Illinois Legislature took up a bill to repeal a part of the Nauvoo city
charter. There was a determination on the part of the majority to push
the bill to its passage; and all the protests of a few fair-minded and
courageous men availed nothing. Representative Thomas B. Owen compared
the charter of Nauvoo with those of other cities and showed that this
bill proposed to repeal the same powers in the Nauvoo charter which
existed in every other charter in the state. He declared positively
of his own knowledge that good order and industry characterized
the "Mormons," and he made no doubt that they were much abused. He
protested against such a malicious and contemptible course of cowardice
as that which was proposed. Next day the bill was put upon its passage;
and William Smith of Nauvoo, who was a representative in the Assembly,
moved an amendment to the title of the measure so that it would
read--"A bill for an act to humbug the citizens of Nauvoo." The motion
created great sensation, in the midst of which William declared that
he considered the amendment perfectly described the contents of the
bill, and he was anxious that things should be called by their right
names. Naturally the chair decided that such an amendment, "not being
respectful," was not in order, and the bill with its original title
was then passed. On the 4th of March the Senate considered this same
measure and refused to pass it.
Hyrum brought information to the mayor on the evening of the 25th of
March, 1843, upon which Joseph issued a proclamation as follows:
Whereas it is reported that there now exists a band of desperadoes,
bound by oaths of secrecy, under severe penalties in case any
member of the combination divulges their plans of stealing and
conveying properties from station to station, up and down the
Mississippi and other routes: And
Whereas it is reported that the fear of the execution of the pains
and penalties of their secret oath on their persons prevents some
members of said secret association (who have, through falsehood and
deceit, been drawn into their snares), from divulging the same to
the legally-constituted authorities of the land:
Know ye, therefore, that I, Joseph Smith, Mayor of the City of
Nauvoo, will grant and insure protection against all personal mob
violence to each and every citizen of this city who will come
before me and truly make known the names of all such abominable
characters as are engaged in said secret combination for stealing,
or are accessory thereto, in any manner. And I respectfully solicit
the co-operation of all ministers of justice in this and the
neighboring states to ferret out a band of thievish outlaws from
our midst.
Joseph was determined to protect Nauvoo from plunderers without, and
from thieves within, and this determination expressed in the document
just quoted was so vigorously enforced that the bad elements, in self
protection, combined against him. This league was one of the factors in
the culminating persecutions of his life.
In the beginning of April the Prophet went to Ramus accompanied by
Apostle Orson Hyde and William Clayton, to preach to the Saints there.
Among many important utterances contained in his sermons of that time
are these:
When the Savior shall appear, we shall see Him as He is. We shall
see that He is a man like ourselves; and that same sociality which
exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be
coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy. (John
14:2, 3.) The appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse,
is a _personal_ appearance; and the idea that the Father and the
Son dwell in a man's heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false.
In answer to the question, "Is not the reckoning of God's time,
angel's time, prophet's 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 do 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 place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim. This
earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto
crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell
thereon, 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 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to
each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a
higher order of kingdoms, even all 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
* * * * * * *
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 obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in
the world to come. There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven
before the foundations 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 Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as 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 descend
upon him and not tarry with him.
In May, while returning through Carthage from his mission to Ramus,
Joseph dined with Stephen A. Douglas, who was there holding court.
After dinner, the Prophet, at the request of Douglas, gave a minute
history of the persecutions of the Saints in Missouri. The judge
listened attentively and pronounced unstinted condemnation upon the
conduct of Boggs and the other mobocrats of Missouri, and declared
that they ought to be punished. Joseph concluded by saying that this
wholesale plunder and extermination was a foul and corroding blot upon
the fair fame of the Republic, the very thought of which would have
caused the patriotic framers of the Constitution to hide their faces in
sorrow and shame. He prophesied to Douglas:
Judge, you will aspire to the presidency of the United States, and
if you ever turn your hand against the Latter-day Saints, you will
feel the weight of the hand of the Almighty upon you; and you will
live to see and know that I have testified the truth to you, for
the conversation of this day will be with you through life.
These words of the Prophet to Judge Douglas have been fulfilled to
the very letter. Douglas did aspire to the presidency of the United
States; he did use his influence against the Latter-day Saints thinking
he could gain popularity by so doing; and he miserably failed. He was
deserted by his own friends, and died a disappointed man.
Commencing on the first day of the fourteenth year of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a special conference was held on the
floor of the temple at Nauvoo. In presenting the authorities of the
Church, the Prophet asked the people if they were satisfied with the
First Presidency. "If," said he, "I have done anything to injure my
standing or dishonor our religion in the sight of angels, or men, or
women, I am sorry for it. I do not know that I have done anything of
the kind; but if I have, come forward and tell me of it."
Joseph wanted the Saints to feel that every officer of the Church, from
the President down to the least in authority, was responsible to the
body of the Saints, as well as to God, for his conduct; and thereby
established a rule which was of great help at a later time.
Brigham Young made the motion to sustain Joseph Smith as President of
the whole Church, and one vast sea of hands was presented, carrying the
motion unanimously.
At this conference Apostle Orson Pratt remarked that a man's body
changes every seven years; and Joseph 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 anyone
supposes that any part of our bodies, that is, the fundamental
parts thereof, ever goes into another body, he is mistaken.
* * * * *
A special conference of the Elders was convened on the 10th day of
April, 1843, to ordain missionaries to go forth into the vineyards and
build up churches; and one hundred and fifteen appointments were made
by the united voice of the conference.
On the 12th of April two large parties of Saints landed at Nauvoo under
the charge of Elders Lorenzo Snow, Parley P. Pratt and Levi Richards.
On the day following, the emigrants and a great multitude of others
assembled at the temple to listen to an address from the Prophet to the
new comers. He advised them concerning their temporal welfare, their
means of life; and pronounced the blessings of heaven and earth upon
them, inasmuch as they should keep the commandments of God.
The lull in the active persecution against the Prophet was soon at an
end. His enemies never for an instant contemplated the relinquishment
of their purpose to carry him into Missouri to be assassinated. Threats
came to him from time to time, the low mutterings which precede the
crash of a thunderbolt. He applied to the governor of Iowa to recall
the writs issued against him upon requisitions from Missouri, so that
he might visit the Saints in Zarahemla, basing his request upon the
action taken by Judge Pope at Springfield, which substantiated the
illegality of Missouri's demand. But his request was in vain, and he
was obliged to risk his liberty and his life whenever duty called him
to the Iowa side of the river.
CHAPTER LVI.
THE CELESTIAL ORDER OF MARRIAGE--ETERNITY AND PLURALITY OF THE COVENANT
--THE REVELATION WRITTEN AND DELIVERED TO THE HIGH COUNCIL--JOSEPH,
HYRUM AND OTHERS OBEY IT.
Every woman has the right to virtuous wifehood and maternity. This was
the omnipotent design in her creation. Yet how shall it be fulfilled
under modern systems? Clearly, the Creator can make known.
"When they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in
marriage," saith the revelation; therefore the tie of conjugal relation
must be made here and to endure beyond the gates of death it must be
fixed by an eternal covenant with the divine sanction.
Joseph Smith's mission was all-comprehending. From the Church
organization, it expanded until it made known a code of moral law by
which the modern world, under the light of Christian truth, may achieve
social redemption and be forever purified.
The decree of the Lord making known to the Prophet the eternity and
plurality of marriage, was a part of this sublime plan. It came to
him little by little, as he was enabled to bear the dazzling light of
celestial glory: and when eventually the full view of the holy order
was permitted to him, he saw the principles of eternal progression, the
laws by which the universe is filled with shining and inhabited spheres
to make the infinite glory of our God. The exaltation of these visions
was all that mortal man could bear; and the Prophet felt that the dull,
selfish world would refuse to understand the purity and promise, would
refuse to undergo the earthly trials to secure the heavenly blessing,
and would seek the death of such humble disciples of the Savior as
should embrace this principle of eternal life.
Even after that portion of the revelation now recorded in the _Doctrine
and Covenants_ was made known to him, Joseph did not write it for a
time, although he obeyed its commands and taught it to Hyrum and other
faithful men, who, in prayer and humility before God, accepted and
fulfilled its requirements.
The revelation therefore remained the _unwritten_ law of God,
established in the hearts and obeyed in the lives of some of His
faithful servants, until the 12th day of July, 1843, when it was
recorded, that it might remain a comfort and guide to the people after
Joseph and Hyrum should pass away. On that day, under the Prophet's
dictation, and in the presence of Hyrum, the revelation was written
by William Clayton. A copy of it was taken the next day by Joseph C.
Kingsbury for Bishop Newel K. Whitney.
On the 12th day of August, 1843, the revelation was read before the
high council and presidency of the stake of Nauvoo. There were present
Hyrum Smith, who presented the principle; William Marks, Charles C.
Rich, and Austin Cowles, the stake presidency; and Samuel Bent, William
Huntington, Alpheus Cutler, Thomas Grover, Lewis D. Wilson, David
Fullmer, Aaron Johnson, Newel Knight, Leonard Sobey, Isaac Allred,
Henry G. Sherwood and Samuel Smith, the high council.
After reading the revelation, Hyrum promised his brethren that they
who accepted it should be blessed and sustained in the Church by the
Spirit of God and the confidence of the Saints, and they who rejected
it should fall away in their faith and power; and it was even so.
To promulgate this commandment and to obey it was probably the
Prophet's greatest earthly trial. Emma did not at first accept it; but
later she became convinced of its truth and gave good women to her
husband to wife as Sarah of old administered to Abraham.
Some of the Prophet's brethren caused him great sorrow by teaching
impurity of life under the guise of this holy principle: but their
wickedness was uncovered and the Church was purged of their presence.
The teaching of the revelation has been a test of personal holiness.
The men who have seen in this commandment a holy and exalted duty and
who obeyed in meekness and purity, have lived by their faith and have
come off triumphant; while those who have sought to minister to evil
passions have sunk and been cast out.
There is not one word in the revelation, nor was there one word in the
Prophet's teaching other than purity and self sacrifice.
The Lord said:
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,
whatsoever 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 forever 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 covenant
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, because 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
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, principalities, 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 fulness and a continuation of
the seeds forever 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 strait 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.
* * * * * * * *
And again, as pertaining to the law of the Priesthood: If any man
espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give
her consent; and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins,
and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot
commit adultery, for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit
adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else;
And now, as pertaining to this law, verily, verily, I say unto you,
I will reveal more unto you hereafter.
CHAPTER LVII.
AN EVIL QUARTETTE--REYNOLDS, FORD, BENNETT AND OWENS--A NEW WRIT--
JOSEPH KIDNAPPED AT DIXON AND THREATENED WITH DEATH--EFFORTS FOR
RELEASE ON "HABEAS CORPUS"--A WRESTLING MATCH--ENTRY INTO NAUVOO--
JOSEPH RELEASED--THE KIDNAPPERS AS FOR A MOB ARMY--INDEPENDENCE DAY AT
NAUVOO.
A pitiable yielding to murderous hate was exhibited in the conduct in
June, 1843, of Reynolds and Ford, the governors respectively of the
great states of Missouri and Illinois. The adviser of Reynolds was John
C. Bennett, the corrupt traitor; the adviser of Ford was Sam C. Owens,
one of the leaders of the Jackson mob.
On the 13th day of June, Thomas Reynolds, governor of the state of
Missouri, made a requisition upon the state of Illinois for the person
of Joseph Smith, charged with treason, on the ground that he was a
fugitive from justice. To show the close communion of the quartette,
Reynolds, Bennett, Ford and Owens, it is well to note that Bennett
and Owens, before any papers were issued, made their boasts that the
governors of the two states would comply with their demands, and that
Joseph Smith would be delivered to death at the hands of his old
enemies in Missouri. And on the 10th of June, three days before the
requisition was issued, Sam Owens and John C. Bennett had informed
Governor Ford by letter that Joseph Reynolds, sheriff of Jackson
County, (although the alleged offense of treason had been committed in
Daviess County) would be appointed by Governor Reynolds of Missouri to
receive the person of Joseph Smith from the officials of Illinois; and
they, in the same letter, instructed Governor Ford to appoint Harmon T.
Wilson of Hancock County, to serve the writ which they demanded Ford to
issue. Their reason for wanting Reynolds of Jackson County is clear; he
was known to be in sympathy with the mob there, while the officers of
Daviess County might have an abhorrence of murder and might refuse to
be so pliant as the assassins desired. While their reason for demanding
the appointment of Harmon T. Wilson was stated in a letter to Ford by
Sam C. Owens in the following words:
Dr. Bennett further writes me that he has _made an arrangement_
with Harmon T. Wilson, of Hancock County, ( Carthage, seat of
justice), in whose hands he wishes the writ that shall be issued by
you to be put.
The plan as dictated to the governors by these villains was executed.
On the same day that the governor of Missouri appointed Reynolds to
go to Illinois after the person of the Prophet, Joseph started with
Emma and their children to see her sister Mrs. Wasson, who lived near
Dixon, Lee County, Illinois. Five days later, on the 18th of June, a
message was received at Nauvoo from Judge James Adams, of Springfield,
from which it was learned that Ford had issued the writ for Joseph and
that it was on the way. Hyrum Smith immediately sent Stephen Markham
and William Clayton on horseback, William riding Joe Duncan, to find
and warn the Prophet. These devoted men traveled two hundred and twelve
miles in sixty-six hours, and found Joseph between the town of Dixon
and Wasson's place. When they told him of the danger he said:
Do not be alarmed, I have no fear, and shall not flee. I will find
friends and the Missourians cannot slay me, I tell you in the name
of Israel's God.
Wilson and Reynolds had disguised themselves and proposed to be
"Mormon" elders, following Joseph to Wasson's. On the 23rd of June they
reached that place while the family were at dinner and said: "We want
to see Brother Joseph."
They seized him the instant they found him and presented cocked pistols
to his breast, without showing any writ or serving any process. Joseph
inquired: "What is the meaning of this?"
And Reynolds replied: "God damn you, be still, or I'll shoot you, by
God."
Wilson joined in this awful profanity and threat, and they both struck
the Prophet with their pistols. He only said:
Kill me if you will, I am not afraid to die; and I have endured so
much oppression that I am weary of life. But I am a strong man, and
I could cast both of you down, if I would. If you have any legal
process to serve, present it, for I am at all times subject to law
and shall not offer resistance.
At this time, Stephen Markham walked toward them and the kidnappers
swore they would kill him; but he paid no attention to their threats.
Still bruising the Prophet with their pistols and threatening every
instant to kill him if he spoke, they dragged him to a wagon without,
and would have driven away not permitting him to say one word to his
family or to obtain his hat and coat, but Stephen Markham interposed He
boldly seized the horses by the bits, and would not let them go until
Emma could run from the house with the Prophet's clothing.
Stephen mounted a horse and started to Dixon where the kidnappers also
proceeded at full speed without even allowing Joseph to speak to his
wife or little children. The wretches had not shown any writ, nor had
they told the Prophet what was the charge against him. During the whole
journey of eight miles to Dixon they continued to strike his sides with
their pistols and to swear that they would have his life. So brutal
were their blows that he almost fainted, and each side was turned black
and blue for a circumference of eighteen inches.
At Dixon they thrust him into a room at the tavern and guarded him
there, while ordering fresh horses to be ready in five minutes. As
Stephen Markham had raised an alarm at Dixon and proposed to get a
lawyer, Reynolds once more declared his intention to shoot the Prophet.
Joseph said: "Why do you make this threat so often? If you want to
shoot me, do so. I am not afraid."
The continued calmness and the undaunted heroism of the Prophet had
their effect upon his captors; and at last they desisted from their
threats, although they continued their abuse. No doubt they would have
killed him but they were too cowardly. They wanted to get him into
Missouri where the murder could be consummated without any danger
to them. The lawyers whom Stephen secured for the Prophet were not
permitted by Reynolds and Wilson to consult their client; but the
effect of this highhanded proceeding was to arouse the indignation of
the landlord and his friends. They gathered around the hotel and told
Reynolds that this might be the Missouri way, but it would not do for
Dixon, where the people were law-abiding and would not permit any man
to be kidnapped and dragged away without knowing the charge against
him and without an opportunity for judicial examination. As a large
crowd had gathered by this time and as they threatened to take summary
action against the brigands, Reynolds and Wilson concluded to permit a
consultation with the lawyers. As soon as he could get speech with the
attorneys, Joseph told them that he had been taken prisoner without
process, had been insulted, bruised and threatened; and that he wanted
to sue out a writ of _habeas corpus_. At this Reynolds swore that he
would only wait half an hour. A Mr. Dixon who had opposed Reynolds and
Wilson in their outrageous doings, immediately sent messengers to the
master in chancery and to Lawyer Walker to have them come to Dixon to
get out a writ of _habeas corpus_.
The next morning the writ was issued, returnable before Judge Caton of
the ninth judicial circuit at Ottawa and duly served upon Reynolds and
Wilson.
Writs were also obtained against them for threatening the life of
Stephen Markham, for assaults upon Joseph and for false imprisonment;
and these villains were soon placed in the custody of the sheriff of
Lee County, whereupon their demeanor became as craven as it had before
been bold and threatening.
In the meantime Joseph had sent William Clayton to Nauvoo to inform
Hyrum of what was being done.
The Prophet still in captivity to Reynolds and Wilson, who in turn were
in custody of Sheriff Campbell, proceeded that night to Pawpaw grove,
thirty-two miles on the road to Ottawa. Here Reynolds and Wilson again
began to abuse their captive; but Campbell came to his assistance and
slept by his side that night to protect him from further assault.
Early the next morning the hotel was filled with citizens who wanted to
see the Prophet and hear him preach. Fearing the effect of an address
from Joseph, Sheriff Reynolds yelled: "I want you to understand that
this man is my legal prisoner, and you must disperse."
This was false. No writ or other process had been served upon Joseph,
and he was nobody's legal prisoner. But without waiting to discuss the
legal question, an old man named David Town, who was lame and carried a
large hickory walking stick, advanced upon Reynolds 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 you 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 sit on your case; and, sir, it is the highest
tribunal in the United States, as _from its decision there is no
appeal_.
Reynolds was made aware that Mr. Town was the head of a committee, just
then assembled to deal with some land speculators who had attempted to
impose upon honest settlers, and he obeyed with great meekness.
The Prophet talked an hour and a half on the subject of marriage, which
was the topic selected for him by his congregation. From that hour on
his freedom commenced.
Learning at Pawpaw grove that Judge Caton was absent in New York
the party turned back to Dixon, arriving there about 4 o'clock in
the afternoon of June 25th. A return of the writ of _habeas corpus_
was made to the master in chancery, with the endorsement that the
judge was absent; whereupon a new writ was issued, returnable before
the nearest tribunal in the fifth judicial district authorized to
hear and determine writs of _habeas corpus_, and Mr. Campbell, the
sheriff of Lee County, at once served it upon Wilson and Reynolds.
Arrangements were then made to go before Judge Stephen A. Douglas at
Quincy, a distance of two hundred and sixty miles; and in the meantime,
anticipating treachery, Stephen Markham started with a letter to the
Prophet's friends informing them further of his movements. This action
was deemed necessary; for the whole country seemed to be swarming with
men anxious to carry Joseph into Missouri, where, according to the free
boasts of Reynolds, Wilson and others, his death was certain.
The party in charge of the Prophet proceeded toward Quincy. On Tuesday,
the 27th of June, shortly after crossing Fox River, they met seven
of the Prophet's friends. The brethren burst into tears at sight of
Joseph; and as they embraced him he spoke to his captors who, it must
be remembered, had not yet shown any writ or other process and were
therefore kidnappers:
"I think I will not go to Missouri this time, gentlemen. These are my
boys."
Then he mounted his favorite horse, Joe Duncan; and the entire company
proceeded to a farmhouse and made a halt. This party of the Prophet's
friends was under the leadership of Thomas Grover, and from them it
was learned that Elders Charles C. Rich and Wilson Law with other and
larger parties were seeking the Prophet to prevent his murder and
abduction.
Reynolds and Wilson shook with fear. Peter W. Cownover, one of the
Prophet's friends, said to Wilson: "What is the matter with you? Have
you got the ague?"
Wilson managed to stammer, "No."
Reynolds asked, "Is Jem Flack in the crowd?"
Someone answered: "He is not now, but you will see him tomorrow about
this time."
"Then," said Reynolds, "I am a dead man; for I know him of old."
Cownover told the foolish fellow not to be frightened, for no one
intended to injure him.
Stephen Markham had turned back when he met this party and was with
them. He walked up to Reynolds and offered his hand, when the bandit
cried out: "Do you meet me as a friend? I expected to be a dead man
when I met you again."
Markham replied: "We are friends, except in law; that must have its
course."
At Andover that night Reynolds and Wilson gathered a party and held a
consultation. They intended to raise a company, take the Prophet by
force, escape from their own arrest, and run with him to the mouth of
Rock River, on the Mississippi, where they said they had a company of
men all ready to drag him into Missouri and wreak vengeance upon him.
But for Stephen Markham's vigilance they would have executed this plan,
but he foiled them by putting the Sheriff of Lee County on his guard.
On Wednesday, the 28th of June, they encamped in a little grove at the
head of Elleston Creek. While the animals were feeding, Reynolds said:
"No, we will go from here to the mouth of Rock River and take steamboat
to Quincy."
Markham replied: "No; for we are prepared to travel and will go by
land."
Wilson and Reynolds both yelled out: "No, by God, we won't; we will
never go by Nauvoo alive."
Both drew their pistols upon Markham, who turned to Sheriff Campbell
saying: "When these men took Joseph a prisoner, they took even his
pocket knife. They are now prisoners of yours and I demand that their
arms be seized."
Reynolds and Wilson refused to yield their weapons; but when the
sheriff threatened to call for assistance, they submitted.
While on this journey and resting in a little grove of timber where
the ground was well sodded, one of the lawyers for Reynolds and Wilson
began to boast of his prowess as a wrestler. He offered to wager any
sum that he could throw any man in the state of Illinois at side-hold.
Stephen Markham, a side-hold wrestler, told the lawyer that he would
not contest for money but would try a bout for fun. They grappled, and
the man threw Markham, when a great shout arose from Joseph's enemies,
and they began to taunt the Prophet and his friends.
Joseph turned to Brother Philemon C. Merrill, a young man from Nauvoo,
subsequently adjutant in the Mormon Battalion, and later a resident of
St. David, Arizona, and said: "Get up and throw that man."
Merrill was about to say that side-hold was not his game; but before he
could speak the Prophet commanded him in such a way that his tongue was
silenced. He arose to his feet filled with the strength of a Samson.
Merrill lifted his arms and said to the lawyer: "Take your choice of
sides."
The man took the left side with his right arm under; when the company
all declared that this was not fair, as he had a double advantage.
Merrill felt such confidence in the word of the Prophet that it made no
difference to him how much advantage his opponent took, and he allowed
the hold. As they grappled Joseph said: "Philemon, when I count three,
_throw him!_".
On the instant after the word dropped from Joseph's lips, Merrill, with
the strength of a giant, threw the lawyer over his left shoulder, and
he fell striking his head upon the earth.
Awe fell upon the opponents of the Prophet when they saw this, and
there were no more challenges to wrestle during the journey.
While they were lodged at a farm house near Monmouth one night Reynolds
and Wilson again plotted to raise a mob and seize Joseph; but Peter
Cownover detected them, and Sheriff Campbell put them under restraint,
feeling that they were no longer to be trusted. On Thursday, the 29th
of June, another party of the Prophet's friends joined him. He called
James Flack to his side and told him he must not injure Reynolds
whatever the provocation might have been; for the Prophet had pledged
himself to protect the Missouri sheriff.
The lawyers and Sheriff Campbell, with other civil officers, decided
that the hearing upon the writ of _habeas corpus_ might lawfully be
held in Nauvoo, and they desired to go there rather than to Quincy;
so the party turned in that direction. This occasioned great joy to
Joseph. His bruises were forgotten, and that night when they reached
the house of Michael Crane, on Honey Creek, he sprang from the buggy,
walked up to the fence, and leaped over without touching it.
A messenger had carried the news of the homecoming to Nauvoo, and on
Friday, June the 30th, a joyous cavalcade went out to meet the Prophet.
The meeting between Joseph and Hyrum was most touching. Joseph had just
passed through one of the many perils of his life, but one of the few
which Hyrum did not share; and his return caused Hyrum to weep for joy
as he took the Prophet in his arms. The spectacle of the entry into
Nauvoo was most imposing, for the delighted people sang for joy and
made such demonstration of love and gladness in Joseph's behalf, that
the lawyers and officers from Dixon were charmed and deeply impressed.
After they were within the city the multitude seemed unwilling to
disperse, but Joseph said to them:
I am out of the power of the Missourians again, thank God; and
thank you all for your kindness and love. I bless you in the name
of Jesus Christ. I shall address you in the grove, near the temple,
at 4 o'clock this afternoon.
A feast had been prepared at Joseph's house, and there he went--still
in the hands of his captors, Reynolds and Wilson, who were the
prisoners of Sheriff Campbell of Lee County; and all of these with
about fifty of the Prophet's friends sat at his table. The place of
honor was given to Reynolds and Wilson who were waited upon by Emma
with as much courtesy as could have been bestowed upon a beloved guest.
This kindness heaped coals of fire on their heads, for they remembered
the time when they had dragged the Prophet from the side of his wife
and little ones and had refused to permit him to say farewell.
Under advice of the lawyers, Joseph with his captors was brought before
the municipal court at Nauvoo, and all the writs and other papers were
filed there. The case was heard upon its merits, and the Prophet was
discharged. The lawyers concurred that in all the transactions since
the day of his arrest Joseph had held himself amendable to the law and
its officers; and that the decision of the municipal court of Nauvoo
was not only legal and just but was within the power of this tribunal
under the city charter.
But before the actual hearing began in the municipal court, Reynolds
and Wilson in company with Lawyer Davis, of Carthage, started for
that place threatening to raise a mob with which to drag Joseph from
Nauvoo. Desiring a larger force than they could readily command at
Carthage, they applied to Governor Ford for the state militia. But
the governor sent a trusted messenger to Nauvoo to obtain evidence
concerning the seizure of the Prophet and his discharge on the writ of
_habeas corpus_; and this gentleman secured a copy of all the papers
and evidence in the case. Prominent citizens of Lee County added their
affidavits; and several gentlemen went up to Springfield to represent
the matter fairly to his Excellency. Whatever Ford's motive may have
been--whether a desire to make political capital for his party with
influential men who took the side of the Saints in this question,
or whether he had fear that he would lose his personal prestige by
precipitating the unlawful strife--he took the only proper course; and
after long consideration, and upon the presentation of his trusted
messenger, he refused to order out the militia, and so reported to
Sheriff Reynolds and Governor Reynolds of Missouri. The position which
Ford assumed was that no resistance had been made to any writ issued by
the state of Illinois, and therefore that Illinois had neither right
nor interest in the matter.
On the 2nd and 3rd days of July parties returned who had been out from
Nauvoo searching for the Prophet. One party had gone up the river on
the little steamer _Maid of Iowa_, under command of Dan Jones, and had
passed through a very adventurous voyage. This company was accompanied
by Apostle John Taylor. Another party, under the leadership of General
Charles C. Rich, had traveled five hundred miles on horseback in seven
days. They were all delighted to find the Prophet safe at home; and he
blessed them for their love and devotion to him.
At a special conference, on Monday, the 3rd day of July, a large number
of elders were called to go into the different counties of Illinois, to
preach the gospel and convey correct information to the people of the
state concerning the Prophet's arrest and his discharge from custody.
On the 4th day of July about fifteen thousand people congregated at
the grove near the temple, among them being about one thousand ladies
and gentlemen from St. Louis, Quincy and Burlington, who listened
attentively to orations and speeches. In the course of the address
which he delivered, the Prophet spoke a few words in relation to his
own arrest, in which he defended himself to the satisfaction of the
vast multitude, both Saints and visitors:
I never spent more than six months in Missouri, except while in
prison. While I was free in that state, I was at work for the
support of my family. I was never a prisoner of war during my
stay, for I had nothing to do with war. I never took a pistol,
gun, or sword; and the most that has been said on this subject
by the Missourians is false. I have been willing to go before
any governor, judge or tribunal where justice would be done,
and have the subject investigated. I could not have committed
treason in that state while I resided there, for treason against
Missouri consists in levying war against the state or adhering
to her enemies. Missouri was at peace, and had no enemy that I
could adhere to, had I been disposed; and I did not make war, and
no command or authority, either civil or military, but only in
spiritual matters as a minister of the Gospel.
CHAPTER LVIII.
GROWTH OF NAUVOO--THE MANSION--SIDNEY RIGDON'S RECREANCY--MOBOCRATIC
CONVENTIONS AT CARTHAGE--INCITING THE MISSOURIANS TO KIDNAP--THE
PROPHET CHECKS A BOMBASTIC POLITICIAN--APPEALS FOR REDRESS--JOY ON A
CHRISTMAS DAY--ORRIN PORTER ROCKWELL BACK FROM MISSOURI.
When the Prophet once more saw one hour of security in Nauvoo,
he recorded the fact that he had been subjected in his time to
thirty-eight suits against his person and property. Not one of
these was just. They were all incited for the purpose of vexing and
despoiling him, and by the satanic power that had sought to shed the
blood of prophets and holy men through all ages.
But he was compensated and filled with joy to see the progress of
Nauvoo. From the states in this country and from the lands across
the sea, faithful Saints were gathering by tens, and hundreds, and
thousands. Homes were being built and factories were projected; the
walls of the temple were rising in grandeur, uplifting the souls of the
Saints with hope that they would soon minister in the holy ordinances
for their living and their dead; and all that was wanted to insure the
dominion of peace was the cessation of the wicked assaults upon the
Prophet and his friends.
On the last of August Joseph and his family moved into the Nauvoo
Mansion. It was his intention to support this place as a home for
all visitors who should come up to Zion seeking to know the glory of
God. Such hospitality was no new thing for the Prophet to bestow.
His home, whenever he had one, had always been open to Saints and to
strangers. It had been a resting place for thousands; and many times
his family had gone without food, after giving their last morsel to
the poor wayfarers. The mansion was a place in which such hospitality
as the Prophet loved could well be extended. With these facilities to
entertain company, Joseph soon found his resources exhausted. But for
the persecutions and robberies which he had suffered he might have
continued to dispense his bounties with generous hand; but now he was
compelled to have the mansion opened as a hotel, at first under his
own direction, but a little later it was leased for that purpose to
Ebenezer Robinson, the Prophet only retaining two or three rooms for
his personal use. Joseph's mother lived with him at this time.
Among the saddest afflictions of the Prophet's closing hours was
the recreancy of Sidney Rigdon. As early as August, 1843, Joseph
had solemnly withdrawn his fellowship from Sidney, and had refused
to acknowledge him longer as a counselor--unless the charge could
satisfactorily be refuted that he was in league with the Prophet's
enemies to betray him and give him up to death in Missouri. This was
not the only ground for complaint. Sidney was charged with an alliance
with dishonest persons to deal fraudulently against the innocent and
unwary. At a special conference begun in Nauvoo on the 6th of October,
examination was made of the statements against President Rigdon.
The Prophet recalled the many times that he had borne with Sidney's
failings, having forgiven him again and again; and that now Sidney had
ceased altogether to be useful and devoted, and Joseph lacked entire
confidence in his integrity. Filled with mercy, Hyrum desired that one
more trial should be given to Elder Rigdon, and upon his motion Sidney
was sustained. The Prophet arose and said:
I have thrown him off my shoulders, and you have again put him on me.
You may carry him, but I will not.
Subsequent events clearly showed how truly the Prophet had judged of
the man who was once his friend and counselor, but had now lost faith
and power in the gospel.
Assaults from without were threatened, with violence constantly
augmenting. In August some of the brethren who were elected to
county offices went to Carthage to give bonds and take the official
oath. While these men were before the court, a rabble consisting of
Constable Harmon T. Wilson and about fifteen others came in armed with
hickory clubs, knives and pistols, and swore that the bonds should
not be approved nor the men from Nauvoo inducted into office; if
they were, blood would be spilled; and the mob pledged their words,
honor and reputation, not only to keep these men out of office, but
to put down the "Mormons." After some delay, the rabble withdrew to
convene a mob meeting, and the bonds were approved by the court. This
mob secured a convention at the courthouse on the 19th of August and
appointed a committee to draft resolutions concerning the Saints; and
at an adjourned meeting held on the 6th of September, 1843, a most
vindictive tirade, filled with lies and threats, was presented and
accepted under the name of preamble and resolutions. These mobocrats
pledged themselves in the most determined manner to give aid in the
capture of Joseph if he were demanded again, and threatened signal
and summary vengeance upon the Saints in case of a collision. All the
office-seekers were warned that the influence of the mobocrats would be
withdrawn from them if they sought support at Nauvoo.
This action was designed to comfort the Missourians and to incite
them to further efforts; and also to warn the office-holders and
office-seekers of the state of Illinois not to extend any help to
Joseph and his people in case of an attack upon them. The sole causes
of the movements, in addition to the falsehoods of Reynolds and
Wilson, who felt chagrined at their failure to drag the Prophet to his
death as they had threatened, was that the people were increasing,
Nauvoo was becoming a beautiful city, and Joseph Smith, the Prophet
of God and head of the community, was the object of sectarian and
apostate jealousy and political hate. Joseph wrote to the governor
concerning the threatened movements against the Saints, but received no
satisfaction.
The promise of the Hancock County mob and the quiescence of the
governor of Illinois gave license and promise of support to the people
of Missouri in the commission of further outrages. In November, Daniel
Avery and his son Philander were kidnapped from Hancock County, by
a company of Missourians, and imprisoned and threatened with death
for the purpose of extorting false statements from them upon which
prosecutions could be based against the citizens of Nauvoo. A man named
Elliot of Carthage, who had assisted the kidnappers, was arrested and
brought before a court at Nauvoo for examination. No attempt was made
to inflict punishment upon him; the evidence clearly showed his guilt,
and he was bound over to the circuit court at Carthage. This same
Elliot had sworn to have the Prophet's life, and complaint was lodged
against him for threatening to kill. Elliot was alone and defenseless;
and when the Prophet saw the man's fear and helplessness, he obtained a
withdrawal of the charge, paid the costs himself, and invited Elliot to
his own home to be fed and lodged.
Writs for the other persons engaged in the Avery kidnapping were
issued, but an armed mob congregated to prevent the service of process.
A party of the mob went to the house of David Holman near Ramus, and
in his absence plundered it of provisions and then burned it to the
ground, leaving himself and family shelterless in the bleak winter.
An attack was threatened upon Nauvoo by gathering mobs from Missouri
and Illinois; and in view of this danger the Nauvoo Legion was ordered
to be kept in readiness to repel unlawful assaults.
The vindictive and lawless character of the mob which menaced the
city is shown by the statement of Amos Chase, who heard the following
conversation between a spectator and the rabble:
"What will you do if the governor refuses to sanction your course?"
"Damn the governor! If he opens his head we will punch a hole through
him! He dare not speak! We will serve him the same sauce we will the
Mormons."
And their cowardly character is shown by the experience of Nelson Judd.
A man called on Brother Judd at Nauvoo and said he wanted to sell him
some wood at a little distance down the river. Nelson went with the man
and when they came into the woods two men on horseback attempted to
kidnap him. He avoided them and they drew their pistols and fired, but
without effect. Judd then coolly said: "Now it is my turn."
Putting his hand into his pocket as though to draw a pistol, he looked
fiercely at the bandits, and they fled shrieking with terror. Nelson
had no weapon with him except his bravery and innocence, and he walked
home laughing at the ruffians.
At a meeting of the city council in December, 1843, the subject of the
menace to the city and the mayor was under consideration, and Joseph
said among other things:
I am exposed to far greater danger from traitors among ourselves
than from enemies without, although my life has been sought for
many years by the civil and military authorities, priests and
people of Missouri; and if I can escape from the ungrateful
treachery of assassins, I can live as _Caesar might have lived,
were it not for a right-hand Brutus_. I have had pretended friends
betray me. All the enemies upon the face of the earth may roar
and exert all their power to bring about my death, but they can
accomplish nothing, unless some who are among us, who have enjoyed
our society, have been with us in our councils, participated in our
confidence, taken us by the hand, called us brother, saluted us
with a kiss, join with our enemies, turn our virtues into faults,
and, by falsehood and deceit, stir up their wrath and indignation
against us, and bring their united vengeance upon our heads. All
the hue and cry of the chief priests and elders against the Savior
could not bring down the wrath of the Jewish nation upon his head,
and thereby cause the crucifixion of the Son of God, until Judas
said unto them: "Whomsoever I shall kiss he is the man: hold him
fast." Judas was one of the Twelve Apostles, even their treasurer,
and dipped with their Master in the dish, and through his treachery
the crucifixion was brought about; and _we have a Judas in our
midst_.
James Arlington Bennett, a lawyer, journalist and politician of New
York, had been attracted by the Prophet's fame and character. Mr.
Bennett had ambition to run for office in the state of Illinois, and
he wrote a very complimentary letter to Joseph, in which he spoke of
the boldness of the Prophet's plans and measures; and that he, Bennett,
would yet run for high office in Illinois, and would give the Prophet
his best services; intimated that he would like to become Joseph's
right-hand man, since "Mahomet had his right-hand man"; and he declared
that his mind was of so mathematical and philosophical a cast that
divinity made an impression upon him.
To this bombastic letter the Prophet replied with such incisive vigor
that must have taught Mr. Bennett a lesson:
You say, "The boldness of my plans and measures, together with
their unparalleled success so far, are calculated to throw a charm
over my whole being, and to point me out as the most extraordinary
man of the present age."_The boldness of my plans and measures_
can readily be tested by the touchstone of all schemes, systems,
projects and adventures--_truth_, for truth is a matter of fact;
and the fact is, that by the power of God I translated the Book of
Mormon from hieroglyphics, the knowledge of which was lost to the
world; in which wonderful event I stood alone, an unlearned youth,
to combat the worldly wisdom and multiplied ignorance of eighteen
centuries with a new revelation, which (if they would receive the
everlasting Gospel) would open the eyes of more than eight hundred
millions of people, and make "plain the old paths," wherein, if a
man walk in all the ordinances of God blameless, he shall inherit
eternal life; and Jesus Christ, who was, and is, and is to come,
has borne me safely over every snare and plan, laid in secret or
openly, through priestly hypocrisy, sectarian prejudice, popular
philosophy, executive power, or law-defying mobocracy, to destroy
me.
If, then, the hand of God, in all these things that I have
accomplished towards the salvation of a priest-ridden generation,
in the short space of twelve years through the boldness of the plan
of preaching the Gospel, and the boldness of the means of declaring
repentance and baptism for the remission of sins, and a reception
of the Holy Ghost, by laying on of the hands, agreeably to the
authority of the Priesthood, and the still more bold measures of
receiving direct revelation from God, through the Comforter, as
promised, and by which means all holy men, from ancient times
till now, have spoken and revealed the will of God to men, with
the consequent "success" of the gathering of the Saints, throws
any "charm" around my being, and "points me out as the most
extraordinary man of the age," it demonstrates the fact, that
truth is mighty, and must prevail; and that one man empowered from
Jehovah has more influence with the children of the kingdom than
eight hundred millions led by the precepts of men. God exalts the
humble and debases the haughty.
* * * * *
The summit of your future fame seems to be hid in the political
policy of a "mathematical problem" for the chief magistracy of this
state, which, I suppose, might be solved by "double position,"
where the _errors_ of the _supposition_ are used to produce a true
answer.
But, sir, when I leave the dignity and honor I received from heaven
to hoist a man into power through the aid of my friends where the
evil and designing, after the object has been accomplished, can
look up the clemency intended as a reciprocation for such favors,
and where the wicked and unprincipled, as a matter of course, would
seize the opportunity to flintify the hearts of the nation against
me for dabbling at a sly game in politics; verily, I say, when I
leave the dignity and honor of heaven to gratify the ambition and
vanity of man or men, may my power cease, like the strength of
Samson, when he was shorn of his locks, while asleep in the lap of
Delilah! Truly said the Savior, "Cast not your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend
you."
Shall I, who have witnessed the visions of eternity, and beheld the
glories of the mansions of bliss, and the regions and misery of the
damned, shall I turn to be a Judas? Shall I, who have heard the
voice of God, and communed with angels, and spake, as moved by the
Holy Ghost, for the renewal of the everlasting covenant and for the
gathering of Israel in the last days, shall I worm myself into a
political hypocrite? Shall I who hold the keys of the last kingdom,
in which is the dispensation of the fulness of all things spoken by
the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began, under
the sealing power of the Melchizedek Priesthood--shall I stoop from
the sublime authority of Almighty God to be handled as a monkey's
catspaw, and pettify myself into a clown to act the farce of
political demagoguery? No, verily no! The whole earth shall bear me
witness, that I, like the towering rock in the midst of the ocean,
which has withstood the mighty surges of the warring waves for
centuries, _am impregnable_, and am a faithful friend to virtue,
and a fearless foe to vice; no odds, whether the former was sold as
a pearl in Asia or hid as a gem in America, and the latter dazzles
in palaces or glitters among the tombs.
I combat the errors of ages; I meet the violence of mobs; I cope
with illegal proceedings from executive authority; I cut the
Gordian knot of powers; and I solve mathematical problems of
universities _with truth--diamond truth; and God is my "right-hand
man."_
In December memorials were prepared and sent to Congress supplicating
for a redress of the wrongs inflicted upon the Saints in Missouri and
for protection against further plundering. This seemed necessary, for
the governor of Illinois had practically confessed the helplessness
of the state to prevent the infliction of additional wrongs upon this
longsuffering people. The memorials were signed by the citizens of
Hancock County and the city council of Nauvoo; they were truthful and
eloquent; and they were of as little avail as other appeals for justice
made by the people of God in this and other ages. Several of the elders
wrote addresses to their native states, setting forth with the vigor
of truth the wrongs and oppressions which had been inflicted upon them
by Missouri. Joseph wrote a stirring appeal to the people--the Green
Mountain boys--of his native state of Vermont. After sketching the
great wrongs which the people had endured, the Prophet says:
Must we, because we believe in the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, the administration of angels and the communion of the
Holy Ghost, like the prophets and apostles of old,--must we be
mobbed with impunity, be exiled from our habitations and property
without remedy, murdered without mercy, and government find the
weapons and pay the vagabonds for doing the jobs, and give them the
plunder into the bargain? Must we, because we believe in enjoying
the constitutional privilege and right of worshiping Almighty God
according to the dictates of our own consciences, and because we
believe in repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, the
gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, the resurrection
of the dead, the millennium, the day of judgment and the Book of
Mormon as the history of the aborigines of this continent,--must
we be expelled from the institutions of our country, the rights of
citizenship, and the graves of our friends and brethren, and the
government lock the gate of humanity and shut the door of redress
against us? If so, farewell freedom! adieu to personal safety! and
let the red hot wrath of an offended God purify the nation of such
sinks of corruption; for that realm is hurrying to ruin where vice
has the power to expel virtue.
My father, who stood several times in the battles of the American
Revolution, till his companions in arms had been shot dead at his
feet, was forced from his home in Far West, Missouri, by those
civilized or satanized savages, in the dreary season of winter,
to seek a shelter in another state; and the vicissitudes and
sufferings consequent to his flight brought his honored gray head
to the grave a few months after.
* * * * * * * * *
I appeal to the "Green Mountain Boys" of my native state to rise in
the majesty of virtuous freemen, and by all honorable means help
to bring Missouri to the bar of justice. If there is one whisper
from the spirit of an Ethan Allen, or a gleam from the shade of a
General Stark, let it mingle with our sense of honor and fire our
bosoms for the cause of suffering innocence, for the reputation
of our disgraced country, and for the glory of God; and may all
the earth bear me witness, if Missouri--blood-stained Missouri,
escapes the due demerit of her crimes--the vengeance she so justly
deserves, that Vermont is a hypocrite, a _coward_, and this nation
the hot-bed of political demagogues.
I make this appeal to the sons of liberty of my native state for
help to frustrate the wicked designs of sinful men. I make it to
hush the violence of mobs. I make it to cope with the unhallowed
influence of wicked men in high places. I make it to resent the
insult and injury made to an innocent, unoffending people, by a
lawless ruffian state. I make it to obtain justice where law is
put at defiance. I make it to wipe off the stain of blood from our
nation's escutcheon. I make it to show presidents, governors and
rulers prudence. I make it to fill honorable men with discretion.
I make it to teach senators wisdom. I make it to teach judges
justice. I make it to point clergymen to the path of virtue. And
I make it to turn the hearts of this nation to the truth and
realities of pure and undefiled religion, that they may escape the
perdition of ungodly men: and Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is my
great counselor.
On Christmas morning, 1843, Joseph and Hyrum were roused from their
slumbers by the hymn of a choir singing, "Mortals, Awake! with Angels
Join." The choir was composed of a widow named Lettice Rushton and her
children and neighbors; and their sweet voices and the noble sentiments
of the hymn thrilled the souls of the Prophet and Patriarch into
gladness and thanksgiving. Joseph blessed the singers and thanked his
Heavenly Father for the visit. Hyrum said that he thought at first that
a cohort of angels had descended, for the music had such a heavenly
effect upon his soul. It was the last Christmas carol that Joseph and
Hyrum heard in this life. Before another year had passed these two
grand mortals had passed into the slumber of death, to awake with
immortality upon them and to join with the choir invisible.
On the night of the same day another joy came to Joseph. He was
entertaining a company of friends at his house when the festivities
were interrupted by a man who came unbidden to the feast. His hair
was long and fell over his face and upon his shoulders. He seemed a
stranger to all and yet acted boldly and confidently as if at home. The
company thought he was a Missourian and he would have been ejected, but
the Prophet came and looked him fairly in the face and discovered to
his great joy that it was his long-tried and persecuted friend Orrin
Porter Rockwell who, in fulfillment of the prediction of Joseph, had
come away honorably from Missouri.
Orrin was gladly welcomed then to the banquet, and the Prophet listened
to the recital of his adventures. After going to the east in 1842 and
remaining some months, Rockwell determined to return to his home in
Nauvoo, not desiring perpetual exile. At St. Louis he was captured and
thrown into jail. Iron hobbles and manacles were fastened upon him and
he was carried to Independence. He was dragged from place to place,
from court to court, tortured, threatened, starved, and all without
any legal or just charge against him. Not the remotest connection
could be traced between him and the attempt upon Boggs' life. He had
not been seen in the entire state of Missouri during the year in which
that event took place. No court from very shame could hold him on this
monstrous charge, but when it failed others were concocted; and in
the meantime several mob parties attempted to take his life as he was
dragged to and fro in custody. After repeated solicitations he induced
Joseph Reynolds, the sheriff of Jackson, to write to Bishop Whitney
at Nauvoo, and this is the communication which that officer of law
forwarded:
Independence, Missouri
April 7th, 1843
Sir:--At the request of Orrin Porter Rockwell, who is now confined
in our jail, I write you a few lines concerning his affairs. He is
held to bail in the sum of $5,000, and wishes some of his friends
to bail him out. He also wishes some friend to bring his clothes
to him. He is in good health and pretty good spirits. My own
opinion is, after conversing with several persons here, that it
would not be safe for any of Mr. Rockwell's friends to come here,
notwithstanding I have written the above at his request; neither do
I think bail would be taken (unless it was some responsible person
well known here as a resident of this state). Any letter to Mr.
Rockwell, (post paid) with authority expressed on the back for me
to open it, will be handed to him without delay. In the meantime he
will be humanely treated and dealt with kindly, until discharged by
due course of law.
Yours, etc.,
J. H. Reynolds
From Orrin's own narrative of his experience the following paragraphs
are taken:
When I was put in Independence jail, I was again ironed hand and
foot, and put in the dungeon, in which condition I remained about
two months. During this time, Joseph H. Reynolds, the sheriff,
told me he was going to arrest Joseph Smith, and they had received
letters from Nauvoo which satisfied them that Joseph Smith had
unlimited confidence in me, that I was capable of toling him in a
carriage or on horseback anywhere that I pleased; and if I would
only tole him out by riding or any other way, so that they could
apprehend him, I might please myself whether I stayed in Illinois
or came back to Missouri; they would protect me, and any pile
that I would name the citizens of Jackson County would donate,
club together and raise, and that I should never suffer for want
afterwards: "you only deliver Joe Smith into our hands, and name
your pile." I replied--"I will see you all damned first, and then I
won't."
About the time that Joseph was arrested by Reynolds at Dixon, I
knowing that they were after him, and no means under heaven of
giving him any information, my anxiety became so intense upon the
subject, knowing their determination to kill him, that my flesh
twitched on my bones. I could not help it; twitch it would. While
undergoing this sensation, I heard a dove alight on the window in
the upper room of the jail, and commence cooing, and then went
off. In a short time he came back to the window, where a pane was
broken; he crept through the bars of iron, which were about two and
a half inches apart. I saw it fly round the trapdoor several times;
it did not alight, but continued cooing until it crept through the
bars again, and flew out through the broken window.
I relate this, as it was the only occurrence of the kind that
happened during my long and weary imprisonment; but it proved
a comfort to me; the twitching of my flesh ceased, and I was
fully satisfied from that moment that they would not get Joseph
into Missouri and that I should regain my freedom. From the best
estimates that can be made, it was at the time when Joseph was in
the custody of Reynolds.
In a few days afterwards Sheriff Reynolds came into the jail and
told me that he had made a failure in the arrest of Joseph.
At last, finding that no charge could be maintained against the
prisoner, and that he could not be bribed or cajoled, or driven into
a traitorous act, he was turned loose to find his way on foot across
the state of Missouri, which swarmed with enemies. He was marvelously
preserved from dangers which encompassed his path, and reached Nauvoo
as much to Joseph's joy as to his own.
The Prophet must have compared the fidelity of this unpretending but
loyal man with the selfish and traitorous action of some men upon whom
benefits and confidences had been showered.
CHAPTER LIX.
JOSEPH SMITH FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES--AN INSPIRED CANDIDATE
--HIS VIEWS OF THE POWERS AND POLICY OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT--HOW THE
COUNTRY COULD HAVE SAVED THE CARNAGE OF WAR.
For President of the United States: Joseph Smith, of Illinois.
This was the announcement made to the world in the opening of 1844,
from Nauvoo. At a political meeting held there on the 29th day of
January, Joseph was nominated and on the 17th day of May, at a state
convention held in the same place the nomination was sustained.
Such a candidacy was not assumed at such a time without careful
and lengthy deliberation. Its purpose was less to secure political
fame or elevation for the Prophet, than to bring his patriotic and
statesmanlike ideas before the world, and to force the sufferings of
the Saints upon the attention of the thinking men throughout the land.
Joseph's views of government, its powers and duties, his knowledge
of the steps by which the nation could retrace its way from the gulf
into which it was being plunged, were far in advance of his time. The
recreancy and the moral cowardice of many of the public men in the
republic who were aspirants for that high station, called for some
rebuke; for many of them were deliberately precipitating the evils
which soon deluged the land with blood, and others through fear were
skulking from the face of this danger. It was time for a declaration
of truth from a man who not only had the prophetic foresight but who
had the courage to declare for justice. Viewed from the standpoint
of politicians, the candidacy of the Prophet was hopeless in 1844.
What it might have been if he had lived and it had been renewed at a
later time, when the best minds of the nation could have grasped and
advocated the noble principles which he enunciated, and thinking men
throughout the length and breadth of the land could have seen that
this was the way of all others for escape from war, let the student
of history decide. Certain it is, that had Joseph Smith been elected
President of the United States and been sustained by Congress in his
policy, this land would have been spared the desolating woe which
filled its hamlets and fields with carnage and its homes with sobbing
widows and orphans.
From this same state of Illinois a backwoodsman came sixteen years
later to settle the national dispute and save the Union by the stern
arbitrament of the sword, for by this time the paltering politicians
of the schools were by the mighty voice of the people set aside. This
man, raised up by Providence for the task, and with the courage to do,
was the nation's support and rescuer in 1861-65. But had the nation
accepted Joseph Smith, with the views which he proclaimed and with
the divine prescience upon him, he would have proved, in 1845-49, the
republic's savior. Peaceful methods would have prevailed, and Columbia
would have been spared the most bloody and costly civil war of which
profane history gives any account.
Looking back upon that time of the war after nearly a generation
has past, men are prone to think less of the agonies of the strife;
they begin to feel that it was necessary; to feel that the republic
is stronger because cemented by the blood of brother who fell under
brother's hand and by the tears of the widow and the fatherless. To
sense the full beneficence which Joseph Smith might have wrought,
let the patriot project his mind into the future and think if peril
impended today how much better to save the country and the Constitution
by heroic statesmanship than by military valor.
The sentiment which permitted the persecutions in Missouri and Illinois
to go unchecked and unredressed was rapidly ripening for the greater
strife. Joseph saw this. When he permitted his name to be used he said
to his friends:
I would not have suffered my name to have been used by my friends
on anywise as President of the United States or candidate for
that office, if I and my friends could have had the privilege of
enjoying our religious and civil rights as American citizens,
even those rights which the constitution guarantees unto all her
citizens alike. But this we as a people have been denied from the
beginning. Persecution has rolled upon our heads from time to time
from portions of the United States, like peals of thunder, because
of our religion; and no portion of the government as yet has
stepped forward for our relief. And under view of these things, I
feel it to be my right and privilege to obtain what influence and
power I can, lawfully, in the United States, for the protection
of injured innocence; and if I lose my life in a good cause, I am
willing to be sacrificed on the altar of virtue, righteousness
and truth, in maintaining the laws and constitution of the United
States, if need be, for the general good of mankind.
Joseph had not allowed this candidacy to be announced until every
effort had been made to impress the leading politicians of the day
with a sense of national peril and with recognition of the means by
which overhanging disaster might be dissipated. Late in 1843 and in
the opening of 1844, he held correspondence with Clay, Calhoun, Van
Buren, Cass and others, in which his own courage and exalted ideas of
government come in contradistinction to the sycophantic and excessive
caution of time-serving politicians.
He hit Calhoun, the champion of states rights, on a tender spot, and
used the woes of the Saints for an illustration when he said:
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 dollars to pay the mob for doing that job; for the
renowned senator from South Carolina, Mr. J. C. Calhoun, says the
powers of the Federal Government are _so specific and limited that
it has no jurisdiction of the case!_ O ye people who groan under
the oppression of tyrants! 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; worship God according to the dictates of your
own consciences; pay in your taxes to support the great heads of
a glorious nation; but remember, a _'sovereign state'_ is so much
more powerful than the United States, the parent government, that
it can exile you at pleasure, 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 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_ Imperium in imperio?_
And to Clay he said:
True greatness never wavers; but when the Missouri compromise
was entered into by you for the benefit of slavery, there was a
shrinkage of western honor.
Soon after his nomination was promulgated, he wrote an address to
the American people containing his views of the powers and policy
of the government of the United States. It was something new in the
way of political platforms. Ignoring the evasions and the platitudes
with which the scheming and shifting talk of the day was burdened,
he uttered burning words of patriotism and statesmanship upon the
issues which were then paramount in the land. With the acceptance of
his plans, the slave question might have been settled without the
effusion of blood and at an expense infinitely less than that of war;
and rebellion in any state might have been instantly crushed under the
national heel. The following paragraphs are from his address:
Born in a land of liberty, and breathing an air uncorrupted with
the sirocco of barbarous climes, I ever feel a double anxiety 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
Independence "holds these truths to be self-evident, that all men
are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness;" 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 infraction, or supposed infraction, of
some overwise 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 uppermost rooms at feasts,
or, like the bird of passage, find a more congenial 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
its meridian splendor, warm every object beneath its rays; and in
main efforts of her officers, who are nothing more or less than
the servants of the people, ought to be directed to ameliorate the
condition 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 the face of the earth."
Our common country presents to all men the same advantages, 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 constitution for the United States of
America," meant just what it said without 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
character of _equal rights_ as appears in said constitution, 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 wolf's heart
is of the milk of human kindness.
* * * * * * *
Now, O people! people! turn unto the Lord and live, and reform this
nation. Frustrate the designs of wicked men. Reduce Congress at
least two-thirds. Two senators from a state and two members 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 than the
farmer gets, and he lives honestly. Curtail the officers of the
government in pay, number and power; for the Philistine lords have
shorn our nation of its goodly locks in the lap of Delilah.
* * * * * * *
Advise your legislators, when they make laws for larceny, burglary,
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
learning, where intelligence, like the angels of heaven, would
banish such fragments of barbarism. Imprisonment for debt is a
meaner practice than the savage tolerates, with all his ferocity.
_Amor vincit omnia_.
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
instruction, 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
Jehovah, the author of perfection.
More economy in the national and state governments would make
less taxes among the people; more equality through the cities,
towns and country, would make less distinction among the people;
and more honesty and familiarity in societies, would make less
hypocrisy and flattery in all branches of the community; and open,
frank, candid decorum to all men, in this boasted land of liberty,
would beget 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, be in love, fellowship
and peace, with all the world! Remember that honesty is not subject
to law: the law was made for transgressors.
* * * * * * *
Give every man his constitutional freedom, and the President full
power to send an army to suppress mobs, and the state authority to
repel 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.
* * * * * * *
As to the contiguous territories of the United States, wisdom would
direct no tangling alliance. Oregon belongs to this government
honorably; 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 stretched, and foreign speculation prevented from opposing
broadside to broadside.
Seventy years have done much for this goodly land. They have
burst the chains of oppression and monarchy, and multiplied its
inhabitants from two to twenty millions, with a proportionate share
of knowledge keen enough to circumnavigate the globe, draw the
lightning from the clouds, and cope with all the crowned heads of
the world.
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.
* * * * *
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 inflexible Romans, whenever they find a _promise_
made by a candidate that is not _practiced_ as an officer, hurl the
miserable sycophant from his exaltations as God did Nebuchadnezzar,
to crop the grass of the field with a beast's heart among the
cattle.
* * * * *
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 slavery in the slave states, I would use all
honorable means to have their prayers granted, and give liberty
to the captive by paying the southern gentlemen a reasonable
equivalent for his property, that the whole nation might be free
indeed!
* * * * *
And when the people petitioned to possess the territory of Oregon,
or any other contiguous territory, I would bend the influence of a
chief magistrate to grant so reasonable a request, that they might
extend the mighty efforts and enterprise 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 customs of prisons (except in certain cases),
penitentiaries, court-martials for desertion; and let reason and
friendship reign over the ruins of ignorance and barbarity; 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
behold 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 of all people. [1]
To enunciate the Prophet's views for the salvation of the republic, the
twelve apostles and other leading elders were sent throughout the land.
It was a long parting with Joseph for most of the twelve. One of their
number, Wilford Woodruff, says:
Joseph looked upon me long and mournfully. I shall never forget his
look. It was as though he was bidding us an eternal farewell.
Footnotes
1. See Note 5, Appendix.
CHAPTER LX.
PACIFIC ADDRESS BY THE PROPHET--THE MOB ASK GOD TO BLESS THEIR WORK OF
MASSACRE--LOOKING TO THE WEST--A SUBLIM SERMON--APOSTATES AND THEIR
WORK--JOSEPH INDICTED FOR POLYGAMY.
Joseph had endeavored by every means in his power to create pacific
feelings between the Saints and the other citizens of Illinois. He
addressed many communications to the public, in which he counseled for
good sense and good order.
One of his appeals for peace was written on the 17th of February, 1844.
That same day an anti-Mormon convention was held at Carthage, the
object being to devise ways and means for expelling the Saints from
the state as they had been driven from Missouri. Among the resolutions
adopted by the meeting was one appointing the 9th day of March
following _as a day of fasting and prayer_, whereon the pious of all
the sectarians were to supplicate heaven to aid their efforts against
the Prophet and his people. The inciters of this convention purposed
that it should inaugurate a massacre; and yet they were so blasphemous
as to pretend to ask the aid of the Almighty! Their real supplication,
however, was addressed--not to the realms of light, but to the prince
of darkness.
On Sunday, the 25th day of February, in a meeting at the assembly
room of the Saints in Nauvoo, Joseph prophesied that in five years
the Saints would be out of the power of their old enemies, whether
apostates or of the world, and he asked the brethren to record the
prediction.
About this time he was inspired to direct the glance of the apostles
to the western slope where he said the people of God might establish
themselves anew, worship after their own sincere convictions, and work
out the grand social problems of modern life. This subject was present
in his mind and often upon his lips during the brief remainder of his
earthly existence. Frequent councils were held and he directed the
organization of an exploring expedition to venture beyond the Rocky
Mountains, to seek a home for a righteous people denied every right of
citizenship within the boundaries of the United States then existing.
His purpose was not to sever the Saints from this sublime republic by
any emigration; he saw that this country's domain must soon stretch
from ocean to ocean. The entire land of North and South America was
the Zion of the Lord, and the people might settle in any spot where
peace could be enjoyed, always remembering that in the due time of the
Almighty the center stake must be built up.
Work was stopped on the Nauvoo House by the Prophet's direction and
every effort concentrated upon the temple. He determined that the
structure should be fitted to receive the worshiping Saints of the
Most High before they should go into voluntary exile or submit to
expatriation. And though he did not live to see the consummation of
this purpose, it was literally fulfilled. And though he did not live to
see the exodus of the Saints nor to send out the first pioneer party of
explorers, his inspired suggestion was carried out, and through it his
prediction was fulfilled that the Saints in five years should be beyond
the power of their old enemies.
In March, the Prophet addressed a memorial to Congress, asking for
the passage of an ordinance to protect citizens of the United States
emigrating into the western regions. His purpose was to advance, under
national authority, beyond the western boundary of the United States
and establish American citizens in this vast domain preparatory to
the hour when it should become annexed to our country. He drafted the
ordinance, and in its provisions he betrayed his usual grandeur of
purpose.
A special conference was held, beginning on the 6th day of April, 1844,
at which Joseph addressed a congregation of twenty thousand people. He
chose for his subject the death of Elder King Follett, who had died
a few days before, and he uplifted the souls of the congregation to
a higher comprehension of the glory which comes after death to the
faithful. His address ceased to be a mere eulogy of an individual,
and became a revelation of eternal truths concerning the glories of
immortality. The address occupied three hours and a half in delivery,
and the multitude were held spellbound by its power. The Prophet seemed
to rise above the world. It was as if the light of heaven already
encircled his physical being. In a few weeks he was to pass through
the portals of the tomb into the radiance beyond, and he wanted his
brethren to grasp some of the sublimities comprehended by his own
inspired soul. Those who heard that sermon never forgot its power.
Those who read it today think of it as an exhibition of superhuman
power and eloquence.
The Judas spirit manifested itself in Nauvoo in the spring of 1844.
Alarmed by the Prophet's declaration that there was a right-hand Brutus
near him, some of the men who were willing to betray him feared that
their machinations were discovered and that vengeance might be wreaked
upon them. William Law and William Marks both feared or affected to
fear for their lives. They made complaint which reached the ears of the
Prophet, and he ordered an investigation in which they were allowed the
fullest license to examine witnesses. The result was to show to them
how utterly groundless was their fear; but further it showed to all the
Saints that these men were not faithful. The people said:
Is it possible that Brother Law or Brother Marks is a traitor and would
deliver Joseph into the hands of his enemies in Missouri? If not, what
can be the meaning of this? The righteous are as bold as a lion.
Joseph merely quoted:
The wicked flee when no man pursueth.
But from this time on he knew from what quarter to expect the kiss of
Judas. Jealousy of the Prophet, and their personal impurity led several
leading men to apostasy and to a thirst for Joseph's blood. Among them
were William Law, Wilson Law, Chauncey L. Higbee, Francis M. Higbee
and Robert D. Foster. They became his avowed enemies; but in secret
sympathy with them were Sidney Rigdon, William Marks and Austin A.
Cowles.
William Law was the leader of the movement. He declared that Joseph was
a fallen Prophet, and he attempted to set up a church of his own. The
apostates sought by every means in their power to precipitate bloodshed
in Nauvoo. They flagrantly violated the law; insulted, abused and
threatened the officers; usurped official prerogatives; attempted to
shoot Joseph; and spread throughout the country, and even beyond its
confines, the most wicked misrepresentations and complaints concerning
Joseph and the municipal administration of Nauvoo.
The Prophet had long known of their treachery and had warned the Saints
that Judases were in their midst, without naming the individuals.
He knew that in a little time the traitors would betray themselves.
When this expectation of the Prophet was realized and the Saints were
enabled to see the perfidy of these men, they were excommunicated.
After this it seemed as if Satan was turned loose in their souls.
Having no longer any profit in concealment they blazoned forth their
hatred for the Prophet and their own iniquities. Some of them confessed
that they knew that their sins were finding them out and that they
would soon have no reputation to lose anyhow, and therefore they would
persecute the Prophet and try to drag him down with them. At this
time anonymous letters threatening the lives of Joseph and Hyrum were
received and every conceivable annoyance was perpetrated upon them.
The missionary labor had not slackened. While Satan was moving the
powers of earth and the infernal regions to slay the Prophet, despoil
the city and break the growing strength of righteousness, missionaries
were being sent into every field. Under date of Friday, May 17, 1844,
the Prophet records among other similar events, that Elder Franklin D.
Richards, then a faithful youth and later a renowned apostle of the
Church, was ordained a high priest and set apart to go on a mission to
England.
On Saturday, the 25th day of May, 1844, the Prophet was informed that
he had been indicted at Carthage for the alleged offenses of polygamy
and perjury on the testimony of William Law and others. Two days
later, learning that warrants were out for him from the circuit court
upon these indictments, he determined to proceed to Carthage and give
himself up. He had a double purpose to serve in this action. He desired
as usual to show his respect for law and legal process; and he wanted
to avoid having a Carthage mob come into Nauvoo to serve the writs. At
Carthage he was informed by Charles Foster and other apostates, who
repented their purpose for the moment that a plot had been laid for
his death and that it was determined that he should not leave that
place alive. He secured lawyers and endeavored to have his case brought
forward for trial; but the prosecution insisted upon delay and secured
a postponement until the next term. In the meantime Joseph was to be
released on bail satisfactory to the sheriff; and that officer told him
to go his way without bonds until called upon.
His friends gathered around him when he prepared to depart for home,
and by this means his life was saved, for armed men threatened him and
tried by force and stratagem to detain him in Carthage until after dark
that they might the better accomplish the assassination. But he knew
their plot and departed, riding Joe Duncan and accompanied by Hyrum and
others, and reached home at 9 o'clock that evening.
CHAPTER LXI.
THE FIRST AND ONLY ISSUE OF THE NAUVOO 'EXPOSITOR'--ITS MURDEROUS
PURPOSE--REMOVAL OF A NUISANCE AND ERADICATION OF ITS CAUSE--TRIAL
OF THE MAYOR AND OTHERS, AND THEIR ACQUITTAL IN AN HONEST COURT--
GATHERING OF THE MOBS--THREATS OF EXTERMINATION--NAUVOO UNDER MARTIAL
LAW.
The publishers deem it a sacred duty they owe to their country
and their fellow-citizens to advocate, through the columns of the
_Expositor_, the unconditional repeal of the Nauvoo city charter.
This was one of the statements in the prospectus for a newspaper to
be issued at Nauvoo by the Laws, Higbees and Fosters. These men had
been excommunicated from the Church for their personal impurity and
for plotting murder. With their wickedness exposed to the gaze of the
world they had no longer any reputation at stake; they associated with
gamblers, counterfeiters and thieves; and their great desire was,
by every means in their power, fair or foul, to injure their former
brethren.
The charter of a city is inestimable to the citizens. Without it rapid
advancement is difficult if not impossible. Nauvoo had grown into
prominence, and gave promise of becoming an important commercial and
industrial center. The apostates knew well the vital point at which
to direct their blow. Not only would they paralyze every industry
by securing the repeal of the charter, but they would turn the city
over to the dictation of hostile county and state officials; so that
financial ruin and personal distress would be inflicted upon many of
the people. To this end, they leagued themselves with kindred spirits
whose evil efforts they could rely upon. The class of allies which they
secured is shown by the fact that one of their associates was known to
them, and was afterwards proved, to be a fugitive murderer.
Among the minor purposes avowed in this prospectus for the issuance of
the newspaper, was the advocacy of the pure principles of morality.
This was a high sounding pretense to create favor abroad. The Laws, the
Higbees and the Fosters cared nothing for morality, except to abuse it.
With them it was but a cloak. They had become accustomed to use it for
a covering for vile purposes. This was not the first time nor this the
last, when evil men--cast out by the Church for sexual sin--made great
pretense in print of their morality and sought to charge offenses upon
men faithful and pure.
They announced that they would exercise "the freedom of speech in
Nauvoo, independent of the ordinances abridging the same;" and that the
end would justify the means. The only restriction upon speech in Nauvoo
was the forbidding of slander and immorality, and unless these men had
intended to work evil with their paper they need not have promised to
transgress the law.
But their purpose was not to convince the people of Nauvoo; it was to
create sentiment abroad and to this end slander and falsehood were
necessary. They were not the first men shrewd enough to see that the
publication, within any city, of statements adverse to the community
would be accepted abroad as current fact. Their plan was devised
with satanic ingenuity: If the _Expositor_ were allowed to print its
defamations and falsehoods unchecked, the world would believe that all
they said was true, and overwhelming sentiment would be created against
Nauvoo and its people; if their press was stayed in its crime, they
would cry that freedom of speech was assailed--and nothing appeals more
quickly to the sympathy of Americans than this same cry, whether it is
uttered sincerely or only by wretches who want license to traduce and
defame innocence.
There was no disposition to restrain these publishers from printing
their paper in Nauvoo. Their announcement was made on the 10th of May,
1844; they brought press and materials into the city, and began their
work with as much protection and safety as any other publisher there.
On the 7th of June next, they were prepared to put forth the first
number of the paper. All at once a fear came upon them. They knew the
man whom they wished to make their chief victim--Joseph Smith; they
knew his truth, dignity and strength; they knew that he would not
supinely submit to the ruin of the city and the defamation of its good
men and women by such wretches as these publishers were known to be;
they knew that if they committed crime they would be called to answer
for it if the Prophet lived. So on the very day that the paper was to
come forth burdened with lies, Robert D. Foster went to the mansion and
demanded a private interview with Joseph. He asked the Prophet to go
away with him alone, pretending that he wished to return to the Church
and wanted to confer upon that subject. Joseph refused to talk except
in the presence of witnesses, for this man Foster had often before
misrepresented the Prophet's words. Joseph said to him that there was
but one condition upon which he might return and that was to repent and
to make restitution as far as possible.
While they stood talking Joseph put his hand upon Foster's vest and
said: "What have you concealed there?"
Foster stammered in reply: "It's my pistol."
He would have lied, but under that piercing glance his bravado deserted
him, and he was compelled to acknowledge the fact.
The reason of his visit was soon made plain, and it was made plainer at
a later time by the testimony of unimpeachable witnesses, Saints and
strangers alike. He had not come to seek forgiveness and restoration of
fellowship; he had not come to make amends. He had come to lure Joseph
away to his death. His party had sworn to slay the Prophet, and every
attempt up to this time had failed. The situation was desperate for
the plotters. They were about to commit a flagrant violation of the
law, and the one man whom they most feared as the defender and executor
of law was the mayor of the city. If they could have taken Joseph
away where his assassination could have been accomplished without the
instant capture of his murderer, they believed that safe refuge could
be found in the bosom of the waiting mob at Carthage and other places.
Joseph smiled upon the craven wretch, and told him to bring his
witnesses if he desired and they would confer concerning his
restoration to fellowship. This, Foster willingly promised and left the
mansion, saying that he would return with his friends immediately. He
never came back. His answer was to send forth the _Expositor_, edited
by Sylvester Emmons, reeking with libel and fulfilling its promise to
override the law in its determination to deal a death blow at the city
of Nauvoo. Naturally the inhabitants were enraged. Citizens said:
If these men do not like Nauvoo, why do they continue to reside
here? The repeal of the charter means the financial and social ruin
of the city. This would despoil us without benefiting these men,
except by the gratification of vengeful hate.
It would have been easy in that state of public feeling to incite an
attack upon the paper or its publishers. But the leading men remained
cool and counseled strict observance of law. Let this be remembered;
for it shows that Joseph was never willing to meet evil with evil;
that he would rather suffer wrong than to do wrong; and that his
appeal was always made to law and justice instead of passion. And
let it be remembered that not only then but afterward through all
the difficulties which followed closely upon the publication of the
_Expositor_, the lives of the Laws, the Higbees and the Fosters were
as safe in Nauvoo as they would have been in Carthage, Springfield or
Washington.
Three days later, June 10, at a meeting of the city council the
_Expositor_ was declared a public nuisance and was ordered to be
abated. Under the resolution to this effect the marshal was ordered
to proceed as he would for the removal of any other nuisance--he was
to eradicate it. If a vile odor assail the nostrils of decent people,
the only effectual remedy is to abolish the cause; and such was the
course pursued in this case. Marshal John P. Greene with his assistants
proceeded to the office of the _Expositor_ and destroyed the press and
pied the type.
This was summary action; but it was legal. It was the only remedy
for any public or private wrong inflicted by the _Expositor_. Its
publishers were impecunious. Suits for private redress or fines for
public recompense would have been unavailing; while the imprisonment
of the publishers would have been heralded as a still greater wrong
against the freedom of the press than was the destruction of the
offending materials.
Immediate events showed that the league to ruin Nauvoo by newspaper
lies was widely extended, for mobocratic excitement outside of Nauvoo
arose on the instant, and wholesale and indiscriminate vengeance was
threatened.
And yet the destruction of an offending press was not new in Illinois.
Thomas Ford was governor at this time, and in the awful crimes which
closely followed he was the responsible participant. It is interesting,
therefore, to note what he said of a similar destruction of an
unpopular press and type, at another time and in another community. In
the history of Illinois, published after his death to get bread for his
destitute children, he details the proceedings of the Alton mob. In
1837, Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy, of the Presbyterian church, published
the Alton, Illinois, _Observer_ as a religious paper, in which slavery
was opposed. Abolitionism was not popular there and to quote Ford's
words: "The people assembled and quietly took the press and type and
threw them into the Mississippi. It now became manifest to all rational
men that the Alton _Observer_ could no longer be published in Alton as
an abolition paper. The more reasonable of the abolitionists themselves
thought it would be useless to try it again. However, a few of them,
who _were most violent_ seemed to think that the salvation of the
black race depended upon continuing the publication at Alton." Certain
members of the Presbyterian church determined to continue this paper.
One of the principal men engaged in the movement to re-establish the
_Observer_ was Reverend Mr. Beecher, president of Illinois college; and
of him Ford says: "Mr. Beecher was a man of great learning and decided
talents; but he belonged to the class of reformers who disregard all
considerations of policy and expediency. _He believed slavery to be a
sin and a great evil, and his indignant and impatient soul could not
await God's own good time to overthrow it, by acts of His providence
working continual change and revolution in the affairs of men._" A
new press was bought, and it was determined that Lovejoy, who was
very objectionable to the rabble, should continue as editor. After
the arrival of the press it was guarded in a warehouse; but the mob
gathered and demanded its possession. Ford speaks of the protectors
of the press as being converted into _demons of obstinacy_. A fight
occurred, the mob being the first assailants. Lovejoy and one of the
mobocrats were killed; other men were wounded. The press was seized
and, like the other, it was thrown into the river--although not a
single copy of the paper had yet been printed with these materials.
No man was punished for this crime of abolishing a free press at the
expense of murder. Thus it will be seen that the will of a community,
in other parts of Illinois, was considered sufficient without legal
process to secure the extinction of an obnoxious paper and the
perpetual silence of its editor--the silence of death by assassination.
In Nauvoo no such highhanded course was pursued: no man was injured
in his person; and the destroying of the press was in pursuance of a
municipal order. At Alton, the unpopular publishers advocated merely a
national reform, in the highest interest of human liberty and morality;
at Nauvoo the publishers attacked the most vital local well-being and
assailed the character of the community for the purpose of advancing an
immoral purpose and gratifying the revenge of lustful men. At Nauvoo,
the publishers had practically avowed their intention to incite a
mob to come upon the city; and the matter printed in the first and
only issue of their paper was manifestly of a character to aid the
sanguinary plot.
There had not been the slightest excitement or unnecessary noise in
the act of removing the nuisance, and this done the people of the city
drew a breath of relief. The _Expositor_ had been an invitation to the
gathering mobs of Hancock County to descend upon Nauvoo and injure
its people and property. It had been calculated to inflame the worst
passions of lawless men and to produce murder. In its suppression
the people felt that only ordinary prudence and official vigor had
been shown. To allay any possible excitement the mayor issued a
proclamation in which he detailed the destruction by municipal order
of the _Expositor_ press and type, and called upon every citizen to
keep the peace by being cool, considerate, virtuous, unoffending, manly
and patriotic. The villains who had published the paper threatened
everything in the city with destruction. One of their sympathizers
declared that he would wade to his knees in blood; others said that the
city should be wiped out before "ten suns had set." They sent runners
out in all directions to bring the mob upon Nauvoo.
A little after noon on the 12th day of June, Constable David
Bettisworth came to Nauvoo from Carthage with a warrant for the arrest
of 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 Harmon, Jesse P.
Harmon, John Lytle, Joseph W. Coolidge, Harvey D. Redfield, Porter
Rockwell and Levi Richards, upon a complaint sworn to by Francis M.
Higbee charging the parties named with committing a riot. The writ
was issued by Thomas Morrison, justice of the peace at Carthage, and
commanded the officer to bring the parties named before Morrison or
_some other justice of the peace_ within the county. Bettisworth
immediately upon arriving at Nauvoo served this warrant upon Joseph and
afterwards upon the others named therein. Joseph called his attention
to the clause in the writ, "before me or some other justice of the
peace of said county," and demanded to be taken before Esquire Johnson
or some other justice of the peace in Nauvoo. Hyrum made the same
demand. Many people were present, and Joseph and Hyrum called upon
them to witness that they offered themselves in answer to the writ to
go forth before the nearest justice of the peace. This was strictly in
accordance with law; but it did not answer the purpose of the mobocrats
either at Nauvoo or Carthage, and Bettisworth said: "I will be damned
but I will carry you before Justice Morrison at Carthage."
As he still held them in custody and was determined to drag them away
from Nauvoo, Joseph sued out a writ of _habeas corpus_ in the municipal
court, and upon the full showing there he was discharged. Later all
the other brethren named in the writ took the same course, and secured
their release.
On the 14th of June the mayor addressed a letter of explanation to
Governor Ford, in which the entire proceedings against the _Expositor_
were fairly detailed. Joseph stated to the governor that if Ford was
not satisfied that the whole transaction had been in accordance with
the strictest principles of law and the requirements of good order,
he would only have to write his wishes and the mayor and all persons
participating in the suppression of the _Expositor_ would go before
Judge Pope or any legal tribunal at the capital and submit to judicial
investigation. They would not even trouble his Excellency to send a
writ or an officer, but would respond promptly to any letter advising
them of his wish. Other men in Nauvoo, some of them prominent visitors
there, wrote to Ford at the same time, declaring that no excitement had
prevailed, that the proceedings had been calmly and legally taken, and
that the action of the municipality in ridding itself of such a menace
to peace and life was entirely commendable.