1833.
TROUBLE BEGINS IN MISSOURI--THE ELDERS PRAY, THE MOB GETS DRUNK--JULY
MOB DESTROYS PRINTING-OFFICE AND TAR AND FEATHER THE BRETHREN--THE
SAINTS PROMISE TO LEAVE--APPEAL TO GOVERNOR.
Almost in the center of the United States is Missouri, one of the most
fruitful states of the Mississippi valley. It is a beautiful land
with its dales and hills and woodland. The great Missouri river flows
through it and the mighty Mississippi, passing by its eastern side,
carries its grains and other products to the sea.
It has had a wonderful past, but its future will be more wonderful.
Father Adam lived in that land with Mother Eve in their innocence, and
they lived there after their transgression. In this day God commanded
His Saints to gather there soon after the organization of the Church.
They obeyed, but were soon robbed and scourged, some killed and the
rest driven away. Later, when the Civil War came, more blood was
spilled, and the worst form of war was there, because the people were
divided and slew one another.
But the future of the state of Missouri is the most interesting for
us. If the Latter-day Saints obey the commandments of the Lord He will
soon begin to prepare the land of Zion for them, just as He would have
prepared the land of promise by sending hornets before Israel, if
Israel had been faithful. There in Jackson county the holy city will be
set up as the capital of God's kingdom.
On the sixth of April, 1833, the Missouri Saints, thinking of the happy
future, came together on the bank of the Big Blue river to celebrate
the birthday of the Church. It was just the opening of spring and all
about them was beautiful. They were happy, for by hard work they were
making themselves prosperous. They owned their homes, and though they
were poor, yet the prospects for all were very bright.
God in His wisdom does not permit us always to see what is before us.
If those Saints could have looked upon the dark, gloomy years ahead,
they would have been sad indeed. Soon after the meeting of the sixth
of April a mob of about three hundred men collected in Independence to
make a plan to drive away the Saints. They thought it right on such
an occasion to drink a good deal of liquor so that their very worst
feelings might rule, but they were too generous with themselves. They
became drunk and broke up in a general fight. A few of the leading
Elders met together when the mob assembled and prayed that they should
do nothing to harm the Saints. This prayer, you see, was answered.
No more was done by the mob until July, and then through the efforts
of ministers and those who called themselves religious men, the people
were again stirred up. Minister Pixley was one of the most zealous
liars among the enemies of the Saints, and it was greatly due to
him that they renewed their persecution. On the twentieth of July a
mass-meeting was held, and among the five hundred men present were some
of the prominent officials of the state.
Col. Richard Simpson was chairman and Col. Samuel D Lucas was one of
the secretaries. The meeting resolved that no more Mormons should come
into Jackson county, that the Mormons there should sell their property
and move out, that the _Evening and Morning Star_ should be published
no longer, and that those who would not obey this order should be
referred to their brethren who had "the gift of divination and of
unknown tongues, to inform them of the lot that awaits them."
The main reasons given for these resolutions were that the Saints were
poor, they were growing in numbers, and the mob feared they were what
in those days were called abolitionists, that is, those who wished the
government to stop men from holding slaves. The Saints were from the
East and North. They of course held no slaves and hated the system of
slavery. And yet they were moderate. The constitution permitted men to
hold slaves and the Saints had no desire or intention to run over the
constitution.
In those days the people of the South were very jealous of their
right to hold the black men, and looked with great suspicion on the
Northerners. This was shown during the persecution of the Saints in
Missouri, and as the Prophet Joseph foretold, it grew and grew until it
ended in a bloody war.
A committee of twelve was appointed by the meeting to see the leading
Elders and report in two hours whether they would accept the terms or
not. Truly the mob were expecting much when they demanded that four or
five men should agree in about one hour's time that one thousand two
hundred souls should be driven from their homes.
Edward Partridge, W. W. Phelps, Sidney Gilbert and others were seen
by the committee, but the brethren asked for more time. The committee
refused and returned to the meeting. When the mob heard their report it
was decided by a vote of all to destroy the printing office and steal
the press and type. They went to Elder Phelps' house where the printing
was carried on, drove his family into the street although Sister Phelps
was nursing a sick baby, and then tore down the house. They stole
press, type and paper and all else they wanted, and destroyed the rest.
These Missouri ruffians doubtless enjoyed this very much, but it
did not satisfy them, they wanted a little rougher sport, and their
pleasure was the pain and suffering of others. They found Bishop
Partridge at his home, dragged him to the court-house, and tarred
and feathered him, because he would not deny the faith or leave the
country. Elder Charles Allen suffered the same treatment. With the
tar was mixed some acid, unslaked lime or lye, and it burned into the
flesh. But these brethren were so filled with the love of God that thev
felt no hate or bitterness toward their enemies.
Lieutenant Governor Lilburn W. Boggs, who was next to the highest
officer in the state, saw all this lawlessness and outrage, and when it
was done he coolly said to the Saints, "You now know what our Jackson
boys can do, and you must leave the country."
Three days later, on July 23rd, the mob met again, armed and carrying
a red flag like a band of anarchists that they were. The Saints knew
that bloodshed would follow if they did not consent to leave, so they
promised that half would go by January 1, 1834, and the other half by
the first of the next April, and the committee for the mob said that no
more violence should be done them.
Oliver Cowdery was immediately sent to Kirtland as a messenger to
Joseph and the Saints there, and sometime later W. W. Phelps and Orson
Hyde were sent to Jefferson City to ask Governor Daniel Dunklin for
help. They told him of the things you have just read about and the many
other threats and injuries the Saints had suffered. He said that the
attorney-general of the state, the man whose duty it is to advise on
points of law, was absent, but when he returned the governor promised
to write an answer.
About a month after the petition was written, the governor's answer
reached the Saints at Independence. He said that no citizens have a
right to take the law into their own hands. "Such conduct strikes at
the very existence of society and subverts the foundation on which
it is based." But he said that he could not persuade himself that
any portion of the citizens of Missouri needed force to teach them
this. Governor Dunklin should have looked more closely at the written
statements of the mob, which Elders Phelps and Hyde enclosed in the
petition. The mob's words were: "Intending as we do to rid our society
(of the Mormons), peaceably if we can, _forcibly if we must_, we deem
it of the highest importance to form ourselves into a company for the
better and easier accomplishment of our purpose." This same statement
was repeated in other words.
The governor advised the Saints to have their enemies arrested and
tried by law in the ordinary way. He said that justices of the peace
could issue warrants. But the trouble was that they would not.
Throughout Governor Dunklin's term of office he filled his letters
with patriotic words, but he did not restore the Saints to their homes
and rights. He was perhaps sincere in his desire to do right, but he
lacked vigor and strength and waited for extraordinary troubles to
mend themselves in an ordinary way instead of doing his duty bravely
and with determination. At least, Governor Dunklin was not the lawless
brute that was Lilburn W. Boggs who became governor after him.