. 

These  are  they  who  suffer  the  vengeance  of  eternal  fire. 

These  are  they  who  are  cast  down  to  hell  and  suffer  the  wrath  of 
Almighty  God,  until  the  fullness  of  times  when  Christ  shall  have  sub- 
dued all  enemies  under  his  feet,  and  shall  have  perfected  his  work. 

When  he  shall  deliver  up  the  kingdom,  and  present  it  unto  the 
Father  spotless,  saying — I  have  overcome  and  have  trodden  the  wine- 
press alone,  even  the  wine-press  of  the  fierceness  of  the  wrath  of  Al- 
mighty God. 

Then  shall  he  be  crowned  with  the  crown  of  his  glory,  to  sit  on 
the  throne  of  his  power  to  reign  for  ever  and  ever. 

But  behold,  and  lo,  we  saw  the  glory  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
telestial  world,  that  they  were  as  innumerable  as  the  stars  in  the  fir- 
mament of  heaven,  or  as  the  sand  upon  the  sea  shore, 

And  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  saying — these  all  shall  bow  the 
knee,  and  every  tongue  shall  confess  to  him  who  sits  upon  the  throne 
for  ever  and  ever; 

For  they  shall  be  judged  according  to  their  works,  and  every 
man  shall  receive  according  to  his  own  works,  his  own  dominion,  in 
the  mansions  which  are  prepared, 

And  they  shall  be  servants  of  the  Most  High,  but  where  God  and 
Christ  dwell  they  cannot  come,  worlds  without  end. 


176  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

This  is  the  end  of  the  vision  which  we  saw,  which  we  were  com- 
manded to  write  while  we  were  yet  in  the  Spirit. 

But  great  and  marvelous  are  the  works  of  the  Lord,  and  the 
mysteries  of  his  kingdom  which  he  showed  unto  us,  which  surpasses 
all  understanding  in  glory,  and  in  might,  and  in  dominion. 

Which  he  commanded  us  we  should  not  write  while  we  were  yet 
in  the  Spirit,  and  are  not  lawful  for  man  to  utter; 

Neither  is  man  capable  to  make  them  known,  for  they  are  only  to 
be  seen  and  understood  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  God 
bestows  on  those  who  love  him,  and  purify  themselves  before  him; 

To  whom  he  grants  this  privilege  of  seeing  and  knowing  for 
themselves; 

That  through  the  power  and  manifestation  of  the  Spirit,  while 
in  the  flesh,  they  may  be  able  to  bear  his  presence  in  the  world  of 
glory. 

And  to  God  and  the  Lamb  be  glory,  and  honor,  and  dominion  for 
ever  and  ever.     Amen. 


RISE   AND  PALL   OF  NAUVOO.  177 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

DOCTRINAL  DEVELOPMENT  AT   NAUVOO — THE   KINGDOM   OF    GOD 
AND   THE   RESURRECTION. 

IT  should  be  remembered  that  the  preaching  of  Alexander 
Campbell,  the  founder  of  the  "Church  of  the  Disciples,"  or 
"Christians,"  had  a  widespread  influence  in  the  western  States 
of  the  Union,  including  Illinois.  Among  other  things  taught  by 
him  in  his  public  ministry  was  that  the  baptism  of  John  was  not 
identical  with  Christian  baptism,  and  that  the  Kingdom  of  God 
was  not  set  up  in  the  earth  until  after  the  Son  of  God  was  glo- 
rified and  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  come.  It  was  perhaps  be- 
cause of  the  very  extended  acceptance  of  these  views  through- 
out the  West  which  led  the  Prophet  to  make  the  following  com- 
prehensive remarks  about  the  baptism  of  John  and  the  King- 
dom of  God. 

OF  JOHN'S  BAPTISM. 

Some  say  the  Kingdom  of  God  was  not  set  up  until  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  and  that  John  did  not  preach  the  baptism  of  repentance 
for  the  remission  of  sins;  but  I  say,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  that 
the  Kingdom  of  God  was  set  up  on  the  earth  from  the  days  of  Adam 
to  the  present  time.  *  *  *  ^s  touching  the  Gospel  and 
baptism  that  John  preached,  I  would  say  that  John  came  preaching 
the  Gospel  for  the  remission  of  sins;  he  had  his  authority  from  God, 
and  the  oracles  of  God  were  with  him,  and  the  Kingdom  of  God  for  a 
season  seemed  to  rest  with  John  alone.  *  *  *  Jq^^  ^^as 
a  priest  after  the  order  of  Aaron  and  had  the  keys  of  that  Priest- 
hood, and  came  forth  preaching  repentance  and  baptism  for  the  remis- 


178  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

sion  of  sins,  but  at  the  same  time  cries  out,  "There  cometh  one  after 
me  more  mighty  than  I,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy 
to  unloose;"  and  Christ  came  according  to  the  words  of  John,  and  he 
was  greater  than  John,  because  He  held  the  keys  of  the  Melchisedek 
Priesthood  and  Kingdom  of  God,  and  had  before  revealed  the  Priest- 
hood to  Moses;  yet  Christ  was  baptized  by  John  to  fulfill  all  righteous- 
ness. *  *  *  [John]  preached  the  same  Gospel  and  bap- 
tism that  Jesus  and  the  Apostles  preached  after  him.  The  endow- 
ment was  to  prepare  the  disciples  for  their  mission  unto  the  world. 

OF   THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

Whenever  there  has  been  a  righteous  man  on  earth  unto  whom 
God  revealed  His  word  and  gave  power  and  authority  to  admin- 
ister in  His  name,  and  where  there  is  a  priest  of  God — a  minister 
who  has  power  and  authority  from  God  to  administer  in  the  ordinances 
of  the  Gospel  and  officiate  in  the  Priesthood  of  God — there  is  the 
Kingdom  of  God;  and  in  consequence  of  rejecting  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  the  Prophets  whom  God  had  sent,  the  judgments  of  God 
have  rested  upon  peoples,  cities  and  nations,  in  various  ages  of  the 
world, which  was  the  case  with  the  cities  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah, 
which  were  destroyed  for  rejecting  the  Prophets.  *  *  * 
Whenever  men  can  find  out  the  will  of  God,  and  find  an  administrator 
legally  authorized  from  God,  there  is  the  Kingdom  of  God;  but  where 
these  are  not,  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  not.  All  the  ordinances,  sys- 
tems and  administrations  on  the  earth  are  of  no  use  to  the  children 
of  men,  unless  they  are  ordained  and  authorized  of  God;  for  nothing 
will  save  a  man  but  a  legal  administration;  for  none  other  will  be  ac- 
knowledged either  by  God  or  angels.  *  *  * 

*  *  *  Some  say  the  Kingdom  of  God  was  not  set 

up  until  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  that  John  did  not  preach  the  bap- 
tism of  repentance  for  the  remission  of  sins;  but  I  say,  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord,  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  was  set  up  on  the  earth  from 
the  days  of  Adam  to  the  present  time.  *  *  *         j^q^  i 

will  give  my  testimony.  I  care  not  for  man.  I  speak  boldly  and 
faithfully,  and  with  authority.  How  is  it  with  the  Kingdom  of  God? 
Where  did  the  Kingdom  of  God  begin?    Where  there  is  no  Kingdom 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  179 

of  God,  there  is  no  salvation.  What  constitutes  the  Kingdom  of  God? 
Where  there  is  a  Prophet,  a  Priest,  or  a  righteous  man  unto  whom 
God  gives  His  oracles,  there  is  the  Kingdom  of  God;  and  where  the 
oracles  of  God  are  not,  there  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  not.  In  these  re- 
marks I  have  no  allusion  to  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth.  We  will  keep 
the  laws  of  the  land;  we  do  not  speak  against  them;  we  never  have* 
and  we  can  hardly  make  mention  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  of  our 
persecutions  there,  etc.,  but  what  the  cry  goes  forth  that  we  are 
guilty  of  larceny,  burglary,  arson,  treason,  murder,  etc.,  etc.,  which 
is  false.  We  speak  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  not  the 
kingdoms  of  men.  *  *  *  gut,  says  one,  the  Kingdom 
of  God  could  not  be  set  up  in  the  days  of  John,f  or  John  said  the  King- 
dom was  at  hand.  But  I  would  ask  if  it  could  be  any  nearer  to  them 
than  to  be  in  the  hands  of  John?  The  people  need  not  wait  for  the 
day  of  Pentecost  to  find  the  Kingdom  of  God,  for  John  had  it  with 
him,  and  he  came  forth  from  the  wilderness,  crying  out  "Repent  ye, 
for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  nigh  at  hand,"  as  much  as  to  say,  "Out 
here  I  have  got  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  I  am  coming  after  you;  and 
if  you  don't  receive  it,  you  will  be  damned,"  and  the  Scriptures  rep- 
resent that  all  Jerusalem  went  out  unto  John's  baptism.  There  was 
a  legal  administrator,  and  those  that  were  baptized  were  subjects  for 
a  king;  and  also  the  laws  and  oracles  of  God  were  there,  therefore  the 
Kingdom  of  God  was  there,  for  no  man  could  have  better  authority  to 
administer  than  John,  and  our  Savior  submitted  to  that  authority 
Himself  by  being  baptized  by  John,  therefore  the  Kingdom  of  God  was 
set  up  on  the  earth  even  in  the  days  of  John. 

*  *  *  Again,  he  says,  "Except  ye  are  born  of  the 
water  and  of  the  Spirit,  ye  cannot  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  God; 
and  though  the  heavens  and  earth  should  pass  away,  my  words  should 
not  pass  away."  If  a  man  is  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  can 
get  into  the  Kingdom  of  God.  It  is  evident  the  Kingdom  of  God  was 
on  earth,  and  John  prepared  subjects  for  the  Kingdom,  by  preaching 
to  them  and  baptizing  them,  and  he  prepared  the  way  before  the 
Savior,  or  came  as  a  forerunner,  and  prepared  subjects  for  the  preach- 
ing of  Christ,  and  Christ  preached  through  Jerusalem  on  the  same 
ground  where  John  had  preached,  and  when  the  Apostles  were  raised 
up,  they  worked  in  Jerusalem  and  Jesus  commanded  them  to  tarry 


180  RISE   AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

there  until  they  were  endowed  with  power  from  on  high.  Had  they 
not  work  to  do  in  Jerusalem?  They  did  work  and  prepared  a  people 
for  the  Pentecost.  The  Kingdom  of  God  was  with  them  before  the 
day  of  Pentecost,  as  well  as  afterwards. 

It  is  evident  from  all  this  that,  speaking  broadly,  with  the 
Prophet  the  Kingdom  of  God  was  the  government  of  God  on 
earth  and  in  heaven  —  whether  that  government  was  mani- 
fested through  the  authority  of  a  single  individual  or  a  com- 
plete system  of  ecclesiastical  or  national  government.  This  is, 
however,  speaking  broadly,  not  to  say  loosely;  and  in  the  same 
manner  that  the  subject  is  spoken  of  in  holy  scripture  where 
the  phrases  Kingdom  of  God,  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  the  Church  of 
Christ,  Church  of  God,  the  Church,  etc.,  are  often  used  inter- 
changeably and  indiscriminately  to  represent  in  a  general  v/ay 
that  divine  institution  which  God  in  whole  or  in  part  from  time 
to  time  establishes  to  help  man  in  the  matter  of  his  salvation. 
But  it  is  proper  for  the  reader  to  know  that  Joseph  Smith  when 
speaking  strictly  recognized  a  distinction  between  *'The  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ"  and  the  "Kingdom  of  God."  And  not  only  a 
distinction  but  a  separation  of  one  from  the  other.  The  King- 
dom of  God  according  to  his  teaching  is  to  be  a  political  insti- 
tution that  shall  hold  sway  over  all  the  earth;  to  which  all  other 
governments  will  be  subordinate  and  by  which  they  will  be  domi- 
nated. Of  this  Kingdom  Christ  is  the  King;  for  He  is  to  reign 
"King  of  Kings"  as  well  as  "Lord  of  Lords."  While  all  govern- 
ments are  to  be  in  subjection  to  the  Kingdom  of  God,  it  does 
not  follow  that  all  its  members  will  be  of  one  religious  faith. 
The  Kingdom  of  God  is  not  necessarily  made  up  exclusively  of 
members  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  In  fact  the  Prophet  taught  that 
men  not  members  of  The  Church  could  be,  not  only  members 
of  that  Kingdom,  but  also  officers  within  it.  It  is  to  grant  the 
widest  religious  toleration,  though  exacting  homage  and  loyalty 
to  its  great  Head,  to  its  institutions,  and  obedience  to  its  laws. 

On  the  other  hand  the  Church  of  Christ  is  purely  an  eccle- 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  181 

siastical  organization,  comprising  within  its  membership  only 
those  who  have  embraced  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ;  who  in- 
wardly have  accepted  its  principles  in  their  faith,  and  outwardly 
have  received  the  rites  and  ceremonies  it  prescribes.  Of  this 
Church  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Head,  since  He  is  to  be  ''Lord  of 
Lords"  as  well  as  ''King  of  Kings."  The  Church  is  peculiarly 
Christ's.  It  bears  His  name.  It  is  composed  of  members  who, 
while  not  behind  others  in  doing  Him  homage,  as  the  head  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  accept  Him  as  more  than  the  King  of  Kings 
— they  accept  Him  as  Lord — as  Lord  of  Lords,  as  Redeemer — 
Savior — God.  But  the  Church  of  Christ,  precious  as  it  is;  be- 
loved by  its  great  Head;  in  the  harmony  of  its  truth,  perfect; 
in  the  beauty  of  its  hoHness,  passing  all  praise;  in  its  power  of 
salvation,  absolute — yet  the  Church  of  Christ  will  doubtless 
stand  under  the  protecting  aegis  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  com- 
mon with  other  systems  of  religion,  enjoying  only  such  rights 
as  will  be  common  to  all.  And  while  the  Church  of  Christ  will 
enjoy  to  the  full  her  privileges,  promulgate  her  faith  without 
let  or  hindrance,  make  known  the  truth  she  holds  and  her  sav- 
ing grace  and  power,  and  manage  her  own  affairs — yet  she  will 
not  usurp  the  prerogative  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  nor  interfere 
with  those  outside  the  pale  of  her  jurisdiction — outside  of  her 
membership.  Such,  in  substance,  was  the  teaching  of  the 
Prophet  on  this  subject.  Not  publicly,  or  at  least  not  very 
publicly;  but  he  taught  the  foregoing  in  the  counsels  of  the 
Priesthood  as  many  testify,  and  effected  an  organization  as  a 
nucleus  of  the  Kingdom  above  referred  to  of  which  some  who 
were  not  in  The  Church  were  members. 

It  will  be  understood,  then,  that  what  I  have  quoted  from 
the  Prophet's  discourses  on  the  subject  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 
is  spoken  broadly;  in  a  sense  which  recognizes  the  Kingdom  of 
God  simply  as  the  government  of  God  on  earth  or  in  heaven; 
and  whether  represented  by  a  single  individual  holding  divine 
authority,or  a  regular  system  of  government;  and  which,  loosely, 


182  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

may  be  and  is  applied  to  the  Church  of  Christ,  or  some  part 
thereof. 

THE  GLORIOUS  COMING  OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD. 

It  was  this  year,  1843,  that  the  speculations  of  William 
Miller  fixed  upon  for  the  glorious  coming  of  the  Son  of  God,  to 
reign  with  His  Saints  on  the  earth  for  a  thousand  years. 
Though  Mr.  Miller  was  but  a  religious  enthusiast,  yet  his  teach- 
ings and  his  deductions  from  the  prophecies  of  Daniel  and  John 
the  Revelator  created  no  little  stir  throughout  the  United 
States,  and  many  thousands  of  people  were  looking  for  the  ap- 
pearing of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  expecting  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead  to  begin,  and  the  promised  reign  of  righteousness 
to  follow.  The  agitation  concerning  this  great  event  naturally 
led  to  many  inquiries  being  submitted  to  the  Prophet  con- 
cerning it,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  boldly  cross  the  state- 
ments of  Mr.  Miller  on  the  subject,  and  contradict  his  deduc- 
tions based  upon  the  predictions  of  the  prophets.  Joseph  Smith 
stood  at  the  head  of  the  Dispensation  of  the  Fullness  of  Times, 
and  he  knew  too  well  the  then  present  status  of  the  work  of 
God  to  be  deceived  into  believing  that  the  time  for  the  coming 
of  the  Son  of  God  had  arrived.  The  great  preliminary  work 
which  is  to  precede  that  great  event  had  not  been  accomplished, 
and  until  that  work  was  done  the  Prophet  knew  that  Jesus  would 
not  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  in  power  and  great  glory.  It 
was  reported  in  the  Chicago  Express  that  one  Hyrum  Redding 
had  actually  seen  the  promised  sign  of  the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  Man,  concerning  which  Joseph  in  a  communication  to  the 
Times  and  Seasons  said: 

Mr.  Redding  may  have  seen  a  wonderful  appearance  in  the  clouds 
one  morning  about  sunrise,  (which  is  nothing  very  uncommon  in  the 
winter  season,)  he  has  not  seen  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  Man,  as  fore- 
told by  Jesus;  neither  has  any  man,  nor  will  any  man,  until  after  the 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  183 

sun  has  been  darkened  and  the  moon  bathed  in  blood;  for  the  Lord  hath 
not  shown  me  any  such  sign;  and  as  the  prophet  saith,  so  it  must  be: 
"Surely  the  Lord  God  will  do  nothing,  but  He  revealeth  His  secret 
unto  His  servants  the  prophets."  (See  Amos,  iii,  7.)  Therefore 
hear  this,  0  earth;  The  Lord  will  not  come  to  reign  over  the 
righteous,  in  this  world,  in  1843,  nor  until  everything  for  the  Bride- 
groom is  ready. 

Referring  again  to  the  subject,  some  time  later,  he  said,  in 
a  public  discourse — 

I  was  once  praying  very  earnestly  to  know  the  time  of  the  coming 
of  the  Son  of  Man,  when  I  heard  a  voice  repeat  the  following:  "Joseph, 
my  son,  if  thou  livest  until  thou  art  eighty-five  years  old,  thou  shalt 
see  the  face  of  the  Son  of  Man;  therefore  let  this  suffice,  and  trouble 
me  no  more  on  this  matter."  I  was  left  thus  without  being  able  to 
decide  whether  this  coming  referred  to  the  beginning  of  the  millen- 
ium  or  to  some  previous  appearing,  -or  whether  I  should  die  and  thus 
see  His  face.  I  believe  that  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  will  not 
be  any  sooner  than  that  time. 

On  still  another  occasion  the  Prophet  said: 

Were  I  going  to  prophesy  I  would  say  the  end  will  not  come  in 
1844,  5  or  6,  or  in  forty  years.  There  are  those  of  the  rising  gener- 
ation who  shall  not  taste  death  until  Christ  comes.  I  was  once  pray- 
ing earnestly  upon  this  subject,  and  a  voice  said  unto  me,  "My  son, 
if  thou  livest  until  thou  art  eighty-five  years  of  age,  thou  shait  see 
the  face  of  the  Son  of  Man."  I  was  left  to  draw  my  own  conclusion 
concerning  this:  and  I  took  the  liberty  to  conclude  that  if  I  did  live 
to  that  time.  He  would  make  His  appearance.  But  I  do  not  say 
whether  He  will  make  His  appearance  or  I  shall  go  where  He  is.  I 
prophesy  in  the  name  of  th3  Lord  God,  and  let  it  be  written.  The  Son 
of  Man  will  not  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  till  I  am  eighty-five  years 
old.  [He]  then  read  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  Revelations,  6th  and  7th 
verses:  "And  I  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  having 
the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth, 
and  to  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  saying  with 
a  loud  voice.  Fear  God  and  give  glory  to  him  for  the  hour  of  his  judg- 


184  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

ment  is  come."  And  Hosea  6th  chapter,  after  two  days,  etc., — 2,520 
years;  which  brings  it  to  1890.  The  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  never 
will  be — never  can  be  till  the  judgments  spoken  of  for  this  hour  are 
poured  out;  which  judgments  are  commenced.  Paul  says:  "Ye  are  chil- 
dren of  the  light  and  not  of  the  darkness,  that  that  day  should  overtake 
you  as  a  thief  in  the  night."  It  is  not  the  design  of  the  Almighty  to 
come  upon  the  earth  and  crush  it,  and  grind  it  to  powder,  but  He  will 
reveal  it  to  His  servants  the  prophets.  Judah  must  return,  Jerusa- 
lem must  be  rebuilt,  and  the  Temple,  and  water  come  out  from  under 
the  Temple,  and  the  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea  be  healed.  It  will  take 
some  time  to  build  the  walls  of  the  city  and  the  Temple,  etc.,  and  all 
this  must  be  done  before  the  Son  of  Man  will  make  His  appearance. 
There  will  be  wars  and  rumors  of  wars,  signs  in  the  heaven  above 
and  on  the  earth  beneath,  the  sun  turned  into  darkness  and  the  moon 
to  blood,  earthquakes  in  divers  places,  the  seas  heaving  beyond  their 
bounds;  there  will  appear  one  grand  sign  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  heaven. 
But  what  will  the  world  do?  They  will  say  it  is  a  comet,  a  planet, 
etc.  But  the  Son  of  Man  will  come  as  the  sign  of  the  coming  of 
the  Son  of  Man  which  will  be  as  the  light  of  the  morning  cometh 
[coming]  out  of  the  east. 

I  would  again  remind  the  reader  that  these  reports  of  re- 
marks and  discourses  of  the  Prophet's  are  imperfect,  having 
been  written  in  long-hand,  and  in  part  from  memory  and  there- 
fore really  are  only  synopses  of  what  was  said.  I  call  attention 
to  this  at  this  point  because  the  imperfections  in  construction 
of  the  above  are  very  apparent,  so  also  the  fact  that  the  report 
in  this  case  is  very  much  abbreviated.  Still  the  substance — 
the  great  facts  concerning  the  work  to  precede  the  coming  of 
the  Son  of  Man,  and  the  prediction  that  the  Son  of  Man  will  not 
come  until  that  work  is  performed,  are  all  there,  and  that  is  the 
important  thing. 

Of  the  appearance  of  the  Savior  when  He  does  come,  the 
Prophet  said; 

When  the  Savior  shall  appear,  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is.  We 
shall  see  that  He  is  a  man  like  ourselves,  and  the  same  sociality  which 


J 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  185 

exists  among  us  here  will  exist  among  us  there,  only  it  will  be  coupled 
■with  eternal  glory,  which  glory  we  do  not  now  enjoy. 

OF  THE  RESURRECTION. 

No  less  interesting  were  the  Prophet's  teaching  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  To  a  remark  of  Elder 
Orson  Pratt's  to  the  effect  that  a  man's  body,  changes  every 
seven  years,  the  Prophet  replied: 

There  is  no  fundamental  principle  belonging  to  a  human  system 
that  ever  goes  into  another  in  this  world  or  in  the  world  to  come.  I 
care  not  what  the  theories  of  men  are.  We  have  the  testimony  that 
God  will  raise  us  up,  and  He  has  the  power  to  do  it.  If  any  one  sup- 
poses that  any  part  of  our  bodies,  that  is,  the  fundamental  parts 
thereof,  ever  goes  into  another  body  he  is  mistaken. 

Speaking  of  the  desirability  of  an  honorable  burial,  and  of 
living  and  dying  among  friends  in  connection  with  the  resur- 
rection, the  Prophet  said  at  the  funeral  services  held  in  honor  of 
Lorenzo  D.  Barnes,  who  had  died  while  on  a  mission  to  England: 

I  believe  those  who  have  buried  their  dead  here,  their  condition 
is  enviable.  Look  at  Jacob  and  Joseph  in  Egypt,  how  they  required 
their  friends  to  bury  them  in  the  tomb  of  their  fathers.  See  the  ex- 
pense which  attended  the  embalming  and  the  going  up  of  the  great 
company  to  the  burial.  It  has  always  been  considered  a  great  calam- 
ity not  to  obtain  an  honorable  burial;  and  one  of  the  greatest  curses 
the  ancient  prophets  could  put  on  any  man  was  that  he  should  go 
without  a  burial.  *  *  *  *  ^  « 

*  *  *  I  would  esteem  it  one  of  the  greatest 

blessings  if  I  am  going  to  be  afflicted  in  this  world,  to  have  my  lot 
cast,  where  I  can  find  brothers  and  friends  all  around  me.  But  this 
is  not  the  thing  I  referred  to:  it  is  to  have  the  privilege  of  having 
our  dead  buried  on  the  land  where  God  has  appointed  to  gather  His 
Saints  together,  and  where  there  will  be  none  but  Saints,  where  they 
may  have  the  privilege  of  laying  their  bodies  where  the  Son  of  Man 
will  make  His  appearance,  and  where  they  may  hear  the  sound  of  the 
trump  that  shall  call  them  forth  to  behold  Him,  that  in  the  morn  of 

12 


186  RISE   AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

the  resurrection  they  may  come  forth  in  a  body,  and  come  up  out  of 
their  graves  and  strike  hands  immediately  in  eternal  glory  and  felic- 
ity, rather  than  be  scattered  thousands  of  miles  apart.  There  is 
something  good  and  sacred  to  me  in  this  thing.  The  place  where  a 
man  is  buried  is  sacred  to  me.  This  subject  is  made  mention  of  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon  and  the  Scriptures.  Even  to  the  aborigines  of 
this  land,  the  burying  places  of  their  fathers  are  more  sacred  than 
anything  else.  When  I  heard  of  the  death  of  our  beloved  Brother 
Barnes,  it  would  not  have  affected  me  so  much  if  I  had  the  opportu- 
nity of  burying  him  in  the  land  of  Zion.  *  *  *  j  j^^yg 
said,  Father,  I  desire  to  die  here  among  the  Saints.  But  if  this  is 
not  Thy  will,  and  I  go  hence  and  die,  wilt  Thou  find  some  kind  friend 
and  bring  my  body  back,  and  gather  my  friends  who  have  fallen  in 

foreign  lands,  and  bring  them  up  hither,  that  we  may  all  lie  to- 
prpfi->pT»  *  ♦  '^  ^  *  ^  ♦^^ 

*  *  *  If  tomorrow  I  shall  be  called  to  lie  in 
yonder  tomb,  in  the  morning  of  the  resurrection  let  me  strike  hands 
with  my  father,  and  cry,  "My  father,  father!"  and  he  will  say,  "My 
son,  my  son!"  as  soon  as  the  rocks  rend  and  before  we  come  out  of 
our  graves.  And  may  we  contemplate  these  things  so?  Yes,  if  we 
learn  how  to  live  and  how  to  die.  When  we  lie  down  we  contemplate 
how  we  may  rise  up  in  the  morning:  and  it  is  pleasing  for  friends  to 
lie  down  together,  locked  in  the  arms  of  love,  to  sleep  and  wake  in 
each  others'  embrace  and  renew  their  conversation.        ^        ^        * 

*  *  *  Would  you  think  it  strange  if  I  relate 
what  I  have  seen  in  vision  in  relation  to  this  interesting  theme? 
Those  who  have  died  in  Jesus  Christ  may  expect  to  enter  into  all  that 
fruition  of  joy,  when  they  come  forth,  which  they  possessed  or  antici- 
pated here.  So  plain  was  the  vision,  that  I  actually  saw  men,  before 
they  had  ascended  from  the  tomb,  as  though  they  were  getting  up 
slowly.  They  took  each  other  by  the  hand,  and  said  to  each  other, 
"My  father,  my  son,  my  mother,  my  daughter,  my  brother,  my  sister.'^ 
And  when  the  voice  calls  for  the  dead  to  rise,  suppose  I  am  laid  by 
the  side  of  my  father,  what  would  be  the  first  joy  of  my  heart?  To 
meet  my  father,  my  mother,  my  brother,  my  sister  and  when  they 
are  by  my  side,  I  embrace  them,  and  they  me.  It  is  my  meditation 
all  the  day,  and  more  than  my  meat  and  drink,  to  know  how  I  shall 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  187 

make  the  Saints  of  God  comprehend  the  visions  that  roll  like  an  over- 
flowing surge  before  my  mind.  ^  *  *  L^y  y^q]^  ^f  these 
things,  and  let  not  your  knees  or  joints  tremble,  nor  your  heart  faint; 
and  then  what  can  earthquakes,  wars  and  tornadoes  do?  Nothing. 
All  your  losses  will  be  made  up  to  you  in  the  resurrection,  provided 
jou  continue  faithful,  by  the  vision  of  the  Almighty  I  have  seen  it. 
*  *  *  More  painful  to  me  are  the  thoughts  of 

annihilation  than  death.  If  I  had  no  expectation  of  seeing  my  father, 
mother,  brothers,  sisters  and  friends  again,  my  heart  would  burst  in 
a  moment,  and  I  should  go  down  to  my  grave.  The  expectation  of 
seeing  my  friends  in  the  morning  of  the  resurrection  cheers  my  soul 
and  makes  me  bear  up  against  the  evils  of  life.  It  is  like  their  tak- 
ing a  long  journey,  and  on  their  return  we  meet  them  with  increased 
joy.  God  has  revealed  His  Son  from  the  heavens,  and  the  doctrine 
of  the  resurrection  also,  and  we  have  a  knowledge  that  those  we  bring 
here  God  will  bring  up  again  clothed  upon  and  quickened  by  the 
Spirit  of  the  Great  God,  and  what  mattereth  it,  whether  we  lay  them 
down,  or  we  lay  down  with  them,  when  we  can  keep  them  no  longer? 
Then  let  them  sink  down  like  a  ship  in  a  storm — the  mighty  anchor 
holds  her  safe.  So  let  these  truths  sink  down  in  our  hearts,  that  we 
may  even  here  begin  to  enjoy  that  which  shall  be  in  full  hereafter. 
Hosanna,  hosanna,  hosanna  to  Almighty  God,  that  rays  of  light  begin 
to  burst  forth  upon  us  even  now! 

god's  and  angels'  time. 

In  answer  to  the  question,  "Is  not  the  reckoning  of  God's  time, 
angels'  time,  prophets'  time  and  man's  time  according  to  the  planet 
on  which  they  reside?"  I  answer,  yes.  But  there  are  no  angels  who 
minister  to  this  earth  but  those  who  belong  or  have  belonged  to  it. 
The  angels  do  not  reside  on  a  planet  like  this  earth;  but  they  reside 
in  the  presence  of  God,  on  a  globe  like  a  sea  of  glass  and  fire,  where 
all  things  for  their  glory  are  manifest — past,  present  and  future,and 
are  continually  before  the  Lord. 

THE  EARTH  IN  ITS  SANCTIFIED  STATE. 

The  following  is  an  entry  in  his  journal: 

Saturday,  18th  of  February  [1843.]     While  at  dinner  I  remarked 


188  RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

to  my  family  and  friends  present,  that  when  the  earth  was  sanctified 
and  became  like  a  sea  of  glass,  it  would  be  one  great  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim  and  the  Saints  could  look  in  it  and  see  as  they  are  seen. 

Later  in  public,  on  the  same  subject,  he  said: 

The  place  where  God  resides  is  a  great  Urim  and  Thummim.  This 
earth  in  its  sanctified  and  immortal  state,  will  be  made  like  unto  crys- 
tal and  will  be  a  Urim  and  Thummim  to  the  inhabitants  who  dwell  there- 
on,whereby  all  things  pertaining  to  an  inferior  kingdom  or  all  kingdoms 
of  a  lower  order,  will  be  manifest  to  those  who  dwell  on  it;  and  this 
earth  will  be  Christ's.  Then  the  white  stone  mentioned  in  Revelation  ii: 
17,  will  become  a  Urim  and  Thummim  to  each  individual  who  receives 
one,  whereby  things  pertaining  to  a  higher  order  of  kingdoms,  will 
be  made  known,  and  a  white  stone  is  given  to  each  of  those  who  come 
into  the  celestial  kingdom,  whereon  is  a  new  name  written,  which  no 
man  knoweth  save  he  that  receiveth  it.  The  new  name  is  the  key 
word. 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  189 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

DOCTRINAL   DEVELOPMENT  —PROPHECIES. 

THIS  period  under  consideration  was  rich  in  prophecies. 
The  boldness  of  Joseph  Smith's  predictions  was  startling; 
but  it  is  to  be  remarked  that  they  have  been  fulfilled  as  fast  as 
the  wheels  of  time  have  brought  them  due. 

A  PREDICTION  UPON  THE  PRESENT  GENERATION. 

I  prophesy,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  anguish  and 
wrath  and  tribulation  and  the  withdrawing  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
from  the  earth  await  this  generation,  until  they  are  visited  with 
utter  desolation.  This  generation  is  as  corrupt  as  the  generation  of 
the  Jews  that  crucified  Christ;  and  if  He  were  here  today  and  should 
preach  the  same  doctrine  He  did  then,  they  would  put  Him  to  death. 
I  defy  all  the  world  to  destroy  the  work  of  God,  and  I  prophesy  they 
uever  will  have  power  to  kill  me  till  my  work  is  accomplished,  and  I 
a-m  ready  to  die. 

PROPHECY  ON  WAR. 

I  prophesy  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  God,  that  the  commence- 
ment of  the  difficulties  which  will  cause  much  bloodshed  previous  to 
the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  will  be  in  South  Carolina.  It  may 
probably  arise  through  the  slave  question.  This  a  voice  declared  to 
me  while  I  was  praying  very  earnestly  on  the  subject,  December 
25th,  1832. 

These  remarks  were  made  in  x\pril,  1843,  at  a  place  called 
Eaymus,  near  Nauvoo;  and  the  incidental  reference  to  what  a 
voice  had  declared  to  him  respecting  the  war  to  begin  in  South 
Carolina,  is  doubtless  an  allusion  to  the  more  formal  prophecy 


190  RISE   AND  FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

on  that  great  subject,  and  which  I  consider  of  so  much  impor- 
tance that  while  it  does  not  strictly  belong  to  the  period  under 
consideration,  I  give  it  in  extenso,  as  connected  with  the  lesser 
prophecy  quoted  above. 

PROPHECY   ON  THE    WARS  OF  THE  LAST  DAYS. 

Verily,  thus  saith  the  Lord,  concerning  the  wars  that  will 
shortly  come  to  pass,  beginning  at  the  rebellion  of  South  Carolina,, 
which  will  eventually  terminate  in  the  death  and  misery  of  many 
souls. 

The  days  will  come  that  war  will  be  poured  out  upon  all  nations,, 
beginning  at  that  place; 

For  behold,  the  Southern  States  shall  be  divided  against  the 
Northern  States,  and  the  Southern  States  will  call  on  other  nations, 
even  the  nation  of  Great  Britain,  as  it  is  called,  and  they  shall  also 
call  upon  other  nations,  in  order  to  defend  themselves  against  other 
nations;  and  thus  war  shall  be  poured  out  upon  all  nations. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  after  many  days,  slaves  shall  rise  up 
against  their  masters,  who  shall  be  marshalled  and  disciplined  for 
war: 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  also,  that  the  remnants  who  are  left  of 
the  land  will  marshal  themselves,  and  shall  become  exceeding  angry, 
and  shall  vex  the  Gentiles  with  a  sore  vexation; 

And  thus  with  the  sword,  and  by  bloodshed,  the  inhabitants  of" 
the  earth  shall  mourn;  and  with  famine,  and  plague,  and  earthquakes, 
and  the  thunder  of  heaven,  and  the  fierce  and  vivid  lightning  also, 
shall  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  be  made  to  feel  the  wrath,  and 
indignation  and  chastening  hand  of  an  Almighty  God,  until  the  con- 
sumption decreed,  hath  made  a  full  end  of  all  nations; 

That  the  cry  of  the  saints,  and  of  tne  blood  of  the  saints,  shall 
cease  to  come  up  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth,  from  the  earth,, 
to  be  avenged  of  their  enemies. 

Wherefore,  stand  ye  in  holy  places,  and  be  not  moved,  until  the 
day  of  the  Lord  come;  for  behold  it  cometh  quickly,  saith  the  Lord.. 
Amen. 

I  do  not  hesitate  to  refer  to  this  prophecy  as  one  of  the- 


RISE  AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  191 

boldest,  most  forceful  and  remarkable  ever  uttered  by  a  prophet 
of  God  in  either  ancient  or  modern  times;  and  its  exact  and 
minute  fulfillment  to  be  read  in  the  history  of  the  United  States 
and  other  countries  is  as  astonishing  as  the  prediction  is  bold.* 
This  prophecy  was  given  in  December,  1832;  and  the  Elders  in 
those  days,  at  least  a  number  of  them,  carried  manuscript  copies 
of  it  with  them  on  their  missionary  journeys,  and  frequently 
read  it  to  their  congregations  in  various  parts  of  the  United 
States.  In  Volume  XIII  of  the  Millennial  Star,  published  in 
1851,  pages  216,  217,  is  an  advertisement  of  a  new  publication 
to  be  called  the  Pearl  of  Great  Price.  In  the  announced  con- 
tents is  named  this  revelation  of  December,  1832,  on  war,  with 
the  statement  that  it  had  'never  before  appeared  in  print." 
Subsequently,  but  in  the  same  year,  1851,  the  Pearl  of  Great 
Price  with  this  prophecy  in  it,  word  for  word  as  it  is  here 
quoted,  was  published  by  Franklin  D.  Richards,  in  Liverpool, 
England.     There  are  copies  of  the  first  edition   still  extant. 

PREDICTION   THAT   THE     SAINTS  WOULD    REMOVE   TO   THE   ROCKY 
MOUNTAINS   AND    BECOME   A    GREAT   PEOPLE. 

No  less  remarkable  perhaps  was  the  Prophet's  great  pre- 
diction of  the  sixth  of  August,  1842,  given  in  his  history  under 
that  date  and  published  in  the  Millennial  Star,'\  concerning  the 
removal  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  then 
a  thousand  miles  beyond  the  frontiers  of  the  United  States;  but 
of  which  I  shall  not  say  more  here  as  it  is  to  receive  considera- 
tion in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

PROPHECY  UPON  THE  HEAD  OF  STEPHEN  A.  DOUGLASS. 

In  the  daily  journal  of  Wm.  Clayton,  who  at  the  time  the 


*  For  the  consideration  of  the  fulfillment  of  this  prophecy  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  writer's  "New  Witness  for  God,"  ch.  xxiii. 

t  Vol.  xix,  page  630. 


192  RISE  AND  PALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

following  prophecy  was  made  was  private  secretary  of  the 
Prophet,  and  almost  his  constant  companion — under  date  of 
May  18th,  1843,  occurs  the  following  entry  concerning  a  visit 
with  the  Prophet  to  Judge  Douglass  at  Carthage: 

Dined  with  Judge  Stephen  A.  Douglass,  who  is  presiding  at 
court.  After  dinner  Judge  Douglass  requested  President  Joseph  to 
give  him  a  history  of  the  Missouri  persecutions;  which  he  did  in  a 
very  minute  manner  for  about  three  hours.  He  also  gave  a  relation 
of  his  journey  to  Washington  City,  and  his  application  in  behalf  of 
the  Saints  to  Mr.  Van  Buren,  the  President  of  the  United  States,  for 
redress,  and  Mr.  Van  Buren's  pusillanimous  reply:  "Gentlemen,  your 
cause  is  just,  but  I  can  do  nothing  for  you,"  and  the  cold,  unfeeling 
manner  in  which  he  was  treated  by  most  of  the  senators  and  repre- 
sentatives in  relation  to  the  subject.  Clay  saying,  "You  had  better 
go  to  Oregon,"  and  Calhoun  shaking  his  head  and  solemnly  saying,  "It's 
a  nice  question;  a  critical  question,  but  it  will  not  do  to  agitate  it." 
The  judge  listened  with  the  greatest  attention,  and  then  spoke 
warmly  in  deprecation  of  the  conduct  of  Governor  Boggs  and  the 
authorities  of  Missouri,  who  had  taken  part  in  the  extermination,  and 
said  that  any  people  that  would  do  as  the  mobs  of  Missouri  had  done 
ought  to  be  brought  to  judgment;  they  ought  to  be  punished.  Presi- 
dent Smith,  in  concluding  his  remarks,  said  that  if  the  government 
which  received  into  its  coffers  the  money  of  citizens  for  its  public 
lands,  while  its  officials  are  rolling  in  luxury  at  the  expense  of  its 
public  treasury,  cannot  protect  such  citizens  in  their  lives  and  prop- 
erty, it  is  an  old  granny  anyhow,  and  I  prophesy,  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel,  unless  the  United  States  redress  the  wrongs  com- 
mitted upon  the  Saints  in  the  State  of  Missouri  and  punish  the  crimes 
committed  by  her  officers,  that  in  a  few  years  the  government  will  be 
utterly  overthrown  and  wasted  and  there  will  not  be  so  much  as  a 
potsherd  left,  for  their  wickedness  in  permitting  the  murder  of  men, 
women  and  children  and  the  wholesale  plunder  and  extermination  of 
thousands  of  her  citizens  to  go  unpunished,  thereby  perpetrating  a 
foul  and  corroding  blot  upon  the  fair  fame  of  this  great  republic,  the 
very  thought  of  which  would  have  caused  the  high-minded  and  pa- 
triotic framers  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  to  hide  their 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  193 

faces  with  shame.  Judge,  you  will  aspire  to  the  presidency  of  the 
United  States;  and  if  you  ever  turn  your  hand  against  me  or  the  Lat- 
ter-day Saints  you  will  feel  the  weight  of  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  up- 
on you;  and  you  will  live  to  see  and  know  that  I  have  testified  the  truth 
to  you,  for  the  conversation  of  this  day  will  stick  to  you  through  life.  He 
appeared  very  friendly  and  acknowledged  the  truth  and  propriety  of 
President  Smith's  remarks. 

This  prophecy  was  published  in  Utah,  in  the  Deseret  News 
of  September  24th,  1856;  and  afterwards  in  England  in  the 
Millennial  Star  of  February,  1859.  It  is  well  known  that  Doug- 
lass did  finally  aspire  to  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States, 
that  he  was  nominated  by  a  confident,  aggressive  party  in  1860; 
and  it  is  also  known  that  in  the  elections  of  that  year  that  party 
which  had  controlled  the  destinies  almost  uninterruptedly  for 
forty  years  became  demoralized;  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  tri- 
umphantly elected,  receiving  one  hundred  and  eighty  electoral 
votes,  while  Mr.  Douglass  received  but  12;  that  Mr.  Douglass 
some  six  weeks  later  died  a  disappointed  not  to  say  heart-broken 
man.  All  this  is  known,  but  it  is  not  so  generally  known  that 
on  the  twelfth  of  June,  1857,  about  one  year  after  the  predic- 
tion of  his  friend  Joseph  Smith  was  published  in  the  Deseret 
News,  in  Utah,  he  most  cowardly  betrayed  the  people  of  that 
friend  and  united  with  their  enemies  in  a  most  unjustifiable  as- 
sault upon  them,  and  in  the  fervor  of  his  eloquence  and  to  gain 
the  favor  of  the  populace,  he  cried  out  agaist  them — 

The  knife  must  be  applied  to  this  pestiferous,  disgusting  cancer 
which  is  gnawing  into  the  very  vitals  of  the  body  politic.  It  must 
be  cut  out  by  the  roots,  and  seared  over  by  the  red  hot  iron  of  stern 
and  unflinching  law.  *  *  *  Repeal  the  organic  law  of 
the  Territory,  on  the  ground  that  they  are  alien  enemies  and  outlaws, 
unfit  to  be  the  citizens  of  a  Territory,  much  less  to  ever  become  citi- 
zens of  one  of  the  free  and  independent  States  of  this  confederacy.* 


*  The  speech  is  published  in  the  Missouri  Republican  for  June 
i8,  1857.  For  a  more  complete  consideration  of  the  prophecy,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  author's"New  Witness  for  God,"  chapter  xxii- 


194  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

He  little  dreamed  that  in  these  utterances  he  was  sealing- 
his  own  political  doom,  and  leaving  on  record  an  event  that  was 
to  stand  as  a  monument  to  the  inspiration  of  Joseph  Smith. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  195 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

DOCTRINAL   DEVELOPMENT  AT  NAUVOO — OF   THE   BEING   AND   NA- 
TURE  OF   GOD. 

WHEN  Joseph  Smith  in  1820  declared  that  he  had  in  open 
vision  seen  God  the  Father  and  His  Son  Jesus  Christ 
standing  together  above  him  in  the  air,  surrounded  by  a  glorious 
brilliancy  of  light  which  defied  all  description,  and  that  God 
the  Father  pointed  to  Jesus  and  said: 

'^Joseph,  this  is  my  beloved  Son,  hear  Him" — 
it  is  quite  evident  that  new  ideas  pertaining  to  God  were  about 
to  be  promulgated  among  men.  The  facts  of  this  vision  were 
quite  at  variance  with  the  orthodox  notions  entertained  about 
the  Godhead.  It  is  quite  true  that  Christians  talked  about 
the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  as  for  the  latter  they  had  to 
concede  that  He  was  in  the  form  of  man,  and  remains 
so  to  this  day,  as  they  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  the 
all-glorious  resurrected  body  of  flesh  and  bones  with  which 
Jesus  ascended  to  His  Father  has  been  dissolved  and  be- 
come incorporeal;  but  no  orthodox  Christian  believed  that  the 
Father  and  the  Son  of  the  Scriptures  were  two  distinct  and  sep- 
arate individuals — a  conclusion  which  this  very  first  vision  of 
the  Prophet's  forces  upon  the  understanding  if  it  is  believed. 
The  anthropomorphism  of  the  vision  is  also  too  emphatic  for 
the  orthodox  conception  of  God;  for  notwithstanding  the  Scrip- 
tures teach  that  man  was  created  in  the  image  of  God;*  and 
that  Jesus  Christ  was  the  express  image  of  His  Father's  per- 
son t — and  certainly  Jesus  was  in   the  form  of  man — yet  ther 


*  Genesis  I,  26,  27. 
t  Heb.,  I,  3. 


196  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

Christian  orthodoxy  gave  such  explanations  of  these  facts  of 
Scripture  that  they  accepted  not  at  all  the  idea  that  God  the 
Father  was  a  personage  like  unto  man  in  form  and  as  distinct 
as  to  His  person  from  His  Son  Jesus  Christ  as  is  any  father 
and  son  among  men.  The  orthodox  creed  of  the  Godhead  is  as 
■follows: 

We  believe  in  one  God,  the  Father  Almighty,  the  maker  of  all 
things  visible  and  invisible;  and  in  one  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God  begotten  of  the  Father,  only  begotten  (that  is)  of  the  substance 
of  the  Father;  God  of  God,  Light  of  Light,  very  God  of  very  God;  be- 
gotten, not  made;  of  the  same  substance  with  the  Father,  by  whom  all 
things  are  made,  that  are  in  heaven  and  that  are  in  earth;  who  for 
us  men,  and  for  our  salvation,  descended  and  was  incarnate,  and  be- 
came man;  suffered  and  rose  again  the  third  day,  ascended  into  the 
heavens  and  will  come  to  judge  the  living  and  the  dead;  and  in  the 
Holy  Spirit.  But  those  who  say  there  was  a  time  when  He  [the  Son] 
was  not,  and  that  He  was  not  before  He  was  begotten,  and  that  He 
was  made  out  of  nothing  or  affirm  that  He  is  of  any  other  substance 
or  essence,  or  that  the  Son  of  God  was  created,  and  mutable,  or 
changeable,  the  Catholic  Church  doth  pronounce  accursed. 

This  is  the  creed  of  St.  Athanasius,  formulated  at  the 
Council  of  Nice,  A.  D.  325,  and  is  universally  accepted  by  ortho- 
dox Christians.  The  explanation  of  the  creed  as  given  by  Athan- 
asius will  also  be  of  interest: 

We  worship  one  God  in  Trinity  and  Trinity  in  Unity;  neither  con- 
founding the  persons,  nor  dividing  the  substance.  For  there  is  one 
person  of  the  Father,  another  of  the  Son,  and  another  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  But  the  Godhead  of  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost  is  all 
one:  The  glory  equal,  the  majesty  co-eternal.  Such  as  the  Father  is, 
such  is  the  Son,  and  such  is  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Father  uncreate, 
the  Son  uncreate,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  uncreate.  The  Father  incom- 
prehensible, the  Son  incomprehensible.  The  Father  eternal,  the 
Son  eternal,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  eternal.  And  yet  these  are  not  three 
eternals,  but  one  eternal.     As  also  there  are  not  three  incomprehen- 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  197 

sibles,  nor  three  uncreated,  but  one  uncreated  and  one  incomprehen- 
sible. So  likewise  the  Father  is  Almighty,  the  Son  Almighty,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  Almighty,  and  yet  there  are  not  three  Almighties,  but 
one  Almighty.  So  the  Father  is  God,  the  Son  is  God,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  God,  and  yet  there  are  not  three  Gods,  but  one  God. 

It  is  of  course  apparent  at  a  glance  that  the  first  great 
revelation  to  Joseph  Smith  declared  facts  in  relation  to  the  na- 
ture of  God — His  personality — the  fact  that  the  Father  was  dis- 
tinct from  the  Son  —the  fact  that  there  were  two — or  a  plurality 
of  Gods — which  are  at  variance  with  the  orthodox  creed  on  the 
subject  of  Deity.  This  truth  he  continued  to  unfold  from  time  to 
time,  though  the  fullness  and  climax  respecting  this  doctrine 
was  reached  at  Nauvoo;  and  as  it  is  the  teachings  of  the 
Prophet  and  not  a  defense  of  them  which  I  here  wish  to  exhibit, 
I  quote  his  own  words: 

god's  distinct  personality. 

The  Father  has  a  body  of  flesh  and  bones  as  tangible  as  a  man's, 
the  Son  also,  but  the  Holy  Ghost  has  not  a  body  of  flesh  and  bones, 
but  is  a  personage  of  spirit.  Were  it  not  so  the  Holy  Ghost  could 
not  dwell  in  us.  A  man  may  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  it  may  de- 
scend upon  him  and  not  tarry  in  him. 

THE  HOLY   GHOST   A   PERSONAGE. 

The  sign  of  the  dove  was  instituted  before  the  creation  of  the 
world,  a  witness  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  devil  cannot  come  in  the 
sign  of  a  dove.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  a  personage,  and  is  in  the  form 
of  a  personage.  It  does  not  confine  itself  to  the  form  of  a  dove,  but 
in  the  sign  of  a  dove.  The  Holy  Ghost  cannot  be  transformed  into  a 
dove;  but  the  sign  of  a  dove  was  given  to  John  to  signify  the  truth 
of  the  deed,  as  the  dove  is  an  emblem  or  token  of  truth  and  inno- 
cence. 

IGNORANCE  AS  TO  THE  CHARACTER   OF   GOD. 
It  is  necessary  for  us   to  have  an  understanding  of  God  Himself 


198  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

in  the  beginning.  There  are  but  a  very  few  beings  in  the  world 
who  understand  rightly  the  character  of  God.  The  great  majority  of 
mankind  do  not  comprehend  anything,  either  that  which  is  passed,  or 
that  which  is  to  come,  as  it  respects  their  relationship  to  God.  They 
do  not  know  neither  do  they  understand  the  nature  of  that  relation 
ship,  and  consequently,  they  know  but  little  above  the  brute  beast,  or 
more  than  to  eat,  drink  and  sleep.  This  is  all  man  knows  about  Go 
or  His  existence,  unless  it  is  given  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty. 

WHAT  KIND  OF  A  BEING  GOD  IS. 


1- 

'4 


I  want  to  ask  this  congregation,  every  man,  woman  and  child,  to 
answer  the  question  in  their  own  heart,  what  kind  of  a  being  God  is. 
*  *  *  God  Himself  was  once  as  we  are  now,  and  is  an  ex- 
alted man,  and  sits  enthroned  in  yonder  heaven!  That  is  the  great 
secret.  If  the  veil  was  rent  today  and  the  great  God  who  holds  this 
world  in  its  orbit,  and  who  upholds  all  worlds  and  all  things  by  His 
power,  was  to  make  Himself  visible,  I  say,  if  you  were  to  see  Him  to- 
day, you  would  see  Him  like  a  man  in  form — like  yourselves  in  all  the 
person,  image  and  very  form  as  a  man,  for  Adam  was  created  in  the 
ver^  fashion,  image  and  likeness  of  God,  and  received  instruction 
from  and  walked,  talked  and  conversed  with  Him,  as  one  man  talks 
and  communes  with  another.  *  *  *  It  is  the  first  prin- 
ciple of  the  Gospel  to  know  for  a  certainty  the  character  of  God  and 
to  know  that  we  may  converse  with  Him  as  one  man  converses  with 
another,  and  that  He  was  once  a  man  like  us;  yea  that  God  Himself, 
the  Father  of  us  all,  dwelt  on  an  earth,  the  same  as  Jesus  Christ  Him- 
self did,  and  I  will  show  it  from  the  Bible. 

PLURALITY  OF  GODS  ESTABLISHED   BY  THE  LANGUAGE  OF 

GENESIS. 

I  shall  comment  on  the  very  first  Hebrew  word  in  the  Bible;  I 
will  make  a  comment  on  the  very  first  sentence  of  the  history  of  crea- 
tion in  the  Bible — Berosheit.  I  want  to  analyze  the  word.  Baith — 
in,  by,  through  and  everything  else.  Rosh — the  head.  Sheit — Gram- 
matical termination.  When  the  inspired  man  wrote  it  he  did  not 
put  the  baith  there.     An  old  Jew  without  any  authority  added  the 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  199 

word:  he  thought  it  too  bad  to  begin  to  talk  about  the  head!  It  read 
first,  "The  head  one  of  the  Gods  brought  forth  the  Gods."  That  is 
the  true  meaning  of  the  words.  Baurau  signifies  to  bring  forth.  If 
you  do  not  believe  it,  you  do  not  believe  the  learned  man  of  God. 
Learned  men  can  teach  you  no  more  than  what  I  have  told  you.  Thus 
the  head  God  brought  forth  the  Gods  in  the  grand  council.  *  *  * 
The  head  God  called  together  the  Gods  and  sat  in  grand  council  to 
bring  forth  the  world.  The  grand  councilors  sat  at  the  head  in  yon- 
der heavens  and  contemplated  the  creation  of  the  worlds  which  were 
created  at  that  time.  *  *  *  j^  ^^j^g  beginning,  the  head 
of  the  Gods  called  a  council  of  the  Gods,  and  they  came  together  and 
concocted  a  plan  to  create  the  world  and  people  it. 

Later  in  dwelling  on  the  same  subject  he  said : 

I  will  show  from  the  Hebrew  Bible  that  I  am  correct,  and  the 
first  word  shows  a  plurality  of  Gods,  and  I  want  the  apostates  and 
learned  men  to  come  here  and  prove  to  the  contrary,  if  they  can.  An 
unlearned  boy  must  give  you  a  little  Hebrew.  Berosheit  baurau  Elo- 
heim  ait  aushamayeen  uenhau  auratis,  rendered  by  King  James'  trans- 
lation: "In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth."  I 
want  to  analyze  the  word  BerOsheit.  Rosh,  the  head;  sheit,  a  gram- 
matical termination.  The  Baith  was  not  originally  put  there  when 
the  inspired  man  wrote  it,  but  it  has  been  since  added  by  an  old  Jew. 
Baurau  signifies  to  bring  forth;  Eloheim  is  from  the  word  Elio,  God, 
in  the  singular  number,  and  by  adding  the  word  heim,  it  renders  it 
Gods.  It  read  first,  "In  the  beginning  the  head  of  the  Gods  brought 
forth  Gods,"  or  as  others  have  translated  it,  "The  head  of  the  Gods 
called  the  Gods  together." 

SUSTALNED  BY  JOHN  THE  REVELATOR. 

President  Joseph  Smith  read  the  third  chapter  of  Revelations, 
and  took  for  his  text  first  chapter,  sixth  verse:  "And  hath  made  us 
kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his  Father;  to  him  be  glory  and  do- 
minion for  ever  and  ever.  Amen."  It  is  altogether  correct  in  the 
translation.  Now  you  know  that  of  late  some  malicious  and  corrupt 
men  have  sprung  up  and  apostatized  from  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints,  and  they  declare  that  the  Prophet  believes  in  a 


200  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  _ 

plurality  of  Gods,  and  lo  and  behold!  we  have  discovered  a  very  great 
secret,  they  cry:  "The  Prophet  says  there  are  many  Gods,  and  this 
proves  that  he  has  fallen."  *  *  *  j  ^[\\  preach  on  the 
plurality  of  Gods.  I  have  selected  this  text  for  that  express  purpose. 
I  wish  to  declare  I  have  always,  and  in  all  congregations  when  I  have 
preached  on  the  subject  of  the  Deity,  it  has  been  the  plurality  of 
Gods.  It  has  been  preached  by  the  Elders  fifteen  years.  I  have 
always  declared  God  to  be  a  distinct  personage,  Jesus  Christ  a  sepa- 
rate and  distinct  personage  from  God  the  Father,  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
was  a  distinct  personage  and  a  Spirit;  and  these  three  constitute  three 
distinct  personages  and  three  Gods.  If  this  is  in  accordance  with  the 
New  Testament,  lo  and  behold,  we  have  three  Gods  anyhow,  and  they 
are  plural,  and  who  can  contradict  it? 

BY   THE   TESTIMONY   OF   PAUL. 

Our  text  says:  "And  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God 
and  his  Father"  The  Apostles  have  discovered  that  there  were  Gods 
above,  for  Paul  says  God  was  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
*  *  *  John  was  one  of  the  men,  and  the  Apostles  declare 
they  were  made  kings  and  priests  unto  God  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  It  reads  just  so  in  the  Revelation.  Hence  the  doc- 
trine of  a  plurality  of  Gods  is  as  prominent  in  the  Bible  as  any  other 
doctrine.  It  is  all  over  the  face  of  the  Bible.  It  stands  beyond  the 
power  of  controversy.  "A  wayfaring  man,  though  a  fool,  need  not 
err  therein."  Paul  says  there  are  Gods  many  and  Lords  many.  I 
want  to  set  it  forth  in  a  plain  and  simple  manner,  but  to  us  there  is 
but  one  God — that  is  pertaining  to  us,  and  He  is  in  all  and  through  all. 
But  if  Joseph  Smith  says  there  are  Gods  many  and  Lords  many,  they 
cry,  "Away  with  him,  and  crucify  him,  crucify  him!"  Mankind  verily 
say  that  the  Scriptures  are  with  them.  Search  the  Scriptures,  for 
they  testify  of  things  that  these  apostates  would  gravely  pronounce 
blasphemy.  Paul,  if  Joseph  Smith  is  a  blasphemer,  you  are.  I  say 
there  are  Gods  many,  and  Lords  many,  but  to  us  only  one;  and  we 
are  to  be  in  subjection  to  that  one,  and  no  man  can  limit  the  bounds 
or  the  eternal  existence  of  eternal  time.  *  -Jt  *  Some 
say  I  do  not  interpret  the  Scriptures  the  same  as  they  do.  They  say 
it  means  the  heathen's  gods.    Paul  says  there  are  Gods  many  and 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  201 

Lords  many,  and  that  makes  a  plurality  of  Gods,  in  spite  of  the  whims 
of  all  men.  Without  a  revelation  I  am  not  going  to  give  them  the 
knowledge  of  the  God  of  heaven.  You  know  and  I  testify  that  Paul 
had  no  allusion  to  the  heathen  gods.  I  have  it  from  God,  ard  get 
over  it  if  you  can.  I  have  a  witness  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  a  testi- 
mony that  Paul  had  no  allusion  to  the  heathen  gods  in  the  text. 

BY   THE   PHILOSOPHY   OF   ABRAHAM. 

I  want  to  reason  a  little  on  this  subject.  I  learned  it  by  trans- 
lating the  papyrus  which  is  now  in  my  house.  I  learned  a  testimony 
concerning  Abraham,  and  he  reasoned  concerning  the  God  of  heaven. 
^*In  order  to  do  that,"  said  he,  "suppose  we  have  two  facts;  that  sup- 
poses another  fact  may  exist — two  men  on  the  earth,  one  wiser  than 
the  other,  would  logically  show  that  another  who  is  wiser  than  the 
wiser  one  may  exist.  Intelligences  exist  one  above  another,  so  that 
there  is  no  end  to  them.  If  Abraham  reasoned  thus:  If  Jesus  Christ 
was  the  Son  of  God,  and  John  discovered  that  God,  the  Father  of  Jesus 
Christ,  had  a  Father,  you  may  suppose  that  He  had  a  Father  also. 
Where  was  there  ever  a  son  without  a  father?  And  where  was  there 
ever  a  father  without  first  being  a  son?  Whenever  did  a  tree  or 
anything  spring  into  existence  without  a  progenitor?  And  every- 
thing comes  in  this  way.  Paul  says  that  which  is  earthly  is  in  the 
likeness  of  that  which  is  heavenly.  Hence,  if  Jesus  had  a  Father, 
can  we  not  believe  that  He  had  a  Father  also?  I  despise  the  idea  of 
being  scared  to  death  at  such  doctrine,  for  the  Bible  is  full  of  it. 

BY   THE   TESTIMONY   OF   JESUS. 

I  believe  all  that  God  ever  revealed,  and  I  never  hear  of  a  man  be- 
ing damned  for  believing  too  much;  but  they  are  damned  for  unbelief. 
They  found  fault  with  Jesus  Christ  because  He  said  He  was  the  Son 
of  God,  and  made  Himself  equal  with  God.  They  say  of  me  like  they 
did  of  the  Apostles  of  old,  that  I  must  be  put  down.  What  did  Jesus 
say?  "Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said,  ye  are  Gods?  If  he 
called  them  Gods  unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came,  and  the  Scripture 
cannot  be  broken,  say  ye  of  him  whom  the  Father  has  sanctified  and 
sent  into  the  world,  Thou  blasphemest,  because  I  said  I  am  the  Son  of 
God?"    It  was  through  Him  that  they  drank  of  the  spiritual  rock. 

13 


202  RISE  AND   FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

Of  course  He  would  take  the  honor  Himself.  Jesus,  if  they  were  called 
Gods  unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came,  why  should  it  be  thought 
blasphemy  that  I  should  say  I  am  the  Son  of  God?* 

HOW  GOD  CAME  TO  BE  A  GOD. 

We  have  imagined  and  supposed  that  God  was  God  from  all  eter- 
nity. I  will  refute  that  idea,  and  will  take  away  the  vail,  so  that 
you    may   see.  *  *  ^t  rpj^^  Scriptures   inform 

us  that  Jesus  said,  "As  the  Father  hath  power  in  Himself,  even  so 
hath  the  Son  power" — to  do  what?  Why,  what  the  Father  did.  The 
answer  is  obvious — in  a  manner  to  lay  down  His  body  and  take  it  up 
again.  Jesus,  what  are  you  going  to  do?  To  lay  down  My 
life  as  My  Father  did  and  take  it  up  again.  Do  you  believe 
it?  If  you  do  not  believe  it  you  do  not  believe  the  Bible. 
Here  then  is  eternal  life,  to  know  the  only  wise  and  true 
God,  and  you  have  got  to  learn  to  be  Gods  yourselves,  and  to  be 
kings  and  priests  to  God,  the  same  as  all  Gods  have  done  before  you, 
namely,  by  going  from  one  small  degree  to  another,  and  from  a  small 
capacity  to  a  great  one;  from  grace  to  grace,  from  exaltation  to  ex- 
altation, until  you  attain  to  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  and  are  able 
to  dwell  in  everlasting  burnings,  and  to  sit  in  glory  as  do  those  who 
sit  enthroned  in  everlasting  power. 

THE  APPOINTMENT  OF  GODS. 

The  Scriptures  are  a  mixture  of  very  strange  doctrines  to  the 
Christian  world,  who  are  blindly  led  by  the  blind.  I  will  refer  to 
another  Scripture.  "Now,"  says  God,  when  He  visited  Moses  in  the 
bush,  (Moses  was  a  stammering  sort  of  a  boy  like  me,)  God  said,"Thou 
shalt  be  a  God  unto  the  children  of  Israel."  God  said,  "Thou  shalt 
be  a  God  unto  Aaron,  and  he  shall  be  thy  spokesman."  I  believe  those 
Gods  that  God  reveals  as  Gods  to  be  sons  of  Gods,  and  all  can  cry, 
"Abba  Father!"  Sons  of  God  who  exalt  themselves  to  be  Gods,  even 


*  I  think  in  this  last  sentence  the  report  is  imperfect.  The 
Prophet  doubtless  meant  to  represent  Jesus  as  still  talking,  that  is,  as 
if  the  Prophet  had  said— Jesus  continues:  "If  they  were  called,  etc. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO,  203 

from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  and  are  the  only  Gods  I  have 
a  reverence  for. 

THE  APPOINTMENT   OF  OUR   GOD. 

The  head  of  the  Gods  appointed  one  God  for  us;  and  when  you 
take  a  view  of  the  subject,  it  sets  one  free  to  see  all  the  beauty,  holi- 
ness and  perfection  of  the  Gods.  All  I  want  is  to  get  the  simple* 
naked  truth,  and  the  whole  truth. 

THE   ONENESS   OF  GOD — IN  WHAT  IT  CONSISTS. 

Many  men  say  there  is  one  God;  the  Father,  the  Son  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  are  only  one  God!  I  say  that  is  a  strange  God  anyhow 
— three  in  one,  and  one  in  three!  It  is  a  curious  organization. 
"Father,  I  pray  not  for  the  world,  but  I  pray  for  them  which  Thou 
hast  given  me."  ''Holy  Father,  keep  through  Thine  own  name  those 
whom  Thou  hast  given  me,  that  they  may  be  one,  as  we  are."        * 

*  *  I  want  to  read  the  text  to  you  myself:  "I  am  agreed 
with  the  Father  and  the  Father  is  agreed  with  Me,  and  we  are 
agreed  as  one."  The  Greek  shows  that  it  should  be  "agreed."  "Father, 
I  pray  for  them  which  Thou  hast  given  me  out  of  the  world,  and  not 
for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe  on  me  through 
their  word,  that  they  all  may  be  agreed  as  Thou,  Father,  art  agreed 
with  me,  and  I  with  Thee,  that  they  also  may  be  agreed  with  us — " 
and  all  come  to  dwell  in  unity,  and  in  all  glory  and  everlasting  burn- 
ings of  the  Gods;  and  then  we  shall  see  as  we  are  seen,  and  be  as  our 
God,  and  He  as  His  Father. 

OF   MAN  AND   HIS   IMMORTALITY. 

The  doctrines  which  Joseph  Smith  taught  respecting  God 
were  also  calculated  to  have  an  effect  on  his  teachings  respect- 
ing man,  and  that  it  did  so  is  evident  from  the  following: 

I  have  another  subject  to  dwell  upon  which  is  calculated  to  exalt 
man.  *  *  *  It  is  associated  with  the  subject  of  the  res- 
urrection of  the  dead,  namely,  the  soul — the  mind  of  man — the  im- 
mortal spirit.  Where  did  it  come  from?  All  learned  men,  and  doc- 
tors of  divinity  say  that  God  created  it  in  the  beginning;  but  it  is  not 
so:  the  very  idea  lessens  man  in  my  estimation.     I  do  not  believe  the 


204  RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

doctrine.    I  know  better.     Hear  it,  all  ye  ends  of  the  world,  for  God 
has  told  me  so,  if  you  don't  believe  me,  it   will  not   make  the  truth 
without  effect.        *        *        *        ^^Q  g^y  that  God  Himself  is  a 
self-existent  being.  Who  told  you  so?    It  is  correct  enough,  but  how 
did  it  get  into  your  heads?     Who  told  you   that  man  did  not  exist  in 
like  manner  upon  the  same  principles?     God  made  a  tabernacle  and 
put  a  spirit  into  it,  and  it  became  a  living  soul.     [Refers  to  the  old 
Bible.]    How  does  it  read  in  the  Hebrew?    It  does  not  say  in  Hebrew 
that  God  created  the  spirit  of  man.     It  says,  "God  made  man  out  of 
earth  and   put  into  him  Adam's  spirit,  and  so   became  a  living  body." 
*         *        *        I  am  dwelling  on  the  immortality  of  the  spirit 
of  man.     Is  it  logical  to  say  that  the  intelligence  of  spirits  is  immor- 
tal, and  yet  that  it  had  a  beginning?    The  intelligence  of  spirits  had 
no  beginning,  neither  will  it  have  an  end.     That  is  good  logic.     That 
which  has  a  beginning  may  have  an  end.     There  never  was  a  time 
when  there  were  not  spirits,  for  they  are  co-equal  with  our  Father  in 
heaven. 

THE  prophet's  VIEWS  ON  IMMATERIALITY  AND  ON  CREATION. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  immaterial  matter.  All  spirit  is  matter, 
but  it  is  more  fine  or  pure,  and  can  only  be  discerned  by  purer  eyes. 
We  cannot  see  it;  but  when  our  bodies  are  purified,  we  shall  see  that 
it  is  all  matter. 

*  *  *  You  ask  the  wise  doctors  why  they  say  the 

world  was   made  out  of  nothing,  and  they   will  answer,    "Don't  the 
Bible   say  He  created   the  world?"     And  they  infer  from  that  word 
create  that  it  must  be  made  out  of  nothing.     Now   the  word  create 
came  from  the  word  baurau,   which  does  not  mean  to  create  out  of 
nothing;   it   means    to   organize,   the   same   as  man   would   organ- 
ize  material    and   build   a  ship.      Hence   we   infer  that    God   had 
materials  to   organize   the   world   out   of — chaos — chaotic    matter, 
which  is  element,   and   in   which   dwells   all   the  glory.     Elements 
had  an  existence  from  the  time   He  [God]   had.     The  pure   princi- 
ples of  elements  can  never   be   destroyed,  they  may  be  organized 
and  reorganized,  but  not  destroyed.     They  had  no  beginning,  and  can 
have  no  end. 

In  order  to  present  a  more  complete  view  of  the  importance 


i 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  205 

of  man  as  connected  with  the  work  of  his  redemption,  his  future 
exaltation  and  glory,  as  taught  by  the  Prophet,  1  quote  two  dis- 
courses of  his  preached  in  Nauvoo  some  time  previous  to  the 
period  under  consideration.  The  first  is  an  excerpt  from  re- 
marks of  the  Prophet  made  in  reply  to  certain  questions  about 
the  Priesthood  and  other  subjects;  the  second  is  from  an  article 
presented  by  him  at  the  October  conference  of  1840: 

I. 

The  Priesthood  was  first  given  to  Adam;  he  obtained  the  First 
Presidency,  and  held  the  keys  of  it  from  generation  to  generation. 
He  obtained  it  in  the  creation,  before  the  world  was  formed,  as  in 
Gen.  I,  20,  26,  28.  He  had  dominion  given  him  over  every  living 
creature.  He  is  Michael,  the  Arch- Angel,  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures. 
Then  to  Noah,  who  is  Gabriel;  he  stands  next  in  authority  to  Adam 
in  the  Priesthood;  he  was  called  of  God  to  this  office,  and  was  the 
Father  of  all  living  in  his  day,  and  to  him  was  given  the  dominion. 
These  men  held  keys  first  on  earth,  and  then  in  heaven. 

The  Priesthood  is  an  everlasting  principle,  and  existed  with  God 
from  eternity,  and  will  to  eternity,  without  beginning  of  days  or  end 
of  years.  The  keys  have  to  be  brought  from  heaven  whenever  the 
Gospel  is  sent.  When  they  are  revealed  from  heaven  it  is  by  Adam's 
authority.  Daniel  vii,  speaks  of  the  Ancient  of  Days;  he  means  the 
oldest  man,  our  Father  Adam,  Michael;  he  will  call  his  children  to- 
gether and  hold  a  council  with  them  to  prepare  them  for  the  coming 
of  the  Son  of  Man.  He  (Adam)  is  the  father  of  the  human  family, 
and  presides  over  the  spirits  of  all  men,  and  all  that  have  had  the 
keys  must  stand  before  him  in  this  grand  council.  This  may  take 
plac^  before  some  of  us  leave  this  stage  of  action.  The  Son  of  Man 
stands  before  him,  and  there  is  given  Him  glory  and  dominion.  Adam  de- 
livers up  his  stewardship  to  Christ,  that  which  was  delivered  to  him 
as  holding  the  keys  of  the  universe,  but  retains  his  standing  as  head 
of  the  human  family. 

The  spirit  of  man  is  not  a  created  being;  it  existed  from  eterni- 
ty, and  will  exist  to  eternity.  Anything  created  cannot  be  eternal; 
and  earth,  water,  &c.,  had  their  existence  in  an  elementary  state, 
from  eternity.     Our  Savior  speaks  of  children  and  says,  their  angels 


206  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

always  stana  before  my  Father.  The  Father  called  all  spirits  before 
Him  at  the  creation  of  man,  and  organized  them.  He  (Adam)  is  the 
head  and  was  told  to  multiply.  The  keys  were  first  given  to  him,  and 
by  him  to  others.  He  will  have  to  give  an  account  of  his  steward- 
ship and  they  to  him. 

The  Priesthood  is  everlasting.  The  Savior,  Moses,  and  Elias, 
gave  the  keys  to  Peter,  James,  and  John,  on  the  mount,  when  He 
was  transfigured  before  them.  The  Priesthood  is  everlasting — with- 
out beginning  of  days  or  end  of  years;  without  father,  mother,  &c. 
If  there  is  no  change  of  ordinances,  there  is  no  change  of  Priesthood. 
Wherever  the  ordinances  of  the  Gospel  are  administered,  there  is  the 
Priesthood. 

How  have  we  come  at  the  Priesthood  in  the  last  days?  It  came 
down,  in  regular  succession.  Peter,  James,  and  John  had  it 
given  to  them,  and  they  gave  it  to  others.  Christ  is  the  great  High 
Priest;  Adam  next.  Paul  speaks  of  The  Church  coming  to  an  innum- 
erable company  of  angels— to  God,  the  Judge  of  all — the  spirits  of 
just  men  made  perfect;  to  Jesus,  the  Mediator  of  the  new  covenant, 
&c.,  (Heb.  Ill,  23.) 

I  saw  Adam  in  the  valley  of  Adam-ondi-Ahman.  He  called  to- 
gether his  children  and  blessed  them  with  a  patriarchal  blessing. 
The  Lord  appeared  in  their  midst,  and  he  (Adam)  blessed  them  all, 
and  foretold  what  should  befall  them  to  the  latest  generation.  (See 
D.  C,  sec.  Ill,  pars.  28,  29.) 

This  is  why  Abraham  blessed  his  posterity;  he  wanted  to  bring 
them  into  the  presence  of  God.  They  looked  for  a  city,  &c.  Moses 
sought  to  bring  the  children  of  Israel  into  the  presence  of  God, 
through  the  power  of  the  Priesthood,  but  he  could  not.  In  the  first 
ages  of  the  world  they  tried  to  establish  the  same  thing;  and  there 
were  Eliases  raised  up  who  tried  to  restore  these  very  glories,  but  did 
not  obtain  them;  but  they  prophesied  of  a  day  when  this  glory  would 
be  revealed.  Paul  spoke  of  the  Dispensation  of  the  Fullness  of  Times, 
when  God  would  gather  together  all  things  in  one,  &c.;and  those  men 
to  whom  these  keys  have  been  given,  will  have  to  be  there;  and  they 
without  us  cannot  be  made  perfect. 

These  men  are  in  heaven,  but  their  children  are  on  earth.  Their 
bowels  yearn  over  us.     God  sends  down  men  for  this  reason.     (Matt. 


RISE   AND  FALL   OP   NAUVOO.  207 

XIII,  41.)  And  the  Son  of  Man  shall  send  forth  His  angels,  &c.  All 
these  authoritative  characters  will  come  down  and  join  hand  in  hand 
in  bringing  about  this  work. 

11. 

In  order  to  investigate  the  subject  of  the  Priesthood,  so  impor- 
tant to  this,  as  well  as  every  succeeding  generation,  I  shall  proceed  to 
trace  the  subject  as  far  as  I  possibly  can  from  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 
taments. 

There  are  two  Priesthoods  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures,  viz.,  the 
Melchisedek  and  the  Aaronic  or  LeviticaJ.  Although  there  are  two 
Priesthoods,  yet  the  Melchisedek  Priesthood  comprehends  the  Aaronic 
or  Levitical  Priesthood,  and  is  the  grand  head,  and  holds  the  highest 
authority  which  pertains  to  the  Priesthood,  and  the  keys  of  the  King- 
dom of  God  in  all  ages  of  the  world  to  the  latest  posterity  on  the 
earth,  and  is  the  channel  through  which  all  knowledge,  doctrine,  the 
plan  of  salvation,  and  every  important  matter  is  revealed  from 
heaven. 

Its  institution  was  prior  to  "the  foundation  of  this  earth,  or  the 
morning  stars  sang  together,  or  the  Sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy," 
and  is  the  highest  and  holiest  Priesthood,  and  is  after  the  order  of 
the  Son  of  God,  and  all  other  Priesthoods  are  only  parts,  ramifica- 
tions, powers,  and  blessings  belonging  to  the  same,  and  are  held,  con- 
trolled, and  directed  by  it.  It  is  the  channel  through  which  the  Al- 
mighty commenced  revealing  His  glory  at  the  beginning  of  the  crea- 
tion of  this  earth,  and  through  which  He  has  continued  to  reveal 
Himself  to  the  children  of  men  to  the  present  time,  and  through 
which  He  will  make  known  His  purposes  to  the  end  of  time. 

Commencing  with  Adam,  who  was  the  first  man,  who  is  spoken 
of  in  Daniel  as  being  the  "Ancient  of  Days,"  or  in  other  words,  the 
first  and  oldest  of  all,  the  great  grand  progenitor  of  whom  it  is  said 
in  another  place  he  is  Michael,  because  he  was  the  first  and  Father  of 
all,  not  only  by  progeny,  but  the  first  to  hold  the  spiritual  blessings, 
to  whom  was  made  known  the  plan  of  ordinances  for  the  salvation 
of  his  posterity  unto  the  end,  and  to  whom  Christ  was  first  revealed, 
and  through  whom  Christ  has  been  revealed  from  heaven,  and  will 
continue  to  be  revealed  from  henceforth.  Adam  holds  the  keys  of 
the  Dispensation  of  the  Fullness  of  Times;  i.  e.,  the  dispensation  of  all 


208  RISE  AND  FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

the  times,  have  been  and  will  be  revealed  through  him  from  the  be- 
ginning to  Christ,  and  from  Christ  to  the  end  of  all  the  dispensations 
that  are  to  be  revealed:  Ephesians,  1st  chap.,  9th  and  10th  verses, 
"Having  made  known  unto  us  the  mystery  of  his  will,  according  to 
his  good  pleasure  which  he  has  purposed  in  himself:  that  in  the  dis- 
pensation of  the  fullness  of  times,  he  might  gather  together  in  one 
all  things  in  Christ,  both  which  are  in  heaven  and  which  are  on  earth 
in  him." 

Now  the  purpose  in  Himself  in  the  winding  up  scene  of  the  last 
dispensation  is  that  all  things  pertaining  to  that  dispensation  should 
be  conducted  precisely  in  accordance  with  the  preceding  dispensa- 
tions. 

And  again:  God  purposed  in  Himself  that  there  should  not  be 
eternal  fullness  until  every  dispensation  should  be  fulfilled  and  .gath- 
ered together  in  one,  and  that  all  things  whatsoever,  that  should  be 
gathered  together  in  one  in  those  dispensations  unto  the  same  fullness 
and  eternal  glory,  should  be  in  Christ  Jesus;  therefore  He  set  the  or- 
dinances to  be  the  same  forever,  and  set  Adam  to  watch  over  them, 
to  reveal  them  from  heaven  to  man,  or  to  send  angels  to  reveal  them: 
Hebrews  i,  14,  "Are  they  not  all  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to 
minister  to  those  who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation?" 

These  angels  are  under  the  direction  of  Michael  or  Adam,  who 
acts  under  the  direction  of  the  Lord.  From  the  above  quotation  we 
learn  that  Paul  perfectly  understood  the  purposes  of  God  in  relation 
to  His  connection  with  man,  and  that  glorious  and  perfect  order 
which  He  established  in  Himself,  whereby  He  sent  forth  power,  reve- 
lations, and  glory. 

God  will  not  acknowledge  that  which  He  has  not  called,  ordained 
and  chosen.  In  the  beginning  God  called  Adam  by  His  own  voice. 
See  Genesis  3rd  chapter,  9th,  10th  v.,  "And  the  Lord  called  unto 
Adam  and  said  unto  him.  Where  art  thou?  And  he  said,  I  heard  thy 
voice  in  the  garden,  and  I  was  afraid  because  I  was  naked,  and  hid 
myself."  Adam  received  commandments  and  instruction  from  God; 
this  was  the  order  from  the  beginning. 

That  he  received  revelations,  commandments  and  ordinances  at 
the  beginning  is  beyond  the  power  of  controversy;  else  how  did  they 
begin  to  offer  sacrifices  to  God  in  an  acceptable  manner?    And  if  they 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  209 

offered  sacrifices  they  must  be  authorized  by  ordination.  We  read  in 
Gen.  4th  chap.,  4th  v.,  that  Abel  brought  of  the  firstlings  of  the  flock 
and  the  fat  thereof,  and  the  Lord  had  respect  to  Abel  and  to  his  of- 
fering. And,  again,  Hebrews  xi,  4th,  "By  faith  Abel  offered  unto 
God  a  more  excellent  sacrifice  than  Cain,  by  which  he  obtained  wit- 
ness that  he  was  righteous,  God  testifying  of  his  gifts;  and  by  it  he 
being  dead,  yet  speaketh."  How  doth  he  yet  speak?  Why,  he  mag- 
nified the  Priesthood  which  was  conferred  upon  him,  and  died  a  right- 
eous man,  and  therefore  has  become  an  angel  of  God  by  receiving  his 
body  from  the  dead,  holding  still  the  keys  of  his  dispensation;  and 
was  sent  down  from  heaven  unto  Paul  to  minister  consoling  words, 
and  to  commit  unto  him  a  knowledge  of  the  mysteries  of  Godli- 
ness. 

And  if  this  was  not  the  case,  1  would  ask,  how  did  Paul  know  so 
much  about  Abel,  and  why  should  he  talk  about  his  speaking  after  he 
was  dead?  Hence,  that  he  spoke  after  he  was  dead  must  be  by  being 
sent  down  out  of  heaven  to  administer. 

This,  then,  is  the  nature  of  the  Priesthood;  every  man  holding 
the  presidency  of  his  dispensation,  and  one  man  holding  the  presi- 
dency of  them  all,  even  Adam;  and  Adam  receiving  his  presidency  and 
authority  from  the  Lord,  but  cannot  receive  a  fullness  until  Christ 
shall  present  the  Kingdom  to  the  Father,  which  shall  be  at  the  end  of 
the  last  dispensation. 


210  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

DOCTRINAL    DEVELOPMENT  AT  NAUVOO — MISCELLANEOUS  ITEMS. 

IN  this  chapter  I  quote  the  sayings  and  instructions  of  the 
Prophet  on  a  variety  of  topics,  uttered  principally  within 
the  period  under  consideration — from  January  to  June  1843 — 
though  there  are  some  exceptions. 

THE  VARIOUS  KINDS  OF  BEINGS  IN  HEAVEN. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  beings  in  heaven,  viz:  Angels  who  are 
resurrected  personages,  having  bodies  of  flesh  and  bones.  For  in- 
stance, Jesus  said,  "Handle  me  and  see,  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh 
and  bones  as  you  see  me  have."  Second,  the  spirits  of  just  men  made 
perfect,  they  who  are  not  resurrected,  but  inherit  the  same  glory. 

HOW  TO  DETERMINE  THE  NATURE  OF  AN  ADMINISTRATION. 

When  a  messenger  comes,  saying  he  has  a  message  from  God, 
offer  him  your  hand,  and  request  him  to  shake  hands  with  you.  If  he 
be  an  angel,  he  will  do  so,  and  you  will  feel  his  hand.  If  he  be  the 
spirit  of  a  just  man  made  perfect  he  will  come  in  his  glory,  for  that 
is  the  only  way  he  can  appear.  Ask  him  to  shake  hands  with  you, 
but  he  will  not  move,  because  it  is  contrary  to  the  order  of  heaven 
for  a  just  man  to  deceive;  but  he  will  still  deliver  his  message.  If 
it  be  the  Devil  as  an  angel  of  light,  when  you  ask  him  to  shake  hands, 
he  will  offer  you  his  hand  but  you  will  not  feel  anything;  you  may 
therefore  detect  him.  These  are  three  grand  keys  whereby  you  may 
know  whether  or  not  any  administration  is  from  God. 

THE  prophet's  VIEW  ON  THE  CREEDS  OF  MEN. 

I  cannot  believe  in  any  of  the  creeds  of  the  different  denomina- 
tions, because  they  all  have  some  things  in  them  I  cannot  subscribe 
to,  though  all  of  them  have  some  truth.  I  want  to  come  up  in  the 
presence  of  God,  and  learn  all  things;  but  the  creeds  set  up  stakes 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  211 

.^nd  say,  "Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  and  no  further,"  which  I  cannot 
subscribe  to. 

THE  PROPHET   OX   FRIENDSHIP. 

Friendship  is  one  of  the  grand  fundamental  principles  of  "Mor- 
monism"  to  revolutionize  and  civilize  the  world,  and  cause  wars  and 
contentions  to  cease,  and  men  to  become  friends  and  brothers.  Even 
the  wolf  and  the  lamb  shall  dwell  together;  the  leopard  shall  lie  down 
with  the  kid;  the  calf  and  young  lion,  and  the  fatling;  and  a  little 
child  shall  lead  them;  the  bear  and  the  cow  shall  lie  down  together, 
and  the  sucking  child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp  and  the  weaned 
child  shall  play  on  the  cockatrice's  den,  and  they  shall  not  hurt  or 
destroy  in  all  My  holy  mountain,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  It  is  a 
time-honored  adage  that  love  begets  love.  Let  us  pour  forth  love — 
show  forth  all  kindness  unto  all  mankind  and  the  Lord  will  reward  us 
with  everlasting  increase;  cast  our  bread  upon  the  waters,  and  we 
shall  receive  it  after  many  days,  increased  to  a  hundredfold. 

ON  THE  POWER  OF  THE  WORD  OF  GOD. 

Every  word  that  proceedeth  from  the  mouth  of  Jehovah  has  such 
an  influence  over  the  human  mind — the  logical  mind — that  it  is  con- 
vincing, without  other  testimony.  Faith  cometh  by  hearing.  If  ten 
thousand  men  testify  to  a  truth  you  know,  would  it  add  to  your  faith? 
No.  Or  will  ten  thousand  testimonies  destroy  your  knowledge  of  a 
fact?  No.  I  don't  want  any  one  to  tell  me  I  am  a  prophet,  or  at- 
tempt to  prove  my  word. 

THE   PROPHET   ON   THE   LIBERTY   OF    CONSCIENCE   AND   THE   CON- 
STITUTION  OF   THE  UNITED   STATES. 

It  is  one  of  the  first  principles  of  my  life  and  one  that  I  have 
cultivated  from  my  childhood,  having  been  taught  it  by  my  father, 
to  allow  every  one  the  liberty  of  conscience.  I  am  the  greatest  advo- 
cate of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  there  is  on  the  earth.  In 
my  feelings  I  am  always  ready  to  die  in  the  protection  of  the  weak 
and  oppressed  in  their  just  rights.  The  only  fault  I  find  with  the 
Constitution  is,  it  is  not  broad  enough  to  cover  the  whole  ground. 


212  RISE   AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

Although  it  provides  that  all  men  shall  enjoy  religious  freedom,  yet 
it  does  not  provide  the  manner  in  which  that  freedom  can  be  pre- 
served, nor  for  the  punishment  of  government  officers  who  refuse  to 
protect  the  people  in  their  religious  rights,  or  punish  those  mobs, 
States  or  communities  who  interfere  with  the  rights  of  people  on  ac- 
count of  their  religion.     Its  sentiments  are  good,  but  it  provides  no 
means  of  enforcing  them.     It  has  but  this  one  fault.     Under  its  pro- 
vision, a  man  or  people  who  are  able  to  protect  themselves  can  get 
along  well  enough,  but  those  who  have  the  misfortune  to  be  weak  or 
unpopular  are  left  to  the  merciless  rage  of  popular  fury.     The  Con- 
stitution should  contain  a  provision  that  every  officer  of  the  govern- 
ment who  should  neglect  or  refuse  to  extend  the  protection  guaran- 
teed in  the  Constitution  should  be  subject  to  capital  punishment;  and 
then  the  President  of  the  United  States  would  not  say  "Your  cause 
is  just  but  I  can  do  nothing  for  you;"  governors  issue  exterminating 
orders;  or  judges  say,  "The  men  ought  to  have  the  protection  of  law, 
but  it  won't  please  the  mob;  the  men  must  die  anyhow  to  satisfy  the 
clamor  of  the  rabble;  they  must  be  hung,  or  Missouri  be  damned  to 
all  eternity."    Executive  writs  could  be  issued  when  they  ought  to  be, 
and  not  be  made  instruments  of  cruelty  to  oppress  the  innocent,  and 
persecute  men  whose  religion  is  unpopular. 

THE  prophet's  COMMENT   ON  GOOD  MEN. 

I  do  not  think  there  have  been  many  good  men  on  the  earth  since 
the  days  of  Adam;  but  there  was  one  good  man  and  His  name  was 
Jesus.  Many  persons  think  a  prophet  must  be  a  great  deal  better 
than  anybody  else.  Suppose  I  would  condescend — yes,  I  will  call  it 
condescend — to  be  a  great  deal  better  than  any  of  you,  I  would  be 
raised  up  to  the  highest  heavens,  and  who  should  I  have  to  accompany 
me?  I  love  that  man  better  who  swears  a  stream  as  long  as  my  arm, 
yet  deals  justice  to  his  neighbors  and  mercifully  deals  his  substance 
to  the  poor,  than  the  long,  smooth-faced  hypocrite.  I  do  not  want 
you  to  think  I  am  very  righteous,  for  I  am  not.  God  judges  men 
according  to  the  use  they  make  of  the  light  which  He  gives  them. 

THE  prophet's  ESTIMATE  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  HIMSELF. 
I  am  like  a  huge,  rough  stone  rolling  down  from  a  high  moun- 


RISE   AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO.  213 

tain,  and  the  only  polishing  I  get  is  when  some  corner  gets  rubbed  off 
by  coming  in  contact  with  something  else,  striking  with  accelerated 
force  against -religious  bigotry,  priest-craft,  lawyer-craft,  doctor- 
craft,  lying  editors,  suborned  judges  and  jurors,  and  the  authority  of 
perjured  executives,  backed  by  mobs,  blasphemers,  licentious  and  cor- 
rupt men  and  women,  all  hell  knccking  off  a  corner  here  and  a  corner 
there.  Thus  I  will  become  a  smooth  and  polished  shaft  in  the  quiver 
of  the  Almighty,  who  will  give  me  dominion  over  all  and  every  one  of 
them,  when  their  refuge  of  lies  shall  fail,  and  their  hiding  place  shall 
be  destroyed,  while  these  smooth  polished  stones  with  which  I  come  in 
contact  become  marred.  *  *  *  I  am  a  rough  stone.  The 
sound  of  the  hammer  and  chisel  was  never  heard  on  me  until  the  Lord 
took  me  in  hand.  I  desire  the  learning  and  wisdom  of  heaven  alone. 
I  have  not  the  least  idea,  if  Christ  should  come  to  the  earth  and 
preach  such  rough  things  as  He  preached  to  the  Jews,  but  that  this 
generation  would  reject  Him  for  being  so  rough. 

OTHER   WORLDS  THAN  OURS  AND  THEIR   REDEMPTION. 

Commenting  on  Revelation  v:  13 — "And  every  creature 
which  is  in  heaven,  and  on  the  earth,  and  under  the  earth,  and 
such  as  are  in  the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in  them,  heard  I  saying, 
Blessing,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  power,  be  unto  him  that 
sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb,  for  ever  and 
ever" — the  Prophet  said: 

I  suppose  John  saw  beings  there  of  a  thousand  forms,  that  had 
been  saved  from  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  earths  like  this, 
strange  beasts  of  which  we  have  no  conception;  all  might  be  seen  in 
heaven.  The  grand  secret  was  to  show  John  what  there  was  in 
heaven.  John  learned  that  God  glorified  Himself  by  saving  all  that 
His  hands  had  made,  whether  beasts,  fowls,  fishes  or  men,  and  He 
will  gratify  Himself  with  them. 

THE   prophet's   DEFINITION   OF  THE  WORD  MORMON. 

Before  I  give  a  definition,  however,  to  the  word  Mormon,  let  me 
say  that  the  Bible,  in  its  widest  sense,  means  good,  for  the  Savior 
says,  according  to  the  Gospel  of  John,  "I  am  the  good  shepherd,"  and 


214  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

it  will  not  be  beyond  the  common  use  of  terms  to  say  that  good  is 
among  the  most  important  in  use,  and  though  known  by  various 
names  in  different  languages,  still  its  meaning  is  the  same,  and  is 
ever  in  opposition  to  bad.  We  say  from  the  Saxon  good;  the  Dane 
god;  the  Goth  goda;  the  German  gut;  the  Dutch  goed;  the  Latin 
bonus;  the  Greek  kalos;  the  Hebrew  tob,  and  the  Egyptian  mon. 
Hence,  with  the  addition  of  more,  or  the  contraction  mor,  we  have 
the  word  Mormon,  which  means,  literally,  more  good. 

MAKE  YOUR  CALLING  AND  ELECTION  SURE. 

Commenting  on  E  Peter  i,  5-10,  and  also  verse  19,  the  Prophet 
said:  Now  there  is  some  grand  secret  here,  and  keys  to  unlock  the- 
subject.  Notwithstanding  the  Apostle  exhorts  them  to  add  to  their 
faith  virtue,  temperance,  etc.,  yet  he  exhorts  them  to  make  their 
calling  and  election  sure.  And  though  they  had  heard  an  audible 
voice  from  heaven  bearing  testimony  that  Jesus  was  thq  Son  of 
God,  yet  he  says  we  have  a  more  sure  word  of  prophecy,  whereunta 
ye  do  well  that  ye  take  heed  as  unto  a  light  shining  in  a  dark  place. 
Now,  wherein  could  they  have  a  more  sure  word  of  prophecy  than  to 
hear  the  voice  of  God  saying,  "This  is  my  beloved  Son?"  etc.  Now 
for  the  secret  and  grand  key,.  Though  they  might  hear  the  voice  of 
God  and  know  that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  God,  this  would  be  no  evidence 
that  their  election  and  calling  was  made  sure;  that  they  had  part 
with  Christ,  and  were  joint  heirs  with  Him.  They  then  would  want 
that  more  sure  word  of  prophecy,  that  they  were  sealed  in  the  heavens 
and  had  the  promise  of  eternal  life  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  Then, 
having  this  promise  sealed  unto  them,  it  was  an  anchor  to  the  soul, 
sure  and  steadfast.  Though  the  thunder  might  roll  and  the  lightning 
flash  and  earthquakes  bellow,  and  war  gather  thick  around,  yet  this 
hope  and  knowledge  would  support  the  soul  in  every  hour  of  trial, 
trouble  and  tribulation.  Then  knowledge  through  our  Lord  and 
Savior  Jesus  Christ  is  the  grand  key  that  unlocks  the  glories  and 
mysteries  of  the  Kingdom  of  heaven. 

THE  VALUE  OF  AGED  MEN  IN  COUNCIL. 

The  way  to  get  along  in  any  important  matter  is  to  gather  unto 
yourself  wise  men,  experienced  and  aged  men,  to  assist  in  council  in 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  215 

all  times  of  trouble.  Handsome  men  are  not  apt  t.p  Ha  wisf^  pj>H 
fttirnnff--minfi£dLbiit..-t^&i5treD^th  of  astrnTi|r-miTiHpH  man  vziLLgeneral- 
ly  create  coarse  features,  like  the  roup^h.  strong  bough  of  the  oak. 
YoiT  will  always  discover  in  the  first^  glance  of  a  man^Jn  the  outline 
.of  his  features,  something  of  his  mind.  '  " 

SALVATION — IN  WHAT  IT  CONSISTS. 

Salvation  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  to  triumph  over  all  our 
enemies  and  put  them  under  our  feet.  And  when  we  have  power  to 
put  all  enemies  under  our  feet  in  this  world,  and  a  knowledge  to 
triumph  over  all  evil  spirits  in  the  world  to  come,  then  we  are  saved 
as  in  the  case  of  Jesus,  who  was  to  reign  until  he  had  put  all  en- 
emies under  His  feet,  and  the  last  enemy  was  death. 

DESIRABILITY  OF  POSSESSING   EARTHLY  TABERNACLES. 

Now,  in  this  world  mankind  are  naturally  selfish,  ambitious  and 
striving  to  excel  one  above  another,  yet  some  are  willing  to  build  up 
others  as  well  as  themselves.  So  in  the  other  world  there  are  a  vari- 
ety of  spirits.  Some  seek  to  excel.  And  this  was  the  case  with 
Lucifer  when  he  fell.  He  sought  for  things  which  were  unlawful. 
Hence  he  was  cast  down,  and  it  is  said  he  drew  away  many  with  him, 
and  the  greatness  of  his  punishment  is  that  he  shall  not  have  a  tab- 
ernacle. This  is  his  punishment.  So  the  Devil,  thinking  to  thwart 
the  decree  of  God  by  going  up  and  down  in  the  earth  seeking  whom 
he  may  destroy— any  person  that  he  can  find  that  will  yield  to  him, 
he  will  bind  him,  and  take  possession  of  the  body  and  reign  there, 
glorying  in  it  mightily,  not  thinking  that  he  had  gotten  a  stolen  tab- 
ernacle, and  by  and  by  someone  having  authority  will  come  along  and 
cast  him  out  and  restore  the  tabernacle  to  its  rightful  owner.  But 
the  devil  steals  a  tabernacle  because  he  has  not  one  of  his  own,  but 
if  he  steals  one,  he  is  always  liable  to  be  turned  out  of  doors. 

OF  THE   SPIRITS  IN  PRISON. 

I  will  say  something  about  the  spirits  in  prison.  There  has  been 
much  said  by  modern  divines  about  the  words  of  Jesus  (when  on  the 
cross]  to  the  thief,  saying,  "This  day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  para- 
dise."   King   James'    translation    makes   it   out    to    say    paradise. 


216  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

But  what  is  paradise?  It  is  a  modern  word,  it  does  not  answer 
at  all  to  the  original  word  that  Jesus  made  use  of  Find  the 
original  of  the  word  paradise.  You  may  as  easily  find  a  needle  in  a 
haymow.  Here  is  a  chance  for  battle,  ye  learned  men.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  original  word  in  Greek  from  which  this  was  taken 
that  signifies  paradise,  but  it  was,  "This  day  thou  shalt  be  with  me 
in  the  world  of  spirits:  then  I  will  teach  you  all  about  it  and  answer 
your  inquiries."  And  Peter  says  he  went  out  and  preached  to  the 
world  of  spirits  (spirits  in  prison,  1st  Peter,  3rd  chapter,  19th  verse), 
so  that  they  who  would  receive  it  could  have  it  answered  by  proxy  by 
those  who  live  on  the  earth.  *  *  *  Hades,  the 

Greek,  or  Sheol,  the  Hebrew,  these  two  significations  means  a  world 
of  spirits.  Hades,  Sheol,  paradise,  spirits  in  prison,  are  all  one,  it  is 
a  world  of  spirits.  The  righteous  and  the  wicked  will  go  to  the  same 
world  of  spirits  until  the  resurrection.  "I  do  not  think  so,"  says 
one.  If  you  will  go  to  my  house  any  time,  I  will  take  my  lexicon 
and  prove  it  to  you.  The  great  misery  of  departed  spirits  in  the 
world  of  spirits,  where  they  go  after  death,  is  to  know  that  they  come 
short  of  the  glory  that  others  enjoy,  and  that  they  might  have  en- 
joyed themselves,  and  they  are  their  own  accusers. 

THE  PERSISTENCE  OF  OBTAINED  INTELLIGENCE. 

Whatever  principle  of  intelligence  we  attain  unto  in  this  life,  it 
will  rise  with  us  in  the  resurrection,  and  if  a  person  gains  more 
knowledge  and  intelligence  in  this  life  through  his  diligence  and  obe- 
dience than  another,  he  will  have  so  much  the  advantage  in  the  world 
to  come.  There  is  a  law,  irrevocably  decreed  in  heaven  before  the 
foundation  of  this  world,  upon  which  all  blessings  are  predicated,  and 
when  we  obtain  any  blessing  from  God,  it  is  by  obedience  to  that  law 
upon  which  it  is  predicated. 

THE  DESIRABILITY  AND  POWER  OF  KNOWLEDGE. 

If  we  get  puffed  up  by  thinking  that  we  have  much  knowledge, 
we  are  apt  to  get  a  contentious  spirit,  and  correct  knowledge  is  nec- 
essary to  cast  out  that  spirit.  The  evil  of  being  puffed  up  with  cor- 
rect [though  useless]  knowledge  is  not  so  great  as  the  evil  of  con- 
tention.    Knowledge  does  away  with  darkness,  suspense  and  doubt, 


ri 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  217 

for  these  cannot  exist  where  knowledge  is.       *       *       *       In  knowl- 


edge  there  is  powf^j-,  Hnfl  liac^  m^^^  power  than  all  other  beiDgs^ 
because  He  Jias_^reater_kriowledP'P.  and  .hence  JIbl. J^nows  ,how_to  _ 
^^Kj^nf  TTpAfiiaT^  hpin^fi  t^'Him.  He  has  power  aver  all.  *  *  * 
It  is  not  wisdom  that  we  shall  have  all  knowledge  at  once  presented 
before  us,  but  that  we  should  have  a  little  at  a  time;  then  we  can 
comprehend  it.  *  *  *  Add  to  your  faith  knowledge,  etc. 
The  principle  of  knowledge  is  the  principle  of  salvation.  This  prin- 
ciple can  be  comprehended  by  the  faithful  and  diligent;  and  every 
one  that  does  not  obtain  knowledge  sufficient  to  be  saved  will  be  con- 
demned. The  principle  of  salvation  is  given  us  through  the  knowl- 
edge of  Jesus  Christ. 


14 


218  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE   PROPHET   ARRESTED  ON  MISSOURI'S  OLD  CHARGES. 

IF  it  should  be  asked  what  class  of  men  can  do  the  State  the 
most  harm,  or  the  church  most  mischief,  the  universal  an- 
swer would  be — traitors!  So  patent  is  the  correctness  of  the 
statement,  that  we  deem  it  unnecessary  to  inquire  into  the  rea- 
sons that  lead  to  the  conclusion.  What  state  has  perished  but  by 
traitor's  hands?  What  patriot  suffered,  but  by  a  traitor's  perfidy? 
And  so,  as  we  proceed,  we  shall  see  that  it  was  principally 
through  the  schemes  of  traitors  that  Nauvoo's  budding  pros- 
pects were  blighted,  and  her  virtuous  people  driven  into  the 
wilderness. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  a  former  chapter  a  letter 
written  by  John  C.  Bennett  to  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Orson  Pratt 
is  reproduced,  in  which  he  stated  that  he  was  then  en  route  for 
Missouri  for  the  purpose  of  getting  out  an  indictment  against 
Joseph  for  treason  against  that  State,  said  to  have  been  com- 
mitted during  the  troubles  at  Far  West,  in  the  fall  of  1838. 
Whether  Bennett  went  to  Missouri  or  not  I  cannot  say,  but 
through  his  influence  the  old  charge  of  treason  was  revived,  and 
an  indictment  found  at  a  special  term  of  the  circuit  court  for 
Daviess  County,  Missouri,  on  the  fifth  of  June,  1843;  and  on  the 
thirteenth  of  the  same  month  Governor  Reynolds  issued  a  requi- 
sition on  the  governor  of  Illinois  for  Joseph  Smith,  and  appoint- 
ed Joseph  H.  Reynolds  the  agent  of  Missouri  to  receive  the 
Prophet  from  the  authorities  of  Illinois.  Accordingly  the  war- 
rant for  the  arrest  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Harmon  T.  Wil- 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  219 

son  by  Governor  Ford,  of  Illinois,  and  Wilson  and  Reynolds 
started  to  find  the  Prophet. 

In  the  meantime  Joseph's  friends  were  not  inactive.  The 
day  before  Governor  Ford  issued  the  warrant  for  the  apprehen- 
sion of  the  Prophet,  he  incidentally  mentioned  to  Judge  James 
Adams  that  a  requisition  had  been  made  by  Missouri  for  the  ar- 
rest of  Joseph,  and  that  he  should  issue  it  the  next  day;  where- 
upon Judge  Adams  dispatched  an  express  from  Springfield  to 
Nauvoo  with  this  information.  The  express  arrived  in  Nauvoo 
on  the  sixteenth  of  June;  but  three  days  before,  Joseph  with 
Emma  had  left  Nauvoo  to  visit  Emma's  sister,  a  Mrs.  Wasson, 
living  near  Dixon  in  Lee  County,  a  little  more  than  two  hundred 
miles  north  of  Nauvoo.  On  the  arrival  of  the  messenger  from 
Judge  Adams,  Hyrum  Smith  at  once  dispatched  Stephen  Mark- 
ham  and  William  Clayton  to  Joseph  with  the  information.  They 
left  Nauvoo  about  midnight  of  the  eighteenth,  and  sixty-six 
hours  later  arrived  at  Wasson's,  having  ridden  two  hundred  and 
twelve  miles  in  that  time,  changing  horses  only  once  and  that 
near  the  end  of  the  journey.  Shortly  after  the  arrival  of  Clay- 
ton, a  Mr.  Southwick  of  Dixon  rode  out  to  Inlet  Grove,  where 
Mr.  Wasson  lived,  to  inform  Joseph  that  a  writ  was  out  for  him, 
and  for  his  pains  and  interest  the  Prophet  paid  him  twenty-five 
dollars,  though  he  had  already  been  informed  by  Clayton  and 
Markham. 

After  the  receipt  of  this  information,  however,  Joseph  con- 
cluded to  remain  where  he  was,  for,  if  he  started  for  home,  he 
might  meet  the  officers  where  he  had  no  friends,  and  be  run  over 
into  Missouri  among  his  enemies. 

Just  how  the  officers  Wilson  and  Reynolds  came  to  know  of 
the  whereabouts  of  Joseph  is  not  known.  But  at  any. rate  they 
went  directly  to  Dixon,  nearly  killing  their  horses  by  hard  driv- 
ing. At  the.  village  of  Dixon  they  represented  themselves  as 
Mormon  Elders,  wanting  to  see  the  Prophet.  They  succeeded 
in  hiring  a  man  with  a  two-horse  team  to  drive   them  out  to 


220  RISE   AND  FALL   OP  NAUVOO. 

Wasson's.  On  the  way  they  passed  William  Clayton,  who  had 
been  sent  by  Joseph  to  see  if  he  could  learn  anything  of  the 
movements  of  the  officers  at  Dixon.  But  as  the  sheriffs  were 
disguised,  Clayton  did  not  recognize  them. 

The  officers  arrived  at  Wasson's  and  found  Joseph  walking 
down  the  path  leading  to  the  barn.  They  sprang  upon  him  like 
wild  beasts  upon  their  prey,  presenting  their  pistols,  and  Rey- 
nolds exclaimed — "G —  d —  you,  sir,  if  you  stir,  Fll  shoot!"  and 
this  with  slight  variations  he  kept  repeating.  Joseph  asked 
them  what  was  the  meaning  of  all  this,  for  they  attempted  to 
serve  no  process,  and  to  their  oft-repeated  threats  of  violence, 
which  they  sought  to  make  emphatic  with  blood-curdling  oaths, 
the  Prophet  bared  his  breast  and  told  them  to  shoot,  if  they  de- 
sired to,  for  he  had  endured  so  much  oppression  that  he  was 
weary  of  life. 

By  this  time  Stephen  Markham  arrived  on  the  scene,  and 
immediately  started  to  the  Prophet's  assistance,  despite  the 
threats  of  the  officers  to  shoot  him  if  he  advanced  another  step. 
Nor  did  the  brave  man  check  his  advance  until  Joseph  cautioned 
him  not  to  resist  the  officers  of  the  law. 

Reynolds  and  Wilson,  with  much  rudeness  and  many  unneces- 
sary imprecations,  hustled  their  prisoner  into  the  wagon  they 
had  hired  in  Dixon,  and  were  for  starting  off  without  giving 
the  prisoner  a  chance  to  say  one  word  to  his  friends,  bid  his 
wife  or  children  good-by,  or  even  get  his  hat  and  coat.  But 
Markham,  regardless  of  the  threats  of  the  officers  to  shoot  him, 
seized  the  team  by  the  bits  and  said  there  was  no  law  requiring 
an  officer  to  take  a  man  to  prison  without  his  clothes,  and  held 
on  until  Emma  could  bring  out  Joseph's  hat  and  coat. 

All  this  time  they  had  served  no  process  on  their  prisoner, 
and  had  repeatedly  thrust  the  muzzles  of  their  pistols  against 
his  sides  until  he  was  badly  bruised  by  the  uncalled-for  vio- 
lence. 

Joseph  shouted  to  Markham  as  he  was  driven  away,  to  go  to 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  221 

Dixon  and  obtain  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  but  as  the  horse 
Markham  rode  was  jaded,  and  the  officers  ordered  their  driver 
to  whip  up,  they  kept  up  with  him,  and  both  parties  went  into 
the  town  together. 

The  sheriffs  thrust  their  prisoner  into  a  room  in  a  tavern 
kept  by  Mr.  McKennie,  and  ordered  fresh  horses  to  be  ready  in 
five  minutes.  Joseph  told  them  he  wanted  to  obtain  counsel. 
"G —  d —  you,  you  shan't  have  counsel,  one  more  word  and  G — 
d —  you,  ril  shoot  you!"  was  the  brutal  answer.  Just  then, 
however,  a  man  passed  the  window  and  to  him  Joseph  shouted, 
'*!  am  falsely  imprisoned  here,  and  I  w^ant  a  lawyer."  Presently 
Lawyer  Southwick,  the  gentleman  who  a  few  days  before  had 
rode  out  to  Wasson's  to  inform  the  Prophet  that  a  WTit  was  out 
for  him,  came  to  the  house,  but  only  to  have  the  door  slammed 
in  his  face,  and  be  denied  admittance.  Another  la^vyer,  Shep- 
herd G.  Patrick,  tried  to  gain  admission  to  the  prisoner  but  met 
with  the  same  treatment  as  the  first.  But  at  last,  through  the 
influence  of  a  Mr.  Sanger  and  a  Mr.  Dixon,  owner  of  the  hotel 
building  where  the  Prophet  was  detained  a  prisoner,  Reynolds 
was  given  to  understand  that  his  prisoner  must  have  a  fair 
trial,  and  all  the  protection  the  laws  afforded  him.  A  writ  of 
habeas  corpus  was  sued  out  before  Mr.  Chamberlain,  the  master 
in  chancery,  who  lived  some  six  miles  from  Dixon,  made  return- 
able before  Hon.  John  D.  Caton,  judge  of  the  ninth  judicial  cir- 
cuit at  Ottawa. 

Before  starting  for  Ottawa,  however,  Joseph  learned  that 
Cyrus  Walker,  Esq.,  w^as  in  the  vicinity  on  an  electioneering 
tour,  he  being  the  Whig  candidate  for  Congress  from  that  dis- 
trict; and  the  Prophet  attempted  to  secure  his  services  in  his 
defense,  as  he  was  the  greatest  criminal  lawyer  in  that  part  of 
Illinois.  Walker,  however,  refused  to  engage  in  his  defense 
unless  Joseph  would  agree  to  vote  for  him  at  the  coming  elec- 
tion, and  the  Prophet  promised  him  his  vote. 
.   Writs  were  sued  out  before  the  justice  of  the  peace  against 


222  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

Reynolds  and  Wilson  for  making  threats  against  the  lives  of 
Markham  and  Joseph;  and  another  writ  for  a  violation  of  the 
law  in  relation  to  wTits  of  habeas  corpus;  and  still  another,  this 
time  from  the  circuit  court  of  Lee  County,  for  private  injuries, 
false  imprisonment,  claiming  $10,000  damages.  Whether  or 
not  the  sheriffs  were  released  from  the  first  writ,  I  cannot  learn; 
but  on  the  last  writ  they  were  held  in  $10,000  bonds,  and  as 
they  could  get  no  bondsmen  this  side  of  Missouri,  they  were 
taken  in  charge  by  the  sheriff  of  Lee  County,  and  were  under 
the  necessity  of  obtaining  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  themselves. 
So  that  while  Joseph  was  the  prisoner  of  Reynolds  and  Wilson, 
pending  the  hearing  on  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  he  had  sued 
out,  they  were  prisoners  under  the  same  circumstances,  in  charge 
of  the  sheriff  of  Lee  County.  And  in  this  manner  all  started  for 
Ottawa  for  a  hearing  on  the  several  writs  before  Judge  Caton. 
The  whole  company  left  Dixon  on  the  twenty-fourth  of 
June,  and  the  same  day  arrived  at  Pawpaw  Grove,  a  distance  of 
thirty- two  miles.  The  arrival  of  the  Prophet  and  party  at  Paw- 
paw Grove  created  no  little  excitement,  and  the  next  morning 
the  people  gathered  into  the  largest  room  in  the  hotel,  and  in- 
sisted upon  hearing  the  Prophet  preach.  To  this  Sheriff  Rey- 
nolds objected  and  said  to  the  people,  "I  wish  you  to  understand 
this  man  (pointing  to  Joseph)  is  my  prisoner,  and  I  want  you 
should  disperse."  At  this  an  old  gentleman  by  the  name  of 
David  Town  spoke  up  and  said: 

You  damned  infernal  Puke,*  we'll  learn  you  to  come  here  and  in- 
terrupt gentlemen!  Sit  down  there,  pointing  to  a  very  low  chair, 
and  sit  still.  Don't  open  your  head  till  General  Smith  gets  through 
talking.  If  you  never  learned  manners  in  Missouri,  we'll  teach  you 
that  gentlemen  are  not  to  be  imposed  upon  by  a  nigger-driver.  You 
cannot  kidnap  men  here.     There's  a  committee  in  this  grove  that  will 


*A  common  nick-name  for  Missourians  in  those  days. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  223 

sit  on  your  case;  and,  sir,  it  is  the  highest  tribunal  in  the  United 
States,  as  from  its  decision  there  is  no  appeal. 

Old  Mr.  Town  was  lame  and  carried  with  him  a  heavy,  hick- 
ory walking  stick  with  which  he  emphasized  the  significant 
parts  of  his  speech  by  striking  the  end  of  it  on  the  floor.  It  had 
the  desired  effect  on  Reynolds,  who  humbly  took  his  seat,  while 
the  Prophet  without  an  interruption  addressed  the  company  for 
about  an  hour  and  a  half  on  the  subject  of  marriage. 

At  this  point  it  was  learned  that  Judge  Caton  was  absent 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  hence  the  party  returned  to  Dixon, 
and  the  officers  made  returns  on  the  respective  writs  of  habeas 
corpus  by  endorsing  thereon — ''Judge  absent."  New  writs,  how- 
ever, were  sued  out,  and  at  Markham's  request,  the  one  in  behalf 
of  Joseph  was  made  to  read:  ''Returnable  before  the  nearest 
tribunal  in  the  Fifth  judicial  district  authorized  to  hear  and  de- 
termine writs  of  habeas  corpus" — and  thereby  hangs  a  tale,  as 
the  sequel  will  show. 

Arrangements  were  made  with  a  Mr.  Lucien  P.  Sanger, 
who  was  in  the  stagecoach  business,  to  take  the  respective 
prisoners  to  Quincy,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  miles, 
to  obtain  a  hearing  on  the  several  writs  before  Judge  Stephen 
A.  Douglass. 

En  route  for  Quincy,  Joseph  convinced  his  lawyers  and  Sher- 
iff Campbell,  of  Lee  County,  and  others,  that  the  municipal 
court  of  Nauvoo  had  the  right  to  try  cases  under  writs  of 
habeas  corpus,  and  since  the  writ  that  he  had  sued  out  and 
served  on  Reynolds  of  Missouri  was  made  "returnable  before 
the  nearest  tribunal  in  the  Fifth  judicial  district  authorized  to 
hear  and  determine  writs  of  habeas  corpus"  he  insisted  on  being 
taken  to  Nauvoo  for  a  hearing.  He  prevailed,  too,  and  for  that 
place  the  now  large  party  directed  its  course. 


224  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

MINOR  MATTERS  IN  THE  NEW  MOVE  AGAINST  THE  PROPHET. 

IT  now  becomes  necessary  to  note  a  few  minor  events  that 
occurred.  As  soon  as  the  sheriffs  started  for  Dixon  with 
Joseph  in  their  power,  Emma  Smith  had  her  carriage  made 
ready  and  at  once  started  for  Nauvoo  with  her  children,  in  order 
to  set  some  scheme  or  other  on  foot  looking  to  her  husband's 
deliverance. 

Joseph,  when  arriving  at  Dixon  a  prisoner,  dispatched  Wil- 
liam Clayton  with  a  message  to  his  brother  Hyrum  telling  what 
had  befallen  him,  and  requesting  that  assistance  be  at  once  sent 
to  him.  Clayton  boarded  the  steamer  Amaranth,  at  Rock 
Island,  and  arrived  in  Nauvoo  about  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon of  Sunday,  the  twenty-fifth  of  June.  Meeting  was  in  prog- 
ress when  Hyrum  stepped  into  the  stand  and  interrupted  the 
proceedings,  by  announcing  that  he  wanted  to  meet  with  the 
brethren  at  the  Masonic  Hall. 

The  quiet  of  the  Sabbath  was  immediately  changed  into  ex- 
citemxent,  and  the  brethren  rushed  to  the  hall  in  such  numbers 
that  not  one-fourth  could  gain  admittance,  so  the  meeting  was 
adjourned  to  the  green,  where  a  hollow  square  was  formed  about 
Hyrum,  who  related  the  story  Clayton  had  told  him  respecting 
the  capture  of  his  brother,  and  called  for  volunteers  to  go  to 
his  assistance,  and  see  that  he  had  his  rights.  Immediately 
three  hundred  offered  their  services  and  from  them  a  company 
was  selected  such  as  was  needed ;  and  before  sunset,  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  men  were  in  the  saddle  under  command  of 
Generals  Wilson  Law  and  C.  C.  Rich,  en  route  for  Peoria. 

Before  the  company  left  Nauvoo  Elder  Wilford  Woodrufl^ 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  225 

opened  a  barrel  of  gunpowder  and  invited  every  man  that  was 
going  to  the  assistance  of  the  Prophet  to  fill  his  flask  or  powder- 
horn.  The  company  was  well  armed  and  well  mounted,  and  pre- 
sented rather  a  formidable  appearance. 

Besides  sending  out  this  company  to  find  and  protect  his 
brother,  Hyrum  sent  about  seventy-five  men  on  the  steamer 
Maid  of  Iowa,  a  small  steamboat  purchased  by  the  people  of 
Nauvoo  some  months  before,  and  placed  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Dan  Jones. 

The  company  was  to  go  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Illinois  river,  thence  up  that  stream  as  far  as  Peoria;  for 
it  was  expected  that  Joseph  was  being  conveyed  to  Ottawa,  and 
it  was  feared  by  Hyrum  that  an  attempt  would  be  made  when 
the  party  approached  the  Illinois  river  to  convey  Joseph  to  one 
of  the  crafts  plying  between  Peoria  and  St.  Louis  and  so  take 
him  to  Missouri.  Hence  this  company  on  the  Maid  of  Iowa  w^as 
instructed  to  take  the  course  mentioned,  and  to  examine  the 
steamboats  they  met,  and  if  they  learned  that  the  Prophet  w^as 
a  prisoner  on  any  one  of  them,  they  were  to  render  whatever 
assistance  might  be  within  their  power. 

■  The  command  under  Brothers  Law  and  Rich  divided  and 
subdivided  in  going  through  the  country,  and  on  the  twenty- 
seventh  a  small  company  under  the  command  of  Captain  Thomas 
Grover  met  Stephen  Markham,  whom  Joseph  had  dispatched  to 
find  the  brethren  that  he  suspected  had  been  sent  from  Nauvoo 
to  his  assistance;  Markham  had  instructions  to  meet  the  Prophet 
with  any  company  of  brethren  he  might  find  at  Monmouth. 

Near  Monmouth,  and  before  the  arrival  of  the  main  body 
of  Joseph's  friends,  Reynolds  and  Wilson  planned  a  scheme  of 
going  into  that  town,  raising  a  mob  and  taking  the  Prophet  by 
force  into  Missouri.  The  plot  failed,  however,  as  it  was  over- 
heard by  P.  W.  Conover,  and  Sheriff  Campbell  took  both  Wilson 
and  Reynolds  into  his  immediate  custody.  These  men  had  a 
s  trong  dislike  of  going  to  Nauvoo,  as  they   feared  they  would 


226  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

never  leave  the  place  alive.  But  the  Prophet  pledged  his  word 
that  no  harm  should  befall  them.  As  the  friends  of  Joseph 
kept  dropping  in  singly,  or  in  squads,  the  fear  of  his  enemies  in- 
creased. Reynolds  made  special  inquiries  as  to  whether  "Jem 
Flack"  was  in  the  company,  and  on  being  answered  in  the  affirm- 
ative, he  exclaimed,  as  he  turned  deathly  pale,  "I  am  a  dead 
man!"  for  he  had  given  Flack  a  deadly  provocation.  When  Flack 
rode  up,  however,  the  Prophet  called  him  up  to  him  and  strictly 
charged  him  that  whatever  insult  he  had  received  from  Reynolds, 
not  to  injure  a  hair  of  his  head,  since  he  had  given  his  word  of 
honor  that  he  should  not  be  injured ;  and  Flack  agreed  to  let 
him  alone. 

Before  noon  of  the  thirtieth,  Joseph's  company,  which  now 
numbered  about  one  hundred  and  forty,  approached  Nauvoo. 
Word  had  previously  been  sent  in  as  to  the  probable  time  of 
his  arrival,  and  the  people  prepared  to  give  him  a  royal  recep- 
tion. 

Hyrum  Smith  and  Emma,  accompanied  by  the  brass  band 
and  a  long  train  of  carriages,  met  the  Prophet's  company  a  mile 
and  a  half  north  of  the  city,  and  received  him.  The  en- 
thusiasm of  the  people  knew  no  bounds.  The  Prophet  niet 
his  brother  and  wife  with  a  fond  embrace;  from  the  latter, 
only  a  few  days  before,  he  had  been  torn  away  in  the  most  ar- 
bitrary and  cruel  manner,  and  their  reunion  was  a  joy  indeed. 

Joseph  now  mounted  his  favorite  horse,  "Old  Charley,"  and 
with  Emma  riding  proudly  at  his  side,  and  surrounded  by  his 
body  guard,  he  led  the  procession  into  the  city,  amid  the  enthu- 
siastic cheers  of  the  people,  the  firing  of  musketry  and  cannon^ 
and  the  lively  strains  of  the  band.  At  the  gate  of  the  Mansion 
stood  the  Prophet's  mother,  with  tears  of  joy  rolling  down  her 
aged  cheeks,  to  welcome  her  son,  whom  she  had  seen  so  many 
times  in  the  hands  of  his  enemies.  Here,  too,  his  children 
flocked  about  him  and  welcomed  him  with  unreserved,  childish 
delight. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  227 

The  vast  crowd  that  had  gathered  in  front  of  the  Mansion 
appeared  unwilling  to  leave  without  some  word  from  their  re- 
vered leader.  When  he  observed  this,  he  mounted  the  fence, 
thanked  them  and  blessed  them  for  their  kindness  to  him,  and 
told  them  he  would  address  them  in  the  grove,  near  the  temple, 
at  four  o'clock. 

A  company  of  fifty  sat  down  at  the  Prophet's  table  to  par- 
take of  the  feast  provided,  and  Wilson  and  Reynolds,  who  had 
treated  him  so  inhumanly  when  he  was  in  their  power,  were 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  table,  and  waited  upon  by  Emma  with 
the  utmost  regard  for  their  comfort,  though  Jhey  had  denied 
her  speech  with  her  husband,  and  were  not  even  willing  that  she 
should  take  to  him  his  hat  and  coat.  Gall  to  them  indeed  must 
have  been  the  kindness  of  the  Prophet  and  his  wife,  whom  but  a 
few  days  before  they  had  treated  with  such  harshness. 

In  the  afternoon,  several  thousand  people  assembled  at  the 
grove,  and  at  four  o'clock,  the  Prophet  addressed  them  in  an 
animated  speech  of  considerable  length,  in  which  he  related  to 
them  his  adventures  while  in  the  power  of  his  enemies,  and  con- 
tended that  the  municipal  court  had  the  right  to  hear  cases 
arising  under  writs  of  habeas  corpus.  In  the  course  of  his 
speech  he  allowed  himself  to  be  carried  away  by  the  fervor  of 
his  eloquence  beyond  the  bounds  of  prudence;  a  circumstance, 
however,  that  will  create  no  astonishment  when  the  excitement 
and  the  indignation  under  which  he  was  laboring,  and  that  arose 
out  of  sense  of  outraged  justice  and  humanity  is  taken  into 
consideration.  Under  such  circumstances  and  from  such  tem- 
peraments as  that  of  the  Prophet,  w^e  shall  look  in  vain  at 
such  times  for  dispassionate  discourse,  and  more  than  human 
must  that  man  be,  who,  under  the  accumulated  wrongs  of  years 
of  oppression,  can  always  confine  his  speech,  when  recounting 
those  wrongs,  within  the  lines  that  cold,  calculating  wisdom 
would  draw.  The  speech,  however,  was  doubtless  one  of  the 
most  characteristic  that  we  have  of  the  Prophet,  and  for  that 


228  RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

reason  I  give  it  in  extenso,  as  reported  by  Elders  Willard  Rich- 
ards and  Wilford  Woodruff.  It  should  also  be  remarked  that 
the  report  was  made  in  long-hand,  and  doubtless  there  exist 
many  imperfections  in  it,  and  it  should  only  be  regarded  as  a 
synopsis  of  his  speech: 

The  congregation  is  large.  I  shall  require  attention.  I  discovered 
what  the  emotions  of  the  people  were  on  my  arrival  at  this  city,  and 
I  have  come  here  to  say,  "How  do  you  do?"  to  all  parties;  and  I  do 
now  at  this  time  say  to  all,  "How  do  you  do?"  I  meet  you  with  a 
heart  full  of  gratitude  to  Almighty  God,  and  I  presume  you  all  feel 
the  same.  I  am  well — I  am  hearty.  I  hardly  know  how  to  express 
my  feelings.  I  feel  as  strong  as  a  giant.  I  pulled  sticks  with  the 
men  coming  along,  and  I  pulled  up  with  one  hand  the  strongest  man 
that  could  be  found.  Then  two  men  tried,  but  they  could  not  pull  me 
up,  and  I  continued  to  pull,  mentally,  until  I  pulled  Missouri  to  Nau- 
voo.     But  I  will  pass  from  that  subject. 

There  has  been  great  excitement  in  the  country  since  Joseph  H. 
Reynolds  and  Harmon  T.  Wilson  took  me;  but  I  have  been  cool  and 
dispassionate  through  the  whole.  Thank  God,  I  am  now  a  prisoner 
in  the  hands  of  the  municipal  court  of  Nauvoo,  and  not  in  the  hands 
of  Missourians. 

It  is  not  so  much  my  object  to  tell  of  my  afflictions,  trials,  and 
troubles  as  to  speak  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  so  that  the  minds  of 
all  may  be  corrected.  It  has  been  asserted  by  the  great  and  wise 
men,  lawyers,  and  others,  that  our  municipal  powers  and  legal  tribu- 
nals are  not  to  be  sanctioned  by  the  authorities  of  the  State;  and  ac- 
cordingly they  want  to  make  it  lawful  to  drag  away  innocent  men 
from  their  families  and  friends,  and  have  them  put  to  death  by  un- 
godly men  for  their  religion! 

Relative  to  our  city  charter,  courts,  right  of  habeas  corpus,  etc., 
I  wish  you  to  know  and  publish  that  we  have  all  power;  and  if  any 
man  from  this  time  forth  says  anything  to  the  contrary,  cast  it  into 
his  teeth. 

There  is  a  secret  in  this.  If  there  is  not  power  in  our  charter 
and  courts,  then  there  is  not  power  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  nor  in  the 
Congress  or  Constitution  of  the  United  States;  for  the  United  States 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  229 

gave  unto  Illinois  her  constitution  or  charter,  and  Illinois  gave  unto 
Nauvoo  her  charters,  ceding  unto  us  our  vested  rights,  which  she 
has  no  right  or  power  to  take  from  us.  All  the  power  there  was  in 
Illinois  she  gave  to  Nauvoo;  and  any  man  that  says  to  the  contrary 
is  a  fool. 

The  municipal  court  has  all  the  power  to  issue  and  determine 
writs  of  habeas  corpus  within  the  limits  of  this  city  that  the  legisla- 
ture can  confer.  This  city  has  all  the  power  that  the  State  courts 
have,  and  was  given  by  the  same  authority — the  legislature. 

1  want  you  to  hear  and  learn,  0  Israel,  this  day,  what  is  for  the 
happiness  and  peace  of  this  city  and  people.  If  our  enemies  are  de- 
termined to  oppress  us  and  deprive  us  of  our  constitutional  rights 
and  privileges  as  they  have  done,  and  if  the  authorities  that  are  on 
the  earth  will  not  sustain  us  in  our  rights,  nor  give  us  that  protec- 
tion which  the  laws  and  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  of  this 
State  guarantee  unto  us,  then  we  will  claim  them  from  a  higher 
power — from  heaven, — yea,  from  God  Almighty! 

I  have  dragged  these  men  here  by  my  hand,  and  will  do  it  again; 
but  I  swear  I  will  not  deal  so  mildly  with  them  again,  for  the  time 
has  come  when  forbearance  is  no  longer  a  virtue;  and  if  you  or  I  are 
again  taken  unlawfully,  you  are  at  liberty  to  give  loose  to  blood  and 
thunder.  But  be  cool,  be  deliberate,  be  wise,  act  with  almighty 
power;  and  when  you  pull,  do  it  effectually — make  a  sweepstakes  for 
once! 

■  My  lot  has  always  been  cast  among  the  warmest-hearted  people. 
In  every  time  of  trouble,  friends,  even  among  strangers,  have  been 
raised  up  unto  me  and  assisted  me. 

The  time  has  come  when  the  vail  is  torn  off  from  the  State  of 
Illinois,  and  its  citizens  have  delivered  me  from  the  State  of  Missouri. 
Friends  that  were  raised  up  unto  me  would  have  spilt  their  life's 
blood  to  have  torn  me  from  the  hands  of  Reynolds  and  Wilson,  if  I 
had  asked  them,  but  I  told  them  no,  I  would  be  delivered  by  the 
power  of  God  and  generalship;  and  I  have  brought  these  men  to  Nau- 
voo, and  committed  them  to  her  from  whom  I  was  torn,  not  as  prison- 
ers in  chains,  but  as  prisoners  of  kindness.  I  have  treated  them 
kindly.  I  have  had  the  privilege  of  rewarding  them  good  for  evil. 
They  took  me  unlawfully,  treated  me  rigorously,  strove  to  deprive 


230  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

me  of  my  rights,  and  would  have  run  with  me  into  Missouri  to 
have  been  murdered,  if  Providence  had  not  interposed.  But  now 
they  are  in  my  hands;  and  I  have  taken  them  into  my  house,  set  them 
at  the  head  of  my  table,  and  placed  before  them  the  best  which  my 
house  afforded;  and  they  were  waited  upon  by  my  wife,  whom  they 
deprived  of  seeing  me  when  I  was  taken. 

I  have  no  doubt  but  I  shall  be  discharged  by  the  municipal  court. 
Were  I  before  any  good  tribunal,  I  should  be  discharged,  as  the  Mis- 
souri writs  are  illegal  and  good  for  nothing — they  are  "without  form 
and  void." 

But  before  I  wi?l  bear  this  unhallowed  persecution  any  longer — 
before  I  will  be  dragged  away  again  among  my  enemies  for  trial,  / 
will  spill  the  last  drop  of  blood  in  my  veins,  and  will  see  all  my  enemies 
IN  hell!  To  bear  it  any  longer  would  be  a  sin,  and  I  will  not  bear  it 
any  longer.  ; Shall  we  bear  it  any  longer?  [One  universal  "NO!" 
ran  through  all  that  vast  assembly,  like  a  loud  peal  of  thunder.] 

I  wish  the  lawyer  who  says  we  have  no  powers  in  Nauvoo  may 
be  choked  to  death  with  his  own  words.  Don't  employ  lawyers,  or 
pay  them  money  for  their  knowledge,  for  I  have  learnt  that  they  don't 
know  anything.    I  know  more  than  they  all. 

Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel.  He  that  be- 
lieveth  in  our  chartered  rights  may  come  here  and  be  saved;  and  he 
that  does  not  shall  remain  in  ignorance.  If  any  lawyer  shall  say 
there  is  more  power  in  other  places  and  charters  with  respect  to 
habeas  corpus  than  in  Nauvoo,  believe  it  not.  I  have  converted  this 
candidate  for  Congress  [pointing  to  Cyrus  Walker.  Esq.,]  that  the 
right  of  habeas  corpus  is  included  in  our  charter.  If  he  continues  con- 
verted, I  will  vote  for  him. 

I  have  been  with  these  lawyers,  and  they  have  treated  me  well; 
but  I  am  here  in  Nauvoo,  and  the  Missourians  too.  I  got  here  by  a 
lawful  writ  of  habeas  corpus  issued  by  the  master  of  chancery  of  Lee 
County,  and  made  returnable  to  the  nearest  tribunal  in  the  fifth  judi- 
cial district  having  jurisdiction  to  try  and  determine  such  writs;  and 
here  is  that  tribunal,  just  as  it  should  be. 

However  indignant  you  may  feel  about  the  high  hand  of  oppres- 
sion which  has  been  raised  against  me  by  these  men,  use  not  the  hand 
of  violence  against  them,  for  they  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  231 

come  here,  till  I  pledged  my  honor  and  my  life  that  a  hair  of  their 
heads  should  not  be  hurt.  Will  you  all  support  my  pledge,  and  thus 
preserve  my  honor?  [One  universal  "Yes!"  burst  from  the  assembled 
thousands.]  This  is  another  proof  of  your  attachment  to  me.  I  know 
how  ready  you  are  to  do  right.  You  have  done  great  things,  and 
manifested  your  love  towards  me  in  flying  to  my  assistance  on  this 
occasion.  I  bless  you,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  with  all  the  bless- 
ings of  heaven  and  earth  you  are  capable  of  enjoying. 

I  have  learnt  that  we  have  no  need  to  suffer  as  we  have  hereto- 
fore: we  can  call  others  to  our  aid.  I  know  the  Almighty  will  bless 
all  good  men;  He  will  bless  you;  and  the  time  has  come  when  there 
will  be  such  a  flocking  to  the  standard  of  liberty  as  never  has  been 
or  shall  be  hereafter.  What  an  era  has  commenced!  Our  enemies 
have  prophesied  that  we  would  establish  our  religion  by  the  sword. 
Is  it  true?  No.  But  if  Missouri  will  not  stay  her  cruel  hand  in  her 
unhallowed  persecutions  against  us,  I  restrain  you  not  any  longer. 
I  say  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  by  the  authority  of  the  Holy  Priest- 
hood, I  this  day  turn  the  key  that  opens  the  heavens  to  restrain  you 
no  longer  from  this  time  forth.  I  will  lead  you  to  the  battle;  and  if 
you  are  not  afraid  to  die,  and  feel  disposed  to  spill  your  blood  in  your 
own  defense,  you  will  not  offend  me.  Be  not  the  aggressor:  bear 
until  they  strike  you  on  one  cheek;  then  offer  the  other,  and  they  will 
be  sure  to  strike  that;  then  defend  yourselves,  and  God  will  bear  you 
off,  and  you  shall  stand  forth  clear  before  His  tribunal. 

If  any  citizens  of  Illinois  say  that  we  shall  not  have  our  rights, 
treat  them  as  strangers  and  not  friends,  and  let  them  go  to  hell  and 
be  damned!  Some  say  they  will  mob  us.  Let  them  mob  and  be 
damned!  If  we  have  to  give  up  our  chartered  rights,  privileges,  and 
freedom,  which  our  fathers  fought,  bled,  and  died  for,  and  which  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  of  this  State  guarantee  unto 
us,  we  will  do  it  only  at  the  point  of  the  sword  and  bayonet. 

Many  lawyers  contend  for  those  things  which  are  against  the 
rights  of  men,  and  I  can  only  excuse  them  because  of  their  ignorance. 
Go  forth  and  advocate  the  laws  and  rights  of  the  people,  ye  lawyers! 
If  not,  don't  get  into  my  hands,  or  under  the  lash  of  my  tongue. 

Lawyers  say  the  powers  of  the  Nauvoo  charter  are  dangerous; 
but  I  ask,  is  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  or  of  this  State  dan- 


232  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

gerous?  No.  Neither  are  the  charters  granted  unto  Nauvoo  by  the 
legislature  of  Illinois  dangerous,  and  those  who  say  they  are  are 
fools.  We  have  not  enjoyed  unmolested  those  rights  which  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  of  America  and  our  charters  grant. 

Missouri  and  all  wicked  men  raise  the  hue  and  cry  against  us, 
and  are  not  satisfied.  Some  political  aspirants  of  this  State  also  are 
raising  the  hue  and  cry  that  the  powers  in  the  charters  granted  unto 
the  city  of  Nauvoo  are  dangerous;  and  although  the  general  assem- 
bly have  conferred  them  upon  our  city,  yet  the  whine  is  raised — "Re- 
peal them — take  them  away!"  Like  the  boy  who  swapped  off  his 
jack-knife,  and  then  cried,  "Daddy,  daddy,  I  have  sold  my  jack-knife 
and  got  sick  of  my  bargain,  and  I  want  to  get  it  back  again." 

But  how  are  they  going  to  help  themselves?  Raise  mobs?  And 
what  can  mobocrats  do  in  the  midst  of  Kirkpatrickites?  No  better 
than  a  hunter  in  the  claws  of  a  bear.  If  mobs  come  upon  you  any 
more  here,  dung  your  gardens  with  them.  We  don't  want  any  ex- 
citement; but  after  we  have  done  all,  we  will  rise  up,  Washington- 
like, and  break  off  the  hellish  yoke  that  oppresses  us,  and  we  will  not 
be  mobbed. 

The  day  before  I  was  taken  at  Inlet  Grove,  I  rode  with  my  wife 
through  Dixon  to  visit  my  friends,  and  I  said  to  her,  "Here  is  a  good 
people."  I  felt  this  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  The  next  day  I  was  a 
prisoner  in  their  midst,  in  the  hands  of  Reynolds,  of  Missouri,  and 
Wilson,  of  Carthage.  As  the  latter  drove  up,  he  exclaimed,  "Ha,  ha, 
ha!  By  G — ,  we  have  got  the  Prophet  now!"  He  gloried  much  in  it, 
but  he  is  now  our  prisoner.  When  they  came  to  take  me,  they  held 
two  cocked  pistols  to  my  head,  and  saluted  me  with,  "G —  d —  you, 
I'll  shoot  you!  I'll  shoot  you,  G —  d —  you," — repeating  these  threats 
nearly  fifty  times,  from  first  to  last.  I  asked  them  what  they  wanted 
to  shoot  me  for.   They  said  they  would  do  it,  if  I  made  any  resistance. 

"Oh,  very  well,"  I  replied,  "I  have  no  resistance  to  make."  They 
then  dragged  me  away,  and  I  asked  them  by  what  authority  they  did 
these  things.  They  said,  "By  a  writ  from  the  governors  of  Missouri 
and  Illinois."  I  then  told  them  I  wanted  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  Their 
reply  was,  "G —  d —  you,  you  shan't  have  it.''  I  told  a  man  to  go  to 
Dixon,  and  get  me  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  Wilson  then  repeated, 
"G —  d —  you,  you  shan't  have  it:  I'll  shoot  you." 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  233 

When  we  arrived  at  Dixon,  I  sent  for  a  lawyer,  who  came;  and 
Reynolds  shut  the  door  in  his  face,  and  would  not  let  me  speak  to  him, 
repeating,  "G —  d —  you,  I'll  shoot  you."  I  turned  to  him,  opened 
my  bosom,  and  told  him  to  "shoot  away.  I  have  endured  so  much 
persecution  and  oppression  that  I  am  sick  of  life.  Why,  then,  don't 
you  shoot  and  have  done  with  it,  instead  of  talking  so  much 
about  it?" 

This  somewhat  checked  his  insolence.  I  then  told  him  that  I 
would  have  counsel  to  consult,  and  eventually  1  obtained  my  wish.  The 
lawyers  came  to  me  and  I  got  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  for  myself,  and 
also  a  writ  against  Reynolds  and  Wilson  for  unlawful  proceedings  and 
cruel  treatment  towards  me.  Thanks  to  the  good  citizens  of  Dixon, 
who  nobly  took  their  stand  against  such  unwarrantable  and  unlawful 
oppression,  my  persecutors  could  not  get  out  of  the  town  that  night, 
although,  when  they  first  arrived,  they  swore  I  should  not  remain  in 
Dixon  five  minutes,  and  I  found  they  had  ordered  horses  accordingly 
to  proceed  to  Rock  Island.  I  pledged  my  honor  to  my  counsel  that 
the  Nauvoo  city  charter  conferred  jurisdiction  to  investigate  the 
subject;  so  we  came  to  Nauvoo,  where  I  am  now  a  prisoner  in  the 
custody  of  a  higher  tribunal  than  the  circuit  court. 

The  charter  says  that  "the  city  council  shall  have  power  and 
authority  to  make,  ordain,  establish  and  execute  such  ordinances  not 
repugnant  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  or  of  this  State, 
as  they  may  deem  necessary,  for  the  peace,  benefit,  and  safety  of  the 
inhabitants  of  said  city."  And  also  that  "the  municipal  court  shall 
have  power  to  grant  writs  of  habeas  corpus  in  all  cases  arising  under 
the  ordinances  of  the  city  council." 

The  city  council  have  passed  an  ordinance  "that  no  citizen  of 
this  city  shall  be  taken  out  of  this  city  by  any  writ,  without  the  priv- 
ilege of  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus."  There  is  nothing  but  what  we 
have  power  over,  except  where  restricted  by  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States.  "But,"  says  the  mob,  "what  dangerous  powers!"  Yes 
— dangerous,  because  they  will  protect  the  innocent  and  put  down 
mobocrats.  The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  declares  that  the 
privilege  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  shall  not  be  denied.  Deny  me 
the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  and  I  will  fight  with  gun,  sword,  cannon, 
whirlwind,  and  thunder,  until  they  are  used  up  like  the  Kilkenny 

75 


234  RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

cats.  We  have  more  power  than  most  charters  confer,  because 
we  have  power  to  go  behind  the  writ  and  try  the  merits  of  the 
case. 

If  these  powers  are  dangerous,  then  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  and  of  this  State  are  dangerous;  but  they  are  not  dangerous 
to  good  men:  they  are  only  so  to  bad  men  who  are  breakers  of  the 
laws.  So  with  the  laws  of  the  country,  and  so  with  the  ordinances 
of  Xauvoo:  they  are  dangerous  to  mobs,  but  not  to  good  men  who 
wish  to  keep  the  laws. 

We  do  not  go  out  of  Nauvoo  to  disturb  anybody,  or  any  city, 
town,  or  place.  Why,  then,  need  they  be  troubled  about  us?  Let 
them  not  meddle  with  our  affair,  but  let  us  alone.  After  we  have 
been  deprived  of  our  rights  and  privileges  of  citizenship,  driven  from 
town  to  town,  place  to  place,  and  State  to  State,  with  the  sacrifice  of 
our  homes  and  lands,  our  blood  has  been  shed,  many  having  been  mur- 
dered, and  all  this  because  of  our  religion — because  we  worship 
Almighty  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  our  conscience,  shall  we 
longer  bear  these  cruelties  which  have  been  heaped  upon  "us  for  the 
last  ten  years  in  the  face  of  heaven,  and  in  open  violation  of  the  Con- 
stitution and  laws  of  these  United  States  and  of  this  State?  God  for- 
bid it.  /  will  not  bear  it.  If  they  take  away  ray  rights,  I  will  fight 
for  them  manfully  and  righteously  until  I  am  used  up.  We  have 
done  nothing  against  the  rights  of  others. 

You  speak  of  lawyers.  I  am  a  lawyer,  too;  but  the  Almighty 
God  has  taught  me  the  principle  of  law;  and  the  true  meaning  and  in- 
tent of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  is  to  defend  the  innocent  and  inves- 
tigate the  subject.  Go  behind  the  writ,  and  if  the  form  of  one  that 
is  issued  against  an  innocent  man  is  right,  he  should  not  be  dragged 
to  another  State,  and  there  be  put  to  death,  or  be  in  jeopardy  of  life 
and  limb,  because  of  prejudice,  when  he  is  innocent.  The  benefits  of 
the  Constitution  and  laws  are  alike  for  all;  and  the  great  Eloheim  has 
given  me  the  privilege  of  having  the  benefits  of  the  Constitution  and 
the  writ  of  habeas  corpus;  and  I  am  bold  to  ask  for  this  privilege  this 
day;  and  I  ask,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  and  all  that  is  sacred, 
that  I  may  have  your  lives  and  all  your  energies  to  carry  out  the 
freedom  which  is  chartered  to  us.  Will  you  all  help  me?  If  so,  make 
it  manifest  by  raising  the  right  hand.     [There  was  a  unanimous  re- 


RISE   AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO.  235 

sponse,  a  perfect  sea  of  hands  being  elevated.]  Here  is  truly  a  com- 
mittee of  the  whole. 

.When  at  Dixon,  a  lawyer  came  to  me  as  counsel.  Reynolds  and 
Wilson  said  I  should  not  speak  to  any  man,  and  they  would  shoot  any 
man  who  should  dare  to  speak  to  me.  An  old,  grey-headed  man 
came  up  and  said  I  should  have  counsel,  and  he  was  not  afraid  of 
their  pistols. 

The  people  of  Dixon  were  ready  to  take  me  from  my  persecu- 
tors, and  I  could  have  killed  them,  notwithstanding  their  pistols;  but 
I  had  no  disposition  to  kill  any  man,  though  ray  worst  enemy — not 
even  Boggs.  In  fact,  he  would  have  more  hell  to  live  in  the  reflec- 
tion of  his  past  crimes  than  to  die.  After  this,  I  had  lawyers  enough, 
and  I  obtained  a  writ  for  Joseph  H.  Reynolds  and  Harmon  T.  Wilson, 
for  damage,  assault,  and  battery,  as  well  as  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus. 

We  started  for  Ottoway,  and  arrived  at  Pawpaw  Grove,  thirty- 
two  miles,  where  we  stopped  for  the  night.  Esquire  Walker  sent 
Mr.  Campbell,  sheriff  of  Lee  County,  to  my  assistance,  and  he  came 
and  slept  by  me.  In  the  morning,  certain  men  wished  to  see  rae,  but 
I  was  not  allowed  to  see  them.  The  news  of  my  arrival  had  hastily 
circulated  about  the  neighborhood,  and  very  early  in  the  morning 
the  largest  room  in  the  hotel  was  filled  with  citizens,  who  were  anx- 
ious to  hear  me  preach,  and  requested  me  to  address  them. 

Sheriff  Reynolds  entered  the  room  and  said,  pointing  to  me,  "I 
wish  you  to  understand  this  man  is  my  prisoner,  and  I  want  you  should 
disperse.  You  must  not  gather  around  in  this  way."  Upon  which, 
an  aged  gentleman,  who  was  lame  and  carried  a  large,  hickory  walk- 
ing-stick, advanced  towards  Reynolds,  bringing  his  hickory  upon  the 
floor,  and  said,  "You  damned  infernal  puke,  we'll  learn  you  to  come 
here  and  interrupt  gentlemen!  Sit  down  there,  (pointing  to  a  very 
low  chair,)  and  sit  still.  Don't  open  your  head  till  General  Smith 
gets  through  talking.  If  you  never  learned  manners  in  Missouri, 
we'll  teach  you  that  gentlemen  are  not  to  be  imposed  upon  by  a  nig- 
ger-driver. You  can  not  kidna}»  men  here,  if  you  do  in  Missouri;  and 
if  you  attempt  it  here,  there's  a  committee  in  this  grove  that  will  sit 
on  your  case.  And,  sir,  it  is  the  highest  tribunal  in  the  United  States, 
as  from  its  decision  there  is  no  appeal. 

Reynolds,  no  doubt,  aware  that  the  person  addressing  him  was 


236  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

at  the  head  of  a  committee  who  had  prevented  the  settlers  on  the 
public  domain  from  being  imposed  upon  by  land  speculators,  sat  down 
in  silence,  while  I  addressed  the  assembly  for  an  hour  and  a  half  on 
the  subject  of  marriage,  my  visitors  having  requested  me  to  give 
them  my  views  of  the  law  of  God  respecting  marriage. 

My  freedom  commenced  from  that  hour.  We  came  direct  from 
Pawpaw  Grove  to  Nauvoo,  having  got  our  writ  directed  to  the  near- 
est court  having  authority  to  try  the  case,  which  was  the  municipal 
court  of  this  city. 

It  did  my  soul  good  to  see  your  feelings  and  love  manifested  to- 
wards me.  I  thank  God  that  I  have  the  honor  to  lead  so  virtuous 
and  honest  a  people — to  be  your  leader  and  lawyer,  as  was  Moses  to 
the  children  of  Israel.  Hosannah!  HosannahU  Hosannah!!!  to  Al- 
mighty God,  who  has  delivered  us  thus  from  out  of  the  seven  troubles. 
I  commend  you  to  His  grace;  and  may  the  blessings  of  heaven  rest  up- 
on you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.    Amen. 

President  Smith  then  introduced  Mr.  Cyrus  Walker  to  the  as- 
sembled multitude,  and  remarked  to  him,  "these  are  the  greatest 
dupes,  as  a  body  of  people,  that  ever  lived,  or  I  am  not  as  big  a  rogue 
as  I  am  reported  to  be.  I  told  Mr.  Warren  I  would  not  discuss  the 
subject  of  religion  with  you.  I  understand  the  Gospel  and  you  do 
not.  You  understand  the  quackery  of  law,  and  I  do  not."  Mr.  Walker 
then  addressed  the  people  to  the  effect  that,  from  what  he  had  seen 
in  the  Nauvoo  city  charter,  it  gave  the  power  to  try  writs  of  habeas 
corpus,  etc.     After  which.  President  Smith  continued  as  follows: 

"If  the  legislature  have  granted  Nauvoo  the  right  of  determining 
cases  of  habeas  corpus,  it  is  no  more  than  they  ought  to  have  done,  or 
more  than  our  fathers  fought  for.  Furthermore  if  Missouri  continues 
her  warfare,  and  to  issue  her  writs  against  me  and  this  people  unlaw- 
fully and  unjustly,  as  she  has  done,  and  to  take  away  and  trample  upon 
our  rights,  I  swear,  in  the  name  of  Almighty  God,  and  with  uplifted 
hands  to  Heaven,  I  will  spill  my  heart's  blood  in  our  defense.  They 
shall  not  take  away  our  rights;  and  if  they  don't  stop  leading  me  by 
the  nose,  I  will  lead  them  by  the  nose,  and  if  they  don't  let  me  alone, 
I  will  turn  up  the  world — I  will  make  war.  When  we  shake  our  own 
bushes,  we  want  to  catch  our  own  fruit.  The  lawyers  themselves 
acknowledge  that  we  have  all  power  granted  us  in  our  charters  that 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  237 

we  could  ask  for — that  we  had  more  power  than  any  other  court  in 
the  State;  for  all  other  courts  were  restricted,  while  ours  was  not; 
and  I  thank  God  Almighty  for  it.  I  will  not  be  rode  down  to  hell  by 
the  Missourians  any  longer;  and  it  is  my  privilege  to  speak  in  my 
own  defense;  and  I  appeal  to  your  integrity  and  honor  that  you  will 
stand  by  and  help  me  according  to  the  covenant  you  have  this  day 
made." 

In  the  meantime,  a  requisition  was  made  on  Sheriff  Reynolds, 
to  bring  his  prisoner  before  the  municipal  court  of  Nauvoo,  that 
the  validity  of  the  writ,  by  virtue  of  which  he  held  him,  might 
be  tested.  Reynolds  refused  to  recognize  the  summons  of  the 
court;  therefore,  his  prisoner  petitioned  the  court  for  a  writ  of 
habeas  corpus  to  be  directed  to  Sheriff  Reynolds,  commanding 
him  to  bring  his  prisoner  before  said  court,  and  there  state  the 
cause  of  his  capture  and  detention,  in  order  that  the  lawfulness 
of  his  arrest  might  be  inquired  into.  Reynolds  complied  with 
the  attachment,  and  the  Prophet  was  delivered  into  the  charge 
of  the  city  marshal.  The  next  day,  the  municipal  court  held  a 
session,  William  Marks,  acting  chief  justice,  D.  H.  Wells,  N.  K. 
Whitney,  G.  W.  Harris,  Gustavus  Hills  and  Hiram  Kimball,  asso- 
ciate justices. 

When  Joseph  was  on  trial  for  this  same  offense  before 
Judge  Douglass,  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  in  1841,  as  already 
related  in  a  previous  chapter,  the  court  refused  to  enter  into 
the  consideration  of  the  merits  of  the  case,  as  the  judge  doubt- 
ed whether  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  he  had  a  right  to  go  be- 
hind the  writ  and  inquire  into  the  merits  of  the  case.  The  same 
point  was  avoided  by  Judge  Pope  in  the  hearing  Joseph  had  be- 
fore him  on  a  similar  writ,  when  charged  with  being  accessory 
before  the  fact  in  an  assault  upon  the  life  of  ex-Governor 
Boggs.  But  the  municipal  court  had  no  such  scruples,  and  at 
once  proceeded  to  try  the  case  ex  parte,  on  its  merits;  and  Hy- 
rum  Smith,  P.  P.  Pratt,  Brigham  Young,  G.  W.  Pitkin,  Lyman 
Wight  and  Sidney  Rigdon  were  examined  as  witnesses.     Their 


238  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

affidavits  before  that  court  concerning  events  that  happened  to 
the  Saints  in  Missouri,  afford  the  most  circumstantial,  reliable, 
and  exhaustive  data  for  the  history  of  The  Church  while  in  that 
State  that  has  ever  been  published. 

After  hearing  the  testimony  of  these  witnesses,  and  the 
pleading  of  counsel,  the  court  ordered  that  Joseph  Smith  be  re- 
leased from  the  arrest  and  imprisonment  of  which  he  complained, 
for  want  of  substance  in  the  warrant  by  which  he  was  held,  as 
well  as  upon  the  merits  of  the  case. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  trial  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo  held 
a  mass  meeting  and  passed  resolutions  thanking  the  people  of 
Dixon  and  vicinity,  and  of  Lee  County  generally,  for  the  stand 
they  had  taken  in  defense  of  the  innocent,  and  in  favor  of  law 
and  justice. 

A  copy  of  the  proceedings  of  the  municipal  court  of  Nau- 
voo, and  of  all  the  papers  connected  with  the  case  were  immedi- 
ately sent  to  the  governor,  as  also  were  affidavits  from  leading 
counsel  and  gentlemen  from  Dixon,  as  to  the  treatment  of  Wil- 
son and  Reynolds,  that  the  governor  and  the  world  might  know 
that  they  had  not  been  injured. 

We  may  conclude  the  account  of  this  adventure  of  Joseph's 
by  saying  that  about  a  year  afterwards,  a  jury  in  Lee  County 
awarded  forty  dollars  damages,  and  costs,  against  Wilson  and 
Reynolds,  for  false  imprisonment  and  abuse  of  the  Prophet — a 
verdict  which,  while  it  confirms  the  unlawful  course  of  those 
officers,  and  the  fact  that  their  prisoner  was  abused,  insults  jus- 
tice by  awarding  such  an  amount  for  damages. 

At  the  time  of  this  action  before  the  municipal  court  of 
Nauvoo,  it  was  a  question  in  Illinois  whether  said  court  had  the 
authority  to  hear  and  determine  writs  of  habeas  corpus  arising 
from  arrests  made  by  virtue  of  warrants  issued  by  the  courts 
of  the  State  or  of  the  governor,  as  in  the  foregoing  case;  or 
whether  the  clause  in  the  city  charter  granting  the  right  of 
issuing  such  writs  was  not  confined  to  cases  arising  from  arrests 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  239 

made  on  account  of  the  violation  of  some  city  ordinance.  The 
clause  in  the  charter  giving  to  the  municipal  court  the  power 
to  issue  writs  of  habeas  corpus  was  as  follows: 

The  municipal  court  shall  have  power  to  grant  writs  of  habeas 
corpus  in  all  cas'js  arising  under  the  ordinances  of  the  city  council. 

And  in  addition  there  was  the  general  welfare  provision, 
which  provided  that  the 

City  council  shall  have  power  and  authority  to  make,  ordain, 
establish  and  execute  such  ordinances  not  repugnant  to  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States,  or  of  this  State,  as  they  may  deem  neces- 
sary for  the  peace,  benefit  and  safety  of  the  inhabitants  of  said  city. 

It  was  maintained  on  the  part  of  those  who  believed  that 
the  municipal  court  had  the  right  to  issue  v^'fits  of  habeas  corpus 
against  process  issued  from  the  State  courts  that  all  the  power 
there  was  in  Illinois  she  gave  to  Nauvoo,  and  that  the  munici- 
pal court  had  all  the  power  within  the  limits  of  the  city  that 
the  State  courts  had,  and  that  power  was  given  by  the  same 
authority — the  legislature.  A  number  of  lawyers  of  more  or 
less  prominence  in  the  State  professed  to  hold  the  same  views; 
but  little  reliance  can  be  put  in  the  support  they  bring  to  the 
case,  since  they  were  seeking  political  preferment  and  would, 
and  did,  in  their  interpretations  of  the  powers  granted  by  the 
charter,  favor  that  side  of  the  controversy  most  likely  to  please 
the  citizens  of  Nauvoo. 

Governor  Ford,  too,  at  the  time,  gave  a  tacit  approval  of 
the  course  taken  by  the  municipal  court  in  issuing  the  writ  of 
habeas  corpus,  though  he  afterwards  became  very  pronounced  in 
his  opposition  to  the  exercise  of  such  powers.  It  occurred  in  this 
way:  As  soon  as  Joseph  was  liberated.  Sheriff  Reynolds  applied 
to  Governor  Ford  for  a  posse  to  retake  him,  representing  that  the 
Prophet  had  been  unlawfully  taken  out  of  his  hands  by  the  munici- 


240  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

pal  court  of  Nauvoo.  The  governor  refused  to  grant  the  peti- 
tion. Subsequently  the  governor  of  Missouri  asked  Governor 
Ford  to  call  out  the  militia  to  retake  Joseph^  but  this  he  also 
refused  to  do,  and  gave  as  a  reason  that  "no  process,  officer,  or 
authority  of  the  State  had  been  resisted  or  interfered  with,"  and 
recited  how  the  prisoner  had  been  released  on  habeas  corpus  by 
the  municipal  court  of  Nauvoo.  The  governor  acted  in  this 
instance  with  perfect  knowledge  of  what  had  taken  place,  for 
the  petition  and  statement  of  Reynolds  were  in  his  possession  as 
were  also  complete  copies  of  all  the  documents,  which  contained 
the  proceedings  before  the  municipal  court  of  Nauvoo;  and  in 
addition  to  these  sources  of  information,  the  governor  had  dis- 
patched a  trusted,  secret  agent,  a  Mr.  Brayman,  to  Nauvoo  who 
investigated  the  case  and  reported  the  result  to  him. 

On  the  other  hand  it  was  contended  that  the  grant  in  the 
charter  was  intended  by  the  legislature  only  to  give  the  power 
to  the  municipal  court  to  issue  writs  of  habeas  corpus  in  cases 
of  arrest  for  violation  of  city  ordinances,  and  that  giving  power 
to  the  municipal  court  to  test  the  warrants  or  processes  is- 
sued from  the  State  courts,  was  never  contemplated  by  the 
legislature,  and  that  the  passage  of  any  ordinance  by  the  city 
council  that  would  bring  about  or  authorize  any  such  unusual 
proceeding  was  an  unwarranted  assumption  of  power,  utterly 
wrong  in  principle  and  consequently  subversive  of  good  govern- 
ment. 

But  whatever  opinion  maybe  entertained  on  the  point  under 
consideration,  there  can  be  no  question  but  what  upon  the  broad 
principles  of  justice  the  Prophet  Joseph  ought  to  have  been  set 
free.  The  State  of  Missouri  had  no  just  claims  upon  him.  He 
had  been  arrested  and  several  times  examined  on  these  old 
charges  now  revived  by  the  personal  malice  of  John  C.  Bennett, 
and  after  being  held  a  prisoner  awaiting  indictment  and  trial 
for  five  months,  so  conscious  were  the  officers  of  the  State  that 
they  had  no  case  against  him  that  they  themselves  connived  at 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  241 

his  escape.  After  such  proceedings  to  demand  that  he  be 
dragged  again  into  Missouri  among  his  old  enemies  was  an  out- 
rage against  every  principle  of  justice. 


242  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

POLITICAL  PERPLEXITIES — JOSEPH  SMITH  A  CANDIDATE  FOR  PRESI- 
DENT OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

THE  events  related  in  the  last  two  chapters  occurred  on  the 
eve  of  an  election  for  United  States  representatives,  State 
and  county  officers.  The  Whig  and  Democratic  parties  were  so 
divided  in  Illinois  that  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo  held  the  balance 
of  power  in  the  congressional  district  where  they  were  located, 
and  also  in  the  county.  Whichever  party  they  voted  with,  as 
they  voted  unitedly,  gained  the  election.  This  circumstance 
brought  to  the  people  of  Nauvoo  many  concessions,  and  caused 
the  candidates  of  both  political  parties  to  fawn  at  their  feet.  It 
was  a  case  where  "Bell  boweth  down,  and  Nebo  stoopeth."  But 
we  shall  see  that  it  also  brought  with  it  serious  difficulties  that 
contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  hasten  the  fall  of  Nauvoo;  and 
yet  it  was  a  situation  forced  upon  the  Saints  rather  than  a  pol- 
icy deliberately  chosen  by  them.  The  Prophet  himself  has 
given  the  very  best  explanation  of  the  enforced  necessity  of  the 
Saints  voting  unitedly  while  in  Illinois,  and  I  here  quote  that 
explanation: 

With  regard  to  elections,  some  say  all  the  Latter-day  Saints 
vote  together  and  vote  as  I  say.  But  I  never  tell  any  man  how  to 
vote,  or  who  to  vote  for.  But  I  will  show  you  how  we  have  been  sit- 
uated by  bringing  a  comparison.  Should  there  be  a  Methodist  society 
here  and  two  candidates  running  for  office,  one  says,  "If  you  will 
vote  for  me  and  put  me  in  governor  I  will  exterminate  the  Methodists, 
take  away  their  charters,  etc."  The  other  candidate  says  "If  I  am 
governor,  I  will  give  all  an  equal  privilege."  Which  would  the  Meth- 
odists vote  for?     Of  course  they  would  vote  en  masse  for  the  candi- 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  243 

•date  that  would  give  them  their  rights.  Thus  it  has  been  with  us. 
Joseph  Duncan  said,  if  the  people  would  elect  him,  he  would  exter- 
minate the  Mormons  and  take  away  their  charters.  As  to  Mr.  Ford 
he  made  no  such  threats,  but  manifested  a  spirit  in  his  speeches  to 
^ive  every  man  his  rights;  hence  The  Church  universally  voted  for 
Mr.  Ford,  and  he  was  elected  governor.* 

In  the  election  above  referred  to  a  circumstance  occurred 
which  greatly  intensified  the  political  bitterness.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  Cyrus  Walker  refused  to  assist  Joseph  when  un- 
der arrest  at  Dixon,  unless  he  would  pledge  him  his  vote  in  the 
then  pending  election.  This  Joseph  did  and  Walker  was  satis- 
fied that  he  would  go  to  Congress,  as  he  expected  that  Joseph's 
vote  would  bring  to  him  the  entire  vote  of  Nauvoo,  w^hich  would 
insure  his  election;  and  so  expressed  himself  to  Stephen  Mark- 
ham.  But  the  day  before  election,  which  was  Sunday,  Hyrum 
told  Joseph  that  the  Spirit  had  manifested  it  to  him  that  it 
would  be  to  the  best  interests  of  the  people  to  vote  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket,  including  Mr.  Hoge,  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
Congress.  Joseph  made  that  announcement  in  a  public  meet- 
ing, but  in  addressing  the  people  he  said: 

I  am  not  come  to  tell  you  to  vote  this  way,  that  way,  or  the 
other.  In  relation  to  national  matters  I  want  it  to  go  abroad  to  the 
whole  world  that  every  man  should  stand  on  his  own  merits.  The 
Lord  has  not  given  me  a  revelation  concerning  politics.  I  have  not 
asked  Him  for  one.  I  am  a  third  party,  and  stand  independent  and 
alone.     I  desire  to  see  all  parties  protected  in  their  rights. 

Referring  to  what  Hyrum  had  communicated  to  him  he 
said: 

I  never  knew  Hyrum  to  say  he  ever  had  a  revelation  and  it  failed. 
Let  God  speak,  and  all  men  hold  their  peace. 

*  History  of  Joseph  Smith,  Mill.  Star,  vol.  xxi,  p.  668. 

The  remarks  were  made  at  a  public  meeting  soon  after  the 
Prophet's  release  by  the  municipal  court  of  Nauvoo  Irom  the  custody 
of  Reynolds  and  Wilson. 


244  RISE  AND  PALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

Joseph  kept  his  pledge  personally,  and  voted  for  Cyrus 
Walker;  but  the  Democratic  ticket  was  overwhelmingly  success- 
ful in  Nauvoo. 

It  ought  to  be  said  here  in  justification  of  the  course  of 
the  people  of  Nauvoo,  that  very  good  evidence  existed  to  the 
effect  that  the  whole  difficulty  connected  with  the  arrest  of 
Joseph  at  Dixon  on  the  old  Missouri  charges  of  "treason,  ar- 
son," etc,  etc.,  was  a  political  scheme  planned  with  a  view  of 
securing  the  Mormon  vote  for  the  Whig  party.  The  Illinois  State 
Register  in  July  published  the  following  on  the  subject  of  the 
arrest  of  the  Prophet  at  Dixon,  to  justify  the  charge  it  made 
that  the  whole  affair  was  but  a  Whig  plot  to  secure  the  Mor- 
mon vote: 

The  public  is  already  aware  that  a  demand  was  lately  made  upon 
the  governor  of  this  State  for  the  arrest  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  that 
a  writ  was  accordingly  issued  against  him.  We  propose  now  to  state 
some  of  the  facts,  furnishing  strong  grounds  of  suspicion  that  the 
demand  which  was  made  on  the  governor  here  was  a  manoeuvre  of 
the  Whig  party. 

1st.  A  letter  was  shown  to  a  gentleman  of  this  city,  by  the 
agent  of  Missouri,  from  the  notorious  John  C.  Bennett  to  a  gentle" 
man  in  one  of  the  western  counties  of  that  State,  urging  the  impor- 
tance of  getting  up  an  indictment  immediately  against  Smith,  for  the 
five  or  six  years  old  treason  of  which  he  was  accused  several  years 
ago. 

2nd.  This  charge  had  been  made  once  before,  and  afterwards  aban- 
doned by  Missouri.  It  is  the  same  charge  on  which  Smith  was  car- 
ried before  Judge  Douglass  and  discharged  two  years  ago.  After 
that  decision,  the  indictment  against  Smith  was  dismissed,  and  the 
charge  wholly  abandoned. 

3rd.  But  in  the  letter  alluded  to,  Bennett  says  to  his  Missouri 
agent.  Go  to  the  judge,  and  never  leave  him  until  he  appoints  a  spe- 
cial term  of  court;  never  suffer  the  court  to  adjourn  until  an  indict- 
ment is  found  against  Smith  for  treason.  When  an  indictment  shall 
have  been  found,  get  a  copy  and  go  immediately  to  the  governor, 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  245 

and  never  leave  him  until  you  get  a  demand  on  the  governor  of  Il- 
linois for  Smith's  arrest;  and  then  dispatch  some  active  and  vigilant 
person  to  Illinois  for  a  warrant  and  let  him  never  leave  the  gov- 
ernor until  he  gets  it;  and  then  never  let  him  come  back  to  Missouri 
without  Smith. 

4th.  A  special  term  of  the  circuit  court  of  Daviess  County,Missouri 
was  accordingly  called  on  the  5th  day  of  June  last.     An  indictment 
was  found  against  Smith  for  treason  five  years  old.    A  demand  was 
made  and  a  writ  issued,  as  anticipated,  by  the  17th  of  the  same 
month. 

5th.  Bennett  it  is  well  known  has  for  a  year  past  been  a  mere  tool 
in  the  hands  of  the  Whig  junto  at  Springfield.  He  has  been  under  their 
absolute  subjection  and  control,  and  has  been  a  regular  correspond- 
ent of  the  Sangamo  Journal,  the  principal  organ  of  the  Whig  party 
He  has  been  a  great  pet  of  both  the  Journal  and  the  junto;  and  that 
paper  has  regularly  announced  his  removals  from  place  to'  place,  un- 
til latterly;  and  within  the  last  year  has  published  more  of  his  writ- 
ings than  of  any  other  person,  except  the  editor. 

6th.  Cyrus  Walker,  a  short  time  after  his  nomination,  as  the  Whig 
candidate  for  Congress  in  the  6th  district,  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Nau- 
voo,  for  the  purpose  of  currying  favor  with  the  Mormons,  and  getting 
their  support.  But  in  this  he  was  disappointed  and  dejected;  and  it  was 
generally  believed  that,  failing  to  get  the  Mormon  vote,  he  would 
be  beaten  by  his  Democratic  opponent. 

7th.  Let  it  be  also  borne  in  mind  that  the  treason  of  which 
Smith  was  accused  was  five  or  six  years  old;  that  it  had  been  aban- 
doned as  a  charge  by  Missouri;  that  the  circuit  court  of  that  State 
sat  three  times  a  year;  that  Smith  was  permanently  settled  at  Xau- 
voo,  no  person  dreaming  that  he  would  leave  there  for  years  to  come; 
that  they  might  have  waited  in  Missouri  for  a  regular  term  of  the 
court,  if  the  design  was  simply  to  revive  a  charge  of  treason  against 
Smith,  with  a  perfect  assurance  that  he  would  always  be  found  at 
home,  and  be  as  subject  to  arrest  at  one  time  as  another.  But  this 
delay  did  not  suit  the  conspirators  as  it  would  put  off  an  attempt  to 
arrest  Smith  until  after  the  August  election.  Let  it  be  borne  in 
mind  also  that  the  agent  of  Missouri,  after  he  had  obtained  the  cus- 
tody of  Smith  at  Dixon,  refused  to  employ  a  Democratic  lawyer,  and 


246  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

insisted  upon  having  a  Whig  lawyer  of  inferior  abilities,  simply  upon 
the  ground  as  he  stated,  that  the  Democrats  were  against  him.  Let 
it  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  Cyrus  Walker,  the  Whig  candidate  for 
Congress,  miraculously  happened  to  be  within  six  miles  of  Dixon  when 
Smith  was  arrested,  ready  and  convenient  to  be  employed  by  Smith 
to  get  him  delivered  from  custody;  and  that  he  was  actually  employed 
and  actually  did  get  Smith  enlarged  from  custody;  and  withal  let  it 
be  remembered  that  John  C.  Bennett  is  the  pliant  tool  and  pander 
of  the  junto  at  Springfield;  and  that  he  was  the  instigator  of  an  un- 
necessary special  term  in  Missouri,  on  the  5th  day  of  June  last,  for 
the  purpose  of  getting  Smith  indicted.  We  say  let  all  these  facts  be 
borne  in  mind,  and  they  produce  a  strong  suspicion,  if  not  conviction, 
that  the  whole  affair  is  a  Whig  conspiracy  to  compel  a  Democratic 
governor  to  issue  a  writ  against  Smith,  pending  the  congressional 
elections,  so  as  to  incense  the  Mormons,  create  a  necessity  for 
Walker's  and  perhaps  Browning's  professional  services  in  favor  of 
Smith,  to  get  him  delivered  out  of  a  net  of  their  own  weaving,  and 
thereby  get  the  everlasting  gratitude  of  the  Mormons  and  their  sup- 
port for  the  Whig  cause.  {Illinois  State  Register,  quoted  in  History 
of  Joseph  Smith,  Millennial  Star,  vol.  xxi,  p.  762.) 

Such  a  plot  coming  to  the  knowledge  of  Joseph  and  the  citi- 
zens of  Nauvoo  would  certainly  justify  them  in  voting  against 
the  perpetrators  of  such  an  outrage.  Of  course  it  cannot  be 
denied  that  Cyrus  Walker  was  justified  in  believing  that  the 
vote  of  Joseph  Smith  pledged  to  him  at  Dixon,  and  which  by 
him  was  made  a  condition  precedent  to  his  coming  to  the  as- 
sistance of  Joseph,  was  understood  as  meaning  something 
more  than  the  individual  vote  of  the  Prophet,  nor  do  I  think  the 
Prophet  censurable  for  using  any  means  at  his  command  under 
the  circumstances  to  deliver  himself  from  the  hands  of  his  ene- 
mies. But  if  afterwards  the  people  of  Nauvoa  learned — as 
they  evidently  did — that  a  plot  had  been  laid  to  ensnare  them,  to 
secure  their  vote  though  it  involved  the  liberty,  and  perhaps  the 
life  of  their  Prophet-leader,  they  were  justified  in  casting. their 
votes  against  the  men  guilty  of  such  perfidy. 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  247 

This  sudden  and  unexpected  change  in  the  vote  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Nauvoo,  stirred  up  to  the  very  depths  the  enmity  of  the 
defeated  political  party;  and  when,  shortly  after  the  election, 
R.  D.  Foster,  who  had  been  elected  school  commissioner,  and 
G.  W.  Thatcher,  who  had  been  elected  clerk  of  the  commis- 
sioner's court  for  the  county,  appeared  at  the  courthouse  in 
Carthage  to  take  the  oath  of  office,  and  file  their  bonds,  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  keep  them  from  doing  so;  and  the  court 
was  threatened  with  violence  if  the  Mormons  were  permitted 
to  qualify. 

They  qualified,  nevertheless;  whereupon  a  call  was  issued 
for  an  anti-Mormon  meeting  to  convene  in  Carthage  on  the  fol- 
lowing Saturday,  August  the  19th,  to  protest  against  the  Mor- 
mons holding  office.  The  people  of  Carthage  and  vicinity  as- 
sembled at  the  appointed  time,  organized  with  a  chairman. 
Major  Reuben  Graves;  and  a  secretary,  W.  D.  Abernethy;  and  a 
committee  of  nine  to  draft  resolutions.  After  listening  to 
speeches  by  Valentine  "Wilson,  Walter  Bagby  and  others,  the 
meeting  adjourned  to  meet  again  on  the  sixth  of  September. 

To  enumerate  the  crimes  alleged  against  the  Saints  in  gen- 
eral and  in  particular  against  Joseph  Smith,  in  the  preamble  to 
the  resolutions  adopted  at  their  second  meeting,  would  be  draw- 
ing up  a  list  of  all  the  crimes  that  ever  threatened  the  peace, 
happiness,  prosperity  and  liberty  of  a  nation.  They  resolved 
that  from  recent  movements  among  the  Mormons,  there  were 
indications  that  they  were  unwilling  to  submit  to  the  ordinary 
restrictions  of  law;  and  therefore  concluded  that  the  people  of 
Illinois  must  assert  their  rights  in  some  way.  That  while  they 
deprecated  anything  like  lawless  violence,  they  pledged  them- 
selves to  resist  all  wrongs  the  Mormons  should  inflict  upon  them 
in  the  future — "peaceably  if  they  could,  but  forcibly  if  they 
must."  They  called  upon  all  good  and  honest  men  to  assist  in 
humbling  the  pride  of  that  'Edacious  despot,"  Joseph  Smith; 
pledged  themselves  to  raise  a  posse  and  take  him  if  the  authori- 


248  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

ties  of  Missouri  made  another  demand  for  him;  that  it  might 
not  be  said  of  them,  that  they  allowed  the  most  outrageous 
culprits  *'to  go  unwhipped  of  justice."  They  agreed  to  support 
no  man  of  either  political  party  who  should  truckle  to  the  Mor- 
mons for  their  influence,  and  finally 

Resolved  that  when  the  government  ceases  to  afford  protection, 
the  citizens  of  course  fall  back  upon  their  original  inherent  right  of 
self-defense. 

One  of  the  principal  movers  in  these  meetings  was  Walter 
Bagby,  the  county  collector,  with  whom  Joseph  had  some  diffi- 
culty in  relation  to  the  payment  of  taxes.  In  the  dispute 
that  arose  Bagby  told  Joseph  he  lied,  and  for  this  insult  Joseph 
struck  him,  and  would  doubtless  have  thrashed  him  soundly  but 
for  the  interference  of  Daniel  H.  Wells.  From  that  time  on, 
Bagby  became  the  relentless  enemy  of  Joseph  and  the  inspirer 
of  these  meetings  at  Carthage ;  and  afterwards  went  to  Missouri 
where  he  conferred  with  the  Prophet's  old  enemies,  and  brought 
about  that  concerted  action  between  the  Missourians  and  the 
anti-Mormons  of  Illinois  which  resulted  finally  in  his  assassina- 
tion. 

Later  in  the  fall,  acts  of  violence  began  to  be  perpetrated 
upon  the  Mormon  people  who  lived  at  a  distance  from  Nauvoo; 
and  threats  of  violence  were  frequent.  In  December  of  the 
year  of  which  I  am  now  writing — 1843 — a  member  of  The 
Church  living  near  Warsaw,  by  the  name  of  Daniel  Avery,  and 
his  son  Philander,  were  kidnapped  by  Levi  Williams,  of  Warsaw, 
John  Elliot  and  others,  and  run  across  the  Mississippi  to  Mis- 
souri, where  for  several  weeks  Daniel  Avery  was  kept  a  prisoner 
in  Clark  County,  while  one  Joseph  McCoy  was  hunting  up  wit- 
nesses to  prove  that  he  had  stolen  a  mare  from  him.  Philander 
Avery  escaped  and  returned  to  Illinois;  but  his  father  remained 
a  prisoner,  and  suffered  great  cruelty  at  the  hands  of  his  cap- 
tors.    Finally,  however,  he  was  released  by  writ  of  habeas  corpus, 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  249 

and  went  to  Nauvoo  where  he  made  affidavit  as  to  his  treat- 
ment. 

Wild  rumors  abounded  also  as  to  what  the  Missourians  in- 
tended to  do;'and  some  of  the  letters  from  Missouri  that  fell  into 
Joseph's  hands,  through  friends  of  his,  threatened  Illinois  with 
invasion,  and  for  a  season  it  would  seem  that  a  border  war  was 
inevitable.  Joseph  was  careful  to  keep  Governor  Ford  informed 
as  to  all  acts  of  violence  perpetrated  upon  his  people,  and 
especially  as  to  the  threats  of  the  Missourians  respecting  an 
attack,  and  went  so  far  as  to  tender  the  services  of  the  Legion 
to  repel  any  attempted  invasion  of  the  State  should  it  occur. 
Governor  Ford,  however,  refused  to  believe  there  was  any  dan- 
ger in  the  threats,  and  therefore  would  detail  no  portion  of  the 
Legion,  or  of  the  other  State  militia,  to  be  ready  for  such  an 
assault. 

A  petition  signed  by  nearly  all  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  ask- 
ing the  governor  to  issue  no  more  warrants  at  the  demand  of 
Missouri  for  the  arrest  of  Joseph  Smith  on  the  old  charges, 
was  presented  to  the  executive,  but  the  governor  refused  to 
give  the  people  any  encouragement  that  he  would  favorably 
entertain  their  suit. 

In  the  meantime  another  important  event  began  to  take 
shape.  As  the  time  of  the  presidential  election  was  now  ap- 
proaching the  probable  candidates  for  the  office  began  to  be 
discussed. 

It  was  well  known  that  the  vote  of  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo 
would  be  important,  as  it  would  most  likely  determine  whether 
Illinois  would  go  Whig  or  Democratic.  The  political  friends  of 
John  C.  Calhoun  at  Quincy,  early  perceived  the  importance  of 
securing  their  favor,  and  began  to  work  for  it.  A  Colonel  Frier- 
son,  of  Quincy,  the  political  friend  of  John  C.  Calhoun,  expressed 
great  sympathy  for  the  Saints  because  of  the  injustice  and  per- 
secution they  had  received  at  the  hands  of  Missouri,  and  inti- 
mated to  Brother  Joseph  L.  Hey  wood  that  the  Hon.  B.  Rhett,  a 

16 


250  RISE  AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

representative  from  South  Carolina  to  the  United  States  Con- 
gress, and  also  a  political  friend  to  Mr.  Calhoun,  had  expressed 
a  willingness  to  present  to  Congress  a  memorial  for  a  redress 
of  wrongs  suffered  by  the  Saints  in  Missouri;  but  was  careful  to 
intimate  to  Brother  Heywood,  and  through  him  to  the  citizens 
of  Nauvoo,  that  he  supposed  that  Mr.  Calhoun  would  be  a  more 
acceptable  candidate  to  them  than  Mr.  Van  Buren. 

Colonel  Frierson  afterwards  went  to  Nauvoo,  met  in  council 
with  the  leading  citizens,  and  drafted  a  memorial  to  Congress; 
a  copy  of  which  he  took  with  him  to  Quincy  to  obtain  signers, 
but  I  think  it  never  reached  the  House  of  Representatives. 

The  incident,  however,  suggested  to  the  Prophet  the  pro- 
priety of  addressing  letters  to  each  of  the  candidates  for  the 
presidency— five  in  number,  viz., — John  C.  Calhoun,  Lewis  Cass, 
Richard  M.  Johnson,  Henry  Clay  and  Martin  Van  Buren — to 
ascertain  what  policy  they  would  adopt  respecting  the  Saints 
and  redressing  the  wrongs  done  them  by  Missouri.  Only  two 
out  of  the  number,  however,  gave  a  reply.  They  were  Calhoun 
and  Clay.  The  former  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  general  gov- 
ernment possessed  such  limited  and  specific  powers,  that  the 
Missouri  troubles  did  not  come  within  its  jurisdiction.  As  to  his 
treatment  of  the  Latter-day  Saints,  as  the  Constitution  and  the 
laws  of  the  Union  made  no  distinction  between  citizens  of  differ- 
ent religious  creeds,  he  should  make  none;  but  so  far  as  the  ex- 
ecutive was  concerned  all  should  have  the  full  benefit  of  both, 
and  none  should  be  exempted  from  their  operation.* 

Clay  partially  disclaimed  being  a  candidate  for  the  presi- 
dency, but  said  if  he  ever  entered  into  that  high  office,  he  must 
do  so  free  and  unfettered,  with  no  guarantees  but  such  as  might 
be  drawn  from  his  whole  life,  character  and  conduct.  But  he 
was  careful  to  say,  that  he  had  watched  the  progress  of  the 
Saints,  and  sympathized  with  them  in  their  sufferings  under  in- 


*  See  Appendix  I. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  251 

justice,  which  had  been  inflicted  upon  them;  and  thought  that 
they,  in  common  with  other  religious  communities,  should  enjoy 
the  security  and  protection  of  the  Constitution  and  laws. 

To  these  letters  the  Prophet  Joseph  wrote  scathing  replies. 
The  particular  portion  of  Calhoun's  answer  with  which  he  dealt, 
was  that  which  claimed  that  the  general  government  had  no 
jurisdiction  in  the  case  of  the  Saints  and  Missouri,  and  handled 
rather  severely  the  senator's  doctrine  of  the  limited  powers  of 
the  general  government.* 

In  reply  to  Henry  Clay  he  dealt  chiefly  with  his  "no  pledge? 
nor  guarantee"  doctrine,  only  such  as  could  be  drawn  from  his 
whole  life,  character  and  conduct;  and  drew  such  a  picture  of 
that  statesman's  past  conduct,  that  the  Kentucky  senator  could 
not  feel  flattered  withal,  to  say  the  least;  and  in  good  round 
terms  he  denounced  the  subterfuges  of  politicians,  and  demanded 
of  the  nation  justice  in  behalf  of  his  afflicted  people.  In  read- 
ing this  correspondence  one  cannot  but  think  that  the  Prophet 
is  unnecessarily  harsh  of  expression,  and  some  phrases  we  can- 
not help  but  feel  are  certainly  unworthy  of  him.  The  faults  of 
these  letters,  however,  are  not  so  much  the  fault  of  the  individual 
as  the  fault  of  the  times.  Those  were  days  when  moderation  in  lan- 
guage was  certainly  not  characteristic  of  the  political  literature 
of  the  times.  Personal  abuse  often  seems  to  have  been  mistaken 
for  argument,  and  severity  of  expression  was  often  thought  to 
out-weigh  reason.  One  other  thing  should  be  remembered  also, 
and  that  is  the  Prophet  Joseph  very  largely  depended  upon 
others  for  the  expression,  for  the  literary  form  of  those  ideas 
which  he  advanced,  and  these  secondary  persons  yielded  too 
often  to  the  spirit  of  the  times  in  what  they  set  down  as  coming 
from  the  Prophet. 

When  it  was  ascertained  that  from  none  of  the  candidates 
in  thefield^THe  "citizens  of  Nauvoo  could  hope  for  assistance  in 


*See  Appendix  II. 


252  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.     . 

obtaining  justice  for  the  wrongs  they  suffered  in  Missouri,  Joseph 
allowed  a  convention  at  Nauvoo  to  put  his  name  in  nominationT 
for  the  oihce  of  president;  and  he  published  his  "Views  on  the 
Powers  and  Policy  of  the  Government  of  the  United,  States,"  a 
document  of  great  strength  and  one  which  excited  considerable 
comment  from  the  press  of  the  country,  very  much  of  which"" 
was  favorable. 

In  this  document  the  Prophet-candidate  reviews  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  American  government  until  it  reached 
the  ''Acme  of  American  glory,  liberty,  and  prosperity"  under  the 
administration  of  General  Jackson;  and  then  the  beginning  of 
its  decline  under  the  "withering  touch  of  Martin  Van  Buren." 
He  advocated  prison  reform.  Advised  the  people  of  the  south 
to  petition  their  respective  legislatures  to  abolish  slavery  by  the 
year  1850,  or  now,  "and  save  the  abolitionist  from  reproach  and 
ruin,  infamy  and  shame."  He  recommended  the  payment  of  a 
reasonable  price  to  the  slave-holders  of  the  south  for  their 
slaves,  to  be  paid  by  the  surplus  revenue,  arising  from  the  sale 
of  public  lands,  and  reduction  in  the  wages  paid  to  congress- 
men. The  southern  people,  said  he,  are  hospitable  and  noble. 
They  will  help  to  rid  so  free  a  country  of  every  vestige  of  slav- 
ery, whenever  they  are  assured  of  an  equivalent  for  their  prop- 
erty. He  recommended  more  economy  in  the  national  and  state 
governments,  and  more  equality  among  the  people. 

For  the  accommodation  of  the  people  he  proposed  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  national  bank,  with  branches  in  each  State,  the 
directors  thereof  to  be  elected  yearly  by  the  people;  and  the 
profits  arising  from  the  business  to  be  used  as  revenue,  in  de- 
fraying the  expenses  of  government,  the  profits  from  the  branch 
banks,  being  used  in  the  respective  States  where  they  existed; 
and  those  arising  from  the  parent  institution  by  the  general  gov- 
ernment; and  reduce  taxation  to  the  extent  of  the  net  profits  of 
these  institutions. 

In  the  light  of  the  experience  he  and  the  Latter-day  Saints 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  253 

had  passed  through  in  Missouri,  he  advocated  the  idea  of  giving 
the  president  full  power  to  send  an  army  to  suppress  mobs,  ''and 
appealed  to  the  States  to  repeal  that  relic  of  folly,"  which  made 
it  necessary  for  the  governor  of  a  State  to  make  a  demand  of 
the  president  for  troops  in  case  of  invasion  or  rebellion.  ''The 
governor  himself,"  he  goes  on  to  say,  "may  be  amobber;  and  in- 
stead of  being  punished,  as  he  should  be,  for  murder  or  treason, 
he  may  destroy  the  very  lives,  rights  and  property  he  should 
protect." 

He  favored  the  annexation  of  Texas,  and  the  extension  of 
the  authority  of  the  United  States  over  contiguous  territory  on 
the  west,  and  said: 

When  a  neighboring  realm  petitioned  to  join  the  Union  of  the 
Sons  of  Liberty,  my  voice  would  be,  coTwe— yea,  come  Texas,  come 
Mexico,  come  Canada,  and  come  all  the  world;  let  us  be  brethren,  let 
us  be  one  great  family,  and  let  there  be  a  universal  peace.* 

On  the  seventeenth  of  June,  1844,  U  State  convention  was 
held  at  Nauvoo,  which  ratified  the  views  of  Joseph  on  the  "Pow- 
ers and  Policy  of  the  Government,"  passed  a  series  of  resolu- 
tions inviting  all  men  of  all  parties  to  assist  in  the  work  of  re- 
forming the  government,  and  in  a  formal  manner  putting  in 
nomination  General  Joseph  Smith  for  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  Sidney  Rigdon  for  vice-president. 

James  Arlington  Bennett,  of  New  York,  was  asked  to  take 
the  second  place  on  the  ticket  first;  but,  he  being  of  foreign 
birth,  was  not  eligible.  Then  the  position  was  ofiTered  to  Colonel 
Solomon  Copeland,  but  for  some  reason  he  did  not  accept;  so 
the  next  choice  was  Sidney  Rigdon,  who  by  that  time  had  re- 
moved from  Nauvoo  to  Pennsylvania. 

Arrangements  were  entered  into,  to  hold  a  national  con- 
vention in  New  York  on  the  thirteenth  of  July  following,  and 

*See  Appendix  II L 


254  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

preparations  were  made  for  an  active  campaign  in  favor  of  the 
Prophet-nominee;  but  before  the  time  for  the  national  convention 
had  arrived,  the  standard  bearer  of  the  new  party  of  reform, 
Jeffersonian  Democracy,*  free  trade  and  sailors'  rights,  fell 
pierced  by  assassins'  bullets — the  victim  of  a  cruel  mob. 

Of  course  Joseph  had  no  hope  that  he  would  be  elected  to 
the  presidency,  buTb^ylSecominga  candidate,  he  gave  the  citizens 
of  Nauvoo  an  opportunity  to  act  consistently  with  their  views 
of  what  ought  to  be  done  for  the  general  good  of  the  nation, 
and  at  the  same  time,  avoid  the  wrath  aLtha^olitical  parties  in 
the  State  of  Illinois  by  affiliating  with  neither  of  them  in  the 
ensuing  election;  for  whenever  they  voted  with  one  of  those 
parties  the  other  became  enraged  and  vice  versa.  Doubtless  the 
best  reasons  for,  and  the  best  justification  6T,  this  movement  on 
the  part  of  the  people  of  Nauvoo  is  to  be  found  in  an  editorial 
article  from  the  Times  and  Seasons  for  February,  1844 — with 
which  I  close  this  chapter: 

WHO  SHALL  BE  OUR  NEXT  PRESIDENT? 

This  is  an  inquiry  which  to  us  as  a  people  is  a  matter  of  the  most 
paramount  importance,  and  requires  our  most  serious,  calm,  and  dis- 
passionate reflection.  Executive  power,  when  correctly  wielded,  is  a 
great  blessing  to  the  people  of  this  great  commonwealth,  and  forms 
one  of  the  firmest  pillars  of  our  confederation.  It  watches  the  in- 
terests of  the  whole  community  with  a  fatherly  care;  it  wisely  bal- 
ances the  other  legislative  powers  when  overheated  by  party  spirit 
or  sectional  feeling;  it  watches  with  jealous  care  our  interests  and 


*  The  fifth  resolution  adopted  at  the  Nauvoo  convention  read  as 
follows: 

Resolved,  that  the  better  to  carry  out  the  principles  of  liberty  and 
equal  rights,  Jeffersonian  Democracy,  free  trade,  and  sailors'  rights, 
and  the  protection  of  person  and  property,  we  will  support  General 
Joseph  Smith  for  the  President  of  the  United  States  at  the  ensuing 
election. 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  255 

commerce  with  foreign  nations,  and  gives  tone  and  efficacy  to  legis- 
lative enactments. 

The  President  stands  at  the  head  of  these  United  States,  and  is 
the  mouth-piece  of  this  vast  republic.  If  he  be  a  man  of  an  enlight- 
ened mind  and  a  capacious  soul, — if  he  be  a  virtuous  man,  a  states- 
man, a  patriot,  and  a  man  of  unflinching  integrity, — if  he  possess 
the  same  spirit  that  fired  the  souls  of  our  venerable  sires,  who  founded 
this  great  commonwealth,  and  wishes  to  promote  the  universal  good 
of  the  whole  republic,  he  may  indeed  be  made  a  blessing  to  the  com- 
munity. 

But  if  he  prostrates  his  high  and  honorable  calling  to  base  and 
unworthy  purposes, — if  he  makes  use  of  the  power  which  the  people 
have  placed  in  his  hands  for  their  interests  to  gratify  his  ambition,  for 
the  purpose  of  self-aggrandizement  or  pecuniary  interest, — if  he 
meanly  panders  with  demagogues,  loses  sight  of  the  interest  of  the 
nation,  and  sacrifices  the  Union  on  the  altar  of  sectional  interests  or 
party  views,  he  renders  himself  unworthy  of  the  dignified  trust  re- 
posed in  him,  debases  the  nation  in  the  eyes  of  the  civilized  world, 
and  produces  misery  and  confusion  at  home.  "When  the  wicked  rule 
the  people  mourn." 

There  is  perhaps  no  body  of  people  in  the  United  States  who  are 
at  the  present  time  more  interested  about  the  issue  of  the  presidential 
contest  than  are  the  Latter-day  Saints.  And  our  situation  in  regard 
to  the  two  great  political  parties  is  a  most  novel  one.  It  is  a  fact 
well  understood  that  we  have  suffered  great  injustice  from  the  State 
of  Missouri,  that  we  petitioned  to  the  authorities  of  that  State  for 
redress  in  vain,  that  we  have  also  memorialized  Congress  under  the  late 
administration,  and  have  obtained  the  heartless  reply  that  "Congress 
has  no  power  to  redress  your  grievances." 

After  having  taken  all  the  legal  and  constitutional  steps  that  we 
can,  we  are  still  groaning  under  accumulated  wrongs.  Is  there  no 
power  anywhere  to  redress  our  grievances?  Missouri  lacks  the  disposi- 
tion, and  Congress  lacks  both  the  disposition  and  power  (?);and  thus 
fifteen  thousand  inhabitants  of  these  United  States  can  with  impunity 
be  dispossessed  of  their  property;  have  their  houses  burned,  their 
property  confiscated,  many  of  their  numbers  murdered,- and  the  re- 
mainder driven  from  their  homes  and  left  to  wander  as  exiles  in  this 


256  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

boasted  land  of  freedom  and  equal  rights:  and  after  appealing  again 
and  again  to  the  legally  constituted  authorities  of  our  land  for  redress, 
we  are  coolly  told  by  our  highest  tribunals,  "We  can  do  nothing  for 
you." 

We  have  paid  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  into  the  coffers 
of  Congress  for  their  lands,  and  they  stand  virtually  pledged  to  de- 
fend us  in  our  rights,  but  they  have  not  done  it.  If  a  man  steals  a 
dollar  from  his  neighbor,  or  steals  a  horse  or  a  hog,  he  can  obtain  re- 
dress; but  we  have  been  robbed  by  wholesale,  the  most  daring  mur- 
ders have  been  committed,  and  we  are  coolly  told  that  we  can  obtain 
no  redress.  If  a  steamboat  is  set  on  fire  on  our  coast  by  foreigners, 
even  when  she  is  engaged  in  aiding  and  abetting  the  enemies  of  that 
power,  it  becomes  a  matter  of  national  interference  and  legislation; 
or  if  a  foreigner,  as  in  the  case  of  McLeod,  is  taken  on  our  land  and 
tried  for  supposed  crimes  committed  by  him  against  our  citizens,  his 
nation  interferes,  and  it  becomes  a  matter  of  negotiation  and  legisla- 
tion. But  our  authorities  can  calmly  look  on  and  see  the  citizens  of 
a  country  butchered  with  impunity:  they  can  see  two  counties  dispos- 
sessed of  their  inhabitants,  their  houses  burned,  and  their  property 
confiscated;  and  when  the  crys  of  fifteen  thousand  men,  women  and 
children  salute  their  ears,  they  deliberately  tell  us  that  we  can  obtain 
no  redress! 

Hear  it,  therefore,  ye  mobbers!  Proclaim  it  to  all  the  scoundrels 
in  the  Union!  Let  a  standard  be  erected  around  which  shall  rally  all 
the  renegadoes  of  the  land:  assemble  yourselves  and  rob  at  pleasure; 
murder  till  you  are  satisfied  with  blood;  drive  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren from  their  homes:  there  is  no  law  to  protect  them,  and  Congress 
has  no  power  to  redress  their  grievances;  and  the  great  father  of  the 
Union  (the  President)  has  not  got  an  ear  to  listen  to  their  com- 
plaints. 

What  shall  we  do  under  this  state  of  things?  In  the  event  of 
either  of  the  prominent  candidates.  Van  Buren  or  Clay,  obtaining  the 
presidential  chair,  we  should  not  be  placed  in  any  better  situation. 

In  speaking  of  Mr.  Clay,  his  politics  are  diametrically  opposed  to 
ours.  He  inclines  strongly  to  the  old  school  of  Federalists,  and  as  a 
matter  of  course  would  not  favor  our  cause;  neither  could  we  con- 
scientiously vote  for  him.     And  we  have  yet  stronger  objections  to 


RISE  AND  FALL   OP  NAUVOO.  257 

Mr.  Van  Buren  on  other  grounds.  He  has  sung  the  old  song  of  Con- 
gress— ''Congress  has  no  power  to  redress  your  grievances." 

But  did  the  matter  rest  here,  it  would  not  be  so  bad.  He  was  in 
the  presidential  chair  at  the  time  of  our  former  difficulties.  We  ap- 
pealed to  him  on  that  occasion,  but  we  appealed  in  vain,  and  his  senti- 
ments are  yet  unchanged. 

But  all  these  thing  are  tolerable  in  comparison  to  what  we  have 
yet  to  state.  We  have  been  informed  from  a  respectable  source  that 
there  is  an  understanding  between  Mr.  Benton,  of  Missouri,  and  Mr. 
Van  Buren,  and  a  conditional  compact  entered  into,  that  if  Mr.  Ben- 
ton will  use  his  influence  to  get  Mr.  Van  Buren  elected.  Van  Buren, 
when  elected,  shall  use  his  executive  influence  to  wipe  away  the  stain 
from  Missouri  by  a  further  persecution  of  the  Mormons,  and  wreak- 
ing out  vengf^ance  on  their  heads,  either  by  extermination  or  by  some 
other  summary  process.  We  could  scarcely  credit  the  statement;  and 
we  hope  yet  for  the  sake  of  humanity,  that  the  suggestion  is  false: 
but  we  have  too  good  reason  to  believe  that  we  are  correctly  in- 
formed. 

If,  then,  this  is  the  case  can  we  conscientiously  vote  for  a  man 
of  this  description,  and  put  the  weapon  in  his  hands  to  cut  our  throats 
with?  We  cannot.  And  however  much  we  might  wish  to  sustain 
the  Democratic  nomination,  we  cannot — we  will  not  vote  for  Van 
Buren.  Our  interests,  our  property,  our  lives,  and  the  lives  of  our 
families  are  too  dear  to  us  to  be  sacrificed  at  the  shrine  of  party  spirit 
and  to  gratify  party  feelings.  We  have  been  sold  once  in  the  State 
of  Missouri,  and  our  liberties  bartered  away  by  political  demagogues, 
through  executive  intrigue,  and  we  wish  not  to  be  betrayed  again  by 
Benton  and  Van  Buren. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  question  again  arises.  Whom  shall 
we  support?  General  Joseph  Smith— a  man  of  sterling  worth  and  in- 
tegrity and  of  enlarged  views — a  man  who  has  raised  himself  from 
the  humblest  walks  in  life  to  stand  at  the  head  of  a  large,  intelligent, 
respectable  and  increasing  society,  that  has  spread  not  only  in  this 
land,  but  in  distant  nations, — a  man  whose  talents  and  genius  are  of 
an  exalted  nature,  and  whose  experience  has  rendered  him  in  every 
way  adequate  to  the  onerous  duty.  Honorable,  fearless,  and  energetic, 
he  would  administer  justice  with  an  impartial  hand,  and  magnify  and 


258  RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

dignify  the  office  of  Chief  magistrate  of  this  land;  and  we  feel  assured 
that  there  is  not  a  man  in  the  United  States  more  competent  for  the 
task. 

One  great  reason  that  we  have  for  pursuing  our  present  course 
is,  that  at  every  election  we  have  been  made  a  political  target  for 
the  filthy  demagogues  in  the  country  to  shoot  their  loathsome  arrows 
at.  And  every  story  has  been  put  into  requisition  to  blast  our  fame 
from  the  old  fabrication  of  "walk  on  the  water"  down  to  "the  murder 
of  ex-Governor  Boggs."  The  journals  have  teemed  with  this  filthy 
trash,  and  even  men  who  ought  to  have  more  respect  for  themselves 
— men  contending  for  the  gubernatorial  chair  have  made  use  of  terms 
so  degrading,  so  mean,  so  humiliating,  that  a  Billingsgate  fisherwoman 
would  have  considered  herself  disgraced  with.  We  refuse  any  longer 
to  be  thus  bedaubed  for  either  party.  We  tell  all  such  to  let  their 
filth  flow  in  its  own  legitimate  channel,  for  we  are  sick  of  the  loath- 
some smell. 

Gentlemen,  we  are  not  going  either  to  "murder  ex-Governor 
Boggs,  nor  a  Mormon  in  this  State  for  not  giving  us  his  money,"  nor 
are  we  going  to  "walk  on  the  water,"  nor  "drown  a  woman,"  nor  "de- 
fraud the  poor  of  their  property,"  nor  send  "destroying  angels  after 
General  Bennett  to  kill  him,"  nor  "Marry  spiritual  wives,"  nor  com- 
mit any  other  outrageous  act  this  election  to  help  any  party  with. 
You  must  get  some  other  persons  to  perform  these  kind  offices  for  you 
for  the  future.     We  withdraw. 

Under  existing  circumstances,  we  have  no  other  alternative;  and 
if  we  can  accomplish  our  object,  well:  if  not,  we  shall  have  the  satis- 
faction of  knowing  that  we  have  acted  conscientiously,  and  have  used 
our  best  judgment.  And  if  we  have  to  throw  away  our  votes,  we  had 
better  do  so  upon  a  worthy  rather  than  upon  an  unworthy  individual, 
who  might  make  use  of  the  weapon  we  put  in  his  hand  to  destroy 
us  with. 

Whatever  may  be  the  opinions  of  men  in  general  in  regard  to 
Mr.  Smith,  we  know  that  he  needs  only  to  be  known  to  be  admired; 
and  that  it  is  the  principles  of  honor,  integrity,  patriotism,  and 
philanthropy  that  have  elevated  him  in  the  minds  of  his  friends;  and 
the  same  principles,  if  seen  and  known,  would  beget  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  all  the  patriotic  and  virtuous  throughout  the  Union. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  259 

Whatever,  therefore,  be  the  opinions  of  other  men  our  course  is 
marked  out,  and  our  motto  from  henceforth  will  be — General  Joseph 
Smith. 


260  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  PROJECTED   MOVEMENT   TO   THE   WEST. 

AS  an  evidence  that  the  Prophet  entertained  no  thought  of 
success  in  his  candidacy  for  the  office  of  Chief  Executive, 
we  may  mention  the  fact  that,  during  the  time  that  vigorous 
preparations  were  being  made  for  the  presidential  canvass,  he 
was  setting  on  foot  a  scheme  for  taking  the  body  of  The  Church 
into  the  west  to  settle  Oregon.  On  the  twentieth  of  February, 
1844,  the  Prophet  in  his  journal  says: 

"I  instructed  the  Twelve  Apostles  to  send  out  a  delegation,  and 
investigate  the  location  of  California  and  Oregon,  and  hunt  out  a 
good  location,  where  we  can  remove  to,  after  the  temple  is  com- 
pleted, and  where  we  can  build  a  city  in  a  day,  and  have  a  govern- 
ment of  our  own,  get  up  into  the  mountains,  where  the  devil  cannot 
dig  us  out,  and  live  in  a  healthy  climate,  where  we  can  live  as  old  as 
we  have  a  mind  too." 

In  accordance  with  that  instruction,  the  Twelve  called  the 
council  on  the  twenty-first,  and  Jonathan  Dunham,  Phinehas  H» 
Young  and  David  Fullmer  volunteered  to  go;  and  Alphonza 
Young,  James  Emmett,  George  D.  Watt,  and  Daniel  Spencer 
were  called  to  go. 

Subsequently  a  memorial  was  drawn  up  by  the  Prophet, 
asking  Congress  to  pass  an  enactment,  authorizing  him  to  raise 
a  company  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  colonies  in  that  vast,, 
unsettled  section  of  the  country  in  the  far  West,  known  under 
the  general  name  of  Oregon.  At  that  time  there  was  no  par- 
ticular government  existing  in  the  region  to  which  the  names 
Oregon  and  California  were  loosely  given.     Nor  was  it  certain 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  261 

whether  that  country  would  fall  into  the  possession  of  England 
or  the  United  States,  as  the  northern  boundary  line  question 
was  then  unsettled,  and  England  and  the  United  States  held  the 
country  by  a  treaty  of  joint  occupancy.  As  the  Prophet  pre- 
ferred having  an  assurance  of  protection  from  the  government 
on  his  enterprise,  he  asked  Congress  to  pass  the  act  before 
alluded  to. 

Orson  Pratt  and  John  E.  Page,  two  of  the  Twelve,  went  to 
Washington  in  the  interest  of  this  scheme,  and  urged  its  con- 
sideration among  the  Congressmen.  Subsequently,  in  April, 
1844,  Orson  Hyde  was  sent  to  Washington  in  the  interest  of 
the  same  great  project;  and  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Hoge, 
Eepresentative  to  Congress  from  the  district  in  which  Nauvoo 
was  included.  Mr.  Hardin,  and  Stephen  A.  Douglass,  succeeded  in 
approaching  a  number  of  members  of  Congress  on  the  subject 
but  received  small  encouragement,  as  Congressmen  then,  as  now, 
were  extremely  cautious  in  engaging  in  anything  affecting  their 
reputation  and  prospects  for  political  preferment  for  the  future. 
But  however  much  these  men  objected  to  advocating  anything 
which  looked  like  favoring  openly  the  scheme  of  the  Prophet, 
they  all  concurred  in  affirming  that  he  had  the  right  to  lead  his 
people  to  Oregon  to  settle,  and  the  government  would  protect 
them.  Stephen  A.  Douglass  remarked,  that  if  he  could  com- 
mand the  following  that  Mr.  Smith  could,  he  would  resign  his 
seat  in  Congress,  to  go  to  the  West.  On  this  subject  Orson 
Hyde  made  two  exhaustive  reports  to  the  Prophet  in  letters 
from  Washington,  which  I  here  insert: 

Washington,  April  25th,  1844. 

Hon.  Sir, — I  take  the  liberty  to  transmit  through  you  t6  the 
council  of  our  Church  the  result  of  my  labors  thus  far.  I  arrived  in 
this  place  on  the  23rd  instant,  by  way  of  Pittsburgh,  Philadelphia, 
and  New  Jersey. 

I  found  Elder  Orson  Pratt  here,  Elder  Page  having  been  called 
home  to  Pittsburgh  on  account  of  his  wife's  ill  health.     Elder   0, 


262  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

Pratt  has  been  indefatigable  in  his  exertions  in  prosecuting  the 
business  entrusted  to  his  charge.  His  business  has  been  before  the 
Senate,  and  referred  to  the  committee  on  the  judiciary;  and  the 
report  of  said  committee  is  not  yet  rendered,  which  is  the  cause  of 
his  delay  in  writing  to  you. 

Yesterday  we  conversed  with  Messrs.  Hoge,  Hardin,  Douglass, 
and  Wentworth,  and  last  evening  we  spent  several  hours  with  the 
Hon.  Mr.  Semple  They  all  appear  deeply  interested  in  the  Oregon 
question,  and  received  us  with  every  demonstration  of  respect  that 
we  could  desire.  Mr.  Hoge  thought  that  the  bill  would  not  pass, 
from  the  fact  that  there  already  exists  between  England  and  America 
a  treaty  for  the  joint  occupancy  of  Oregon,  and  that  any  act  of  our 
Government  authorizing  an  armed  force  to  be  raised,  and  destined 
for  that  country,  would  be  regarded  by  England  as  an  infraction  of 
that  treaty,  and  a  cause  of  her  commencing  hostilities  against  us. 

But  my  reply  was,  These  volunteers  are  not  to  be  considered  any 
part  or  portion  of  the  army  of  the  United  States,  neither  acting 
under  the  direction  or  authority  of  the  United  States;  and,  said  I, 
for  men  to  go  there  and  settle  in  the  character  of  emigrants  cannot 
be  regarded  by  our  Government  as  deviating  in  the  least  degree  from 
her  plighted  faith,  unless  she  intends  to  tamely  submit  to  British 
monopoly  in  that  country. 

Mr.  H.,  said  he  would  present  ihe  memorial,  if  we  desired  it. 
I  thanked  him  for  his  kind  offer,  but  observed  that  I  was  not  yet 
prepared  for  the  bill  to  be  submitted,  but  wished  to  elicit  all  the 
facts  relative  to  the  condition  of  Oregon,  and  also  advise  with  many 
other  members  relative  to  the  matter;  and  we  could  better  determine 
then  how  the  bill  should  be  introduced.  We  do  not  want  it  presented 
and  referred  to  a  standing  committee,  and  stuck  away  with  five  or 
ten  cords  of  petitions,  and  that  be  the  last  of  it;  but  we  want  the 
memorial  read,  a  move  made  to  suspend  the  rules  of  the  house,  and 
the  bill  printed,  etc. 

Mr.  Wentworth  said — "I  am  for  Oregon  anyhow.  You  may  set 
me  down  on  your  list,  and  I  will  go  for  you  if  you  will  go  for 
Oregon." 

Judge  Douglass  has  been  quite  ill,  but  is  just  recovered;  he  will 
elp  all  he  can;  Mr.  Hardin  likewise.    But  Major  Semple  says  that 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  263 

he  does  not  believe  anything  will  be  done  about  Texas  or  Oregon  this 
session,  for  it  might  have  a  very  important  effect  upon  the  presidential 
election;  and  politicians  are  slow  to  move  when  such  doubtful  and 
important  matters  are  likely  to  be  affected  by  it.  He  says  that  there 
are  already  two  bills  before  the  house  for  establishing  a  territorial 
government  in  Oregon,  and  to  protect  the  emigrants  there;  and  now 
he  says,  Were  your  bill  to  be  introduced,  it  might  be  looked  upon 
that  you  claimed  the  sole  right  of  emigrating  to  and  settling  that 
new  country  to  the  exclusion  of  others.  He  was  in  favor  of  the 
Oregon  being  settled,  and  he  thought  the  bills  already  before  the 
house  would  extend  equal  protection  to  us;  and  equal  protection  to 
every  class  of  citizens  was  what  the  government  could  rightly  do; 
but  particular  privileges  to  any  one  class  they  could  not  rightly  do. 

I  observed  that  the  bill  asked  for  no  exclusive  rights.  It  asks 
not  for  exclusive  rights  in  Oregon,  neither  do  we  wish  it.  Other 
people  might  make  a  move  to  Oregon,  and  no  prejudices  bar  their  way, 
and  their  motives  would  not  be  misinterpreted. 

But,  said  I,  Missouri  knows  her  guilt;  and  should  we  attempt  to 
march  to  Oregon  without  the  government  throwing  a  protective 
shield  over  us,  Missouri's  crimes  would  lead  her  first  to  misinterpret 
our  intentions,  to  fan  the  flame  of  popular  excitement  against  us,  and 
scatter  the  firebrands  of  a  misguided  zeal  among  the  combustible  ma- 
terials of  other  places,  creating  a  flame  too  hot  for  us  to  encounter — 
too  desolating  for  us  to  indulge  the  hope  of  successfully  prosecuting 
the  grand  and  benevolent  enterprise  we  have  conceived.  We  have 
been  compelled  to  relinquish  our  rights  in  Missouri.  We  have  been 
forcibly  driven  from  our  homes,  leaving  our  property  and  inheritances 
as  spoil  to  the  oppressor;  and  more  or  less  in  Illinois  we  have  been 
subject  to  the  whims  and  chimeras  of  illiberal  men,  and  to  threats,  to 
vexatious  prosecutions,  and  lawsuits. 

Our  government  professes  to  have  no  power  to  help  us,  or  to  re- 
dress the  wrongs  which  we  have  suffered;  and  we  now  ask  the  govern- 
ment to  protect  us  while  raising  our  volunteers.  And  when  we  get 
into  Oregon  we  will  protect  ourselves  and  all  others  who  wish  our 
protection.  And  after  subduing  a  new  country,  encountering  all  its 
difficulties  and  hardships,  and  sustaining  the  just  claims  of  our  nation 
to  its  soil,  we  believe  that  the  generosity  of  our  government  towards 


264  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

US  will  be  equal  to  our  enterprise  and  patriotism,  and  that  they  will 
allow  us  a  grant  or  territory  of  land,  which  will  be  both  honorable 
in  them  and  satisfactory  to  us. 

This,  he  says,  is  all  very  just  and  reasonable.  But  still  bethinks 
that  Congress  will  take  no  step  in  relation  lo  Oregon,  from  the  fact 
that  his  resolution  requesting  the  President  of  the  United  States  to 
give  notice  to  the  British  government  for  the  abolition  of  the  treaty 
of  joint  occupation  was  voted  down;  and  while  that  treaty  is  in  force, 
our  government  dare  do  nothing  in  relation  to  that  country.  This 
resolution  was  introduced  by  Mr.  Semple  to  pave  the  way  for  the  pas- 
sage of  those  bills  in  relation  to  a  territorial  government  in  Oregon. 

All  our  members  join  in  the  acknowledgement  that  you  have  an 
undoubted  right  to  go  to  Oregon  with  all  the  emigrants  you  can  raise. 
They  say  the  existing  laws  protect  you  as  much  "fis  law  can  protect 
you;  and  should  Congress  pass  an  additional  law,  it  would  not  prevent 
wicked  men  from  shooting  you  down  as  they  did  in  Missouri.  All  the 
Oregon  men  in  Congress  would  be  glad  if  we  would  go  to  that  country 
and  settle  it. 

I  will  now  give  you  my  opinion  in  relation  to  this  matter.  It  is 
made  up  from  the  spirit  of  the  times  in  a  hasty  manner,  nevertheless  I 
think  time  will  prove  it  correct: — That  Congress  will  pass  no  act  in 
relation  to  Texas  or  Oregon  at  present.  She  is  afraid  of  England, 
afraid  of  Mexico,  afraid  the  presidential  election  will  be  twisted  by 
it.  The  members  all  appear  like  unskillful  players  at  checkers — 
afraid  to  move,  for  they  see  not  which  way  to  move  advantageously. 
All  are  figuring  and  playing  round  the  grand  and  important  questions. 
In  the  days  of  our  Lord  the  people  neglected  the  weightier  matters  of 
the  law,  but  tithed  mint,  rue,  anise,  and  cummin;  but  I  think  here  in 
Washington  they  do  little  else  than  tithe  the  mint. 

A  member  of  Congress  is  in  no  enviable  situation:  if  he  will  boldly 
advocate  true  principles,  he  loses  his  influence  and  becomes  unpopular; 
and  whoever  is  committed  and  has  lost  his  influence  has  no  power  to 
benefit  his  constituents,  so  that  all  go  to  figuring  and  playing  round 
the  great  points. 

Mr.  Semple  said  that  Mr.  Smith  could  not  constitutionally  be  con- 
stituted a  member  of  the  army  by  law;  and  this,  if  nothing  else,  would 
prevent  its  passage.     I  observed  that  I  would  in  that  case  strike  out 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  265 

that  clause.  Perhaps  I  took  an  unwarrantable  responsibility  upon 
myself;  but  where  I  get  into  a  straight  place,  I  can  do  no  better  than 
act  according  to  what  appears  most  correct. 

I  do  not  intend  the  opinion  that  I  have  hastily  given  shall  abate 
my  zeal  to  drive  the  matter  through,  but  I  have  given  the  opinion  for 
your  benefit,  that  your  indulgence  of  the  hope  that  Congress  will  do 
something  for  us  may  not  cause  you  to  delay  any  important  action. 

There  is  already  a  government  established  in  Oregon  to  some  ex- 
tent; magistrates  have  been  chosen  by  the  people,  &c.  This  is  on  the 
south  of  the  Columbia.  North  of  that  river  the  Hudson  Bay  Company 
occupy.  There  is  some  good  country  in  Oregon,  but  a  great  deal  of 
sandy,  barren  desert.  I  have  seen  a  gentleman  who  has  been  there, 
and  also  in  California. 

The  most  of  the  settlers  in  Oregon  and  Texas  are  our  old  enemies, 
the  mobocrats  of  Missouri.  If,  however,  the  settlement  of  Oregon 
and  Texas  be  determined  upon,  the  sooner  the  move  is  made  the  better; 
and  I  would  not  advise  any  delay  for  the  action  of  our  gov^nment 
for  there  is  such  a  jealousy  of  our  rising  power  already,  that  govern- 
ment will  do  nothing  to  favor  us.  If  the  Saints  possess  the  kingdom, 
I  think  they  will  have  to  take  it;  and  the  sooner  it  is  done  the  more 
easily  it  is  accomplished. 

Your  superior  wisdom  must  determine  whether  to  go  to  Oregon, 
to  Texas,  or  to  remain  within  these  United  States,  and  send  forth  the 
most  efficient  men  to  build  up  churches,  and  let  them  remain  for  the 
time  being;  and  in  the  meantime  send  some  wise  men  among  the 
Indians,  and  teach  them  civilization  and  religion,  to  cultivate  the  soil, 
to  live  in  peace  with  one  another  and  with  all  men.  But  whatever 
you  do,  don't  be  deluded  with  the  hope  that  government  will  foster 
us,  and  thus  delay  an  action  which  the  present  is  the  most  proper  time 
that  ever  will  be  [in  which  to  accomplish  it. — R.] 

Oregon  is  becoming  a  popular  question;  the  fever  of  emigration 
begins  to  rage.  If  the  Mormons  become  the  early  majority,  others 
will  not  come;  if  the  Mormons  do  not  become  an  early  majority,  the 
others  will  not  allow  us  to  come. 

Elder  Pratt  is  faithful,  useful,  and  true;  he  has  got  the  run  of 
matters  here  very  well,  and  is  with  me  in  all  my  deliberations,  visit- 
ings,  &c. 

17 


266  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

Major  Semple  goes  with  us  this  evening  to  introduce  us  to  the 
President,  and  to  view  the  White  House. 

My  heart  and  hand  are  with  you.  May  heaven  bless  you  and  me. 
As  ever,  I  am 

Orson  Hyde. 
To  the  council  of  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

Also  the  following  letter : — 

Washington,  April  26,  1844. 

Dear  Sir, — Today  I  trouble  you  with  another  communication, 
which  you  will  please  have  the  goodness  to  lay  before  our  council. 

We  were  last  evening  introduced  to  the  President  at  the  White 
House  by  the  politeness  of  Major  Semple,  where  we  spent  an  hour  very 
agreeably.  The  President  is  a  very  plain,  homespun,  familiar,  farmer- 
like man.  He  spoke  of  our  troubles  in  Missouri,  and  regretted  that 
we  had  met  with  such  treatment.  He  asked  us  how  we  were  getting 
along  in  Hlinois.  I  told  him  that  we  were  contending  with  the  diffi- 
culties of  a  new  country,  and  laboring  under  the  disadvantageous  con- 
sequences of  being  driven  from  our  property  and  homes  in  Missouri. 

We  have  this  day  had  a  long  conversation  with  Judge  Douglass. 
He  is  ripe  for  Oregon  and  the  California.  He  said  he  would  resign 
his  seat  in  Congress  if  he  could  command  the  force  that  Mr.  Smith 
could,  and  would  be  on  the  march  to  that  country  in  a  month, 

I  learn  that  the  eyes  of  many  aspiring  politicians  in  this  place 
are  now  upon  that  country,  and  that  there  is  so  much  jealousy  be- 
tween them  that  they  will  probably  pass  no  bill  in  relation  to  it.  Now 
all  these  politicians  rely  upon  the  arm  of  our  government  to  protect 
them  there;  and  if  government  were  to  pass  an  act  establishing  a 
territorial  government  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  there  would  be  at 
once  a  tremendous  rush  of  emigration;  but  if  government  pass  no  act 
in  relation  to  it,  these  men  have  not  stamina  or  sufficient  confidence 
in  themselves  and  their  own  resources  to  hazard  the  enterprise. 

The  northern  Whig  members  are  almost  to  a  man  against  Texas 
and  Oregon;  but  should  the  present  administration  succceed  in  annex- 
ing Texas,  then  all  the  Whigs  would  turn  round  in  favor  of  Oregon; 
for  if  Texas  be  admitted,  slavery  is  extended  to  the  south;  then  free 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  267 

States  must  bo  added  to  the  west  to  keep  up  a  balance  of  power  be- 
tween the  slave  and  the  free  States. 

Should  ^'exas  be  admitted,  war  with  Mexico  is  looked  upon  as  in- 
evitable. The  Senate  have  been  in  secret  session  on  the  ratification 
of  the  tr^^cy  of  annexaticn;  but  what  they  did  we  cannot  say.  Gen- 
eral Gaines,  who  was  boarding  at  the  same  house  with  Judge  Douglass, 
was  secretly  ordered  to  repair  to  the  Texan  frontier  four  days  ago,  and 
left  immediately.  I  asked  Judge  D.  if  he  did  not  speak  loud  for  an- 
nexation. He  says,  no.  Santa  Anna,  being  a  jealous,  hot-headed  pate, 
might  be  suspicious  the  treaty  would  be  ratified  by  the  Senate,  and 
upon  mere  suspicion  might  attempt  some  hostilities,  and  Gaines  had 
been  ordered  there  to  be  on  the  alert  and  ready  for  action  if  neces- 
sary. Probably  our  navy  will  in  a  few  days  be  mostly  in  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico. 

There  are  many  powerful  checks  upon  our  government,  prevent- 
ing her  from  moving  in  any  of  these  important  matters;  and  for  aught 
I  know,  these  checks  are  permitted,  to  prevent  our  government  from 
extending  her  jurisdiction  over  that  territory  which  God  designs  to 
give  to  His  Saints.  Judge  Douglass  says  he  would  equally  as  soon  go 
to  that  country  without  an  act  of  Congress  as  with;  'and  that  in  five 
years  a  noble  State  might  be  formed;  and  then,  if  they  would  not  re- 
ceive us  into  the  Union,  we  would  have  a  government  of  our  own.'  He 
is  decidedly  of  the  opinion  that  congress  will  pass  no  act  in  favor  of 
any  particular  man  going  there;  but  he  says  if  any  man  will  go,  and 
desires  that  privilege,  and  has  confidence  in  his  own  ability  to  per- 
form it  he  already  has  the  right,  and  the  sooner  he  is  off  the  better  for 
his  scheme. 

It  is  the  opinion  here  among  politicians  that  it  will  be  extremely 
difficult  to  have  any  bill  pass  in  relation  to  the  encouragement  of  emi- 
gration to  Oregon;  but  much  more  difficult  to  get  a  bill  passed  desig- 
nating any  particular  man  to  go.  But  all  concur  in  the  opinion  that 
we  are  authorized  already. 

In  case  of  a  removal  to  that  country,  Nauvoo  is  the  place  of 
general  rendezvous.  Our  course  from  thence  would  be  westward 
through  Iowa,  bearing  a  little  north  until  we  came  to  the  Missouri 
river,  leaving  the  State  of  Missouri  on  the  left,  thence  onward  till  we 
come  to  the  Platte,  thence  up  the  north  fork  of  the  Platte  to  the 


268  RISE   AND   FALL   OP  NAUVOO. 

mouth  of  Sweetwater  river  in  longitude  107°  45'  W.,  and  thence  up 
said  Sweetwater  river  to  the  South  Pass  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  about 
eleven  hundred  miles  from  Nauvoo;  and  from  said  South.  Pass  in  lati- 
tude 42°  28'  north  to  theUmpaque  and  Klamet  valleys  in  Oregon,  border- 
ing on  California,  is  about  600  miles,  making  the  distancvj^from  Nau- 
voo to  the  best  portions  of  Oregon  1,700  miles. 

There  is  no  government  established  there;  and  it  is  so  near 
California  that  when  a  government  shall  be  established  there,  it  may 
readily  embrace  that  country  likewise.  There  is  much  barren  country, 
rocks,  and  mountains,  in  Oregon;  but  the  valleys  are  very  fertile.  '  I 
am  persuaded  that  Congress  will  pass  no  act  in  relation  to  that  country, 
from  the  fact  that  the  resolution  requesting  the  President  to  give 
notice  to  the  British  government  for  the  discontinuance  of  the  treaty 
of  joint  occupation  of  Oregon  was  voted  down  with  a  rush;  and  this 
notice  must  be  given  before  any  action  can  be  had,  unless  Congres& 
violates  the  treaty;  at  least  so  say  the  politicians  here. 

Judge  Douglass  has  given  me  a  map  of  Oregon,  and  also  a  report 
on  an  exploration  of  the  country  lying  between  the  Missouri  river  and 
the  Rocky  Mountains  on  the  line  of  the  Kansas  and  Great  Platte 
rivers,  by  Lieutenant  J.  C.  Fremont,  of  the  corps  of  topographical 
engineers.  On  receiving  it  I  expressed  a  wish  that  Mr.  Smith  could 
see  it.  Judge  D.  says  it  is  a  public  document,  and  I  will  frank  it  to 
him.  I  accepted  his  offer,  and  the  book  will  be  forthcoming  to  him. 
The  people  are  so  eager  for  it  here  that  they  have  even  stolen  it  out  of 
the  library.  The  author  is  Mr.  Benton's  son-in-law.  Judge  D.  bor- 
rowed it  of  Mr,  B.  I  was  not  to  tell  anyone  in  this  city  where  I  got 
it.  The  book  is  a  most  valuable  document  to  any  one  contemplating 
a  journey  to  Oregon.  The  directions  which  I  have  given  may  not  be 
exactly  correct,  but  the  book  will  tell  correctly.  Judge  D.  says  he 
can  direct  Mr.  Smith  to  several  gentlemen  in  California  who  will  be 
able  to  give  him  any  information  on  the  state  of  affairs  in  that 
country;  and  when  he  returns  to  Illinois,  he  will  visit  Mr.  Smith. 

Brother  Pratt  and  myself  drafted  a  bill  this  morning,  and  handed 
it  in  to  the  committee  on  the  judiciary  from  the  Senate,  asking  an 
appropriation  of  two  million  dollars  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers 
among  our  people  in  Missouri  in  1836-9,  to  be  deposited  in  the  hands 
of  the  city  council  of  Nauvoo,  and  by  them  dealt  out  to  the  sufferers- 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  269 

in  proportion  to  their  loss.  We  intend  to  tease  them  until  we  either 
provoke  them  or  get  them  to  do  something  for  us.  I  have  learned 
this  much — that  if  we  want  Congress  to  do  anything  for  us  in  draw- 
ing up  our  memorial,  we  must  not  ask  what  is  right  in  the  matter, 
but  we  must  ask  what  kind  of  a  thing  will  Congress  pass?  Will  it 
suit  the  politics  of  the  majority?  Will  it  be  popular  or  unpopular? 
For  you  might  as  well  drive  a  musket  ball  through  a  cotton  bag,  or 
the  Gospel  of  Christ  through  the  heart  of  a  priest,  case-hardened  by 
sectarianism,  bigotry,  and  superstition,  or  a  camel  through  the  eye  of 
a  needle,  as  to  drive  anything  through  Congress  that  will  operate 
against  the  popularity  of  politicians. 

I  shall  probably  leave  here  in  a  few  days,  and  Brother  Pratt  will 
remain.     I  go  to  get  money  to  sustain  ourselves  with. 

I  shall  write  again  soon,  and  let  you  know  what  restrictions,  if 
any,  are  laid  upon  our  citizens  in  relation  to  passing  through  the 
Indian  territories,  I  shall  communicate  everything  I  think  will  bene- 
fit. In  the  meantime  if  the  council  have  any  instructions  to  us,  we 
shall  be  happy  to  receive  them  here  or  at  Philadelphia. 

John  Ross  is  here;  we  intend  to  see  him.  It  is  uncertain  when 
Congress  rises.     It  will  be  a  long  pull  in  my  opinion.     As  ever,  I  am, 

Yours  sincerely, 

Orson  Hyde. 

Elder  Pratt's  best  respects  to  the  brethren. 

An  event  soon  afterwards  .took  place  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  before  the  Prophet's  petition  was  introduced, 
which  put  at  rest  all  hopes  of  Congress  doing  anything  at 
that  time  in  relation  to  the  Oregon  territory.  A  resolution 
was  introduced  giving  Great  Britain  notice  that  the  treaty  of 
joint  occupancy  of  that  country  was  at  an  end,  but  it  was 
promptly  voted  down.  That  virtually  served  public  notice  that 
the  Oregon  question  was  not  to  be  reopened  by  Congress,  at 
least  not  until  the  conclusion  of  the  presidential  election. 

Sufficient  maybe  gathered  from  what  is.  set  down  in  the 
above,  to  prove  that  the  mind  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  was  bent 
on  establishing  his  people  in  the  West — somewhere  in  the  Rocky 


270  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

Mountains — so  soon  as  they  could  complete  the  temple.  The  sub- 
ject began  to  take  possession  of  his  mind  wholly.  Some  eighteen 
months  before  his  formal  appeal  to  Congress,  for  the  privilege 
of  settling  with  his  people  in  the  far  West,  under  the  protecting 
aegis  of  the  general  government,  viz.,  on  the  sixth  of  August, 
1842,  he  prophesied,  that  his  people  would  continue  to  suffer 
much  persecution,  and  at  last  be  driven  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
This  is  the  prophecy  as  it  stands  in  the  Prophet's  journal: 

Saturday,  sixth,  [August].  Passed  over  the  river  to  Montrose, 
Iowa,  in  company  with  General  Adams,  Colonel  Brewer,  and  others, 
and  witnessed  the  installation  of  the  officers  of  the  Rising  Sun  Lodge, 
of  Ancient  York  Masons,  at  Montrose,  by  General  James  Adams,  Dep- 
uty Grand  Master  of  Illinois.  While  the  Deputy  Grand  Master  was 
engaged  in  giving  the  requisite  instruction  to  the  Master  elect,  I  had 
a  conversation  with  a  number  of  brethren  in  the  shade  of  the  build- 
ing on  the  subject  of  our  persecutions  in  Missouri,  and  the  constant 
annoyance  which  has  followed  us  since  we  were  driven  from  that 
State.  I  prophesied  that  the  Saints  would  continue  to  suffer  much 
affliction  and  would  be  driven  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  many  would 
apostatize,  others  would  be  put  to  death  by  our  persecutors,  or  lose 
their  lives  in  consequence  of  exposure  or  disease,  and  some  of  you 
will  live  to  go  and  assist  in  making  settlements  and  build  cities,  and 
see  the  Saints  become  a  mighty  people  in  the  midst  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.* — Millennial  Star,  Vol.  xix,  page  QSO. 

As  persecution  in  Illinois  grew  more  relentless,  and  mobo- 
crats  more  bold,  until  the  whole  horizon  appeared  black,  and 
threatening  with  hatred  toward  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  the 
Prophet  told  them  repeatedly  it  was  ''light  in  the  west." 


*  See  the  author's  work,  "Succession  in  the  Presidency,"  where 
the  subject  is  more  exhaustively  considered. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  271 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE  STANDARD  OF  PEACE. 

MEANTIME  the  people  of  Nauvoo,  with  the  Prophet  as 
chief  mover  in  the  matter,  sought  to  establish  peaceful 
relations  with  their  neighbors.  Armed  conflict  with  surround- 
ing peoples,  or  with  any  people,  was  no  part  of  the  policy  of 
Joseph  Smith;  and  no  part  of  the  work  that  he  had  in  hand.  It 
is  true  that  it  may  be  said  of  the  work  he  introduced,  as  Jesus 
said  of  the  work  which  He  began  by  His  personal  ministry  that  it 
brought  not  peace  but  a  sword;*  in  each  case,  however,  "the 
sword"  has  been  found  in  the  hands,  not  of  those  who  have 
accepted  the  Gospel,  but  in  the  hands  of  those  who  have 
rejected  it,  and  opposed  it,  and  made  war  upon  it.  Early  in  the 
history  of  the  work  brought  forth  by  Joseph  Smith  the  Lord 
commanded  His  servants  to  "renounce  war  and  proclaim  peace  ;"t 
and  true  to  this  spirit  of  the  work  the  Prophet  especially  sought 
for  peace.  In  the  Warsaw  Signal  of  the  14th  of  February 
Governor  Ford  published  the  following  letter  to  the  citizens  of 
Hancock  County,  in  the  hope,  evidently,  of  quelling  the  threaten- 
ing storm: 

Springfield,  January  29,  1844. 

Dear  Sir, — I  have  received  the  copy  of  the  proceedings  and  re- 
solutions of  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Hancock  County,  which  you 
did  me  the  honour  to  send  me. 

I  have  observed  with  regret  that  occasions  have  been  presented 


*  Matt,  x:  34-40. 

t  August,  1833,  Doc.  &  Cov.  Sec.  xcviii. 


272  RISE   AND-  PALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

for  disturbing  the  peace  of  your  county;  and  if  I  knew  what  I  could 
legally  do  to  apply  a  corrective,  I  would  be  very  ready  to  do  it.  But 
if  you  are  a  lawyer  or  at, all  conversant  with  the  law,  you  will 
know  that,  I  as  a  governor,  have  no  right  to  interfere  in  your  diffi- 
culties. 

As  yet,  I  believe  that  there  has  been  nothing  like  war  among 
you;  and  I  hope  that  all  of  you  will  have  the  good  sense  to  see  the 
necessity  of  preserving  peace.  If  there  is  anything  wrong  in  the 
Nauvoo  charters,  or  in  the  mode  of  administering  them,  you  will  see 
that  nothing  short  of  legislative  or  judiical  power  is  capable  of  en- 
forcing a  remedy. 

I  myself  had  the  honor  of  calling  the  attention  of  the  Legisla- 
ture to  this  subject  at  the  last  session;  but  a  large  majority  of  both 
political  parties  in  that  body  either  did  not  see  the  evil  which  you 
complain  of,  or,  if  they  did,  they  repeatedly  refused  to  correct  it. 
And  yet  a  call  is  made  upon  me,  to  do  that  which  alf  parties  refused 
to  do  at  the  last  session. 

I  have  also  been  called  upon  to  take  away  the  arms  from  the 
Mormons,  to  raise  the  militia  to  arrest  a  supposed  fugitive,  and  in 
fact  to  repeal  some  of  the  ordinances  of  the  city  of  Nauvoo. 

Hancock  County  is  justly  famed  for  its  intelligence;  and  I  can- 
not believe  that  any  of  its  citizens  are  so  ignorant  as  not  to  know 
that  I  have  no  power  to  do  these  things. 

The  absurd  and  preposterous  nature  of  these  requests  gave  some 
color  to  the  charge  that  they  are  made  for  political  effect  only.  I 
hope  that  this  charge  is  untrue:  for,  in  all  candor,  it  would  be  more 
creditable  to  those  concerned  to  have  their  errors  attributed  to  ig- 
norance than  to  a  disposition  to  embroil  the  country  in  the  horrors  of 
war  for  the  advancement  of  party  ends. 

But  if  there  should  be  any  truth  in  the  charge,  (which  God  for- 
bid) I  affectionately  entreat  all  the  good  citizens  engaged  in  it  to  lay 
aside  their  designs  and  yield  up  their  ears  to  the  voice  of  justice, 
reason  and  humanity.  All  that  I  can  do  at  present  is  to  admonish 
both  parties  to  beware  of  carrying  matters  to  extremity. 

Let  it  come  to  this — let  a  state  of  war  ensue,  and  I  will  be  com- 
pelled to  interfere  with  executive  power.  In  that  case  also,  I  wish, 
in  a  friendly,  affectionate,  and  candid  manner,  to  tell  the  citizens  of 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  273 

Hancock   County,  Mormons  and   all,  that   my   interference  will  be 
against  those  who  shall  be  the  first  transgressors. 

I  am  bound  by  the  laws  and  Constitution  to  regard  you  all  as 
citizens  of  the  State,  possessed  of  equal  rights  and  privileges,  and  to 
cherish  the  rights  of  one  as  dearly  as  the  rights  of  another.  I  can 
know  no  distinction  among  you  except  that  of  assailant  and  assailed. 
I  hope,  dear  sir,  you  will  do  me  the  favor  to  publish  this  letter  in 
the  papers  of  your  county,  for  the  satisfaction  of  all  persons  con- 
cerned. 

I  am,  with  the  highest  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Thomas  Ford. 

To  this  letter  three  days  later  the  Prophet-mayor  made 
the  following  response  in  the  Nauvoo  Neighbor,  under  the  cap- 
tion 

PACIFIC   INNUENDO. 

The  very  candid,  pacific  and  highly  creditable  advice  which  Gov- 
ernor Ford  has  done  himself  the  honor  to  address  to  "the  citizens  of 
Hancock  County,  'Mormons  and  all,' "  and  which  appears  in  the  War- 
saw Signal  of  the  14th  instant,  is,  like  the  balm  of  Gilead,  well  cal- 
culated to  ease  the  pain  which  has  troubled  the  heads  and  hearts  of 
the  Carthagenians,  Warsawvians  and  other  over-jealous  bodies  for 
weal  and  woe. 

It  certainly  must  be  admitted,  on  all  hands,  that  Governor  Ford 
has  exalted  himself  as  a  mediator,  patriot,  lawyer,  governor,  peace- 
maker, and  friend  of  all,  not  only  to  magnify  the  law  and  make  it 
honorable,  but  also  in  pointing  out  the  path  of  peace. 

Such  is  what  the  Latter-day  Saints  have  ever  sought  at  the 
hands  of  those  in  authority;  and  with  an  approving  conscience  clear 
as  the  crystal  spring,  and  with  a  laudable  intention  warm  as  the  sum- 
mer zephyr,  and  with  a  charitable  prayer  mellow  as  the  morning  dew, 
it  is  now  our  highest  consolation  to  hope  that  all  difficulties  will 
cease,  and  give  way  to  reason,  sense,  peace  and  goodwill. 

The  Saints,  if  they  will  be  humble  and  wise,  can  now  practice 


274  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

what  they  preach,  and  soften  by  good  examples,  rather  than  harden 
by  a  distinct  course  of  conduct,  the  hearts  of  the  people. 

For  general  information,  it  may  be  well  to  say  that  there  has 
never  been  any  cause  for  alarm  as  to  the  Latter-day  Saints.  The 
Legislature  of  Illinois  granted  a  liberal  charter  for  the  city  of  Nau- 
voo;  and  let  every  honest  man  in  the  Union  who  has  any  knowledge- 
of  her  say  whether  she  has  not  flourished  beyond  the  most  sanguine 
anticipations  of  all.  And  while  they  witness  her  growing  glory,  let 
them  solemnly  testify  whether  Nauvoo  has  wilfully  injured  the  country, 
county  or  a  single  individual  one  cent. 

With  the  strictest  scrutiny  publish  the  facts,  whether  a  par- 
ticle of  law  has  been  evaded  or  broken:  virtue  and  innocence  need  no 
artificial  covering.  Political  views  and  party  distinctions  never  should 
disturb  the  harmony  of  society;  and  when  the  whole  truth  comes  be- 
fore a  virtuous  people,  we  are  willing  to  abide  the  issue. 

We  will  here  refer  to  the  three  late  dismissals  upon  writs  of 
habeas  corpus,  of  Joseph  Smith,  when  arrested  under  the  requisitions- 
of  Missouri. 

The  first,  in  June,  1841,  was  tried  at  Monmouth,  before  Judge 
Douglass,  of  the  fifth  judicial  circuit;  and  as  no  exceptions  have  been 
taken  to  that  decision  by  this  State  or  Missouri,  but  Missouri  had 
previously  entered  a  nolle  prosequi  on  all  the  old  indictments  against 
the  "Mormons"  in  the  difficulties  of  1838,  it  is  taken  for  granted' 
that  that  decision  was  just. 

The  second,  in  December,  1842,  was  tried  at  Springfield  before- 
Judge  Pope  in  the  United  States  District  Court;  and  from  that  hon- 
orably discharged,  as  no  exceptions  from  any  source  have  been  made 
to  those  proceedings,  it  follows  as  a  matter  of  course  that  that  de- 
cision was  just! 

And  the  third,  in  July,  1843,  was  tried  at  the  city  of  Nauvoo,. 
before  the  municipal  court  of  said  city;  and  as  no  exceptions  to  that 
discharge  have  been  taken,  and  as  the  governor  says  there  is  "evid- 
ence on  the  other  side  to  show  that  the  sheriff  of  Lee  County  volun- 
tarily carried  Mr.  Reynolds  (who  had  Mr.  Smith  in  custody,)  to  the- 
city  of  Nauvoo  without  any  coercion  on  the  part  of  any  one"  it  must 
be  admitted  that  that  decision,  was  just! 

But  is  any  man  still  unconvinced  of  the  justness  of  these  strict- 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  275 

ures  relative  to  the  two  last  cases,  let  the  astounding  fact  go  forth, 
that  Orin  Porter  Rockwell,  whom  Boggs  swore  was  the  principal  in  his 
assassination,  and  accessory  to  which  Mr.  Smith  was  arrested,  has  re- 
turned home,  ''clear  of  that  sin"  In  fact,  there  was  not  a  witness  to 
get  up  an  indictment  against  him. 

The  Messrs.  Averys,  who  were  unlawfully  transported  out  of  this 
State,  have  returned  to  their  families  in  peace;  and  there  seems  to  be 
no  ground  for  contention,  no  cause  for  jealousy,  and  no  excuse  for  a 
surmise  that  any  man,  woman  or  child  will  suffer  the  least  inconveni- 
ence fiom  General  Smith,  the  charter  of  Nauvoo,  the  city  of  Nau- 
voo,  or  even  any  of  her  citizens. 

There  is  nothing  for  a  bone  of  contention !  Even  those  ordinances 
which  appear  to  excite  the  feeling  of  some  people  have  recently  been 
repealed;  so  that  if  the  "intelligent"  inhabitants  of  Hancock  County 
want  peace,  want  to  abide  by  the  governor's  advice,  want  to  have  a 
character  abroad  grow  out  of  their  character  at  home,  and  really 
mean  to  follow  the  Savior's  golden  rule,  "To  do  unto  others  as  they 
would  wish  others  to  do  unto  them,"  they  will  be  still  now,  and  let 
their  own  works  praise  them  in  the  gates  of  justice  and  in  the  eyes 
of  the  surrounding  world.  Wise  men  ought  to  have  understanding 
enough  to  conquer  men  with  kindness. 

"A  soft  answer  turns  away  wrath,"  says  the  wise  man;  and  it 
will  be  greatly  to  the  credit  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  show  the  love 
of  God,  by  now  kindly  treating  those  who  may  have,  in  an  unconscious 
moment,done  them  wrong;  for  truly  said  Jesus,  "Pray  for  thine  enemies." 

Humanity  towards  all,  reason  and  refinement  to  enforce  virtue, 
and  good  for  evil  are  so  eminently  designed  to  cure  more  disorders  of 
society  than  an  appeal  to  "arms,"  or  even  argument  untempered  with 
friendship  and  the  "one  thing  needful,"  that  no  vision  for  the  future, 
guideboard  for  the  distant,  or  expositor  for  the  present,  need  trouble 
any  one  with  what  he  ought  to  do. 

His  own  good,  his  family's  good,  his  neighbor's  good,  his  country's 
good,  and  all  good  seem  to  whisper  to  every  person — the  governor 
has  told  you  what  to  do — now  do  it. 

The  Constitution  expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty;  and  when  he 
fails  the  law  urges  him;  or,  should  he  do  too  much,  the  same  master 
rebukes  him. 


276  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO 

Should  reason,  liberty,  law,  light  and  philanthropy  now  guide  the 
destinies  of  Hancock  County  with  as  much  sincerity  as  has  been  mani- 
fested for  her  notoriety  or  welfare,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  peace, 
prosperity  and  happiness  will  prevail,  and  that  future  generations  as 
well  as  the  present  one  will  call  Governor  Ford  a  peacemaker. 
The  Latter-day  Saints  will,  at  all  events,  and  profit  by  the  instruc- 
tion, and  call  upon  honest  men  to  help  them  cherish  all  the  love,  all 
the  friendship,  all  the  courtesy,  all  the  kindly  feelings  and  all  the 
generosity  that  ought  to  characterize  clever  people  in  a  clever  neigh- 
borhood, and  leave  candid  men  to  judge  which  tree  exhibits  the  best 
fruit — the  one  with  the  most  clubs  and  sticks  thrown  into  its  boughs 
and  the  grass  trodden  down  under  it,  or  the  one  with  no  sticks  in  it, 
some  dead  limbs  and  rank  grass  growing  under  it;  for  by  their  signs 
ye  can  know  their  fruit,  and  by  the  fruit  ye  know  the  trees. 

Our  motto,  then,  is  Peace  with  all\  If  we  have  joy  in  the  love 
of  God,  let  us  try  to  give  a  reason  of  that  joy,  which  all  the  world 
cannot  gainsay  or  resist.  And  may  be,  like  as  when  Paul  started 
with  recommendations  to  Damascus  to  persecute  the  Saints,  some  one 
who  has  raised  his  hand  against  us  with  letters  to  men  in  high  places 
may  see  a  light  at  noonday,  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  and  hear 
the  voice  of  Jesus  saying,  "/^  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against  the 
pricks." 

Intelligence  is  sometimes  the  messenger  of  safety.  And,  willing 
to  aid  the  governor  in  his  laubable  endeavors  to  cultivate  peace  and 
honor  the  laws,  believing  that  very  few  of  the  citizens  of  Hancock 
County  will  be  found  in  the  negative  of  such  a  goodly  course;  and 
considering  his  views  a  kind  of  manifesto,  or  olive  leaf,  which  shows 
that  there  is  rest  for  the  soles  of  the  Saints'  feet,  we  give  it  a  place 
in  the  Neighbor,  wishing  it  God  speed,  and  saying,  God  bless  good  men 
and  good  measures!  And  as  Nauvoo  has  been,  so  it  will  continue  to 
be,  a  good  city,  affording  a  good  market  to  a  good  country;  and  let 
those  who  do  not  mean  to  try  the  way  of  transgressors,  say  "Amen." 

In  addition  to  this  in  a  note  to  the  editor  of  the  NeighboVy 
he  advised  that  he  take  no  further  editorial  notice  of  the  ful- 
-minations  of  the  editor  of  the  Warsaw  Signal  against  the  peo- 
ple of  Nauvoo,  but  recommended  that  the  advice  of  Governor 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  277 

Ford  be  honored,  and  that  friendship  and  peace  be  cultivated 
with  all  men. 

The  Prophet  went  further  than  this.  He  tendered  the 
olive  branch  of  peace  even  to  Missouri.  He  dictated  the  follow- 
ing to  W.  W.  Phelps  which  was  published  under  the  title — 

A  FRIENDLY   HINT   TO   MISSOURI. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  scenes  that  can  transpire  on  earth, 
when  a  sin  has  been  committed  by  one  person  against  another,  is,  to 
forgive  that  sin;  and  then,  according  to  the  sublime  and  perfect  pat- 
tern of  the  Savior,  pray  to  our  Father  in  heaven  to  forgive  also. 

Verily,  verily,  such  a  friendly  rebuke  is  like  the  mellow  zephyr 
of  summer's  eve — it  soothes,  it  cheers  and  gladdens  the  heart  of  the 
humane  and  the  savage.  Well  might  the  wise  man  exclaim,  "A  soft 
answer  turneth  away  wrath;"  for  men  of  sense,  judgment,  and  obser- 
vation, in  all  the  various  periods  of  time,  have  been  witnesses,  figur- 
atively speaking,  that  water,  not  wood,  cheeks  the  rage  of  fire. 

Jesus  said,  "Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall  be 
called  the  children  of  God."  Wherefore,  if  the  nation,  a  single  state, 
community,  or  family  ought  to  be  grateful  for  anything,  it  is  peace. 

Peace,  lovely  child  of  heaven! — peace,  like  light  from  the  same 
great  parent,  gratifies,  animates,  and  happifies  the  just  and  the  un- 
just; and  is  the  very  essence  of  happiness  below,  and  bliss  above. 

He  that  does  not  strive  with  all  his  powers  of  body  and  mind, 
with  all  his  influence  at  home  and  abroad,  and  to  cause  others  to  do  so 
too,  to  seek  peace  and  maintain  it  for  his  own  benefit  and  conveni- 
ence, and  for  the  honor  of  his  State,  nation,  and  country,  has  no 
claim  on  the  clemency  of  man;  nor  should  he  be  entitled  to  the  friend- 
ship of  woman  or  the  protection  of  government. 

He  is  the  canker-worm  to  gnaw  his  own  vitals,  and  the  vulture 
to  prey  upon  his  own  body;  and  he  is,  as  to  his  own  prospects  and 
prosperity  in  life,  a,  felo-de-se  of  his  own  pleasure. 

A  community  of  such  beings  are  not  far  from  hell  on  earth,  and 
should  be  let  alone  as  unfit  for  the  smiles  of  the  free  or  the  praise  of 
the  brave.  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

So  much  to  preface  this  friendly  hint  to  the  State  of  Missouri; 


278  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

for,  notwithstanding  some  of  her  private  citizens  and  public  officers 
have  committed  violence,  robbery,  and  even  murder  upon  the  rights 
and  persons  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  yet 
compassion,  dignity,  and  a  sense  of  the  principles  of  religion  among 
all  classes,  and  honor  and  benevolence,  mingled  with  charity  by  high- 
minded  patriots,  lead  me  to  suppose  that  there  are  many  worthy  peo- 
ple in  that  State  who  will  use  their  influence  and  energies  to  bring 
about  a  settlement  of  all  those  old  difficulties,  and  use  all  consistent 
means  to  urge  the  State,  for  her  honor,  prosperity,  and  good  name, 
to  restore  every  person  she  or  her  citizens  have  expelled  from  her 
limits,  to  their  rights,  and  pay  them  all  damage,  that  the  great  body 
of  high-minded  and  well-disposed  Southern  and  Western  gentlemen 
and  ladies — the  real  peacemakers  of  a  western  world,  will  go  forth, 
good  Samaritan-like,  and  pour  in  the  oil  and  wine,  till  all  that  can  be 
healed  are  made  whole;  and,  after  repentance,  they  shall  be  forgiven; 
for  verily  the  Scriptures  say,  "Joy  shall  be  in  heaven  over  one  sinner 
that  repents,  more  than  over  ninety-and-nine  just  persons  that  need 

But  the  peacemaker,  0  give  ear  to  him!  for  the  words  of  his 
no  repentance."  *  *  *  *  :{:  jk 

When  you  meditate  upon  the  massacre  at  Haun's  mill,  forget 
not  that  the  constitution  of  your  State  holds  this  broad  truth  to  the 
world,  that  none  shall  "be  deprived  of  life,  liberty,  or  property,  but  by 
the  judgment  of  his  peers  or  the  law  of  the  land." 

And  when  you  assemble  together  in  towns,  counties,  or  districts, 
whether  to  petition  your  legislature  to  pay  the  damage  the  Saints 
have  sustained  in  your  State,  by  reason  of  oppression  and  misguided 
zeal,  or  to  restore  them  to  their  rights  according  to  Republican  prin- 
ciples and  benevolent  designs,  reflect,  and  make  honorable,  or  annihi- 
late, such  statute  law  as  was  in  force  in  your  State  in  1838, — viz.,  "If 
twelve  or  more  persons  shall  combine  to  levy  war  against  any  part  of 
the  people  of  this  State,  or  to  remove  forcibly  out  of  the  State  or 
from  their  habitations,  evidenced  by  taking  arms  and  assembling  to 
accomplish  such  purpose,  every  person  so  offending  shall  be  punished 
by  imprisonment  in  the  penitentiary  for  a  period  not  exceeding  five 
years,  or  by  a  fine  not  exceeding  five  thousand  dollars,  and  imprison- 
ment in  the  county  jail  not  exceeding  six  months." 

Finally,  if  honor  dignifies  an  honest  people,  if  virtue  exalts  a 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  279 

community,  if  wisdom  guides  great  men,  if  principle  governs  intelli- 
gent beings,  if  humanity  spreads  comfort  among  the  needy,  and  if  re- 
ligion affords  consolation  by  showing  that  charity  is  the  first,  best, 
and  sweetest  token  of  perfect  love,  then,  0  ye  good  people  of  Mis- 
souri, like  the  woman  in  Scripture  who  had  lost  one  of  her  ten  pieces  of 
silver^  arise,  search  diligently  till  you  find  the  lost  piece,  and  then 
make  a  feast,  and  call  in  your  friends  for  joy. 

With  due  consideration, 

I  am  the  friend  of  all  good  men, 

Joseph  Smith. 

Nauvoo,  111.,  March  8,  1843. 

Surely  this  was  going  as  far  in  the  interests  of  peace  as 
men  or  God  could  require  him  to  go;  but  alas!  there  was  to  be 
no  peace. 


280  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
"in  peril  among  false  brethren." 

THE  winter  of  1843-4  was  big  with  events  affecting  the  des- 
tinies of  Nauvoo.  During  that  winter  were  set  on  foot 
conspiracies  which  culminated  in  the  destruction  of  Nauvoo.  Men 
who  stood  nearest  to  the  Prophet  Joseph,  and  who  were  bound 
in  honor  to  defend  his  life,  not  bare  the  knives  that  were  to 
strike  him  down,  combined  together  in  secret  covenant  for  his 
overthrow. 

_^  Owing  to  the  constant  efforts  of  the  Prophet's  enemies  in 
Missouri,  to  capture  him  and  drag  him  to  Missouri  where  he  might 
be  murdered  with  impunity,  the  force  of  police  in  Nauvoo  was 
increased  by  the  appointment  of  forty  night-guards  to  patrol  the 
city.  These  made  it  less  convenient  for  the  conspirators,  who 
worked,  as  men  ever  do  when  engaged  in  such  business — in  the 
darkness.  The  night  guards  several  times  came  in  contact  with 
men  moving  about  the  city  in  a  manner  which,  to  say  the  least, 
was  suspicious;  and  soon  complaints  were  made  by  these  same 
parties  that  the  city  government  was  arbitrary  and  oppressive; 
they  claimed  that  these  night-watchmen  threatened  their  peace 
and  even  started  rumors  that  Joseph  had  appointed  them  for  the 
purpose  of  intimidation. 

Among  others  who  complained  of  the  appointment  of  night- 
watchmen  was  William  Marks,  president  of  the'  Nauvoo  stake. 
Joseph,  in  the  course  of  a  speech  made  at  a  meeting  of  the  city 
council  at  the  time  of  the  appointment  of  the  special  watchmen, 
referred  to  the  danger  of  invasion  from  Missouri  and  incidentally 
remarked:  "We  have  a  Judas  in  our  midst."     This  gave  great 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  281 

oifense  to  both  William  Marks  and  the  Law  brothers.  The 
Prophet  in  his  journal,  when  speaking  of  the  circumstance,  says: 
"What  can  be  the  matter  with  these  men?  Is  it  that  the  wicked 
flee  when  no  man  pursueth,  that  hit  pigeons  always  flutter,  that 
drowning  men  clutch  at  straws,  or  that  Presidents  Law  and 
Marks  are  absolutely  traitors  to  The  Church,  that  my  re- 
marks should  produce  such  excitement  in  their  minds?  Can  it 
be  possible  that  the  traitor  whom  Porter  Rockwell  reports  to 
me  as  being  in  correspondence  with  my  Missouri  enemies  is  one 
of  my  quorum  [the  First  Presidency]  ?  The  people  in  the  town 
were  astonished,  almost  every  man  saying  to  his  neighbor,  'Is 
it  possible  that  Brother  Law  or  Marks  is  a  traitor,  and  would 
deliver  Brother  Joseph  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies  in  Missouri?' 
If  not  what  can  be  the  meaning  of  all  this?  The  righteous  are 
bold  as  a  lion."* 

In  the  spring  of  1844,  the  Prophet  was  apprised  by  two 
young  men,  Denison  L.  Harris  and  Robert  Scott,  the  latter  liv- 
ing in  the  family  of  WiUiam  Law,  of  a  secret  movement  then  on 
foot  to  take  his  life,  and  the  lives  of  several  other  leading  men 
of  The  Church;  among  them  the  Prophet's  brother,  Hyrum. 
These  young  men  were  invited  to  the  secret  meetings  by  the 
conspirators,  but  before  going,  conferred  with  the  Prophet,  who 
told  them  to  go,  but  to  take  no  part  in  the  proceedings  of  these 
wicked  men  against  himself.  They  carried  out  his  advice,  and 
at  the  risk  of  their  lives  attended  the  secret  meetings  three 


*  Millennial  Star,  volume  xxii:  page  631.  This  Wm.  Marks  after- 
wards was  prominent  among  those  who  induced  the  Prophet  to  come 
back  and  deliver  himself  up  to  his  enemies  after  the  Prophet  had 
started  west.  After  the  Prophet's  death  he  joined  the  apostate  James 
J.  Strang  in  his  attempt  to  lead  The  Church,  and  still  later  was  a 
principal  factor  in  bringing  into  existence  the  "Josephite"  or  "Re- 
organized Church."  See  the  author's  work  on  "Succession  in  the 
Presidency  of  The  Church." 

78 


282  RISE  AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

times,  and  brought  to  Joseph  a  report  of  what  they  had  wit- 
nessed.* 

In  addition  to  the  testimonies  of  these  young  men  was  that 
of  M.  G.  Eaton,  who  expressed  a  willingness  to  make  affidavit 
that  there  was  a  plot  laid  to  kill  Joseph  Smith  and  others,  and 
would  give  the  names  of  those  who  had  concocted  it.  There  was 
also  one  A.  B.  Williams  who  said  the  same  thing.  These  men 
went  before  Daniel  H.  Wells,  at  the  time  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  made  affidavit  that  such  a  plot  as  I  have  spoken  of  existed. 
In  their  statements  they  named  as  leaders  of  the  movement, 
Chauncey  L.  Higbee,  R.  D.  Foster,  Joseph  H.  Jackson,  and  Wil- 
liam and  Wilson  Law.  These  names  correspond  with  those  given 
by  the  young  men  before  alluded  to,  except  they  also  name 
Austin  Cowles,  a  member  of  the  High  Council,  at  Nauvoo,  as 
one  of  the  active  and  leading  conspirators. 

These  statements  were  shortly  confirmed  by  the  action  of 
the  conspirators  themselves,  as  they  soon  came  out  in  open  as 
well  as  secret  opposition  to  the  leading  Church  authorities;  and 
in  March  a  number  of  them  were  excommunicated  for  un- 
christianlike  conduct.  Among  the  number  was  William  Law,  a 
member  in  the  First  Presidency,  his  brother  Wilson  Law;  the 
Higbee  brothers,  Chauncey  L.,  and  Francis  M.,  and  Dr.  Robert 
D.  Foster. 

An  effort  was  made  by  these  apostates  to  organize  a  church 
after  the  pattern  of  the  true  Church,  by  the  appointment  of 
apostles,  prophets,  presidents,  etc.,  but  it  failed  miserably,  their 
following  was  insignificant.  These  men  were  desperately  wicked; 
in  addition  to  gross  licentiousness  they  were  guilty  of  theft  and 
of  counterfeiting  money.  They  brought  much  reproach  upon 
the  city  of  Nauvoo,  since  their  crimes  were  traced  to  her  bor- 
ders, and  that  fact  went  far  towards  undoing  the  city's  reputa- 


*  A  full  account  of  this  conspiracy  written  by  Horace  Cummings 
was  published  in  the  Contributor,  vol.  v. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO,  283 

tion  abroad.  But  though  these  men  at  one  time,  and  indeed  up 
to  the  time  of  their  excommunication,  held  high  official  positions 
in  The  Church  and  the  city,  their  wickedness  was  not  sustained 
either  by  The  Church  laws  or  by  the  members  of  The  Church,  or 
citizens  of  Nauvoo.  It  was  known  that  there  existed  a  band  of 
desperate  men  within  the  city,  and  these  parties  were  suspected, 
but  it  required  some  time  to  obtain  proof  sufficiently  positive  to 
act  upon;  and  where  the  counterfeiting  was  done  was  never 
learned. 

The  mask  having  at  last  fallen  from  the  faces  of  this  coterie 
of  men,  they  joined  with  the  avowed  enemies  of  the  Saints  out- 
side of  Nauvoo,  and  openly  advocated  the  repeal  of  the  city 
charter,  which  but  a  short  time  before  they  had  assisted  to  ob- 
tain. They  violated  on  several  occasions  the  city  ordinances, 
resisted  the  city  officers,  and  threatened  the  life  of  the  mayor. 
These  disturbances  led  to  the  arrests  and  trials  before  the  munici- 
pal court,  from  which  the  accused  generally  appealed  to  the 
circuit  courts;  and  retaliated  by  counter  arrests  of  the  city 
authorities  for  false  imprisonment,  defamation  of  character,  etc. 
In  all  these  cases  the  power  of  the  municipal  courts  to  grant 
writs  of  habeas  corpus  was  freely  exercised,  and  released  the 
city  authorities,  as  the  actions  were  malicious,  and  without  suf- 
ficient cause  on  which  to  base  the  complaints.  Thus  the  affairs 
of  Nauvoo  became  more  and  more  complicated,  and  the  bitter- 
ness constantly  increased. 

At  last  the  disaffected  parties  imported  a  press  into  the 
city  and  proposed  publishing  a  paper  to  be  called  the  Nauvoo 
Expositor.  It  avowed  its  intention  i-n  the  prospectus  it  published 
to  agitate  for  the  repeal  of  the  Nauvoo  charter,  and  also  an- 
nounced that  since  its  position  in  the  city  of  the  Saints  afforded 
it  opportunities  of  being  familiar  with  the  abuses  that  prevailed, 
its  publishers  intended  to  give  a  full,  candid  and  succinct  state- 
ment of  facts  as  they  really  existed  in  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  re- 
gardless of  whose  standing  in  the  community  might  be  imperiled. 


284  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

The  proprietors  of  the  paper  were  the  band  of  conspirators 
already  named,  and  Sylvester  Emmons  was  employed  as  editor. 
The  first,  and  indeed  the  only  number  of  the  Expositor  was 
published  on  the  seventh  day  of  June,  1844,  and  contained  a 
most  scandalous  attack  upon  the  most  respectable  citizens  of 
Nauvoo.  It  at  once  filled  the  entire  city  with  indignation,  and 
the  city  council  immediately  took  into  consideration  what  would 
be  the  best  method  of  dealing  with  it.  The  result  of  the  council's 
meditations  was  this:  Blackstone  declared  a  libelous  press  a 
nuisance;  the  city  charter  gave  to  city  authorities  the  power  to 
declare  what  should  be  considered  a  nuisance  and  to  prevent 
and  remove  the  same;  therefore  it  was 

Resolved,  by  the  city  councilof  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  that  the  print- 
ing office  from  whence  issues  the  Nauvoo  Expositor  is  a  public  nuis- 
ance, and  also  all  of  said  Nauvoo  Expositors,  which  may  be  or  exist, 
in  said  establishment;  and  the  mayor  is  instructed  to  cause  said  print- 
ing establishment  and  papers  to  be  removed  without  delay,  in  such 
manner  as  he  may  direct. 

On  receiving  this  order  the  mayor  issued  instructions  to  the 
city  marshal  to  destroy  the  press  without  delay,  and  at  the  same 
time  gave  orders  to  Jonathan  Dunham,  acting  Major-General 
of  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  to  assist  the  marshal  with  the  Legion  if 
called  upon  to  do  so. 

The  marshal  with  a  small  force  of  men  appeared  before  the 
Expositor  printing  establishment,  informed  one  or  more  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  character  of  his  miission,  and  demanded  en- 
trance into  the  building  to  carry  out  his  instructions  from  the 
mayor.  >  This  was  denied  and.  the  door  locked;  whereupon  the 
marshal  broke  in  the  door,  carried  out  the  press,  broke  it  in  the 
street,  pied  the  type  and  burned  all  the  papers  found  in  the 
office,  and  then  reported  to  the  mayor,  who  sent  an  account  of 
these  proceedings  to  the  governor  of  the  State. 

This  act  enraged  the  conspirators  to  a  higher  pitch  of  des- 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  285 

peration.  They  set  fire  to  their  buildings  and  then  fled  to  Car- 
thage, the  county  seat  of  Hancock  County,  with  the  lie  in  their 
mouths  that  their  lives  were  in  danger  in  Nauvoo,  and  that  they 
were  driven  away  from  their  homes.  Fortunately  the  police  dis- 
covered the  flames  started  by  these  incendiaries  in  time  to  ex- 
tinguish them,  so  that  they  failed  to  have  the  smoking  ruins  of 
their  own  houses  to  support  their  story;  but  their  misrepresen- 
tations spread  like  wild-fire  and  inflamed  the  public  mind,  already 
blinded  with  prejudice  against  the  people  of  Nauvoo,  to  a  point 
which  made  violence  almost  certain. 

Francis  M.  Higbee  made  a  complaint  before  Thomas  Morri- 
son, a  justice  of  the  peace,  against  Joseph  Smith  and  all  the 
members  of  the  Nauvoo  city  council  for  riot  committed  in  de- 
stroying the  anti-Mormon  press.  The  warrant  issued  by  the 
justice  was  served  by  Constable  Bettisworth  upon  Joseph  Smith 
at  Nauvoo.  It  required  him  and  the  others  named  in  the  war- 
rant to  go  before  the  justice  issuing  the  warrant,  ''or  some  other 
justice  of  the  peace."  Joseph  called  the  attention  of  the 
constable  to  this  clause  in  the  writ,  and  expressed  a  willingness 
to  go  before  Esquire  Johnson,  or  any  other  justice  of  the  peace 
in  Nauvoo.  But  Bettisworth  was  determined  to  take  Joseph  to 
Carthage  before  Justice  Morrison,  who  had  issued  the  writ. 
Joseph  was  equally  determined  not  to  go,  and  petitioned  the  mu- 
nicipal court  for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  which  was  granted,  and 
under  it  the  prisoner  was  honorably  discharged  The  other  par- 
ties mentioned  in  the  writ  followed  his  example  and  were  also 
discharged. 

Meantime  indignation  meetings  were  held  first  at  Warsaw, 
and  afterwards  in  Carthage.  The  men  who  had  used  their  utter- 
most endeavors,  for  more  than  two  years  to  incite  the  people  to 
acts  of  mob  violence  against  the  Saints,  had  now  a  popular  war 
cry — "unhallowed  hands  had  been  laid  upon  the  liberty  of  the 
press."  "The  law  had  ceased  to  be  a  protection  to  lives  or 
property  inNauvcol"  "A  mob  at  Nauvoo,  under  a  city  ordinance 


286  RISE   AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

had  violated  the  highest  privilege  in  the  government;  and  to 
seek  redress  in  the  ordinary  mode  would  be  utterly  ineffectual." 
Therefore  those  in  attendance  upon  these  meetings  adopted  res- 
olutions announcing  themselves  at  all  times  ready  to  co-operate 
with  their  fellow-citizens  in  Missouri  and  Iowa  to  exterminate, 
utterly  exterminate  the  wicked  and  abominable  Mormon  leaders, 
the  authors  of  their  troubles. 

Committees  were  appointed  to  notify  all  persons  in  the  re- 
spective townships  suspected  of  being  the  "tools  of  the  Prophet 
to  leave  immediately,  on  pain  of  instant  vengeance"  And  it  was 
further  recommended  that  the  adherents  of  Joseph  Smith  as  a 
body,  be  ''driven  from  the  surrounding  settlements  into  Nauvoo; 
that  the  Prophet  and  his  miscreant  adherents  should  then  be  de- 
manded at  their  hands;  and,  if  not  surrendered,  a  war  of  entire 
extermination  should  be  waged  to  the  entire  destruction,  if  nec- 
essary for  the  mob's  protection,  of  his  adherents;  and  to  carry 
out  these  resolutions  every  citizen  was  called  upon  to  arm  him- 
self." 

^he  mass  meeting  at  Carthage,  which  had  adopted  the 
Warsaw  resolutions  was  in  full  blast  when  the  news  arrived  of 
the  failure  of.  Constable  Bettisworth,  to  drag  the  Prophet  into 
their  midst.  This  increased  the  excitement,  and  poured  more 
gall  into  the  cup  of  bitterness.  It  was  resolved  that  the  "riot" 
in  Nauvoo  was  still  progressing,  and  of  such  a  serious  character 
as  to  demand  executive  interference;  and  therefore  two  discreet 
citizens  were  appointed  to  go  to  Springfield  and  lay  the  case 
before  Governor  Ford.  But  this  appeal  to  the  executive  was 
not  to  interfere  with  the  resolutions  before  passed — active  prep- 
arations for  the  extermination  of  the  Mormons  were  to  be  con- 
tinued. 

The  athorities  at  Nauvoo  also  dispatched  trusty  mes- 
sengers to  Governor  Ford  with  truthful  accounts  of  their  pro- 
ceedings, both  as  regards  the  destruction  of  the  press  and  their 
action  in  refusing  to  accompany  Constable  Bettisworth  to  Car- 


RISE   AND  FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  287 

thage,  that  he  might  not  be  misled  by  a  false  representation  of 
the  case,  or  influenced  by  the  thousand  and  one  falsehoods  that 
had  been  set  on  foot  by  the  enemies  of  the  Saints. 

Both  parties  then  appealed  to  the  executive  of  the  State: 
the  mob  for  assistance  to  carry  out  their  murderous  designs, 
and  to  give  their  proceedings  a  coloring  of  lawful  authority,  and 
the  citizens  of  Nauvoo  for  protection  against  the  combinations 
of  their  avowed  enemies  bent  upon,  and  publicly  pledged  to  their 
extermination. 

Without  waiting  the  issue  of  this  appeal,  however,  the  mob 
forces  in  Carthage,  Warsaw  and  other  localities  began  active 
operations  by  sending  their  committees  to  the  settlements  of 
the  Saints  outside  of  Nauvoo,  and  threatening  them  with  de- 
struction if  they  did  not  accept  one  of  three  propositions:  first, 
deny  that  Joseph  Smith  was  a  Prophet  of  God,  and  take  up  arms 
and  accompany  the  mob  to  arrest  him;  second,  gather  up  their 
effects  and  forthwith  remove  to  the  city  of  Nauvoo;  third,  give 
up  their  arms  and  remain  quiet  until  the  pending  difficulties 
should  be  settled  by  the  expulsion  of  their  friends.  Usually  a 
few  days  were  given  the  people  to  consider  these  propositions, 
which  were  utilized  by  the  people  in  conferring  with  the  Prophet, 
to  know  what  he  advised  under  the  circumstances.  The  advice 
given,  in  its  general  purport  was  to  yield  up  none  of  their 
rights  as  American  citizens  to  the  demand  of  mobocrats,  but 
to  maintain  their  rights  wherever  they  were  strong  enough  to 
resist  the  mob  forces,  and  when  they  were  not  strong  enough, 
retreat  to  Nauvoo. 

Besides  the  reports  which  came  to  Nauvoo  from  the  Saints 
who  were  threatened,  the  air  was  filled  with  rumors  of  mob 
forces  collecting  on  every  hand.  Great  excitement  was  re- 
ported to  exist  in  upper  Missouri,  the  part  of  that  State  from 
which  the  Saints  had  been  driven  but  six  years  before;  and  it 
was  reported  that  the  Missourians  were  going  over  into  Illinois 
in  large  numbers  to  assist  the   anti-Mormons  in  and  around 


288  RISE   AND  FALL  OF   NAUVOO. 

Carthage.  That  arms  and  ammunition  were  sent  over  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  the  mob,  is  quite  certain;  and  it  is  also  known  that 
Walter  Bagley,  the  tax-collector  for  Hancock  County,  had  spent 
some  time  in  Missouri  as  an  anti-Mormon  agent  and  agitator, 
seeking  to  bring  about  a  concerted  action  between  the  old  ene- 
mies of  the  Saints,  and  those  of  like  ilk  in  Illinois. 

While  these  hostile  preparations  were  being  made  for  his 
destruction,  and  the  extermination  of  his  people,  those  at  all 
acquainted  with  the  temperament  of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  might 
well  know  that  he  was  not  idle.  He  kept  an  efficient  corps  of 
clerks  busy  copying  reports  and  affidavits  of  threatened  violence 
and  insurrection,  and  sent  them  to  the  governor,  whom  he  pe- 
titioned to  come  to  Nauvoo  and  in  person  investigate  the  causes 
of  the  disturbance.  Information  was  also  sent  to  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  acquainting  him  with  the  prospects  of  an 
insurrection,  and  an  invasion  of  Illinois  by  Missourians,  and  ask- 
ing him  for  protection. 

Nor  was  Joseph  and  his  associates  neglectful  of  anything 
that  would  have  a  tendency  to  allay  the  excitement.  Jesse  B. 
Thomas,  judge  of  the  circuit  in  which  Hancock  County  was  lo- 
cated, advised  him  to  go  before  some  justice  of  the  peace  of 
the  county  and  have  an  examination  of  the  charges  specified  in 
the  writ  issued  by  justice  Morrison  of  Carthage,  and  that  would 
take  away  all  excuse  for  a  mob,  and  he  would  be  bound  to 
order  them  to  keep  the  peace.  Some  advised  the  Prophet  to  go 
to  Carthage,  but  that  he  emphatically  refused  to  do.  But  he 
and  all  others  named  in  justice  Morrison's  warrant  went  before 
Squire  Wells,  a  non- Mormon  justice  of  the  peace,  and  after  a 
thorough  investigation  of  the  case  were  acquitted. 

In  addition  to  these  movements,  a  mass  meeting  was  held 
in  Nauvoo,  at  which  John  Taylor  was  chairman.  Pacific  reso- 
lutions were  adopted,  denying  the  misrepresentations  of  the 
apostates,  and  appointing  men  to  go  to  the  neighboring  towns 
and  settlements  to  present  the  truth  to  the  people  and  allay  ex- 


RISE  AND  PALL   OF   NAUVOO.  289 

citement.  These  men  were  authorized  to  say  that  the  members 
of  the  city  council  charged  with  riot  and  the  violation  of  law, 
were  willing  to  go  before  the  circuit  court  for  an  investigation 
of  their  conduct  in  respect  to  the  Nauvoo  Expositor,  and  re- 
fused not  to  be  bound  over  for  such  a  hearing.  But  when 
this  announcement  was  made  and  it  was  learned  that  Judge 
Thomas  had  advised  this  course  to  allay  excitement,  the  mob 
threatened  that  a  committee  would  wait  upon  the  judge  and 
give  him  a  coat  of  tar  and  feathers  for  giving  such  advice. 

These  pacific  measures  appearing  to  have  little  or  no  ef- 
fect, and  active  preparations  for  hostilities  continuing  on  the 
part  of  the  enemy,  Nauvoo  was  placed  under  martial  law;  the 
Legion  was  mustered  into  service,  and  Joseph  in  person  took 
command  of  it.  He  was  in  full  uniform  when  he  appeared  be- 
fore the  Legion,  and  mounting  an  unfinished  frame  building 
near  the  Mansion,  he  took  occasion  to  address  the  Legion  and 
the  people  for  about  an  hour  and  a  half;  during  which  time  he 
reviewed  the  events  that  had  brought  upon  Nauvoo  the  issue 
that  confronted  them. 

To  dispel  any  illusion  that  any  of  them  might  have  that  he 
was  the  only  one  threatened,  he  said : 

It  is  thought  by  some  that  our  enemies  would  be  satisfied  by  my 
destruction,  but  I  tell  you  as  soon  as  they  have  shed  my  blood,  they 
will  thirst  for  the  blood  of  every  man  in  whose  heart  dwells  a  single 
spark  of  the  spirit  of  the  fullness  of  the  Gospel.  The  opposition  of 
these  men  is  moved  by  the  spirit  of  the  adversary  of  all  righteous- 
ness. It  is  not  only  to  destroy  me,  but  every  man  and  woman  who 
dares  believe  the  doctrines  that  God  hath  inspired  me  to  teach  to  this 
generation — 

Words  which  subsequent  events  will  prove  to  have  been  pro- 
phetic.    He  also  said: 

We  have  forwarded  a  particular  account  of  all  our  doings  to  the 
governor.  We  are  ready  to  obey  his  commands,  and  we  expect  that 
protection  at  his  hands  which  we  know  to  be  our  just  due. 


290  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

We  may  add  also,  that  when  a  petition  was  sent  to  the 
governor  to  come  to  Nauvoo  in  person  to  investigate  the  cause  of 
the  disturbance,  the  service  of  the  Legion  was  tendered  him  to 
)  keep  the  peace.  But  that  Joseph  had  come  to  a  settled  deter- 
mination to  maintain  the  rights  of  the  people  at  all  hazards, 
and  submit  no  longer  to  mob  violence,  may  be  clearly  under- 
stood from  the  spirit  of  these  extracts  from  the  speech  made 
to  the  Legion  on  the  occasion  of  his  taking  command  of  it. 

We  are  Americar  citizens.  We  live  upon  a  soil  for  the  liberties 
of  which  our  fathers  periled  their  lives  and  spilt  their  blood  upon 
the  battlefield.  Those  rights  so  dearly  purchased  shall  not  be  dis- 
gracefully trodden  under  foot  by  lawless  marauders  without  at  least 
a  noble  effort  on  our  part  to  sustain  our  liberties.  Will  you  stand 
by  me  to  the  death,  and  sustain  at  the  peril  of  our  lives,  the  laws  of 
our  country,  and  the  liberties  and  privileges  which  our  fathers  have 
transmitted  unto  us,  sealed  with  their  sacred  blood?  (Thousands 
shouted  aye!)  It  is  well.  If  you  had  not  done  it,  I  would  have  gone 
out  there,  (pointing  to  the  west)  and  would  have  raised  up  a  mighty 
people. 

I  call  upon  all  men  from  Maine  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
from  Mexico  to  British  America,  whose  hearts  thrill  with  hor- 
ror to  behold  the  rights  of  free  men  trampled  under  foot,  to  come  to 
the  deliverance  of  this  people  from  the  cruel  hand  of  oppression, 
cruelty,  anarchy  and  misrule  to  which  they  have,  long  been  made  sub- 
ject. *  *  *  I  call  upon  God  and  angels  to  witness  that 
I  have  unsheathed  my  sword  with  a  firm  and  unalterable  determina- 
tion that  this  people  shall  have  their  legal  rights  and  shall  be  pro- 
tected from  mob  violence,  or  my  blood  shall  be  spilt  upon  the  ground 
like  water,  and  my  body  be  consigned  to  the  silent  tomb.  While  I 
live,  I  will  never  tamely  submit  to  the  dominion  of  cursed  moboc- 
racy. 

There  was  much  more  of  a  like  tenor,  but  this  is  sufficient 
to  show  the  determination  of  the  Prophet  not  to  submit  to  the 
mobs  then  rising  about  him;  and  the  people  warmly  seconded 
his  resolution. 


U 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  291 

At  this  juncture  Joseph  requested  his  brother  Hyrum  to 
take  his  family  and  go  with  them  to  Cincinnati.  But  Hyrum 
demurred  and  said,  "Joseph,  I  can't  leave  you!"  Joseph,  turn- 
ing to  a  number  of  brethren  present,  said:"^!  wish  I  could  get 
Hyrum  out  of  the  way,  so  that  he  may  live  to  avenge  my  blood, 
and  I  will  stay  with  you  and  see  it  out/\  But  Hyrum  Smith  was 
not  the  kind  of  man  to  leave  his  brother  now  that  the  hour  of 
his  severest  trial  had  come  upon  him.  His  noble  nature  revolted 
at  the  thought,  and  though  the  spirit  had  doubtless  whispered 
Joseph  that  his  life  and  that  of  Hyrum's  would  be  sacrificed  in 
the  impending  crisis,  his  pathetic  words,  "Joseph,  I  can't  leave 
you!"  bear  testimony  to  the  nobility  of  the  soul  that  uttered 
them,  and  is  a  witness  to  the  strength  of  those  bonds  of  love 
that  bound  him  to  his  younger  brother.  Moreover,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  Prophet's  premonitions  of  his  approaching  martyr- 
dom, he  had  ordained  his  brother  Hyrum  to  succeed  him  in  the 
presidency  of  The  Church;  and  hence  this  consideration  as  well 
as  his  affectionate  regard  for  him  as  a  brother  doubtless  led 
him  to  try  to  get  Hyrum  out  of  harm's  way.* 

Word  was  sent  to  Brigham  Young,  then  on  a  mission  in  the 
eastern  States,  to  return  to  Nauvoo,  and  to  communicate  with 
the  other  Apostles  and  request  them  also  to  return  to  Nauvoo, 
as  likewise  all  the  Elders,  and  as  many  more  good,  faithful  men 
as  felt  disposed  to  accompany  them,  to  assist  the  Saints.  Thus 
every  effort  was  being  put  forth  by  the  people  of  Nauvoo  to  re- 
sist oppression  and  maintain  their  rights. 


*"If  Hyrum  had  lived  he  would  not  have  stood  between 
Joseph  and  the  Twelve,  but  he  would  have  stood  for  Joseph.  Did 
Joseph  ordain  any  man  to  take  his  place?  He  did.  Who  was  it.''  It 
was  Hyrum.  But  Hyrum  fell  a  martyr  before  Joseph  did." — Brig- 
ham  Yoimg,  in  a  speech  at  the  October  conference  at  Nauvoo,  1844.  In 
Times  and  Seasons,  Vol.  v.  p.  683. 


292  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

COMPLIANCE  WITH   THE  DEMANDS   OF  GOVERNOR  FORD. 

IN  the  midst  of  these  preparations,  a  message  was  received 
from  Governor  Ford,  stating  that  he  had  arrived  in  Carthage 
in  the  interests  of  peace,  and  hoped  to  be  able  to  avert  the  evils 
of  war  by  his  presence;  and  that  he  might  the  better  judge  of 
the  situation  he  asked  that  well-informed  and  discreet  persons 
be  sent  to  him  at  Carthage,  where  he  had  established  for  the 
time  his  headquarters.  This  request  of  the  governor's  was  gladly 
complied  with  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  Nauvoo;  [and  John 
Taylor  and  Dr.  J.  M.  Bernhisel  were  appointed  to  represent 
their  version  of  the  situation,  and  for  that  purpose  were  fur- 
nished with  a  copy  of  the  proceedings  of  the  city  council,  and 
the  affidavits  of  a  number  of  citizens  bearing  on  the  subjects 
that  would  likely  be  discussed. 

These  representatives  of  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  found  the 
governor  surrounded  by  their  enemies — the  Laws,  Fosters,  and 
Higbees,  besides  others  living  at  Warsaw  and  Carthage.  The 
only  audience  given  to  Messrs.  Taylor  and  Bernhisel  was  in  the 
presence  of  these  parties,  by  whom  they  were  frequently  inter- 
rupted in  the  most  insulting  manner,  and  the  parties  insulting 
and  abusing  them  were  unchecked  by  Governor  Ford. 

After  the  governor  had  heard  the  statements  of  these  gen- 
tlemen and  read  the  documents  presented  by  thera,  he  sent  a 
written  communication  to  the  mayor,  Joseph  Smith,  in  which  he 
said  that  by  destroying  the  Expositor  press,  the  city  council  of 
Nauvoo  had  committed  a  gross  outrage  upon  the  laws  and  liber- 
ties of  the  people,   and  had  violated  the  Constitution  in  several 


RISE  AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  293 

particulars.  He  also  claimed  that  the  municipal  court  of  Nau- 
Too  had  exceeded  its  authority  in  granting  writs  of  habeas  cor- 
pus. He  accepted  the  statement  of  the  mob  at  Carthage  that 
Joseph  Smith  refused  to  be  tried  by  any  other  court  than  the 
municipal  court  of  Nauvoo,  although  he  had  before  him  the  most 
positive  proof  that  Joseph  was  willing  to  go  before  any  justice 
of  the  peace  in  Hancock  County,  except  Justice  Morrison  of 
Carthage,  where  an  angry  mob  had  collected,  and  were  threat- 
ening his  destruction,  and  since  the  warrant  was  made  return- 
able to  the  magistrate  who  issued  it,  or  any  other  justice  in  the 
county,  the  Prophet  expressed  a  willingness  to  go  before  any 
.other  justice,  but  very  properly  refused  to  go  to  Carthage.  He 
was  even  willing  to  be  bound  over  to  appear  in  the  circuit 
court  to  answer  for  the  part  he  took  in  abating  the  Expositor 
press  as  a  nuisance.  Yet  in  the  face  of  these  facts — in  the 
face  of  the  fact  that  all  the  parties  charged  with  riot  had  ap- 
peared before  D.  H.  Wells,  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  non- 
Mormon,  and  after  investigation  were  acquitted — yet  the  gov- 
ernor charged  the  members  of  the  city  council  with  refusing  to 
appear  before  any  other  than  the  municipal  court  of  Nauvoo  for 
an  investigation.  He  demanded  that  the  mayor  and  all  persons 
in  Nauvoo  accused  or  sued  submit  in  all  cases  implicitly  to  the 
process  of  the  courts  and  to  interpose  no  obstacles  to  an  arrest, 
either  by  writ  of  habeas  corpus  or  otherwise.  And  in  the  case 
of  the  mayor  and  a  number  of  the  city  council  charged  with 
riot,  he  required  that  they  should  be  arrested  by  the  same  con- 
stable, by  virtue  of  the  same  warrant,  and  tried  before  the 
same  magistrate,  whose  authority  he  insisted  had  been  resisted. 
''Nothing  short  of  this,"  he  added,  "can  vindicate  the  dignity  of 
violated  law,  and  allay  the  just  excitement  of  the  people." 
Messrs.  Taylor  and  Bernhisel  called  his  attention  to  the  state  of 
excitement  in  Carthage,  and  informed  him  that  there  were  men 
there  bent  on  killing  the  Prophet,  and  that  to  ensure  his  safety 
it  would  be  necessary  for  him  to  be  accompanied  by  an  armed 


294  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

force  which  would  doubtless  provoke  a  collision.  In  answer  to 
this  the  governor  advised  them  to  bring  no  arms,  and  pledged 
his  faith  as  governor,  and  that  of  the  State,  to  protect  those 
who  should  go  to  Carthage  for  trial.  He  also  made  the  same 
pledge  in  his  written  communication  to  Joseph. 

The  conduct  of  the  governor  in  thus  adopting  the  reports 
of  the  enemies  of  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  and  menacing  the  city 
with  destruction,  if  his  arbitrary  commands  were  not  complied 
with,  created  no  small  amount  of  astonishment  in  Nauvoo.  Joseph, 
however,  wrote  a  courteous  reply,  corrected  the  governor's 
errors,  and  also  represented  that  the  city  council  of  Nauvoo  had 
acted  on  their  best  judgment,  aided  by  the  best  legal  advice 
they  could  procure;  but  if  a  mistake  had  been  made  they  were 
willing  to  make  all  things  right;  but  asked  that  the  mob  might 
be  dispersed,  that  their  lives  might  not  be  endangered  while  on 
trial.  Relative  to  going  to  Carthage,  however,  Joseph  pointed 
out  the  fact  that  the  governor  himself  in  his  written  communi- 
cation had  expressed  his  fears  that  he  could  not  control  the 
mob;  "in  which  case,"  he  went  on  to  say,  "we  are  left  to  the 
mercy  of  the  merciless.  Sir,  we  dare  not  come  for  our  lives 
would  be  in  danger,  and  we  are  guilty  of  no  crime." 

On  a  hasty  consultation  with  his  brother  Hyrum,  Dr.  Rich- 
ards, and  Messrs.  Taylor  and  Bernhisel,  after  the  return  of  the 
latter  from  their  conference  with  Governor  Ford  it  was  decided 
that  Joseph  should  proceed  to  Washington  and  lay  the  case  be- 
fore President  Tyler,  and  he  informed  Governor  Ford  of  this 
intention  in  the  letter  above  referred  to.  That  plan,  however,  at 
a  subsequent  council  meeting  was  abandoned;  as  Joseph  re- 
ceived aij  m^J3i£ati^n_to  go  to  the  West,  and  all  would  be  well. 
He  said  to  the  trusted  brethren  in  that  council: 

The  way  is  open.  It  is  clear  to  my  mind  what  to  do.  All  they 
want  is  Hyrum  and  myself;  then  tell  everybody  to  go  about  their 
business,  and  not  collect  in  groups,  but  scatter  about.  There  is  no 
danger;  they  will  come  here  and  search  for  us.     Let  them  search; 


RISE    A.ND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  295 

they  will  not  harm  you  in  person  or  in  property,  and  not  even  a  hair 
of  your  head.  We  will  cross  the  river  tonight  and  go  away  to  the 
West. 

This  was  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the 
twenty-second  of  June,  and  preparations  were  at  once  entered 
into  to  carry  out  tMs  impression  of  the  Spirit.  W.  W.  Phelps 
was  instructed  to  take  the  families  of  the  Prophet  and  his 
brother  to  Cincinnati ;  and  that  night  0.  P.  Rockwell  rowed 
Joseph,  Hyrum  and  Dr.  Richards  over  the  Mississippi  to  Montrose, 
and  then  returned  with  instructions  to  procure  horses  for  them  and 
make  all  necessary  preparations  to  start  for  "the  great  basin  in 
the  Rocky  Mountains." 

About  ten  o'clock  the  next  day  the  governor's  posse  ar- 
rived in  Nauvoo  to  arrest  Joseph,  but  not  finding  him  it  re- 
turned to  Carthage,  leaving  a  man  by  the  name  of  Yates  to 
watch  for  the  Prophet's  appearing.  This  man  said  that  if  the 
mayor  and  his  brother  were  not  given  up,  the  governor  had  ex- 
pressed a  determination  to  send  his  troops  into  the  city  and 
guard  it  until  they  were  found,  if  it  took  three  years. 

At  this  crisis,  some  of  Joseph's  friends  instead  of  render- 
ing him  all  possible  assistance  to  escape  from  his  enemies, 
complained  of  his  conduct  as  cowardly  and  entreated  him 
to  return  to  Nauvoo  and  not  leave  them  like  a  false  shep- 
herd leaves  his  flock  when  the  wolves  attack  them.  The  par- 
ties most  forward  in  making  this  charge  of  cowardice  were 
Reynolds  Cahoon,  L.  D.  Wasson  and  Hiram  Kimball.  Emma 
Smith,  his  wife,  also  sent  a  letter  by  the  hand  of  Reynolds  Ca- 
hoon, entreating  him  to  return  and  give  himself  up,  trusting 
to  the  pledges  of  the  governor  for  a  fair  trial.  Influenced  by 
these  entreaties  to  return,  and  stung  by  the  taunts  of  coward- 
ice from  those  w^ho  should  have  been  his  friends,  he  said:  "If  my 
life  is  of  no  value  to  my  friends,  it  is  of  none  to  myself."  And 
after  a  brief  consultation  with  Rockwell  and  his  brother  Hyrum, 


296  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

against  his  better  judgment,  and  with  the  conviction  fixed  in 
his  soul  that  he  would  be  killed,  he  resolved  to  return;  and 
crossed  over  the  river  that  evening  to  Nauvoo. 

His  first  act  after  arriving  in  the  beautiful  city  of  which 
he  was  the  chief  founder,  was  to  send  word  to  the  governor,  by 
the  hand  of  Theodore  Turley  and  Jedediah  M.  Grant  that  he 
would  be  ready  to  go  to  Carthage  as  early  on  the  rnorrow  as 
his  (the  governor's)  posse  could  meet  him — provided  he  could  be 
assured  a  fair  trial,  and  his  witnesses  not  be  abused.  That  mes- 
sage was  delivered  to  the  governor,  and  he  decided  at  once  to 
send  a  ;)osse  to  escort '  Joseph  and  his  party  to  Carthage;  but 
through  the  influence  which  Wilson  Law,  Joseph  H.  Jackson  and 
others  of  like  character  had  over  him,  he  changed  his  good  in- 
tention of  sending  a  posse,  and  ordered  Joseph's  messengers  to 
return  that  night  with  orders  to  him  to  be  in  Carthage  the  next 
day  by  ten  o'clock  without  an  escort;  and  he  threatened  that  if 
Joseph  did  not  give  himself  up  by  that  time,  Nauvoo  would  be 
destroyed. 

Owing  to  the  jaded  condition  of  their  horses  the  messengers 
did  not  reach  Nauvoo  until  daylight  of  the  twenty-fourth.  After 
the  orders  of  the  governor  were  delivered,  the  faithful  brethren 
who  reported  them  began  to  warn  the  Prophet  against  trusting 
himself  in  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  but  he  stopped  them  and 
would  not  hear  them  further — he  had  decided  on  his  course. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  twenty-fourth  Joseph  and 
the  members  of  the  city  council,  against  whom  complaints  had 
been  made  before  Justice  Morrison,  accompanied  by  a  few 
friends,  started  for  Carthage  to  give  themselves  up.  As  they 
passed  the  temple,  the  party  paused,  and  the  Prophet  Jooked 
with  admiration  upon  the  noble  edifice  and  the  glorious  land- 
scape, which  everywhere  from  that  spot  greets  the  eye,  and  then 
said:  "This  is  the  loveliest  place,  and  the  best  people  under  the 
heavens;  little  do  they  know  the  trials  that  await  them!"  On 
the  outskirts  of  the  city  they  passed  the  home  of  Squire  D.  H. 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  297 

Wells,  who  at  the  time  was  sick.  Joseph  dismounted  and  called 
to  see  him.  At  parting  the  Prophet  said  to  him  cheerfully: 
''Squire  Wells,  I  wish  you  to  cherish  my  memory,  and  not  think 
me  the  worst  man  in  the  world,  either." 

About  ten  o'clock  the  party  arrived  within  four  miles  of 
Carthage  and  there  met  a  company  of  sixty  mounted  militiamen 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Duan,  on  their  way  to  Nauvoo^ 
with  orders  from  Governor  Ford  to  demand  the  State  arms  in 
possession  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion.  It  was  on  the  occasion  of 
meeting  these  troops  that  Joseph  uttered  those  prophetic  words: 

"/  am  going  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter;  but  I  am  calm  as  a 
summer's  morning;  1  have  a  conscience  void  of  offense  towards 
God  J  and  towards  all  men.  I  shall  die  innocent,  and  it  shall  yet  be 
said  oj  me — he  was  murdered  in  cold  blood." 

At  the  request  of  Captain  Dunn  he  countersigned  the  gov- 
ernor's order  for  the  State  arms.  But  the  captain  prevailed 
upon  him  to  return  to  Nauvoo  and  assist  in  collecting  the  arms, 
promising  that  afterwards  the  militia  under  his  command  should 
escort  himself  and  party  into  Carthage,  and  he  would  protect  them 
even  at  the  risk  of  his  own  life,  to  which  his  men  assented  by 
three  hearty  cheers.  It  is  supposed  that  Captain  Dunn  feared 
the  people  in  Nauvoo  might  become  exasperated  and  resent  the 
indignity  offered  them  in  demanding  the  surrender  of  the  State 
arms.  Hence  his  anxiety  to  have  Joseph  return.  A  message 
was  sent  to  the  governor  informing  him  of  this  new  move. 

The  arms  were  collected  without  any  difficulty,  though  the 
people  unwillingly  surrendered  them,  since  disarming  them  and 
allowing  their  enemies  who  had  vowed  their  extermination  to 
keep  their  arms,  smacked  of  treachery;  but  the  order  of  the 
governor  and  of  their  Prophet-leader  was  complied  with. 

The  arms  were  taken  to  the  Masonic  Hall  and  stacked  up, 
Quartermaster-General  Buckmaster  receiving  them. 

This  demand  for  the  State  arms  stirred  the  fiery  indigna- 
tion of  Squire  Wells  to  the  very  depths  of  his  soul.     He  arose 

19 


298  RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

from  his  bed  of  sickness  and  carried  what  State  arms  he  had — 
a  pair  of  horse-pistols — to  the  appointed  place,  and  threw  them 
at  the  feet  of  Officer  Buckmaster  with  the  remark,  "There's  your 
arms!"  Then  as  he  glared  at  the  officer,  he  said:  "I  have  a  pair 
of  epaulets  at  home,  and  I  have  never  disgraced  them,  either/' 
and,  too  full  of  righteous  wrath  for  further  speech,  he  walked 
away. 

The  arms  collected,  Captain  Dunn  thanked  the  people  for 
their  promptness  in  complying  with  the  demands  of  the  gover- 
nor, and  promised  them  that  while  they  conducted  themselves  in 
such  a  peaceable  manner  they  should  be  protected.  The  com- 
pany of  militia  accompanied  by  Joseph  and  his  party  started  for 
Carthage  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

Passing  the  Masonic  Hall  where  a  number  of  the  citizens  of 
Nauvoo  still  lingered,  having  been  attracted  there  to  witness 
the  surrender  of  the  State  arms,  the  Prophet  Joseph  raised  his 
hat  and  said:  "Boys,  if  I  don't  come  back,  take  care  of  your- 
selves. I  am  going  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter."  When  the 
company  was  passing  his  farm  Joseph  stopped  and  looked  at  it 
for  a  long  time.  Then  after  he  had  passed  he  turned  and  looked 
again,  and  yet  again  several  times.  His  action  occasioned  some 
remarks  by  several  of  the  company,  to  which,  in  reply  he  said: 
"If  some  of  you  had  such  a  farm,  and  knew  you  would  not  see 
it  any  more,  you  would  want  to  take  a  good  look  at  it  for  the 
last  time." 

It  was  midnight,  when  the  party  entered  Carthage,  but  a 
militia  company  encamped  on  the  public  square— the  Carthage 
Greys— were  aroused  and  gave  vent  to  profane  threats  as  the 
company  passed,  of  which  the  following  is  a  specimen:  "Where's 
the  d — n  Prophet?"  "Stand  away,  you  McDonough  boys,*  and 
let  us  shoot  the  d n  Mormons!"     "G— d  d n  you,  old  Joe, 


■*  Captain    Dunn's  company  was  composed  chiefly  of  men  from 
McDonough  County,  hence  the  remark. 


RISE  AND  PALL  OF  NAUVOO.  299 

we've  got  you  now!"  Clear  the  way,  and  let  us  have  a  view  of 
Joe  Smith,  the  Prophet  of  God.  He  has  seen  the  last  of  Nauvoo, 
we'll  use  him  up  now!" 

Amid  such  profanity  and  abuse,  and  violent  threats,  much 
of  which  was  overheard  by  Governor  Ford,  the  Prophet's  party 
proceeded  to  Hamilton's  hotel,  which  it  entered  and  took  quar- 
ters for  the  night.  Under  the  same  roof  were  sheltered  the 
wicked  apostates  of  Nauvoo,  J.  H.  Jackson,  the  Foster  brothers, 
the  Higbees  and  the  Laws,  besides  other  desperate  men  who  had 
sworn  to  take  the  life  of  the  Prophet. 

The  crowd  which  had  followed  the  Nauvoo  party  from  the 
public  square  still  hung  round  the  Hamilton  House  yelling  and 
cursing,  and  acting  like  ravenous  beasts  hungry  for  their  prey. 
Governor  Ford  pushed  up  a  window  and  thus  addressed  them: 
"/'Gentlemen,  I  know  your  great  anxiety  to'see  Mr.  Smith,  which 
is  natural  enough,  but  it  is  quite  too  late  tonight  for  you  to  have 
that  opportunity;  but  I  assure  you,  gentlemen,  you  shall  have 
that  privilege  tomorrow  morning,  as  I  will  cause  him  to  pass  be- 
fore the  troops  upon  the  square,  and  I  now  wish  you,  with  this 
assurance,  quietly  and  peaceably  to  return  to  your  quarters." 
In  answer  to  this  there  was  a  faint  "Hurrah,  for  Tom  Ford,"  and 
the  crowd  withdrew.  They  could  afford  to  wait.  God's  serv- 
ants were  in  the  hands  of  the  merciless. 


300  RISE  AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THE  MARTYRDOM. 

EARLY  in  the  morning  following  their  entrance  into  Carth- 
age, Joseph,  his  brother  Hyrum  and  the  other  members  of 
the  Nauvoo  city  council  named  in  the  warrant  of  arrest  sworn 
out  by  the  Higbees,  voluntarily  surrendered  themselves  to  con- 
stable Bettisworth.  Shortly  afterwards  the  Prophet  was  again 
arrested  by  the  same  constable  on  a  charge  of  treason  against 
the  State  and  people  of  Illinois,  on  the  oath  of  Augustine  Spencer. 
Hyrum  was  arrested  on  a  similar  charge,  sworn  out  by  Henry 
0.  Norton.     And  thus  the  difficulties  thickened. 

Soon  after  the  second  arrest,  Governor  Ford  presented 
himself  at  their  rooms  at  the  Hamilton  house,  and  requested 
Joseph  to  accompany  him,  as  he  desired  to  present  him  to  the 
troops,  to  whom  he  had  promised  the  night  before  a  view  of  the 
Prophet.  The  troops  had  been  drawn  up  in  two  lines  and  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  linking  arms  with  Brigadier-General  Miner  R.  Deming 
passed  down  them,  accompanied  by  their  friends  and  a  company 
of  Carthage  Greys.  They  were  introduced  as  General  Joseph 
and  General  Hyrum  Smith.  The  Carthage  Greys,  a  few  minutes 
before,  at  the  headquarters  of  General  Deming,  had  revolted  and 
behaved  in  an  uproarious  manner,  but  were  pacified  by  the  gov- 
ernor, and  accompanied  him.  General  Deming  and  the  Prophet 
and  his  party  to  where  the  other  troops  were  drawn  up  in  line. 
Here  they  again  revolted  because  the  Brothers  Smith  were  intro- 
duced to  the  troops  from  McDonough  County  as  ''Generals" Smith. 
Some  of  the  oflScers  of  the  Carthage  Greys  threw  up  their  hats,. 
drew  their  swords  and  said  they  would  introduce  themselves  to"th& 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  301 

d — ned  Mormons  in  a  different  style."  They  were  again  pacified 
by  the  governor,  who  promised  them  "full"  satisfaction.  But 
they  continued  to  act  in  such  an  insubordinate  manner  that 
General  Deming  put  them  under  arrest,*  but  afterwards  released 
them  without  punishment. 

Shortly  after  this  episode  with  the  Carthage  Greys,  a  num- 
ber of  the  officers  of  other  militia  companies  and  other  gentle- 
men curious  to  see  the  Prophet  crowded  into  the  hotel.  Joseph 
took  occasion  to  ask  them  if  there  was  anything  in  his  appear- 
ance to  indicate  that  he  was  the  desperate  character  his  enemies 
represented  him  to  be.  To  which  they  replied,  "No,  sir,  your 
appearance  would  indicate  the  very  contrary.  General  Smith; 


*  The  manner  of  this  incident  about  the  revolt  of  the  Carthage 
Greys  is  thus  related  in  Gregg's  History  of  Hancock  County;  "It  seems 
that  after  the  McDonough  regimen";  had  been  disbanded,  and  were 
about  to  return  home,  they  expressed  a  desire  to  see  the  prisoners, 
[Joseph  and  Hyrum  ]  The  wish  was  reasonable,  and  as  the  easiest 
mode  of  gratifying  it,  they  were  drawn  up  in  line,  and  General  Dem- 
ing with  the  two  prisoners,  one  on  each  arm,  and  the  Greys  as  an  es- 
cort, passed  along  the  line  of  troops,  Deming  introducing  them  as 
General  Joseph  Smith  and  General  Hyrum  Smith,  of  the  Nauvoo 
Legion.  The  Greys  not  aware  that  this  was  done  at  the  request  of  the 
McDonough  men,  and  not  satisfied  to  be  made  an  escort  to  such  a  dis- 
play, exhibited  signs  of  dissatisfaction,  and  finally  gave  vent  to  their 
feelings  by  hisses  and  groans.  As  a  punishment  for  this  offense  they 
were  afterward  ordered  under  arrest.  In  the  meantime  there  was 
great  excitement  in  the  company.  As  a  detachment  of  the  troops 
was  being  detailed  for  the  pu'pose  of  putting  the  general's  order  into 
execution  the  officer  in  command  of  the  Greys  addressed  them  a  few 
words  and  then  said:  'Boys  will  you  submit  to  an  arrest  for  so  trifling 
an  off"ense?'  'No!'  was  the  unanimous  response.  'Then  load  your  pieces 
with  ball,'  was  the  sullen  order.  In  the  meantime  some  explanations 
had  been  made,  which  permitted  General  Deming  to  countermand  the 
order  of  arrest,  and  the  Greys  were  quietly  marched  back  to  their  en- 
campment." 

This  account  says  nothing  of  the  fact  that  it  was  generally  known, 
that  the  night  before,  Governor  Ford  had  promised  all  the  troops  a 


302  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

but  we  cannot  see  what  is  in  your  heart,  neither  can  we  tell 
what  are  your  intentions."  "Very  true,  gentlemen,"  quickly  re- 
plied the  Prophet,  "you  cannot  see  what  is  in  my  heart,  and  you 
are  therefore  unable  to  judge  me  or  my  intentions;  but  I  can 
see  what  is  in  your  hearts,  and  will  tell  you  what  I  see.  I  can 
see  that  you  thirst  for  blood,  and  nothing  but  my  blood  will  satisfy 
you.  It  is  not  for  crime  of  any  description  that  I  and  my  breth- 
ren are  thus  continually  persecuted,  and  harrassed  by  our  ene- 
mies, but  there  are  other  motives,  and  some  of  them  I  have  ex- 
pressed, so  far  as  relates  to  myself;  and  inasmuch  as  you  and 
the  people  thirsi  for  blood,  I  prophesy  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
that  you  shall  witness  scenes  of  blood  and  sorrow  to  your  entire 
satisfaction.  Your  souls  shall  be  perfectly  satiated  with  blood, 
and  many  of  you  who  are  now  present  shall  have  an  opportunity 
to  face  the  cannon's  mouth  from  sources  you  think  not  of,  and 
those  people  that  desire  this  great  evil  upon  me  and  my  breth- 
ren shall  be  filled  with  sorrow  because  of  the  scenes  of  desola- 
tion and  distress  that  await  them.     They  shall  seek  for  peace 


view  of  Generals  Smith,  and  the  Greys  had  been  in  revolt  at  General 
Dealing's  headquarters  before  the  party  including  Joseph  and  Hyrum 
reached  the  McDonough  troops.  Moreover,  I  was  informed  by  Colonel 
H.  G.  Ferris,  when  in  Carthage  in  1885,  investigating  these  matters, 
that  when  word  arrived  in  that  place  that  Joseph  Smith  would  sur- 
render himself  to  the  authorities,  if  the  governor  would  pledge  him 
protection  and  a  fair  trial,  the  governor  made  a  speech  to  the  mixed 
multitude  of  troops  and  citizens  in  which  he  stated  the  proposition  of 
the  Smiths,  and  wanted  to  know  if  they  would  sustain  him  in  pledg- 
ing them  protection,  to  which  they  responded  in  the  affirmative.  There 
was  some  talk,  too,  of  sending  the  Greys  as  a  posse  to  escort  the  Smiths 
into  Nauvoo.  Against  this  proceeding  General  Deming  protested  and 
told  Governor  Ford  that  the  pledge  of  protection  made  bj'  the  crowd 
and  the  troops  was  not  to  be  depended  upon,  it  was  insincere,  and  that 
the  lives  of  the  Smiths  were  not  to  be  trusted  to  the  Greys.  The  gov- 
ernor however  disregarded  the  warning  of  General  Deming.  Colonel 
Ferris  was  present  at  this  meeting. — B.  H.  R. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  303 

and  shall  not  be  able  to  find  it.     Gentlemen,  you  will  find  what  I 
have  told  you  will  come  true."  * 

The  members  of  the  Nauvoo  city  council  under  arrest  for 
riot,  in  destroying  the  Expositor  press,  were  taken  before  R.  F. 
Smith,  justice  of  the  peace  and  also  captain  of  the  Carthage 
Greys.  It  will  be  remembered  perhaps  that  Governor  Ford  had 
told  Joseph,  in  a  communication  referred  to  in  the  last  chapter, 
that  nothing  but  his  appearing  before  Justice  Morrison,  who  is- 
sued the  writ  against  him  would  vindicate  the  majesty  of  the 
law,  but  now  the  prisoners  were  at  Carthage  where  Justice  Mor- 
rison lived,  and  could  have  appeared  before  him,  and  were  will- 
ing to  do  so,  they  were  taken  before  another  justice. 

In  order  to  avoid  increasing  the  excitement,  the  prisoners 
admitted  there  was  sufficient  cause  to  be  bound  over  to  appear 
at  the  next  term  of  the  circuit  court  for  Hancock  County.  The 
bonds  amounted  to  seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars. 

Justice  Smith  dismissed  his  court  without  taking  any  action 
on  the  charge  of  treason  under  which  the  Brothers  Smith  were 
still  held;  but  about  eight  o'clock  the  same  evening,  Constable 
Bettisworth  appeared  at  their  lodgings  at  the  Hamilton  House 
and  insisted  on  their  going  to  jail.  The  Prophet  demanded  to 
see  the  copy  of  the  mittimus  which  was  at  first  denied;  but  upon 
his  counsel — Messrs  Woods  &  Reid— informing  the  constable 
that  the  accused  were  entitled  to  a  hearing  before  a  justice,  be- 
fore they  could  be  sent  to  jail,  to  the  surprise  of  all  present  he 
produced  a  mittimus,  issued  by  Justice  R.  F.  Smith.  It  stated  that 
Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  were  under  arrest  charged  with  treason; 
"and  have  been,"  so  the  paper  read,"brought  before  me,  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  in  and  for  said  county,  for  trial  at  the  seat  of  justice 
hereof,  which  trial  has  been  necessarily  postponed,  by  reason 
of  the  absence  of  material  witnesses."     Now,  this  mittimus,  so 


*  In  view  of  the  great  civil  war  which  a  few  years  later  desolated 
the  land  it  is  clear  that  the  above  utterance  was  prophetic. 


304  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

far  as  it  related  to  the  prisoners  appearing  before  Justice  Smith 
was  an  infamous  falsehood,  "unless,"  as  Lawyer  Reid  says,  in 
the  account  he  published  of  these  proceedings — 'unless  the 
prisoners  could  have  appeared  before  the  justice  without  being 
present  in  person  or  by  counsel!"  The  same  representation  of  the 
case  was  made  to  me  by  Lawyer  James  W.  Woods,  who,  at  the 
time  was  associated  with  Mr.  Reid  as  the  Prophet's  counsel, 
whom  I  met  in  the  summer  of  1880,  in  Iowa,  and  from  whom  at 
that  time  I  received  a  detailed  account  of  the  proceedings. 

Joseph  and  his  counsel  and  his  friends  protested  most  vigor- 
ously against  this  unlawful  proceeding,  but  to  no  avail.  R.  F. 
Smith  finding  his  mittimus  unlawful,  appealed  to  the  governor 
as  to  what  he  should  do;  to  which  the  governor  answered:  "You 
have  the  Carthage  Greys  at  your  command."  That  hint  was 
sufiicient.  What  the  justice  had  illegally  begun,  the  same  per- 
son as  captain  must  with  unlawful  force  consummate!  Yet  when 
this  same  governor  was  appealed  to  for  protection  against  this 
unhallowed  as  w^ell  as  unlawful  proceeding,  he  expressed  himself 
as  being  very  sorry  the  circumstance  had  occurred,  but  he  really 
could  not  interfere  with  the  civic  powers! 

Elder  John  Taylor  went  to  the  governor  and  remindtsd  him 
of  his  pledges  of  protection.  Elder  Taylor  expressed  his  dis- 
satisfaction at  the  course  taken,  and  told  the  governor  that  if 
they  were  to  be  subject  to  mob  rule,  and  to  be  dragged  con- 
trary to  law  to  prison,  at  the  instance  of  every  scoundrel  whose 
oath  could  be  bought  for  a  dram  of  whisky,  his  protection 
availed  very  little,  and  they  had  miscalculated  the  executive's 
promises. 

In  the  meantime  a  drunken  rabble  had  collected  in  the 
street  in  front  of  the  Hamilton  House,  and  Captain  Dunn  with 
some  twenty  men  came  to  guard  the  prisoners  to  the  jail. 
The  Prophet's  friends  stood  by  him  in  these  trying  times  and 
followed  him  through  the  excited  crowd  in  the  direction  of  the 
jail.     Stephen  Markham  walked  on  one  side  of  the  Prophet  and 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  305 

his  brother  Hyrum  and  Dan  Jones  on  the  other,  and  with  their 
walking  sticks  kept  back  the  rabble,  which  several  times  broke 
through  the  guard,  while  Elder  Taylor,  Willard  Richards  and 
John  S.  Fullmer  walked  behind  them. 

The  jail  was  reached  in  safety  and  the  prisoners  given  in 
charge  of  Mr.  George  W.  Stigall,  who  first  put  them  into  the 
criminal's  cell,  but  afterwards  gave  them  the  more  comfortable 
quarters  known  as  the  "debtors'  apartment."  When  night 
came'  the  prisoners  and  their  friends  stretched  themselves  out 
on  the  floor  of  the  old  jail — and  so  passed  the  night  of  the 
twenty-fifth. 

Governor  Ford  represents  in  his  "History  of  Illinois,"  that 
these  men  were  placed  in  prison  to  protect  them  from  the  rab- 
ble,* but  says  not  a  word  about  the  protests  of  the  prisoners 
against  being  thrust  into  jail,  or  the  illegal  means  employed  in 
putting  them  there. 

In  the  forenoon  of  the  twenty-sixth,  a  lengthy  interview 
took  place  between  Governor  Ford  and  Joseph  in  which  the 
whole  cause  of  the  trouble  was  reviewed,  the  causes  leading  up 
to  the  destruction  of  the  Expositor  press,  calling  out  the  Legion 
on  which  the  charge  of  treason  was  based,  and  all  other  affairs 
connected  with  the  difficulties.  Governor  Ford  condemned  the 
action  of  the  city  council,  but  the  course  pursued  by  that  body 
was  ably  defended  by  Joseph,  and  showed  that  even  if  they  had 
been  wrong  in  following  the  course  they  had  taken,  it  was  a 
matter  for  the  courts  to  decide  and  not  a  thing  for  mobs  to 
settle.  In  conclusion  the  Prophet  told  the  Governor  that  he 
considered  himself  unsafe  in  Carthage,  as  the  town  was  swarm- 
ing with  men  who  had  openly  sworn  to  take  his  life.  He  under- 
stood the  governor  contemplated  going  to  Nauvoo,  accompanied 
by  the  militia,  to  investigate  certain  charges  about  counterfeit- 


Ford's  History  oi  Illinois,  p.  338. 


306  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

ing  the  United  States  currency,  and  if  possible  secure  the  dies- 
and  other  implements  used  in  manufacturing  it,  and  Joseph 
demanded  his  freedom  that  he  might  go  with  him.  The  gover- 
nor promised  him  that  he  should  go.* 

The  false  mittimus  on  which  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith 
were  thrust  into  prison,  ordered  the  jailor  to  keep  them  in  cus- 
tody, ''until  discharged  by  due  course  of  law."  But  on  the  af- 
ternoon of  the  twenty-sixth,  Frank  Worrell  appeared  before 
the  jail  in  command  of  the  Carthage  Greys  and  demanded  that 
the  prisoners  be  delivered  up  to  the  constable  to  be  taken  be- 
fore Justice  R.  F.  Smith  for  trial.  Against  this  proceeding  the 
jailor  protested,  as  the  prisoners  were  placed  in  his  keeping 
until  ''discharged  by  due  course  of  law,"  and  not  at  the  demand 
of  a  constable  or  military  despot.  But  by  threats  amounting  to 
intimidation,  Worrell  compelled  the  jailor  against  his  convic- 
tion of  duty  to  surrender  the  prisoners  to  him. 

Meantime  a  mob  had  gathered  at  the  door  of  the  jail  and 
seeing  that  things  had  assumed  a  threatening  aspect,  the 
Prophet  stepped  into  the  crowd,  locked  arms  with  one  of  the 
worst  mobocrats,  and  with  his  brother  Hyrum  on  the  other  arm, 
and  followed  by  his  faithful  friends,  proceeded  to  the  court 
house.  He  had  been  unlawfully  thrust  into  prison,  and  as  il- 
legally dragged  out  of  it  and  exposed  to  imminent  danger  among 
his  worst  enemies. 

The  counsel  for  the  Brothers  Smith  asked  for  a  continu- 
ance until  the  next  day  as  they  were  without  witnesses,  not 
having  been  notified  when  they  would  come  to  trial.  A  contin- 
uance was  granted  until  noon  the  next  day.  A  new  mittimus 
was  made  out  and  the  prisoners  committed  again  to  prison — 
their  old  quarters.  But  after  the  prisoners  were  again  lodged 
in  jail,  and  without  consulting  either  them  or  their  counsel, 


*  For  this  conversation  in  extenso  as  reported  by  Elder  John  Tay- 
lor who  was  present,  see  Appendix  iv. 


RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  307 

Justice  R.  F.  Smith  changed  the  time  of  trial  from  noon  on  the 
twenty-seventh  until  the  twenty-ninth. 

This  change  was  made  in  consequence  of  a  decision  reached 
by  Governor  Ford  and  his  military  council  to  march  all  his 
troops  into  Nauvoo,  except  a  company  of  fifty  of  the  Carthage 
Greys  that  would  be  detailed  to  guard  the  prisoners.  So  Mr. 
R.  F.  Smith,  acting,  it  will  be  remembered,  in  the  double  capac- 
ity of  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  captain  of  the  Carthage  Greys, 
as  a  justice  altered  the  date  of  the  return  of  the  subpoenas  and 
excused  the  court  until  the  twenty-ninth;  that  as  a  captain  of 
a  company  of  militia  he  might  attend  the  military  train  enter- 
ing Nauvoo  in  triumph! 

The  evening  of  the  twenty- sixth  was  spent  very  pleasantly 
by  the  prisoners  and  their  friends — John  Taylor,  Willard  Rich- 
ards, John  S.  Fullmer,  Stephen  Markham  and  Dan  Jones.  Hy- 
rum  occupied  the  principal  par^  of  the  time  in  reading  accounts 
from  the  Book  of  Mormon  of  the  deliverance  of  God's  servants 
from  prison,  and  in  commenting  upon  them,  with  a  view,  doubt- 
less, of  cheering  his  brother  Joseph,  since  the  Prophet  had  ex- 
pressed himself  as  having  a  presentiment  of  uneasiness  as  to  his 
safety,  that  he  had  never  before  experienced  when  in  the  hands 
of  his  enemies. 

Late  at  night  all  retired  to  rest  except  Willard  Richards, 
who  by  the  flickering  flame  of  a  tallow  candle  continued  his  work  of 
\vriting  out  some  important  documents.  Joseph  and  Hyrum  oc- 
cupied the  only  bedstead  in  the  room,  and  their  friends  lay  side 
by  side  on  the  mattresses  spread  out  on  the  floor.  Sometime 
after  midnight  a  single  gun  was  fired  near  the  prison.  Elder 
Richards  started  in  his  chair,  and  Joseph  rose  from  the  bed 
where  he  had  been  lying,  and  stretched  himself  out  on  the  floor 
between  Fullmer  and  Jones. 

"Lay  your  head  on  my  arm  for  a  pillow.  Brother  John,"  said 
the  Prophet  to  Fullmer  as  he  kindly  placed  his  arm  under  that 
person's  head.     Soon  all  became  quiet,  except  in  a  low  tone 


308  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO 

Fullmer  and  the  Prophet  continued  to  talk  of  presentiments  the 
latter  had  received  of  approaching  death.  "I  would  like  to 
see  my  family  again,"  said  he,  "and  I  would  to  God  that  I  could 
preach  to  the  Saints  in  Nauvoo  once  more."  Fullmer  tried 
to  cheer  him  by  saying  he  thought  he  would  have  that  privilege 
many  times. 

Again  all  was  silent,  and  everybody  apparently  asleep. 
But  Joseph  turned  to  Dan  Jones  and  was  heard  to  say,  "Are 
you  afraid  to  die?"  To  which  the  one  addressed  said:  "Has  that 
time  come,  think  you?  Engaged  in  such  a  cause  I  do  not  think 
death  would  have  many  terrors."  And  then  the  Prophet  said: 
*'You  will  yet  see  W^les" — his  native  land — "and  fill  the  mis- 
sion appointed  you,  before  you  die."*  So  passed  away  the  night 
preceding  the  day  which  saw  enacted  that  tragedy  which  robbed 
earth  of  two  of  the  noblest  men  that  ever  lived  upon  it. 

As  the  morning  light  struggled  through  the  windows  of 
Carthage  jail,  the  prisoners  and  their  friends  awoke,  and  the 
Prophet  required  Dan  Jones  to  go  down  stairs  and  enquire  of 
the  guard  about  the  gun  that  was  fired  in  the  night,  what  the 
meaning  of  it  was,  etc. 

Jones  went  accordingly,  and  found  Frank  Worrell  in  com- 
mand of  the  guard  and  the  answer  he  received  to  his  inquiry 
was  this:  "We  have  had  too  much  trouble  to  get  old  Joe  here  to 
let  him  ever  escape  alive,  and  unless  you  want  to  die  with  him, 

you  had  better  leave  before  sun  down;  and  you  are  not  a  d n 

bit  better  than  him  for  taking  his  part;  and  you'll  see  that  I  can 
prophesy  better  than  old  Joe,  for  neither  he  nor  his  brother,  nor 
anyone  who  will  remain  with  them,  will  see  the  sun  set  today." 
This  answer  Jones  related  to  Joseph,  who  told  him  to  go  to  the 
governor  at  once  and  report  the  words  of  the  guard.     On  his 


*  This  prediction  was  fulfilled.  Elder  Dan  Jones  went  on  a  mis- 
sion to  Wales  starting  on  the  28th  of  August,  1844,  in  company  with 
Wilford  Woodruff,  and  performed  a  most  wonderful  mission  in  his  na- 
tive land. 


RISE   AND  PALL  OF  NAUVOO.  309 

way  to  the  governor's  quarters  at  the  Hamilton  House,  Jones 
passed  a  crowd  of  men  who  were  being  addressed  by  a  person  un- 
known to  him.     He  paused  long  enough  to  hear  these  words: 

"Our  troops  will  be  discharged  this  morning  in  obedience 
to  orders,  and  for  a  sham  we  will  leave  the  town;  but  when  the 
governor  and  the  McDonough  troops  have  left  for  Nauvoo  this 
^  forenoon,  we  will  return  and  kill  those  men  if  we  have  to  tear 
the  jail  down,"  (applause.)  These  words  and  what  the  captain 
of  the  guard  said  were  faithfully  reported  to  Governor  Ford,  in 
reply  to  which  he  said:  "You  are  unnecessarily  alarmed  for  the 
safety  of  your  friends,  sir,  the  people  are  not  that  cruel." 

Angered  at  such  an  answer  the  following  conversation  oc- 
curred: 

Jones.  The  Messrs.  Smith  are  American  citizens,  and  have  sur- 
rendered themselves  to  your  excellency  upon  your  pledging  your  hon- 
or for  their  safety;  they  are  also  master  Masons,  and  as  such  I  de- 
mand of  you  the  protection  of  their  lives.  If  you  do  not  thie,  I  have 
but  one  more  desire,  and  that  is,  if  you  leave  their  lives  in  the  hands 
,  of  those  men  to  be  sacrificed — 

Governor  Ford.     What  is  that,  sir? 

Jones.  It  is  that  the  Almighty  will  preserve  my  life  to  a  proper 
time  and  place,  that  I  may  testify  that  you  have  been  timely  warned 
of  their  danger. 

The  governor  manifested  some  excitement  during  this  con- 
versation, turning  pale  at  the  Masonic  warning  Jones  gave  him. 
The  effect,  however,  was  but  momentary. 

Jones  returned  to  the  jail  after  his  conversation  with  the 
governor,  but  was  denied  admission.  He  then  returned  to  the 
governor  to  secure  a  pass;  and  arrived  at  the  square  just  as 
that  officer  was  disbanding  the  militia.  It  is  customary  when 
the  militia  has  been  called  together  to  assist  in  execution  of 
the  laws,  or  to  suppress  an  insurrection,  to  dismiss  the  respec- 
tive companies  in  charge  of  their  several  commanders  to  be 


310  RISE  AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

marched  home  and  there  be  disbanded.  But  in  this  instance 
the  governor  disbanded  all  the  troops,  except  the  Carthage 
Greys  whom,  it  appears,  he  had  selected  to  guard  the  jail,  and 
the  McDonough  troops  who  were  to  accompany  him  to 
Nauvoo. 

Governor  Ford  himself,  in  his  history  of  Illinois,  represents 
that  there  were  about  twelve  or  thirteen  hundred  of  the  militia 
at  Carthage  and  some  five  hundred  at  Warsaw.  As  the  disbanded 
militia  left  the  square,  they  acted  in  a  boisterous  manner, 
shouting  that  they  would  only  go  a  short  distance  from  town, 
and  then  come  back  and  kill  old  Joe  and  Hyrum  as  soon  as  the 
governor  was  far  enough  out  of  town.  Dan  Jones  called  the 
attention  of  the  governor  to  these  threats,  but  he  ignored  them. 
I  suppose  these  are  the  threats  of  which  Governor  Ford  himself 
speaks  in  his  history  of  these  unfortunate  events,  when  he 
says: 

I  had  heard  of  some  threats  being  made,  but  none  of  an  attack 
upon  the  prisoners  whilst  in  jail.-  These  threats  seemed  to  be  made 
by  individuals  not  acting  in  concert.  They  were  no  more  than  the 
bluster  which  might  have  been  expected,  and  furnished  no  indication 
of  numbers  combining  for  this  or  any  other  purpose. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Governor  Ford  expressed  a  de- 
termination to  march  with  all  his  forces  into  Nauvoo,  and 
Joseph  having  heard  of  this,  in  the  interview  at  the  jail  before 
alluded  to,  expressed  a  desire  to  accompany  him,  and  the  gov- 
ernor promised  him  he  should  go.  This  promise  the  governor 
failed  to  keep  because  a  council  of  his  officers  convinced  him 
that  to  take  the  Prophet  with  him  to  Nauvoo  "would  be  highly 
inexpedient  and  dangerous."  Indeed  the  whole  plan  of  march- 
ing all  his  forces  into  Nauvoo,  was  abandoned.  The  expedition 
had  been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  striking  terror  into  the 
hearts  of  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  by  a  display  of  military  force 
in  their  midst,  and  to  satisfy  the  wishes  of  the  anti-Mormons. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  311 

'Speaking  of  this  projected  semi-invasion  of  Nauvoo  and  the  prep- 
arations made  for  the  start,  Governor  Ford  says: 

I  observed  that  some  of  the  people  became  more  and  more  ex- 
cited and  inflammatory  the  further  the  preparations  were  advanced. 
Occasional  threats  came  to  my  ears  of  destroying  the  city  and  mur- 
dering or  expelling  the  inhabitants. 

I  had  no  objection  to  ease  the  terrors  of  the  people  by  such  a 
display  of  force,  and  was  most  anxious  also  to  search  for  the  alleged 
apparatus  for  making  counterfeit  money;  and  in  fact  to  inquire  into 
all  the  charges  made  against  that  people,  if  I  could  have  been  assured 
of  my  command  against  mutiny  and  insubordination.  But  I  gradually 
learned  to  my  entire  satisfaction  that  there  was  a  plan  to  get  the 
troops  into  Nauvoo,  and  there  to  begin  the  war,  probably  by  some  of 
our  own  party,  or  some  of  the  seceding  Mormons,  taking  advantage 
of  the  night  to  fire  on  our  own  force,  and  then  lay  it  on  the  Mor- 
mons. 

I  was  satisfied  that  there  were  those  amongst  us  fully  capable  of 
such  an  act,  hoping  that  in  the  alarm,  bustle  and  confusion  of  a 
militia  cam}i,  the  truth  could  not  be  discovered,  and  that  it  might 
lead  to  the  desired  collision.* 

Such  are  the  reasons  assigned  by  Governor  Ford  for  aban- 
doning his  plan  of  marching  all  his  forces  into  Nauvoo.  If  he 
could  persuade  him'self  to  believe  that  he  had  those  under 
his  command,  who  would  resort  to  the  means  he  himself 
alludes  to  in  the  foregoing,  to  bring  about  a  collision  with  the 
citizens  of  Nauvoo;  and  that  he  was  fearful  that  his  whole  com- 
mand would  mutiny  when  once  in  the  city  of  the  Saints,  it  is  un- 
fortunate for  the  fame  of  Governor  Ford  that  his  fears  could 
not  be  aroused  for  the  safety  of  his  prisoners,  who  were  left  at 
the  mercy  of  those  same  militia  forces,  of  which  he  himself  was 
distrustful,  the  only  barrier  between  them  and  the  fury  of  this 
mob-militia  being  a  guard  made  up  of  their  bitterest  ene- 
mies. 


Ford's  History  of  Illinois,  page  340. 


312  RISE  AND  PALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

To  satisfy  the  anti-Mormons  the  governor  told  them  he 
would  take  a  small  force  with  him  and  go  in  search  of  counter- 
feiting apparatus  and  would  make  a  speech  to  the  citizens  of 
Nauvoo,  detailing  to  them  the  consequences  of  any  acts  of  vio- 
lence on  their  part.  En  route  for  Nauvoo,  however,  some  of  his 
officers  expressed  fears  that  the  Smiths  would  be  killed,  and 
the  governor  informs  us  that  he  reduced  his  forces,  leaving 
part  of  his  command  on  the  way,  and  pushed  with  all  speed  for 
Nauvoo;  that  he  might  make  a  speech  to  the  people  there  and 
return  to  Carthage  that  night,  giving  up  the  idea  of  remaining 
several  days  to  search  for  counterfeiting  apparatus  and  making^ 
inquiries  into  the  charges  against  the  Mormon  people.  Leaving 
him  to  pursue  to  his  journey  to  Nauvoo,  I  return  to  note  the 
events  which  took  place  at  the  jail. 

Cyrus  H.  Wheelock  visited  Carthage  jail  early  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  27th,  and  when  he  departed  for  Nauvoo  to  secure  wit- 
nesses and  documents  for  the  impending  trial  on  the  charge 
of  treason,  he  left  with  the  prisoners  an  old-fashioned,  pepper- 
box revolver.  Before  leaving  Carthage,  however,  he  went  to  Gov- 
ernor Ford,  (he  leaving  Carthage  before  the  governor  started,) 
and  expressed  his  fears  for  the  safety  of  the  prisoners.  He 
then  started  for  Nauvoo,  but  with  a  heavy 'heart. 

Dan  Jones  was  sent  to  Quincy  by  the  Prophet  with  a  letter 
to  lawyer  0.  H.  Browning,  applying  for  his  professional  services 
in  the  pending  trial.  The  letter  was  handed  to  Jones  by  A.  W. 
Babbitt,  the  former  not  being  allowed  to  enter  the  jail  after 
leaving  it  in  the  morning.  The  mob  being  informed  by  the 
guard  of  the  letter,  set  up  the  cry  that  Joe  Smith  was  sending 
an  order  by  Jones  to  the  Nauvoo  Legion  to  come  and  rescue 
him.  A  crowd  surrounded  Jones  and  demanded  the  letter  but 
the  fearless  Welshman  refused  to  give  it  up;  whereupon  some 
were  in  favor  of  forcing  it  from  him,  but  there  was  a  disagree- 
ment in  the  crowd  about  that,  and  while  they  were  discussing: 
the  point,  Jones  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  away. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  313 

Stephen  Markham  being  seen  on  the  streets  in  the  after- 
noon, a  number  of  the  Carthage  Greys  captured  him,  put  him  on 
his  horse  and  forced  him  out  of  town  at  the  point  of  the  bayo- 
net, notwithstanding  he  held  a  pass  from  the  governor  to  go  in 
and  out  of  the  jail  at  pleasure.  This  left  but  Elders  Richards 
and  Taylor  with  the  Prophet  and  his  brother  in  the  prison.  They 
passed  the  afternoon  in  pleasant  conversation,  reading  and  sing- 
ing. Elder  Tajior  sang  a  hymn  entitled  "A  poor  wayfaring 
man  of  grief:"  a  peculiarly  plaintive  piece  of  poetry,  and  ad- 
mirably suited  to  their  circumstances: 

A  poor  wayfaring  man  of  grief 

Hath  often  crossed  me  on  the  way. 
Who  sued  so  humbly  for  relief 

That  1  could  never  answer,  Xay. 

I  had  not  power  to  ask  His  name, 
Whereto  He  went  or  whence  He  came. 
Yet  there  was  something  in  His  eye 
That  won  my  love,  I  knew  not  why. 

Once  when  my  scanty  meal  was  spread, 

He  entered,  not  a  word  He  spake; 
Just  perishing  for  want  of  bread, 

I  gave  Him  all,  He  blessed  it,  brake, 

And  ate,  but  gave  me  part  again; 
Mine  was  an  angel's  portion  then. 
For  while  I  fed  with  eager  haste. 
The  crust  was  manna  to  my  taste. 

I  spied  Him  where  a  fountain  burst 

Clear  from  the  rock;  His  strength  was  gone, 

The  heedless  water  mocked  His  thirst, 
He  heard  it,  saw  it  hurrying  on. 

20 


314  RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

I  ran  and  raised  the  suff'rer  up; 
Thrice  from  the  stream  He  drained  my  cup, 
Dipped,  and  returned  it  running  o'er; 
I  drank  and  never  thirsted  more. 

'Twas  night;  the  floods  were  out;  it  blew 

A  winter-hurricane  aloof;    • 
I  heard  His  voice  abroad,  and  flew 

To  bid  Him  welcome  to  my  roof. 

I  warmed  and  clothed  and  cheered  my  guest, 
And  laid  Him  on  my  couch  to  rest, 
Then  made  the  earth  my  bed,  and  seemed 
In  Eden's  garden  while  I  dreamed. 

Stript,  wounded,  beaten  nigh  to  death, 
I  found  Him  by  the  highway  side; 

I  roused  His  pulse,  brought  back  His  breath, 
Revived  His  spirit,  and  supplied 

Wine,  oil,  refreshment — He  was  healed; 
I  had  myself  a  wound  concealed. 
But  from  that  hour  forgot  the  smart. 
And  peace  bound  up  my  broken  heart.. 

In  prison  I  saw  Him  next,  condemned 
To  meet  a  traitor's  doom  at  morn; 

The  tide  of  lying  tongues  I  stemmed. 
And  honored  Him  'mid  shame  and  scorn. 

My  friendship's  utmost  zeal  to  try. 
He  asked  if  I  for  Him  would  die; 
The  flesh  was  weak,  my  blood  ran  chill. 
But  the  free  spirit  cried,  "I  will!" 

Then  in  a  moment  to  my  view, 
The  stranger  darted  from  disguise; 

The  tokens  in  His  hands  I  knew. 
The  Savior  stood  before  mine  eyes. 


RISE  AND  PALL  OF  NAUVOO,  315 

He  spake,  and  my  poor  name  He  named, 
"Of  Me  thou  hast  not  been  ashamed; 
These  deeds  shall  thy  memorial  be, 
Fear  not,  thou  didst  them  unto  Me." 


Late  in  the  afternoon  Mr.  Stigall,  the  jailor,  came  in  and 
suggested  that  they  would  be  safer  in  the  cells.  Joseph  told  him 
they  would  go  in  after  supper.  Turning  to  Elder  Richards  the 
Prophet  said;  "If  we  goto  the  cell  will  you  go  in  with  us?" 

Elder  Richards.  "Brother  Joseph,  you  did  not  ask  me  to 
cross  the  river  with  you  [referring  to  the  time  when  they 
crossed  the  Mississippi,  en  route  for  the  Rocky  Mountains] — 
you  did  not  ask  me  to  come  to  Carthage — you  did  not  ask  me 
to  come  to  j^il  with  you — and  do  you  think  I  would  forsake  you 
now?  But  I  will  tell  you  what  I  will  do;  if  you  are  condemned 
to  be  hung  for  treason,  I  will  be  hung  in  your  stead,  and  you 
shall  go  free." 

Josevh.     "But  you  cannot." 

Richards.     "I  will,  though." 

This  conversation  took  place  a  little  after  five  o'clock,  and 
very  soon  afterwards  the  attack  was  made  on  the  jail.  It  ap- 
pears that  a  crowd  came  from  the  direction  of  Warsaw  that 
evidently  had  an  undert^tanding  with  the  Carthage  Greys  and 
the  members  of  that  company  on  guard  at  the  jail,  since  the 
latter,  without  question,  had  but  blank  cartridges  in  their  guns; 
and  the  attack  was  made  under  the  very  eyes  of  the  rest  of  the 
company  encamped  but  two  or  three  hundred  yards  away  on  the 
public  square,  and  they  made  no  effort  whatever  to  prevent  the 
assaults  on  the  prison. 

The  guard  at  the  jail  played  their  part  well.  They  fired 
blank  shots  at  the  advancing  mob,  or  discharged  their  pieces  in 
the  air.  They  were  "overpowered"  (?),  and  the  prison  was  in 
the  hands  of  an  infuriated  mob.  A  rush  was  made  for  the  room 
where  the  prisoners  were  lodged,  and  a  shower  of  lead  was  sent 


316  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

in   through  the  door  and  the  windows  from  those  on  the  out- 
side. 

As  no  account  that  I  could  possibly  write  would  equal  that 
given  by  an  eye-witness  of  the  whole  transaction,  I  here  quote 
entire  the  account  of  the  tragedy  by  Elder  Willard  Richards, 
as  it  appeared  in  the  Times  and  Seasons  soon  after  the  event, 
under  the  caption, 

TWO  MINUTES  IN   JAIL. 

A  shower  of  musket  balls  was  thrown  up  the  stairway  against 
the  door  of  the  prison  in  the  second  story,  followed  by  many  rapid 
footsteps. 

While  Generals  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  Mr.  Taylor  and  myself, 
who  were  in  the  front  chamber,  closed  the  door  of  our  room  against 
the  entry  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  and  placed  ourselves  against  it, 
there  being  no  lock  on  the  door,  and  no  catch  that  was  unscal- 
able. 

The  door  is  a  common  panel,  and  as  soon  as  we  heard  the  feet  at 
the  stair's  head,  a  ball  was  sent  through  the  door,  which  passed  be- 
tween us,  and  showed  that  our  enemies  were  desperadoes  and  we 
must  change  our  position. 

General  Joseph  Smith,  Mr.  Taylor  and  myself  sprang  back  to  the 
front  part  of  the  room.  General  Hyrum  Smith  retreated  two- 
thirds  across  the  chamber  directly  in  front  of  and  facing  the  door. 
A  ball  was  sent  through  the  door  which  hit  Hyrum  on  the  side  of  his 
nos.e,  when  he  fell  backwards,  extending:  at  full  length  without  mov- 
ing his  feet.  From  the  holes  in  his  vest  (the  day  was  warm  and  no 
one  had  their  coats  on  but  myself)  pantaloons,  drawers,  and  shirt,  it 
appeared  that  a  ball  must  have  been  thrown  from  without  through 
the  window,  which  entered  the  back  of  his  right  side,  and  passing 
through,  lodged  against  his  watch,  which  was  in  the  right  vest  pockety 
completely  pulverizing  the  crystal  and  face,  tearing  off  the  hands  and 
mashing  the  whole  body  of  the  watch.  At  the  same  instant  the  ball 
from  the  door  entered  his  nose. 

As  he  struck  the  floor  he  exclaimed  emphatically,  "/  am  a  dead 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  317 

man:'  Joseph  looked  towards  him  and  responded,  "Oh  dear!  Brother 
Hyrum,"  and  opening  the  door  two  or  three  inches  with  his  left  hand, 
discharged  one  barrel  of  a  six-shooter  (the  pistol  left  him  by  C.  H. 
Wheelock)  at  random  in  the  entry,  from  whence  a  ball  grazed  Hyrum's 
breast,  and  entering  his  throat  passed  into  his  head,  while  other  mus- 
kets were  aimed  at  him  as  some  balls  hit  him. 

Joseph  continued  snapping  his  revolver  round  the  casing  of  the 
'door  into  the  space  as  before,  three  barrels  of  which  missed  fire,  while 
Mr.  Taylor  wich  a  walking  stick  stood  by  his  side  and  knocked  down 
the  bayonets  and  muskets,  which  were  constantly  discharging  through 
the  doorway,  while  I  stood  by  him  ready  to  lend  any  assistance,  with 
another  stick,  but  could  not  come  within  striking  distance  without 
going  directly  in  front  of  the  muzzles  of  the  guns. 

When  the  revolver  failed,  we  had  no  more  firearms,  and  expected 
an  immediate  rush  of  the  mob,  and  the  doorway  full  of  muskets  half 
way  in  the  room,  and  no  hope  but  instant  death  from  within.  M^^ 
Taylor  rushed  into  the  window,  which  is  some  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  from 
the  ground.  When  his  body  was  nearly  on  a  balance,  a  ball  from  the 
door  within  entered  his  leg,  and  a  ball  from  without  struck  his  watch, 
a  patent  lever,  in  his  vest  pocket  near  his  left  breast,  and  smashed  ii 
into  "pie,"  leaving  the  hands  standing  at  five  o'clock,  sixteen  minutes, 
and  twenty-six  seconds,  the  force  of  which  ball  threw  him  back  on 
the  floor,  and  he  rolled  under  the  bed  which  stood  by  his  side,  where 
he  lay  motionless,  the  mob  continuing  to  fire  upon  him,  cutting  away 
a  piece  of  flesh  from  his  left  hip  as  large  as  a  man's  hand,  and  were 
hindered  only  by  my  knocking  down  their  muzzles  with  a  stick;  while 
they  continued  to  reach  their  guns  into  the  room,  probably  left  handed, 
and  aimed  their  discharge  so  far  round  as  almost  to  reach  us  in  the 
corner  of  the  room  to  where  we  retreated  and  dodged,  and  there  I 
commenced  the  attack  with  my  stick. 

Joseph  attempted  as  a  last  resort  to  leap  the  same  window  from 
which  Mr.  Taylor  fell,  when  two  balls  pierced  him  from  the  door,  and 
one  entered  his  right  breast  from_without,  and  he  fell  outward  exclaim- 
ing, "0  Lor(f,  mYGodr  As  his  feet  went  out  of  the  window  my  head 
went  in,  the  balls  whistling  all  round.  He  fell  on  his  left  side  a  dead 
man.  At  this  instant  the  cry  was  raised,  ''He's  leaped  the  window/'  and 
the  mob  on  the  stairs  and  in  the  entry  ran  out. 


318  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

I  withdrew  from  the  window  thinking  it  no  use  to  leap  out  onahun- 
dred  bayonets,  then  round  Gen.  Smith's  body.  Not  satisfied  with  this, 
I  again  reached  my  head  out  of  the  window,  and  watched  some  seconds 
to  see  if  there  were  any  signs  of  life,  regardless  of  my  own,  deter- 
mined to  see  the  end  of  him  I  loved.  Being  fully  satisfied  that  he  was 
dead,  with  a  hundred  men  near  his  body  and  more  coming  round  the 
corner  of  the  jail,  and  expecting  a  return  to  our  room,  I  rushed 
toward  the  prison  door  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  and  through 
the  entry  from  whence  the  firing  had  proceeded,  to  learn  if  the  doors 
into  the  prison  were  open.  When  near  the  entry  Mr.  Taylor  cried  out 
''Take  me!"  I  pressed  my  way  until  I  found  all  doors  unbarred,  return- 
ing instantly,  caught  Mr.  Taylor  under  my  arm,  and  rushed  up  the 
stairs  into  the  dungeon,  or  inner  prison,  stretched  him  on  the  floor 
and  covered  him  with  a  bed  in  such  a  manner  as  not  likely  to  be  per- 
ceived, expecting  an  immediate  return  of  the  mob.  I  said  to  Mr.  Tay- 
lor, "This  is  a  hard  case  to  lay  you  on  the  floor,  but  if  your  wounds 
are  not  fatal,  I  want  you  to  live  to  tell  the  story."  I  expected  to  be 
shot  the  next  moment,  and  stood  before  the  doors  awaiting  the 
onset. 

There  was,  however,  no  further  onset  made  on  the  jail. 

Three  minutes  after  the  attack  was  commenced,  Hyrum 
Smith  lay  stretched  out  on  the  floor  of  the  prison  dead,  Elder 
Taylor  lay  not  far  from  him  savagely  wounded,  the  Prophet  was 
lying  by  the  side  of  the  well  curb,*  just  under  the  window  from 


*  It  issaid  that  after  Joseph  fell  by  the  well  curb  under  the  window 
from  which  he  attempted  to  leap,  he  was  set  up  against  that  curb  and 
Colonel  Levi  Williams  ordered  four  men  to  fire  at  him,  which  they 
did.  It  is  then  said  that  a  ruffian  bareheaded  and  barefooted,  his 
pantaloons  rolled  up  above  his  knees  and  his  shirt  sleeves  above  his 
elbows,  approached  the  dead  Prophet  bowie-knife  in  hand  with  the 
intention  it  is  supposed  of  severing  the  head  from  the  body.  He  had 
raised  his  hand  to  strike,  when  a  light  so  sudden  and  powerful  flashed 
upon  the  bloody  scene  that  the  mob  was  terror-stricken.  The  arm 
of  the  would-be  mutilator  of  the  dead  fell  powerless  at  his  side,  the 
four  muskets  of  those  who  fired  at  him  fell  to  the  ground,  while  their 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  319 

which  he  had  attempted  to  leap,  the  plighted  faith  of  a  State 
was  broken,  its  honor  trailed  in  the  dust,  and  a  stain  of  inno- 
cent blood  affixed  to  its  escutcheon  which  shall  remain  a  dis- 
grace forever. 

When  it  was  known  that  the  Prophet  was  killed,  conster- 
nation seemed  to  seize  the  mob  and  they  fled,  for  the  most  part, 
in  the  direction  of  Warsaw,  in  the  utmost  confusion.  Such 
wild  confusion  reigned  in  Carthage  that  it  was  nearly  midnight 
before  Elder  Richards  could  obtain  any  help  or  refreshments 
for  Elder  Taylor.  At  last  the  wounded  man  was  taken  to  the 
Hamilton  House  and  his  wounds  dressed.  The  bodies  of  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  were  also  taken  to  the  same  place  and  laid  out. 

Meantime  Governor  Ford  had  gone  to  Nauvoo,  where  he 
arrived  some  time  in  the  afternoon.     Several  thousands  assem- 


owners  stood  like  marble  statues  unable  to  move,  or  join  their  compan- 
ions in  the  hurried  and  confused  retreat  they  were  then  making,  and 
Colonel  Williams  had  to  call  upon  some  of  the  retreating  mob  to  carry 
them  away.  The  history  is  based  upon  the  statements  of  Wm.  M. 
Daniels, Blackenberry  and  a  Miss  Graham,  but  how  far  their  state- 
ments are  correct  I  have  no  means  of  judging.  When  at  Carthage  I 
became  acquainted  with  W.  R.  Hamilton,  son  of  the  Mr. Hamilton  who 
kept  the  Hamilton  House,  referred  to  several  times  in  these  pages,  and 
who  iust  previous  to  the  murder  of  the  Prophet  and  his  brother  had 
been  enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  company  of  Carthage  Greys.  At  the 
time  of  the  attack  on  the  jail  he  was  on  the  public  square  and  at  once 
ran  in  the  direction  of  the  jail  and  was  in  full  view  of  it  all  the  time.  He 
saw  the  Prophet  appear  at  the  window  and  half  leap  and  half  fall  out 
of  it.  After  which  the  mob  fled  precipitously.  According  to  his  state- 
ment there  was  no  such  an  occurrence  as  setting  the  body  against  the 
well,  etc.  He  claims  to  have  been  about  the  first  who  went  to  the 
body  of  the  murdered  man,  and  afterwards  rendered  some  assistance 
in  removing  Klder  Taylor  and  the  bodies  of  the  martyrs  to  his  father's 
house. 

It  isworthy  of  note  that  nothing  of  all  this  is  recorded  by  Willard 
Richards,  and  it  smacks  too  much  of  the  fanciful.  There  is  too  much 
deliberation  in  it  to  believe  it  to  be  the  action  of  a  mob. — R. 


320  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

bled  to  hear  his  speech,  that  he  went  there  to  deliver;  and  he 
insulted  them,  by  assuming  that  all  that  their  worst  enemies 
had  said  of  them  was  true,  and  threatened  them  with  most  dire 
calamities.  He  himself  in  his  history  of  Illinois,  says  the  peo- 
ple manifested  some  impatience  and  anger  when  he  referred  to 
the  misconduct  alleged  against  them  by  their  enemies;  and  well 
they  might,  for  baser  falsehoods  were  never  put  in  circulation 
to  slander  a  people. 

The  governor  was  invited  to  stay  all  night,  but  he  refused 
and  left  the  city  about  6:30  in  the  evening  for  Carthage,  his 
escort  riding  full  speed  up  Main  street  performing  the  sword 
exercise;  they  passed  the  temple,  and  so  left  the  city. 

Three  miles  out  the  governor  and  his  escort  met  George  D. 
Grant  and  David  Bettisworth  -riding  toward  Nauvoo  like  mad- 
men with  the  sad  news  of  the  death  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum.  The 
governor  took  them  back  with  him  to  Grant's  house,  one  and 
one  half  miles  east  of  Carthage,  that  the  news  might  not  reach 
Nauvoo  until  he  had  had  time  to  have  the  county  records  re- 
moved from  the  court  house,  and  warn  the  people  of  Carthage 
to  flee,  as  he  expected  an  immediate  attack  from  the  Nauvoo 
Legion,  and  that  the  whole  country  would  be  laid  waste. 

After  being  taken  back  to  Carthage,  George  D.  Grant 
mounted  another  horse  and  rode  that  night  with  the  awful  news 
to  Nauvoo. 

On  the  arrival  of  Governor  Ford  at  Carthage  the  following 
note  was  addressed  to  Mrs.  Emma  Smith  and  Major-General  Dun- 
ham of  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  dated  Midnight,  Hamilton  House, 
Carthage: 

The  governor  has  just  arrived;  says  all  things  shall  be  inquired 
into,  and  all  right  measures  taken.  I  say  to  all  citizens  of  Nauvoo — 
My  brethren,  be  still,  and  know  that  God  reigns.  DonH  rush  out  of 
the  city — don't  rush  to  Carthage — stay  at  home  and  be  prepared  for 
an  attack  from  Missouri  mobbers.     The  governor  will  render  every 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  321 

assistance  possible — has  sent  orders  for  troops,     Joseph  and  Hyrum 
are  dead,  will  prepare  lo  move  the  bodies  as  soon  as  possible. 

The  people  of  the  county  are  greatly  excited,  and  fear  the  Mor- 
mons will  come  out  and  take  vengeance.  I  have  pledged  my  word  the 
Mormons  will  stay  at  home  as  soon  as  they,  can  be  informed,  and  no 
violence  will  be  on  their  part,  and  say  to  my  brethren  in  Nauvoo,  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  be  still;  be  patien^,  only  let  such  friends  as 
choose  come  here  to  see  the  bodies.  Mr.  Taylor's  wounds  are  dressed, 
and  not  serious.     I  am  sound. 

WiLLARD  Richards. 

After  the  note  was  prepared  the  governor  wrote  an  order 
to  the  people  of  Nauvoo  to  defend  themselves,  and  then  about 
one  o'clock  in  the  morning  went  out  on  the  public  square  and 
advised  all  present  to  disperse,  as  he  expected  the  Mormons 
would  be  so  exasperated  that  they  would  burn  the  town.  Upon 
this  the  people  of  Carthage  fled  in  all  directions,  and  the  gov- 
ernor and  his  posse  took  flight  in  the  direction  of  Quincy;  but 
there  was  no  uprising  and  violence  on  the  part  of  the  Saints. 

The  next  day  the  bodies  of  the  murdered  men  were  taken 
to  Nauvoo.  About  one  mile  east  of  the  temple,  on  Mullholland 
street,  they  were  met  by  the  people  in  solemn  procession,  under 
the  direction  of  the  city  marshal.  Neither  tongue  nor  pen  can 
ever  describe  the  scene  of  sorrow  and  lamentation  which  was 
there  beheld.  The  love  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  for  the  Saints 
was  unbounded,  and  it  had  begotten  in  the  people  an  affection 
for  them  that  was  equally  dear  and  unselfish.  They  lived  in  the 
hearts  of  the  Saints,  and  thousands  would  have  laid  down  their 
lives  willingly  to  have  saved  theirs.  With  their  beloved  and 
trusted  leaders  thus  brutally  snatched  from  them;  under  such 
circumstances  of  cruelty  and  official  treachery,  imagine,  if  you 
can,  the  mingled  feelings  of  sorrow  and  righteous  indignation 
that  struggled  in  every  heart,  and  sought  expression! 

Arriving  at  the  Mansion,  the  bodies  were  taken  into  it 
to  be  prepared   for  burial;   and  Elder  Willard   Richards   and 


322  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

others  addressed  some  eight  or  ten  thousand  of  the  people  in 
the  open  air.  The  Saints  were  advised  to  keep  the  peace. 
Elder  Richards  stated  that  he  had  pledged  his  honor  and 
his  life  for  their  conduct.  When  the  multitude  heard  that,  not- 
withstanding the  sense,  of  outraged  justice  under  which  they 
labored,  and  this  cruel  invasion  of  the  rights  of  liberty  and  life 
— in  the  very  midst  of  their  grief  and  excitement,  with  the 
means  in  their  right  hands  to  wreak  a  terrible  vengeance,  they 
voted  to  a  man  to  trust  to  the  law  to  deal  with  the  assassins, 
and  if  that  failed  them,  they  would  call  upon  God  to  avenge  them 
of  their  wrongs!  History  records  few  actions  so  sublime  as  this; 
and  it  stands  to  this  day  a  testimony  of  the  devotion  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints  to  law  and  order,  the  like  of  which  is  not 
paralleled  in  the  history  of  our  country,  if  in  the  world. 


RISE  AND  PALL  OF  NAUVOO.  323 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

CONFUSION— CHOOSLXG  A  LEADER. 

THE  Saints  at  Nauvoo"  were  now  as  sheep  without  a  shep- 
herd. They  had  never  contemplated  such  a  crisis  as  this. 
That  their  Prophet  would  be  taken  from  them  had  not  entered 
their  minds,  although  in  the  closing  days  of  his  career  he  had 
frequently  spoken  of  his  fate  if  again  he  should  fall  into  the 
hands  of  his  enemies.  On  the  twenty-second  of  June,  five  days 
preceding  his  death,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  consultation  with 
several  of  Nauvoo's  leading  citizens,  and  at  which  time  it  was 
decided  that  the  safest  thing  for  himself  and  Hyrum  to  do  was 
to  go  West,  he  remarks  in  his  journal:  "I  told  Stephen  Mark- 
ham  that  if  I  and  Hyrum  were  ever  taken  again  we  should  be 
massacred,  or  I  was  not  a  Prophet  of  God." 

When  the  cowardly  appeal  made  to  him  by  false  friends  to 
return  to  Nauvoo,  after  he  had  crossed  the  Mississippi  on  his 
way  to  the  West,  was  under  consideration  by  himself  and  a  few 
friends,  he  said  to  his  brother,  Hyrum  Smith:  "Brother  Hyrum, 
you  are  the  oldest,  what  shall  we  do?"  Hyrum  replied,"Let  us  go 
back  and  give  ourselves  up,  and  see  the  thing  out."  "If  you 
go  back,"  replied  the  Prophet,  "I  shall  go  with  you,  but  we  shall 
be  butchered."  Then  again,  after  it  was  determined  to  adopt 
the  course  suggested  by  Hyrum,  and  the  party  was  on  the  way 
to  the  river  where  they  were  to  take  boats  for  the  Nauvoo  side, 
the  Prophet  lingered  behind  the  rest  of  the  party  talking  with 
0.  P.  Rockwell.  Those  in  advance  shouted  to  them  to  come  on. 
Joseph  replied,  "It  is  no  use  to  hurry,  for  we  are  going  back  to 
be  slaughtered." 


324  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

On  arriving  at  Nauvoo,  Hyrum,  too,  seemed  to  have  been 
impressed  with  a  sense  of  their  approaching  fate,  for  on  the 
morning  of  the  twenty-fourth  of  June,  when  the  first  start  was 
made  for  Carthage,  he  read  the  following  significant  passage  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  turned  down  the  leaf  upon  it: 

And  it  came  to  pass  that  I  prayed  unto  the  Lord  that  he  would 
give  unto  the  Gentiles  grace,  that  they  might  have  charity.  And  it 
came  to  pass  that  the  Lord  said  unto  me;  if  they  have  not  charity  it 
mattereth  not  unto  you,  thou  hast  been  faithful;  wherefore  thy  gar- 
ments are  clean.  And  because  thou  hast  seen  thy  weakness,  thou 
shalt  be  made  strong,  even  to  the  sitting  down  in  the  place  which  I 
have  prepared  in  the  mansions  of  my  father.  And  now  I  * 
*  *        *         bid  farewell  unto  the  Gentiles;  yea  and  also  unto 

my  brethren  whom  I  love,  until  we  shall  meet  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ,  when  all  men  shall  know  that  my  garments  are  not 
spotted  with  your  blood.* 

I  have  already  quoted  the  pathetic  words  of  the  Prophet 
on  meeting  Captain  Dunn's  company  of  militia  four  miles  out 
from  Carthage,  when  he  said:  "I  am  going  like  a  lamb  to  the 
slaughter;  but  I  am  calm  as  a  summer's  morning;  I  have  a  con- 
science void  of  offense  towards  God  and  towards  all  men.  I  shall 
die  innocent,  and  it  shall  yet  be  said  of  me — He  was  murdered  in 
cold  blood.  " 

I  have  also  related  the  circumstance  of  his  lingering  to  look 
at  his  farm  as  he  left  Nauvoo  for  the  last  time,  and  clearly  in- 
timated that  he  would  never  see  it  again.  But  notwithstand- 
ing these  very  plain  intimations  concerning  his  approaching 
death,  the  Saints  apparently  could  not  comprehend  them.  They 
did  not  sense  them;  and  when  his  death  so  sudden  and  pitiful 
did  come,  it  scarcely  seemed  possible  to  them  that  it  had  taken 
place.  They  were  unprepared  for  it,  and,  as  I  say,  were  now 
like  sheep  without  a  shepherd. 


*Book  of  Mormon,  Kther,  Chap.  xii. 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  325 

'Sidney  Rigdon,  the  Prophet's  first  counselor,  was  in  Pitts- 
burg, Pennsylvania.  He  had  removed  from  Nauvoo  to  Pittsburg, 
notwithstanding  in  a  revelation*  from  God  he  had  been  required 
to  make  his  home  in  Nauvoo,  and  stand  in  his  office  and  calling 
of  counselor  and  spokesman  to  the  Prophet.     The  truth  is  that 
from  the  expulsion  of  the  Saints  from  Missouri  in  1838-9,  Sid- 
ney Rigdon  had  been  of  but  little  service  either  to  the  Church 
or  to  the  Prophet  as  a  counselor.     He  was  a  man  of  admitted 
ability  as  an  orator,  but  lacked  discretion;  a  man  of  fervid  im- 
agination, but  of  inferior  judgment;   ambitious  of  place  and 
honor,  but  without  that  steadiness  of  purpose  and  other  quali- 
ties of  soul  which  in  time  secure  them.     In  the  early  years  of 
The  Church  he  suffered  much  for  the  cause  of  God,  but  he  also 
complained  much;  especially  was  this  the  casein  respect  to  the 
hardships  endured  in  Missouri,  and  subsequently  of  his  poverty 
and  illness  at  Nauvoo.     This  habit  of  complaining  doubtless  did 
much  to  deprive  him  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord;  for  at  times  it 
bordered  upon  blasphemy.     More  than  once  he  was  heard  to 
say  that  Jesus  Christ  was  a  fool  in  suffering  as  compared  with 
himself!     Having  lost,  in  part  at  least,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord, 
his  interest  in  The  Church  and  its  work  waned,  and  after  the 
settlement  at  Nauvoo  he  was  seldom  seen  in  the  councils  of  the 
Priesthood.     Moreover,  it  was  known  that  he  was  in  sympathy 
and  even  in  communication  with  some  of  the  avowed  enemies  of 
Joseph,  among  others  with  that  arch  traitor,  John  C.  Bennett, 
who  was  plotting  the  overthrow  of  both  Joseph  and  The  Church. 
It  was  doubtless  these  considerations  which  led  Joseph  to  make 
an  effort  to  get  rid  of  Sidney  Rigdon  as  counselor  at  the  Octo- 
ber conference  in  1843. 

On  that  occasion  the  Prophet  represented  to  The  Church 
that  such  had  been  the  course  of  Sidney  Rigdon  that  he  consid- 
ered  it  no  longer  his  duty  to  sustain  him  as  his  counselor. 


*Doc.  &  Cov.,  Sec.  cxxiv,  io3-i«6. 


326  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

Hyrum  Smith,  however,  pleaded  the  cause  of  his  fellow-coun- 
selor, and  so  strongly  urged  the  Saints  to  deal  mercifully  with 
Sidney  Rigdon,  that  when  the  question  of  sustaining  him  was 
presented  to  the  conference,  the  Saints  voted  in  his  favor.  "I 
have  thrown  him  off  my  shoulders,  and  you  have  again  put  him 
on  me,"  said  Joseph.  "You  may  carry  him,  but  I  will  not." 
And  so  confident  was  he  that  Sidney  Rigdon  would  continue  to 
fail  in  the  performance  of  his  duty,  that  he  ordained  Elder 
Amasa  Lyman  to  succeed  him,  both  as  counselor  and  spokes- 
man. "Some  of  the  Elders  did  not  understand  how  Elder  Ly- 
man could  be  ordained  to  succeed  Elder  Rigdon,  as  The  Church 
had  voted  to  try  him  another  year.  Elder  Joseph  Smith  was  re- 
quested to  give  an  explanation.  Why,  said  he,  by  the  same 
rule  that  Samuel  anointed  David  to  be  king  over  Israel,  while 
Saul  was  yet  crowned.  Please  read  the  sixteenth  chapter  of 
first  Samuel.  Elder  Smith's  explanation,  though  short,  proved 
a  quietus  to  all  their  rising  conjectures."* 

Notwithstanding  all  his  fair  promises  of  amendment,  Sid- 
ney Rigdon  continued  neglectful  of  his  high  duties,  and  if  for  a 
time  his  old-time  enthusiasm  revived — as  it  seemed  to  at  the  April 
conference  following,  it  was  as  the  flickering  flame  of  a  tallow 
dip  only — not  the  steady  rays  of  the  ever-shining  sun.  He 
longed  to  return  to  the  East;  and  notwithstanding  the  word  of 
the  Lord  commanding  him  to  make  his  home  at  Nauvoo,  he  fre- 
quently talked  with  Joseph  about  going  to  Pittsburg  to  live, 
and  finally  obtained  his  consent  to  go  there,  and  take  his  family 
with  him,  and,  as  I  said  before,  he  was  there  when  the  martyr- 
dom occurred. 

William  Law,  who  had  been  the  Prophet's  second  counselor, 
was  in  open  apostasy  and  rebellion  against  him.  He  had  been 
and  was  the  associate  of  a  corrupt  band  of  men  bent  on  the  de- 
struction of  the  Prophet.     Prompted  by  a  spirit  of  mercy,  the 


*  Tract  on  Sidney  Rigdon,  by  Jedediah  M.  Grant,  pp.  15,  16. 


RISE    A.ND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  327 

April  conference  of  1843  had  passed  without  taking  action 
against  either  William  Law,  or  any  of  the  other  apostates;  but 
on  the  eighteenth  of  April,  at  a  council  of  the  Priesthood,  when 
six  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  were  present,  William  Law  and  sev- 
eral other  apostates  were  excommunicated  from  The  Church; 
and  later  William  Law  undertook  the  organization  of  a  church 
after  the  pattern  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  but  it  was  a  miser- 
able failure. 

The  Twelve  Apostles  were  nearly  all  absent  in  the  Eastern 
States  on  missions;  and  although  messengers  were  sent  to  call 
them  to  Nauvoo  immediately  after  the  Prophet's  martyrdom,  it 
would  be  some  time  before  they  could  arrive.  So  that  it  was 
a  time  of  general  anxiety  and  depression. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  such  circumstances  as  these  that 
Sidney  Rigdon  arrived  in  Nauvoo  and  demanded  that  he  be  ap- 
pointed ''guardian"  of  The  Church.  He  ignored  the  members 
of  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve  who  were  in  the  city — Elders  Wil- 
lard  Richards,  John  Taylor  and  Parley  P.  Pratt;  he  conferred 
with  Elder  William  Marks,  president  of  the  stake  of  Nauvoo, 
and  at  once  began  agitating  the  question  of  appointing  a  "guard- 
ian" to  The  Church.  He  arrived  in  Nauvoo  on  Saturday,  the 
third  of  August;  next  day  he  harangued  the  Saints,  who  assem- 
bled in  the  grove  near  the  temple,  upon  the  necessity  of  appoint- 
ing a  "guardian"  to  build  up  The  Church  to  the  martyred 
Prophet,  and  in  the  afternoon  meeting  urged  William  Marks  to 
make  a  special  appointment  for  the  Saints  to  assemble  on  the 
following  Tuesday  for  that  purpose.  Elder  Marks  was  in  sym- 
pathy with  Sidney  Rigdon,  but  for  some  reason  he  refused  to 
make  the  appointment  for  Tuesday,  but  made  it  for  Thursday, 
the  eighth  of  August.  This  was  a  most  fortunate  circumstance, 
since  a  sufficient  number  of  the  Twelve  to  make  a  majority  of 
that  quorum  arrived  on  the  evening  of  the  sixth,  and,  of  course, 
they  were  in  time  to  be  present  at  the  meeting  to  be  held  on 
the  eighth.     The  day  previous  to  that  meeting,  however— the 


328  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

seventh  of  August — the  Twelve  called  a  meeting  of  the  high 
council  and  high  priests,  before  which  they  called  on  Sidney 
Rigdon  to  make  a  statement  of  his  purposes  and  relate  the 
revelation  he  claimed  to  have  received  at  Pittsburg,  which 
prompted  his  journey  to  Nauvoo.  In  substance  he  replied  that 
the  object  of  his  visit  was  to  offer  himself  to  the  Saints  as  a 
"guardian;"  that  it  had  been  shown  to  him  in  vision  at  Pitts- 
burg, that  The  Church  must  be  built  up  to  Joseph  the  martyr; 
that  all  the  blessings  the  Saints  could  receive  would  be  through 
their  late  Prophet;  that  no  man  could  be  a  successor  to  Joseph; 
that  The  Church  was  not  disorganized,  though  the  head  was 
gone;  that  he  had  been  commanded  to  come  to  Nauvoaand  see 
that  The  Church  was  governed  properly,  and  propose  himself  to 
be  a  "guardian"  to  the  people.* 

To  this  Elder  Brigham  Young  replied: 

I  do  not  care  who  leads  this  Church,  even  though  it  were  Ann 
Lee;  but  one  thing  I  must  know,  and  that  is,  what  God  says  about  it. 
I  have  the  keys  and  the  means  of  obtaining  the  mind  of  God  on  the 
subject.  *  *  *  Joseph  conferred  upon  our  heads  all  the  keys 
and  powers  belonging  to  the  Apostleship  which  he  himself  held  before 
he  was  taken  away,  and  no  man  nor  set  of  men  can  get  between 
Joseph  and  the  Twelve  in  this  world  or  in  the  world  to  come.  How 
often  has  Joseph  said  to  the  Twelve,  I  have  laid  the  foundation  and 
you  must  build  thereon,  for  upon  your  shoulders  the  Kingdom 
rests.t 

The  next  day  was  the  one  appointed  by  Sidney  Rigdon  for 
The  Church  to  assemble  and  choose  a  "guardian."  The  attend- 
ance was  large,  as  intense  interest  had  been  awakened  upon  the 

♦History   of  Joseph  Smith,  Millennial  Star,  Volume  xxv,  page 
215- 

tHistory  of  Joseph  Smith,  Millennial  Star,  Volume  xxv,  page 

215- 


RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  829 

subject  to  be  considered.  Sidney  Rigdon  addressed  the  assem- 
bly, setting  forth  his  claim  to  the  "guardianship"  of  The  Church. 
He  had  full  opportunity  to  present  his  case  and  for  one  hour 
and  a  half  spoke  without  interruption;  but  despite  his  reputa- 
tion as  an  orator,  he  failed  to  convince  the  Saints  that  he  was 
sent  of  God. 

As  soon  as  Sidney  Rigdon  had  closed  his  speech,  Elder  Brig- 
ham  Young  arose  and  made  a  few  remarks.  It  was  on  that  oc- 
casion that  he  was  transfigured  before  the  people,  so  that  through 
him  the  Saints  heard  the  voice  and  felt  the  presence  of  their 
departed  leader.  George  Q.  Cannon,  who  was  present  on  that 
occasion,  says: 

^  If  Joseph  had  risen  from  the  dead  and  again  spoken  in  their  hear- 
ing, the  effect  could  not  have  been  more  startling  than  it  was  to  many 
present  at  that  meeting,  it  was  the  voice  of  Joseph  himself;  and  not 
only  was  it  the  voice  of  Joseph  which  was  heard,  but  it  seemed  in  the 
eyes  of  the  people  as  if  it  were  the  very  person  of  Joseph  which  stood 
before  them.  A  more  wonderful  and  miraculous  event  than  was 
wrought  that  day  in  the  presence  of  that  congregation,  we  never 
heard  of.  The  Lord  gave  His  people  a  testimony  that  left  no  room  for 
doubt  as  to  who  was  the  man  chosen  to  lead  them.  They  both  saw 
and  heard  with  their  natural  eyes  and  ears,  and  the  words  which 
were  uttered  came,  accompanied  by  the  convincing  power  of  God,  to 
their  hearts,  and  they  were  filled  with  the  Spirit  and  with  great  joy. 
There  had  been  gloom,  and  in  some  hearts,  probably,  doubt  and  un- 
certainty, but  now  it  was  plain  to  all  that  here  was  the  man  upon 
whom  the  Lord  had  bestowed  the  necessary  authority  to  act  in  their 
midst  in  Joseph's  stead.  On  that  occasion  Brigham  Young  seemed  to 
be  transformed,  and  a  change  such  as  that  we  read  of  in  the  scriptures, 
as  happening  to  the  Prophet  Elisha,  when  Elijah  was  translated  in  his 
presence,  seemed  to  have  taken  place  with  him.  The  mantle  of  the 
Prophet  Joseph  had  been  left  for  Brigham.  *  *  *  rpj^^ 
people  said  one  to  another:  "The  spirit  of  Joseph  rests  on  Brigham;" 
they  knew  that  he  was  the  man  chosen  to  lead  them  and  they  honored 
him  accordingly.        *        *        *        As  far  as  our  observation  went 

27 


330  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

(we  were  only  a  boy  at  the  time)  the  people  were  divided  into  three 
classes  from  the  time  of  the  death  of  Joseph  up  to  this  meeting  of 
which  we  speak.  One  class  felt  clearly  and.  understandingly  that 
President  Brigham  Young  was  the  man  whose  right  it  was  to  preside, 
he  being  the  president  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  that  body  being, 
through  thd  death  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  the  presiding  quorum  of  The 
Church.  Another  class  were  not  quite  clear  as  to  who  would  be  called 
to  preside,  but  they  felt  very  certain  that  Sidney  Rigdon  was  not  the 
man.  They  did  not  believe  that  God  would  choose  a  coward  and 
traitor  to  lead  His  people,  to  both  of  which  characters  they  believed 
Rigdon  had  a  claim.  The  third  class,  and  we  think  its  members  were 
few,  was  composed  of  those  who  had  no  clear  views  one  way  or  the 
other.  They  were  undecided  in  their  feelings.  *  *  *  With 
very  few  exceptions,  then,  the  people  returned  to  their  homes  from 
that  meeting  filled  with  great  rejoicing.  All  uncertainty  and  anxiety 
were  removed.  They  had  heard  the  voice  of  the  shepherd  and  they 
knew  it. 

In  the  journal  of  Elder  William  C.  Staines,  of  that  date, 
the  following  statement  is  recorded: 

Brigham  Young  said:  "I  will  tell  you  who  your  leaders  or  guard- 
ians will  be.  The  Twelve — I  at  their  head!"  This  was  with  a  voice 
like  the  voice  of  the  Prophet  Joseph.  I  thought  it  was  he,  and  so  did 
thousands  who  heard  it.  This  was  very  satisfactory  to  the  people, 
and  a  vote  was  taken  to  sustain  the  Twelve  in  their  office,  which,  with 
a  few  dissenting  voices,  was  passed."    m^»^ 

President  Wilford  Woodruff,  describing  the  event,  says: 

When  Brigham  Young  arose  and  commenced  speaking  ♦  *  * 
if  I  had  not  seen  him  with  my  own  eyes,  there  is  no  one  that  could 
have  convinced  me  that  it  was  not  Joseph  Smith;  and  anyone  can 
testify  to  this  who  was  acquainted  with  these  two  men.* 


*  The  above  remark  of  President  Woodruflf's  is  taken  from  a  testi- 
mony of  his  following  a  discourse  on  the  subject  of  Priesthood  and  the 
right  of  succession,  delivered  by  the  writer. — Deseret  Evening  News^ 
March  12,  1892. 


RISE   AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  331 

The  remarks  of  Elder  Young,  during  which  he  was  trans- 
figured before  the  people,  closed  the  forenoon  meeting.  When 
in  the  afternoon  Tne  Cnurch  again  assembled  Elder  Young 
addressed  them  at  some  length  on  the  subject  of  appointing  a 
leader  for  The  Church,  representing  the  claims  of  the  Twelve  as 
the  quorum  having  the  right  to  act  in  the  absence  of  the  late 
Prophet  President.  Following  are  some  quotations  from  a  sum- 
mary of  his  speech  taken  down  at  the  time : 

For  the  first  time  in  my  life,  for  the  first  time  in  your  lives,  for 
the  first  time  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  the  nineteenth  century,  with- 
out a  prophet  at  our  head,  do  I  step  forth  to  act  in  my  calling  in  con- 
nection with  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve,  as  Apostles  of  Jesus  Christ 
unto  this  generation — Apostles  whom  God  has  called  by  revelation 
through  the  Prophet  Joseph,  who  are  ordained  and  anointed  to  bear 
off  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  all  the  world. 

*  *  *  If  any  man  thinks  he  has  influence  among  this 
people,  to  lead  away  a  party,  let  him  try  it,  and  he  will  find  out  that 
there  is  a  power  with  the  Apostles,  which  will  carry  them  off  victori- 
ous through  all  the  world,  and  build  up  and  defend  The  Church  and 
Kingdom  of  God. 

*  *  *  If  the  people  want  President  Rigdon  to  lead  them, 
they  may  have  him;  but  I  say  unto  you  that  the  Quorum  of  the  Twelve 
have  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  all  the  world.  The  Twelve 
were  appointed  by  the  finger  of  God.  Here  is  Brigham,  have  his 
knees  ever  faltered?  Have  his  lips  ever  quivered?  Here  is  Heber,* 
and  the  rest  of  the  Twelve,  an  independent  body,  who  have  the 
keys  of  the  Priesthood — the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  God — to  deliver 
to  all  the  world;  this  is  true,  so  help  me  God.  They  stand  next  to 
Joseph,  and  are  as  the  First  Presidency  of  The  Church. 

*  *  *  You  must  not  appoint  any  man  at  our  head;  if 
you  should,  the  Twelve  must  ordain  him.  You  cannot  appoint  a  man 
at  our  head;  but  if  you  do  want  any  other  man  or  men  to  lead  you, 


*  Heber  C.  Kimball. 


332  RISE  AND   FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

take  them  and  we  will  go  our  way  to  build  up  the  Kingdom  in  all  the 
world. 

*  *  *  Brother  Joseph,  the  Prophet,  has  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  a  grand  work,  and  we  will  build  upon  it;  you  have  never 
seen  the  quorums  built  one  upon  ano^.her.  There  is  an  almighty  founda 
tion  laid,  and  we  can  build  a  kingdom  such  as  there  never  was  in  the 
world;  we  can  build  a  kingdom  faster  than  the  devil  can  kill  the 
Saints  off. 

Now  if  you  want  Sidney  Rigdon  or  William  Law*  to  lead  you,  or 
anybody  else,  you  are  welcome  to  them;  but  I  tell  you  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  that  no  man  can  put  another  between  the  Twelve  and  the 
Prophet  Joseph.  Why?  Because  Joseph  was  their  file  leader,  and  he 
has  committed  into  their  hands  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  in  this  last 
dispensation,  for  all  the  world;  don't  put  a  thread  between  the  Priest- 
hood and  God.f 

Elder  Amasa  Lyman  spoke  in  support  of  the  Twelve;  and 
then  Sidney  Rigdon  was  granted  the  privilege  of  speaking;  he 
declined  personally,  but  called  on  Elder  W.  W.  Phelps  to  speak 
in  his  behalf.  Elder  Phelps,  while  evidently  having  some  sym- 
pathy with  Elder  Rigdon,  supported  the  claims  of  the  Twelve. 
After  further  discussion  Elder  Young  arose  to  put  the  question 
as  to  whether  The  Church  would  sustain  the  Twelve  or  Sidney 
Rigdon: 

I  do  not  ask  you  to  take  my  counsel  or  advice  alone,  but  every 
one  of  you  act  for  yourselves;  but  if  Brother  Rigdon  is  the  person  you 
want  to  lead  you,  vote  for  him,  but  not  unless  you  intend  to  follow 
him  and  support  him  as  you  did  Joseph.  *  *  *  ^^^  j 
would  say  the  same  of  the  Twelve,  don't  make  a  covenant  to  support 
them  unless  you  intend  to  abide  by  their  counsel.     *      *     *     i  want 


*  William  Law  had  been  a  counselor  to  the  Prophet  Joseph,  but 
was  found  in  transgression  and  apostasy,  had  been  excommunicated, 
and  was  among  those  who  brought  about  the  martyrdom  at  Carthage. 

t  Millennial  Star,  volume  xxv:  pages  216,  231-32-33. 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  333 

every  man  before  he  enters  into  a  covenant,  to  know  what  he  is  going 
to  do;  but  we  want  to  know  if  this  people  will  support  the  Priesthood 
in  the  name  of  Israel's  God.     If  you  say  you  will,  do  so.* 

Elder  Young  was  then  about  to  put  the  question  to  the 
assembled  quorums  as  to  whether  they  wanted  Elder  Rigdon  for 
a  leader,  when,  at  the  request  of  the  latter,  the  question  on  sup- 
porting the  Twelve  as  the  presiding  quorum  in  The  Church  was 
first  put  in  the  following  manner: 

Do  The  Church  want,  and  is  it  their  only  desire,  to  sustain  the 
Twelve  as  the  First  Presidency  of  this  people?  *  *  *  If  The 
Church  want  the  Twelve  to  stand  as  the  head  of  this  Kingdom  in  all 
the  world,  stand  next  to  Joseph,  walk  up  into  their  calling,  and  hold 
the  keys  of  this  Kingdom — every  man,  every  woman,  every  quorum 
is  now  put  in  order,  and  you  are  now  the  sole  controllers  of  it — all 
that  are  in  favor  of  this  in  all  the  congregation  of  the  Saints,  mani- 
fest it  by  holding  up  the  right  hand.  (There  was  a  universal  vote.) 
If  there  are  any  of  a  contrary  mind — every  man  and  every  woman 
who  does  not  want  the  Twelve  to  preside,  lift  up  your  hands  in  like 
manner.  (No  hands  up.)  This  supersedes  the  other  question,  and  try- 
ing it  by  quorums.t 

This  disposed  of  Sidney  Rigdon.  He  had  full  opportunity 
to  present  his  case  before  The  Church.  The  Saints  had  full  op- 
portunity and  liberty  to  vote  for  him  had  they  wanted  him  for 
their  leader;  but  they  rejected  him  and  sustained  the  Twelve. 


*  Millennial  Star,  volume  xxv:  page  264. 

t  That  is,  whether  The  Church  wanted  to  have  Sidney  Rigdon  for 
a  "guardian"  or  leader. 


334  RISE  AND   PALL   OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER    XL. 

THE  TRIAL  OF  THE  MURDERERS. 

MEANTIME  there  was  considerable  excitement  in  Hancock 
County,  since  the  mob  party  were  determined  to  elect  of- 
ficers who  would  screen  the  murderers  of  the  Prophets.  The 
Saints  were  equally  determined  to  vote  for  those  whom  they 
believed  would  sustain  law  and  order;  and  the  following  were 
put  forward  as  candidates  for  the  county  and  district  offices  and 
elected:  M.  R.  Deming,  sheriff;  D.  H.  Wells,  coroner;  George 
Coulson,  commissioner;  J.  B.  Backenstos  and  A.  W.  Babbitt,  rep- 
resentatives. 

The  account  of  the  trial  of  the  miscreants  charged  with 
the  murder  of  the  Prophet  I  take  from  Gregg's  * 'History  of  Han- 
cock County,"  beginning  at  page  328: 

TRIALS  AND  ACQUITTALS. 

At  the  October  [1844]  term  of  the  Hancock  Circuit  Court — pre- 
sent Jesse  B.  Thomas,  judge;  William  Elliott,  prosecuting  attorney; 
Jacob  B.  Backenstos,  clerk;  General  Minor  R.  Deming,  sheriff. 

The  following  is  the  grand  jury: 

Abram  Lincoln,  Jas.  Reynolds,  Th.  J.  Graham,  Wm.  M.  Owens, 
Ebenezer  Rand,  Th.  Brawner,  Ralph  Gorrell,  Brant  Agnert,  Martin 
Getter,  Wm.  Smith,  Th.  Gilmore,  Benj.  Warrington,  Reuben  H.  Loom- 
is,  Samuel  Scott,  Jas.  Ward,  Samuel  Ramsy,  Th.  H.  Owen,  David 
Thompson,  John  J.  Hickok. 

Abraham  Golden,  E.  A.  Bedell  and  Geo.  Walker  excused  for 
cause.     Samuel  Marshall  refused  to  serve,  and  fined  $5.00. 

The  court  began  its  session  on  Monday  the  2Ist.  There  had  been 
rumors  industriously  circulated  that  the  old  citizens  intended  to  rally 
and  interpose  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  court  and  considerable  anx- 


RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO.  335 

iety  was  felt.  The  judge  in  his  charge  to  the  grand  jury  alluded  to 
this  rumor  and  said  he  was  glad  to  see  that  no  such  demonstration 
was  made.  He  charged  them  to  do  their  duty  in  the  case  likely  to 
come  before  them  and  leave  the  consequences.  His  charge  gave  gen- 
eral satisfaction. 

There  was  a  rumor  that  a  lot  of  Mormons  and  Indians  were  en- 
camped near  the  town  and  this  rumor  occasioned  considerable  uneasi- 
ness. Orders  were  issued  to  investigate.  The  facts  turned  out  to  be 
that  a  number  of  Mormons  had  come  down  from  Xauvoo  to  attemd 
court,  and  had  gone  into  camp  to  save  expense.  As  to  the  Indians  it 
was  ascertained  that  a  company  of  them  had  gone  through  the  county 
on  their  way  to  Iowa,  for  some  purpose  unknown;  but  the  two  facts 
had  no  connection  with  each  other. 

On  Tuesday  the  grand  jury  began  their  work,  and  on  Saturday 
about  noon  they  brought  into  court  two  bills  of  indictment  again.st 
nine  individuals — one  for  the  murder  of  Joseph  Smith  and  the  other 
for  the  murder  of  Hyrura  Smith.  The  persons  indicted  were  as  follows: 
Levi  Williams,  Jacob  C.  Davis,  Mark  Aldrich,  Thomas  C.  Sharp,  Wm. 

Voras,  John  Wills,  Wm.  N.    Grover, Gallaher    and    

Allen. 

Murry  McConnell,  Esq.,  of  Jacksonville  by  special  appointment  of 
the  governor  was  present  assisting  Mr.  Elliot  in  the  prosecution. 
Messrs.  Bushnell  and  Johnson  of  Quincy  and  Calvin  A.  Warren,  and 
perhaps  others  appeared  for  the  defendants. 

Immediately  on  announcement  of  the  indictments  most  of  the  de- 
fendants appeared  and  asked  for  an  immediate  trial.  This  Mr. 
McConnell  objected  to  on  the  grounds  of  not  being  ready.  His  wit- 
nesses before  the  grand  jury  had  departed  without  being  recognized, 
and  besides,  Mr.  Elliot  had  gone.  It  was  finally  agreed  that  the 
causes  should  be  postponed  until  next  term,  and  that  no  capias  should 
issue  from  the  clerk  in  the  interim  if  the  defendents  would  pledge 
themselves  to  appear  at  the  time.  Agreed  on — a  compact  which  was 
afterwards  violated  by  the  prosecution. 

Subpoenas  were  asked  for  by  the  prosecution  for  between  thirty 
and  forty  witnesses,  among  whom  were  William  M.Daniels  and  Bracken- 
berry,  the  two  miracle  men,  and  John  Taylor,  Mrs.  Emma  Smith  and 
Governor  Ford. 


336  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

On  May  19,  1845,  court  again  met  in  special  term  at  Carthage. 
Present,  Richard  M.  Young,  judge;  James  H.  Ralston,  prosecuting 
attorney;  David  E.  Head,  clerk;  and  R.  H.  Deming,  sheriff.  The 
cause  of  the  people  vs.  Williams  et  al  coming  up,  Messrs.  Williams, 
Davis,  Aldrich,  Sharp  and  Grover  appeared  and  were  admitted  to  bail 
on  personal  recognizance  in  the  sums  of  $5,000.00  jointly  and  sever- 
ally. Josiah  Lamborn  of  Jacksonville  as  assistant  prosecuting  attor- 
ney and  William  A.  Richardson,  0.  H.  Browning,  Calvin  A.  Warren, 
Archibald  Williams,  0.  C.  Skinner  and  Tho.  Morrison  for  defendants. 
Motion  of  defendants  to  quash  the  array  of  jurors  for  first  week,  on 
account  of  supposed  prejudice  of  county  commissioners  who  selected 
them  and  of  the  sheriff  and  deputies  was  sustained.  Also  motion  for 
the  appointment  of  elisors  for  the  same  cause,  and  absence  of  coroner 
from  county.  The  array  was  set  aside,  and  Tho.  H.  Owen  and  Wm. 
D.  Arbenethy  appointed  elisors  for  the  case.  These  gentlemen  had 
a  thankless  and  arduous  duty  to  perform.  Usually  it  is  not  difficult 
to  find  men  willing  to  sit  on  juries;  in  this  case  few  were  willing  to 
try  the  experiment  of  going  into  court,  with  the  almost  certainty 
of  being  rejected  by  one  or  the  other  party,  and  the  position  was  not 
an  enviable  one,  if  taken.  Ninety-six  men  were  brought  into  court 
before  the  requisite  panel  of  12  was  full.  The  following  are  names 
of  the  jurors  chosen: 

Jesse  Griffiths,  Joseph  Jones,  Wm.  Robertson,  William  Smith, 
Joseph  Massey,  Silas  Griffiths,  Jonathan  Foy,  Solomon  J.  Hill,  James 
Gittings,  F.  M.  Walton,  Jabez  A.  Beebe,  Gilmore  Callison. 

The  trial  lasted  till  the  30th  when  the  jury  was  instructed  by  the 
court  and  after  a  deliberation  of  several  hours  returned  a  verdict  of 
not  guilty. 

Instructions  to  the  jury  had  been  asked  by  both  parties,  the  fol- 
lowing among  a  list  of  nine  asked  by  defendants' counsel,  were  given, 
and  probably  had  most  influence  on  the  verdict. 

"That  where  the  evidence  is  circumstantial  admitting  all  to  be 
proven  that  the  evidence  tends  to  prove,  if  then  the  jury  can  make 
any  supposition  consistent  with  the  facts,  by  which  the  murder  might 
have  been  committed  without  the  agency  of  the  defendants,  it  will 
be  their  duty  to  make  that  supposition,  and  find  defendants  not  guilty. 

"That  in  making  up  their  verdict,  they  will  exclude  from  their 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  337 

consideration  all  that  was  said  by  Daniels,  Brackenberry  and  Miss 
Graham.     [Witnesses,  see  note,  p.  319.] 

"That  whenever  the  probability  is  of  a  definite  and  limited  nature 
whether  in  proportion  of  100  to  1  or  1,000  to  1  or  any  rate  is  im- 
material, it  cannot  be  made  the  ground  of  conviction,  for  to  act  upon 
it  in  any  case  would  be  to  decide  that  for  the  sake  of  convicting 
many  criminals,  the  life  of  one  innocent  man  might  be  sacrificed 
[Starkie  508.]" 

Same  defendants,  for  murder  of  Hyrum  Smith  were  requested  to 
enter  into  recognizance  of  $5,000  each  (with  fourteen  sureties)  to  the 
June  term,  1845.  At  said  term  case  was  called,  and  Elliot  and  Lam- 
born  not  answering,  the  cause  was  dismissed  for  want  of  prosecution 
and  defendants  discharged. 

Colonel  John  Hay,  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly  for  December,  1869, 
published  an  article  on  this  subject.  Although  but  a  mere  boy  at 
the  time  of  this  trial  he  had  within  his  reach  sources  of  correct  infor- 
mation.    (He  was  a  member  of  the  State  department  subsequently.) 

He  says:  "The  case  was  closed.  There  was  not  a  man  on  the 
jury,  in  the  court,  in  the  county,  that  did  not  know  the  defendants 
had  done  the  murder.  But  it  was  not  proven,  and  the  verdict  of  not 
guilty  was  right  in  law.  *  *  *  The  elisors  presented 
99  men  before  12  were  found  ignorant  enough  and  indifferent  enough 
to  act  as  jurors." 

The  fact  is,  the  trial  amounted  to  nothing  more  than  a 
farce.  The  law  had  been  outraged,  the  honor  of  the  State 
betrayed,  her  plighted  faith  was  shamefully  broken,  and  there 
was  not  virtue  enough  in  the  people  to  demand  its  vindication. 
Nor  is  this  at  all  an  exaggerated  statement  of  the  matter.  The 
governor  of  Illinois  himself— Thomas  Ford — admits  all  that  is 
here  said.  Of  the  atrocious  deed  itself  and  his  determination 
to  bring  the  murderers  to  justice  he  says: 

I  had  determined  from  the  first  that  some  of  the  ringleaders 
in  the  foul  murder  of  the  Smiths  should  be  brought  to  trial.  Ij 
these  men  had  been  the  incarnation  oj  Satan  himself  as  was 
believed  by  many^  their  murder  was  a  foul  and  treacherous  action^ 


338  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

alike  disgraceful  to  those  who  perpetrated  the  crime,  to  the  State, 
and  to  the  governor,  whose  word  had  been  pledged  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  prisoners  in  jail,  and  which  had  been'  so  shamefully 
violated;  and  required  that  the  most  vigorous  means  should  be 
used  to  bring  the  assassins  to  punishment* 

Speaking  of  the  trial,  Governor  Ford  says: 

Accordingly,  I  employed  able  lawyers  to  hunt  up  the  testimony, 
procure  indictments,  and  prosecute  the  offenders.  A  trial  was  had 
before  Judge  Young  in  the  summer  of  1845.  The  sheriff  and  panel 
of  jurors,  selected  by  the  Mormon  court,  were  set  aside  for  prejudice* 
and  elisors  were  appointed  to  select  a  new  jury.  One  friend  of  the 
Mormons  and  one  anti-Mormon  were  appointed  for  this  purpose;  but 
as  more  than  a  thousand  men  had  assembled  under  arms  at  the  courts 
to  keep  away  the  Mormons  and  their  friends,  the  jury  was  made  up 
of  these  military  followers  of  the  court,  who  all  swore  that  they  had 
never  formed  or  expressed  any  opinion  as  to  the  guilt  or  innocence  of 
the  accused.  The  Mormons  had  one  principal*  witness  who  was  with 
the  troops  at  Warsaw,  had  marched  with  them  until  they  disbanded 
heard  their  consultations,  went  before  them  to  Carthage,  and  saw 
them  murder  the  Smiths.  But  before  the  trial  came  on,  they  induced 
him  to  become  a  Mormon;  and  being  much  more  anxious  for  the 
glorification  of  the  Prophet  than  to  avenge  his  dr-ath,  the  Mormons 
made  him  publish  a  pamphlet  giving  an  account  of  the  murder;  in 
which  he  professed  to  have  seen  a  bright  and  shining  light  descend 
upon  the  head  of  Joe  Smith  to  strike  some  of  the  conspirators 
with  blindness;  and  that  he  heard  supernatural  voices  in  the  air 
confirming  his  mission  as  a  Prophet!  Having  published  this  in  a 
book,  he  was  compelled  to  swear  to  it  in  court,  which  of  course 
destroyed  the  credit  of  his  evidence.  This  witness  was  afterwards 
expelled  by  the  Mormons,  but  no  doubt  they  will  cling  to  his  evidence 
in  favor  of  the  divine  mission  of  the  Prophet.t     Many  other  wit- 


*Ford's  History  of  Illinois,  page  367. 

t  This  the  "Mormons,"    however,  have  not  done;    and  no  well 
informed  "Mormon,"  regards  the  story  as  being    vouched  for  in  any 


•      RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  339 

nesses  were  examined  who  knew  the  facts,  but  under  the  influence  of 
the  demoralization  of  faction,  denied  all  knowledge  of  them.  It  has 
been  said,  that  faction  may  find  men  honest,  but  it  scarcely  ever 
leaves  them  so.  This  was  verified  to  the  letter  in  the  history  of  the 
Mormon  quarrel.     The  accused  were  all  acquitted. 

During  the  progress  of  these  trials,  the  judgje  was  compelled  to 
permit  the  courthouse  to  be  filled  and  surrounded  by  armed  bands  who 
attended  court  to  browbeat  and  overawe  the  administration  of  justice. 
The  judge  himself  was  in  a  duress,  and  informed  me  that  he  did  not 
consider  his  life  secure  any  part  of  the  time.  The  consequence  was 
that  thb  crowd  had  everything  their  own  way;  the  lawyers  for  the 
defense  defended  their  clients  by  a  long  and  elaborate  attack  upon 
the  governor;  the  armed  mob  stamped  with  their  feet  and  yelled 
their  approbation  at  every  sarcastic  and  smart  thing  that  was  said, 
and  the  judge  was  not  only  forced  to  hear  it,  but  to  lend  it  a  kind  of 
approval.* 

And  now  in  conclusion,  as  promised  in  the  footnote  on 
this  page,  I  quote  the  statement  of  the  martyrdom  as 
vouched  for  by  The  Church,  and  published  in  the  book  of  Doc- 
trine and  Covenants: 

To  seal  the  testimony  of  this  book  and  the  Book  of  Mormon,  we 
announce  the  martyrdom  of  Joseph  Smith  the  Prophet,  and  Hyrum 
Smith  the  Patriarch.  They  were  shot  in  Carthage  jail,  on  the  27th 
of  June,  1844,  about  five  o'clock  p.  m.,  by  an  armed  mob,  painted 
black — of  from  150  to  200  persons.  Hyrum  was  shot  first  and  fell 
calmly,  exclaiming,  "I  am  a  dead  man!"  Joseph  leaped  from  the 
window,  and  was  shot  dead  in  the  attempt,  exclaiming,  "0  Lord,  my 
God!"  They  were  both  shot  after  they  were  dead  in  a  brutal  manner 
and  both  received  four  balls. 


authoritative  way  by  The  Church.  The  only  authoritative  account  of 
the  sad  martyrdom  of  the  Prophets  for  which  The  Church  stands 
responsible  is  that  published  in  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  section 
cxxxv  (and  which  is  published  at  the  close  of  this  chapter) ;  and  in 
that  account  the  element  of  the  miraculous  enters  not  at  all. 
*Ford's  History  of  Illinois,  pages  367,  368. 


340  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO 

John  Taylor  and  Willard  Richards,  two  of  the  Twelve,  were  the 
only  persons  in  the  room  at  the  time;  the  former  was  wounded  in  a 
savage  manner  with  four  bails,  but  has  since  recovered;  the  latter, 
through  the  providence  of  God,  escaped,  "without  even  a  hole  in 
his  robe." 

Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet  and  Seer  of  the  Lord,  has  done  more 
(save  Jesus  only,)  for  the  salvation  of  men  in  this  world,  than  any 
other  man  that  ever  lived  in  it.  In  the  short  space  of  twenty  years, 
he  has  brought  forth  the  Book  of  Mormon,  which  he  translated  by  the 
gift  and  power  of  God,  and  has  been  the  means  of  publishing  it  on 
two  continents;  has  sent  the  fullness  of  the  everlasting  gospel  which 
it  contained  to  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth;  has  brought  forth  the 
revelations  and  commandments  which  compose  this  Book  of  Doctrine 
and  Covenants,  and  many  other  wise  documents  and  instructions  for 
the  benefit  of  the  children  of  men;  gathered  many  thousands  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints,  founded  a  great  city;  and  left  a  fame  and  name 
that  cannot  be  slain.  He  lived  great,  and  he  died  great  in  the  eyes 
of  God  and  his  people,  and  like  most  of  the  Lord's  anointed  in  ancient 
times,  has  sealed  his  mission  and  his  works  with  his  own  blood — and 
so  has  his  brother  Hyrum.  In  life  they  were  not  divided,  and  in 
death  they  were  not  separated! 

When  Joseph  went  to  Carthage  to  deliver  himself  up  to  the  pre- 
tended requirements  of  the  law,  two  or  three  days  previous  to  his 
assassination,  he  said,  "I  am  going  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter;  but 
I  am  calm  as  a  summer's  morning;  I  have  a  conscience  void  of  off ense 
towards  God,  and  towards  all  men.    I  shall  die  innocent,  and  it 

SHALL  YET  BE  SAID  OF  ME — HE  WAS  MURDERED  IN  COLD  BLOOD."   The 

same  morning,  after  Hyrum  had  made  ready  to  go— shall  it  be  said 
to  the  slaughter?  Yes,  for  so  it  was, — he  read  the  following  para- 
graph, near  the  close  of  the  fifth  chapter  of  Ether,  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  and  turned  down  the  leaf  upon  it: — 

"And  it  came  to  pass  that  I  prayed  unto  the  Lord  that  he  would 
give  unto  the  Gentiles  grace,  that  they  might  have  charity.  And  it 
came  to  pass  that  the  Lord  said  unto  me,  if  they  have  not  charity,  it 
mattereth  not  unto  you,  thou  hast  been  faithful;  wherefore  thy  gar- 
ments are  clean.  And  because  thou  hast  seen  thy  weakness,  thou 
shalt  be  made  strong,  even  unto  the  sitting  down  in  the  place  which 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  341 

I  have  prepared  in  the  mansions  of  my  Father.  And  now  I  *  ♦ 
bid  farewell  unto  the  Gentiles;  yea  and  also  unto  my  brethren  whom 
I  love,  until  we  shall  meet  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  where 
all  men  shall  know  that  my  garments  are  not  spotted  with  your 
blood."    The  testators  are  now  dead,  and  their  testament  is  in  force. 

Hyrum  Smith  was  44  years  old,  February,  1844,  and  Joseph 
Smith  was  38  in  December,  1843;  and  henceforward  their  names  will 
be  classed  among  the  martyrs  of  religion;  and  the  reader  in  every 
nation  will  be  reminded  that  the  "Book  of  Mormon,"  and  this  book 
of  Doctrine  and  Covenants  of  the  Church,  cost  the  best  blood  of  the 
nineteenth  century  to  bring  them  forth  for  the  salvation  of  a  ruined 
world:  and  that  if  the  fire  can  scathe  a  green  tree  for  the  glory  of 
God,  how  easy  it  will  burn  up  the  "dry  trees"  to  purify  the  vineyard 
of  corruption.  They  lived  for  glory;  they  died  for  glory;  and  glory 
is  their  eternal  reward.  From  age  to  age  shall  their  names  go  down 
to  posterity  as  gems  for  the  sanctified. 

They  were  innocent  of  any  crime,  as  they  had  often  been  proved 
before,  and  were  only  confined  in  jail  by  the  conspiracy  of  traitors 
and  wicked  men;  and  their  innocent  blood  on  the  floor  of  Carthage 
jail,  is  a  broad  seal  affixed  to  "Mormonism"  that  cannot  be  rejected 
by  any  court  on  earth;  and  their  innocent  blood  on  the  escutcheon  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  with  the  broken  faith  of  the  State  as  pledged  by 
the  governor,  is  a  witness  to  the  truth  of  the  everlasting  Gospel,  that 
all  the  world  cannot  impeach;  and  their  innocent  Hood  on  the  banner 
of  liberty,  and  on  the  magna  charta  of  the  United  States,  is  an  ambas- 
sador for  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  will  touch  the  hearts  of 
honest  men  among  a.V  nations;  and  their  innocent  blood,  with  the  inno- 
cent blood  of  all  the  martyrs  under  the  altar  that  John  saw,  will  cry 
unto  the  Lord  of  hosts,  till  He  avenges  that  blood  on  the  earth.   Amen. 


342  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

THE  EXODUS— THE  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

IT  is  thought  by  some  that  our  enemies  would  be  satisfied  with  my 
destru  a.a;  but  I  tell  you  that  as  soon  as  they  have  shed  my 
blood,  they  will  thirst  for  the  blood  of  every  man  in  whose  heart 
dwells  a  single  spark  of  the  spirit  of  the  fullness  of  the  Gospel.  The 
opposition  of  these  men  is  moved  by  the  spirit  of  the  adversary  of 
all  righteousness.  It  is  not  only  to  destroy  me,  but  every  man  and 
woman  who  dares  believe  the  doctrines  that  God  hath  inspired  me 
to  teach  in  this  generation.  _ 

Such  were  the  words  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  to  the 
Nauvoo  Legion  on  the  eighteenth  of  June,  1844.  And  the  ac- 
tion of  the  old  citizens  of  Hancock  and  the  surrounding  coun- 
ties subsequent  to  the  murder  of  the  Prophet,  prove  how  truly 
inspired  were  the  words  we  have  quoted.  For  no  sooner  did 
they  discover  that  the  work  which  Joseph  had  begun  refused  to 
die  with  him,  than  they  renewed  hostilities,  and  sought  by 
every  means  their  wicked  hearts  could  devise  to  harass  and  de- 
stroy those  who  devoted  their  energies  to  the  consummation  of 
the  work  which  had  been  started. 

The  mockery  of  a  trial  given  those  who  had  murdered  the 
Prophets,  emboldened  the  enemies  of  the  Saints,  for  they  saw 
justice  powerless  to  vindicate  outraged  law,  and  that  with  im- 
punity they  could  prey  upon  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  whom,  it 
would  seem,  their  hatred  had  selected  for  a  sacrifice.  Thieves 
and  blacklegs  generally,  saw  the  opportunity  of  having  their 
crimes  charged  upon  an  innocent  people,  and  established  them- 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  343 

selves  in  the  vicinity  of  Nauvoo,  though  principally  on  the 
Iowa  side  of  the  river,  ani  all  the  thefts  and  acts  of  violence 
committed  by  those  renegades  were  charged  up  to  the  ace  'Unt 
of  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  and  too  gladly  believed  by  the  people 
in  the  surrounding  counties. 

Not  only  were  the  charges  of  theft  and  robbery  made 
against  the  Sainst,  but  they  were  also  accused  of  hiding  from 
justice  any  and  all  criminals  who  came  into  their  midst — that 
Nauvoo,  in  short,  was  a  rendezvous  for  outlaws,  counterfeiters 
and  desperate  men  generally.  These  charges  led  the  city  coun- 
cil on  the  thirteenth  of  January,  1845,  to  investigate  the  alle- 
gations and  a  series  of  resolutions  were  adopted  stating  that 
the  charges  of  theft  for  the  most  part  were  fabrications  of  their 
enemies  bent  on  ruining  the  reputation  of  the  city,  and  defied 
those  who  made  the  charges  to  sustain  with  proof  a  single  case 
where  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo  had  screened  criminals  from  jus- 
tice. 

The  council  also  extended  an  invitation  to  all  who  had  rea- 
sons to  believe  that  their  stolen  property  was  concealed  in  Nau- 
voo to  come  and  make  diligent  search  for  it,  and  pledged  them 
the  assistance  of  the  council.  To  hunt  out  crime  and  put  away 
everything  that  could  give  rise  to  even  a  suspicion  of  conceal- 
ing criminals,  the  mayor  was  authorized  to  increase  the  force 
of  police  if  necessary  to  five  hundred;  and  the  people  were 
called  upon  to  redouble  their  diligence  in  preventing  criminals 
from  coming  among  them,  and  all  such  persons  as  soon  as  dis- 
covered were  to  be  given  up  to  the  officers  of  the  law. 

The  next  day  the  action  of  the  city  council  was  submitted 
to  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  and  they  approved  of  it.  Fifty  dele- 
gates were  chosen  and  sent  into  the  surrounding  counties  to 
disabuse  the  public  mind  relative  to  the  false  accusations  made 
against  the  Saints,  and  to  ask  their  co-operation  in  ridding  the 
country  of  the  counterfeiters  and  thieves  which  infested  it.  But 
all  these  efforts  were  fruitless.     The  falsehoods  of  their  ene- 


344  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

mies  outweighed  the  truths  of  the  Saints,  and  prejudice  more 
cruel  than  hell  itself  hardened  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Illi- 
nois against  the  appeals  of  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  and  made 
them  deaf  to  all  entreaties  for  justice. 

Twice  during  the  summer  of  1845,  Governor  Ford  himself 
went  to  Nauvoo  to  investigate  these  charges  against  her  peo- 
ple; and  when  he  came  to  deal  with  the  "Mormon  troubles,"  in 
his  message  to  the  legislature  that  fall,  after  speaking  of  the 
charges  made,  he  said: 

Justice,  however,  requires  me  to  say  that  I  have  investigated 
the  charge  of  promiscuous  stealing,  and  find  it  to  be  greatly  exag- 
gerated. I  could  not  ascertain  that  there  were  a  greater  proportion 
of  thieves  in  that  community  than  in  any  other  of  the  same  number 
of  inhabitants,  and  perhaps  if  the  city  of  Nauvoo  were  compared  with 
St.  Louis,  or  any  other  western  city,  the  proportion  would  not  be  so 
great. 

The  prejudice,  not  to  say  bitterness,  of  Governor  Ford 
against  the  Saints  would  rob  his  statement  of  any  suspected  ex- 
aggeration favorable  to  them. 

Nor  is  Governor  Ford's  voice  the  only  one  which  vindicates 
the  character  of  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo.  The  deputy  sheriff  of 
Hancock  County  exonerated  the  Mormon  people  from  any  par- 
ticipation in  the  thefts  perpetrated  in  the  surrounding  country. 
He  testified  that  stolen  property  was  brought  through  the 
country  via  Nauvoo,  passed  over  the  river  to  the  Iowa  side  and 
taken  into  the  interior,  where  it  was  concealed.  He  also  stated 
that  there  were  some  five  or  six  persons  in  Nauvoo  who  were 
assisting  in  this  nefarious  business,  but  said  he,  "they  are  not 
Mormons  nor  are  they  fellowshiped  by  them." 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  misrepresentation  so  far  succeed- 
ed in  poisoning  the  minds  of  the  public  and  the  leading  men  in 
the  State,  that  in  January,  1845,  the  city  charter  of  Nauvoo 
and  the  charter  of  the  Legion  were  both  repealed,  and  thus 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  345 

the  protecting  aegis  of  the  city  government  was  snatched  away 
from  her  citizens,  when  most  they  needed  it,  and  left  them  ex^ 
posed  to  the  fury  of  their  enemies. 

Of  this  act  of  punic  faith  on  the  part  of  the  State  legisla- 
ture, the  State  attorney,  Josiah  Lamborn,  in  a  letter  to  Brigham 
Young,  said: 

I  have  always  considered  that  your  enemies  have  been  prompted 
by  political  and  religious  prejudices,  and  by  a  desire  for  plunder  and 
blood,  more  than  for  the  common  good.  By  the  repeal  of  your  char- 
ter, and  by  refusing  all  amendments  and  modifications,  our  legisla- 
ture has  given  a  kind  of  sanction  to  the  barbarous  manner  in  which 
you  have  been  treated.  Your  two  representatives  exerted  themselves 
to  the  extent  of  their  ability  in  your  behalf,  but  the  tide  of  popular 
passion  and  frenzy  was  too  strong  to  be  resisted.  It  is  truly  a  mel- 
ancholy spectacle  to  witness  the  law-makers  of  a  sovereign  State  con- 
descending to  pander  to  the  vices,  ignorance  and  malevolence  of  a 
class  of  people  who  are  at  all  times  ready  for  riot,  murder  and  re- 
bellion. 

Senator  Jacob  C.  Davis  was  one  among  those  who  had  been 
indicted  for  the  murder  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  and  of  him  the 
attorney- general  said: 

Your  senator,  Jacob  C.  Davis,  has  done  much  to  poison  the  minds 
of  members  against  anything  in  your  favor.  He  walks  at  large  in 
defiance  of  law  an  indicted  murderer.  If  a  Mormon  was  in  his  posi- 
tion, the  senate  would  afford  no  protection,  but  he  would  be  dragged 
forth  to  jail  or  the  gallows,  or  be  shot  down  by  a  cowardly  and  brutal 
mob. 

Jn  the  meantime  the  Twelve  Apostles,  sustained  by  the 
Saints,  put  forth  every  exertion  to  carry  out  the  designs  of 
their  martyred  Prophet  respecting  Nauvoo.  The  Nauvoo  House 
was  hurried  on,  and  the  walls  were  growing  rapidly  under  the 
constant  labor  of  the  masons.  Work,  too,  was  vigorously  pros- 
ecuted at  the  temple.  At  the  time  of  Joseph's  death  that  edifice 
was  but  one  story  high,  yet  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  May,  1845, 

22 


346  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

about  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  cap-stone  was  laid  amid 
the  general  rejoicing  and  shouts  of  "Hosanna"  from  the  assem- 
bled thousands  of  the  Saints.  As  President  Brigham  Young 
finished  laying  the  cap-stone  he  stood  upon  it  and  said: 

The  last  stone  is  laid  upon  the  temple,  and  I  pray  the  Almighty 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  to  defend  us  in  this  place,  and  sustain  us  until 
the  temple  is  finished  and  we  have  all  got  our  endowments. 

The  whole  congregation  then  following  the  motion  of  President 
Young  shouted  as  loud  as  possible:  Hosanna!  Hosanna!  Hosanna! 
to  God  and  the  Lamb!  Amen!  Amen!  and  Amen!* 

"So  let  it  be,  thou  Almighty  God,"  solemnly  concluded  President 
Young. 

Thus  the  world  began  to  understand  that  Mormonism  was 
not  born  to  die  with  its  earthly  leaders.  And  it  began  to  be 
whispered  that  the  Prophet  Joseph  dead  was  even  more  potent 
than  when  living.  His  testimony  had  been  sealed  with  his 
blood,  and  it  gave  to  his  life  and  his  labors  an  additional  sanc- 
tity in  the  eyes  of  his  followers,  as  well  as  making  it  more  bind- 
ing upon  the  world. 

Seeing  then  the  continued  prosperity  of  Nauvoo  and  her 
citizens,  the  people  in  the  vicinity  of  that  city  and  in  the  sur- 
rounding counties  again  commenced  hostilities,  if,  indeed,  it  may 
be  said  that  they  had  ever  ceased.  The  enormity  of  the  murder 
at  Carthage  jail  had  checked  them  temporarily;  for  an  instant 
the  torch  and  assassin's  knife  had  dropped  from  their  nerveless 
hands  and  they  stood  aghast,  at  that  deed  of  blood.  But  seeing 
the  work  the  murdered  Prophet  had  started  surviving  his  fall, 
they  took  up  again  the  weapons  of  fell  destruction  and  rushed 
once  more  upon  their  victims. 

Early  in  September,  1845,  mobbing  the  scattered  families 
of  the  Saints  began  in  earnest.     A  meeting  was  held  by  anti- 


*  Wm.  Clayton's  journal,  under  date  of  May  24,  1845. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  347 

Mormons  near  what  was  called  the  ''Morley  settlement,"  to  de- 
vise means  of  getting  rid  of  the  Mormons.  During  the  meet- 
ing guns  were  fired  at  the  house  where  it  was  held,  and  the 
assault  charged  upon  the  Saints,  though  most  likely  it  was  done 
by  some  of  their  own  party— that  they  might  have  an  excuse 
for  their  meditated  acts  of  violence  upon  the  people  of  Nauvoo. 
Such  was  the  general  belief  at  the  time;  and  Governor  Ford  in 
his  "History  of  Illinois,"  speaking  of  this  circumstance,  says: 

In  the  fall  of  1845,  the  anti-Mormons  of  Lima  and  Green  Plains, 
held  a  meeting  to  devise  means  for  the  expulsion  of  the  Mormons 
from  their  neighborhood.  They  appointed  some  persons  of  their  own 
number  to  fire  a  few  shots  at  the  house  where  they  were  assembled; 
but  to  do  it  in  such  a  way  as  to  hurt  none  who  attended  the  meeting. 
The  meeting  was  held,  the  house  was  fired  at,  but  so  as  to  hurt  no 
one;  and  the  anti-Mormons  suddenly  breaking  up  their  meeting,  rode 
all  over  the  country  spreading  the  dire  alarm,  that  the  Mormons  had 
commenced  the  work  of  massacre  and  death.* 

The  attack  was  made  upon  the  Morley  settlement,  and  on 
the  eleventh  of  the  month  twenty-nine  houses  were  burned  down, 
while  their  occupants  were  driven  into  the  bushes  where  men, 
women  and  children  laid  drenched  with  rain,  anxiously  awaiting 
the  breaking  of  day. 

Speaking  of  this  outrage,  the  editor  of  the  Quincy  Whig, 
Mr.  Bartlett,  said: 

Seriously,  these  outrages  should  be  put  a  stop  to  at  once;  if  the 
Mormons  have  been  guilty  of  crime  why  punish  them,  but  do  not  visit 
their  sins  upon  defenseless  women  and  children.  This  is  as  bad  as 
the  savages.  *  *  *  It  is  feared  that  this  rising  against  the 
Mormons  is  not  confined  to  the  Morley  settlement,  but  that  there  is  an 
understanding  among  the  anties  in  the  northern  part  of  this  [AdamsJ 
and  Hancock  counties  to  make  a  general  sweep,  burning  and  destroy- 
ing the  property  of  the  Mormons  wherever  it  can  be  found.     If  this 


*  Ford's  History  of  Illinois,  p.  406 


348  RISE   AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

is  the  case,  there  will  be  employment  of  the  executive  of  the  State, 
and  that  soon.  *  *  *  Still  later  news  from  above  [re- 
ferring to  Hancock  County]  was  received  late  on  Monday  night.  The 
outrages  were  still  continued.  The  flouring  mill,  carding  machine, 
etc.,  of  Norman  Buel,  a  Mormon,  one  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Lima  is 
now  a  heap  of  ashes.  Colonel  Levi  Williams,  of  Green  Plains  has 
ordered  out  his  brigade,  it  is  said  to  aid  the  anti-Mormons.  The  anti- 
Mormons  from  Shuyler  [county]  and  the  adjoining  counties,  are  flock- 
ing in  and  great  distress  of  life  and  property  may  be  expected.  Heaven 
only  knows  where  these  proceedings  will  end.  It  is  time  the  strong 
arm  of  power  was  extended  to  quell  them.* 

In  the  midst  of  the  exciting  scenes  which  followed,  the 
sheriff  of  Hancock  County,  Mr.  J.  B.  Backenstos  proved  himself 
a  friend  to  law  and  order.  He  did  all  in  his  power  to  arrest  the 
spread  of  violence  and  called  upon  all  law-abiding  citizens  to 
act  as  a  posse  comitatus,  but  announced  it  as  his  opinion  that  the 
citizens  of  Nauvoo  had  better  take  no  part  in  suppressing  the 
mob-violence,  since  that  might  lead  to  a  civil  war.  At  the  same 
time  he  told  the  people  of  Hancock,  that  "the  Mormon  com- 
munity had  acted  with  more  than  ordinary  forbearance,  remain- 
ing perfectly  quiet,  and  offering  no  resistance  when  their  dwell- 
ings, their  buildings,  stacks  of  grain,  etc.,  were  set  on  fire  in 
their  presence.  They  had  forborne  until  forbearance  was  no 
longer  a  virtue."  His  vigorous  efforts  were  making  headway 
against  the  violators  of  the  law;  but  in  consequence  of  some 
parties  who  had  sought  his  life,  while  acting  in  his  oflftcial 
capacity,  being  killed,  he  was  arrestedf  by  General  John  J. 
Hardin  and  placed  on  trial  for  murder;  after  which  m oh- vio- 
lence went  unchecked  of  justice. 

In  the  midst  of  these  tumultuous  scenes  a  mass  meeting  of 
the  citizens  was  convened  at  Quincy  on  the  twenty-second  of 


*The  Hancock  Mob.,  p  4,  by  J.  B.  Conyers,  M.  D. 

I  He  was  acquitted  at  his  trial  which  took  place  at  Peoria. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  349 

September.  It  was  generally  known  that  the  Prophet  Joseph 
had  contemplated  going  west  with  the  main  body  of  The  Church, 
and  it  was  one  of  the  objects  of  this  meeting  to  appoint  a  com- 
mittee to  confer  with  The  Church  authorities  and  learn  what 
their  present  intentions  were  as  to  leaving  the  State.  It  was 
expressed  as  the  opinion  of  that  meeting  that  the  only  basis 
upon  which  the  Mormon  troubles  could  be  settled  would  be  the 
removal  of  that  people  from  Illinois.  "It  is  a  settled  thing," 
said  Mr.  Bartlett,  editor  of  the  Quincy  Whig,  in  his  issue  follow- 
ing the  meeting  of  the  above  date — 

It  is  a  settled  thing  that  the  public  sentiment  of  the  State  is 
against  the  Mormons,  and  it  will  be  in  vain  for  them  to  contend 
against  it;  and  to  prevent  bloodshed,  and  the  sacrifice  of  many  lives 
on  both  sides,  it  is  their  duty  to  obey  the  public  will,  and  leave  the 
State  as  speedily  as  possible.  That  they  will  do  this  we  have  a  con- 
fident hope — and  that  too,  before  the  last  extreme  is  resorted  to — that 
of  force. 

We  are  sorry  to  say  that  many  of  the  leading  men  of  Quincy, 
principally  prominent  members  of  the  bar,  who  before  had  been 
kindly  disposed  towards  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  now  turned 
against  them,  and  became  the  advocates  of  violence,  and  lent 
the  weight  and  influence  of  their  characters  to  the  support  and 
spread  of  mob-law.  Among  such  we  are  sorry  to  publish  Major 
Warren  and  0.  H.  Browning,  the  latter  having  defended  the 
Prophet  Joseph  on  more  than  one  occasion  when  unjustly  charged 
with  crime  before  the  courts  of  the  country.  His  burning  words 
of  eloquence,  in  reciting  the  wrongs  of  the  Saints,  when  cruelly 
expelled  from  Missouri,  would,  one  would  think,  have  enlisted 
the  sympathy  of  adamantine  hearts;  and  now  to  see  him  leagued 
with  those  bent  upon  bringing  about  a  repetition  of  these  sor- 
rows, is  an  event  to  be  truly  deplored. 

In  answer  to  the  Quincy  committee  to  state  what  their  pre- 


350  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

,  sent  intentions  were  relative  to  leaving  the  State,  the  Twelve 
handed  them  the  following  communication: 

Nauvoo,  September  24,  1845. 

Whereas,  a  council  of  the  authorities  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  at  Nauvoo  have  this  day  received  a  com- 
munication from  Messrs.  Henry  Asbury,  John  P.  Robins,  Albert  G. 
Pearson,  P.  A.  Goodwin,  J.  N.  Pvalston,  M.  Rogers  and  E.  Congers,  com- 
mittee of  the  citizens  of  Quincy,  requesting  us  to  communicate  in 
writing  our  disposition  and  intention  at  this  time,  particularly  with 
regard  to  removing  to  some  place  where  the  peculiar  organization  of 
our  Church  will  not  be  likely  to  engender  so  much  strife  and  conten- 
tion as  unhappily  exists  at  this  time  in  Hancock  and  some  of  the  adjoin- 
ing counties; 

And,  whereas,  said  committee  have  reported  to  us  the  doings  of  a 
public  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Quincy  on  the  twenty-second  inst., 
by  which  it  appears  there  are  some  feelings  concerning  us  as  a  people, 
and  in  relation  to  which  sundry  resolutions  were  passed,  purporting 
to  be  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  or  restoring  peace  to  the 
country; 

And,  whereas,  it  is  our  desire  and  ever  has  been,  to  live  in  peace 
with  all  men,  so  far  as  we  can,  without  sacrificing  the  right  to  wor- 
ship God  according  to  the  dictates  of  our  own  consciences  which  privi- 
lege is  granted  by  the  Constitution  of  these  United  States;  and, 
whereas,  we  have  time  and  again,  been  driven  from  our  peaceful 
homes,  and  our  women  and  children  have  been  obliged  to  live  on  the 
prairies,  in  the  forests,  on  the  roads  and  in  tents,  in  the  dead  of  win- 
ter, suffering  all  manner  of  hardships — even  to  death  itself — as  the 
people  of  Quincy  well  know;  the  remembrance  of  whose  hospitality, 
in  former  days,  still  causes  our  hearts  to  burn  with  joy,  and  raise  the 
prayer  to  heaven  for  blessing  on  their  heads;  and,  whereas,  it  is  now 
so  late  in  the  season  that  it  is  impossible  for  us,  as  a  people,  to  re- 
move this  fall  without  causing  a  repetition  of  like  sufferings;  and, 
whereas,  it  has  been  represented  to  us  from  other  sources  than  those 
named,  and  even  in  some  communications  from  the  executive  of  the 
State,  that  many  of  the  citizens  of  the  State  were  unfriendly  to  our 
views  and  principles;  and,  whereas,  many  scores  of  our  homes  in  this 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  351 

country  have  been  burned  to  ashes  without  any  justifiable  cause  or 
provocation,  and  we  have  made  no  resistance,  till  compelled  by  the 
authorities  of  the  county  so  to  do,  and  that  authority  not  connected 
with  our  Church;  and,  whereas,  said  resistance  to  mobocracy,  from 
legally  constituted  authority,  appears  to  be  misunderstood  by  some, 
and  misconstrued  by  others,  so  as  to  produce  an  undue  excitement  in 
the  j.ublic  mind;  and,  whereas,  we  desire  peace  above  all  earthly 
blessings; 

Therefore,  we  would  say  to  the  committee  above  mentioned,  and 
to  the  governor,  and  all  the  authorities  and  people  of  Illinois,  and  the 
surrounding  States  and  Territories  that  we  propose  to  leave  this  county 
next  spring,  for  some  point  so  remote,  that  there  will  not  need  be 
any  difficulty  with  the  people  and  ourselves,  provided  certain  propo- 
sitions necessary  for  the  accomplishment  of  our  removal  shall  be 
observed,  as  follows,  to- wit: 

That  the  citizens  of  this  and  surrounding  counties,  and  all  men, 
will  use  their  influence  and  exertion  to  help  us  to  sell  or  rent  our 
properties,  so  as  to  get  means  enough  that  we  can  help  the  widow, 
the  fatherless  and  the  destitute  to  remove  with  us. 

That  all  men  will  let  us  alone  with  their  vexatious  law-suits  so 
that  we  may  have  time,  for  we  have  broken  no  laws;  and  help  us  to 
cash,  dry  goods,  groceries,  etc.,  to  good  oxen,  beef  cattle,  sheep, 
wagons,  mules  horses,  harness,  etc.,  in  exchange  for  our  property,  at 
a  fair  price,  and  deeds  given  on  payment,  that  we  may  have  means  to 
accomplish  a  removal  without  the  suffering  of  the  destitute  to  an  ex- 
tent beyond  the  endurance  of  human  nature. 

That  all  exchange  of  property  shall  be  conducted  by  a  committee, 
or  by  committees  of  both  parties;  so  that  all  the  business  may  be 
transacted  honorably  and  speedily. 

That  we  will  use  all  lawful  means,  in  connection  with  others  to 
preserve  the  public  peace  while  we  tarry;  and  shall  expect,  decidedly, 
that  we  be  no  more  molested  with  house-burning,  or  any  other  depreda- 
tions, to  waste  our  property  and  time,  and  hinder  our  business. 

That  it  is  a  mistaken  idea,  that  we  have  proposed  to  leave  in  six 
months,  for  that  would  be  so  early  in  the  spring  that  grass  may  not 
grow  nor  water  run;  both  of  which  would  be  necessary  for  our  re- 
moval    But  we  propose  to  use  our  influence,  to  have  no  more  seed 


352  RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO. 

time  and  harvest  amon^  our  people  in  this  county  after  gathering  our 
present  crops;  and  that  all  communications  be  made  to  us  in  writing. 

By  order  of  the  council, 

Brigham  Young, 
W.  Richards,  President. 

Clerk. 

The  Quincy  committee  reported  to  the  citizens  of  that  city, 
the  propositions  of  The  Church  authorities,  which  were  regarded 
as  satisfactory  in  part,  but  thought  they  were  not  so  full  or 
decisive  as  was  necessary.  The  mass  meeiing  to  which  they 
reported,  however,  accepted  the  propositions  and  decided  to 
recommend  the  people  in  the  surrounding  counties  to  do  the 
same.     ''But,"  said  one  of  the  resolutions: 

We  accept  it  [the  proposition  of  The  Church  authorities]  as  an 
unconditional  proposition  to  remove.  We  do  not  intend  to  bring  our- 
selves under  any  obligation  to  purchase  their  property  or  furnish 
purchasers  for  the  same,  but  we  will  in  no  way  hinder  or  obstruct 
them  in  their  efforts  to  sell;  and  will  expect  them  to  dispose  of  their 
property,  and  remove  at  the  time  appointed. 

Resolved,  that  it  is  now  too  late  to  attempt  the  settlement  of  the 
difficulties  in  Hancock  County  upon  any  other  basis  than  that  of  the 
removal  of  the  Mormons  from  the  State. 

Resolved,  that  whilst  we  shall  endeavor,  by  all  the  means  in  our 
power,  to  prevent  the  occurrence  of  anything  which  might  operate 
against  their  removal,  and  afford  the  people  of  Nauvoo  any  grounds 
of  complaint,  we  shall  equally  expect  good  faith  upon  their  part;  and 
if  they  shall  not  comply  with  their  own  proposition,  the  consequence 
must  rest  upon  those  who  violate  faith.  And  we  now  solennly  pledge 
ourselves  to  be  ready  at  the  appointed  time  to  act,  as  the  occasion 
may  require,  and  that  we  will  immediately  adopt  a  preliminary  mili- 
tary organization,  for  prompt  future  action,  if  occasion  should  de- 
mand it. 

Resolved,  that  in  our  opinion,  the  peace  of  Hancock  County  can- 
not so  far  be  restored  as  to  allow  the  desired  progress  to  be  made, 
in  preparing  the  way  for  the  removal  of  the  Mormons,  while  J,  B. 


RISE   AND   FALL   OP   NAUVOO.  353 

Backenstos  remains  sheriff  of  said  county:  and  that  he  ought  to  re- 
sign said  office. 

Of  the  first  of  these  resolutions  Josiah  B.  Conyers,  the 
author  of  "A  Brief  History  of  the  Hancock  Mob,"  says  with  just 
indignation  and  sarcasm: 

The  first  one,  in  our  opinion,  is  unique.  They  accepted  and  rec- 
ommended to  the  people  of  the  surrounding  counties  to  accept  an 
unconditional  proposition  to  remove.  But  understand,  Mr.  Mormon, 
though  we  accept  it  and  recommend  the  surrounding  counties  to  do 
so,  likewise,  (reprobate  you,  unconditionally)  we  do  not  intend  to 
bring  ourselves  under  any  obligation  to  purchase  your  property,  or  to 
furnish  purchasers;  but  we  will  be  very  kind  and  obliging,  and  will 
in  no  way,  hinder  or  obstruct  you  in  your  efforts  to  sell,  provided, 
nevertheless,  this  shall  not  be  so  construed  as  to  prevent  us  from  run- 
ning off  the  purchaser.  But  we  expect  this  small  favor  of  you,  viz., 
that  you  must  dispose  of  yoar  property,  and  leave  at  the  appointed 
time.* 

This  mass  meeting  closed  its  business  by  arranging  a  plan 
for  adopting  a  preliminary  military  organization  for  prompt  fu- 
ture action,  if  occasion  should  demand. 

On  the  first  and  second  of  October  an  anti-Mormon  conven- 
tion assembled  at  Carthage,  in  which  nine  counties,  those  imme- 
diately surrounding  Hancock,  were  represented.  A  committee 
on  evidence,  was  appointed,  on  which  Archibald  Williams,  one 
of  the  Saints'  bitterest  enemies,  was  chairman.  It  was  its  busi- 
ness to  collect  evidence  in  relation  to  the  depredations  of  the 
Mormons.  The  chairman  made  a  report  to  which  were  appended 
a  number  of  affidavits,  charging  various  crimes  on  the  people  of 
Nauvoo.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  whole  thing  was  an  ex 
patre  affair,  and  sustained  by  the  men  who  had  assisted  in  the 
murder  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith;  and  it  was  upon  their  evi- 
dence the  convention  acted. 


*  Hancock  Mob,  Conyers,  pp.  13,  H- 


354  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

The  convention  adopted  the  course  followed  by  the  mass 
meeting  at  Quincy — that  is,  it  agreed  to  accept  the  propositions 
of  The  Church  authorities,  to  remove,  in  the  same  spirit  they 
were  received  at  Quincy,  and  proceeded  to  prepare  a  preliminary 
military  organization  to  act  with  promptitude,  provided  the 
Saints  did  not  remove.     The  convention  also. 

Resolved,  that  it  is  expected  as  an  indispensable  condition  to  the 
pacification  of  the  county,  that  the  old  citizens  be  permitted  to  return 
to  their  homes  unmolested  by  the  present  sheriff  (Backenstos,)  and 
the  Mormons,  for  anything  alleged  against  them;  any  attempt  on 
their  part  to  arrest  or  prosecute  such  persons  for  pretended  offenses, 
will  inevitably  lead  to  a  renewal  of  the  late  disorder. 

0.  H.  Browning  moved  the  following: 

Resolved,  that  the  Hon.  W.  N.  Purple,  judge  of  this  judicial  cir- 
cuit court  be  requested  not  to  hold  a  court  in  Hancock  County  this 
fall;  as,  in  the  opinion  of  this  convention,  such  court  could  not  be 
holden  without  producing  a  collision  between  the  Mormons  and  anti- 
Mormons,  and  renewing  the  excitement  and  disturbances  which  have 
recently  affected  said  county. 

And  thus  those  guilty  of  mob  violence  and  house  burning 
were  to  be  protected  by  the  Carthage  convention  from  prosecu- 
tion before  the  courts;  and  those  who  might  have  the  temerity 
to  prosecute  them  and  vindicate  the  law,  were  threatened  by  a 
renewal  of  that  same  lawless  violence!  Where,  then,  proud 
State  of  Illinois,  was' your  majesty!  Your  honor!  Can  you 
answer?  If  you,  out  of  very  shame,  cannot  look  up  and  reply, 
history  answers  for  you,  and  tells  you  it  was  trailed  in  the  dust, 
under  the  very  feet  of  as  vile  a  set  of  traitors  as  ever  brought 
shame  to  their  country!  And  where  was  your  virtuous  popu- 
lace, the  true  watch  and  guard  of  a  State's  honor?  Alas,  they 
were  blinded  by  the  falsehoods  prompted  by  malice  and  envy, 
and  started  on  foot  to  shield  the  guilty  murderers  of  innocence, 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  355 

or  quelled  by   the  bold  front  of  a  traitorous  but  successful 
mob. 

In  the  meantime  every  exertion  was  made  by  the  citizens 
of  Nauvoo,  to  be  ready  for  the  great  exodus  in  the  spring.  The 
temple  had  been  so  far  completed  that  a  conference  was  held  in 
it  on  the  sixth  of  October,  and  committees  appointed  to  nego- 
tiate the  sale  of  property  and  attend  to  other  branches  of  busi- 
ness. 

Nauvoo  presented  a  busy  scene  in  those  days.  Men  were 
hurrying  to  and  fro  collecting  wagons  and  putting  them  in  re- 
pair; the  roar  of  the  smith's  forge  was  well  nigh  perpetual,  and 
even  the  stillness  of  night  was  broken  by  the  steady  beating  of 
the  sledge  and  the  merry  ringing  of  the  anvil.  Committees 
were  seeking  purchasers  of  real  estate  and  converting  both  that 
and  personal  property  into  anything  that  would  be  of  service  to 
those  just  about  to  plunge  into  an  unknown  and  boundless  wil- 
derness. 

But  while  these  efforts  were  being  put  forth  on  the  part  of 
the  people  of  Nauvoo,  to  fulfill  their  agreement  with  the  mob 
forces,  the  conditions  of  removal  on  the  part  of  the  old  settlers 
were  frequently  violated;  and  instances  of  mob  violence  were 
almost  every  day  occurrences.  The  people,  who  were  making 
preparations  to  leave  the  farms,  gardens  and  homes  they  had 
redeemed  from  the  wilderness,  were  constantly  threatened  with 
destruction  by  the  hostile  demonstrations  of  their  heartless 
neighbors. 

To  give  an  earnest  of  the  intentions  of  the  Mormons  to 
leave  the  State  where. they  had  suffered  so  much,  and  to  there- 
by remove  all  occasion  for  the  implacable  wrath  of  their  ene- 
mies, that  was  so  impatient  that  it  could  not  wait  for  the  spring- 
time to  come,  for  the  sacrifice  of  its  victims,  the  Twelve  and 
the  High  Council,  with  about  four  hundred  families,  crossed 
the  Mississippi  on  the  ice,  on  the  eleventh  of  February,  1846, 
and  were  soon  lost  to  view  in  the  wilderness  of  Iowa.     Others 


356  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO 

continued  to  follow  as  fast  as  they  could  make  ready,  until  by 
the  latter  part  of  April,  the  great  body  of  The  Church  at  Nau- 
voo  had  gone. 

But  now,  purchasers  for  their  property  failed  those  who 
remained.  The  people  surrounding  Nauvoo  saw  no  need  of  pur- 
chasing that  which  inevitably  must  become  theirs.  The  result 
was  that  it  became  impossible  for  this  remnant,  consisting  for 
the  most  part,  of  the  destitute,  the  aged,  infirm  and  sick,  to  re- 
move. And  surely  a  people  who  had  still  any  faith  left  in  humanity, 
would  be  justified  in  the  belief  that  these  could  remain  until  an 
asylum  was  found  for  them  by  their  friends,  who  had  already 
gone  in  search  of  new  homes.  But  in  this,  be  it  said,  to  the 
shame  of  Illinois,  they  were  deceived.  In  the  hardened  hearts 
of  their  enemies,  however,  there  was  no  mercy,  even  for  the 
helpless;  no  pity  for  the  sick  or  destitute.  In  their  enemies' 
veins  the  milk  of  human  kindness  had  dried  up. 

During  the  preparations  for  the  exodus,  Major  Warren  had 
been  stationed  with  a  small  military  force  in  Hancock,  to  keep 
the  peace;  but  about  the  middle  of  April  he  received  orders  to 
disband  his  force  on  the  first  of  May,  as  that  was  adjudged  by 
**the  public  expectation,"  to  use  a  phrase  of  Major  Warren's, 
when  the  last  of  the  Mormons  should  have  left  the  State.  So 
soon  as  it  was  understood  that  there  were  still  left  in  Nauvoo  a 
number  of  Mormons  who  would  likely  remain  through  the  summer 
to  continue  their  efi'orts  to  dispose  of  property,  an  uproar  was  raised 
in  the  surrounding  counties,  meetings  were  held  and  resolu- 
tions adopted,  demanding  that  they  leave  at  once,  under  threats 
of  extermination.  When  the  governor  saw  this  new  furore 
breaking  out,  he  countermanded  the  order  for  Major  Warren  to 
disband  his  forces,  and  commanded  him  to  hold  his  position 
and  to  preserve  the  peace  until  he  received  further  orders. 

The  new  impetus  given  to  mob  violence,  however,  was  not 
to  spend  its  force  without  perpetrating  some  outrage,  and  a 
number  of  Cowardly  attacks  were  made  upon  Mormons.     On  the 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  357 

eleventh  of  May,  Major  Warren  found  it  necessary  to  issue  a 
circular  from  which  I  quote  the  following: 

The  undersigned  again  deems  it  his  duty  to  appear  before  you  in 
a  circular.  It  may  not  be  known  to  all  of  you,  that  the  day  after 
my  detachment  was  disbanded  at  Carthage,  I  received  orders  from 
the  executive  to  muster  them  into  service  again,  and  remain  in  the 
county  until  further  orders. 

I  have  now  been  in  Nauvoo  with  my  detachment  a  week  and  can 
say  to  you  with  perfect  assurance  that  the  demonstrations  made  by 
the  Mormon  population,  are  unequivocal.  They  are  leaving  the  State, 
and  preparing  to  leave,  with  every  means  that  God  and.  nature  has 
placed  in  their  hands.  *  *  *  The  anti-Mormons  desire 
the  removal  of  the  Mormons;  this  is  being  effected  peaceably  and  with 
all  possible  dispatch.  All  aggressive  movements,  therefore,  against 
them  at  this  time,  must  be  actuated  by  a  wanton  desire  to  shed  blood, 
or  to  plunder.        *        *        * 

A  man  of  near  sixty  years  of  age,  living  about  seven  miles  from 
this  place,  was  taken  from  his  house  a  few  nights  since,  stripped  of 
hisclothing,and  his  back  cut  to  pieces  with  a  whip,  for  no  other  rea- 
son than  because  he  was  a  Mormon,  and  too  old  to  make  successful 
resistance.  Conduct  of  this  kind  would  disgrace  a  horde  of  savages. 
*  .  *  *  To  the  Mormons  I  would  say,  go  on  with  your  prepara- 
tions and  leave  as  fast  as  you  can.  Leave  the  fighting  to  be  done  by 
my  detachment.  If  we  are  overpowered,  then  recross  the  river,  and 
defend  yourselves  and  property. 

To  those  busy  trying:  to  raise  mob  forces,  principally  Squire 
M'Calla  and  Colonel  Levi  Williams,  Major  Warren  gave  warning 
that  a  previous  order  to  the  effect  that  not  more  than  four 
armed  men,  other  than  State  troops,  should  assemble  together, 
would  be  enforced;  and  that  any  mob  which  assembled  would  be 
dispersed;  his  force  or  the  mob  would  leave  the  field  in  double 
quick  time.  This  had  the  effect  of  quieting  matters  down  for 
a  season,  but  only  until  Major  Warren's  detachment  was  dis- 
banded. 

A  meeting  was  held  at  Carthage  on  the  sixth  of  June,  to 


358  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

make  preparations  for  celebrating  the  fourth  of  July,  the  na- 
tion's natal  day.  It  was  suggested  at  that  meeting  that,  as  all 
the  Mormons  had  not  left  the  State,  the  people  of  Hancock 
County  could  not  be  considered  free;  and  under  those -circum- 
stances, they  ought  not  to  celebrate  the  fourth  with  the  usual 
rejoicings.  The  meeting  was  therefore  adjourned  to  meet  on 
the  twelfth,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  into  consideration  why  it 
was  that  all  Mormons  had  not  left  the  city  of  Nauvoo.  That 
happened  to  be  the  day  fixed  by  the  governor  on  which  to  raise 
volunteers  for  the  Mexican  war,  which,  in  the  meantime,  had 
broken  out;  so  that  there  was  considerable  excitement  among 
the  militia  of  Hancock  County,  and  the  mob  leaders  doubtless 
thought  the  time  propitious  for  making  a  demonstration  against 
the  few  Saints  still  remaining  in  Nauvoo. 

A  large  body  of  men  were  found  willing  to  march  i  nto 
Nauvoo,  but  it  was  learned  that  the  new  citizens  who  had  pur- 
chased much  of  the  property  of  the  now  exiled  people,  were 
unwilling  to  allow  the  mob  forces  to  enter  the  city,  and  meet- 
ing with  this  unexpected  opposition,  the  mob  forces  marched  to 
Golden's  point,  distant  from  Nauvoo  some  five  or  six  miles  down 
the  river.  At  this  juncture,  Stephen  Markham  returned  to 
Nauvoo  from  the  camp  of  the  Apostles  for  some  Church  prop- 
erty; but  it  was  rumored  that  he  had  returned  with  a  large 
body  of  men,  and  as  Markham's  name  was  a  terror  among  the 
enemies  of  the  Saints,  the  mob  took  to  flight,  though  no  one 
was  in  pursuit.  It  was  a  case  of  the  wicked  fleeing  when  no 
man  pursued. 

The  committee  at  Quincy  having  control  of  the  mob  forces, 
either  chagrined  by  the  cowardice  of  those  who  had  collected 
at  Golden's  point,  or  appalled  at  the  prosoect  of  innocent  blood 
being  found  upon  their  skirts,  retired  from  the  position  which 
had  been  assigned  them.  This  disorganized  the  mob  and  they 
dispersed  to  their  homes,  but  agreed  to  assemble  again  at  the 
call  of  their  leaders;  and  laid  an  injunction  upon  the  Mormons 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  359 

in  Nauvoo  not  to  go  outside  of  the  city  limits,  except  in  making 
their  way  westward. 

This  order  of  the  mob  was  disregarded  by  a  party  of  new 
citizens  and  a  few  Saints  who  went  into  the  country  several 
miles,  to  harvest  a  field  of  grain.  While  engaged  in  their  work, 
they  were  surrounded  by  a  mob  and  captured.  They  were  rob- 
bed of  their  arms,  stripped  of  their  clothing,  and  cruelly  beaten 
with  hickory  goads.  This  outrage  created  intense  excitement 
in  Nauvoo,  and  the  new  citizens  and  Saints  made  common  cause 
in  bringing  the  perpetrators  of  it  to  justice.  But  while  the 
parties  accused  of  the  crime  were  under  arrest  in  the  hands  of 
the  officers,  a  second  party,  consisting  of  P.  H.  Young  and  his 
son,  Richard  Ballantyne,  James  Standing  and  Mr.  Herring  were 
kidnapped,  and  held  by  their  tormentors  fourteen  days,  during 
which  time  they  were  constantly  threatened  with  death.  They 
finally  escaped,  however,  and  returned  to  Nauvoo. 

The  parties  accused  of  making  the  assault  on  those  in  the 
harvest  field,  took  a  change  of  venue  to  Quincy,  but  whether 
they  were  ever  brought  to  trial  or  not,  I  cannot  learn,  but  think 
they  were  not. 

Among  those  arrested  for  attacking  the  party  of  harvest- 
ers was  Major  M'Calla;  and  in  his  possession  was  found  a  gun 
taken  from  the  party.  The  gun  was  recognized  by  several  per- 
sons, among  whom  was  Wm.  Pickett,  and  taken  from  him.  The 
mobbers  then  and  there  made  out  a  charge  of  stealing,  and  got 
out  warrants  for  the  arrest  of  Pickett,  Furness  and  Clifford. 
Pickett,  it  would  seem,  had  incurred  the  hatred  of  the  mob,  and 
they  desired  to  get  him  into  their  power.  Word  was  brought 
to  him  by  a  friend  that  the  warrant  was  merely  a  subterfuge  to 
get  him  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies;  consequently,  when  one 
John  Carlin,  a  special  constable  from  Carthage,  undertook  to  ar- 
rest him,  he  asked  if  he  would  guarantee  his  safety;  being  ans- 
wered in  the  negative,  he  resisted  the  officer  and  would  not  be 
taken.     Though  it  is  claimed  that  afterwards,  in  company  with 


360  RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

several  friends  he  went  before  the  magistrate  of  Green  Plains, 
who,  it  was  said,  issued  the  warrant  for  his  arrest.  But  as  he 
had  no  record  of  the  warrant  he  refused  to  put  him  under  ar- 
rest. The  other  parties  accused  were  acquitted  on  examina- 
tion. 

The  mob  now,  however,  saw  an  opportunity  to  accomplish 
their  full  purpose  of  destroying  the  city  of  Nauvoo.  An  officer 
had  been  resisted  by  a  citizen,  and  his  fellow  citizens  approved 
his  course!  "Nauvoo  was  in  rebellion  against  the  laws!"  Carlin 
issued  a  proclamation  calling  upon  the  citizens  to  come  as  a 
posse  corrdtatus,  to  assist  him  in  executing  the  law.  And  to  his 
clarion  call, 

There  was  mounting  in  hot  haste. 

The  old  mob  forces  were  soon  assembled  at  Carthage,  and 
the  command  given  to  Captain  Singleton. 

The  citizens  of  Nauvoo  petitioned  the  governor  for  pro- 
tection, and  he  sent  to  them  Major  J.  R.  Parker,  with  a  force 
of  ten  men  from  Fulton  County,  and  also  authorized  him  to  take 
command  of  such  forces  as  might  volunteer  to  defend  the  city 
against  any  attacks  that  might  be  threatened.  He  was  also 
empowered  "to  pursue,  and  in  aid  of  any  peace  officer  with  a 
proper  warrant,  arrest  the  rioters  who  may  threaten  or  attempt 
such  an  attack,  and  bring  them  to  trial;"  and  to  assist  with  an 
armed  posse  any  peace  officer  in  making  an  arrest,  and  with  a 
like  force  to  guard  the  prisoners,  during  the  trial,  and  as  long 
as  he  believed  them  in  danger  of  mob  violence.  The  commission 
bears  date  August  24,  1846. 

Thus  equipped.  Major  Parker  went  to  Nauvoo  and  issued  a 
proclamation  calling  upon  the  mobs  then  collecting,  ''in  the  name 
of  the  people  of  Illinois,  and  by  virtue  of  the  authority  vested  in 
him  by  the  governor  of  the  State  to  disperse."  The  issue,  then, 
was  no  longer  between  the  mob  forces  and  the  Mormons;  it  was 
between  the  recognized  authority  of  the  State  and  this  lawless 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  361 

banditti.  Major  Parker  also  announced  that  he  was  authorized 
and  prepared  to  assist  the  proper  officers  in  serving  any  writs 
in  their  hands. 

In  answer  to  this  proclamation  Carlin  issued  a  counter  one 
to  the  effect  that  if  he  met  with  resistance  from  Parker,  he 
would  consider  his  detachment  as  a  mob,  and  proceed  accord- 
ingly. To  which  Parker  replied,  if  the  forces  under  Carlin  under- 
took to  enter  Nauvoo,  he  would  treat  them  as  a  mob.  Parker 
also  wrote  to  Singleton,  and  expressed  a  desire  to  bring  about  a 
settlement  of  the  difficulty  without  shedding  blood.  To  this  com- 
munication Singleton  replied  that  in  Parker's  proposition  he  saw 
nothinglooking  to  the  expulsion  of  the  remnant  of  the  Mormon  peo- 
ple left  in  Nauvoo,  and  "that  is,"  said  he  "a  sine  qua  non  with  us." 
It  will  be  remembered  that  Carlin's  professed  object  in  calling 
for  a  posse  was  to  arrest  William  Pickett;  but  now  something 
more  is  demanded — the  immediate  removal  of  the  Mormons,  the 
surrender  of  Nauvoo,  etc.  Singleton  concluded  his  terms  to 
Parker,  the  representative  of  the  governor  of  the  State,  in 
these  words: 

When  I  say  to  you,  the  Mormons  must  go,  I  speak  the  mind  of  the 
camp  and  the  country.  They  can  leave  without  force  or  injury  to 
themselves  or  their  property,  but  I  say  to  you,  sir,  with  all  candor, 
they  shall  go — they  may  fix  the  time  within  sixty  days,  or  I  will  fix  it 
for  them. 

At  this  juncture  a  committee  of  one  hundred,  which 
had  been  appointed  by  the  citizens  of  Quincy,  arrived  on  the 
scene,  to  act — ostensibly — as  mediators,  to  bring  about  a  peace- 
ful solution  of  the  trouble,  but  one  cannot  help  thinking  their 
true  mission  was  to  insiduously  carry  out  the  project  of  the 
mob.  But  I  leave  the  reader  to  draw  his  own  inference  respect- 
ing that;  when  he  hears  the  terms  proposed  by  that  committee, 
and  which  all  classes  of  citizens  in  Nauvoo,  seeing  no  alterna- 
tive, accepted: 

23 


362  RISE  AND   FALL   OF  NAUVOO. 

The  terms  offered  were  that  the  Mormons  move  out  of  the 
city,  or  disperse  within  sixty  days.  A  force  of  twenty-five  to 
remain  in  the  city  during  that  time,  half  the  expense  of  main- 
taining them  was  to  be  paid  by  the  people  of  Nauvoo;for  which 
amount  they  were  to  give  bond;  that  the  Mormons  surrender 
their  arms,  which  should  be  returned  to  them  after  they  left  the 
State;  that  as  soon  as  those  arms  were  surrendered,  the  forces 
under  Singleton  were  to  disperse;  that  all  hostilities  cease  be- 
tween the  respective  parties  as  soon  as  the  agreement  was  ac- 
cepted. 

The  singularity  about  this  agreement  is  that  not  one  word 
is  said  about  giving  up  Pickett,  to  arrest  whom  the  forces  under 
Singleton  were  ostensibly  called  out.  Does  it  not  reveal  the 
fact  that  the  Pickett  episode  was  merely  a  ruse — a  pretext  for 
gathering  a  mob  to  sack  Nauvoo  and  drive  away  the  Mormons? 

This  proposed  settlement,  however,  was  rejected  by  the  mob 
forces.  It  did  not  sufficiently  gratify  their  implacable  hatred. 
They  did,  in  very  deed,  as  the  Prophet  Joseph  foretold  his  people 
they  would,  thirst  for  the  blood  of  every  man  in  whose  heart 
dwelt  a  single  spark  of  the  spirit  of  the  fullness  of  the  Gospel. 
But  when  the  mob  rejected  these  terms,  Singleton  and  other 
leaders  left  them;  saying  the  Mormons  had  done  all  that  could 
be  required  of  them. 

On  the  retirement  of  Singleton  and  others,  the  command  of 
the  mob  was  given  to  Thomas  S.  Brockman,  a  Campbellite 
preacher,  known  familiarly  as  *'01d  Tom,"  among  his  followers. 
He  at  once  went  into  active  preparations  for  bombarding  the 
city;  and  with  a  force  of  more  than  one  thousand  men,  and  six 
pieces  of  cannon,  took  up  a  position  about  one  mile  east  of  the 
city,  in  a  cornfield  just  at  the  head  of  Mulholland  street;  and 
not  far  from  the  house  of  Squire  D.  H.  Wells. 

From  this  position  Brockman  issued  the  terms  upon  which 
he  would  grant  peace.  The  terms  he  offered  were  much  more 
outrageous  than  those  proposed  by  the  Quincy  committee,  and 


RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  363 

therefore  were  rejected  by  the  people  of  Nauvoo,  both  by 
Mormon  and  non-Mormon.  Brockman  addressed  his  inso- 
lent terms  of  peace  to  ''the  commanding  officer  of  Nau- 
voo, and  the  trustees  of  the  Mormon  Church."  The  "com- 
manding officer"  was  Major  Clifford,  who  had  succeeded  Major 
Parker  in  that  position.  He  was  vested  with  the  governor's 
commission  as  Parker  had  been,  and  it  was  to  this  representa- 
tive of  Illinois'  executive  that  the  demand  of  Brockman  to  sur- 
render the  city,  and  stack  his  arms,  was  addressed;  so  that  he  and 
his  mob  forces  were  pitted  against  the  laws  and  lawful  author- 
ity of  the  State,  and  we  shall  see,  as  we  proceed,  how  mobs 
were  more_powerful  than  the  State  authorities;  or  rather,  how 
the  lawful  authorities  of  the  State  were  so  lost  to  all  sense  of 
shame,  so  recreant  to  the  trust  reposed  in  them,  so  neglectful 
of  the  honor  and  dignity  of  the  State,  that  they  permitted 
their  own  representatives  to  be  driven  in  disgrace  from  the  field 
by  the  mob  led  by  Brockman:  and  furthermore,  those  same 
authorities  were  so  lost  to  every  principle  of  humanity,  that 
they  permitted  the  helpless  and  unoffending  people  to  be  driven 
from  their  homes  out  into  the  wilderness  to  perish  from  ex- 
posure. 

The  citizens  of  Nauvoo  were  not  willing  to  allow  Brock- 
man's  mob  to  enter  the  city  without  making  some  effort  to  pre- 
vent him;  and  although  their  forces  numbered  not  more  than 
three  or  four  hundred,  they  presented  a  determined  front  to  the 
mob.  They  converted  some  steam-boat  shafts  into  cannon — 
five  pieces  in  all — and  threw  up  some  fortifications  on  the  north 
of  Mulholland  street,  facing  the  mob's  camp.  These  works 
were  under  command  of  Captain  Lamareux.  On  the  south  of 
of  Mulholland  street,  the  companies  of  Gates  and  Cutler  were 
stationed. 

On  September  10th,  11th,  and  12th,  there  was  some  desul- 
tory firing  on  both  sides,  without  much  advantage  being  gained. 
On  the  thirteenth,  however,  the  mob-forces  advanced  in  solid 


364  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

column,  making  a  desperate  effort  to  reach  Mulholland  street, 
the  principal  street  leading  into  Nauvoo  from  the  east.  If  the  onset 
was  desperate,  the  resistance  was  equally  determined.  The  main 
shock  of  the  conflict  was  sustained  for  a  time  by  Gates'  and  Cut- 
ler's companies,  and  they  must  inevitably  have  been  overpowered 
by  the  superior  numbers  of  the  mob,  had  not  Squire  Wells  come 
up  with  Lamareux's  company  to  reinforce  them.  The  doughty 
squire  had  ridden  across  an  open  field  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the 
enemy,  to  where  Lamareux's  company  lay  behind  their  fortifica- 
tions. He  called  upon  them  to  advance  at  once  to  check  the 
approach  of  the  mob.  There  was  one  brave  spirit  who  needed 
no  second  call  to  perform  his  duty.  That  was  William  Ander- 
son, captain  of  what  was  known  as  the  "Spartan  Band."  He 
leaped  from  behind  the  trenches  and  calling  on  his  men  to  fol- 
low, started  for  the  front.  The  rest,  of  Lamareux's  company 
did  not  so  readily  respond,  and  manifested  a  disposition  to  retreat 
rather  than  advance.  Squire  Wells,  observing  this,  and  seeing 
Anderson  and  his  few  brave  followers  rushing  headlong  into  the 
conflict,  raised  in  his  stirrups,  and  swinging  his  hat,  shouted: 
"Hurrah  for  Anderson!  Who  wouldn't  follow  the  brave  Ander- 
son!" This  rallied  their  spirits,  and  they  followed  the  squire  to 
the  front,  where  they  were  soon  firing  at  the  enemy  as  steadily 
as  their  comrades. 

The  mob  forces  by  this  time  had  nearly  reached  Mulholland 
street,  but  now  they  recoiled  from  the  rapid  firing  of  the  rein- 
forcements and  beat  a  retreat  to  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Carmichael, 
but  a  short  distance  from  Squire  Wells'  house.  Here  they 
waited  until  wagons  came  from  their  camp,  and  putting  their 
dead  and  wounded  into  them,  returned  to  where  they  were 
encamped  in  the  morning.  The  number  of  killed  and  wounded 
of  the  mob  has  never  been  ascertained,  as  the  facts  were  kept 
concealed.  The  intrepid  Anderson  and  his  equally  brave  son, 
a  lad  not  more  than  fifteen  years  of  age,  fell  in  the  engagement; 
and  one  Morris  was  killed  while  crossing  a  field  by  a  cannon  ball. 


RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO.  365 

Negotiations  were  now  renewed,  and  the  citizens  of 
Nauvoo,  seeing  that  the  State  authorities  rendered  them  no  as- 
sistance, but  permitted  even  their  own  authority  to  be  braved 
by  a  lawless  mob,  and  knowing  that  they  would  eventually  be 
overpowered,  accepted  the  following  terms  of  settlement,  in 
order  to  stop  the  further  effusion  of  blood: — 

1.  The  city  of  Nauvoo  will  surrender.  The  force  of  Colonel 
Brockraan  to  enter  and  take  possession  of  the  city  tomorrow,  the 
seventeenth  of  September,  at  three  o'clock  p.  m. 

2.  The  arms  to  be  delivered  to  the  Quincy  committee,  to  be  re- 
turned on  the  crossing  of  the  river. 

3.  The  Quincy  committee  pledge  themselves  to  use  their 
influence  for  the  protection  of  persons  and  property  from  all  violence, 
and  the  officers  of  the  camp  and  the  men  pledge  themselves  to  protect 
all  persons  and  property  from  violence. 

4.  The  sick  and  helpless  to  be  protected  and  treated  with 
humanity, 

5.  The  Mormon  population  of  the  city  to  leave  the  State  or 
disperse  as  soon  as  they  can  cross  the  river. 

6.  Five  men,  including  the  Trustees  of  The  Church,  and  five 
clerks,  with  their  families  (Wm.  Pickett  not  one  of  the  number)  to  be 
permitted  to  remain  in  the  city,  for  the  disposition  of  property,  free 
from  all-molestation  and  personal  violence. 

7.  Hostilities  to  cease  immediately,  and  ten  men  of  the  Quincy 
committee  to  enter  the  city,  in  the  execution  of  their  duty  as  soon  as 
they  think  proper. 

These  terms  of  capitulation  were  signed  on  the  part  of  the 
citizens  of  Nauvoo,  by  Almon  W.  Babbitt,  Joseph  L.  Heywood 
and  John  S.  Fullmer;  and  on  the  part  of  the  mob  by  Thomas  S. 
Brockman  and  John  Carlin;  and  by  Andrew  Johnson  on  behalf 
of  the  Quincy  committee. 

The  rest  of  my  story  is  soon  told.  There  was  a  hasty 
flight  of  the  ''Mormon"  population  and  a  number  of  the  new 
citizens  who  had  assisted  in  the  defense  of  Nauvoo.  They  left 
their  homes  without  being  able  to  carry  with  them  anything 


366  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

for  their  comfort.  The  sick,  aged  and  infirm,  together  with 
the  youth,  without  regard  to  sex  or  condition,  shared  the  same 
fate;  they  had  to  lie  out  on  the  Mississippi  bottoms  where 
many  perished  through  exposure,  and  beyond  all  doubt,  all 
w^ould  have  famished  from  hunger,  had  not  their  camp  been 
filled  with  innumerable  flocks  of  quail,  so  tame  that  women  and 
children  caught  hundreds  of  them  in  their  hands,  and  thus  was 
the  cry  of  hunger  relieved,  by  what  would  generally  be  regarded 
as  a  miraculous  occurrence.* 

Brockman  and  his  forces  entered  the  city,  and  once  in,  he 
insolently  violated  every  condition  of  the  treaty  of  surrender. 
But  lest  1  should  be  charged  with  inaccuracy — for  such  events 
as  I  am  recording  seem  almost  too  much  to  believe — I  quote 
from  the  report  made  by  Mr.  Brayman  to  Governor  Ford. 
Mr.  Brayman  had  acted  as  the  Governor's  agent,  for  some  time, 
in  a  secret  capacity  from  the  commencement  of  the  difficulties 
at  Nauvoo,  and  the  following  abstract  is  from  an  elaborate 
report  he  gives  of  the  final  struggle  for  the  defense  of  the  'iity. 
Moreover,  the  fact  that  I  have  never  seen  this  matter  repro- 
duced in  any  of  our  books  encourages  me  to  insert  it  here: 

The  force  of  General  Brockman  marched  into  the  city  at  three 
o'clock.  From  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  men  marched  in 
procession,  through  the  city,  and  encamped  on  the  south  side,  near 
the  river.  The  march  was  conducted  without  the  least  disorder  or 
trespass  upon  persons  or  property.  The  streets  were  deserted — the 
obnoxious  persons  had  left  the  city,  leaving  but  little  to  provoke  the 
resentment  of  the  victors.  But  a  few  Mormons  remained  in  the  city, 
and  these  were  hastening  their  preparations  for  crossing  the  river  as 
soon  as  possible.  On  my  return  from  Carthage  to  the  city,  about 
noon,  I  learned  that  the  Quincy  committee  had  closed  its  labors  at 
sunrise  and  had  left  for  home,  leaving  a  sub-committee  to  complete 


*  The  condition  of  the  exiled  Saints  at  this  period  is  graphically 
described  by  General  Thomas  L.  Kane,  see  appendix — 


RISE   AND   FALL   OF   NAUVOO.  367 

the  reception  and  delivery  of  the  arms  of  those  Mormons  who  had 
not  yet  departed. 

I  also  learned  that  in  addition  to  the  duty  General  Brockraan  had 
assumed,  under  the  treaty,  of  superintending  the  removal  of  the 
Mormons  from  the  State,  he  had  issued  an  order  for  the  expulsion 
from  the  State,  of  all  who  had  borne  arms  in  defense  of  the  city 
against  his  force,  and  all  who  were  in  any  manner  identified  with  the 
Mormons. 

It  could  scarcely  be  believed  that  such  an  order  in  such  palpable 
and  gross  violation  of  the  unanimous  pledge  which  had  been  signed 
by  the  officers,  agreed  to  by  the  whole  force,  and  endorsed  by  the 
Quincy  committee,  had  been  given.  But  on  applying  to  General 
Brockman,  I  learned  that  such  an  order  had  been  given,  and  would  be 
executed.  This  order  was  rigorously  enforced  throughout  the  day, 
with  many  circumstances  of  the  utmost  cruelty  and  injustice.  Bands 
of  armed  men  traversed  the  city,  entering  the  houses  of  citizens, 
robbing  them  of  arms,  throwing  their  household  goods  out  of  doors, 
insulting  them,  and  threatening  their  lives.  Many  were  seized  and 
marched  to  the  camp,  and  after  military  examination,  set  across  the 
river,  for  the  crime  of  sympathizing  with  the  Mormons,  or  the  still 
more  heinous  offense  of  fighting  in  the  defense  of  the  city,  under  com- 
mand of  officers  commissioned  by  YOU,  [Governor  Ford],  and  instructed 
to  make  that  defense.  It  is,  indeed,  painfully  true,  that  many  citi- 
zens of  this  State,  have  been  driven  from  it  by  an  armed  force, 
because  impelled  by  our  encouragement,  and  a  sense  of  duty,  they 
have  bravely  defended  their  homes  and  homes  of  their  neighbors 
from  the  assaults  of  a  force  assembled  for  unlawful  purposes. 

In  the  face  of  the  pledge  given  to  protect  persons  and  property 
from  all  violence,  (excepting  of  course  Mormon  persons  and  property), 
it  may  be  estimated  that  nearly  one  half  of  the  new  citizens  of 
Nauvoo  have  been  forced  from  their  homes  and  dare  not  return. 
Thus  far,  these  citizens  have  appealed  in  vain  for  protection  and 
redress. 

It  remains  yet  to  be  seen  whether  there  is  efficacy  in  the  law, 
power  in  the  executive  arm,  or  potency  in  public  opinion  sufficient  to 
right  their  grievous  wrongs.  It  is  disgraceful  to  the  character  of 
the  State,  and  a  humiliation  not  to  be  borne,  to  permit  a  military 


368  RISE   AND  FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

leader,  acting  without  a  shadow  of  lawful  authority,  but  in  violation 
of  law  and  right,  not  only  to  thwart  the  will  of  the  executive,  but  to 
impose  upon  citizens  the  penalty  of  banishment,  for  acting  under  it.* 

Was  this  arch  traitor,  Brockman,  hung  for  his  treason 
against  the  State?  No;  nor  even  tried  or  questioned,  neither 
he  nor  his  followers.  Perhaps  it  was  thought  that  an  investi- 
gation might  reveal  the  fact  to  the  world  that  many  high  of- 
ficials, and  chief  among  them  the  governor  of  the  State,  had 
been  engaged  in  an  unlawful  conspiracy  to  drive  from  Illinois 
an  innocent  community,  whose  rights  they  had  not  the  moral 
courage  to  defend  against  the  fierce  attacks  of  lawless  mobs, 
whose  hands  were  crimson  in  the  blood  of  innocence;  and  who 
repeatedly  trampled  the  honor  and  dignity  of  the  State  under 
their  feet. 

After  a  time  the  most  of  the  new  citizens  returned  to  the 
homes  they  had  purchased  for  little  or  nothing  from  the  now 
exiled  founders  of  the  beautiful  city.  But  Nauvoo  never  pros- 
pered under  its  new  masters.  Out  of  sympathy  for  those  who 
had  redeemed  it  from  a  wilderness,  and  some  portions  of  it  from 
a  swamp,  its  fields  and  gardens  refused  to  yield  in  their  strength 
to  the  industry  of  other  hands.  Its  decline  was  as  rapid  and 
disastrous  as  its  rise  had  been  sudden  and  glorious. 

A  French  communistic  society  had  purchased  considerable 
property  in  the  deserted  city,  and  into  their  hands  passed  the 
splendid  temple  the  Saints  at  sach  sacrifice  had  erected.  Ex- 
ternally, the  building  had  been  completed  in  the  spring  of  1846, 
even  to  the  gilding  of  the  angel  and  the  trumpet  at  the  top  of 
the  spire.  During  the  winter  of  1845-6  various  rooms  of  the 
temple  were  dedicated  for  ordinance  work,  and  there  hundreds 
of  the  faithful  Saints  received  their  endowments — the  sacred 


*The  Hancock  Mob,  by  J.  B.  Conyers,  M.  D.,  pages  73,  74. 


RISE  AND  FALL   OF  NAUVOO.  369 

mysteries  of  the  faith.  The  main  court  of  worship  was  also 
prepared;  and  on  the  evening  of  April  30th,  1846,  the  building 
was  privately  dedicated,  Joseph  Young,  the  senior  president  of 
the  First  Council  of  Seventy,  offering  the  dedicatory  prayer.  On 
the  first  of  May,  1846,  under  the  direction  of  Apostles  Orson 
Hyde  and  Wilford  Woodruff,  the  edifice  was  publicly  dedicated, 
according  to  the  order  of  the  Holy  Priesthood,  revealed  through 
the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith. 

The  temple  was  always  a  source  of  envy  to  the  enemies  of 
the  Saints,  and  it  was  feared  that  if  it  continued  to  stand  it 
would  be  a  bond  between  its  exiled  builders  and  the  city  from 
which  they  had  been  cruelly  driven,  and  an  inducement  for  them 
to  return.  On  the  tenth  of  November,  1848,  an  incendiary, 
therefore,  set  it  on  fire,  and  the  tower  was  destroyed,  and  the 
whole  building  so  shattered,  that  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  May, 
1850,  a  tornado  blew  down  the  north  wail.  I  was  informed  by 
M.  M.  Morrill,  who  at  the  time  of  my  visit  was  mayor  of  Nau- 
voo,  and,  by  the  way,  one  who  had  assisted  in  its  defense  when 
attacked  by  the  mob,  that  one  Joseph  Agnew,  confessed  to  be- 
ing the  incendiary.  Finally  all  the  walls  were  pulled  down  and 
the  stone  hauled  away  for  building  purposes,  until  now,  not  one 
stone  stands  upon  another.  Even  the  very  foundation  has  been 
cleared  away,  and  the  excavation  for  the  basement  filled  up  and 
the  site  covered  with  inferior  buildings. 

At  the  time  of  my  visit,  in  the  summer  of  1885,  the  pop- 
ulation of  Nauvoo  numbered  about  seventeen  hundred,  nine- 
tenths  of  whom  were  Germans.  The  principal  occupation  is 
grape-growing,  vineyards  covering  some  portions  of  the  city 
plat,  which  was  once  the  principal  business  center.  The  whole 
place  has  a  half-deserted,  half-dilapidated  appearance,  and 
seems  to  be  withering  under  a  blight,  from  which  it  refuses  to 
recover. 

Such  is  the  fate  of  Nauvoo,  which  once  promised  to  be  the 
first  city  of  Illinois,  and  beyond  all  question  would  have  been  so 


370  RISE  AND   FALL  OF  NAUVOO. 

had  there  existed  sufficient  virtue  and  honor  in  that  State  to 
have  protected  its  founders  in  their  rights. 

4:  *  4i  4:  <  4:  H: 

Still  stands  the  forest  primeval;  but  under  the 

Shade  of  its  branches 
Dwells  another  race,  with  other  customs 

And  languages. 

The  quotation  connects  me  with  my  introduction,  and  re- 
minds me  that  I  have  completed  the  task  proposed  in  these 
pages.  But  in  the  fate  which  overtook  the  survivors  of  the 
Acadian  peasant-exiles  from  Nova  Scotia,  and  the  Mormon  ex- 
iles from  Illinois,  the  former  fails  altogether  to  suggest  the 
faintest  hint  of  a  parallel. 

Only  along  the  shores  of  the  mournful  and 

mystic  Atlantic 
Linger  a  few  Acadian  peasants,  whose  fathers 

from  exile 
Wandered  back  to  their  native  land  to  die 

in  its  bosom, 

Finishes  the  story  of  the  Acadian'  exiles.  Not  so  the  story 
of  the  exiles  from  Illinois.  They  did  not  perish  in  exile,  nor 
did  merely  a  handful  of  them,  broken  in  spirits  as  in  fortunes 
return  to  live  silent  and  sad  on  the  site  of  their  former  homes. 
The  Mormon  exiles  were  not  broken  and  scattered — they  re- 
mained a  people;  beyond  their  exile  they  were  destined  to  have 
a  glorious  history.  Their  faith  in  their  religion  was  not  shat- 
tered. Their  church  was  not  disrupted.  Their  hearts  were  not 
turned  against  their  prophets.  Their  spirits  were  not  blighted 
nor  their  hearts  bowed  down  beyond  the  power  of  recovery; 
nor  their  fortunes  so  blasted  that  they  could  not  hope  for  pros- 
perity— for  God  was  with  them. 


RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO.  371 

The  institution— The  Church— brought  into  existence,  and 
its  doctrines  developed  amid  so  much  of  spiritual  tempest  and 
pursued  so  relentlessly  by  mob  violence,  and  which  may  be  said 
to  have  had  a  second  birth  at  Nauvoo,  and  to  have  received 
sanctification  from  the  martyrdom  of  her  earthly  founder — The 
Church  which  these  exiles  bore  with  them  into  the  western 
wilderness  was  not  born  to  die.     Whatever  might  be  the  fate 
of  The  Church  and  the  Saints  in  other  dispensations  of  the  Gospel, 
God  had  now  introduced  the  Dispensation  of  the  Fullness  of 
Times,  in  which  He  has  decreed  that  all  things  in  Christ  shall  be 
gathered  together  in  one — even  in  Him.*  A  dispensation  in  which 
the  salvation  of  man  and  the  redemption  of  the  earth  itself  shall 
be  consummated.     And  the  earth  and  men  made  ready  for  the 
all  glorious  reign  of  truth  and  righteousness  so  long  promised 
by  God  and  His  prophets.     Hence  The  Church  was  not  destroyed; 
and  the  people  who  fled  with  her  to  the  wilderness  did  not  per- 
ish.    The  blinding  storms  of  sleet  and  rain  which  -enveloped 
their  principal  companies  as  in  melancholy  trains  they  pene- 
trated the  wilderness  of  the  then  territory  of  Iowa,  might  easily 
have  been  taken  for  God's  curtain  rung  down  upon  the  most 
melancholy  scene  in  America's  history — the  scene  of  a  people 
in  free  America— the  boasted  asylum  for  the  oppressed,  where 
religious  freedom  is  guaranteed  by  express  constitutional  pro- 
vision— fleeing  from  the  worst  forms  of  oppression— the  op- 
pression of  mob  violence  invoked  in  Illinois  to  crush  their  relig- 
ious faith.     But  the  curtain  so  rung  down  was  not  upon  the 
final  act.     The  hand  of  God  again  rolled  it  up;  and  when  He  did, 
it  was  to  reveal  to  the  world  the  exiles  as  the  redeemers  of  des- 
ert wastes;  the  planters  of  cities;  the  builders  of  temples,  the 
founders  of  States;  and  for  themselves  and  for  their  religious 
faith  so  entrenched,  so  strengthened,  so  enlarged  that  the  world 
shall  never,  while  the  earth  itself  remains,  or  sun  or  stars  en- 

*Epli.  i:  9,  10. 


372  RISE  AND  FALL  OP  NAUVOO. 

dure  be  rid  of  that  faith  founded — under   God — by  Joseph 
Smith,  THE  Prophet-Martyr  OF Nauvoo. 


APPENDICES.  373 


APPENDICES. 


APPENDIX  I. 

CORRESPONDENCE    BETWEEN    JOSEPH    SMITH    AND    JOHN  C.   CAL- 
HOUN. 

Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun. 

Dear  Sir, — As  we  understand  you  are  a  candidate  for  the  Pres- 
idency at  the  next  election;  and  as  the  Latter-day  Saints  (sometimes 
called  Mormons,  who  now  constitute  a  numerous  class  in  the  school 
politic  of  this  vast  republic,)  have  been  robbed  of  an  immense  amount 
of  property,  and  endured  nameless  sufferings  by  the  State  of  Missouri, 
and  from  her  borders  have  been  driven  by  force  of  arms,  contrary  to 
our  national  covenants;  and  as  in  vain  we  have  sought  redress  by  all 
constitutional,  legal,  and  honorable  means,  in  her  courts,  her  execu- 
tive councils  and  her  legislative  halls;  and  as  we  have  petitioned 
Congress  to  take  cognizance  of  our  sufferings  without  effect,  we  have 
judged  it  wisdom  to  address  you  this  communication,  and  solicit  an 
immediate,  specific  and  candid  reply  to  "What  will  be  your  rule  of 
■action  relative  to  us  as  a  people"  should  fortune  favor  your  ascension 
■to  the  chief  magistracy  ? 

Most  respectfully,  sir,  your  friend, 

and  the  friend  of  peace,  good  order, 
and  constitutional  rights, 

Joseph  Smith. 

In  behalf  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

Fort  Hill,  2nd  December,  1843. 
giR^_You  ask  me  what  would  be  my  rule  of  action  relative  to 
the  Mormons  or  Latter-day  Saints,  should  I  be  e'ected  President;  to 


374  APPENDICES. 

which  I  answer,  that  if  I  should  be  elected,  I  would  strive  to  admin- 
ister the  government  according  to  the  Constitution  and  the  laws  of 
the  Union;  and  that  as  they  make  no  distinction  between  citizens  of 
different  religious  creeds,  I  should  make  rone.  As  far  as  it  depends 
on  the  executive  department,  all  should  have  the  full  benefit  of  both, 
and  none  should  be  exempt  from  their  operation. 

But  as  you  refer  to  the  case  of  Missouri,  candor  compels  me  ta 
repeat  what  I  said  to  you  at  Washington,  that,  according  to  my 
views,  the  case  does  not  come  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  federal 
government,  which  is  one  of  limited  and  specific  powers. 

With-  respect,  I  am,  &c.,  &c., 

J.  C.  Calhoun. 

Mr.  Joseph  Smith. 

Nauvoo,  Illinois,  January  2,  1844. 

Sir, — Your  reply  to  my  letter  of  last  November,  concerning  your 
rule  of  action  towards  the  Latter-day  Saints,  if  elected  president,  is 
at  hand;  and  that  you  and  your  friends  of  the  same  opinion  relative 
to  the  matter  in  question  may  not  be  disappointed  as  to  me  or  my 
mind  upon  so  grave  a  subject,  permit  me,  as  a  law-abiding  man,  as  a 
well-wisher  to  the  perpetuity  of  constitutional  rights  and  liberty,  and 
as  a  friend  to  the  free  worship  of  Almighty  God  by  all,  according  to 
the  dictates  of  every  person's  own  conscience,  to  say  /  am  surprised 
that  a  man  or  men  in  the  highest  stations  of  public  life  should  have 
made  up  such  a  fragile  "view"  of  a  case,  than  which  there  is  not  one 
on  the  face  of  the  globe  fraught  with  so  much  consequence  to  the 
happiness  of  men  in  this  world  or  the  world  to  come. 

To  be  sure,  the  first  paragraph  of  your  letter  appears  very  com- 
placent and  fair  on  a  white  sheet  of  paper.  And  who,  that  is  ambi- 
tious for  greatness  and  power,  would  not  have  said  the  same  thing?" 
Your  oath  would  bind  you  to  support  the  Constitution  and  laws;  and 
as  all  creeds  and  religions  are  alike  tolerated,  they  must,  of  course, 
all  be  justified  or  condemned  according  to  merit  or  demerit.  But 
why — tell  me  why  are  all  the  principal  men  held  up  for  public  sta- 
tions so  cautiously  careful  not  to  publish  to  the  world  that  they  will 
judge  a  righteous  judgment,  law  or  no  law  ?  for  laws  and  opinions,  like 
the  vanes  of  steeples,  change  with  the  wind. 


APPENDICES.  375 

One  Congress  passes  a  law,  another  repeals  it;  and  one  states- 
man says  that  the  Constitution  means  this,  and  another  that;  and 
who  does  not  know  that  all  may  be  wrong?  The  opinion  and  pledge, 
therefore,  in  the  first  paragraph  of  your  reply  to  my  question,  like  the 
forced  steam  from  the  engine  of  a  steam-boat,  makes  the  show  of  a 
bright  cloud  at  first;  but  when  it  comes  in  contact  with  a  purer  at- 
mosphere, dissolves  to  common  air  again. 

Your  second  paragraph  leaves  you  naked  before  yourself,  like  a 
likeness  in  a  mirror,  when  you  say  that,  "according  to  your  view, 
the  federal  government  is  one  of  limited  and  specific  powers,"  and 
has  no  jurisdiction  in  the  case  of  the  Mormons.  So  then  a  State  can 
at  any  time  expel  any  portion  of  her  citizens  with  impunity,  and,  in 
the  language  of  Mr.  Van  Buren,  frosted  over  with  your  gracious 
"views  of  the  case"  though  the  cause  is  ever  so  just,  Government  can 
do  nothing  for  them,  because  it  has  no  power. 

Go  on,  then,  Missouri,  after  another  set  of  inhabitants  (as  the 
Latter-day  Saints  did,)  have  entered  some  two  or  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  land;  and  made  extensive  improvements 
thereon.  Go  on,  then,  I  say;  banish  the  occupants  or  owners,  or  kill 
them,  as  the  mobbers  did  many  of  the  Latter-day  Saints,  and  take 
their  land  and  property  as  spoil;  and  let  the  legislature,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  Mormons,  appropriate  a  couple  of  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars to  pay  the  mob  for  doing  that  job;  for  the  renowned  senator 
from  South  Carolina,  Mr.  J.  C.  Calhoun,  says  the  powers  of  the  fed- 
eral government  are  so  specific  and  limited  that  it  has  no  jurisdiction 
of  the  ease! '  0  ye  people  who  groan  under  the  oppression  of  ty- 
rants!—ye  exiled  Poles,  who  have  felt  the  iron  hand  of  Russian  grasp! 
—ye  poor  and  unfortunate  among  all  nations!  come  to  the  asylum  of 
the  oppressed;  buy  ye  lands  of  the  general  government;  pay  in  your 
money  to  the  treasury  to  strengthen  the  army  and  the  navy;  wor- 
ship God  according  to  the  dictates  of  your  own  consciences;  pay  in 
your  taxes  to  support  the  great  heads  of  a  glorious  nation:  but  re- 
member a  "sovereign  State"  is  so  much  more  powerful  than  the 
United  States,  the  parent  government,  that  it  can  exile  you  at  pleas- 
ure, mob  you  with  impunity,  confiscate  your  lands  and  property, 
have  the  legislature  sanction  it,— yea,  even  murder  you  as  an  edict 
of  an  emperor,  and  it  does  no  wrong;  for  the  noble  senator  of  South 


376  APPENDICES. 

Carolina  says  the  power  of  the  federal  government  is  so  limited  and 
specific  that  it  has  no  jurisdiction  of  the  case!  What  think  ye  of  im- 
perium  in  imperio? 

Ye  spirits  of  the  blessed  of  all  ages,  hark!  Ye  shades  of 
departed  statesmen  listen!  Abraham,  Moses,  Homer,  Socrates, 
Solon,  Solomon,  and  all  that  ever  thought  of  right  and  wrong,  look 
down  from  your  exaltations,  if  you  have  any;  for  it  is  said,  "In  the 
midst  of  counsellors  there  is  safety;'*  and  when  you  have  learned  that 
fifteen  thousand  innocent  citizens,  after  having  purchased  their  lands 
of  the  United  States  and  paid  for  them,  were  expelled  from  a  "sov- 
ereign State,"  by  order  of  the  governor,  at  the  point'of  the  bayonet, 
their  arms  taken  from  them  by  the  same  authority,  and  their  right  of 
migration  into  said  State  denied,  under  pain  of  imprisonment,  whip- 
ping, robbing,  mobbing,  and  even  death,  and  no  justice  or  recompense 
allowed;  and,  from  the  legislature  with  the  governor  at  the  head, 
down  to  the  justice  of  the  peace,  with  a  bottle  of  whisky  in  one 
hand  and  a  bowie-knife  in  the  other,  hear  them  all  declare  that  there 
is  no  justice  for  a  Mormon  in  that  State;  and  judge  ye  a  righteous 
judgment,  and  tell  me  when  the  virtue  of  the  States  was  stolen, 
where  the  honor  of  the  general  government  lies  hid,  and  what. clothes 
a  senator  with  wisdom.  0  nullifying  Carolina!  0  little  tempestu- 
ous Rhode  Island!  Would  it  not  be  well  for  the  great  men  of  the 
nation  to  read  the  fable  of  the  partial  judge;  and  when  part  of  the 
free  citizens  of  a  State  had  been  expelled  contrary  to  the  Constitu- 
tion, mobbed,  robbed,  plundered,  and  many  murdered,  instead  of 
searching  into  the  course  taken  with  Joanna  Southcott,  Ann  Lee,  the 
French  Prophets,  the  Quakers  of  New  England,  and  rebellious  niggers 
in  the  slave  states,  to  hear  both  sides  and  then  judge,  rather  than 
have  the  mortification  to  say,  "Oh,  it  is  my  bull  that  has  killed  your 
ox!     That  alters  the  case!   I  must  inquire  into  it;  and  if  and  if 

If  the  general  government  has  no  power  to  reinstate  expelled 
citizens  to  their  rights,  there  is  a  monstrous  hypocrite  fed  and  fos- 
tered from  the  hard  earnings  of  the  people!  A  real  "bull  beggar" 
upheld  by  sycophants.  And  although  you  may  wink  to  the  priests  to 
stigmatize,  wheedle  the  drunkards  to  swear,  and  raise  the  hue-and-cry 
of — "Impostor!  false  prophet!  G —  d—  old  Joe  Smith!"  yet  remember, 
if  the  Latter-day  Saints  are  not  restored  to  all  their  rights  and  paid 


APPENDICES.  377 

for  all  their  losses,  according  to  the  known  rules  of  justice  and  judg- 
ment, reciprocation  and  common  honesty  among  men,  that  God  will 
come  out  of  His  hiding  place,  and  vex  this  nation  with  a  sore  vexa- 
tion: yea,  the  consuming  wrath  of  an  offended  God  shall  smoke 
through  the  nation  with  as  much  distress  and  woe  as  independance 
has  blazed  through  with  pleasure  and  delight.  Where  is  the  strength 
of  government?  Where  is  the  patriotism  of  a  Washington,  a  War- 
ren, and  Adams?  And  where  is  a  spark  from  the  watch-fire  of  '76, 
by  which  one  candle  might  be  lit  that  would  glimmer  upon  the  con- 
fines of  Democracy?  Well  may  it  be  said  that  one  man  is  not  a  state, 
nor  one  state  the  nation. 

In  the  days  of  General  Jackson,  when  France  refused  the  first 
installment  for  spoliations,  there  was  power,  force,  and  honor  enough 
to  resent  injustice  and  insult,  and  the  money  came;  and  shall  Mis- 
souri, filled  with  negro-drivers  and  white  men  stealers,  go  "unwhip- 
ped  of  justice"  for  tenfold  greater  sins  than  France?  Xo!  verily,  no! 
While  I  have  power  of  body  and  mind^while  water  runs  and  grass 
grows — while  virtue  is  lovely  and  vice  hateful,  and  while  a  stone 
points  out  a  sacred  spot  where  a  fragment  of  American  liberty  once 
was,  I  or  my  posterity  will  plead  the  cause  of  injured  innocence,  un- 
til Missouri  makes  atonement  for  all  her  sins,  or  sinks  disgraced,  de- 
graded, and  damned  to  hell,  "where  the  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire 
is  not  quenched." 

Why,  sir,  the  power  not  delegated  to  the  United  States  and  the 
States  belong  to  the  people,  and  Congress  sent  to  do  the  people's  busi- 
ness have  all  power;  and  shall  fifteen  thousand  citizens  groan  in  exile? 
0  vain  men!  will  ye  not,  if  ye  do  not  restore  them  to  their  rights 
and  two  million  dollars'  worth  of  property,  relinquish  to  them  (the 
Latter-day  Saints,)  as  a  body,  their  portion  of  power  that  belongs  to 
them  according  to  the  Constitution?  Power  has  its  convenience  as 
well  as  inconvenience.  "The  world  was  not  made  for  Caesar  alone, 
hut  for  Titus  too. 

I  will  give  you  a  parable.  A  certain  lord  had  a  viAeyard  in  a 
goodly  land,  which  men  labored  in  at  their  pleasure.  A  few  meek 
men  also  went  and  purchased  with  money  from  some  of  these  chief 
men  that  labored  at  pleasure  a  portion  of  land  in  the  vineyard,  at  a 
very  remote  part  of  it,  and  began  to  improve  it,  and  to  eat  and  drink 

24 


378  APPENDICES. 

the  fruit  thereof, — when  some  vile  persons,  who  regarded  not  man^ 
neither  feared  the  lord  of  the  vineyard,  rose  up  suddenly  and  robbed 
these  meek  men,  and  drove  them  from  their  possessions,  killing 
many. 

This  barbarous  act  made  no  small  stir  among  the  men  in  the 
vineyard;  and  all  that  portion  who  were  attached  to  that  part  of  the 
vineyard  where  the  men  were  robbed  rose  up  in  grand  council,  with 
their  chief  man,  who  had  firstly  ordered  the  deed  to  be  done,  and 
made  a  covenant  not  to  pay  for  the  cruel  deed,  but  to  keep  the  spoil, 
and  never  let  those  meek  men  set  their  feet  on  that  soil  again,  neither 
recompense  them  for  it. 

Now,  these  meek  men,  in  their  distress,  wisely  sought  redress  of 
those  wicked  men  in  every  possible  manner,  and  got  none.  They 
then  supplicated  the  chief  men,  who  held  the  vineyard  at  pleasure, 
and  who  had  the  power  to  sell  and  defend  it,  for  redress  and  redemp- 
tion; and  those  men,  loving  the  fame  and  favor  of  the  multitude  more 
than  the  glory  of  the  lord  of  the  vineyard,  answered — "Your  cause 
is  just,  but  we  can  do  nothing  for  you,  because  we  have  no  power." 

Now,  when  the  lord  of  the  vineyard  saw  that  virtue  innocence 
was  not  regarded,  and  his  vineyard  occupied  by  wicked  men,  he  sent 
men  and  took  the  possession  of  it  to  himself,  and  destroyed  these  un- 
faithful servants,  and  appointed  them  their  portion  among  hypo- 
crites. 

And  let  me  say  that  all  men  who  say  that  Congress  has  no  power 
to  restore  and  defend  the  rights  of  her  citizens  have  not  the  love  of 
the  truth  abiding  in  them.  Congress  has  power  to  protect  the  nation 
against  foreign  invasion  and  internal  broil;  and  whenever  that  body 
passes  an  act  to  maintain  right  with  any  power,  or  to  restore  right 
to  any  portion  of  her  citizens,  it  is  the  supreme  law  of  the  land; 
and  should  a  State  refuse  submission,  that  State  is  guilty  of  insurrec- 
tion or  rebellion,  and  the  President  has  as  much  power  to  repel  it  as 
Washington  had  to  march  against  the  "whisky  boys  at  Pittsburg," 
or  General  Jackson  had  to  send  an  armed  force  to  suppress  the  rebel- 
lion of  South  Carolina. 

To  close,  I  would  admonish  you,  before  you  let  your  "candor  com- 
pel you  again  to  write  upon  a  subject  great  as  the  salvation  of  man, 
consequential  as  the  life  of  the  Savior,  broad  as  the  principles  of 


APPENDICES.  379 

• 
eternal  truth,  and  valuable  as  the  jewels  of  eternity,  to  read  in  the 
eighth  section  and  first  article  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  the ^rs^,  fourteenth,  and  seventeenth  "specific"  and  not  very 
"limited  powers"  of  the  federal  government,  what  can  be  done  to  pro- 
tect the  lives,  property,  and  rights  of  a  virtuous  people,  when  the  ad- 
ministrators of  the  law  and  law-makers  are  unbought  by  bribes,  un- 
corrupted  by  patronage,  untempted  by  gold,  unawed  by  fear,  and 
uncontaminated  tangling  alliances — even  like  Cseser's  wife,  not  only 
unspotted,  hut  unsuspected!  And  God,  who  cooled  the  heat  of  a  Nebu- 
chadnezzar's furnace  or  shut  the  mouths  of  lions  for  the  honor  of  a 
Daniel,  will  raise  your  mind  above  the  narrow  notion  that  the  general 
government  has  no  power,  to  the  sublime  idea  that  Congress,  with 
the  President  as  executor,  is  as  almighty  in  its  sphere  as  Jehovah  is 
in  His. 

With  great  respect,  I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Joseph  Smith. 

Hon.  ("Mr.")  J.  C.  Calhoun, 
Fort  Hill,  S.  C. 


380  APPENDICES. 


APPENDIX  II. 

clay's  letter  to  JOSEPH  SMITH  AND  THE  LATTER'S   REPLY. 

Ashland,  November  15,  1843. 

Dear  Sir: — I  have  received  your  letter  in  behalf  of  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  stating  that  you  understand 
that  I  am  a  condidate  for  the  presidency,  and  inquiring  what  will  be 
my  rule  of  action  relative  to  you  as  a  people,  should  I  be  elected. 

I  am  profoundly  grateful  for  the  numerous  and  strong  expres- 
sions of  the  people  in  my  behalf  as  a  candidate  for  President  of  the 
United  States;  but  I  do  not  so  consider  myself.  That  must  depend 
upon  future  events  and  upon  my  sense  of  duty. 

Should  I  be  a  condidate,  I  can  enter  into  no  engagements,  make 
no  promises,  give  no  pledges  to  any  particular  portion  of  the  people 
of  the  United  States.  If  I  ever  enter  into  that  high  office,  I  must  go 
into  it  free  and  unfettered,  with  no  guarantees  but  such  as  are  to  be 
drawn  from  my  whole  life,  character  and  conduct. 

It  is  not  inconsistent  with  this  declaration  to  say  that  I  have 
viewed  with  a  lively  interest  the  progress  of  the  Latter-day  Saints; 
that  I  have  sympathized  in  their  sufferings  under  injustice,  as  it  ap- 
peared to  me,  which  has  been  inflicted  upon  them;  and.I  think,  in  com- 
mon with  other  religious  communities,  they  ought  to  enjoy  the  secu- 
rity and  protection  of  the  Constitution  and  the  laws. 

I  am,  with  great  respect,  your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

H.  Clay. 

To  Joseph  Smith,  Esq. 

Nauvoo,  III.,   May  13,  1844. 
Sir: — Your  answer  to  my  inquiry,  "What  would  be  your  rule  of 
action  towards  the  Latter-day  Saints,  should  you  be  elected  President 
of  the  United  States?"  has  been  under  consideration  since  last  No- 
vember, in  the  fond  expectation  that  you  would  give  (for  every  hon,- 


APPENDICES.  381 

est  citizen  has  a  right  to  demand  it,)  to  the  country  a  manifesto  of 
your  views  of  the  best  method  and  means  which  would  secure  to  the 
people,  the  whole  people,  the  most  freedom,  the  most  happiness,  the 
most  union,  the  most  wealth,  the  most  fame,  the  most  glory  at  home, 
and  the  most  honor  abroad,  at  the  least  expense.  But  I  have  waited 
in  vain.  So  far  as  you  have  made  public  declarations,  they  have  been 
made,  like  your  answer  to  the  above,  soft  to  flatter,  rather  than 
solid  to  feed  the  people.  You  seem  to  abandon  all  former  policy 
which  may  have  actuated  you  in  the  discharge  of  a  statesman's  duty, 
when  the  vigor  of  intellect  and  the  force  of  virtue  should  have  sought 
out  an  everlasting  habitation  for  liberty;  when,  as  a  wise  man,  a. 
true  patriot,  and  a  friend  to  mankind,  you  should  have  resolved  to 
ameliorate  the  lawful  condition  of  our  bleeding  country  by  a  mighty 
plan  of  wisdom,  righteousness,  [justice,  goodness  and  mercy,  that, 
would  have  brought  back  the  golden  days  of  our  nation's  youth,  vig- 
or and  vivacity,  when  prosperity  crowned  the  efforts  of  a  youthful 
republic,  when  the  gentle  aspirations  of  the  sons  of  liberty  were, 
"We  are  one!" 

In  your  answer  to  my  questions  last  fall,  that  peculiar  tact  of 
modern  politicians  declaring,  "If  you  ever  enter  into  that  high  office^you 
must  go  into  it  free  and  unfettered,  with  no  guarantees  but  such  as  are  to 
be  drawn  from  your  whole  life,  character  and  conduct,"  so  much  resem- 
bles a  lottery-vendor's  sign,  with  the  goddess  of  good  luck  sitting  on 
the  car  of  fortune,  a-straddle  of  the  horns  of  plenty,  and  driving  the 
merry  steeds  of  beatitude,  without  reins  or  bridle,  that  I  cannot  help 
exclaiming — 0  frail  man,  what  have  you  done  that  will  exalt  you? 
Can  anything  be  drawn  from  your  life,  character  or  conduct  that  is 
worthy  of  being  held  up  to  the  gaze  of  this  nation  as  a  model  of  vir- 
tue, charity  and  wisdom?  Are  you  not  a  lottery  picture,  with  more 
than  two  blanks  to  a  prize?  Leaving  many  things  prior  to  your 
Ghent  treaty,  let  the  world  look  at  that,  and  see  where  is  the  wis- 
dom, honor  and  patriotism  which  ought  to  have  characterized 
the  plenipotentiary  of  the  only  free  nation  upon  the  earth?  A 
quarter  of  a  century's  negotiation  to  obtain  our  rights  on  the  north- 
eastern boundary,  and  the  motley  manner  in  which  Oregon  tries  to 
shine  as  American  territory,  coupled  with  your  presidential  race  and 
some-by-chance  secretaryship  in  1825,  all  go  to  convince  the  friends 


382  APPENDICES. 

of  freedom,  the  golden  patriots  of  Jeffersonian  democracy,  free  trade 
and  sailors'  rights,  and  the  protectors  of  person  and  property,  that 
an  honorable  war  is  better  than  a  dishonorable  peace. 

But  had  you  really  wanted  to  have  exhibited  the  wisdom,  clem- 
ency, Denevolence  and  dignity  of  a  great  man  in  this  boasted  repub- 
lic, when  fifteen  thousand  free  citizens  were  exiled  from  their  own 
homes,  lands  and  property,  in  the  wonderful  patriotic  State  of  Mis- 
souri, and  you  then  upon  your  oath  and  honor  occupying  the  exalted 
station  of  a  Senator  of  Congress  from  the  noble-hearted  State  of  Ken- 
tucky, why  did  you  not  show  the  world  your  loyalty  to  law  and  order, 
by  using  all  honorable  means  to  restore  the  innocent  to  their  rights 
and  property?  Why,  sir,  the  more  we  search  into  your  character  and 
conduct,  the  more  we  must  exclaim  from  Holy  Writ,  "The  tree  is 
known  by  its  fruit." 

Again:  this  is  not  all.  Rather  than  show  yourself  an  honest  man, 
by  guaranteeing  to  the  people  what  you  will  do  in  case,you  should  be 
elected  president,  "you  can  enter  into  no  engagement,  make  no 
promises,  and  give  no  pledges  as  to  what  you  will  do.  Well,  it  may  be 
that  some  hot-headed  partisan  would  take  such  nothingarianism  upon 
trust;  but  sensible  men  and  even  ladies  would  think  themselves  in- 
sulted by  such  an  evasion  of  coming  events!  If  a  tempest  is  ex- 
pected, why  not  prepare  to  meet  it,  and,  in  the  language  of  the  poet> 
exclaim — 

Then  let  the  trial  come:  and  witness  thou 
If  terror  be  upon  me, — If  I  shrink 
*  Or  falter  in  my  strength  to  meet  the  storm 

When  hardest  it  besets  me. 

True  greatness  never  wavers;  but  when  the  Missouri  compromise  was 
entered  into  by  you  for  the  benefit  of  slavery,  there  was  a  mighty 
shrinkage  of  western  honor',  and  from  that  day,  sir,  the  sterling 
Yankee,  the  struggling  Abolitionist,  and  the  staunch  Democrat,  with 
a  large  number  of  the  liberal-minded  Whigs,  have  marked  you  as  a 
black-leg  in  politics,  begging  for  a  chance  to  shuffle  yourself  into  the 
Presidential  chair,  where  you  might  deal  out  the  destinies  of  our  be- 
loved country  for  a  game  of  brag  that  would  end  in — ''Hark  from  the 
tombs  a  doleful  sound.''  Start  not  at  this  picture:  for  your  "whole  life, 
character  and  conduct"  have  been  spotted  with  deeds  that  cause  a 


APPENDICES.  383 

blush  upon  the  face  of  a  virtuous  patriot.  So  you  must  be  contented 
in  your  lot,  while  crime,  cowardice,  cupidity  or  low  cunning  have 
handed  you  down  from  the  high  tower  of  a  statesman  to  the  black- 
hole  of  a  gambler.  A  man  that  accepts  a  challenge  or  fights  a  duel 
is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  murderer;  for  Holy  Writ  declares 
that,  "Whoso  sheds  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his  blood  be  shed:"  and 
when  in  the  renowned  city  of  Washington  the  notorious  Henry  Clay 
dropped  from  the  summit  of  a  Senator  to  the  sink  of  a  scoundrel  to 
shoot  at  that  chalk-line  of  a  Randolph,  he  not  only  disgraced  his  own 
fame,  family  and  friends,  but  he  polluted  the  sanctum  sanctorum  of 
American  glory;  and  the  kingly  blackguards  throughout  the  whole 
world  are  pointing  the  finger  of  scorn  at  the  boasted  "asylum  of  the 
oppressed,"  and  hissing  at  American  statesmen  as  gentlemen  vagabonds 
and  murderers,  holding  the  olive  branch  of  peace  in  one  hand  and  a 
pistol  for  death  in  the  other!  Well  might  the  Savior  rebuke  the 
heads  of  this  nation  with  "PFo  unto  you  scribes,  Pharisees,  hyyocritesr 
for  the  United  States  Government  and  Congress,  with  a  few  honor- 
able exceptions,  have  gone  the  way  of  Cain,  and  must  perish  in  their 
gainsayings,  like  Korah  and  his  wicked  host.  And  honest  men  of 
every  clime,  and  the  innocent,  poor  and  oppressed,  as  well  as  heathens, 
pagans  and  Indians,  everywhere,  who  could  but  hope  that  the  tree  of 
liberty  would  yield  some  precious  fruit  for  the  hungry  human  race, 
and  shed  some  balmy  leaves  for  the  healing  of  nations,  have  long 
since  given  up  all  hopes  of  equal  rights,  of  justice  and  judgment,  and 
of  truth  and  virtue,  when  such  polluted,  vain,  heaven-daring,  bogus 
patriots  are  forced  or  flung  into  the  front  rank  of  Government  to 
guide  the  destinies  of  millions.  Crape  the  heavens  with  weeds  of  wo, 
gird  the  earth  with  sack-cloth,  and  let  hell  mutter  one  melody  in 
commemoration  of  fallen  splendor!  for  the  glory  of  America  has  de- 
parted, and  God  will  set  a  flaming  sword  to  guard  the  tree  of  liberty, 
while  sucn  mint-tithing  Hcrods  as  Van  Buren,  Boggs,  Benton,  Cal- 
houn and  Clay  are  thrust  out  of  the  realms  of  virtue  as  fit  subjects 
for  the  kingdom  of  fallen  greatness.     Vox  reprobi,  vox  Diaboli! 

In  your  late  addresses  to  the  people  of  South  Carolina,  where  re- 
bellion budded,  but  could  not  blossom,  you  "renounced  ultraism,"  "high 
tariff,"  and  almost  banished  your  "banking  system"  for  the  more  cer- 
tain standard  of  "public  opinion."    This  is  all  very  well,  and  marks 


384  APPENDICES. 

the  intention  of  a  politician,  the  calculations  of  a  demagogue,  and  the 
allowance  for  leeings  of  a  shrewd  manager,  just  as  truly  as  the 
weathercock  does  the  wind  when  it  turns  upon  the  spire.  Hustings 
for  the  South,  barbacues  for  the  West,  confidential  letters  for  the 
North  and  "American  System"  for  the  East. 

LuU-a-by  baby  upon  the  tree  top, 

And  when  the  wind  blows  the  cradle  will  rock. 

Suppose  you  should  also,  taking  your  "whole  life,  character  and 
conduct"  into  consideration,  and,  as  many  hands  make  light  work,  stir 
up  the  old  "Clay  party,"  the  "National  Republican  party,"  the  "High 
Protective  Tariff  party,"  and  the  late  coon-skin  party,  with  all  their 
paraphernalia,  ultraism,  ne  plus  ultraism,  sine  qua  non,  which  have 
grown  with  your  growth,  strengthened  with  your  strength,  and 
shrunk  with  your  shrinkage,  and  ask  the  people  of  this  enlightened  re- 
public what  they  think  of  your  powers  and  policy  as  a  statesman; 
for  verily  it  would  seem,  from  all  past  remains  of  parties,  politics, 
projects  and  pictures,  that  you  are  the  Clay;  and  the  people  the  pot- 
ter; and  as  some  vessels  are  marred  in  the  hands  of  the  potter,  the 
natural  conclusion  is  that  you  are  a  vessel  of  dishonor. 

You  may  complain  that  a  close  examination  of  your  ' 'whole  life, 
character  and  conduct"  places  you,  as  a  Kentuckian  would  pleasantly 
term  it,  "in  a  bad  fix."  But,  sir,  when  the  nation  has  sunk  deeper 
and  deeper  into  the  mud  at  every  turn  of  the  great  wheels  of  the 
Union,  while  you  have  acted  as  one  of  the  principal  drivers,  it  be- 
comes the  bounden  duty  of  the  whole  community,  as  one  man,  to 
whisper  you  on  every  point  of  government,  to  uncover  every  act  of 
your  life,  and  inquire  what  mighty  acts  you  have  done  to  benefit  the 
nation,  how  much  you  have  tithed  the  mint  to  gratify  your  lust,  and 
why  the  fragments  of  your  raiment  hang  upon  the  thorns  by 
the  path  as  signals  to  beware. 

But  your  shrinkage  is  truly  wonderful!  Not  only  your  banking 
system  and  high  tariff  project  have  vanished  from  your  mind  "like 
the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision,"  but  the  "annexation  of  Texas"  has 
touched  your  pathetic  sensibilities  of  national  pride  so  acutly,  that 
the  poor  Texans,  your  own  brethren,  may  fall  back  into  the  ferocity 
of  Mexico,  or  be  sold  at  auction  to  British  stock-jobbers,  and  all  is 


APPENDICES.  385 

well.  For  "I,"  the  old  Senator  from  Kentucky,  and  fearful  it  would 
militate  against  my  interest  in  the  north  to  enlarge  the  borders  of 
the  Union  in  the  south.  Truly  "a  poor  wise  child  is  better  than  an 
old  foolish  king  who  will  be  no  longer  admonished."  Who  ever  heard 
of  a  nation  that  had  too  much  territory?  Was  it  ever  bad  policy  to 
make  friends?  Has  any  people  ever  become  too  good  to  do  good?  No 
never.  But  the  ambition  and  vanity  of  some  men  have  flown  away 
with  their  wisdom  and  judgment,  and  left  a  croaking  skeleton  to  oc- 
cupy the  place  of  a  noble  soul! 

Why,  sir,  the  condition  of  the  whole  earth  is  lamentable.  Texas 
dreads  the  teeth  and  the  nails  of  Mexico.  Oregon  has  the  rheumat- 
ism, brought  on  by  a  horrid  exposure  to  the  heat  and  cold  of  British 
and  American  trappers.  Canada  has  caught  a  bad  cold  from  extreme 
fatigue  in  the  patriot  war.  South  America  has  the  headache 
cause  by  bumps  against  the  beams  of  Catholicity  and  Spanish  Sov- 
ereignty. Spain  has  the  gripes  from  age  and  inquisition.  France 
trembles  and  wastes  under  the  effects  of  contagious  diseases.  Eng- 
land groans  with  the  gout,  and  wiggles  with  wine.  Italy  and  the 
German  States  are  pale  with  the  consumption.  Prussia,  Poland,  and 
the  little  contiguous  dynasties,  duchies  and  domains,  have  the  mumps 
so  severely,  that  "the  whole  head  is  sick,  and  the  whole  heart  is 
faint."  Russia  has  the  cramp  by  lineage.  Turkey  has  the  numb 
palsy.  Africa,  from  the  curse  of  God,  has  lost  the  use  of  her  limbs 
China  is  ruined  by  the  queen's  evil,  and  the  rest  of  Asia  fearfuly  ex- 
posed to  the  small-pox,  the  natural  way,  from  British  peddlers.  The 
islands  of  the  sea  are  almost  dead  with  the  scurvy.  The  Indians  are 
blind  and  lame;  and  the  United  States,  which  ought  to  be  the  good 
physician  with  "balm  from  Gilead"  and  an  "asylum  for  the  oppressed," 
has  boosted  and  is  boosting  up  into  the  council  chamber  of  the  Govern- 
ment a  clique  of  political  gamblers,  to  play  for  the  old  clothes  and  old 
shoes  of  a  sick  world,  and  "no  pledge,  no  promise  to  any  particular  port  ion 
of  the  people''  that  the  rightful  heirs  will  ever  receive  a  cent  of  their 
Father's  legacy.  Away  with  such  self-important,  self-aggran- 
dizing and  self-willed  demagogues!  Their  friendship  is  colder  than 
polar  ice,  and  their  profession  meaner  than  the  damnation  of  hell. 

0  man!  when  such  a  great  dilemma  of  the  globe,  such  a  tremen- 
dous convulsion  of  kingdoms  shakes  the  earth  from  centre  to  circum- 


386  APPENDICES. 

ference;  when  castles,  prison-houses,  and  cells  raise  a  cry  to  God 
against  the  cruelty  of  man;  when  the  mourning  of  the  fatherless  and 
the  widow  causes  anguish  in  heaven;  when  the  poor  among  all  nations 
cry  day  and  night  for  bread,  and  a  shelter  from  the  heat  and  storm; 
and  when  the  degraded  black  slave  holds  up  his  manacled  hands  to  the 
great  statesmen  of  the  United  States,  and  sings — 

"0  liberty,  where  are  thy  charms. 
That  sages  have  told  me  are  sweet?" 

And  when  fifteen  thousand  free  citizens  of  the  high-blooded  republic  of 
North  America  are  robbed  and  driven  from  one  State  to  another  without 
redress  or  redemption,  it  is  not  only  time  for  a  candidate  for  the  presi- 
dency to  pledge  himself  to  execute  judgment  and  justice  in  right- 
eousness, law  or  no  law;  but  it  is  his  bounden  duty  as  a  man,  for  the 
honor  of  a  disgraced  country,  and  for  the  salvation  of  a  once  virtu- 
ous people,  to  call  for  a  union  of  all  honest  men,  and  appease  the 
wrath  of  God  by  acts  of  wisdom,  holiness,  and  virtue!  "The  fervent 
prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much." 

Perhaps  you  may  think  I  go  too  far  with  my  strictures  and  in- 
nuendos,  because  in  your  concluding  paragraph  you  say  "it  is  not  in- 
consistent with  your  declarations  to  say  that  you  have  viewed  with  a 
lively  interest  the  progress  of  the  Latter-day  Saints,  that  you  have 
sympathized  in  ther  sufferings  under  injustice;  as  it  appeared  to  you, 
which  has  been  inflicted  upon  them,  and  that  you  think,  in  common 
with  all  other  religious  communities,  they  ought  to  enjoy  the  secur- 
ity and  protection  of  the  Constitution  and  the  laws."  If  words  were 
not  wind,  and  imagination  not  a  vapor,  such  "views"  "with  a  lively  in- 
terest" might  coax  out  a  few  Mormon  votes;  such  "sympathy"  for 
their  suffering  under  injustice  might  heal  some  of  the  sick  yet  linger- 
ing amongst  them,  raise  some  of  the  dead,  and  recover  some  of  their 
property  from  Missouri;  and  finally,  if  thought  was  not  a  phantom, 
we  might,  in  common  with  other  religious  communities,  "you  think,  en- 
joy the  security  and  protection  of  the  Constitution  and  laws."  But  dur- 
ing ten  years,  while  the  Latter-day  Saints  have  bled,  been  robbed, 
driven  from  their  own  lands,  paid  oceans  of  money  into  the  treasury 
to  pay  your  renowned  self  and  others  for  legislating  and  dealing  out 
equal  rights  and  privileges  to  those  in  common  with  all  other  religious 


APPENDICES.  387 

'Communities,  they  have  waited  and  expected  in  vain!  If  you  have 
possessed  any  patriotism,  it  has  been  veiled  by  your  popularity,  for 
fear  the  Saints  would  fall  in  love  with  its  charms.  Blind  charity  and 
■dumb  justice  never  do  much  towards  alleviating  the  wants  of  the 
needy;  but  straws  show  which  way  the  wind  blows.  It  is  currently 
rumored  that  your  dernier  resort  for  the  Latter-day  Saints  is  to  mi- 
,grate  to  Oregon  or  California.  Such  cruel  humanity,  such  noble  in- 
justice, such  honorable  cowardice,  such  foolish  wisdom,  and  such 
vicious  virtue  could  only  emanate  from  Clay.  After  the  Saints  have 
been  plundered  of  three  or  four  millions  of  land  and  property  by  the 
people  and  powers  of  the  sovereign  State  of  Missouri — after  they 
have  sought  for  redress  and  redemption,  from  the  county  court  to 
'Congress,  and  been  denied  through  religious  prejudice  and  sacerdotal 
'dignity —  after  they  have  builded  a  city  and  two  temples  at  an  im- 
mense expense  of  labor  and  treasure — after  they  have  increased  from 
hundreds  to  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  after  they  have  sent  mission- 
aries to  the  various  nations  of  the  earth  to  gather  Israel,  according 
to  the  predictions  of  all  the  holy  prophets  since  the  world  began,  that 
great  plenipotentiary,  the  renowned  secretary  of  state,  the  ignoble 
duelist,  the  gambling  senator,  and  Whig  candidate  for  the  presidency, 
Henry  Clay,  the  wise  Kentucky  lawyer,  advises  the  Latter-day  Saints 
to  go  to  Oregon  to  obtain  justice  and  set  up  a  government  of  their 
own. 

0  ye  crowned  heads  among  all  nations,  is  not  Mr.  Clay  a  wise 
man,  and  very  patriotic?  Why,  great  God!  to  transport  200,000 
people  through  a  vast  prairie,  over  the  Rocky  Mountains,  to  Oregon, 
a  distance  of  nearly  two  thousand  miles,  would  [cost  more  than  four 
millions!  or  should  they  go  by  Cape  Horn  in  ships  to  California,  the 
cost  would  be  more  than  twenty  millions!  and  all  this  to  save  the 
United  States  from  inheriting  the  disgrace  of  Missouri  for  murdering 
and  robbing  the  Saints  with  impunity!  Benton  and  Van  Buren,  who 
make  no  secret  to  say  that  if  they  get  into  power  they  will  carry 
out  Boggs'  exterminating  plan  to  rid  the  country  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints,  are 

"Little  nipperkins  of  milk," 
.compared  to  "Clay's"  great  aquafortis  jars.    Why,  he  is  a  real  giant 


388  APPENDICES. 

in  humanity!  "Send  the  Mormons  to  Oregon,  and  free  Missouri  from 
debt  and  disgrace!"  Ah!  sir,  let  this  doctrine  go  to-and-fro  through- 
out the  whole  earth — that  we,  as  Van  Buren  said,  know  your  cause  is 
just,  but  the  United  States  government  can  do  nothing  for  you,  be- 
cause it  has  no  power.  "You  must  go  to  Oregon,  and  get  justice  from 
the  Indiansr 

I  mourn  for  the  depravity  of  the  world;  I  despise  the  hypocrisy 
of  Christendom;  I  hate  the  imbecility  of  American  statesmen;  I  de- 
test the  shrinkage  of  candidates  for  office  from  pledges  and  respon- 
sibility; I  long  for  a  day  of  righteousness,  when  "He  whose  right  it 
is  to  reign  shall  judge  the  poor,  and  reprove  with  equity  for  the 
meek  of  the  earth;"  and  I  pray  God,  who  hath  given  our  fathers  a 
promise  of  a  perfect  government  in  the  last  days,  to  purify  the 
hearts  of  the  people  and  hasten  the  welcome  day. 

With  the  highest  consideration  for  virtue  and  unadulterated 
freedom, 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Joseph  Smith. 

Hon.  Henry  Clay,  Ashland,  Ky. 


APPENDICES.  389 


APPENDIX  III. 

JOSEPH  SMITH'S   VIEWS    OF  THE    POWERS   AND    POLICY  OF    THE 
GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

BORN  in  a  land  of  liberty,  and  breathing  an  air  uncorrupted 
with  the  sirocco  of  barbarous  climes,  I  ever  feel  a  double  anx- 
iely  for  the  happiness  of  all  men,  both  in  time  and  in  eternity. 

My  cogitations,  like  Daniel's  have  for  a  long  time  troubled  me, 
when  I  viewed  the  condition  of  men  throughout  the  world,  and  more 
especially  in  this  boasted  realm,  where  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence "holds  these  truths  to  be  self-evident,  that  all  men  are  created 
equal;  that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  unalien- 
able rights;  that  among  these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  hap- 
piness;" but  at  the  same  time  some  two  or  three  millions  of  people 
are  held  as  slaves  for  life,  because  the  spirit  of  them  is  covered  with 
a  darker  skin  than  ours;  and  hundreds  of  our  own  kindred  for  an  in- 
fraction, or  supposed  infraction,  of  some  over-wise  statute,  have  to  be 
incarcerated  in  dungeon  glooms,  or  suffer  the  more  moral  penitentiary 
gravitation  of  mercy  in  a  nutshell,  while  the  duelist,  the  debauchee, 
and  the  defaulter  for  millions,  and  other  criminals,  take  the  upper- 
most rooms  at  feasts,  or,  like  the  bird  of  passage,  find  a  more  con- 
genial clime  by  flight. 

The  wisdom  which  ought  to  characterize  the  freest,  wisest,  and 
most  noble  nation  of  the  nineteenth  century,  should,  like  the  sun  in 
his  meridian  splendor,  warm  every  object  beneath  its  rays;  and  the 
main  efforts  of  her  officers,  who  are  nothing  more  or  less  than  the 
servants  of  the  people,  ought  to  be  directed  to  ameliorate  the  condi- 
tion of  all,  black  or  white,  bond  or  free;  for  the  best  of  books  says, 
"God  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men  for  to  dwell  on  all 
vthe  face  of  the  earth." 

Our  common  country  presents  to  all  men  the  same  advantages, 


390  APPENDICES. 

the  same  facilities,  the  same  prospects,  the  same  honors,  and  the  same- 
rewards;  and  without  hypocrisy,  the  Constitution,  when  it  says,  "We, 
the  people  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to  form  a  more  perfect  union^ 
establish  justice,  ensure  domestic  tranquility,  provide  for  the  common 
defense,  promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the  blessings  of  liberty 
to  ourselves  and  our  posterity,  do  ordain  and  establish  this  Constitu- 
tion for  the  United  States  of  America,"  meant  just  what  it  said  with- 
out reference  to  color  or  condition,  ad  infinitum.  ■ 

The  aspirations  and  expectations  of  a  virtuous  people,  environed 
with  so  wise,  so  liberal,  so  deep,  so  broad,  and  so  high  a  charter  of 
equal  rights  as  appear  in  said  Constituticn,  ought  to  be  treated  by 
those  to  whom  the  administration  of  the  laws  is  entrusted  with  as 
much  sanctity  as  the  prayers  of  the  Saints  are  treated  in  heaven,  that 
love,  confidence,  and  union,  like  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  should  bear 
witness, 

(For  ever  singing  as  they  shine,) 
**  The  hand  that  made  us  is  divine." 

Unity  is  power;  and  when  I  reflect  on  the  importance  of  it  to  the 
stability  of  all  governments,  I  am  astounded  at  the  silly  moves  of 
persons  and  parties  to  foment  discord  in  order  to  ride  into  power  on  the 
current  of  popular  excitement;  nor  am  I  less  surprised  at  the  stretches 
of  power  or  restrictions  of  right  which  too  often  appear  as  acts  of 
legislators  to  pave  the  way  to  some  favorite  political  scheme  as  destitute 
of  intrinsic  merit  as  a  wolfs  heart  is  of  the  milk  of  human  kindness.  A 
Frenchman  would  say,  "Presque  tout  aimer  richessesetpouvoir."  (Almost 
all  men  like  wealth  and  power.) 

I  must  dwell  on  this  subject  longer  than  others;  for  nearly  one 
hundred  years  ago  that  golden  patriot,  Benjamin  Franklin,  drew  up  a 
plan  of  union  for  the  then  colonies  of  Great  Britain,  that  now  are  such 
an  independent  nation,  which,  among  many  wise  provisions  for  obedi- 
ent children  under  their  father's  more  rugged  hand,  had  this: — "They 
have  power  to  make  laws,  and  lay  and  levy  such  general  duties,  im- 
ports, or  taxes  as  to  them  shall  appear  most  equal  and  just,  (consider- 
ing the  ability  and  other  circumstances  of  the  inhabitants  in  the 
several  colonies.)  and  such  as  may  be  collected  with  the  least  incon- 
venience to  the  people,  rather  discouraging  luxury  than  loading  in- 
dustry with  unnecessary  burdens."    Great  Britain  surely  lacked  the^ 


APPENDICES.  391 

laudable  humanity  and  fostering  clemency  to  grant  such  a  just  plan 
of  union;  but  the  sentiment  remains,  like  the  land  that  honored  its 
birth,  as  a  pattern  for  wise  men  to  study  the  convenience  of  the  people 
more  than  the  comfort  of  the  cabinet. 

And  one  of  the  most  noble  fathers  of  our  freedom  and  country's 
glory,  great  in  war,  great  in  peace,  great  in  the  estimation  of  the 
world,  and  grfeat  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen,  (the  illustrious 
Washington,)  said  in  his  first  inaugural  address  to  Congress— "I  be- 
hold the  surest  pledges  that  as,  on  one  side,  no  local  prejudices  or 
attachments,  no  separate  views  or  party  animosities  will  misdirect 
the  comprehensive  and  equal  eye  which  ought  to  watch  over  this  great 
assemblage  of  communities  and  interests,  so,  on  another,  that  the 
foundations  of  our  national  policy  will  be  laid  in  the  pure  and  im- 
mutable principles  of  private  morality,  and  the  pre-eminence  of  free 
government  be  exemplified  by  all  the  attributes  which  can  win  the  af- 
fections of  its  citizens  and  command  the  respect  of  the  world." 

Verily,  here  shine  the  virtue  and  wisdom  of  a  statesman  in  such 
lucid  rays,  that  had  every  succeeding  Congress  followed  the  rich  in- 
struction, in  all  their  deliberations  and  enactments,  for  the  benefit 
and  convenience  of  the  whole  community  and  the  communities  of  which 
it  is  composed,  no  sound  of  rebellion  in  South  Carolina,  no  rupture  in 
Rhode  Island,  no  mob  in  Missouri  expelling  her  citizens  by  executive 
authority,  corruption  in  the  ballot  boxes,  a  border  warfare  between 
Ohio  and  Michigan,  hard  times  and  distress,  outbreak  upon  outbreak 
in  the  principal  cities,  murder,  robbery,  and  defalcation,  scarcity  of 
money,  and  a  thousand  other  difficulties,  would  have  torn  asunder  the 
bonds  of  the  Union,  destroyed  the  confidence  of  man  with  man,  and 
left  the  great  body  of  the  people  to  mourn  over  misfortunes  in  poverty 
brought  on  by  corrupt  legislation  in  an  hour  of  proud  vanity  for  self- 
aggrandizement. 

The  great  Washington,  soon  after  the  foregoing  faithful  admo- 
nition for  the  common  welfare  of  his  nation,  further  advised  Congress 
that  "among  the  many  interesting  objects  which  will  engage  your  at- 
tention, that  of  providing  for  the  common  defense  will  merit  partic- 
ular regard.  To  be  prepared  for  war  is  one  of  the  most  effectual 
means  of  preserving  peace."  As  the  Italian  would  say— "^i/otzo  ariso.' 
(Good  advice.) 


392  APPENDICES. 

The  elder  Adams,  in  his  inaugural  address,  gives  national  pride 
such  a  grand  turn  of  justification,  that  every  honest  citizen  must  look 
back  upon  the  infancy  of  the  United  States  with  an  approving  smile, 
and  rejoice  that  patriotism  in  their  rulers,  virtue  in  the  people,  and 
prosperity  in  the  Union  once  crowned  the  expectations  of  hope,  un- 
veiled the  sophistry  of  the  hypocrite,  and  silenced  the  folly  of  foes. 
Mr.  Adams  said,  "If  national  pride  is  ever  justifiable  or  excusable,  it 
is  when  it  springs  not  from  power  or  riches,  grandeur  or  glory, 
but  from  conviction  of  national  innocence,  information  and  benevo- 
lence." 

There  is  no  doubt  that  such  was  actually  the  case  with  our  young 
realm  at  the  close  of  the  last  century.  Peace,  prosperity,  and  union 
filled  the  country  with  religious  toleration,  temporal  enjoyment,  and 
virtuous  enterprise;  and  grandly,  too,  when  the  deadly  winter  of  the 
"Stamp  Act,"  "Tea  Act,"  and  other  dose  communion  acts  of  royalty 
had  chocked  the  growth  of  freedom  of  speech,  liberty  of  the  press, 
and  liberty  of  conscience,  did  light,  liberty,  and  loyalty  flourish  like 
cedars  of  God. 

The  respected  and  venerable  Thomas  Jefferson,  in  his  inaugural 
address,  made  more  than  forty  years  ago,  shows  whatia  beautiful  pros- 
pect an  innocent,  virtuous  nation  presents  to  the  sage's  eye  where 
there  is  space  for  enterprise,  hands  for  industry,  heads  for  heroes,  and 
hearts  for  moral  greatness.  He  said,  "A  rising  nation  spread  over  a 
wide  and  fruitful  land,  traversing  all  the  seas  with  the  rich  produc- 
tions of  their  industry,  engaged  in  commerce  with  nations  who  feel 
power  and  forget  right,  advancing  rapidly  to  destinies  beyond  the 
reach  of  mortal  eye, — when  I  contemplate  these  transcedent  objects, 
and  see  the  honor,  the  happiness  of  this  beloved  country  committed 
to  the  issue  and  auspices  of  this  day,  I  shrink  from  the  contempla- 
tion, and  humble  myself  before  the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking." 

Such  a  prospect  was  truly  soul-stirring  to  a  good  man.  But  "since 
the  fathers  have  fallen  asleep,"  wicked  and  designing  men  have  un- 
robed the  government  of  its  glory;  and  the  people  if  not  in  dust  and 
ashes,  or  in  sackcloth  have  to  lament  in  poverty  her  departed  greatness 
while  demagogues  build  fires  in  the  north  and  the  south,  east  and  west 
to  keep  up  their  spirits  till  it  is  better  times.  But  year  after  year  has 
left  the  people  to  hope  till  the  very  name  of  Congress  or  State  Legis- 


APPENDICES.  393 

lature  is  as  horrible  to  the  sensitive  friend  of  his  country  as  the  house 
of  "Bluebeard"  is  to  his  children,  or  "Crockford's  Hell  of  London"  to 
meek  nrien. 

When  the  people  are  secure  and  their  rights  properly  respected, 
then  the  four  main  pillars  of  prosperity — ^viz.,  agriculture,  manufac- 
tures, navigation,  and  commerce,  need  the  fostering  care  of  govern- 
ment; and  in  so  goodly  a  country  as  ours,  where  the  soil,  the  climate, 
the  rivers,  the  lakes,  and  the  sea  coast,  the  productions,  the  timber, 
the  minerals,  and  the  inhabitants  are  so  diversified,  that  a  pleasing 
variety  accomodates  all  tastes,  trades,  and  calculations,  it  certainly 
is  the  highest  point  of  supervision  to  protect  the  whole  northern  and 
southern,  eastern  and  western,  center  and  circumference  of  the  realm, 
by  a  judicious  tariff.  It  is  an  old  saying  and  a  true  one,  "If  you 
wish  to  be  respected,  respect  yourselves." 

I  will  adopt  in  part  the  language  of  Mr.  Madison's  inaugural  ad- 
dress— "To  cherish  peace  and  friendly  intercourse  with  all  nations, 
having  corresponding  dispositions;  to  maintain  sincere  neutrality 
towards  beligerant  nations;  to  prefer  in  all  cases  amicable  discussion 
and  reasonable  accommodation  of  differences  to  a  decision  of  them  by 
an  appeal  to  arms;  to  exclude  foreign  intrigues  and  foreign  partiali- 
ties, so  degrading  to  all  countries,  and  so  baneful  to  free  ones;  to  fos- 
ter a  spirit  of  independence  too  just  to  invade  the  rights  of  others, 
too  proud  to  surrender  our  own,  too  liberal  to  indulge  unworthy  pre- 
judices ourselves,  and  too  elevated  not  to  look  down  upon  them  in 
others;  to  hold  the  union  of  the  States  as  the  basis  of  their  peace  and 
happiness;  to  support  the  Constitution,  which  is  the  cement  of  the 
Union,  as  well  in  its  limitations  as  in  its  authorities;  to  respect  the 
rights  and  authorities  reserved  to  the  States  and  to  the  people  as 
equally  incorporated  with  and  essential  to  the  success  of  the  general 
system;  to  avoid  the  slightest  interference  with  the  rights  of  con- 
science or  the  functions  of  religion,  so  wisely  exempted  from  civil 
jurisdiction;  to  preserve  in  their  full  energy  the  other  salutary  pro- 
visions in  behalf  of  private  and  personal  rights,  and  of  the  freedom 
of  the  press,"— so  far  as  intention  aids  in  the  fulfillment  of  duty,  are 
consummations  too  big  with  benefits  not  to  captivate  the  energies  of 
all  honest  men  to  achieve  them,  when  they  can  be  brought  to  pass  by 

25 


394  APPENDICES. 

reciprocation,  friendly  alliances,  wise  legislation,  and  honorable  trea- 
ties. 

The  government  has  once  flourished  under  the  guidance  of  trusty- 
servants;  and  the  Hon.  Monroe,  in  his  day,  while  speaking  of  the  Con- 
stitution, says,  "Our  commerce  has  been  wisely  regulated  with  for- 
eign nations  and  between  the  States.  New  States  have  been  admit- 
ted into  our  Union.  Our  territory  has  been  enlarged  by  fair  and 
honorable  treaty,  and  with  great  advantage  to  the  original  States; 
the  States  respectively  protected  by  the  national  government,  under 
a  mild  paternal  system  against  foreign  dangers,  and  enjoying  within 
their  separate  spheres,  by  a  wise  partition  of  power,  a  just  propor- 
tion of  the  sovereignty,  have  improved  their  police,  extended  their 
settlements,  and  attained  a  strength  and  maturity  which  are  the  best 
proofs  of  wholesome  laws  well  administered.  And  if  we  look  to  the 
condition  of  individuals,  what  a  proud  spectacle  does  it  exhibit!  On 
whom  has  oppression  fallen  in  any  quarter  of  the  Union?  Who  has 
been  deprived  of  any  right  of  person  or  property? — who  restrained 
from  offering  his  vows  in  the  mode  which  he  prefers  to  the  divine 
Author  of  his  being?  It  is  well  known  that  all  these  blessings  have 
been  enjoyed  in  their  fullest  extent;  and  I  add,  with  peculiar  satisfac- 
tion, that  there  has  been  no  example  of  a  capital  punishment  being 
inflicted  on  any  one  for  the  crime  of  high  treason."  What  a  delight- 
ful picture  of  power,  policy,  and  prosperity!  Truly  the  wise  man's 
proverb  is  just — "Sedaukauh  teromain  goy,veh-ka-sadele-u-meemkhah- 
mautr  (Righteousness  exalteth  a  nation,  but  sin  is  a  reproach  to  any 
people.) 

But  this  is  not  all.  The  same  honorable  statesman,  after  having 
had  about  forty  years'  experience  in  the  government,  under  the  full 
tide  of  successful  experiment,  gives  the  following  commendatory  as- 
surance of  the  efficacy  of  the  Magna  Charta  to  answer  its  great  end 
and  aim — to  protect  the  people  in  their  rights.  "Such,  then,  is  the  happy 
government  under  which  we  live;  a  government  adequate  to  every 
purpose  for  which  the  social  compact  is  formed;  a  government 
elective  in  all  its  branches,  under  which  every  citizen  may  by  his 
merit  obtain  the  highest  trust  recognized  by  the  Constitution,  which 
contains  within  it  no  cause  of  discord,  none  to  put  at  variance  one 
portion  of  the  community  with  another;  a  government  which  pro- 


APPENDICES.  395 

tects  every  citken  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  his  rights,  and  is  able  to 
protect  the  nation  against  injustice  from  foreign  powers." 

Again,  the  younger  Adams,  in  the  silver  age  of  our  country's  ad- 
vancement to  fame,  in  his  inaugural  address  (1825),  thus  candidly 
declares  the  majesty  of  the  youthful  republic  in  its  increasing  great- 
ness:— "The  year  of  jubilee,  since  the  first  formation  of  our  union, 
has  just  elapsed:  that  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  is  at  hand. 
The  consummation  of  both  was  effected  by  this  Constitution.  Since 
that  period,  a  population  of  four  millions  has  multiplied  to  twelve.  A 
territory,  bounded  by  the  Mississippi,  has  been  extended  from  sea  to 
sea.  New  States  have  been  admitted  to  the  Union,  in  numbers  nearly 
equal  to  those  of  the  first  confederation.  Treaties  of  peace,  amity, 
and  commerce  have  been  concluded  with  the  principal  dominions  of 
the  earth.  The  peojde  of  other  nations,  the  inhabitants  of  regions 
acquired,  not  by  conquest,  but  by  compact,  have  been  united  with  us 
in  the  participation  of  our  rights  and  duties,  of  our  burdens  and  bles- 
sings. The  forest  has  fallen  by  the  ax  of  our  woodsman.  The  soil 
has  been  made  to  teem  by  the  tillage  of  our  farmers.  Our  commerce 
has  whitened  every  ocean.  The  dominion  of  man  over  physical  nature 
has  been  extended  by  the  invention  of  our  artists.  Liberty  and  law 
have  marched  hand  in  hand.  All  the  purposes  of  human  association 
have  been  accomplished  as  effectively  as  under  any  other  government 
on  the  globe,  and  at  a  cost  little  exceeding,  in  a  whole  generation, 
the  expenditures  of  other  nations  in  a  single  year." 

In  continuation  of  such  noble  sentiments.  General  Jackson,  upon 
his  ascension  to  the  great  chair  of  the  chief  magistracy,  said,  "As 
long  as  our  government  is  administered  for  the  good  of  the  people, 
and  is  regulated  by  their  will,  as  long  as  it  secures  to  us  the  rights 
of  person  and  property,  liberty  of  conscience,  and  of  the  press,  it  will 
be  worth  defending;  and  so  long  as  it  is  worth  defending,  a  patriotic 
militia  will  cover  it  with  an  impenetrable  (Bgis." 

General  Jackson's  administration  may  be  denominated  the  acme 
of  American  glory,  liberty,  and  prosperity;  for  the  national  debt, 
which  in  1815,  on  account  of  the  late  war,  was  $125,000,000,  and  be- 
ing lessened  gradually,  was  paid  up  in  his  golden  day,  and  prepara- 
tions were  made  to  distribute  the  surplus  revenue  among  the  several 
States;  and  that  august  patriot,  to  use  his  own  words  in  his  farewell. 


396  APPENDICES. 

address,  retired,  leaving  **a  great  people  prosperous  and  happy,  in  the 
full  enjoyment  of  liberty  and  peace,  honored  and  respected  by  every 
nation  of  the  world." 

At  the  age,  then,  of  sixty  years,  our  blooming  republic  began  to 
decline  under  the  withering  touch  of  Martin  Van  Buren!  Disap- 
pointed ambition,  thirst  for  power,  pride,  corruption,  party  spirit, 
faction,  patronage,  perqisites,  fame,  tangling  alliances,  priestcraft, 
and  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places,  struck  hands  and  revelled  in 
midnight  splendor. 

Trouble,  vexation,  perplexit}'-,  and  contention,  mingled  with 
hope,  fear,  and  murmuring,  rumbled  through  the  Union  and  agitated 
the  whole  nation,  as  would  an  earthquake  at  the  center  of  the  earth, 
the  world  heaving  the  sea  beyond  its  bounds  and  shaking  the  ever- 
lasting hills;  so,  in  hopes  of  better  times,  while  jealousy,  hypocritical 
pretensions,  and  pompous  ambition  were  luxuriating  on  the  ill-gotten 
spoils  of  the  people,  they  rose  in  their  majesty  like  a  tornado,  and 
swept  through  the  land,  till  General  Harrison  appeared  as  a  star 
among  the  storm-clouds  for  better  weather. 

The  calm  came,  and  the  language  of  that  venerable  patriot,  in 
his  inaugural  address,  while  descanting  upon  the  merits  of  the  Con- 
stituiton  and  its  framers,  thus  expressed  himself: — ''There  were  in  it 
features  which  appeared  not  to  be  in  harmony  with  their  ideas  of  a 
simple  representative  democracy  or  republic.  And  knowing  the  ten- 
dency of  power  to  increase  itself,  particularly  when  executed  by  a 
single  individual,  predictions  were  made  that,  at  no  very  remote  pe- 
riod, the  government  would  terminate  in  virtual  monarchy. 

"It  would  not  become  me  to  say  that  the  fears  of  these  patriots 
have  been  already  realized.  But  as  I  sincerely  believe  that  the  ten- 
dency of  measures  and  of  men's  thanions  for  some  years  past  has 
been  in  that  direction,  it  is,  I  conceive,  strictly  proper  that  I  should 
take  this  occasion  to  repeat  the  assurances  I  have  heretofore  given 
of  my  determination  to  arrest  the  progress  of  that  tendency,  if  it 
really  exists,  and  restore  the  government  to  its  pristine  health  and 
vigor." 

This  good  man  died  before  he  had  the  opportunity  of  applying 
one  balm  to  ease  the  pain  of  our  groaning  country,  and  I  am  willing 
the  nation  should  be  the  judge,  whether  General  Harrison,  in  his  ex- 


APPENDICES.  397 

alted  station,  upon  the  eve  of  his  entrance  into  the  world  of  spirits, 
told  the  truth,  or  not,  with  acting  President  Tyler's  three  years  of  per- 
plexity, and  pseudo-Whig-Democrat  reign  to  heal  the  breaches  or 
show  the  wounds,  secundum  artem  (according  to  art). 

Subsequent  events,  all  things  considered,  Van  Buren's  downfall, 
Harrison's  exit,  and  Tyler's  self-sufficient  turn  to  the  whole,  go  to 
show,  as  a  Chaldean  might  exclaim— "5eram  etai  elaugh  beshmayauh 
gauhah  rauzeen."  (Certainly  there  is  a  God  in  heaven  to  reveal  se- 
crets.) 

No  honest  man  can  doubt  for  a  moment  but  the  glory  of  Ameri- 
can liberty  is  on  the  wane,  and  that  calamity  and  confusion  will 
sooner  or  later  destroy  the  peace  of  the  people.  Speculators  will 
urge  a  national  bank  as  a  savior  of  credit  and  comfort.  A  hireling 
psuedo-priesthood  will  plausibly  push  abolition  doctrines  and  doings 
and  "human  rights''  into  Congress,  and  into  every  other  place  where 
conquest  smells  of  fame,  or  opposition  swells  to  popularity.  Democ- 
racy, Whiggerji)  and  cliquery  will  attract  their  elements  and  foment 
divisions  among  the  people,  to  accomplish  fancied  schemes  and  accu- 
mulate power,  while  poverty,  driven  to  despair,  like  hunger  forcing 
its  way  through  a  wall,  will  break  through  the  statutes  of  men  to 
save  life,  and  mend  the  breach  in  prison  glooms. 

A  still  higher  grade  of  what  the  "nobility  of  nations"  call  "great 
men"  will  dally  with  all  rights,  in  order  to  smuggle  a  fortune  at  "one 
fell  swoop,"  mortgage  Texas,  possess  Oregon,  and  claim  alF  the  un- 
settled regions  of  the  world  for  hunting  and  trapping;  and  should  an 
humble,  honest  man,  red,  black,  or  white,  exhibit  a  better  title,  these 
gentry  have  only  to  clothe  the  judge  with  richer  ermine,  and  spangle 
the  lawyer's  finger  with  finer  rings,  to  have  the  judgment  of  his 
peers  and  the  honor  of  his  lords  as  a  pattern  of  honesty,  virtue,  and 
humanity,  while  the  motto  hangs  on  his  nation's  escutcheon — "Every 
man  has  his  price!" 

Now,  0  people!  people!  turn  unto  the  Lord  and  live,  and  reform 
this  nation.  Frustrate  the  designs  of  wicked  men.  Reduce  Con- 
gress at  least  two-thirds.  Two  senators  from  a  State  and  two  mem- 
bers to  a  million  of  population  will  do  more  business  than  the  army 
that  now  occupy  the  halls  of  the  national  legislature.  Pay  them  two 
dollars   and  their  board  per  diem  (except  Sundays).    That  is  more 


398  APPENDICES. 

than  the  farmer  gets,  and  he  lives  honestly.  Curtail  the  officers  of 
government  in  pay,  number,  and  power;  for  the  Philistine  lords  have 
shorn  our  nation  of  its  goodly  locks  in  the  lap  of  Delilah. 

Petition  your  State  legislatures  to  pardon  every  convict  in  their 
several  penitentiaries,  blessing  them  as  they  go,  and  saying  to  them, 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  Go  thy  way,  and  sin  no  more. 

Advise  your  legislators,  when  they  make  laws  for  larceny,  bur- 
glary, or  any  felony,  to  make  the  penalty  applicable  to  work  upon 
roads,  public  works,  or  any  place  where  the  culprit  can  be  taught 
more  wisdom  and  more  virtue,  and  become  more  enlightened.  Rigor 
and  seclusion  will  never  do  as  much  to  reform  the  propensities  of 
men  as  reason  and  friendship.  Murder  only  can  claim  confinement 
or  death.  Let  the  penitentiaries  be  turned  into  seminaries  of  learn- 
ing, where  intelligence,  like  the  angels  of  heaven,  would  banish  such 
fragments  of  barbarism.  Imprisonment  for  debt  is  a  meaner  prac- 
tice than  the  savage  tolerates,  with  all  his  ferocity.  ''Amor  vineit 
omnia/*     (Love  conquers  all.)  ♦ 

Petition,  also,  ye  goodly  inhabitants  of  the  slave  States,  your 
legislators  to  abolish  slavery  by  the  year  1850,  or  now,  and  save  the 
abolitionist  from  reproach  and  ruin,  infamy  and  shame. 

Pray  Congress  to  pay  every  man  a  reasonable  price  for  his 
slaves  out  of  the  surplus  revenue  arising  from  the  sale  of  public  lands 
and  from  the  deduction  of  pay  from  the  members  of  Congress. 

Break  off  the  shackles  from  the  poor  black  man,  and  hire  him  to 
labor  like  other  human  beings;  for  "an  hour  of  virtuous  liberty  on 
earth  is  worth  a  whole  eternity  of  bondage."  Abolish  the  practice 
in  the  army  and  navy  of  trying  men  by  court-martial  for  desertion. 
If  a  soldier  or  marine  runs  away,  send  him  his  wages,  with  this  in- 
struction, that  his  country  will  never  trust  him  again;  he  has  forfeited 
his  honor. 

Make  HONOR  the  standard  with  all  men.  Be  sure  that  good  is 
rendered  for  evil  in  all  cases;  and  the  whole  nation,  like  a  kingdom  of 
kings  and  priests,  will  rise  up  in  righteousness,  and  be  respected  as 
wise  and  worthy  on  earth,  and  as  just  and  holy  for  heaven,  by  Jeho- 
vah, the  Author  of  perfection. 

More  economy  in  the  national  and  state  governments  would 
make   less  taxes  among  the  people;  more  equality  through  the  cities; 


APPENDICES.  399 

towns,  and  country,  would  make  less  distinction  among  the  people; 
and  more  honesty  and  familiarity  in  societies  would  make  less  hypoc- 
risy and  flattery  in  all  branches  of  the  community;  and  open,  frank, 
candid  decorum  to  all  men,  in  this  boasted  land  of  liberty,  would  be- 
get esteem,  confidence,  union,  and  love;  and  the  neighbor  from  any 
State  or  from  any  country,  of  whatever  color,  clime,  or  tongue, 
could  rejoice  when  he  put  his  foot  on  the  sacred  soil  of  freedom,  and 
exclaim,  The  very  name  of  "American''  is  fraught  with  friendship! 
Oh,  then,  create  confidence,  restore  freedom,  break  down  slavery, 
banish  imprisonment  for  debt,  and  be  in  love,  fellowship,  and  peace 
with  all  the  world!  Remember  that  honesty  is  not  subject  to  law. 
The  law  was  made  for  transgressors.  Wherefore  a  Dutchman  might 
exclaim — "Ein  eherlicher  name  ist  besser  als  Reichthum."  (A  good 
name  is  better  than  riches.) 

For  the  accommodation  of  the  people  in  every  State  and  Territory 
let  Congress  show  their  wisdom  by  granting  a  national  bank,  with 
branches  in  each  State  and  Territory,  where  the  capital  stock  shall 
be  held  by  the  nation  for  the  mother  bank,  and  by  the  States  and  Ter- 
ritories for  the  branches;  and  whose  officers  and  directors  shall  be 
elected  yearly  by  the  people,  with  wages  at  the  rate  of  two  dollars 
per  day  for  services;  which  several  banks  shall  never  issue  any  more 
bills  than  the  amount  of  capital  stock  in  her  vaults  and  the  interest. 

The  net  gain  of  the  mother  bank  shall  be  applied  to  the  national 
revenue,  and  that  of  the  branches  to  the  States'  and  Territories'  reve- 
nues. And  the  bills  shall  be  par  throughout  the  nation,  which  will 
mercifully  cure  that  fatal  disorder  known  in  cities  as  brokerage,  and 
leave  the  people's  money  in  their  own  pockets. 

Give  every  man  his  constitutional  freedom,  and  the  President 
full  power  to  send  an  army  to  suppress  mobs,  and  the  States  author- 
ity to  repeal  and  impugn  that  relic  of  folly  which  makes  it  necessary 
for  the  governor  of  a  State  to  make  the  demand  of  the  President  for 
troops,  in  case  of  invasion  or  rebellion. 

The  governor  himself  may  be  a  mobber;  and  instead  of  being 
punished,  as  he  should  be,  for  murder  or  treason,  he  may  destroy  the 
very  lives,  rights,  and  property  he  should  protect.  Like  the  good 
Samaritan,  send  "every  lawyer,  as  soon  as  he  repents  and  obeys  the  or- 
dinances of  heaven,  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  destitute,  without 


400  APPENDICES. 

purse  or  scrip,  pouring  in  the  oil  and  the  wine.  A  learned  priesthood 
is  certainly  more  honorable  than  "an  hireling  clergy T 

As  to  the  contiguous  territories  to  the  United  States,  wisdom 
would  direct  no  tangling  alliance.  Oregon  belongs  to  this  govern- 
ment honoraby;  and  when  we  have  the  red  man's  consent,  let  the 
Union  spread  from  the  east  to  the  west  sea;  and  if  Texas  petitions 
Congress  to  be  adopted  among  the  sons  of  liberty,  give  her  the  right 
hand  of  fellowship,  and  refuse  not  the  same  friendly  grip  to  Canada 
and  Mexico.  And  when  the  right  arm  of  freemen  is  stretched  out  in 
the  character  of  a  navy  for  the  protection  of  rights,  commerce  and 
honor,  let  the  iron  eyes  of  power  watch  from  Maine  to  Mexico,  and 
from  California  to  Columbia.  Thus  may  union  be  strengthened,  and 
foreign  speculation  prevented  from  opposing  broadside  to  broad- 
side. 

Seventy  years  have  done  much  for  this  goodly  land.  They  have 
burst  the  chains  of  oppression  and  monarchy,  and  multiplied  its  in- 
habitants from  two  to  twenty  millions,  with  a  proportionate  share  of 
knowledge  keen  enough  to  circumnavigate  the  globe,  draw  the  light- 
ning from  the  clouds,  and  cope  with  all  the  crowned  heads  of  the 
world. 

Then  why — oh,  why  will  a  once  floushing  people  not  arise, 
phoenix-like,  over  the  cinders  of  Martin  Van  Buren's  power,  and  over 
the  sinking  fragments  and  smoking  ruins  of  other  catamount  politi- 
cians, and  over  the  windfalls  of  Benton,  Calhoun,  Clay,  Wright  and  a 
caravan  of  other  equally  unfortunate  law  doctors,  and  cheerfully  help 
to  spread  a  plaster  and  bind  up  the  burnt,  bleeding  wounds  of  a  sore 
but  blessed  country. 

The  Southern  people  are  hospitable  and  noble.  They  will  help 
to  rid  so  free  a  country  of  every  vestige  of  slavery,  whenever  they 
are  assured  of  an  equivalent  for  their  property.  The  country  will  be  full 
of  money  and  confidence  when  a  national  bank  of  twenty  millions,and 
a  State  bank  in  every  State,  with  a  million  or  more,  gives  a  tone  to 
monetary  matters,  and  make  a  circulating  medium  as  valuable  in  the 
purses  of  a  whole  community,  as  in  the  coffers  of  a  speculating  banker 
or  broker. 

The  people  may  have  faults,  but  they  should  never  be  trifled 
with.     I  think  Mr.  Pitt's  quotation  in  the  British  parliament  of  Mr. 


APPENDICES.  401 

Prior's  couplet  for  the  husband  and  wife,  to  apply  to  the  course 
which  the  king  and  ministry  of  England  should  pursue  to  the  then 
colonies  of  the  now  United  States,  might  be  a  genuine  rule  of  action 
for  some  of  the  breath-made  men  in  high  places  to  use  towards  the 
posterity  of  this  noble,  daring  people: — 

Be  to  her  faults  a  little  blind; 
Be  to  her  virtues  very  kind. 

We  have  had  Democratic  Presidents,  Whig  Presidents,  a  pseudo- 
Democratic-Whig  President,  and  now  it  is  time  to  have  a  President  of 
the  United  States;  and  let  the  people  of  the  whole  Union,  like  the  in- 
flexible Romans,  whenever  they  find  a  promise  made  by  a  candidate 
that  is  not  practiced  as  an  officer,  hurl  the  miserable  sycophant  from 
his  exaltation,  as  God  did  Nebuchadnezzar,  to  crop  the  grass  of  the 
field  with  a  beast's  heart  among  the  cattle. 

Mr.  Van  Buren  said,  in  his  inaugural  address,  that  he  went  "into 
the  Presidential  chair  the  inflexible  and  uncompromising  opponent  of 
every  attempt,  on  the  part  of  Congress,  to  abolish  slavery  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  against  the  wishes  of  the  slave  holding  States,  and 
also  with  a  determination  equally  decided  to  resist  the  slightest  in- 
terference with  it  in  the  States  where  it  exists. 

Poor  little  Matty  made  this  rhapsodical  sweep  with  the  fact  be- 
fore his  eyes,  that  the  State  of  New  York,  his  native  State,  had  abol- 
ished slavery  without  a  struggle  or  a  groan.  Great  God,  how  inde- 
pendent! From  henceforth  slavery  is  tolerated  where  it  exists,  con- 
stitution or  no  constitution,  people  or  no  people,  right  or  wrong: 
Vox  Matti — Vox  Diaboli  ("the  voice  of  Matti" — "the  voice  of  the 
Devil.")  And,  peradventure,  his  great  "sub-treasury"  scheme  was  a 
piece  of  the  same  mind.  But  the  man  and  his  measures  have  such  a 
striking  resemblance  to  the  anecdote  of  the  Welshman  and  his  cart- 
tongue,  that  when  the  Constitution  was  so  long  that  it  allowed  slav- 
ery at  the  capitol  of  a  free  people,  it  could  not  be  cut  off;  but  when 
it  was  so  short  that  it  needed  a  sub-treasury  to  save  the  funds  of  the 
nation,  it  could  be  spliced!  Oh,  granny,  granny,  what  a  long  tail  our 
puss  has  got!  (As  a  Greek  might  say,  Hysteron  proteron,  (the  cart  be- 
fore the  horse).     But  his  mighty  whisk  through  the  great  national 


402  APPENDICES. 

fire,  for  the  presidential  chestnuts,  6wr/i^  the  locks  of  his  glory  with  the 
blaze  of  his  folly! 

In  the  United  States  the  people  are  the  government,  and  their 
united  voice  is  the  only  sovereign  that  should  rule,  the  only  power 
that  should  be  obeyed,  and  the  only  gentlemen  that  should  be  honored 
at  home  and  abroad,  on  the  land  and  on  the  sea.  Wherefore,  were  I 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  by  the  voice  of  a  virtuous  people, 
I  would  honor  the  old  paths  of  the  venerated  fathers  of  freedom;  I 
would  walk  in  the  tracks  of  the  illustrious  patriots  who  carried  the 
ark  of  the  government  upon  their  shoulders  with  an  eye  single  to  the 
glory  of  the  people;  and  when  that  people  petitioned  to  abolish  slav- 
ery in  the  slave  States,  I  would  use  all  honorable  means  to  have  their 
prayers  granted,  and  give  liberty  to  the  captive  by  paying  the  South- 
ern gentlemen  a  reasonable  equivalent  for  his  property;  that  the 
whole  nation  might  be  free  indeed! 

When  the  people  petitioned  for  a  national  bank,  I  would  use  my 
best  endeavors  to  have  their  prayers  answered,  and  establish  one  on 
national  principles  to  save  taxes,  and  make  them  the  controllers  of 
its  ways  and  means.  And  when  the  people  petitioned  to  possess  the 
Territory  of  Oregon,  or  any  other  contiguous  territory,  I  would 
lend  the  influence  of  a  chief  magistrate  to  grant  so  reasonable 
a  request,  that  they  might  extend  the  mighty  efforts  and  enter- 
prise of  a  free  people  from  the  east  to  the  west  sea,  and  make 
the  wilderness  blossom  as  the  rose.  And  when  a  neighboring 
realm  petitioned  to  join  the  union  of  the  sons  of  liberty,  my  voice 
would  be  come — yea,  come,  Texas;  come,  Mexico;  come,  Canada;  and 
come,  all  the  world:  let  us  be  brethren,  let  us  be  one  great  family, 
and  let  there  be  a  universal  peace.  Abolish  the  cruel  custom  of  prisons 
(except  certain  cases),  penitentiaries,  courts-martial  for  desertion;  and 
let  reason  and  friendship  reign  over  the  ruins  of  ignorance  and  bar- 
barity; yea,  I  would,  as  the  universal  friend  of  man,  open  the  prisons, 
open  the  eyes,  open  the  ears,  and  open  the  hearts  of  all  people,  to  be- 
hold and  enjoy  freedom— unadulterated  freedom;  and  God,  who  once 
cleansed  the  violence  of  the  earth  with  a  flood,  whose  Son  laid  down 
His  life  for  the  salvation  of  all  His  Father  gave  Him  out  of  the  world, 
and  who  has  promised  that  He  will  come  and  purify  the  world  again 
with  fire  in  the  last  days,  should  be  supplicated  by  me  for  the  good 


APPENDICES.  403 

of  all  people.     With  the  highest  esteem,  I  am  a  friend  of  virtue  and 
of  the  people. 

Joseph  Smith. 
Nauvoo,  Illinois,  Feb.  7,  1844. 


404  APPENDICES. 


APPENDIX  IV. 

AN  ACCOUNT   OF  THE  MARTYRDOM    OP    JOSEPH  SMITH, 
BY   PRESIDENT  JOHN   TAYLOR. 

BEING  requested  by  Elders  George  A.  Smith  and  Wilford  Wood- 
ruff, Church  historians,  to  write  an  account  of  events  that 
transpired  before,  and  took  place  at,  the  time  of  the  martyrdom  of 
Joseph  Smith,  in  Carthage  jail,  in  Hancock  County,  State  of  Illinois, 
I  write  the  following,  principally  from  memory,  not  having  access  at 
this  time  to  any  public  documents  relative  thereto  farther  than  a  few 
desultory  items  contained  in  Ford's  "History  of  Illinois."  I  must 
also  acknowledge  myself  considerably  indebted  to  George  A.  Smith 
who  was  with  me  when  I  wrote  it,  and  who,  although  not  there  at 
the  time  of  the  bloody  transaction,  yet,  from  conversing  with  several 
persons  who  were  in  the  capacity  of  Church  historians,  and  aided  by 
an  excellent  memory,  has  rendered  me  considerale  service. 

These  and  the  few  items  contained  in  the  note  at  the  end  of  this 
account  are  all  the  aid  I  have  had.  I  would  further  add  that  the 
items  contained  in  the  letter,  in  relation  to  dates  especially,  may  be 
considered  strictly  correct. 

After  having  written  the  whole,  I  read  it  over  to  the  Hon.  J.  M. 
Bernhisel,  who  with  one  or  two  slight  alterations,  pronounced  it 
strictly  correct.  Brother  Bernhisel  was  present  most  of  the  time. 
I  am  afraid  that,  from  the  length  of  time  that  has  transpired  since 
the  occurrence,  and  having  to  rely  almost  exclusively  upon  my  mem- 
ory, there  may  be  some  slight  inaccuracies,  but  I  believe  that  in  the 
general  it  is  strictly  correct.  As  I  figured  in  those  transaction  from 
the  commencement  to  the  end,  they  left  no  slight  impression  on  my 
mind. 

In  the  year  1844,  a  very  great  excitement  prevailed  in  some 


APPENDICES.  405 

parts  of  Hancock,  Brown  and  other  neighboring  counties  of  Illinois, 
in  relation  to  the, Mormons,  and  a  spirit  of  vindictive  hatred  and  per- 
secution was  exhibited  among  the  people,  which  was  manifested  in 
the  most  bitter  and  acrimonious  language,  as  well  as  by  acts  of  hos- 
tility and  violence,  frequently  threatening  the  destruction  of  the  cit- 
izens of  Nauvoo  and  vicinity,  and  utter  annihilation  of  the'.Mormons 
and  Mormonism,  and  in  some  instances  breaking  out  in  the  most  vio- 
lent acts  of  ruffianly  barbarity.  Persons  were  kidnapped,  whipped, 
persecuted  and  falsely  accused  of  various  crimes;  their  cattle  and 
houses  injured,  destroyed,  or  stolen;  vexatious  prosecutions  were  in- 
stituted to  harass  and  annoy.  In  some  remote  neighborhoods  they 
were  expelled  from  their  homes  without  redress,  and  in  others  viol- 
ence was  threatened  to  their  persons  and  property,  while  in  others 
every  kind  of  insult  and  indignity  were  heaped  upon  them,  to  induce 
them  to  abandon  their  homes,  the  County  or  the  State. 

These  annoyances,  prosecutions  and  persecutions  were  instigated 
through  different  agencies  and  by  various  classes  of  men,  actuated 
by  different  motives,  but  all  uniting  in  the  one  object — prosecution, 
persecution  and  extermination  of  the  Saints. 

There  were  a  number  of  wicked  and  corrupt  men  living  in 
Nauvoo  and  its  vicinity,  who  had  belonged  to  the  Church,  but  whose 
conduct  was  incompatible  with  the  Gospel;  they  were  accordingly 
dealt  with  by  the  Church  and  severed  from  its  communion.  Some  of 
these  had  been  prominent  members,  and  held  official  stations  either  in 
the  city  or  Church.  Among  these  were  John  C.  Bennett,  formerly 
mayor;  William  Law,  counselor  to  Joseph  Smith;  Wilson  Law,  his 
natural  brother,  and  general  in  the  Nauvoo  Legion;  Dr.  R.  D.  Foster, 
a  man  of  some  property,  but  with  a  very  bad  reputation;  Francis 
and  Chauncey  Higbee,  the  latter  a  young  lawyer,  and  both  sons  of 
a  respectable  and  honored  man  in  the  Church,  known  as  Judge  Elias 
Higbee,  who  died  about  twelve  months  before. 

Besides  these,  there  were  a  great  many  apostates,  both  in  the 
city  and  county,  of  less  notoriety,  who  for  their  delinquencies,  had 
been  expelled  from  the  Church.  John  C.  Bennett  and  Francis  and 
Chauncey  Higbee  were  cut  off  from  the  Church;  the  former  was  also 
cashiered  from  his  generalship  for  the  most  flagrant  acts  of  seduc- 
tion and  adultery;  and  the  developments  in  the  cases  were  so  scandal- 


406  APPENDICES. 

ous  that  the  High  Council,  before  which  they  were  tried,  had  to  sit 
with  closed  doors. 

William  Law,  although  counselor  to  Joseph,  was  found  to  be 
his  most  bitter  foe  and  maligner,  and  to  hold  intercourse,  contrary  to 
all  law,  in  his  own  house,  with  a  young  lady  resident  with  him;  and  it 
was  afterwards  proven  that  he  had  conspired  with  some  Missourians 
to  take  Joseph  Smith's  life,  and  was  only  saved  by  Josiah  Arnold  and 
Daniel  Garn,  who,  being  on  guard  at  his  house,  prevented  the  assas- 
sins from  seeing  him.  Yet,  although  having  murder  in  his  heart, 
his  manners  were  generally  courteous  and  mild,  and  he  was  well  calcu- 
lated to  deceive. 

General  Wilson  Law  was  cut  off  from  the  Church  for  seduction, 
felsehood,  and  defamation;  both  the  above  were  also  court-martialed 
by  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  and  expelled.  Foster  was  also  cut  off  I  be- 
lieve, for  dishonesty,  fraud  and  falsehood.  I  know  he  was  eminently 
guilty  of  the  whole,  but  whether  these  were  the  specific  charges  or 
not,  I  don't  know,  but  I  do  know  that  he  was  a  notoriously  wicked  and 
corrupt  man. 

Besides  the  above  characters  and  Mormonic  apostates,  there 
were  other  three  parties.  The  first  of  these  may  be  called  religion- 
ists, the  second  politicians,  and  the  third  counterfeiters,  black-legs, 
horse-thieves  and  cut-throats. 

The  religious  party  were  chagrined  and  maddened  because  Mor- 
monism  came  in  contact  with  their  religion,  and  they  could  not  op- 
pose it  from  the  scriptures.  Thus  like  the  ancient  Jews,  when  en- 
raged at  the  exhibition  of  their  follies  and  hypocrisies  by  Jesus  and 
His  apostles,  so  these  were  infuriated  against  the  Mormons  because 
of  their  discomfiture  by  them;  and  instead  of  owning  the  truth  and 
rejoicing  in  it,  they  were  ready  to  gnash  upon  them  with  their  teeth, 
and  to  persecute  the  believers  in  principles  which  they  could  not  dis- 
prove. 

The  political  party  were  those  who  were  of  opposite  politics  to 
us.  There  were  always  two  parties,  the  Whigs  and  |Democrats,  and 
we  could  not  vote  for  one  without  offending  the  other;  and  it  not  un- 
frequently  happened  that  candidates  for  ofl&ce  would  place  the  issue 
of  their  election  upon  opposition  to  the  Mormons,  in  order  to  gain 
political  influence  from  the  religious  prejudice,  in  which  case  the  Mor- 


APPENDICES.  407 

mons  were  compelled,  in  self-defense,  to  vote  against  them,  which  re- 
sulted alniost  invariably  against  our  opponents.  This  made  them  angry; 
and  although  it  was  of  their  own  making,  and  the  Mormons  could 
not  be  expected  to  do  otherwise,  yet  they  raged  on  account  of  their 
discomfiture,  and  sought  to  wreak  their  fury  on  the  Mormons.  As 
an  instance  of  the  above,  when  Joseph  Duncan  was  candidate  for  the 
office  of  governor  of  Illinois,  he  pledged  himself  to  his  party  that,  if 
he  could  be  elected,  he  would  exterminate  or  drive  the  Mormons  from 
the  State.*  The  consequence  was  that  Governor  Ford  was  elected. 
The  Whigs,  seeing  that  they  had  been  out-generaled  by  the  Demo- 
crats in  securing  the  Mormon  vote,  became  seriously  alarmed,  and 
sought  to  repair  their  disaster  by  raising  a  crusade  against  the  people. 
The  Whig  newspapers  teemed  with  accounts  of  the  wonders  and  enor- 
mities of  Nauvoo,  and  of  the  awful  wickedness  of  a  party  which 
could  consent  to  receive  the  support  of  such  miscreants.  Governor 
Duncan,  who  was  really  a  brave,  honest  man,  and  who  had  nothing 
to  do  with  getting  the  Mormon  charters  passed  through  the  Legis- 
lature, took  the  stump  on  this  subject  in  good  earnest,  and  expected 
to  be  elected  governor  almost  on  this  question  alone. 

The  third  party,  composed  of  counterfeiters,  black-legs,  horse- 
thieves  and  cut-throats,  were  a  pack  of  scoundrels  that  infested  the 
whole  of  the  western  country  at  that  time.  In  some  districts  their 
influence  was  so  great  as  to  control  important  State  and  County 
offices.     On  this  subject  Governor  Ford  has  the  following: 

"Then,  again,  the  northern  part  of  the  State  was  not  destitute 
of  its  organized  bands  of  rogues,  engaged  in  murders,  robberies, 
horse-stealing  and  in  making  and  passing  counterfeit  money.  These 
rogues  were  scattered  all  over  the  north,  but  the  most  of  them  were 
located  in  the  counties  of  Ogle,  Winnebago,  Lee  and  De  Kalb. 

"In  the  County  of  Ogle  they  were  so  numerous,  strong,  and  well 
organized  that  they  could  not  be  convicted  for  their  crimes.  By  get- 
ting some  of  their  numbers  on  the  juries,  by  producing  a  host  of  wit- 
nesses to  sustain  their  defense,  by  perjured  evidence,  and  by  chang- 
ing the  venue  of  one  County  to  another,  by  continuances  from  term 


*  See  his  remarks  as  contained  in  his  History  of  Illinois,  page 
269. 


408  APPENDICES. 

to  term,  and  by  the  inability  of  witnesses  to  attend  from  time  to 
time  at  distant  and  foreign  Counties,  they  most  generally  managed 
to  be  acquitted."* 

There  was  a  combination  of  horse-thieves  extending  from  Galena 
to  Alton.  There  were  counterfeiters  engaged  in  merchandising^ 
trading,  and  store-keeping  in  most  of  the  cities  and  villages,  and  in 
some  districts,  I  have  been  credibly  informed  by  men  to  whom  they 
have  disclosed  their  secrets,  the  judges,  sheriffs,  constables,  and  jail- 
ors, as  well,  as  professional  men,  were  more  or  less  associated  with 
them.  These  had  in  their  employ  the  most  reckless,  abandoned 
wretches,  who  stood  ready  to  carry  into  effect  the  most  desper- 
ate enterprises,  and  were  careless  alike  of  human  life  and  property. 
Their  object  in  persecuting  the  Mormons  was  in  part  to  cover  their 
own  rascality,  and  in  part  to  prevent  them  from  exposing  and  prose- 
cuting them;  but  the  principal  reason  was  plunder,  believing  that  if 
they  could  be  removed  or  driven  they  would  be  made  fat  on  Mormon 
spoils,  besides  having  in  the  deserted  city  a  good  asylum  for  the  pros- 
ecution of  their  diabolical  pursuits. 

This  conglomeration  of  apostate  Mormons,  religious  bigots,  polit- 
ical fanatics  and  black-legs,  all  united  their  forces  against  the  Mor- 
mons, and  organized  themselves  into  a  party,  denominated  anti- 
Mormons.  Some  of  them,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  joined  The 
Church  in  order  to  cover  their  infamous  practices,  and  when  they 
were  expelled  for  their  unrighteousness  only  raged  with  greater  vio- 
lence. They  circulated  every  kind  of  falsehood  that  they  could  col- 
lect or  manufacture  against  the  Mormons.  They  also  had  a  paper  to 
assist  them  in  their  nefarious  designs,  called  the  Warsaw  Signal^ 
edited  by  a  Mr.  Thomas  Sharp,  a  violent  and  unprincipled  man,  who 
shrunk  not  from  any  enormity.  The  anti -Mormons  had  public  meet- 
ings, which  were  very  numerously  attended,  where  they  passed  reso- 
lutions of  the  most  violent  and  inflammatory  kind,  threatening  to 
drive,  expel  and  exterminate  the  Mormons  from  the  State,  at  the 
same  time  accusing  them  of  every  evil  in  the  vocabulary  of  crime. 

They  appointed  their   meetings   in  various  parts   of  Hancock,. 


*  Ford's  History  of  Illinois,  page  246. 


APPENDICES.  409 

M'Donough,  and  other  counties,  which  soon  resulted  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  armed  mobs,  under  the  direction  of  officers  who  reported  to 
their  headquarters,  and  the  reports  of  which  were  published  in  the 
anti-Mormon  paper,  and  circulated  through  the  adjoining  counties. 
We  also  published  in  the  Times  and  Seasons  and  the  Nauvoo  Neighbor 
(two  papers  published  and  edited  by  me  at  that  time)  an  account,  not 
only  of  their  proceedings,  but  our  own.  But  such  was  the  hostile 
feeling,  so  well  arranged  their  plans,  and  so  desperate  and  lawless 
their  measures,  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  we  could 
get  our  papers  circulated;  they  were  destroyed  by  postmasters  and 
others,  and  scarcely  ever  arrived  at  the  place  of  their  destination,  so 
that  a  great  many  of  the  people,  who  would  have  been  otherwise 
peaceable,  were  excited  by  their  misrepresentations,  and  instigated 
to  join  their  hostile  or  predatory  bands. 

Emboldened  by  the  acts  of  those  outside,  the  apostate  Mormons, 
associated  with  others,  commenced  the  publication  of  a  libelous  paper 
in  Nauvoo,  called  the  Nauvoo  Expositor.  This  paper  not  only  re- 
printed from  the  others,  but  put  in  circulation  the  most  libelous, 
false,  and  infamous  reports  concereing  the  citizens  of  Xauvoo,  and 
especially  the  ladies.  It  was,  however,  no  sooner  put  in  circulation 
than  the  indignation  of  the  whole  community  was  aroused;  so  much 
so,  that  they  threatered  its  annihilation;  and  I  do  not  believe  that  in 
any  c-ther  city  of  the  United  States,  if  the  same  charges  had  been 
made  against  the  citizens,  it  would  have  been  permitted  to  remain 
one  day.  As  it  was  among  us,  under  these  circumstances,  it  was 
thought  best  to  convene  the  city  council  to  take  into  consideration 
the  adoption  of  some  measures  for  its  removal,  as  it  was  deemed  bet- 
ter that  this  should  be  done  legally  than  illegally.  Joseph  Smith, 
therefore,  who  was  mayor,  convened  the  city  council  for  that  pur- 
pose; the  paper  was  introduced  and  read,  and  the  subject  examined. 
All,  or  nearly  all  present,  expressed  their  indignation  at  the  course 
taken  by  the  Expositor,  which  was  owned  by  some  of  the  aforesaid 
apostates,  associated  with  one  or  two  others.  Wilson  Law,  Dr.  Fos- 
ter, Charles  Ivins  and  the  Higbees  before  referred  to,  some  lawyers, 
storekeepers,  and  others  in  Nauvoo  who  were  not  Mormons,  together 
with  the  anti-Mormons  outside  of  the  city,  sustained  it.  The  calcula- 
tion was,  by  false  statements,  to  unsettle  the  minds  of  many  in  the 

26 


410  APPENDICES. 

city,  and  to  form  combinations  there  similar  to  the  anti-Mormon  asso- 
ciations outside  of  the  city.  Various  attempts  had  heretofore  been 
made  by  the  party  to  annoy  and  irritate  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo;  false 
accusations  had  been  made,  vexatious  lawsuits  instituted,  threats 
made,  and  various  devices  resorted  to,  to  influence  the  public  mind, 
and,  if  possible,  to  provoke  us  to  the  commission  of  some  overt  act 
that  might  make  us  amenable  to  the  law.  With  a  perfect  knowl- 
edge, therefore,  of  the  designs  of  these  infernal  scoundrels  who  were 
in  our  midst,  as  well  as  those  who  surrounded  us,  the  city  council 
entered  upon  an  investigation  of  the  matter.  They  felt  that  they 
were  in  a  critical  position,  and  that  any  move  made  for  the  abating 
of  that  press  would  be  looked  upon,  or  at  least  represented,  as  a  direct  at- 
tack upon  the  liberty  of  speech,  and  that,  so  far  from  displeasing  our  en- 
emies, it  would  be  looked  upon  by  them  as  one  of  the  best  circumstances 
that  could  transpire  to  assist  them  in  their  nefarious  and-bloody  designs. 
Being  a  member  of  the  city  council,  I  well  remember  the  feeling  of 
responsibility  that  seemed  to  rest  upon  all  present;  nor  shall  I  soon 
forget  the  bold,  manly,  independent  expressions  of  Joseph  Smith  on 
that  occasion  in  relation  to  this  matter.  He  exhibited  in  glowing 
colors  the  meanness,  corruption,  and  ultimate  designs  of  the  anti- 
Mormons;  their  despicable  characters  and  ungodly  influences,  es- 
pecially of  those  who  were  in  our  midst.  He  told  of  the  responsibil- 
ity that  rested  upon  us,  as  guardians  of  the  public  interest,  to  stand 
up  in  the  defense  of  the  injured  and  oppressed,  to  stem  the  current 
of  corruption,  and,  as  men  and  Saints,  to  put  a  stop  to  this  flagrant 
outrage  upon  this  people's  rights. 

He  stated  that  no  man  was  a  stronger  advocate  for  the  liberty 
of  speech  and  of  the  press  than  himself:  yet,  when  this  noble  gift  is 
utterly  prostituted  and  abused,  as  in  the  present  instance,  it  loses  all 
claim  to  our  respect,  and  becomes  as  great  an  agent  for  evil  as  it  can 
possibly  be  for  good;  and  notwithstanding  the  apparent  advantage 
we  should  give  our  enemies  by  this  act,  yet  it  behooved  us,  as  men, 
to  act  independent  of  all  secondary  influences,  to  perform  the  part  of 
men  of  enlarged  minds,  and  boldly  and  fearlessly  to  discharge  the  du- 
ties devolving  upon  us  by  declaring  as  a  nuisance,  and  removing  this 
filthy,  libelous,  and  seditious  sheet  from  our  midst. 

The  subject  was  discussed  in  various  forms,  and  after  the  re- 


APPENDICES.  411 

marks  made  by  the  mayor,  every  one  seemed  to  be  waiting  for  some 
one  else  to  speak. 

After  a  considerable  pause,  I  arose  and  expressed  my  feelings 
frankly,  as  Joseph  had  done,  and  numbers  of  others  followed  in  the 
same  strain;  and  I  think,  but  am  not  certain,  that  I  made  a  motion 
for  the  removal  of  that  press  as  a  nuisance.  This  motion  was  finally 
put,  and  carried  by  all  but  one;  and  he  conceded  that  the  measure 
was  just,  but  abstained  through  fear. 

Several  members  of  the  city  council  were  not  in  The  Church . 
The  following  is  the  bill  referred  to: 

Bill  for  Removing  of  the  Press  of  the  "Nauvoo  Expositor."  * 

Resolved  by  the  city  council  of  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  that  the 
printing-office  from  whence  issues  the  Nauvoo  Expositor  is  a  public 
nuisance;  and  also  of  said  Nauvoo  Expositors  which  may  be  or  exist 
in  said  establishment;  and  the  mayor  is  instructed  to  cause  said  es- 
tablishment and  papers  to  be  removed  without  delay,  in  such  manner 
as  he  shall  direct. 

Passed  June  10th,  1844.      Geo.  W.  Harris,  President  pro  tern. 

W.  Richards,  Recorder. 

After  the  passage  of  the  bill,  the  marshal,  John  P.  Greene,  was 
ordered  to  abate  or  remove,  which  he  forthwith  proceeded  to  do  by 
summoning  a  posse  of  men  for  that  purpose.  The  press  was  re- 
moved or  broken,  I  don't  remember  which,  by  the  marshal,  and  the 
types  scattered  in  the  street. 

This  seemed  to  be  one  of  those  extreme  cases  that  require  ex- 
treme measures,  as  the  press  was  still  proceeding  in  its  inflammatory 
course.  It  was  feared  that,  as  it  was  almost  universally  execrated, 
should  it  continue  longer,  an  indignant  people  might  commit  some 
overt  act  which  might  lead  to  serious  consequences,  and  that  it  was 
better  to  use  legal  than  illegal  means. 

This,  as  was  foreseen,  was  the  very  course  our  enemies  wished 
us  to  pursue,  as  it  afforded  them  an  opportunity  of  circulating  a  very 


*Deseret  News,  No.  29,  Sept.  23,  1857.  p.  226. 


412  APPENDICES. 

plausible  story  about  the  Mormons  being  opposed  to  the  liberty  of  the 
press  and  of  free  speech,  which  they  were  not  slow  to  avail  them- 
selves of.  Stories  were  fabricated,  and  facts  perverted;  false  state- 
ments were  made,  and  this  act  brought  in  as  an  example  to  sustain 
the  whole  of  their  fabrications;  and,  as  if  inspired  by  Satan,  they 
labored  with  an  energy  and  zeal  worthy  of  a  better  cause.  They 
had  runners  to  circulate  their  reports,  not  only  through  Hancock 
County,  but  in  all  the  surrounding  counties.  These  reports  were 
communicated  to  their  anti-Mormon  societies,  and  these  societies  cir- 
culated them  in  their  several  districts.  The  anti-Mormon  paper,  the 
Warsaw  Signal,  was  filled  with  inflammatory  articles  and  misrepre- 
sentations in  relation  to  us,  and  especially  to  this  act  of  destroying 
the  press.  We  were  represented  as  a  horde  of  lawless  ruffians  and 
brigands,  anti-American  and  anti-republican,  steeped  in  crime  and 
iniquity,  opposed  to  freedom  of  speech  and  of  the  press,  and  all  the 
rights  and  immunities  of  a  free  and  enlightened  people;  that  neither 
person  nor  property  were  secure:  that  we  had  designs  upon  the  citi- 
zens of  Illinois  and  of  the  United  States,  and  the  people  were  called 
upon  to  rise  en  masse,  and  put  us  down,  drive  us  away,  or  extermi- 
nate us  as  a  pest  to  society,  and  alike  dangerous  to  our  neighbors,  the 
State,  and  commonwealth. 

These  statements  were  extensively  copied  and  circulated  through- 
out the  United  States.  A  true  statement  of  the  facts  in  question 
was  published  by  us  both  in  the  Times  and  Seasons  and  the  Nauvoo 
Neighbor;  but  it  was  found  impossible  to  circulate  them  in  the  imme- 
diate counties,  as  they  were  destroyed  in  the  post-offices  or  otherwise 
by  the  agents  of  the  anti-Mormons,  and  in  order  to  get  the  mail  to 
go  abroad,  I  had  to  send  the  papers  a  distance  of  thirty  or  forty 
miles  from  Nauvoo,  and  sometimes  to  St.  Louis  (upward  of  two  hun- 
dred miles),  to  insure  their  proceeding  on  their  route,  and  then  one- 
half  or  two-thirds  of  the  papers  never  reached  the  place  of  destina- 
tion, being  intercepted  or  destroyed  by  our  enemies. 

These  false  reports  stirred  up  the  community  around,  of  whom 
many,  on  account  of  religious  prejudice,  were  easily  instigated  to 
join  the  anti-Mormons  and  embark  in  any  crusade  that  might  be  un- 
dertaken against  us:  hence  their  ranks  swelled  in  numbers,  and  new 
organizations  were  formed,  meetings  were  held,  resolutions  passed. 


APPENDICES.  413 

and  men  and  means  volunteered  for   the  extirpation  of  the   Mor- 
mons. 

On  these  points  Governor  Ford  writes:  ''These  also  were  the 
active  men  in  blowing  up  the  fury  of  the  people,  in  hopes  that  a  pop- 
ular movement  might  be  set  on  foot,  which  would  result  in  the  ex- 
pulsion or  extermination  of  the  Mormon  voters.  For  this  purpose 
public  meetings  had  been  called,  inflammatory  speeches  had  been 
made,  exaggerated  reports  had  been  extensively  circulated,  commit- 
tees had  been  appointed,  who  rode  night  and  day  to  spread  the  re- 
ports and  solicit  the  aid  of  neighboring  counties,  and  at  a  public 
meeting  at  Warsaw  resolutions  were  passed  to  expel  or  exterminate 
the  Mormon  population.  This  was  not,  however,  a  movement  which 
was  unanimously  concurred  in.  The  county  contained  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  inhabitants  in  favor  of  peace,  or  who  at  least  desired  to  be 
neutral  in  such  a  contest.  These  were  stigmatized  by  the  name  of 
Jack-Mormons,  and  there  were  not  a  few  of  the  more  furious  excit- 
ers of  the  people  who  openly  expressed  their  intention  to  involve 
them  in  the  common  expulsion  or  extermination. 

"A  system  of  excitement  and  agitation  was  artfully  planned  and 
executed  with  tact.  It  consisted  in  spreading  reports  and  rumors  of 
the  most  fearful  character.  As  examples:  On  the  morning  before  my 
arrival  at  Carthage,  I  was  awakened  at  an  early  hour  by  the  fright- 
ful report,  which  was  asserted  with  confidence  and  apparent  conster- 
nation, that  the  Mormons  had  already  commenced  the  work  of  burn- 
ing, destruction,  and  murder,  and  that  every  man  capable  of  bearing 
arms  was  instantly  wanted  at  Carthage  for  the  protection  of  the 
county. 

"We  lost  no  time  in  starting;  but  when  we  arrived  at  Carihage 
we  could  hear  no  more  concerning  this  story.  Again,  during  the  few 
days  that  the  militia  were  encamped  at  Carthage,  frequent  applica- 
tions were  made  to  me  to  send  a  force  here,  and  a  force  there,  and  a 
force  all  about  the  country,  to  prevent  murders,  robberies,  and  lar- 
cenies which,  it  was  said,  were  threatened  by  the  Mormons.  No  such 
forces  were  sent,  nor  were  any  such  offenses  committed  at  that  time, 
except  the  stealing  of  some  provisions,  and  there  was  never  the  least 
proof  that  this  was  done  by  a  Mormon.  Again,  on  my  late  visit  to 
Hancock  County,  I  was  informed  by  some  of  their  violent  enemies  that 


414  APPENDICES. 

the  larcenies  of  the  Mormons  had  become  unusually  numerous  and  in- 
sufferable. 

"They  admitted  that  but  little  had  been  done  in  this  way  in  their 
immediate  vicinity,  but  they  insisted  that  sixteen  horses  had  been 
stolen  by  the  Mormons  in  one  night  near  Lima,  and,  upon  inquiry,  was 
told  that  no  horses  had  been  stolen  in  that  neighborhood,  but  that 
sixteen  horses  had  been  stolen  in  one  night  in  Hancock  County.  This 
last  informant  being  told  of  the  Hancock  story,  again  changed  the 
venue  to  another  distant  settlement  in  the  northern  edge  of  Adams."* 

In  the  meantime  legal  proceedings  were  instituted  against  the 
members  of  the  city  council  of  Nauvoo.  A  writ,  here  subjoined,  was 
issued  upon  the  affidavit  of  the  Laws,  Fosters,  Higbees,  and  Ivins,  by 
Mr.  Morrison,  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Carthage,  the  county  seat  of 
Hancock,  and  put  into  the  hands  of  one  David  Bettepworth,  a  con- 
stable of  the  same  place. 

Writ  issued  upon  affidavit  by  Thomas  Morrison,  J.  P.,  State  of  Illinois^ 
Hancock  County,  ss. 

"The  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  to  all  constables,  sheriffs, 
and  coroners  of  said  State,  greeting: 

"Whereas  complaint  hath  been  made  before  me,  one  of  the  justices 
of  the  peace  in  and  for  the  county  of  Hancock  aforesaid,  upon  the 
oath  of  Francis  M.  Higbee,  of  the  said  county,  that  Joseph  Smith, 
Samuel  Bennett,  John  Taylor,  William  W.  Phelps,  Hyrum  Smith,  John 
P.  Greene,  Stephen  Perry,  Dimick  B.  Huntington,  Jonathan  Dunham, 
Stephen  Markham,  William  Edwards,  Jonathan  Holmes,  Jesse  P.  Har- 
mon, John  Lytle,  Joseph  W.  Coolidge,  Harvey  D.  Redfield,  Porter 
Rockwell,  and  Levi  Richards,  of  said  county,  did,  on  the  tenth  day  of 
June  instant,  commit  a  riot  at  and  within  the  county  aforesaid,  where- 
in they  with  force  and  violence  broke  into  the  printing  office  of  the 
Nauvoo  Expositor,  and  unlawfully  and  with  force  burned  and  destroyed 
the  printing  press,  type  and  fixtures  of  the  same,  being  the  property 
of  William  Law,  Wilson  Law,  Charles  Ivins,  Francis  M.  Higbee, 
Chauncey  L.  tligbee,  Robert  D.  Foster  and  Charles  A.  Foster. 


*  Ford's  History  of  Illinois,  page  330,  331. 


APPENDICES.  415 

"These  are  therefore  to  command  you  forthwith  to  apprehend  the 
said  Joseph  Smith,  Samuel  Bennett,  John  Taylor,  William  W.  Phelps, 
Hyrum  Smith,  John  P.  Greene,  Stephen  Perry,  Dimick  B.  Huntington, 
Jonathan  Dunham,  Stephen  Markham,  William  Edwards,  Jonathan 
Holmes,  Jesse  P.  Harmon,  John  Lytle,  Joseph  W.  Coolidge,  Harvey  D. 
Redfield,  Porter  Rockwell,  and  Levi  Richards,  and  bring  them  before 
me,  or  some  other  justice  of  the  peace,  to  answer  the  premises,  and 
farther  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  law, 

"Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  at  Carthage,  in  the  county  afore- 
said, this  11th  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1844. 

"Thomas  Morrison,  J.  P."    (Seal.)* 

The  council  did  not  refuse  to  attend  to  the  legal  proceedings  in 
the  case,  but  as  the  law  of  Illinois  made  it  the  privilege  of  the  per- 
sons accused  to  go  "or  appear  before  the  issuer  of  the  writ,  or  any 
other  justice  of  the  peace,"  they  requested  to  be  taken  before  another 
magistrate,  either  in  the  city  of  Nauvoo  or  at  any  reasonable  distance 
out  of  it. 

This  the  constable,  who  was  a  mobocrat,  refused  to  do;  and  as 
this  was  our  legal  privilege  we  refused  to  be  dragged,  contrary  to 
law,  a  distance  of  eighteen  miles,  when  at  the  same  time  we  had  rea- 
son to  believe  that  an  organized  band  of  mobocrats  were  assembled 
for  the  purpose  of  extermination  or  murder,  and  among  whom  it 
would  not  be  safe  to  go  without  a  superior  force  of  armed  men.  A 
writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  called  for,  and  issued  by  the  municipal 
court  of  Nauvoo,  taking  us  out  of  the  hands  of  Bettesworth,  and 
placing  us  in  the  charge  of  the  city  marshal.  We  went  before  the 
municipal  court  and  were  dismissed.  Our  refusal  to  obey  this  illegal 
proceeding  was  by  them  construed  into  a  refusal  to  submit  to  law, 
and  circulated  as  such,  and  the  people  either  did  believe,  or  professed 
to  believe,  that  we  were  in  open  rebellion  against  the  laws  and  the 
authorities  of  the  State.  Hence  mobs  began  to  assemble,  among 
which  all  through  the  country  inflammatory  speeches  were  made,  exr 
citing  them  to  motocracy  and  violence.    Soon  they  commenced  their 


^Deseret  News,  No.  30,  September  30,  1857,  page  233. 


416  APPENDICES. 

depredations  in  our  outside  settlements,  kidnapping  some,  and  whip- 
ping and  otherwise  abusing  others. 

The  persons  thus  abused  fled  to  Nauvoo  as  soon  as  practicable, 
and  related  their  injuries  to  Joseph  Smith,  then  mayor  of  the  city, 
and  lieutenant  general  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion.  They  also  went  before 
magistrates,  and  made  affidavits  of  what  they  had  suffered,  seen  and 
heard.  These  affidavits,  in  connection  with  a  copy  of  all  our  proceed- 
ings were  forwarded  by  Joseph  Smith  to  Mr.  Ford,  then  governor  of 
Illinois,  with  an  expression  of  our  desire  to  abide  law,  and  a  request 
that  the  governor  would  instruct  him  how  to  proceed  in  the  case  of 
arrival  of  an  armed  mob  against  the  city.  The  governor  sent  back 
instructions  to  Joseph  Smith  that,  as  he  was  lieutenant  general  of 
the  Nauvoo  Legion,  it  was  his  duty  to  protect  the  city  and  surround- 
ing country,  and  issued  orders  to  that  effect.  Upon  the  reception  of 
these  orders  Joseph  Smith  assembled  the  people  of  the  city,  and  laid 
before  them  the  governor's  instructions;  he  also  convened  the  officers 
of  the  Nauvoo  Legion  for  the  purpose  of  conferring  in  relation  to  the 
best  mode  of  defense.  He  also  issued  orders  to  the  men  to  hold  them- 
selves in  readiness  in  case  of  being  called  upon.  On  the  following 
day  General  Joseph  Smith,  with  his  staff,  the  leading  officers  of  the 
Legion,  and  some  prominent  strangers  who  were  in  our  midst,  made  a 
survey  of  the  outside  boundaries  of  the  city,  which  was  very  exten- 
sive, being  about  five  miles  up  and  down  the  river,  and  about  two  and 
a  half  back  in  the  center,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  position 
of  the  ground,  and  tne  feasibility  of  defense,  and  to  make  all  neces- 
sary arrangements  in  case  of  an  attack. 

It  may  be  well  here  to  remark  that  numbers  of  gentlemen,  strang- 
ers to  us,  either  came  on  purpose  or  were  passing  through  Nauvoo, 
and  upon  learning  the  position  of  things,  expressed  their  indignation 
against  our  enemies,  and  avowed  their  readiness  to  assist  us  by  their 
counsel  or  otherwise.  It  was  some  of  these  who  assisted  us  in  recon- 
noitering  the  city,  and  finding  out  its  adaptability  for  defense,  and 
how  to  protect  it  best  against  an  armed  force.  The  Legion  was  called 
together  and  drilled,  and  every  means  made  use  of  for  defense.  At 
the  call  of  the  officers,  old  and  young  men  came  forward,  both  from 
the  city  and  the  country,  and  mustered  to  the  number  of  about  five 
thousand. 


APPENDICES.  417 

In  the  meantime  our  enemies  were  not  idle  in  mustering  their 
forces  and  committing  depredations,  nor  had  they  been;  it  was,  in 
fact,  their  gathering  that  called  ours  into  existence;  their  forces  con- 
tinued to  accumulate;  they  assumed  a  threatening  attitude,  and  as- 
sembled in  large  bodies,  armed  and  equipped  for  war,  and  threatened 
the  destruction  and  extermination  of  the  Mormons. 

An  account  of  their  outrages  and  assemblages  was  forwarded  to 
Governor  Ford  almost  daily;  accompanied  by  affidavits  furnished  by 
eye-witnesses  of  their  proceedings.  Persons  were  also  sent  out  to 
the  counties  around  with  pacific  intentions,  to  give  them  an  account 
of  the  true  state  of  affairs,  and  to  notify  them  of  the  feelings  and 
dispositions  of  the  people  of  Nauvoo,  and  thus,  if  possible,  quell  the 
excitement.  In  some  of  the  more  distant  counties  these  men  were 
very  successful,  and  produced  the  salutary  influence  upon  the  minds 
of  many  intelligent  and  well-disposed  men.  In  neigboring  coun- 
ties, however,  where  anti-Mormon  influence  prevailed,  they  pro- 
duced little  effect.  At  the  same  time  guards  were  stationed  around 
Nauvoo,  and  picket-guards  in  the  distance.  At  length  opposing  forces 
gathered  so  near  that  more  active  measures  were  taken;  reconnoiter- 
iag  parties  were  sent  out,  and  the  city  proclaimed  under  martial  law. 
Things  now  assumed  a  belligerent  attitude,  and  persons  passing 
through  the  city  were  questioned  as  to  what  they  knew  of  the  enemy, 
while  passes  were  in  some  instances  given  to  avoid  difficulty  with  the 
guards.  Joseph  Smith  continued  to  send  on  messengers  to  the  gov- 
ernor, (Philip  B.  Lewis  and  other  messengers  were  sent.)  Samuel 
James,  then  residing  at  La  Harpe,  carried  a  message  and  dispatches 
to  him,  and  in  a  day  or  two  after  Bishop  Edward  Hunter  and  others 
went  again  with  fresh  dispatches,  representations,  affidavits,  and  in-' 
structions;  but  as  the  weather  was  excessively  wet,  the  rivers swolen, 
and  the  bridges  washed  away  in  many  places,  it  was  with  great  diffi. 
culty  that  they  proceeded  on  their  journeys.  As  the  mobocracy  had 
at  last  attracted  the  governor's  attention,  he  started  in  company  with 
some  others  from  Springfield  to  the  scene  of  trouble,  and  missed,  I  be- 
lieve, both  Brothers  James  and  Hunter  on  the  road,  and,  of  course, 
did  not  see  their  documents.  He  came  to  Carthage,  and  made  that 
place,  which  was  a  regular  mobocratic  den,  his  headquarters;  as  it 


418  •  APPENDICES. 

was  the  county  seat,  however,  of  Hancock  County,  that  circumstance 
might,  in  a  measure,  justify  his  staying  there. 

To  avoid  the  appearance  of  all  hostility  on  our  part,  and  to  fulfill 
the  law  in  every  particular,  at  the  suggestion  of  Judge  Thomas,  judge 
of  that  judicial  district,  who  had  come  to  Nauvoo  at  the  time,  and 
who  stated  that  we  had  fulfilled  the  law,  but,  in  order  to  satisfy  all 
he  would  council  us  to  go  before  Esquire  Wells,  who  was  not  in  our 
Church,  and  have  a  hearing,  we  did  so,  and  after  a  full  hearing  we 
were  again  dismissed. 

The  governor  on  the  road  collected  forces,  some  of  whom  were 
respectable,  but  on  his  arrival  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  difficulties 
he  received  as  militia  all  the  companies  of  the  mob  forces  who  united 
with  him.  After  his  arrival  at  Carthage  he  sent  two  gentlemen  from 
there  to  Nauvoo  as  a  committee  to  wait  upon  General  Joseph  Smith, 
informing  him  of  the  arrival  of  his  excellency,  with  a  request  that 
General  Smith  would  send  out  a  committee  toVait  upon  the  governor 
and  represent  to  him  the  state  of  aifairs  in  relation  to  the  difficulties 
that  then  existed  in  the  county.  We  met  this  committee  while  we 
were  reconnoitering  the  city,  to  find  out  the  best  mode  of  defense  as 
aforesaid.  Dr.  J.  M.  Bernhisel  and  myself  were  appointed  as  a  com- 
mittee by  General  Smith  to  wait  upon  the  governor.  Previous  to 
going,  however,  we  were  furnished  with  affidavits  and  documents  in 
relation  both  to  our  proceedings  and  those  of  the  mob;  .in  addition  to 
the  general  history  of  the  transaction,  we  took  with  us  a  duplicate  of 
those  documents  which  had  been  forwarded  by  Bishop  Hunter,  Brother 
James,  and  others.  We  started  from  Nauvoo  in  company  with  the 
aforesaid  gentlemen  at  about  7  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  21st  of 
June,  and  arrived  at  Carthage  about  11  p.  m. 

We  put  up  at  the  same  hotel  with  the  governor,  kept  by  a  Mr. 
Hamilton.  On  our  arrival  we  found  the  governor  in  bed,  but  not  so 
with  the  other  inhabitants.  The  town  was  filled  with  a  perfect  set, 
of  rabble  and  rowdies,  who,  under  the  influence  of  Bacchus,  seemed  ta 
be  holding  a  grand  saturnalia,  whooping,  yelling  and  vociferating  as 
if  Bedlam  had  broken  loose. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  hotel,  and  while  supper  was  preparing,  a, 
man  came  to  me,  dressed  as  a  soldier,  and  told  me  that  a  man  named 
Daniel  Garn  had  just  been  taken  prisoner,  and  was  about  to  be  com- 


APPENDICES.  419 

mitted  to  jail,  and  wanted  me  to  go  bail  for  him.  Believing  this  to 
be  a  ruse  to  get  me  out  alone,  and  that  some  violence  was  intended, 
after  consulting  with  Dr.  Bernhisel,  I  told  the  man  that  I  was  well 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Garn,  that  I  knew  him  to  be  a  gentleman,  and 
did  not  believe  that  he  had  transgressed  law,  and,  moreover,  that  I 
considered  it  a  very  singular  time  to  be  holding  courts  and  calling 
for  security,  particularly  as  the  town  was  full  of  rowdyism. 

I  informed  him  that  Dr.  Bernhisel  and  myself  would,  if  necessary 
go  bail  for  him  in  the  morning,  but  that  we  did  not  feel  ourselves 
safe  among  such  a  set  at  that  late  hour  of  the  night. 

After  supper,  on  retiring  to  our  room,  we  had  to  pass  through 
another,  which  was  separated  from  ours  only  by  a  board  partition, 
the  beds  in  each  room  being  placed  side  by  side,  with  the  exception 
of  this  fragile  partition.  On  the  bed  that  was  in  the  room  which  we 
passed  through  I  discovered  a  man  by  the  name  of  Jackson,  a  des- 
perate character,  and  a  reputed,  notorious  cut-throat  and  murderer. 
I  hinted  to  the  doctor  that  things  looked  rather  suspicious,  and 
looked  to  see  that  my  arms  were  in  order.  The  doctor  and  I  occu- 
pied one  bed.  We  had  scarcely  laid  down  when  a  knock  at  the  door, 
accompanied  by  a  voice  announced  the  approach  of  Chauncey  Higbee, 
the  young  lawyer  and  apostate  before  referred  to. 

He  addressed  himself  to  the  doctor,  and  stated  that  the  object  of 
his  visit  was  to  obtain  the  release  of  Daniel  Garn;  that  Garn  he  be- 
lieved to  be  an  honest  man;  that  if  he  had  done  anything  wrong,  it 
was  through  improper  counsel,  and  that  it  was  a  pity  that  he  should 
be  incarcerated,  particularly  when  he  could  be  so  easily  released;  he 
urged  the  doctor,  as  a  friend,  not  to  leave  so  good  a  man  in  such  an 
unpleasant  situation;  he  finally  prevailed  upon  the  doctor  to  go  and 
give  bail,  assuring  him  that  on  his  giving  bail  Garn  would  be  imme- 
diately dismissed. 

During  this  conversation  I  did  not  say  a  word. 

Higbee  left  the  doctor  to  dress,  with  the  intention  of  returning 
and  taking  him  to  the  court.  As  soon  as  Higbee  had  left,  I  told  the  doc- 
tor that  he  had  better  not  go;  that  I  believed  this  affair  was  all  a  ruse 
to  get  us  separated;  that  they  knew  we  had  documents  with  us  from 
General  Smith  to  show  to  the  governor;  that  I  believed  their  object  was 
to  get  possession  of  those  papers,  and,  perhaps,  when  they  had  separ- 


420  APPENDICES. 

ated  us,  to  murder  one  or  both.  The  doctor,  who  was  actuated  by 
the  best  of  motives  in  yielding  to  the  assumed  solicitude  of  Higbee, 
coincided  with  my  views;  he  then  went  to  Higbee,  and  told  him  that 
he  had  concluded  not  to  go  that  night,  but  that  he  and  I  would  both 
wait  upon  the  justice  and  Mr.  Gam  in  the  morning. 

That  night  I  lay  awake  with  my  pistols  under  my  pillow,  wait- 
ing for  any  emergency.  Nothing  more  occurred  during  the  night. 
In  the  morning  we  arose  early,  and  after  breakfast  sought  an  inter- 
view with  the  governor,  and  were  told  that  we  could  have  an  audi- 
ence, I  think,  at  ten  o'clock.  In  the  meantime  we  called  upon  Mr. 
Smith,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  who  had  Mr.  Garn  in  charge.  We  rep- 
resented that  we  had  been  called  upon  the  night  before  by  two  dif- 
ferent parties  to  go  bail  for  a  Mr.  Daniel  Garn,  whom  we  were  in- 
formed he  had  in  custody,  and  that,  believing  Mr.  Garn  to  be  an 
honest  man,  we  had  now  come  for  that  purpose,  and  were  prepared 
to  enter  into  recognizances  for  his  appearance,  whereupon  Mr.  Smith, 
the  magistrate,  remarked  that,  under  the  present  excited  state  of  af- 
fairs, he  did  not  think  he  would  be  justified  in  receiving  bail  from 
Nauvoo,  as  it  was  a  matter  of  doubt  whether  property  would  not  be 
rendered  valueless  there  in  a  few  days. 

Knowing  the  party  we  had  to  deal  with,  we  were  not  much 
surprised  at  this  singular  proceeding;  we  then  remarked  that  both  of 
us  possessed  property  in  farms  out  of  Nauvoo  in  the  country,  and  re- 
ferred him  to  the  county  records.  He  then  stated  that  such  was  the 
nature  of  the  charge  against  Mr.  Garn  that  he  believed  he  would  not 
be  justified  in  receiving  any  bail.  We  were  thus  confirmed  in  our 
opinion  that  the  night's  proceedings  before,  in  relation  to  their  desire  to 
have  us  give  bail,  was  a  mere  ruse  to  separate  us.  We  were  not 
permitted  to  speak  with  Garn,  the  real  charge  against  whom  was 
that  he  was  traveling  in  Carthage  or  its  neighborhood:  what  the  fic- 
titious one  was,  if  I  knew,  I  have  since  forgotten,  as  things  of  this 
kind  were  of  daily  occurrence. 

After  waiting  the  governor's  pleasure  for  some  time  we  had  an 
audience;  but  such  an  audience! 

He  was  surrounded  by  some  of  the  vilest  and  most  unprincipled 
men  in  creation;  some  of  them  had  an  appearance  of  respectability, 
and  many  of  them  lacked  even  that.    Wilson,  and,  I  believe,  William 


APPENDICES.  421 


a 


Law,  were  there,  Foster,  Frank  and  Chauncey  Higbee.  Mr.  Mar, 
lawyer  from  Nauvoo,  a  mobocratic  merchant  from  Warsaw,  the 
aforesaid  Jackson,  a  number  of  his  associates,  among  whom  was  the 
governor's  secretary,  in  all,  some  fifteen  or  twenty  persons,  most  of 
whom  were  recreant  to  virtue,  honor,  integrity,  and  everything  that 
is  considered  honorable  among  men.  I  can  well  remember  the  feel- 
ings of  disgust  that  I  had  in  seeing  the  governor  surrounded  by  such 
an  infamous  group,  and  on  being  introduced  to  men  of  so  questionable 
a  character;  and  had  I  been  on  private  business.  I  should  have  turned 
to  depart,  and  told  the  governor  that  if  he  thought  proper  to  associ- 
ate with  such  questionable  characters,  I  should  beg  leave  to  be  ex- 
cused; but  coming  as  we  did  on  public  business,  we  could  not,  of 
course,  consult  our  private  feelings. 

We  then  stated  to  the  governor  that,  in  accordance  with  his  re- 
quest, General  Smith  had,  in  response  to  his  call,  sent  us  to  him  as  a 
committee  of  conference;  that  we  were  acquainted  with  most  of  the 
circumstances  that  had  transpired  in  and  about  Nauvoo  lately,  and 
were  prepared  to  give  him  all  information;  that,  moreover,  we  had  in 
our  possession  testimony  and  affidavits  confirmatory  of  what  we 
should  say,  which  had  been  forwarded  to  him  by  General  Joseph  Smith; 
that  communications  had  been  forwarded  to  his  excellency  by  Messrs. 
Hunter,  James,  and  others,  some  of  which  had  not  reached  their  desti. 
nation,  but  of  which  we  had  duplicates  with  us.  We  then,  in  brief, 
related  an  outline  of  the  difficulties,  and  the  course  we  had  pursued 
from  the  commencement  of  the  trouble  up  to  the  present,  and  hand- 
ing him  the  documents,  respectfully  submitted  the  whole. 

During  our  conversation  and  explanations  with  the  governor  we 
were  frequently,  rudely  and  impudently  contradicted  by  the  fellows 
he  had  around  him,  and  of  whom  he  seemed  to  take  no  notice. 

He  opened  and  read  a  number  of  the  documents  himself,  and  as 
he  proceeded  he  was  frequently  interrupted  by,  "that's  a  lie!"  "that's 
a  God  damned  lie!"  that's  an  infernal  falsehood!"  "that's  a  blasted 
lie!"  etc. 

These  men  evidently  winced  at  the  exposure  of  their  acts,  and 
thus  vulgarly,  impudently,  and  falsely  repudiated  them.  One  of  their 
number,  Mr.  Mar,  addressed  himself  several  times  to  me  while  in 
conversation  with  the  governor.     I  did  not  notice  him  until  after  a 


422  APPENDICES. 

frequent  repetition  of  his  insolence,  when  I  informed  him  that  "my 
business  at  that  time  was  with  Governor  Ford,"  whereupon  I  con- 
tinued my  conversation  with  his  excellency.  During  the  conversa- 
tion, the  governor  expressed  a  desire  that  Joseph  Smith,  and  all  parties 
concerned  in  passing  or  executing  the  city  law  in  relation  to  the 
press,  had  better  come  to  Carthage;  that,  however  repugnant  it 
might  be  to  our  feelings,  he  thought  it  would  have  a  tendency  to 
allay  public  excitement,  and  prove  to  the  people  what  we  professed, 
that  we  wished  to  be  governed  by  law.  We  represented  to  him  the 
course  we  had  taken  in  relation  to  this  matter,  and  our  willingness  to 
go  before  another  magistrate  other  than  the  municipal  court;  the 
illegal  refusal  of  our  request  by  the  constable;  our  dismissal  by  the 
municipal  court,  a  legally  constituted  tribunal;  our  subsequent  trial 
before  'Squire  Wells  at  the  instance  of  Judge  Thomas,  the  circuit  judge, 
and  our  dismissal  by  him;  that  we  had  fulfilled  the  law  in  every  par- 
ticular; that  it  was  our  enemies  who  were  breaking  the  law,  and,  having 
murderous  designs,  were  only  making  use  of  this  as  a  pretext  to  get  us 
into  their  power.  The  governor  stated  that  the  people  viewed  it  differ- 
ently, and  that,  notwithstanding  our  opinions,  he  would  recommend  that 
the  people  should  be  satisfied.  We  then  remarked  to  him  that,  should 
Joseph  Smith  comply  with  his  request,  it  would  be  extremely  unsafe, 
in  the  present  excited  state  of  the  country,  to  come  without  an  armed 
force;  that  we  had  a  suflaciency  of  men,  and  were  competent  to  defend 
ourselves,  but  there  might  be  danger  of  collision  should  our  forces 
and  those  of  our  enemies  be  brought  into  such  close  proximity.  He 
strenuously  advised  us  not  to  bring  our  arms,  and  pledged  his  faith  as 
governor,  and  the  faith  of  the  State,  that  we  should  be  protected,  and  that 
he  would  guarantee  our  perfect  safety. 

We  had  at  that  time  about  five  thousand  men  under  arms,  one 
thousand  of  whom  would  have  been  amply  sufiicient  for  our  protec- 
tion. 

At  the  termination  of  our  interview,  and  previous  to  our  with- 
drawal, after  a  long  conversation  and  the  perusal  of  the  documents 
which  we  had  brought,  the  governor  informed  us  that  he  would  pre- 
pare a  written  communication  for  General  Joseph  Smith,  which  he 
desired  us  to  wait  for.  We  were  kept  waiting  for  this  instrument 
some  five  or  six  hours. 


APPENDICES.  423 

About  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  took  our  departure  with 
not  the  most  pleasant  feelings.  The  associations  of  the  governor, 
the  spirit  he  manifested  to  compromise  with  these  scoundrels,  the 
length  of  time  that  he  had  kept  us  waiting,  and  his  general  deport- 
ment, together  with  the  infernal  spirit  that  we  saw  exhibited  by 
those  whom  he  had  admitted  to  his  counsels,  made  the  prospect  any- 
thing but  promising. 

We  returned  on  horseback,  and  arrived  at  Nauvoo,  I  think,  at 
about  eight  or  nine  o'clock  at  night,  accompanied  by  Captain  Yates 
in  command  of  a  company  of  mounted  men,  who  came  for  the  purpose 
of  escorting  Joseph  Smith  and  the  accused  in  case  of  their  complying 
with  the  governor's  request,  and  going  to  Carthage.  We  went  directly 
to  Brother  Joseph's,  when  Captain  Yates  delivered  to  him  the  govern- 
or's communication.  A  council  was  called,  consisting  of  Joseph's 
brother,  Hyrum,  Dr.  Richards,  Dr.  Bernhisel,  myself,  and  one  or  two 
others. 

We  then  gave  a  detail  of  our  interview  with  the  governor.  Brother 
Joseph  was  very  much  dissatisfied  with  the  governor's  letter  and  with 
his  general  deportment,  and  so  were  the  council,  and  it  became  a  serious 
question  as  to  the  course  we  should  pursue.  Various  projects  were 
discussed,  but  nothing  definitely  decided  upon  for  some  time. 

In  the  interim  two  gentlemen  arrived;  one  of  them,  if  not  both, 
sons  of  John  C.  Calhoun.  They  had  come  to  Nauvoo,  and  were  very 
anxious  for  an  interview  with  Brother  Joseph. 

These  gentlemen  detained  him  for  some  time;  and,  as  our  council 
was  held  in  Dr.  Bernhisel's  room  in  the  Mansion  House,  the  doctor  lay 
down;  and  as  it  was  now  between  2  and  3  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
1  had  had  no  rest  on  the  previous  night,  I  was  fatigued,  and  thinking 
that  Brother  Joseph  might  not  return,  I  left  for  home  and  rest. 

Being  very  much  fatigued,  I  slept  soundly,  and  was  somewhat 
surprised  in  the  morning  by  Mrs.  Thompson  entering  my  room  about 
7  o'clock,  and  exclaiming  in  surprise,  "What,  you  here!  the  brethren 
have  crossed  the  rive  some  time  since." 

"What  brethren?"  I  asked. 

"Brother  Joseph,  and  Hyrum,  and  Brother  Richards,"  she  an- 
swered. 

I  immediately  arose  upon  learning  that  they  had  crossed  the  river, 


424  APPENDICES. 

and  did  not  intend  to  go  to  Carthage.  I  called  together  a  number  of 
persons  in  whom  I  had  confidence,  and  had  the  type,  stereotype  plates, 
and  most  of  the  valuable  things  removed  from  the  printing  office,  be- 
lieving that,  should  the  governor  and  his  force  come  to  Nauvoo,  the 
first  thing  they  would  do  would  be  to  burn  the  printing  office,  for  I 
knew  they  would  be  exasperated  if  Brother  Joseph  went  away.  We 
had  talked  over  these  matters  the  night  before,  but  nothing  was  de- 
cided upon.  It  was  Brother  Joseph's  opinion  that,  should  we  leave 
for  a  time,  public  excitement,  which  was  then  so  intense,  would  be 
allayed;  that  it  would  throw  on  the  governor  the  responsibility  of 
keeping  the  peace;  that  in  the  event  of  an  outrage,  the  onus  would 
rest  upon  the  governor,  who  was  amply  prepared  with  troops,  and 
could  command  all  the  forces  of  the  State  to  preserve  order;  and  that 
the  act  of  his  own  men  would  be  an  overwhelming  proof  of  their 
seditious  designs,  not  only  to  the  governor,  but  to  the  world.  He 
moreover  thought  that,  in  the  east,  where  he  intended  to  go,  public 
opinion  would  be  set  right  in  relation  to  these  matters,  and  its  ex- 
pression would  partially  influence  the  west,  and  that,  after  the  first 
ebullition,  things  would  assume  a  shape  that  would  justify  his  re- 
turn. 

I  made  arrangements  for  crossing  the  river,  and  Brother  Elias 
Smith  and  Joseph  Cain,  who  were  both  employed  in  the  printing  office 
with  me,  assisted  all  that  lay  in  their  power  together  with  Brother 
Brower  and  several  hands  in  the  printingoffice.  As  we  could  not  find 
out  the  exact  whereabouts  of  Joseph  and  the  brethren,  I  crossed  the 
river  in  a  boat  furnished  by  Brother  Cyrus  H.  Wheelock  and  Alfred 
Bell;  and  after  the  removal  of  the  things  out  of  the  printing  office, 
Joseph  Cain  brought  the  account  books  to  me,  that  we  might  make 
arrangements  for  their  adjustment;  and  Brother  Elias  Smith,  cousin 
to  Brother  Joseph,  went  to  obtain  money  for  the  journey,  and  also  to 
find  out  and  report  to  me  the  location  of  the  brethren. 

As  Cyrus  H.  Wheelock  was  an  active,  enterprising  man,  and  in 
the  event  of  not  finding  Brother  Joseph  I  calculated  to  go  to  Upper 
Canada  for  the  time  being,  and  should  need  a  companion,  I  said  to 
Brother  Cyrus  H.  Wheelock,  "Can  you  go  with  me  ten  or  fifteen  hun- 
dred miles?" 

He  answered,  "Yes." 


APPENDICES.  425 

"Can  you  start  in  half  an  hour?" 

"Yes." 

However,  I  told  him  that  he  had  better  see  his  family,  who  lived 
over  the  river,  and  prepare  a  couple  of  horses  and  the  necessary 
equippage  for  the  journey,  and  that,  if  we  did  not  find  Brother  Joseph 
before,  we  would  start  at  nightfall. 

A  laughable  incident  occurred  on  the  eve  of  my  departure.  After 
making  all  the  preparations  I  could,  previous  to  leaving  Nauvoo,  and 
having  bid  adieu  to  my  family,  I  went  to  a  house  adjoining  the  river, 
owned  by  Brother  Eddy.  There  I  disguised  myself  so  as  not  to  be 
known,  and  so  effectually  was  the  transformation  that  those  who  had 
come  after  me  with  a  boat  did  not  know  me.  I  went  down  to  the 
boat  and  sat  in  it.  Brother  Bell,  thinking  it  was  a  stranger,  watched 
my  moves  for  some  time  very  impatiently,  and  then  said  to  Brother 
Wheelock;  "I  wish  that  old  gentleman  would  go  away;  he  has  been 
pottering  around  the  boat  for  some  time,  and  I  am  afraid  Elder  Taylor 
will  be  coming."  When  he  discovered  his  mistake,  he  was  not  a 
little  amused. 

I  was  conducted  by  Brother  Bell  to  a  house  that  was  surrounded 
by  timber  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  There  I  spent  several 
hours  in  a  chamber  with  Brother  Joseph  Cain,  adjusting  my  accounts; 
and  I  made  arrangements  for  the  stereotype  plates  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon  and  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  to  be  forwarded  east,  thinking 
to  supply  the  company  with  subsistence  money  through  the  sale  of 
these  books  in  the  east. 

My  horses  were  reported  ready  by  Brother  Wheelock,  and  funds  on 
hand  by  Brother  Elias  Smith.  In  about  half  an  hour  I  should  have  start- 
ed, when  Brother  Elias  Smith  came  to  me  with  word  that  he  had  found 
the  brethren;  that  they  had  concluded  to  go  to  Carthage,  and  wished 
me  to  return  to  Nauvoo  and  accompany  them.  I  must  confess  that  I 
felt  a  good  deal  disappointed  at  this  news,  but  I  immediately  made 
preparations  to  go.  Escorted  by  Brother  Elias  Smith,  I  and  my  party 
went  to  the  neighborhood  of  Montrose,  where  we  met  Brother  Joseph, 
Hyrum,  Brother  Richards  and  others.  Dr.  Bernhisel  thinks  that  W. 
W.  Phelps  was  not  with  Joseph  and  Hyrum  in  the  morning,  but  that 
he  met  him,  myself,  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  W.  Richards  and  Brother 
Cahoon,  in  the  afternoon,  near  Montrose,  returning  to  Nauvoo. 

27 


426  APPENDICES. 

On  meeting  the  brethren  I  learned  that  it  was  not  Brother  Joseph's 
desire  to  return,  but  that  he  came  back  by  request  of  some  of  the 
brethren,  and  that  it  coincided  more  with  Brother  Hyrum's  feelings 
than  those  of  Brother  Joseph.  In  fact,  after  his  return,  Brother 
Hyrum  expressed  himself  as  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  course  taken, 
and  said  he  felt  much  more  at  ease  in  his  mind  than  he  did  before. 
On  our  return  the  calculation  was  to  throw  ourselves  under  the  im- 
mediate protection  of  the  governor,  and  to  trust  to  his  word  and  faith 
for  our  preservation. 

A  message  was,  I  believe,  sent  to  the  governor  that  night,  stat- 
ing that  we  should  come  to  Carthage  in  the  morning,  the  party  that 
came  along  with  us  to  escort  us  back,  in  case  we  returned  to  Carthage, 
having  returned. 

It  would  seem  from  the  following  remarks  of  General  Ford  that 
there  was  a  design  on  foot,  which  was,  that  if  we  refused  to  go  to 
Carthage  at  the  governor's  request,  there  should  be  an  increased  force 
called  for  by  the  governor,  and  that  we  should  be  destroyed  by  them. 
In  accordance  with  this  project,  Captain  Yates  returned  with  his  posse, 
accompanied  by  the  constable  who  held  the  writ. 

The  following  is  the  governor's  remark  in  relation  to  this  affair: 

"The  constable  and  his  escort  returned.  The  constable  made  no 
effort  to  arrest  any  of  them,  nor  would  he  or  the  guard  delay  their 
departure  one  minute  beyond  the  time,  to  see  whether  an  arrest  could 
be  made.  Upon  their  return  they  reported  that  they  had  been  informed 
that  the  accused  had  fled,  and  could  not  be  found.  I  immediately 
proposed  to  a  council  of  officers  to  march  into  Nauvoo  with  the  small 
force  then  under  my  command,  but  the  officers  were  of  the  opinion 
that  it  was  too  small,  and  many  of  them  insisted  upon  a  further  call 
of  the  militia.  Upon  reflection  I  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  officers 
were  right  in  the  estimate  of  our  force,  and  the  project  for  immediate 
action  was  abandoned. 

"I  was  soon  informed,  however,  of  the  conduct  of  the  constable 
and  guard,  and  then  I  was  perfectly  satisfied  that  a  most  base  fraud 
bad  been  attempted,  that,  in  fact,  it  was  feared  that  the  Mormons 
would  submit,  and  thereby  entitle  themselve  to  the  protection  of  the 
law.  It  was  very  apparent  that  many  of  the  bustling,  active  spirits 
were  afraid  that  there  would  be  no  occasion  for  calling  out  an  over. 


APPENDICES.  427 

whelming  militia  force,  for  marching  into  Nauvoo,  for  probable 
mutiny  when  there,  and  for  the  extermination  of  the  Mormon  race. 
It  appeared  that  the  constable  and  the  escort  were  fully  in  the  secret, 
and  acted  well  their  part  to  promote  the  conspiracy."* 

In  the  morning  Brother  Joseph  had  an  interview  with  the  officers 
of  the  Legion,  with  the  leading  members  of  the  city  council,  and  with 
the  principal  men  of  the  city.  The  officers  were  instructed  to  dismiss 
their  men,  but  to  have  them  in  a  state  of  readiness  to  be  called  upon 
in  any  emergency  that  might  occur. 

About  half  past  six  o'clock  the  members  of  the  city  council,  the 
marshal,  Brothers  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  and  a  number  of  others,  started 
for  Carthage,  on  horseback.  We  were  instructed  by  Brother  Joseph 
Smith  not  to  take  any  arms,  and  we  consequently  left  them  behind. 
We  called  at  the  house  of  Brother  Fellows  on  our  way  out.  Brother 
Fellows  lived  about  four  miles  from  Carthage. 

While  at  Brother  Fellow's  house,  Captain  Dunn,  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Coolie,  one  of  the  governor's  aides-de-camp,  came  up  from  Carth- 
age en  route  for  Nauvoo  with  a  requisition  from  the  governor  for  the 
State  arms.  We  all  returned  to  Nauvoo  with  them;  the  governor's 
request  was  complied  with,  and  after  taking  some  refreshments,  we 
all  returned  to  proceed  to  Carthage.  We  arrived  there  late  in  the 
night.  A  great  deal  of  excitement  prevailed  on  and  after  our  arrival. 
The  governor  had  received  into  his  company  all  of  the  companies  that 
had  been  in  the  mob;  these  fellows  were  riotous  and  disorderly,  hal- 
loowing,  yelling,  and  whooping  about  the  streets  like  Indians,  many 
of  them  intoxicated;  the  whole  presented  a  scene  of  rowdyism  and 
low-bred  ruffianism  only  found  among  mobocrats  and  desperadoes,  and 
entirely  revolting  to  the  best  feelings  of  humanity.  The  governor 
made  a  speech  to  them  to  the  effect  that  he  would  show  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  Smith  to  them  in  the  morning. 

About  here  the  companies  with  the  governor  were  drawn  up  in 
line,  and  General  Demming,  I  think,  took  Joseph  by  the  arm  and 
Hyrum(Arnold  says  that  Joseph  took  the  governor's  arm),  and  as  he 
passed  through  between  the  ranks,  the  governor  leading  in  front, 


*  Ford's  History  of  Illinois,  page  333. 


428  APPENDICES. 

very  politely  introduced  them  as  General  Joseph  Smith  and  General 
Hyrum  Smith.^ 


*The  Deseret  News  giv&s  the  following  account  of  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  Smith's  passing  through  the  troops  in  Carthage: 

"CarThagk,  June  25,  1844. 

"Quarter  past  nine.  The  governor  came  and  invited  Joseph  to 
walk  with  him  through  the  troops.  Joseph  solicited  a  few  moments' 
private  conversation  with  him,  which  the  governor  refused. 

*  While  refusing,  the  governor  looked  down  at  his  shoes,  as  though 
he  was  ashamed.  They  then  walked  through  the  crowd,  with  Briga- 
dier General  Miner  R.  Demming,  and  Dr.  Richards,  to  General  Dem- 
ming's  quarters.  The  people  appeared  quiet  until  a  company  of 
Carthage  Grays  flocked  round  the  doors  of  General  Demming  in  an 
uproarious  manner,  of  which  notice  was  sent  to  the  governor.  In  the 
meantime  the  governor  had  ordered  the  McDonough  troops  to  be 
drawn  up  in  line,  for  Joseph  and  Hyrum  to  pass  in  front  of  them,  they 
having  requested  that  they  might  have  a  clear  view  of  the  General 
Smiths.  Joseph  had  a  conversation  with  the  governor  for  about  ten 
minutes,  when  he  again  pledged  the  faith  of  the  State  that  he  and  his 
friends  should  be  protected  from  violence. 

"Robinson,  the  postmaster,  said,  on  report  of  martial  law  being 
proclaimed  in  Nauvoo,  he  had  stopped  the  mail,  and  notified  the  post- 
master general  of  the  state  of  things  in  Hancock  County. 

"From  the  general's  quarters  Joseph  and  Hyrum  went  in  front  of 
the  lines,  in  a  hollow  square  of  a  company  of  Carthage  Grays.  At 
seven  minutes  before  ten  they  arrived  in  front  of  the  lines,  and  passed 
before  the  whole,  Joseph  being  on  the  right  of  General  Demming  and 
Hyrum  on  his  left.  Elders  Richards,  Taylor  and  Phelps  following. 
Joseph  and  Hyrum  were  introduced  by  Governor  Ford  about  twenty 
times  along  the  line  as  General  Joseph  Smith  and  General  Hyrum 
Smith,  the  governor  walking  in  front  on  the  left.  The  Carthage  Grays 
refused  to  receive  them  by  that  introduction,  and  some  of  the  oflScers 
threw  up  their  hats,  drew  their  swords,  and  said  they  would  introduce 
themselves  to  the  damned  Mormons  in  a  different  style.  The  gov- 
ernor mildly  entreated  them  not  to  act  so  rudely,  but  their  excitement 
increased;  thegovern.or,  however,  succeeded  in  pacifying  them  by  mak- 
ing a  speech,  and  promising  them  that  they  should  have  'full  satisfac- 
tion.' General  Smith  and  party  returned  to  their  lodgings  at  five 
minutes  past  ten." — Deseret  News,  No.  js,  Nov.  4,  1857,  page  2J4. 


APPENDICES.  429 

All  were  orderly  and  courteous  except  one  company  of  mobocrats 
— the  Carthage  Grays — who  seemed  to  find  fault  on  account  of  too 
much  honor  being  paid  to  the  Mormons.  There  was  afterwards  a 
row  between  the  companies,  and  they  came  pretty  near  having  a  fight; 
the  more  orderly  not  feeling  disposed  to  endorse  or  submit  to  the 
rowdyism  of  the  mobocrats.  The  result  was  that  General  Demming, 
who  was  very  much  of  a  gentleman,  ordered  the  Carthage  Grays,  a 
company  under  the  command  of  Captain  Smith,  a  magistrate  in  Carth- 
age, and  a  most  violent  mobocrat,  under  arrest.  This  matter,  how- 
ever, was  shortly  afterward  adjusted,  and  the  difficulty  settled  be- 
tween them. 

The  mayor,  aldermen,  councilors,  as  well  as  the  marshal  of  the 
city  of  Nauvoo,  together  with  some  persons  who  had  assisted  the 
marshal  in  removing  the  press  in  Nauvoo,  appeared  before  Justice 
Smith,  the  aforesaid  captain  and  mobocrat,  to  again  answer  the  charge 
of  destroying  the  press;  but  as  there  was  so  much  excitement,  and  as 
the  man  was  an  unprincipled  villain  before  whom  we  were  to  have 
our  hearing,  we  thought  it  most  prudent  to  give  bail,  and  consequently 
became  security  for  each  other  in  $500  bonds  each,  to  appear  before 
the  County  Court  at  its  next  session.  We  had  engaged  as  counsel  a 
lawyer  by  the  name  of  Wood,  of  Burlington,  Iowa;  and  Reed,  I  think, 
of  Madison,  Iowa  After  some  little  discussion  the  bonds  were  signed, 
and  we  were  all  dismissed. 

Almost  immediately  after  our  dismissal,  two  men— Augustine 
Spencer  and  Norton— two  worthless  fellows,  whose  words  would  not 
have  been  taken  for  five  cents,  and  the  first  of  whom  had  a  short 
time  previously  been  before  the  mayor  in  Nauvoo  for  maltreating  a 
iame  brother,  made  affidavits  that  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  were 
guilty  of  treason,  and  a  writ  was  accordingly  issued  for  their  arrest, 
and  the  constable  Bettesworth,  a  rough,  unprincipled  man,  wished 
immediately  to  hurry  them  away  to  prison  without  any  hearing.  His 
rude,  uncouth  manner  in  the  administration  of  what  he  considered 
the  duties  of  his  office  made  him  exceedingly  repulsive  to  us  all.  But, 
independent  of  these  acts,  the  proceedings  in  this  case  were  alto- 
gether illegal.  Providing  the  court  was  sincere,  which  it  was  not, 
and  providing  these  men's  oaths  were  true,  and  that  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  were  guilty  of  treason,  still  the  whole  course  was  illegal. 


430  APPENDICES. 

The  magistrate  made  out  a  mittimus,  and  committed  them  to 
prison  without  a  hearing,  which  he  had  no  right  legally  to  do.  The 
statute  of  Illinois  expressly  provides  that  "all  men  shall  have  a  hear- 
ing before  a  magistrate  before  they  shall  be  committed  to  prison;" 
and  Mr.  Robert  H.  Smith,  the  magistrate,  had  made  out  a  mittimus 
committing  them  to  prison  contrary  to  law  without  such  hearing.  As 
I  was  informed  of  this  illegal  proceeding,  I  went  immediately  to  the 
governor  and  informed  him  of  it.  Whether  he  was  apprised  of  it 
before  or  not,  I  do  not  know;  but  my  opinion  is  that  he  was. 

I  represented  to  him  the  characters  of  the  parties  who  had  made 
oath,  the  outrageous  nature  of  the  charge,  the  indignity  offered  to 
men  in  the  jiosition  which  they  occupied,  and  declared  to  him  that  he 
knew  very  well  it  was  a  vexatious  proceeding,  and  that  the  accused 
were  not  guilty  of  any  such  crime.  The  governor  replied,  he  was 
very  sorry  that  the  thing  had  occurred;  that  he  did  not  believe  the 
charges,  but  that  he  thought  the  best  thing  to  be  done  was  to  let  the 
law  take  its  course.  I  then  reminded  him  that  we  had  come  out  there 
at  his  instance,  not  to  satisfy  the  law,  which  we  had  done  before,  but 
the  prejudices  of  the  people,  in  relation  to  the  affairs  of  the  press; 
that  at  his  instance  we  had  given  bonds,  which  we  could  not  by  law 
be  required  to  do  to  satisfy  the  people,  and  that  it  was  asking  too 
much  to  require  gentlemen  in  their  position  in  life  to  suffer  the  deg- 
redation  of  being  immured  in  a  jail  at  the  instance  of  such  worthless 
scoundrels  as  those  who  had  made  this  affidavit.  .  The  governor  re- 
plied that  it  was  an  unpleasant  affair,  and  looked  hard;  but  that  it 
was  a  matter  over  which  he  had  no  control,  as  it  belonged  to  the 
judiciary;  that  he,  as  the  executive,  could  not  interfere  with  their 
proceedings,  and  that  he  had  no  doubt  but  that  they  would  immedi- 
ately be  dismissed.  I  told  him  that  we  had  looked  to  him  foi*  protec- 
tion from  such  insults,  and  that  I  thought  we  had  a  right  to  do  so' 
from  the  solemn  promises  which  he  had  made  to  me  and  to  Dr.  Bern- 
hisel  in  relation  to  our  coming  without  guard  or  arms;  that  we  had 
relied  upon  his  faith,  and  had  a  right  to  expect  him  to  fulfill  his  en- 
gagements after  we  had  placed  ourselves  implicity  under  his  care, 
and  complied  with  all  his  requests,  although  extrajudicial. 

He  replied  that  he  would  detail  a  guard,  if  we  required  it,  and 
see  us  protected,  but  that  he  could  not  interfere  with  the  judiciary. 


APPENDICES.  431 

I  expressed  my  dissatisfaction  at  the  course  taken,  and  told  him, 
that,  if  we  were  to  be  subject  to  mob  rule,  and  to  be  dragged,  con- 
trary to  law,  into  prison  at  the  instance  of  every  infernal  scoundrel 
whose  oaths  could  be  bought  for  a  dram  of  whiskey,  his  protection 
availed  very  little,  and  we  had  miscalculated  his  promises. 

Seeing  there  was  no  prospect  of  redress  from  the  governor,  I 
returned  to  the  room,  and  found  the  constable  Bettesworth  very 
urgent  to  hurry  Brothers  Joseph  and  Hyrum  to  prison,  while  the 
brethren  were  remonstrating  with  him.  At  the  same  time  a  great 
rabble  was  gathered  in  the  streets  and  around  the  door,  and  from  the 
rowdyism  manifested  I  was  afraid  there  was  a  design  to  murder  the 
prisoners  on  the  way  to  jail. 

Without  conferring  with  any  person,  my  next  feelings  were  to 
procure  a  guard,  and  seeing  a  man  habited  as  a  soldier  in  the  room,  1 
went  to  him  and  said,  "I  am  afraid  there  is  a  design  against  the  lives 
of  the  Messrs.  Smith;  will  you  go  immediately  and  bring  yo^ur  cap- 
tain; and,  if  not  convenient,  any  other  captain  of  a  company,  and  I 
will  pay  you  well  for  your  trouble?"  He  said  he  would,  and  departed 
forthwith,  and  soon  returned  with  his  captain,  whose  name  I  have 
forgotten,  and  introduced  him  to  me.  I  told  him  of  my  fears,  and 
requested  him  immediately  to  fetch  his  company. 

He  departed  forthwith,  and  arrived  at  the  door  with  them  just 
at  the  time  when  the  constable  was  hurrying  the  brethren  down 
stairs.  A  number  of  the  brethren  went  along,  together  with  one  or 
two  strangers;  and  all  of  us,  safely  lodged  in  prison,  ramained  there 
during  the  night. 

At  the  request  of  Joseph  Smith  for  an  interview  with  the  gover- 
nor, he  came  the  next  morning,  Thursday,  June  26th,  at  half  past  9 
o'clock,  accompanied  by  Colonel  Geddes,  when  a  lengthy  conversation 
was  entered  into  in  relation  to  the  existing  difficulties;  and  after 
some  preliminary  remarks,  at  the  governor's  request.  Brother  Joseph 
gave  him  a  general  outline  of  the  state  of  affairs  in  relation  to  our 
difficulties,  the  excited  state  of  the  country,  the  tumultuous  raobo- 
cratic  movements  of  our  enemies,  the  precautionary  measures  used 
by  himself  (Joseph  Smith),  the  acts  of  the  city  council,  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  press,  and  the  moves  of  the  mob  and  ourselves  up  to  that 
time. 


432  APPENDICES. 

The  following  report  is,  I  believe,  substantially  correct: 

Governor — "General  Smith,  I  believe  you  have  given  me  a  general 
outline  of  the  difficulties  that  have  existed  in  the  country  in  the 
documents  forwarded  to  me  by  Dr.  Bernhisel  and  Mr.  Taylor;  but, 
unfortunately,  there  seems  to  be  a  great  discrepancy  between  your 
statements  and  those  of  your  enemies.  It  is  true  that  you  are  sub- 
stantiated by  evidence  and  affidavit,  but  for  such  an  extraordinary 
excitement  as  that  which  is  now  in  the  country  there  must  be  some 
cause,  and"  I  attribute  the  last  outbreak  to  the  destruction  of  the 
Expositor,  and  to  your  refusal  to  comply  with  the  writ  issued  by 
Esquire  Morrison.  The  press  in  the  United  States  is  looked  upon  as 
the  great  bulwark  of  American  freedom,  and  its  destruction  in  Nau- 
voo  was  represented  and  looked  upon  as  a  high-handed  measure,  and 
manifests  to  the  people  a  disposition  on  your  part  to  suppress  the 
liberty  of  speech  and  of  the  press.  This,  with  your  refusal  to  com- 
ply with  the  requisition  of  a  writ,  I  conceive  to  be  the  principal  cause 
of  this  difficulty;  and  you  are  moreover  represented  to  me  as  turbu- 
lent, and  defiant  of  the  laws  and  institutions  of  your  country." 

General  Smith — "Governor  Ford,  you,  sir,  as  governor  of  this 
State,  are  aware  of  the  persecutions  that  I  have  endured.  You 
know  well  that  our  course  has  been  peaceable  and  law-abiding  for  I 
have  furnished  this  State  ever  since  our  settlement  here  with  suffi- 
cient evidence  of  my  pacific  intentions,  and  those  of  the  people  with 
whom  I  am  associated,  by  the  eudurence  of  every,  conceivable  indig- 
nity and  lawless  outrage  perpetrated  upon  me  and  upon  this  people 
since  our  settlement  here;  and  you  know  yourself  that  I  have  kept 
you  well  posted  in  relation  to  all  matters  associated  with  the  late 
difficulties.  If  you  have  not  got  some  of  my  communications,  it  has 
not  been  my  fault. 

"Agreeably  to  your  orders,  I  assembled  the  Nauvoo  Legion  for 
the  protection  of  Nauvoo  and  the  surrounding  country  against  an 
armed  band  of  marauders;  and  ever  since  they  have  been  mustered  I 
have  almost  daily  communicated  with  you  in  regard  to  all  the  lead- 
ing events  that  have  transpired;  and  whether  in  the  capacity  of 
mayor  of  the  city,  or  lieutenant  general  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  I 
have  striven,  according  to  the  best  of  my  judgment,  to  preserve 
the  peace  and  to  administer  even-handed  justice;  but  my  motives  are 


APPENDICES.  433 

impugned,  my  acts  are  misconstrued,  and  I  am  grossly  and  wickedly 
misrepresented.  I  suppose  I  am  indebted  for  my  incarceration  to  the 
oath  of  a  worthless  man,  who  was  arraigned  before  me  and  fined  for 
abusing  and  maltreating  his  lame,  helpless  brother.  That  I  should 
be  charged  by  you,  sir,  who  know  better,  of  acting  contrary  to  law, 
is  to  me  a  matter  of  surprise.  Was  it  the  Mormons  or  our  enemies 
who  first  commenced  these  diflSculties?  You  know  well  it  was  not 
us;  and  when  this  turbulent,  outrageous  people  commenced  their  in- 
surrectionary movements  I  made  you  acquainted  with  them  officially, 
and  asked  your  advice,  and  have  followed  strictly  your  counsel  in 
every  particular.  Who  ordered  out  the  Nauvoo  Legion?  I  did,  under 
your  direction.  For  what  purpose?  To  suppress  the  insurrectionary 
movements.  It  was  at  your  instance,  sir,  that  I  issued  a  proclama- 
tion calling  upon  the  Nauvoo  Legion  to  be  in  readiness  at  a  moment's 
w^arning  to  guard  against  the  incursions  of  mobs,  and  gave  an  order 
to  Jonathan  Dunham,  acting  major-general,  to  that  effect. 

"Am  I,  then,  to  be  charged  with  the  acts  of  others?  and  because 
lawlessness  and  mobocracy  abound,  am  I,  when  carrying  out  your 
instructions,  to  be  charged  with  not  abiding  law?  Why  is  it  that  I 
must  be  made  accountable  for  other  men's  acts?  If  there  is  trouble 
in  the  country,  neither  I  nor  my  people  made  it;  and  all  that  we  have 
ever  done,  after  much  endurance  on  our  part,  is  to  maintain  and 
uphold  the  Constitution  and  institutions  of  our  country,  and  to  pro- 
tect an  injured,  innocent,  and  persecuted  people,  against  misrule  and 
mob  violence. 

"Concerning  the  destruction  of  the  press  to  which  you  refer,  men 
may  differ  somewhat  in  their  opinions  about  it;  but  can  it  be  supposed 
that  after  all  the  indignities  to  which  they  have  been  subjected  out- 
side, that  people  could  suffer  a  set  of  worthless  vagabonds  to  come 
into  their  city,  and,  right  under  their  own  eyes  and  protection,  vilify 
and  calumniate  not  only  themselves,  but  the  character  of  their  wives 
and  daughters,  as  was  impudently  and  unblushingly  done  in  that  in- 
famous and  filthy  sheet? 

"There  is  not  a  city  in  the  United  States  that  would  have  suffered 
such  an  indignity  for  twenty-four  hours.  Our  whole  people  were 
indignant,  and  loudly  called  upon  our  city  authorities  for  a  redress 
of  their  grievances,  which,  if  not  attended  to,  they  themselves  would 


434  .  APPENDICES. 

have  taken  into  their  own  hands,  and  have  summarily  punished  the- 
audacious  wretches  as  they  deserved.  The  principle  of  equal  rights 
that  has  been  instilled  into  our  bosoms  from  our  cradles  as  American 
citizens  forbids  us  submitting  to  every  foul  indignity,  and  succumb- 
ing and  pandering  to  wretches  so  infamous  as  these.  But,  indepen- 
dent of  this,  the  course  that  we  pursued  we  consider  to  be  strictly 
legal;  for,  notwithstanding  the  result,  we  were  anxious  to  be  gov- 
erned strictly  by  law,  and  therefore  we  convened  the  city  council; 
and  being  desirous  in  our  deliberations  to  abide  by  law,  we  summoned 
legal  counsel  to  be  present  on  the  occasion.  Upon  investigating  the 
matter,  we  found  that  our  city  charter  gave  us  power  to  remove  all 
nuisances.  Furthermore,  after  consulting  Blackstone  upon  what 
might  be  considered  a  nuisance,  it  appeared  that  that  distinguished 
lawyer,  who  is  considered  authority,  I  believe,  in  all  our  courts, 
states  among  other  things  that  *a  libelous  and  filthy  press  may  be 
considered  a  nuisance,  and  abated  as  such.'  Here,  then,  one  of  the 
most  eminent  English  barristers,  whose  works  are  considered  standard 
with  us,  declares  that  a  libelous  and  filthy  press  may  be  considered  a 
nuisance;  and  our  own  charter,  given  us  by  the  Legislature  of  this 
State,  gives  us  power  to  remove  nuisances;  and  by  ordering  that  press 
to  be  abated  as  a  nuisance,  we  conceived  that  we  were  acting  stricly 
in  accordance  with  law.  We  made  that  order  in  our  corporate  capac- 
ity, and  the  city  marshal  carried  it  out.  It  is  possible  there  may 
have  been  some  better  way,  but  I  must  confess  that  I  could  not 
see  it. 

"In  relation  to  the  writ  served  upon  us,  we  are  willing  to  abide 
the  consequences  of  our  own  acts,  but  are  unwilling,  in  answering  a 
writ  of  that  kind,  to  submit  to  illegal  exactions,  sought  to  be  imposed 
upon  us  under  the  pretense  of  law,  when  we  knew  they  were  in  open 
violation  of  it.  When  that  document  was  presented  to  me  by  Mr. 
Bettesworth,  I  offered,  in  the  presence  of  more  than  twenty  persons,, 
to  go  to  any  other  magistrate,  either  in  our  city,  in  Appanoose,  or 
any  other  place  where  we  should  be  safe,  but  we  all  refused  to  put 
ourselves  into  the  power  of  a  mob.  What  right  had  that  constable 
to  refuse  our  request?  He  had  none  according  to  law;  for  you  know. 
Governor  Ford,  that  the  statute  law  in  Illinois  is,  that  the  parties 
served  with  the  writ  'shall  go  before  him  who  issued  it,  or  some  other 


APPENDICES.  435 

justice  of  the  peace.'  Why,  then,  should  we  be  dragged  to  Carthage^' 
where  the  law  does  not  compel  us  to  go?  Does  not  this  look  like 
many  others  of  our  persecutions  with  which  you  are  acquainted?  and 
have  we  not  a  right  to  expect  foul  play?  This  very  act  was  a  breach 
of  law  on  his  part,  an  assumption  of  power  that  did  not  belong  to 
him,  and  an  attempt,  at  least,  to  deprive  us  of  our  legal  and  constitu- 
tional rights  and  privileges.  What  could  we  do,  under  the  circum- 
stances, different  from  what  we  did  do?  We  sued  for,  and  obtained 
a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  from  the  municipal  court,  by  which  we  were 
delivered  from  the  hands  of  Constable  Bettesworth,  and  brought 
before  and  acquitted  by  the  municipal  court.  After  our  acquittal,  in 
a  conversation  with  Judge  Thomas,  although  he  considered  the  acts 
of  the  party  illegal,  he  advised  that,  to  satisfy  the  people,  we  had 
better  go  before  another  magistrate  who  was  not  in  our  Church.  In 
accordance  with  his  advice,  we  went  before  Esquire  Wells,  with 
whom  you  are  well  acquainted;  both  parties  were  present,  witnesses 
were  called  on  both  sides,  the  case  was  fully  investigated,  and  we 
were  again  dismissed.  And  what  is  this  pretended  desire  to  enforce 
law,  and  wherefore  are  these  lying,  base  rumors  put  into  circulation 
but  to  seek,  through  mob  influence,  under  pretense  of  law,  to  make 
us  submit  to  requisitons  which  are  contrary  to  law  and  subversive  of 
every  principle  of  justice?  And  when  you,  sir,  required  us  to  come 
out  here,  we  came,  not  because  it  was  legal,  but  because  you  required 
it  of  us,  and  we  were  desirous  of  showing  to  you,  and  to  all  men,  that 
we  shrunk  not  from  the  most  rigid  investigation  of  our  acts.  We' 
certainly  did  expect  other  treatment  than  to  be  immured  in  a  jail  at 
the  instance  of  these  men,  and  I  think,  from  your  plighted  faith,  we 
had  a  right  so  to  expect,  after  disbanding  our  own  forces,  and  put- 
ting ourselves  entirely  in  your  hands.  And  now,  after  having  ful- 
filled my  part,  sir,  as  a  man  and  an  American  citizen,  I  call  upon  you. 
Governor  Ford,  to  deliver  us  from  this  place,  and  rescue  us  from  this 
outrage  that  is  sought  to  be  practiced  upon  us  by  a  set  of  infamous 
scoundrels." 

Governor  Ford. — "But  you  have  placed  men  under  arrest,  detained 
men  as  prisoners,  and  given  passes  to  others,  some  of  which  I  have 
seen," 

John  P.  Greene,  City  Marshal. — "Perhaps  I  can  explain.  Since  these- 


486  APPENDICES. 

difficulties  have  commenced,  you  are  aware  that  we  have  been  placed 
under  very  peculiar  circumstances;  our  city  has  been  placed  under  a 
very  rigid  police  guard;  in  addition  to  this,  frequent  guards  have 
been  placed  outside  the  city  to  prevent  any  sudden  surprise,  and 
those  guards  have  questioned  suspected  or  suspicious  persons  as  to 
their  business.  To  strangers,  in  some  instances,  passes  have  been 
given  to  prevent  difficulty  in  passing  those  guards;  it  is  some  of  these 
passes  that  you  have  seen.  No  person,  sir,  has  been  imprisoned  with- 
out a  legal  cause  in  our  city." 

Governor. — "Why  did  you  not  give  a  more  speedy  answer  to  the 
posse  that  I  sent  out?" 

General  Smith, — We  had  matters  of  importance  to  consult  upon; 
your  letter  showed  anything  but  an  amiable  spirit.  We  have  suffered 
immensely  in  Missouri  from  mobs,  in  loss  of  property,  imprisonment, 
and  otherwise.  It  took  some  time  for  us  to  weigh  duly  these  matters; 
we  could  not  decide  upon  matters  of  such  importance  immediately, 
and  your  posse  were  too  hasty  in  returning;  we  were  consulting  for  a 
large  people,  and  vast  interests  were  at  stake.  We  had  been  outrageously 
imposed  upon,  and  knew  not  how  far  we  could  trust  any  one;  besides, 
a  question  necessarily  arose,  How  shall  we  come?  Your  request  was 
that  we  should  come  unarmed.  It  became  a  matter  of  serious  im- 
portance to  decide  how  far  promises  could  be  trusted,  and  how  far 
we  were  safe  from  mob  violence." 

Colonel  Geddes. — "It  certainly  did  look,  from  all  I  have  heard, 
from  the  general  spirit  of  violence  and'  mobocracy  that  here  prevails, 
that  it  was  not  safe  for  you  to  come  unprotected." 

Governor  Ford. — "I  think  that  sufficient  time  was  not  allowed  by 
the  posse  for  you  to  consult  and  get  ready.  They  were  too  hasty; 
but  I  suppose  they  found  themselves  bound  by  their  orders.  I  think, 
too,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  truth  in  what  you  say,  and  your  reason- 
ing is  plausible,  but  I  must  beg  leave  to  differ  from  you  in  relation  to 
the  acts  of  the  City  Council.  That  Council,  in  my  opinion,  had  no 
right  to  act  in  a  legislative  capacity,  and  in  that  of  the  judiciary. 
They  should  have  passed  a  law  in  relation  to  the  matter,  and  then 
the  Municipal  Court,  upon  complaint,  could  have  removed  it;  but  for 
the  City  Council  to  take  upon  themselves  the  law-making  and  the 
execution  of  the  law,  is,  in  my  opinion,  wrong;  besides,  these  men 


APPENDICES.  437 

ought  to  have  had  a  hearing  before  their  property  was  destroyed;  to 
destroy  it  without  was  an  infringement  on  their  rights;  besides,  it  is 
so  contrary  to  the  feelings  of  American  people  to  interfere  with  the 
press.  And,  furthermore,  I  cannot  but  think  that  it  would  have 
been  more  judicious  for  you  to  have  gone  with  Mr.  Bettesworth  to 
Carthage,  notwithstanding  the  law  did  not  require  it.  Concerning 
your  being  in  jail,  I  am  sorry  for  that;  I  wish  it  had  been  otherwise. 
I  hope  you  will  soon  be  released,  but  I  can  not  interfere." 

Joseph  Smith. — "Governor  Ford,  allow  me,  sir,  to  bring  one  thing 
to  your  mind  that  you  seem  to  have  overlooked.  You  state  that  you 
think  it  would  have  been  better  for  us  to  have  submitted  to  the  re- 
quisition of  Constable  Bettesworth,  and  to  have  gone  to  Carthage.  Do 
you  not  know,  sir,  that  that  writ  was  served  at  the  instance  of  an 
anti-Mormon  mob,  who  had  passed  resolutions,  and  published  them,  to 
the  effect  that  they  would  exterminate  the  Mormon  leaders?  And 
are  you  not  informed  that  Captain  Anderson  was  not  only  threatened 
but  had  a  gun  fired  at  his  boat  by  this  said  mob  in  Warsaw  when 
coming  up  to  Nauvoo,  and  that  this  very  thing  was  made  use  of  as  a 
means  to  get  us  into  their  hands;  and  we  could  not,  without  taking  an 
armed  force  with  us,  go  there  without,  according  to  their  published 
declarations,  going  into  the  jaws  of  death?  To  have  taken  a  force 
with  us  would  only  have  fanned  the  excitement,  and  they  would  have 
stated  that  we  wanted  to  use  intimidation;  therefore,  we  thought  it 
the  most  judicious  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  protection  of  the  law." 

Governor  Ford. — "I  see,  I  see." 

Joseph  Smith. — "Furthermore,  in  relation  to  the  press,  you  say 
that  you  differ  from  me  in  opinion.  Be  it  so;  the  thing,  after  all,  is 
only  a  legal  difficulty,  and  the  courts,  I  should  judge,  are  competent 
to  decide  on  that  matter.  If  our  act  was  illegal,  we  are  willing  to 
meet  it;  and  although  I  cannot  see  the  distinction  that  you  draw 
about  the  acts  of  the  City  Council,  and  what  difference  it  could  have 
made  in  point  of  fact,  law,  or  justice  between  the  City  Council's  act- 
ing together  or  separate)  or  how  much  more  legal  it  would  have  been 
for  the  Municipal  Court,  who  were  a  part  of  the  City  Council,  to  act 
separately  instead  of  with  the  councilors,  yet,  if  it  is  deemed  that  we 
did  a  wrong  in  destroying  that  press,  we  refuse  not  to  pay  for  it;  we 
are  desirous  to  fulfill  the  law  in  every  particular,  and  are  responsible 


438  APPENDICES. 

for  our  acts.  You  say  that  the  parties  ought  to  have  a  hearing.  Had 
it  been  a  civil  suit,  this  of  course,  would  have  been  proper;  but  there 
was  a  flagrant  violation  of  every  principle  of  right — a  nuisance;  and 
it  was  abated  on  the  same  principle  that  any  nuisance,  stench,  or 
putrefied  carcass  would  have  been  removed.  Our  first  step,  there- 
fore, was  to  stop  the  foul,  noisome,  filthy  sheet,  and  then  the  next  in 
our  opinion  would  have  been  to  have  prosecuted  the  man  for  a  breach 
of  public  decency.  And,  furthermore,  again  let  me  say,  Governor 
Ford,  I  shall  look  to  you  for  our  protection.  I  believe  you  are  talk- 
ing of  going  to  Nauvoo;  if  you  go,  sir,  I  wish  to  go  along.  I  refuse 
not  to  answer  any  law,  but  I  do  not  consider  myself  safe  here." 

Governor. — "I  am  in  hopes  that  you  will  be  acquitted,  and  if  I  go 
I  will  certainly  take  you  along.  I  do  not,  however,  apprehend  danger. 
I  think  you  are  perfectly  safe  either  here  or  anywhere  else.  I  can 
not,  however,  interfere  with  the  law.  I  am  placed  in  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances and  seem  to  be  blamed  by  all  parties." 

Joseph  Smith. — "Governor  Ford,  I  ask  nothing  but  what  is  legal; 
I  have  a  right  to  expect  protection,  at  least  from  you;  for,  independ- 
ent of  law,  you  have  pledged  your  faith  and  that  of  the  State  for  my 
protection,  and  I  wish  to  go  to  Nauvoo." 

Governor. — "And  you  shall  have  protection,  General  Smith.  I 
did  not  make  this  promise  without  consulting  my  officers,  who  all 
pledged  their  honor  to  its  fulfillment.  I  do  not  know  that  I  shall  go 
tomorrow  to  Nauvoo,  but  if  I  do  I  will  take  you  along." 

At  a  quarter  past  ten  o'clock  the  governor  left. 

At  about  half  past  twelve  o'clock,  Mr.  Reed,  one  of  Joseph's 
counsel,  came  in,  apparently  much  elated;  he  stated  that,  upon  an  ex- 
amination of  the  law,  he  found  that  the  magistrate  had  transcended 
his  jurisdiction,  and  that  having  committed  them  without  an  examin- 
ation, his  Jurisdiction  ended,  that  he  had  him  upon  a  pinhook;  that 
he  ought  to  have  examined  them  before  he  committed  them,  and  that, 
having  violated  the  law  in  this  particular,  he  had  no  further  power 
over  them;  for,  once  committeed,  they  were  out  of  his  jurisdiction,  as 
the  power  of  the  magistrate  extended  no  farther  than  their  commit- 
tal, and  that  now  they  could  not  be  brought  out  except  at  the  regular 
session  of  the  Circuit  Court,  or  by  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus;  but  that  if 


APPENDICES.  439 

Justice  Smith  would  consent  to  go  to  Nauvoo  for  trial,  he  would  com- 
promise matters  with  him,  and  overlook  this  matter. 

Mr.  Reed  further  stated  that  the  anti-Mormons,  or  mob,  had  con- 
■cocted  a  scheme  to  get  out  a  writ  from  Missouri,  with  a  demand  upon 
Governor  Ford  for  the  arrest  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  his  conveyance  to 
Missouri,  and  that  a  man  by  the  name  of  Wilson  had  returned  from 
Missouri  the  night  before  the  burning  of  the  press  for  this  purpose. 

At  half  past  two  o'clock  Constable  Bettesworth  came  to  the  jail 
with  a  man  named*Simpson,  professing  to  have  some  order,  but  he 
would  not  send  up  his  name,  and  the  guard  would  not  let  him  pass. 
Dr.  Bernhisel  and  Brother  Wasson  went  to  inform  the  governor  and 
council  of  this.  At  about  twenty  minutes  to  three  Dr.  Bernhisel 
returned,  and  stated  that  he  thought  the  governor  was  doing  all  he 
could.  At  about  ten  minutes  to  three  Hyrum  Kimball  appeared  with 
news  from  Nauvoo. 

Soon  after  Constable  Bettesworth  came  with  an  order  from 
Esquire  Smith  to  convey  the  prisoners  to  the  court-house  for  trial. 
He  was  informed  that  the  process  was  illegal,  that  they  had  been 
placed  there  contrary  to  law,  and  that  they  refused  to  come  unless 
by  legal  process.  I  was  informed  that  Justice  Smith  (who  was  also 
captain  of  the  Carthage  Grays)  went  to  the  governor  and  informed 
him  of  the  matter,  and  that  the  governor  replied,  "You  have  your 
forces,  and  of  course  can  use  them."  The  constable  certainly  did 
return,  accompanied  by  a  guard  of  armed  men,  and  by  force,  and 
under  protest,  hurried  the  prisoners  to  the  court. 

About  four  o'clock  the  case  was  called  by  Captain  Robert  F. 
5mith,  J.  P.  The  counsel  for  the  prisoners  called  for  subpoenas  to 
bring  witnesses.  At  twenty-five  minutes  past  four  he  took  a  copy  of 
the  order  to  bring  the  prisoners  from  jail  to  trial,  and  afterwards  he 
took  names  of  witnesses. 

Counsel  present  for  the  State;  Higbee,  Skinner,  Sharp,  Emmons, 
and  Morrison,  Twenty-five  minutes  to  five  the  writ  was  returned  as 
served,  June  25th. 

Many  remarks  were  made  at  the  court  that  I  paid  but  little 
attention  to,  as  I  considered  the  whole  thing  illegal  and  a  complete 
burlesque.  Wood  objected  to  the  proceedings  in  toto,  in  consequence 
of  its  illegality,  showing  that  the  prisoners  were  not  only  illegally 


440  APPENDICES. 

committed,  but  that,  being  once  committed,  the  magistrate  had  no 
further  power  over  them;  but  as  it  was  the  same  magistrate  before 
whom  he  was  pleading  who  imprisoned  them  contrary  to  law,  and 
the  same  who,  as  captain,  forced  them  from  jail,  his  arguments 
availed  but  little.  He  then  urged  that  the  prisoners  be  remanded 
until  witnesses  could  be  had,  and  applied  for  a  continuance  for  that 
purpose.  Skinner  suggested  until  twelve  o'clock  next  day.  Wood 
again  demanded  until  witnesses  could  be  obtained;  that  the  court 
meet  at  a  specified  time,  and  that,  if  witnesses  were  not  present, 
again  adjourn,  without  calling  the  prisoners.  After  various  remarks 
from  Reed,  Skinner,  and  others,  the  court  stated  that  the  writ  was 
served  yesterday,  and  that  it  will  give  until  tomorrow  at  twelve  m. 
to  get  witnesses. 

We  then  returned  to  jail.  Immediately  after  our  return  Dr. 
Bernhisel  went  to  the  governor,  and  obtained  from  him  an  order  for 
us  to  occupy  a  large  open  room  containing  a  bedstead.  I  rather 
think  that  the  same  room  had  been  appropriated  to  the  use  of 
debtors;  at  any  rate,  there  was  free  access  to  the  jailer's  house,  and 
no  bars  or  locks  except  such  as  might  be  on  the  outside  door  of  the 
jail.  The  jailer,  Mr.  George  W.  Steghall,  and  his  wife,  manifested  a 
disposition  to  make  us  as  comfortable  as  they  could;  we  ate  at  their 
table,  which  was  well  provided,  and,  of  course,  paid  for  it. 

I  do  not  remember  the  names  of  all  who  were  with  us  that  night 
and  the  next  morning  in  jail,  for  several  went  and  came;  among 
those  that  we  considered  stationery  were  Stephen  Markham,  John  S. 
Fullmer,  Captain  Dan  Jones,  Dr.  Willard  Richards,  and  myself.  Dr. 
Bernhisel  says  that  he  was  there  from  Wednesday  in  the  afternoon 
until  eleven  o'clock  next  day.  We  were,  however,  visited  by  numer- 
ous friends,  among  whom  were  Uncle  John  Smith,  Hyrum  Kimball, 
Cyrus  H.  Wheelock,  besides  lawyers,  as  counsel.  There  was  also  a 
great  variety  of  conversation,  which  was  rather  desultory  than  other- 
wise, and  referred  to  circumstances  that  had  transpired,  our  former 
and  present  grievances,  the  spirit  of  the  troops  around  us,  and  the 
disposition  of  the  governor;  the  devising  for  legal  and  other  plans 
for  deliverance,  the  nature  of  testimony  required;  the  gathering  of 
proper  witnesses,  and  a  variety  of  other  topics,  including  our  relig- 
ious hopes,  etc. 


APPENDICES.  441 

.  During  one  of  these  conversations  Dr.  Richards  remarked: 
"Brother  Joseph,  if  it  is  necessary  that  you  die  in  this  matter,  and  if 
they  will  take  me  in  your  stead,  I  will  suffer  for  you."  At  another 
time,  when  conversing  about  deliverance,  I  said,  "Brother  Joseph,  if 
you  will  permit  it,  and  say  the  word,  I  will  have  you  out  of  this 
prison  in  five  hours,  if  the  jail  has  to  come  down  to  do  it."  My  idea 
was  to  go  to  Xauvoo,  and  collect  a  force  sufficient,  as  I  considered 
the  whole  affair  a  legal  farce,  and  a  flagrant  outrage  upon  our  liberty 
and  rights.     Brother  Joseph  refused. 

Elder  Cyrus  H.  Wheelock  came  in  to  see  us,  and  when  he  was 
about  leaving  drew  a  small  pistol,  a  six-shooter,  from  his  pocket^ 
remarking  at  the  same  time,  "Would  any  of  you  like  to  have  this?" 
Brother  Joseph  immediately  replied,  "Yes,  give  it  to  me;"  whereupon 
he  took  the  pistol,  and  put  it  in  his  pantaloons  pocket.  The  pistol 
was  a  six-shooting  revolver,  of  Allen's  patent;  it  belonged  to  me,  and 
was  one  that  I  furnished  to  Brother  Wheelock  when  he  talked  of 
going  with  me  to  the  east,  previous  to  our  coming  to  Carthage.  I 
have  it  now  in  my  possession.  Brother  Wheelock  went  out  on  some 
errand,  and  was  not  suffered  to  return.  The  report  of  the  governor 
having  gone  to  Nauvoo  without  taking  the  prisoners  along  with  him 
caused  very  unpleasant  feelings,  as  we  were  apprised  that  we  were 
left  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  Carthage  Grays,  a  company  strictly 
mobocratic,  and  whom  we  knew  to  be  our  most  deadly  enemies;  and 
their  captain.  Esquire  Smith,  was  a  most  unprincipled  villain.  Besides 
this,  all  the  mob  forces,  comprising  the  governor's  troops,  were  dis- 
missed, with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  companies,  which  the  gov- 
ernor took  with  him  to  Nauvoo.  The  great  part  of  the  mob  was 
liberated,  the  remainder  was  our  guard. 

We  looked  upon  it  not  only  as  a  breach  of  faith  on  the  part  of 
the  governor,  but  also  as  an  indication  of  a  desire  to  insult  us,  if 
nothing  more,  by  leaving  us  in  the  proximity  of  such  men.  The 
prevention  of  Wheelock's  return  was  among  the  first  of  their  hostile 
movements. 

Colonel  Markham  then  went  out,  and  he  was  also  prevented  from 
returning.  He  was  very  angry  at  this,  but  the  mob  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  him;  they  drove  him  out  of  town  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
and  threatened  to  shoot  him  if  he  returned.    He  went,  I  am  informed, 

28 


442  APPENDICES. 

to  Nauvoo  for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  company  of  men  for  our  protec- 
tion. Brother  Fullmer  went  to  Nauvoo  after  witnesses;  it  is  my 
opinion  that  Brother  Wheelock  did  also. 

Some  time  after  dinner  we  sent  for  some  wine.  It  has  been 
reported  by  some  that  this  was  taken  as  a  sacrament.  It  was  no 
such  thing;  our  spirits  were  generally  dull  and  heavy,  and  it  was 
sent  for  to  revive  us.  I  think  it  was  Captain  Jones  who  went  after 
it,  but  they  would  not  suffer  him  to  return.  I  believe  we  all  drank 
of  the  wine,  and  gave  some  to  one  or  two  of  the  prison  guards.  We 
all  of  us  felt  unusually  dull  and  languid,  with  a  remarkable  depres- 
sion of  spirits.  In  consonance  with  those  feelings  I  sang  a  song,  that 
had  lately  been  introduced  into  Nauvoo,  entitled,. "A  poor,  wayfaring 
man  of  grief,"  etc. 

The  song  is  pathetic,  and  the  tune  quite  plaintive,  and  was  very 
much  in  accordance  with  our  feelings  at  the  time,  for  our  spirits 
were  all  depressed,  dull  and  gloomy,  and  surcharged  with  indefinite 
ominous  forebodings.  After  a  lapse  of  some  time.  Brother  Hyrum 
requested  me  again  to  sing  that  song.  I  replied,  "Brother  Hyrum,  I 
do  not  feel  like  singing;"  when  he  remarked,  "Oh,  never  mind;  com- 
mence singing,  and  you  will  get  the  spirit  of  it."  At  his  request  I 
did  so.  Soon  afterwards  I  was  sitting  at  one  of  the  front  windows  of 
the  jail,  when  I  saw  a  number  of  men,  with  painted  faces,  coming 
around  the  corner  of  the  jail,  and  aiming  towards  the  stairs.  The 
other  brethern  had  seen  the  same,  for,  as  I  went  to  the  door,  I  found 
Brother  Hyrum  Smith  and  Dr.  Richards  already  leaning  against  it. 
They  both  pressed  against  the  door  with  their  shoulders  to  prevent 
its  being  opened,  as  the  lock  and  latch  were  comparatively  useless. 
While  in  this  position,  the  mob,  who  had  come  up  stairs,  and 
tried  to  open  the  door,  probably  thought  it  was  locked,  and  fired  a 
ball  through  the  keyhole;  at  this  Dr.  Richards  and  Brother  Hyrum 
leaped  back  from  the  door,  with  their  faces  towards  it;  almost  in- 
stantly another  ball  passed  through  the  panel  of  the  door,  and  struck 
Brother  Hyrum  on  the  left  side  of  the  nose,  entering  his  face  and 
head.  At  the  same  instant,  another  ball  from  the  outside  entered 
his  back,  passing  through  his  body  and  striking  his  watch.  The 
ball  came  from  the  back,  through  the  jail  window,  opposite  the  door, 
and  must,  from  its  range,  have  been  fired  from  the  Carthage  Grays, 


APPENDICES.  443 

who  were  placed  there  ostensibly  for  our  protection,  as  the  balls 
from  the  fire-arms,  shot  close  by  the  jail,  would  have  entered  the 
ceiling,  we  being  in  the  second  story,  and  there  never  was  a  time 
after  that  when  Hyrum  could  have  received  the  latter  wound.  Im- 
mediately, when  the  balls  struck  him,  he  fell  flat  on  his  back,  crying 
as  he  fell,  **I  am  a  dead  man."     He  never  moved  afterwards. 

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  afterwards 
understood  that  two  or  three  were  wounded  by  these  discharges,  two 
of  whom,  I  am  informed,  died.  I  had  in  my  hands  a  large,  strong 
hickory  stick,  brought  there  by  Brother  Markham,  and  left  by  him, 
which  I  had  seized  as  soon  as  I  saw  the  mob  approach;  and  while 
Brother  Joseph  was  firing  the  pistol,  I  stood  close  behind  him.  As 
soon  as  he  had  discharged  it  he  stepped  back,  and  I  immediately  took 
his  place  next  to  the  door,  while  he  occupied  the  one  I  had  done  while 
he  was  shooting.  Brother  Richards,  at  this  time,  had  a  knotty  walk- 
ing-stick in  his  hands  belonging  to  me,  and  stood  next  to  Brother 
Joseph,  a  little  farther  from  the  door,  in  an  oblique  direction,  ap- 
parently to  avoid  the  rake  of  the  fire  from  the  door.  The  firing  of 
Bother  Joseph  made  our  assailants  pause  for  a  moment;  very  soon 
after,  however,  they  pushed  the  door  some  distance  open,  and  pro- 
truded and  discharged  their  guns  into  the  room,  when  I  parried  them 
off  with  my  stick,  giving  another  direction  to  the  balls. 

It  certainly  was  a  terrible  scene:  streams  of  fire  as  thick  as  my 
arm  passed  by  me  as  these  men  fired,  and,  unarmed  as  we  were,  it 
looked  like  certain  death.  I  remember  feeling  as  though  my  time 
had  come,  but  I  do  not  know  when,  in  any  critical  position,  I  was 
more  calm,  unruffled,  energetic,  and  acted  with  more  promptness  and 
decision.  It  certainly  was  far  from  pleasant  to  be  so  near  the  muz- 
zles of  those  fire-arms  as  they  belched  forth  their  liquid  flames  and 
deadly  balls.     While  I  was  engaged  in  parrying  the  guns,  Brother 


444  APPENDICES. 

Joseph  said,  "That's  right,  Brother  Taylor,  parry  them  off  as  well  as 
yon  can."  These  were  the  last  words  I  ever  heard  him  speak  on 
earth. 

Every  moment  the  crowd  at  the  door  became  more  dense,  as  they 
were  unquestionably  pressed  on  by  those  in  the  rear  ascending  the 
stairs,  until  the  whole  entrance  at  the  door  was  literally  crowded 
with  muskets  and  rifles,  which,  with  the  swearing,  shouting  and 
demoniacal  expressions  of  those  outside  the  door  and  on  the  stairs,  and 
the  firing  of  the  guns,  mingled  with  their  horrid  oaths  and  execrations, 
made  it  look  like  Pandemonium  let  loose,  and  was,  indeed,  a  fit  rep- 
resentation of  the  horrid  deed  in  which  they  were  engaged. 

After  parrying  the  guns  for  some  time,  which  now  protruded 
thicker  and  farther  into  the  room,  and  seeing  no  hope  of  escape  or 
protection  there,  as  we  were  now  unarmed,  it  occurred  to  me  that  we 
might  have  some  friends  outside,  and  that  there  might  be  some  chance 
of  escape  in  that  direction,  but  here  there  seemed  to  be  none.  As  I 
expected  them  every  moment  to  rush  into  the  room — nothing  but  ex- 
treme cowardice  having  thus  far  kept  them  out — as  the  tumult  and 
pressure  increased,  without  any  other  hope,  I  made  a  spring  for  the 
window  which  was  right  in  front  of  the  jail  door,  where  the  mob  was 
standing,  and  also  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  Carthage  Grays,  who 
were  stationed  some  ten  or  twelve  rods  off.  The  weather  was  hot, 
we  all  of  us  had  our  coats  off,  and  the  window  was  raised  to  admit 
air.  As  I  reached  the  window,  and  was  on  the  point  of  leaping  out, 
I  was  struck  by  a  ball  from  the  door  about  midway  of  my  thigh, 
which  struck  the  bone,  and  flattened  out  almost  to  the  size  of  a 
quarter  of  a  dollar,  and  then  passed  on  throug  the  fleshy  part  to  with- 
in about  half  an  inch  of  the  outside.  I  think  some  prominent  nerve 
must  have  been  severed  or  injurd,  for,  as  soon  as  the  ball  struck  me, 
I  fell  like  a  bird  when  shot,  or  an  ox  when  struck  by  a  butcher,  and 
lost  entirely  and  instantaneously  all  power  of  action  or  locomotion. 
I  fell  upon  the  window-sill,  and  cried  out,  "I  am  shot!"  Not  possess- 
ing any  power  to  move,  I  felt  myself  falling  outside  of  the  window, 
but  immediately  I  fell  inside,  from  some,  at  that  time,  unknown  cause. 
When  I  struck  the  floor  my  animation  seemed  restored,  as  I  have  seen 
it  sometimes  in  squirrels  and  birds  after  being  shot.  As  soon  as  I 
felt  the  power  of  motion  I  crawled  under  the  bed  which  was  in  a 


APPENDICES.  445 

corner  of  the  room,  not  far  from  the  window  where  I  received  my 
wound.  While  on  my  way  and  under  the  bed  I  was  wounded  in  three 
other  places;  one  ball  entered  a  little  below  the  left  knee,  and  never 
was  extracted;  another  entered  the  forepart  of  my  left  arm,  a  little 
above  the  wrist,  and,  passing  down  by  the  joint,  lodged  in  the  fleshy 
part  of  my  hand,  about  midway,  a  little  above  the  upper  joint  of  my 
little  finger;  another  struck  me  on  the  fleshy  part  of  my  left  hip,  and 
tore  away  the  flesh  as  large  as  my  hand,  dashing  the  mangled  frag- 
ments of  flesh  and  blood  against  the  wall. 

My  wounds  were  painful,  and  the  sensation  produced  was.  as 
though  a  ball  had  passed  through  and  down  the  whole  length  of  my 
leg.  I  very  well  remember  my  reflections  at  the  time.  I  had  a  very 
painful  idea  of  becoming  lame  and  decrepid,  and  being  an  object  of 
pity,  and  I  felt  as  though  I  would  rather  die  than  be  placed  in  such 
circumstances. 

It  would  seem  that  immediately  after  my  attempt  to  leap  out  of 
the  window,  Joseph  also  did  the  same  thing,  of  which  circumstance  I 
have  no  knowledge  only  from  information.  The  first  thing  that  I 
noticed  was  a  cry  that  he  had  leaped  out  of  the  window.  A  cessation 
of  firing  followed,  the  mob  rushed  down  stairs,  and  Dr.  Richards  went 
to  the  window.  Immediately  afterwards  I  saw  the  doctor  going  to- 
wards the  jail  door,  and  as  there  was  an  iron  door  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs  adjoining  our  door  which  led  into  the  cells  for  criminals,  it 
struck  me  that  the  doctor  was  going  in  there,  and  I  said  to  him, 
"Stop,  doctor,  and  take  me  along."  He  proceeded  to  the  door  and 
opened  it,  and  then  returned  and  dragged  me  along  to  a  small  cell 
prepared  for  criminals. 

Brother  Richards  was  very  much  troubled,  and  exclaimed,  "Oh! 
Brother  Taylor,  is  it  possible  that  they  have  killed  both  Brother 
Hyrum  and  Joseph?  it  cannot  surely  be,  and  yet  I  saw  them  shoot 
them;"  and,  elevating  his  hands  two  or  three  times,  he  exclaimed, 
"Oh  Lord,  my  God,  spare  thy  servants!"  He  then  said,  "Brother 
Taylor,  this  is  a  terrible  event;"  and  he  dragged  me  farther  into  the 
cell,  saying,  "I  am  sorry  I  can  do  no  better  for  you;"  and,  taking  an 
old,  filthy  mattress,  he  covered  me  with  it,  and  said,  "That  may  hide 
you,  and  you  may  yet  live  to  tell  the  tale,  but  I  expect  they  will  kill 


446  APPENDICES. 

me  in  a  few  moments."  While  lying  in  this  position  I  suffered  the 
most  excruciating  pain. 

Soon  afterwards  Dr.  Richards  came  to  me,  informed  me  that  the 
mob  had  precipitately  fled,  and  at  the  same  time  confirmed  my  worst 
fears  that  Joseph  was  assuredly  dead.  I  felt  a  dull,  lonely,  sickening 
sensation  at  the  news.  When  I  reflected  that  our  noble  chieftain,  the 
prophet  of  the  living  God,  had  fallen,  and  that  I  had  seen  his  brother 
in  the  cold  embrace  of  death,  it  seemed  as  though  there  was  a  void  or 
vacuum  in  the  great  field  cf  human  existence  to  me,  and  a  drak,  gloomy 
chasm  in  the  kingdom,  and  that  we  were  left  alone.  Oh  how  lonely 
was  that  feeling!  How  cold,  barren  and  desolate!  In  the  midst  of 
difficulties  he  was  always  the  first  in  motion;  in  critical  positions  his 
counsel  was  always  sought.  As  our  prophet  he  approached  our  God, 
and  obtained  for  us  his  will;  but  now  our  prophet,  our  counselor,  our 
general,  our  leader  was  gone,  and  amid  the  fiery  ordeal  that  we  then 
had  to  pass  through,  we  were  left  alone  without  his  aid,  and  as  our 
future  guide  for  things  spiritual  or  temporal,  and  for  all  things  per- 
taining to  this  world  or  the  next,  he  had  spoken  for  the  last  time  on 
earth! 

These  reflections  and  a  thousand  others  flashed  upon  my  mind.  I 
thought.  Why  must  the  good  perish,  and  the  virtuous  be  destroyed? 
Why  must  God's  nobility,  the  salt  of  the  earth,  the  most  exalted  of 
the  human  family,  and  the  most  perfect  types  of  all  excellence,  fall 
victims  to  the  cruel,  fiendish  hate  of  incarnate  devils? 

The  poignancy  of  my  grief,  I  presume,  however,  was  somewhat 
allayed  by  the  extreme  suffering  that  I  endured  from  my  wounds. 

Soon  afterwards  I  was  taken  to  the  head  of  the  stairs  and  laid 
there,  where  I  had  a  full  view  of  our  beloved  and  now  murdered 
Brother  Hyrum.  There  he  lay  as  I  had  left  him;  he  had  not  moved  a 
limb;  he  lay  placid  and  calm,  a  monument  of  greatness  even  in 
death;  but  his  noble  spirit  had  left  its  tenement,  and  was  gone  to 
dwell  in  regions  more  congenial  to  its  exalted  nature.  Poor  Hyrum! 
he  was  a  great  and  good  man,  and  my  soul  was  cemented  to  his.  If 
ever  there  was  an  exemplary,  honest,  and  virtuous  man,  an  embodi- 
ment of  all  that  is  noble  in  the  human  form,  Hyrum  Smith  was  its 
representative. 

While  I  lay  there  a  number  of  persons  came  around,  among  whom 


APPENDICES.  447 

was  a  physician.  The  doctor,  on  seeing  a  ball  lodged  in  my  left  hand, 
took  a  penknife  from  his  pocket  and  made  an  incision  in  it  for  the 
purpose  of  extracting  the  ball  therefrom,  and  having  obtained  a  pair 
of  carpenter's  compasses,  made  use  of  them  to  draw  or  pry  out  the  ball^ 
alternately  using  the  penknife  and  compasses.  After  sawing  for  some 
time  with  a  dull  penknife,  and  prying  and  pulling  with  the  compasses, 
he  ultimately  succeded  in  extracting  the  ball,  which  weighed  about 
half  an  ounce.  Some  time  afterwards  he  remarked  to  a  friend  of  mine 
that  I  had  "nerves  like  the  devil,"  to  stand  what  I  did  in  its  extraction. 
I  really  thought  I  had  need  of  nerves  to  stand  such  surgical  butch- 
ery, and  that,  whatever  my  nerves  may  be,  his  practice  was  devilish. 

This  company  wished  to  remove  me  to  Mr.  Hamilton's  hotel,  the 
place  where  we  had  staid  previous  to  our  incarceration  in  jail.  I  told 
them,  however,  that  I  did  not  wish  to  go;  I  did  not  consider  it  safe- 
They  protested  that  it  was,  and  that  I  was  safe  with  them;  that  it 
was  a  perfect  outrage  for  men  to  be  used  as  we  had  been;  that  they 
were  my  friends;  that  it  was  for  my  good  they  were  counseling  me, 
and  that  I  could  be  better  taken  care  of  there  than  here. 

I  replied,  "I  don't  know  you.  Who  am  I  among?  I  am  sur- 
rounded by  assassins  and  murderers;  witness  your  deeds!  Don't  talk 
to  me  of  kindness  or  comfort;  look  at  your  murdered  victims.  Look 
at  me!  I  want  none  of  your  counsel  nor  comfort.  There  may  be 
some  safety  here;  I  can  be  assured  of  none  anywhere,"  etc. 

They  G d their  souls  to  hell,  made  the  most  solemn  as- 

servations,  and  swore  by  God  and  the  devil,  and  everything  else 
that  they  could  think  of,  that  they  would  stand  by  me  to  death  and 
protect  me.  In  half  an  hour  every  one  of  them  had  fled  from  the 
town. 

Soon  after  a  coroner's  jury  were  assembled  in  the  room  over  the 
body  of  Hyrum.  Among  the  jurors  was  Captain  Smith,  of  the  Carth- 
age Grays,  who  had  assisted  in  the  murder,  and  the  same  justice  be- 
fore whom  we  had  been  tried.  I  learned  of  Francis  Higbee  as  being 
in  the  neighborhood.  On  hearing  his  name  mentioned,  I  immediately 
arose  and  said,  "Captain  Smith,  you  are  a  justice  of  the  peace;  I  have 
heard  his  name  mentioned;  I  want  to  swear  my  life  against  him."  I 
was  informed  that  word  was  immediately  sent  to  him  to  leave  the 
place,  which  he  did. 


448  APPENDICES. 

Brother  Richards  was  busy  during  this  time  attending  to  the 
coroner's  inquest,  and  to  the  removal  of  the  bodies,  and  making  ar- 
rangements for  their  removal  from  Carthage  to  Nauvoo. 

When  he  had  a  little  leisure,  he  again  came  to  me,  and  at  his 
suggestion  I  was  removed  to  Hamilton's  tavern.  I  felt  that  he  was 
the  only  friend,  the  only  person,  that  I  could  rely  upon  in  that  town. 
It  was  with  difficulty  that  sufficient  persons  could  be  found  to  carry 
me  to  the  tavern;  for  immediately  after  the  murder  a  great  fear  fell 
upon  all  the  people,  and  men,  women,  and  children  fled  with  great 
precipitation,  leaving  nothing  nor  anybody  in  the  town  but  two  or 
three  women  and  children  and  one  or  two  sick  persons. 

It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  Brother  Richards  prevailed  upon 
Mr.  Hamilton,  hotel-keeper,  and  his  family,  to  stay;  they  would  not 
until  Brother  Richards  had  given  a  solemn  promise  that  he  would  see 
them  protected,  and  hence  I  was  looked  upon  as  a  hostage.  Under 
these  circumstances,  notwithstanding,  I  believe  they  were  hostile  to 
the  Mormons,  and  were  glad  that  the  murder  had  taken  place,  though 
they  did  not  actually  participate  in  it;  and,  feeling  that  I  should 
be  a  protection  to  them,  they  staid. 

The  whole  community  knew  that  a  dreadful  outrage  had  been 
perpetrated  by  those  villains,  and  fearing  lest  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo, 
as  they  possessed  the  power,  might  have  a  disposition  to  visit  them 
with  a  terrible  vengeance,  they  fled  in  the  wildest  confusion.  And, 
indeed,  it  was  with  very  great  difficulty  that  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo 
could  be  restrained.  A  horrid,  barbarous  murder  had  been  committed, 
the  most  solemn  pledge  violated,  and  that,  too,  while  the  victims  were, 
contrary  to  the  requirements  of  the  law,  putting  themselves  into  the 
hands  of  the  governor  to  pacify  a  popular  excitement.  This  outrage 
was  enhanced  by  the  reflection  that  our  people  were  able  to  protect 
themselves  against  not  only  all  the  mob,  but  against  three  times  their 
number  and  that  of  the  governor's  troops  put  together.  They  were 
also  exasperated  by  the  speech  of  the  governor  in  town. 

The  whole  events  were  so  faithless,  so  dastardly,  so  mean,  cow- 
ardly, and  contemptible,  without  one  extenuating  circumstance,  that 
it  would  not  have  been  surprising  if  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo  had  arisen 
en  masse,  and  blotted  the  wretches  out  of  existence.  The  citizens  of 
Carthage  knew  they  would  have  done  so  under  such  circumstances, 


APPENDICES.  449 

and,  judging  us  by  themselves,  they  were  all  panic-stricken,  and  fled. 
Colonel  Markham,  too,  after  his  expulsion  from  Carthage,  had  gone 
home,  related  the  circumstances  of  his  ejectment,  and  was  using  his 
influence  to  get  a  company  to  go  out.  Fearing  that  when  the  people 
heard  that  their  prophet  and  patriarch  had  been  murdered  under  the 
above  circumstances  they  might  act  rashly,  and  knowing  that  if  they 
once  got  roused,  like  a  mighty  avalanche  they  would  lay  the  country 
waste  before  them  and  take  a  terrible  vengeance — as  none  of  the 
Twelve  were  in  Nauvoo,  and  no  one,  perhaps,  with  sufficient  influence 
to  control  the  people,  Dr.  Richards,  after  consulting  me,  wrote  the 
following  note,  fearing  that  my  family  might  be  seriously  affected 
by  the  news.    I  told  him  to  insert  that  I  was  slightly  wounded. 

Willard  Richards'  Note  from  Carthage  Jail  to  Nauvoo* 

"Carthage  jail,  8  o'clock  5  min.  p.  m.,  June  27th,  1844. 
"Joseph  and  Hyrum  are  dead.  Taylor  wounded,  not  very  badly. 
I  am  well.  Our  guard  was  forced,  as  we  believe,  by  a  band  of  Mis- 
sourians  from  100  to  200.  The  job  was  done  in  an  instant,  and  the 
party  fled  towards  Nauvoo  instantly.  This  is  as  I  believe  it.  The 
citizens  here  are  afraid  of  the  'Mormons'  attacking  them;  I  promise 
them  no. 

W.  Richards. 
"N.  B. — The  citizens  promise  us  protection;  alarm  guns  have 
been  fired. 

"John  Taylor." 

I  remember  signing  my  name  as  quickly  as  possible,  lest  the 
tremor  of  my  hand  should  be  noticed,  and  the  fears  of  my  family 
excited. 

A  messenger  was  dispatched  immediately  with  the  note,  but  he 
was  intercepted  by  the  governor,  who,  on  hearing  a  cannon  fired  at 
Carthage,  which  was  to  be  the  signal  for  the  murder,  immediately 
fled  with  his  company,  and  fearing  that  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  when 
apprised  of  the  horrible  outrage,  would  immediately  rise  and  pursue, 
he  turned  back  the  messenger,  who  was  George  D.  Grant.    A  second 


*  D9seret  News,  No.  38,  Nov.  25,  1857,  p.  297. 


450  APPENDICES. 

one  was  sent,  who  was  treated  similarly;  and  not  until  a  third  at- 
tempt could  news  be  got  to  Nauvoo. 

Samuel  H.  Smith,  brother  to  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  was  the  first 
brother  I  saw  after  the  outrage;  I  am  not  sure  whether  he  took  the 
news  or  not;  he  lived  at  the  time  in  Plymouth,  Hancock  County,  and 
was  on  his  way  to  Carthage  to  see  his  brothers,  when  he  was  met  by 
some  of  the  troops,  or  rather  mob,  that  had  been  dismissed  by  the 
governor,  and  who  were  on  their  way  home.  On  learning  that  he 
was  Joseph  Smith's  brother  they  sought  to  kill  him,  but  he  escaped, 
and  fled  into  the  woods,  where  he  was  chased  for  a  length  of  time  by 
them;  but,  after  severe  fatigue,  and  much  danger  and  excitement,  he 
succeeded  in  escaping,  and  came  to  Carthage.  He  was  on  horseback 
when  he  arrived,  and  was  not  only  very  much  tired  with  the  fatigue 
and  excitement  of  the  chase,  but  was  also  very  much  distressed  in 
feelings  on  account  of  the  death  of.  his  brothers.  These  things  pro- 
duced a  fever,  which  laid  the  foundation  for  his  death,  which  took 
place  on  the  30th  of  July.  Thus  another  of  the  brothers  fell  a  victim 
although  not  directly,  but  indirectly  to  this  infernal  mob. 

I  lay  from  about  five  o'clock  until  two  next  morning  without 
having  my  wounds  dressed,  as  there  was  scarcely  any  help  of  any 
kind  in  Carthage,  and  Brother  Richards  was  busy  with  the  dead 
bodies,  preparing  them  for  removal.  My  wife  Leonora  started  early 
the  next  day,  having  had  some  little  trouble  in  getting  a  company  or 
a  physician  to  come  with  her;  after  considerable  difficulty  she  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  an  escort,  and  Dr.  Samuel  Bennet  came  along  with 
her.  Soon  after  my  father  and  mother  arrived  from  Oquakie,  near 
which  place  they  had  a  farm  at  that  time,  and  hearing  of  the  trouble 
hastened  along. 

General  Demming,  Brigadier  General  of  the  Hancock  County 
Militia,  was  very  much  of  a  gentleman,  and  showed  me  every  cour- 
tesy, and  Colonel  Jones  also  was  very  solicitous  about  my  welfare. 

I  was  called  upon  by  several  gentlemen  of  Quincy  and  other 
places,  among  whom  was  Judge  Ralston,  as  well  as  by  our  own  peo- 
ple, and  a  medical  man  extracted  a  ball  from  my  left  thigh  that  was 
giving  me  much  pain;  it  lay  about  half  an  inch  deep,  and  my  thigh 
was  considerably  swollen.  The  doctor  asked  me  if  I  would  be  tied 
during  the  operation;  I  told  him  no;  that  I  could  endure  the  cutting 


APPENDICES.  451 

associated  with  the  operation  as  well  without,  and  I  did  so;  indeed,  so 
great  was  the  pain  I  endured  that  the  cutting  was  rather  a  relief 
than  otherwise. 

A  very  laughable  incident  occurred  at  the  time;  my  wife  Leonora 
went  into  an  adjoining  room  to  pray  for  me,  that  I  might  be  sus- 
tained during  the  operation.  While  on  her  knees  at  prayer,  a  Mrs. 
Bedell,  an  old  lady  of  the  Methodist  association,  entered,  and,  patting 
Mrs.  Taylor  on  her  back  with  her  hand,  said,  "There's  a  good  lady, 
pray  for  God  to  forgive  your  sins,  pray  that  you  may  be  converted, 
and  the  Lord  may  have  mercy  on  your  soul." 

The  scene  was  so  ludicrous  that  Mrs.  Tayloy  knew  not  whether 
to  laugh  or  be  angry.  Mrs.  Taylor  informed  me  that  Mr.  Hamilton, 
the  father  of  the  Hamilton  who  kept  the  house,  rejoiced  at  the  mur- 
der, and  said  in  company  that  "it  was  done  up  in  the  best  possible 
style,  and  showed  good  generalship;"  and  she  further  believed  that 
the  other  branches  of  the  family  sanctioned  it.  These  were  the  asso- 
ciates of  the  old  lady  referred  to,  and  yet  she  could  talk  of  conver- 
sion and  saving  souls  in  the  midst  of  blood  and  murder:  such  is  man 
and  such  consistency. 

The  ball  being  extracted  was  the  one  that  first  struck  me,  which 
I  before  referred  to:  it  entered  on  the  outside  of  my  left  thigh,  about 
five  inches  from  my  knee,  and,  passing  rather  obliquely  towards  my 
body,  had,  it  would  seem,  struck  the  bone,  for  it  was  flatted  out 
nearly  as  thin  and  large  as  a  quarter  of  a  4jollar. 

The  governor  passed  on,  staying  at  Carthage  only  a  few  minutes, 
and  he  did  not  stop  until  he  got  fifty  miles  from  Nauvoo.  There  had 
been  various  opinions  about  the  complicity  of  the  governor  in  the 
murder,  some  supposing  that  he  knew  all  about  it,  and  assisted  or 
winked  at  its  execution.  It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  form  a  correct 
opinion;  from  the  facts  presented  it  is  very  certain  that  things  looked 
more  than  suspicious  against  him. 

In  the  first  place,  he  positively  knew  that  we  had  broken  no 
law. 

Secondly.  He  knew  that  the  mob  had  not  only  passed  inflam- 
matory resolutions,  threatening  extermination  to  the  Mormons,  but 
that  they  had  actually  assembled  armed  mobs  and  commenced  hostil- 
ities against  us. 


452  APPENDICES. 

Thirdly.  He  took  those  very  mobs  that  had  been  arrayed 
against  us,  and  enrolled  them  as  his  troops,  thus  legalizing  their 
acts. 

Fourthly.  He  disbanded  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  which  had  never 
violated  law,  and  disarmed  them,  and  had  about  his  person  in  the 
shape  of  militia  known  mobocrats  and  violaters  of  the  law. 

Fifthly.  He  requested  us  to  come  to  Carthage  without  arms, 
promising  protection,  and  then  refused  to  interfere  in  delivering  us 
from  prison,  although  Joseph  and  Hyrum  were  put  there  contrary 
to  law. 

Sixthly.  Although  he  refused  to  interfere  in  our  behalf,  yet, 
when  Captain  Smith  went  to  him  and  informed  him  that  the  persons 
refused  to  come  out,  he  told  him  that  he  had  a  command  and  knew 
what  to  do,  thus  sanctioning  the  use  of  force  in  the  violation  of  law 
when  opposed  to  us,  whereas  he  would  not  for  us  interpose  his  ex- 
ecutive authority  to  free  us  from  being  incarcerated  contrary  to  law, 
although  he  was  fully  informed  of  all  the  facts  of  the  case,  as  we 
kept  him  posted  in  the  affairs  all  the  time. 

Seventhly.  He  left  the  prisoners  in  Carthage  jail  contrary  to 
his  plighted  faith. 

Eightly.  Before  he  went  he  dismissed  all  the  troops  that  could 
be  relied  upon,  as  well  as  many  of  the  mob,  and  left  us  in  charge  of 
the  "Carthage  Grays,"  a  company  that  he  knew  were  mobocratic, 
our  most  bitter  enemies,  and  who  had  passed  resolutions  to  extermi- 
nate us,  and  who  had  been  placed  under  guard  by  General  Demming 
only  the  day  before. 

Ninthly.  He  was  informed  of  the  intended  murder,  both  before 
he  left  and  while  on  the  road,  by  several  different  parties. 

Tenthly.  When  the  cannon  was  fired  in  Carthage,  signifying 
that  the  deed  was  done,  he  immediately  took  up  his  line  of  march 
and  fled.  How  did  he  know  that  this  signal  portrayed  their  death  if 
he  was  not  in  the  secret?  It  may  be  said  some  of  the  party  told 
him.  How  could  he  believe  what  the  party  said  about  the  gun  signal 
if  he  could  not  believe  the  testimony  of  several  individuals  who  told 
him  in  positive  terms  about  the  contemplated  murder? 

He  has,  I  believe,  stated  that  he  left  the  "Carthage  Grays"  there 
because  he  considered  that,  as  their  town  was  contiguous  to  ours,  and 


APPENDICES.  453 

as  the  responsibility  of  our  safety  rested  solely  upon  them,  they 
would  not  dare  suffer  any  indignity  to  befall  us.  This  very  admis- 
sion shows  that  he  did  really  expect  danger;  and  then  he  knew  that 
these  people  had  published  to  the  world  that  they  would  exterminate 
us,  and  his  leaving  us  in  their  hands  and  taking  of  their  responsibil- 
ities was  like  leaving  a  lamb  in  charge  of  a  wolf,  and  trusting  to  its 
humanity  and  honor  for  its  safe-keeping. 

It  is  said,  again  that  he  would  not  have  gone  to  Nauvoo,  and 
thus  placed  himself  in  the  hands  of  the  Mormons,  if  he  had  antici- 
pated any  such  event,  as  he  would  be  exposed  to  their  wrath.  To 
this  it  may  be  answered  that  the  Mormons  did  not  know  their  sig- 
nals, while  he  did;  and  they  were  also  known  in  Warsaw,  as  well  as  in 
other  places;  and  as  soon  as  the  gun  was  fired,  a  merchant  of  War- 
saw jumped  upon  his  horse  and  rode  directly  to  Quincy,  and  reported 
"Joseph  and  Hyrum  killed,  and  those  who  were  with  them  in  jail." 
He  reported  further  that  "they  were  attempting  to  break  jail,  and 
were  all  killed  by  the  guard."  This  was  their  story;  it  was  antici- 
pated to  kill  all,  and  the  gun  was  to  be  the  signal  that  the  deed  was 
accomplished.  This  was  known  in  Warsaw.  The  governor  also  knew 
it  and  fled;  and  he  could  really  be  in  no  danger  in  Nauvoo,  for  the 
Mormons  did  not  know  it,  and  he  had  plenty  of  time  to  escape, 
which  he  did. 

It  is  said  that  he  made  all  his  officers  promise  solemnly  that  they 
would  help  him  to  protect  the  Smiths;  this  may  or  may  not  be.  At 
any  rate,  some  of  these  same  officers  helped  to  murder  them. 

The  strongest  argument  in  the  governor's  favor,  and  one  that 
would  bear  more  weight  with  us  than  all  the  rest  put  together, 
would  be  that  he  could  not  believe  them  capable  of  such  atrocity; 
and,  thinking  that  their  talk  and  threatenings  were  a  mere  ebullition 
of  feeling,  a  kind  of  braggadocio,  and  that  there  was  enough  of  good 
moral  feeling  to  control  the  more  violent  passions,  he  trusted  to  their 
faith.  There  is,  indeed,  a  degree  of  plausibility  about  this,  but  when 
we  put  it  in  juxtaposition  to  the  amount  of  evidence  that  he  was  in 
possession  of,  it  weighs  very  little.  He  had  nothing  to  inspire  con- 
fidence in  them,  and  everything  to  make  him  mistrust  them.  Besides, 
why  his  broken  faith?  why  his  disregard  of  what  was  told  him  by 
several  parties?    Again,  if  he  knew  not  the  plan,  how  did  he  under- 


454  APPENDICES. 

stand  the  signal?  Why  so  oblivious  to  everything  pertaining  to  the 
Mormon  interest,  and  so  alive  and  interested  about  the  mobocrats? 
At  any  rate,  be  this  as  it  may,  he  stands  responsible  for  their  blood, 
and  it  is  dripping  on  his  garments.  If  it  had  not  been  for  his  prom- 
ises of  protection,  they  would  have  protected  themselves;  it  was 
plighted  faith  that  led  them  to  the  slaughter;  and  to  make  the 
best  of  it,  it  was  a  breach  of  that  faith  and  a  non-fulfillment  of  that 
promise,  after  repeated  warning,  that  led  to  their  death. 

Having  said  so  much,  I  must  leave  the  governor  with  my  readers 
and  with  his  God.  Justice,  I  conceive,  demanded  this  much,  and  truth 
could  not  be  told  with  less;  as  I  have  said  before,  my  opinion  is  that 
the  governor  would  not  have  planned  this  murder,  but  he  had  not 
sufficient  energy  to  resist  popular  opinion,  even  if  that  opinion  led  to 
blood  and  death. 

It  was  rumored  that  a  strong  political  party,  numbering  in  its 
ranks  many  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  nation,  were  engaged  in  a 
plot  for  the  overthrow  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  that  the  governor  was  of 
this  party,  and  Sharp,  Williams,  Captain  Smith,  and  others  were  his 
accomplices,  but  whether  this  was  the  case  or  not  I  do  not  know.  It 
is  very  certain  that  a  strong  political  feeling  existed  against  Joseph 
Smith,  and  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  his  letters  to  Henry  Clay, 
were  made  use  of  by  political  parties  opposed  to  Mr.  Clay,  and  were 
the  means  of  that  statesman's  defeat.  Yet,  if  such  a  combination  as 
the  one  referred  to  existed,  I  am  not  apprised  of  it. 

While  I  lay  at  Carthage,  previous  to  Mrs.  Taylor's  arrival,  a 
pretty  good  sort  of  a  man,  who  was  lame  of  a  leg,  waited  upon  me, 
and  sat  up  at  night  with  me;  afterwards  Mrs.  Taylor,  mother  and 
others  waited  upon  me. 

Many  friends  called  upon  me,  among  whom  were  Richard  Ballan- 
tyne,  Elizabeth  Taylor,  several  of  the  Perkins  family,  and  a  number 
of  the  brethren  from  Macedonia  and  La  Harpe.  Besides  these,  many 
strangers  from  Quincy,  some  of  whom  expressed  indignant  feelings 
against  the  mob  and  sympathy  for  myself.  Brother  Alexander  Will- 
iams called  upon  me,  who  suspected  that  they  had  some  designs  in 
keeping  me  there,  and  stated  that  he  had,  at  a  given  point  in  some 
woods,  fifty  men,  and  if  I  would  say  the  word  he  would  raise  other 
fifty,  and  fetch  me  out  of  there.   I  thanked  him,  but  told  him  I  thought 


APPENDICES.  455 

there  was  no  need.  However,  it  would  seem  that  I  was  in  some 
danger;  for  Colonel  Jones,  before  referred  to,  when  absent  from  me, 
left  two  loaded  pistols  on  the  table  in  case  of  an  attack,  and  some  time 
afterward,  when  I  had  recovered  and  was  publishing  the  affair,  a 
lawyer,  Mr.  Backman,  stated  that  he  had  prevented  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Jackson,  before  referred  to,  from  ascending  the  stairs,  who 
was  coming  with  a  design  to  murder  me,  and  that  now  he  was  sorry 
he  had  not  let  him  do  the  deed. 

There  were  others  also,  of  whom  I  heard,  that  said  I  ought  to  be 
killed,  and  they  would  do  it,  but  that  it  was  too  damned  cowardly  to- 
shoot  a  wounded  man;  and  thus,  by  the  chivalry  of  murderers,  I  was 
prevented  from  being  a  second  time  mutilated  or  killed.  Many  of  the 
mob,  came  around  and  treated  me  with  apparent  respect,  and  the 
officers  and  people  generally  looked  upon  me  as  a  hostage,  and  feared 
that  my  removal  would  be  the  signal  for  the  rising  of  the  Mormons. 

I  do  not  remember  the  time  that  I  staid  at  Carthage,  but  I  think 
three  or  four  days  after  the  murder,  when  Brother  Marks  with  a  car- 
riage. Brother  James  Allred  with  a  wagon.  Dr.  Ells,  and  a  number  of 
others  on  horseback,  came  for  the  purpose  of  taking  me  to  Xauvoo.  I 
was  very  weak  at  the  time,  occasioned  by  the  loss  of  blood  and  the 
great  discharge  of  my  wounds,  so  when  my  wife  asked  me  if  I  could 
talk  I  could  barely  whisper,  no.  Quite  a  discussion  arose  as  to  the 
propriety  of  my  removal,  the  physician  and  people  of  Carthage  pro- 
testing that  it  would  be  my  death,  while  my  friends  were  anxious  for 
my  removal  if  possible. 

I  suppose  the  former  were  actuated  by  the  above-named  desire  to 
keep  me.  Colonel  Jones  was,  I  believe,  sincere;  he  had  acted  as  a 
friend  all  the  time,  and  he  told  Mrs.  Taylor  she  ought  to  persuade  me 
not  to  go,  for  he  did  not  believe  I  had  strength  enough  to  reach  Xau- 
voo. It  was  finally  agreed,  however,  that  I  should  go;  but  it  was 
thought  that  I  could  not  stand  riding  in  a  wagoa  or  carriage,  they 
prepared  a  litter  for  me;  I  was  carried  down  stairs  and  put  upon  it. 
A  number  of  men  assisted  to  carry  me,  some  of  whom  had  been  en- 
engaged  in  the  mob.  As  soon  as  I  got  down  stairs,  I  felt  much  better 
and  strengthened,  so  that  I  could  talk;  I  suppose  the  effect  of  the 
fresh  air. 

When  we  got  near  the  outside  of  the  town  I  remembered  some 


456  APPENDICES. 

woods  that  we  had  to  go  through,  and  telling  a  person  near  to  call 
for  Dr.  Ells,  who  was  riding  a  very  good  horse,  I  said,  "Doctor,  I  per- 
ceive that  the  people  are  getting  fatigued  with  carrying  me;  a  num- 
ber of  Mormons  live  about  two  or  three  miles  from  here,  near  our 
route,  will  you  ride  to  their  settlement  as  quick  as  possible,  and  have 
them  come  and  meet  us?"  He  started  off  on  a  gallop  immediately. 
My  object  in  this  was  to  obtain  protection  in  case  of  an  attack,  rather 
than  to  obtain  help  to  carry  me. 

Very  soon  after  the  men  from  Carthage  inade  one  isxcuse  after 
■another  until  they  had  all  left,  and  I  felt  glad  to  get  rid  of  them.  I 
found  that  the  tramping  of  those  carrying  me  produced  violent  pain, 
and  a  sleigh  was  produced  and  attached  to  the  hind  end  of  Brother 
James  Allred's  wagon,  a  bed  placed  upon  it,  and  I  propped  up  on  the 
bed.  Mrs.  Taylor  rode  with  me,  applying  ice  and  ice-water  to  my 
wounds.  As  the  sleigh  was  dragged  over  the  grass  on  the  prairie, 
which  was  quite  tall,  it  moved  very  easy  and  gave  me  very  little  pain. 

When  I  got  within  five  or  six  miles  of  Nauvoo  the  brethren  com- 
menced to  meet  me  from  the  city,  and  they  increased  in  number  as 
we  drew  nearer,  until  there  was  a  very  large  company  of  people  of 
all  ages  and  both  sexes,  principally,  however,  men. 

For  some  time  there  had  been  almost  incessant  rain,  so  that  in 
many  low  places  on  the  prairie  it  was  from  one  to  three  feet  deep  in 
water,  and  at  such  places  the  brethren  whom  we  met  took  hold  of  the 
sleigh,  lifted  it,  and  carried  it  over  the  water;  and  wheti  we  arrived 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city,  where  the  roads  were  excessively 
muddy  and  bad,  the  brethren  tore  down  the  fences,  and  we  passsed 
through  the  fields.  * 

Never  shall  I  forget  the  difference  of  feeling  that  I  experienced 
between  the  place  that  I  had  left  and  the  one  that  I  had  now  arrived 
at.  I  had  left  a  lot  of  reckless,  bloodthirsty  murderers,  and  had 
come  to  the  City  of  the  Saints,  the  people  of  the  living  God;  friends 
of  truth  and  righteousness,  thousands  of  whom  stood  there  with 
warm,  true  hearts  to  offer  their  friendship  and  services,  and  to  wel- 
come my  return.  It  is  true  it  was  a  painful  scene,  and  brought  sor- 
rowful remembrance  to  mind,  but  to  me  it  caused  a  thrill  of  joy  to 
find  myself  once  more  in  the  bosom  of  my  friends,  and  to  meet  with 
the  cordial  welcome  of  true,  honest  hearts.    What  was  very  remark- 


APPENDICES.  457 

able,  I  found  myself  very  much  better  after  my  arrival  at  Nauvoo 
than  I  was  when  I  started  on  my  journey,  although  I  had  traveled 
eighteen  miles. 

The  next  day  as  some  change  was  wanting,  I  told  Mrs.  Taylor 
that  if  she  could  send  to  Dr.  Richards,  he  had  my  purse  and  watch, 
and  they  would  find  money  in  my  purse. 

Previous  to  the  doctor  leaving  Carthage,  I  told  him  that  he  had 
better  take  my  purse  and  watch,  for  I  was  afraid  the  people  would 
steal  them.  The  doctor  had  taken  my  pantaloons'  pocket,  and  put 
the  watch  in  it  with  the  purse,  cut  off  the  pocket,  and  tied  a  string 
around  the  top;  it  was  in  this  position  when  brought  home.  My 
family,  however,  were  not  a  little  startled  to  find  that  my  watch 
had  been  struck  with  a  ball.  I  sent  for  my  vest,  and,  upon  examina- 
tion, it  was  found  that  there  was  a  cut  as  if  with  a  knife,  in  the  vest 
pocket  which  had  contained  my  watch.  In  the  pocket  the  fragments 
of  the  glass  were  found  literally  ground  to  powder.  It  then  occurred 
to  me  that  a  ball  had  struck  me  at  the  time  I  felt  myself  falling 
out  of  the  window,  and  that  it  was  this  force  that  threw  me  inside. 
I  had  often  remarked  to  Mrs.  Taylor  the  singular  fact  of  finding  my- 
self inside  the  room,  when  I  felt  a  moment  before  after  being  shot, 
that  I  was  falling  out,  and  I  never  could  account  for  it  until  then; 
but  here  the  thing  was  fully  elucidated,  and  was  rendered  plain  to 
my  mind.  I  was  indeed  falling  out,  when  some  villain  aimed  at  my 
heart.  The  ball  struck  my  watch,  and  forced  me  back;  If  I  had 
fallen  out  I  should  assuredly  have  been  killed,  if  not  by  the  fall,  by 
those  around,  and  this  ball  intended  to  dispatch  me,  was  turned  by  an 
overruling  Providence  into  a  messenger  of  mercy,  and  saved  my  life. 
I  shall  never  forget  the  feelings  of  gratitude  that  I  then  experienced 
towards  my  Heavenly  Father;  the  whole  scene  was  vividly  portrayed 
before  me,  and  my  heart  melted  before  the  Lord.  I  felt  that  the 
Lord  had  preserved  me  by  a  special  act  of  mercy;  that  my  time  had 
not  yet  come,  and  that  I  had  still  a  work  to  perform  upon  the 
earth. 

(Signed), 

John  Taylor. 


Date  Due 

AU  library  items  are  subject  to  recaU  3  weeks  from 
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