Title: The Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet
Author: Cannon, George Q. (George Quayle)
Language: English
As this book started as an ASCII text book there are no pictures available.


*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet" ***


(MormonTextsProject.org), with thanks to Katie Liston and
David Cramer



THE LIFE OF

JOSEPH SMITH

THE PROPHET

BY GEORGE Q. CANNON

SECOND EDITION

Salt Lake City, Utah

1907



PREFACE.

Joseph and Hyrum are now dead; but like the first martyr they yet
speak. Their united voice is one of testimony, admonition and warning
to the world.

They lived men of God. They died pure and holy, sealing their testimony
with their blood.

No men ever suffered greater persecution than they: no men were ever
less understood by their generation.

It is in the hope that the Saints may find joy in reading of their
beloved Prophet and Patriarch, and that the world may judge more fairly
of these benefactors of mankind, that this book is written.

To the Author its preparation has been a loving duty. In the midst
of a somewhat busy and laborious life, he has found comfort in the
contemplation of this great subject. The closing chapters, detailing
the final sufferings upon earth of the Prophet of God and his
ever-constant brother, were finished in prison for adherence to the
principles which they taught, and for this, the Life is invested with
a dearer regard. To send the work away now is like being torn from a
beloved companion, when most the solace of his friendly presence is
needed.

In some respects this volume may be imperfect; the circumstances which
surrounded its preparation were not favorable to the collection and
arrangement of materials, but it is believed to be truthful and just.

To many friends the Author is indebted for information here embodied;
and he takes this occasion to thank them, hoping to live yet to meet
them and express his gratitude in the flesh.

That the sublime example and inspired teachings of Joseph the Prophet
of the last Dispensation, may be of eternal benefit to all who read
this Life, is the heart-felt wish of

THE AUTHOR.

Utah Penitentiary, October 1, 1888.



CONTENTS.

The Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet

Preface

The Ripened Time

The Apostasy and the Restoration

Joseph Smith at Nauvoo

The "Choice Seer"

CHAPTER I.

Joseph's Humble Extraction--The Godliness and Fair Fame of His
Ancestry--A Premonition of His Work

CHAPTER II.

Birth of Joseph--Family Circumstances--Toil and Poverty--Removal to New
York--Intense Religious Excitement

CHAPTER III.

Light from the Scriptures--The Prayer and its Answer--"This
is my Beloved Son: Hear Him"--Persecution and Scoffing of the
Multitude--Joseph Doubts Himself and Supplicates for Renewed Help

CHAPTER IV.

The Angel Moroni Visits Joseph Thrice in One Night--A Record to be
brought forth--vision of Cumorah

CHAPTER V.

A Mid-day Visitation--Joseph Confides in His Earthly Father--Cumorah
and the Sacred Box--A New Probation is Fixed--Successive Visits and
Ministrations of the Angel--Joseph's Growth in Godliness

CHAPTER VI.

Joseph's Willing Toil--Four Years of Waiting--He Finds Work in
Pennsylvania--His Marriage with Emma Hale--The Probation Completed

CHAPTER VII.

Final Visit to Cumorah--Delivery of the Plates by the Angel
Moroni--Solemn Caution to Joseph--Attacks by Assassins and
Robbers--Poverty and Persecution--Help from Martin Harris--Removal to
Pennsylvania

CHAPTER VIII.

Joseph Copies and Translates from the Plates--Martin Harris Again Comes
Opportunely--Professor Anthon and the Characters--Martin's Labors as a
Scribe--His Broken Trust--The Translation Lost to Joseph--The Prophet
Punished for Willfulness

CHAPTER IX.

Oliver Cowdery is Sent of Heaven to Aid the Prophet--The Aaronic
Priesthood is Brought to Earth by Christ's Forerunner--First Baptism of
This Dispensation

CHAPTER X.

The Prophet's Brother Samuel Baptized by Oliver--Renewed Danger to
the Work--Help From Fayette--Miraculous Interposition to Aid David
Whitmer--Hyrum Smith and Others Believe and are Baptized

CHAPTER XI.

Eleven Chosen Witnesses View the Plates--Their Unimpeachable Testimony
--Restoration of the Melchisedec Priesthood by Disciples of our
Lord--The Apostleship Conferred--Other Baptisms--The Translation
Completed

CHAPTER XII.

Organization of the Church at Fayette--Review of the Prophet's
Labors--His Unpretentious Character--The Courage which Animated Him was
shared by his Associates--The Witnesses and Early Members of the Church

CHAPTER XIII.

The All-Comprehending Character of Joseph's Inspiration--First
Public Meeting of the Church after Organization--Believers Asking
Baptism--Mobs seeking the Life or the Liberty of the Prophet--Twice
Arrested and Acquitted--Joseph's Lawyer Hears a Mysterious
Voice--Copying the Revelations

CHAPTER XIV.

Dissensions Within the Fold--Oliver Cowdery and Hiram Page Lead
the Whitmer's Astray--Mobs at Colesville and Persecution at
Harmony--Isaac Hale and his Family Oppose Joseph--The Prophet Removes
to Fayette--Prophetic Outline of the Gathering

CHAPTER XV.

The Second Conference of the Church--Harmony and Love Among
the Elders--Accessions to the Congregation--the Mission to the
Lamanites--Individual Revelations--God's Chosen Servants in Missouri

CHAPTER XVI.

Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge Join the Church--Joseph Commences
the Translation of the Scriptures--Saints Commanded to Gather at
Ohio--Joseph Migrates from New York--The Kirtland Saints Fall into
Error--God's Power Manifested--Important Revelations

CHAPTER XVII.

Fourth General Conference--God Designates Missouri as the Place
of Holding the Next Conference--Transgression of the Thompson
Branch--Joseph Goes to the Place of the New Jerusalem

CHAPTER XVIII.

On the Borders of the Wilderness--Laying the First Log--Dedication
and Consecration of the Land of Zion and the Temple Site--Back to
Civilization--Sign Seeking and Violence

CHAPTER XIX.

A Methodist Priest Converted by a Miracle--Wants Power to Smite--The
Prophet at Hiram Engaged in Translating--Order for Publication of the
"Evening and Morning Star"--Man-made Commandments

CHAPTER XX.

A Night of Fury--The Murderous Mob at Hiram--Joseph Dragged from his
Bed, and is Stripped, Bruised and Almost Slain by a Profane and Drunken
Crowd Led by Apostates and Sectarian Ministers

CHAPTER XXI.

Departure of the Prophet from Hiram for the Consecrated Land in
Missouri--Accepted as the President of the High Priesthood--Returning
from Zion, an attempt is made to Poison Him--Saved Under Bishop
Whitney's Administration

CHAPTER XXII.

Brigham Young Receives the Gospel--His Memorable Meeting with the
Prophet--His Constant devotion--"That Man will yet Preside over
the Church"--A Revelation on Priesthood--Joseph Visits the Eastern
States--His Numerous Labors--Prophecy Concerning the Civil War--Its
Subsequent Fulfillment

CHAPTER XXIII.

Organization of the School of the Prophets--The Translation of the
Scriptures--The Word of Wisdom Revealed--Joseph Selects Counselors--The
Savior and Angels Appear after the Ordination--Lands Purchased in and
around Kirtland

CHAPTER XXIV.

Threats of a Mob of Three Hundred at Independence--Purity Required of
Church Members--Excommunication of Dr. P. Hurlbert--His Threats Against
the Prophet--Pixley Joins the Mob--His Malicious Falsehoods--Meeting
of a Base Element--Wicked Determinations--Destruction of the Saints'
Printing Establishment--W. W. Phelps Driven from Home--Bishop
Partridge and Elder Allen Tarred and Feathered--"You Must Leave the
Country"--Another Meeting of the Enemy--The Saints Agree to Leave
Jackson County

CHAPTER XXV.

The Corner Stone of the Kirtland Temple Laid--A Printing
Establishment Opened--The Prophet's Mission to Canada--A Minister's
Opposition--Baptisms--Persecutions at Kirtland--Wilford Woodruff
Receives the Gospel

CHAPTER XXVI.

The Jackson County Persecutions--Appeal to Governor Dunklin--His Timid
Reply--Heartless Drivings--A Brutal Murder--Boggs Allows the Mob to
Organize as a Militia--Pitcher Placed in Command--Certain Men Taken in
Custody by the Mob--Settlement in Clay County--Court of Inquiry

CHAPTER XXVII.

Hurlbert's Efforts to Destroy Joseph--High Councils Organized--The
Camp of Zion--A Hard Journey--Rattlesnakes in Camp--The Prophet's
Philosophy--Elder Humphrey's Experience

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Vain Appeal of the Jackson County Saints for Protection--The Approach
of Zion's Camp--Attempts to Raise an Opposing Army--James Campbell's
Prophecy and its Fulfillment--A Providential Storm--Remarkable Rise of
Fishing River--Joseph States the Object of Zion's Camp--A Comforting
Revelation

CHAPTER XXIX.

The Scourge of Zion's Camp--Joseph and Hyrum Attacked by Cholera--Their
Deliverance--The Camp Disbanded--Threats Against the Prophet--His
Fearlessness--Joseph Returns to Kirtland--Sylvester Smith's Charge of
Impurity--The Prophet Vindicated--Visit to Michigan--The Law of Tithing

CHAPTER XXX.

The Calling of Christ's Apostles in the Last Dispensation of the
Fullness of Times--Duties and Powers of the Twelve--Their Labors in the
World--Organization of the Seventies

CHAPTER XXXI.

Joseph as a Restorer as well as a Prophet--The Book
of Abraham--Joseph's Growth into Scholarship and
Statesmanship--Difficulties with William Smith

CHAPTER XXXII.

Completion and Dedication of the Kirtland Temple--Sublime Visions to
the Saints--The Words of the Divine Redeemer--Joseph's Grandmother
Visits Him, then Dies in Peace--His Mission to the East

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Clay County Sorrowfully Bids the Saints to Migrate into
the Wilderness--Joseph Sends a Dignified Letter to the
Citizens--Continuance of Mob Autocracy in Jackson--Dunklin's
Helplessness--The Saints Form the New County of Caldwell and Lay Out
Far West

CHAPTER XXXIV.

The First Serious Apostasy and the First Great Missionary
Movement--Dissensions at Kirtland, and Successful Labors in
England--Joseph Meets John Taylor in Canada--Trials and Murderous Mobs
at Painesville--The Prophet Wades Through Swamps in the Night, Carrying
Sidney upon his back

CHAPTER XXXV.

John Taylor's Brave Defense of Joseph--The Prophet Encounters the
Spirit of Apostasy in Missouri--Hyrum in the First Presidency--Brigham
Young's Courage and Devotion--Joseph Driven from Kirtland--David W.
Patten's Prophetic Objection--Sad Excommunications--Fate of Prominent
Men--Adam-ondi-Ahman--The Gathering

CHAPTER XXXVI.

Peniston Arouses a Mob--His Exciting Speech Causes a Cruel Attack
upon Twelve Unarmed Brethren--One Hundred and Fifty Mobocrats Drive
them from the Polls--Adam Black's Promise--False Charges Against the
Saints--The Sheriff of Daviess County Arrests Joseph--Boggs Orders the
Raising of the Militia--The Prophet Perceives the Real Object of this
Order

CHAPTER XXXVII.

Joseph Volunteers for Trial and Lyman Wight Follows--Beginning the
Study of Law--The Trial Before a Coward Judge, with a Perjured
Witness--Militia Called Out, but the Mob Practically Defies it--Boggs
Continues the Work of Oppression

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

Bombardment of De Witt--Appeal of the Saints to Governor
Boggs--His Heartless Reply--Joseph's Presence Encourages the
Brethren--The Saints Leave their Possessions in De Witt--They go
to Far West--Adam-ondi-Ahman Devastated--The Saints Organize for
Defense--Joseph Controls a Mob who Design to Murder Him--Apostasy of
Thomas B. Marsh--Death of David W. Patten--"Whatever you do Else, oh Do
Not Deny the Faith."

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Boggs Issues an order of Extermination--General Atchison's Threat
Against the Tyrant--Avard Organizes the Danites--The Haun's Mill
Massacre--Far West Besieged--Three Noble Ones Refuse to Desert their
Friends--Colonel Hinkle's Base Treachery--"These are the Prisoners
I Agreed to Deliver up"--A Court-martial Sentences Joseph and his
Companions to Death--General Doniphan's Noble Action--Demoniac Deeds
Enacted in Far West

CHAPTER XL.

The Prophet's Life Saved by the Vanity of Lucas--Farewell of the
Prisoners to their Families--On Toward Independence--Continued Ravages
at Far West--General Clark's Inhuman Address--The Movement Against
Adam-ondi-Ahman

CHAPTER XLI.

Joseph Preaches in Jackson and Fulfills his own Prophecy--Favor in
the Eyes of their Captors--Drunken Guards--In Richmond Jail--Majesty
in Chains--Clark's Dilemma--The mock Trial--Treason to Believe the
Bible--Close of the Year 1838

CHAPTER XLII.

The Pledge for the Poor Saints in Missouri--Brigham Young Driven
Forth--Efforts to Secure the Prophet's Release--Removal to
Gallatin--Examination of the Case by a Drunken Jury--Wholesale
Indictment--Change of Venue to Boone--Escape from Missouri to Illinois

CHAPTER XLIII.

The Exodus Completed--A Fragment of its Agonies--The Woes of a
Martyr's Widow, a Type of the General Suffering--Threat that one of
Joseph's Prophecies should Fail--But it is Fulfilled by Courageous
Apostles--Missouri's Punishment and Atonement

CHAPTER XLIV.

The Location of Commerce--Nauvoo, the Beautiful--Pity from Prominent
Men in Illinois--A Day of Miracles--The Prophet Raises the Sick at the
Sound of his Voice--Joseph Sounds the Trump of Warning--The Mission of
the Apostles--Their Self-sacrifice and Courage--Conference at Commerce

CHAPTER XLV.

Reasons for an Appeal to Washington--Joseph and Companions Depart
for the National Capital--The Prophet's Act of Physical Heroism--He
sees Ingratitude--Martin Van Buren and Joseph Smith--The Latter's
Scorn--Cowardice and Chicanery--"Your Cause is Just, but I can do
Nothing for you."

CHAPTER XLVI.

The Mission of the Apostles--Miraculous Opening of their way to the
Old World--Ordination of Willard Richards--Special Labors of Each
Apostle--The First Immigrants to Zion--Joseph's Letters of Instruction
and Comfort to Elders and Saints Abroad

CHAPTER XLVII.

Nauvoo the Beautiful--Events There During the Year 1840--Renewal of
Outrages by the Missourians--Death of the Prophet's Father and Edward
Partridge--Return of Williams and Phelps--Joseph's Hope for His
City--Demand by Governor Boggs for the Prophet and His Brethren

CHAPTER XLVIII.

Joseph Smith at Nauvoo--His Physical and Mental Personality--Views of
his Opponent Commentators--Testimony of the Spirit of His Inspiration

CHAPTER XLIX.

Dr. J. C. Bennett Joins the Church--Nauvoo City Chartered--Nauvoo
University and Legion Organized--Joseph Smith Commissioned as
Lieutenant-General of the State Militia--Temple Site--Dedication of the
Temple--An Important Conference

CHAPTER L.

Joseph's Visit to Governor Carlin at Quincy--Arrest on the Old
Requisition from Missouri--A Sheriff Nursed by his Prisoner--Judge
Douglas Discharges the Prophet on Writ of _Habeas Corpus_--Browning's
Eloquent Appeal--Death of Don Carlos Smith--Events at Nauvoo, Closing
1841

CHAPTER LI.

The Power of Human Harmony--Changing Hell to Heaven--Joseph as a
Servant--His Sketch of the Church--A Ringing Editorial--Organization of
the Relief Society--Bennett Begins his Plots

CHAPTER LII.

Bennett's Impurities--His Cowardly Stab at the Prophet's Name and
Life--Fellowship Withdrawn from the Evil-doer--Quoting his own Letters
to Injure the Saints--Attempt to Kill Boggs--Absurd Charges Against
"The Mormons"--Joseph's Horse, "Joe Duncan"--A Prophecy

CHAPTER LIII.

The Prophet Charged with being an Accessory to the Attempted
Assassination of Boggs--Orrin Porter Rockwell Accused of the
Crime--The Governor's Requisition--The Arrest--The Prophet's Desire
for Peace--Wilson Law's Brave Words--Emma Smith's Noble Appeal to
the Governor--Carlin's False Reply--Amasa M. Lyman Ordained an
Apostle--Three Hundred and Eighty Faithful Volunteers

CHAPTER LIV.

Attempt to Capture Joseph--Reward Offered--Tricks to Entrap the
Prophet--He Submits to Arrest--Visits Governor Ford--His Examination
and Release--A Traitor's Threat

CHAPTER LV.

A Breathing Spell--Joseph's Anticipation of his Sacrifice--Many
Prophecies and an Important Theological Epoch in the Early Part
of 1843--Wrestling and Other Manly Sports--Extracts from his
Sermons--Attack on the Nauvoo Charter--The Lull was Brief

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

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 ask for a Mob
Army--Independence Day at Nauvoo

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

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

CHAPTER LX.

Pacific Address by the Prophet--The Mob ask God to Bless their Work of
Massacre--Looking to the West--A Sublime Sermon--Apostates and their
Work--Joseph Indicted for Polygamy

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

CHAPTER LXII.

Joseph's Dream--His Last Public Address--Consciousness of his Impending
Fate--His Love for his Brethren

CHAPTER LXIII.

Pontius Pilate Ford's Entrance upon the Scene at Carthage--The Old Cry
of "Crucify!"--Joseph's Final Effort to Avert Danger from Nauvoo--Lack
of Faith and Suspicions of Cowardice--A Fatal Blindness--Like a Lamb to
the Slaughter--The Arms Demanded--Farewell to Nauvoo--At Carthage

CHAPTER LXIV.

Voluntary Yielding to Process--Joseph and Hyrum Charged with
Treason--Ford's Cowardice and Falsehood--In Carthage Jail--The First
Day and Night--Preaching to the Guards--Ford Leaves the Martyrs to
their Fate

CHAPTER LXV.

Administration of the Holy Endowments--The work of the Closing Months
--Union of Satanic Forces Against the Prophet--A Momentary Glance at
him Before the Final Hour

CHAPTER LXVI.

The Last Day--Ford's Action at Nauvoo--Conspiracy Between the Guards
and Murderous Mob Militia--The Prisoners Left to their Fate--"A Poor
Wayfaring Man of Grief"--The Assault and the Murder--The End

Anecdotes and Sayings of the Prophet

Appendix



THE HOUR

The Ripened Time.

* * *

_Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation
of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every
unclean and hateful bird_.

_For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication
with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the
abundance of her delicacies_.

* * * _Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins
and that ye receive not of her plagues_.

_For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her
iniquities_.

THE PROPHECY OF JOHN THE REVELATOR.



THE APOSTASY AND THE RESTORATION.

In the reign of Tiberius of Rome, the Lord Jesus was crucified. At
the hour of the atonement, His Gospel was to the dominant earthly
power only "a deadly superstition," [1] "a strange and pestilent
superstition," [2] sought to be crushed at any cost by the ruthless
power of the pagan empire. Thus came the persecutions of the early
Christians, lasting until after Christianity, with irresistible power,
had "sprung up, even in Rome, the common reservoir for all the streams
of wickedness and infamy." [1]

In the midst of these early tribulations, the plain and simple Gospel
was becoming involved and mystified by the many opposing sects which
professed to believe in Jesus; and yet it retained so much of divinity
as enabled it to resist persecution and idolatry, and made it, in the
fourth century, the established religion of Rome.

This elevation was not achieved without some sacrifice of identity. And
in the commingling with error, truth yielded much. [3]

The Roman emperor, Constantine I., was led to show favor to the
unpopular people; but his friendliness to Christianity demanded and
received its price. He sought as much the welfare of the state as the
progress of the religion to which he had been only in part converted;
and when he exacted concessions of creed and principle, the Fathers
felt forced to comply. It was Constantine who called the first Council
of Nice. He presided over its opening session, and dictated its policy
in accordance with his own imperial ambitions. [4]

From that time on, for twelve hundred years, the Church of Rome grew in
lustful power. The first great check was when the German monk, Martin
Luther, with bared feet, fled in disappointment from the debauched
court of Pope Leo X. Luther's courage partly stripped the idol of its
awe-invoking cloak of mystery and dread threats; and never more did the
whole civilized world crouch in terror at the feet of Rome.

The freedom of thought heralded by the Reformation, at last found its
abuse in the Age of Reason and the blasphemy of the French Revolution.
At first rejecting Christianity for a dream of paganism restored, the
infidels, in turn, exchanged pagan mythology, with its gods many, for
their own new mythology, with its gods none.

This tempest of profane unbelief was too violent to be enduring. A
re-awakening to religious fervor was manifest in Christendom. Men
gladly blotted from their memories the dread of the _auto-da-fe_; the
inquisition dungeons and racks of Spain and Italy, the funeral fires
of England, the witch-hanging and Quaker-driving of the New World, and
all the atrocities sacrilegiously practiced as ceremonies of worship.
Mankind turned back by thousands to find satisfaction for their
inherent necessity--belief in a Higher Power.

But that Higher Power was itself an unfathomable mystery. God had been
misunderstood for centuries. Much of the world had known nothing of Him
--His nature or His purposes--from the death of Christ's Apostles. The
men who had known Him walked no more in the midst of mankind. Prophets
and apostles, while they lived, taught their fellow-men that he was
a distinct personality--a glorious Being in whose likeness man was
created. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was declared "to be made like
unto his brethren"--"made in the likeness of men"--and "in the likeness
of sinful flesh;" yet inspired men claimed Him as being "in the form of
God"--"the express image of His person"--"the image of the invisible
God." But, as generations and centuries passed, true knowledge
concerning the Creator faded away. A spiritual meaning concerning His
personage and attributes was given to the testimony of those who had
known Him. Modern sectarianism taught the world that God, the Father,
of whose person Jesus was the "express image," was an all-pervading God
of spirit--a Being who, without any tangible existence, is everywhere
in the material world--a Being "without body, parts or passions,"
"whose center was nowhere and whose circumference was everywhere."
Professing to have an understanding of the Deity, they differed but
little from the Pantheists, who, rejecting a personal God, made bold
avowal of an all-existing God of nature--the combined forces and laws
which are manifested in the existing universe.

Thus blinded, how could mankind offer true worship to the Lord of
heaven and earth?

The Eastern World had lost this knowledge of the Lord earlier than the
Western Hemisphere. Upon the land of North America, four hundred years
after the birth of our Savior and Master, there stood at least one
man who knew the Lord God Almighty as a distinct personality, a Being
capable of communicating Himself to man. That man was Moroni, the son
of Mormon, whose testimony abides now and must abide through all the
ages to come. [5]

It was upon this land that Jesus last appeared to His brethren who
dwelt in mortality; and it was predestined that upon this land man was
to first receive a renewal of divine revelation. After the discovery
of the hemisphere which had been so long concealed from the knowledge
of those who had dwelt upon the other parts of the earth, nearly three
centuries elapsed before a nation with a charter of liberty divinely
ordained was established. In God's providence it was necessary that
those who had been led here by His hand should receive political
emancipation to prepare the way for the restoration of the gospel in
its purity and the Church of Christ in the plenitude of its power.
Political salvation had first been declared, that men's bodies might be
free and their souls be filled with high aspirations to prepare for the
greater enfranchisement and redemption which were to appear.

The period succeeding the Revolution was filled with a veritable Babel
of religious creeds. Every obsolete tradition was revived; every
possible human fancy of doctrine was promulgated; and each found its
upholding sect. Confusion and doubt waxed fat, feeding upon human
fears. No earthly wisdom could bring peace to the sects or make harmony
among the creeds.

It became the ripe hour for the Heavens to open and with their
Celestial light show to man the way out of the abyss into which he had
fallen. It became the hour for the re-establishment of heavenly truth
--the Gospel of Christ and its direct communications between God and
humanity: a religion which should cast off alike the skepticism of
"reason" and the shackles of superstition; a religion which should be
bold in righteous faith and convincing in its revealed philosophy. By
Divine aid the way had been paved for this renewal.

For the greater part of eighteen hundred years humanity had been
perverting the Gospel of Jesus, the Anointed.

Then the Eternal Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, revealed themselves
from heaven. This glorious manifestation was followed by the angel
flying in the midst of heaven, who proclaimed that the restoration of
the Gospel had come.

Footnotes

1. Tacitus

2. Suetonius

3. Paganism, unable to oppose Christianity successfully, has done much
to corrupt it, and in numberless ways had made inroads upon its purity.
_Prof. T. M. Lindsay_, Glasgow.

4. The interest of the emperor [Constantine] was still (at the Council
of Nice) primarily political and official, rather than personal. _W.
Browning Smith_.

5. Behold, will ye believe in the day of your visitation, behold, when
the Lord shall come; yea, even that great day when the earth shall be
rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat; yea, in that great day when ye shall be brought to stand before
the Lamb of God, then will ye say there is no God?

Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God?

For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God
and also, the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will
kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you.

O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the
Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless,
pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb,
at that great and last day.

And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and
say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor
prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the
interpretation of tongues.

Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things, knoweth not the
gospel of Christ.

For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever;
and in Him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?



THE MAN

Joseph Smith at Nauvoo.

May 15, 1844.

_It is by no means improbable that some future text-book, for the use
of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like this:
What historical American of the nineteenth century has exerted the most
powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by
no means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may be thus
written: JOSEPH SMITH, THE MORMON PROPHET. And the reply, absurd as it
doubtless seems to most men now living, may be an obvious commonplace
to their descendants. History deals in surprises and paradoxes quite as
startling as this. The man who established a religion in this age of
free debate, who was and is today accepted by hundreds of thousands as
a direct emissary from the Most High--such a rare human being is not
to be disposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory epithets. * * *
The most vital questions Americans are asking each other today have to
do with this man and what he has left us. * * * Burning questions they
are, which must give a prominent place in the history of the country
to that sturdy self-asserter whom I visited at Nauvoo. Joseph Smith,
claiming to be an inspired teacher, faced adversity such as few men
have been called to meet, enjoyed a brief season of prosperity such
as few men have ever attained, and, finally, forty-three days after I
saw him, went cheerfully to a martyr's death. When he surrendered his
person to Governor Ford, in order to prevent the shedding of blood, the
Prophet had a presentiment of what was before him. "I am going like a
lamb to the slaughter," he is reported to have said; "but I am as calm
as a summer's morning. I have a conscience void of offense and shall
die innocent_."

JOSIAH QUINCY'S "FIGURES OF THE PAST."



THE "CHOICE SEER."

In the day of Jesus, every act and every circumstance of His life was
ridiculed and belittled by his jealous enemies. But the record of
His career, from which the present world of Christians makes up its
judgment of Him, was not written until all insignificant or paltry
things had been forgotten; and now His character, illuminated by the
eternal sunshine of heaven, stands outlined against the blue vastness
of the past in sublime simplicity. Let us view Joseph Smith in the same
light--see him as he towered in the full radiance of his labors; see
him the reconciler of divergent sects and doctrines, the oracle of the
Almighty to all nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples.

Joseph Smith had been a retiring youth--the Spirit made him bold to
declare to rulers and potentates and all mankind, the Gospel again
revealed. He had been a humble farmer lad--Divine authority sat so
becomingly upon him that men looked at him with reverent awe. He had
been unlearned in the great things of art and science--he walked with
God until human knowledge was to his eye an open book, the Celestial
light beamed through his mind.

His lofty soul comprehended the grandeur of his mission upon earth; and
with divine fortitude he fulfilled the destiny which God had ordained
for him before the world was.

When he had achieved the prime of his manhood, he seemed to combine
all attractions and excellencies. His physical person was the fit
habitation of his exalted spirit. He was more than six feet in
height, with expansive chest and clean cut limbs--a staunch and
graceful figure. His head, crowned with a mass of soft, wavy hair,
was grandly poised. His face possessed a complexion of such clearness
and transparency that the soul appeared to shine through. He wore no
beard, and the full strength and beauty of his countenance impressed
all beholders at a glance. He had eyes which seemed to read the hearts
of men. His mouth was one of mingled power and sweetness. His majesty
of air was natural, not studied. Though full of personal and prophetic
dignity whenever occasion demanded, he could at other times unbend
and be as happy and unconventional as a boy. This was one of his most
striking characteristics; and it was sometimes held up to scorn by his
traducers, that the chosen "man of God" should at times mingle as a man
of earth with his earthly brethren. And yet it is a false ridicule; for
Savior and prophets must, like other men, eat, drink and wear apparel.
They have the physical necessities and the affections and enjoyments
which are common to other men. And it is this petty human fact--that a
divine apostle with an earthly body has hunger and thirst to appease,
that he cannot always be prophesying, but has hours to smile with the
gay and to weep with the saddened--which leaves him "without honor in
his own country."

But whether engaging in manly sport, during hours of relaxation, or
proclaiming words of wisdom in pulpit or grove, he was ever the leader.
His magnetism was masterful, and his heroic qualities won universal
admiration. Where he moved all classes were forced to recognize in him
the man of power. Strangers journeying to see him from a distance, knew
him the moment their eyes beheld his person. Men have crossed ocean and
continent to meet him, and have selected him instantly from among a
multitude. [1]

It was a part of Joseph Smith's great mission "to combat the errors of
ages; to meet the violence of mobs; to cope with illegal proceedings
from executive authority; to cut the Gordian knot of powers; to solve
mathematical problems of universities with truth--diamond truth." He
performed a work, "not pagan ire, nor tooth of time, nor sword, nor
fire, shall bring to naught."

The Prophet's life was exalted and unselfish. His death was a sealing
martyrdom, following after that which was completed upon Calvary for
the redemption of a world.

Footnotes

1. It was the author's privilege to thus meet the Prophet for the first
time. The occasion was the arrival of a large company of Latter-day
Saints at the upper landing at Nauvoo. The General Conference of the
Church was in session and large numbers crowded to the landing place
to welcome the emigrants. Nearly every prominent man in the community
was there. Familiar with the names of all and the persons of many of
the prominent Elders, the author sought with a boy's curiosity and
eagerness, to discover those whom he knew, and especially to get sight
of the Prophet and his brother Hyrum, neither of whom he had ever
met. When his eyes fell upon the Prophet, without a word from any
one to point him out, or any reason to separate him from others who
stood around, he knew him instantly. He would have known him among
ten thousand. There was that about him, which to the author's eyes,
distinguished him from all the men he had ever seen.



JOSEPH SMITH'S LIFE AND WORK

Joseph the Prophet.

CHAPTER I.

JOSEPH'S HUMBLE EXTRACTION--THE GODLINESS AND FAIR FAME OF HIS
ANCESTRY--A PREMONITION OF HIS WORK.

Joseph Smith was of humble birth. His parents and their progenitors
were toilers; but their characters were godly and their names unstained.

In the year 1638, Robert Smith, a sturdy yeoman of England, emigrated
to the New World, the land of promise. He settled in Essex County,
Massachusetts, and afterwards married Mary French. The numerous
descendants of these worthy people intermarried with many of the
staunchest and most industrious families of New England. Samuel, the
son of Robert and Mary, born January 26th, 1666, wedded Rebecca Curtis,
January 25th, 1707. Their son, the second Samuel, was born January
26th, 1714; he married Priscilla Gould, and was the father of Asael,
born March 7th, 1744. Asael Smith took to wife Mary Duty, and their son
Joseph was born July 12th, 1771. On the 24th of January, 1796, Joseph
married Lucy Mack, at Tunbridge, in the State of Vermont. She was born
July 8th, 1776, and was the daughter of Solomon and Lydia Mack, and was
the granddaughter of Ebenezer Mack.

The men of these two families, Smith and Mack, through several
generations had been tillers of the soil. They were devout and
generous, measurably prosperous in a worldly sense, and several of them
were brave and steadfast soldiers through the early Colonial campaigns
and the Revolutionary struggle.

After the marriage of Joseph Smith with Lucy Mack, they settled,
respected and happy, upon their own farm at Tunbridge. Here they were
successful, financially, for a few years, until the dishonesty of a
trusted friend and agent robbed them of their surplus means and left
them plunged in debt. They freely sacrificed all of money value which
they possessed, even homestead and Lucy's treasured marriage portion,
and paid every just claim which was held against them. Left thus in
absolute poverty, they sought to retrieve their loss of home; and
Tunbridge, where they were known and respected, offered for a time a
prospect of success. Soon afterwards, however, they removed to Sharon,
where Joseph rented a farm from his father-in-law. This field he
diligently tilled through the summer, and during the winter taught the
village school. Comfort was restored to them; but they were destined to
be still tried and sanctified by the tribulations of life. Honest and
industrious, pious and benevolent, yet Joseph and Lucy saw themselves
and their children pursued by poverty, illness and the cold neglect of
their fellow-mortals. They repined not at their chastenings, but they
marveled.

God was teaching the parents the great lesson of personal humility; and
they and their children were learning how fleeting is earthly wealth
and how fallible is mere human friendship. For the choice seed which is
to bring forth rich and perfect fruit, the Lord Almighty prepares the
soil of His garden.

The paternal grandfather of the Prophet was Asael Smith, a man of the
strongest religious convictions, and yet a man whose broad humanitarian
views were repugnant to many of the sectarians of the day. Upon one
occasion, before the Prophet's birth, Asael Smith had a premonition
that one of his descendants should be a great teacher and leader of
men. To quote his words, as they are remembered and recorded by one who
knew and heard him speak: "It has been borne in upon my soul that one
of my descendants will promulgate a work to revolutionize the world of
religious faith."

It is not known if the young Joseph ever learned of this prophetic
declaration, until after his own career had been made manifest. But
Asael lived to see the dawn of the fulfillment of his words. Just
before his death, the Book of Mormon, then recently printed, was
presented to him. He accepted it, and with the light of inspiration
which sometimes illumines the mind of man as the veil of eternity opens
to his gaze, Asael solemnly warned his attendants to give heed to the
Book, for it was true, and its coming forth heralded a renewal of the
Gospel light.



CHAPTER II.

BIRTH OF JOSEPH--FAMILY CIRCUMSTANCES--TOIL AND POVERTY--REMOVAL TO NEW
YORK--INTENSE RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENT.

The circumstances and surroundings of the elder Joseph were of the
humblest, when unto his house was born, on the 23rd of December, 1805,
Joseph, the Prophet of the Last Dispensation. The family were still
living in the little town of Sharon, in Windsor County, Vermont; and
were, at the time, greatly impoverished. Very early, therefore, was the
future Prophet compelled to learn the lessons of labor, patience and
self-denial. The father was striving, with every faculty, to repair his
shattered fortunes, that he might educate his children and provide for
their comfort and well-being; but successive disasters consumed his
little savings. After a time, he removed from Sharon, and later, in
1815, left the State of Vermont, locating at Palmyra, Ontario County,
New York: in which place and the adjoining town of Manchester, whither
the family moved four years afterward, they dwelt for several years.
Here they engaged in clearing land and farming, the boys, including
the young Joseph, giving their constant aid to the family work. With
the severest toil they could only compass a frugal mode of life. But
they wasted no time in useless repining. They were able to pay their
obligations, to maintain their honest name, to live in happiness, and
to devote some hours of each week to the rudimentary education of the
younger children.

The offspring of Joseph and Lucy Smith, with the dates and places of
their birth, are named as follow: [1]

Alvin, born February 11th, 1798, at Tunbridge, Vermont.

Hyrum, born February 9th, 1800, at Tunbridge, Vermont.

Sophronia, born May 18th, 1803, at Tunbridge, Vermont.

Joseph, born December 23rd, 1805, at Sharon, Vermont.

Samuel, born March 13th, 1808, at Tunbridge, Vermont.

Ephraim, born March 13th, 1810, at Royalton, Vermont.

William, born March 13th, 1811, at Royalton, Vermont.

Catherine, born July 8th, 1812, at Lebanon, New Hampshire.

Don Carlos, born March 25th, 1816, probably at Palmyra, New York.

Lucy, born July 18th, 1821, probably at Palmyra, New York.

The first quarter of the nineteenth century was a time of intense
religious excitement, and New York and surrounding states were the
scenes of many revivals and much strife. Not only among preachers and
exhorters was the enthusiasm manifested, but the people themselves
became much exercised over their sinful condition, and ran here and
there in a wild search for the salvation for which their souls seemed
to yearn. The movement originated with the Methodists; but it soon
spread to other sects in the neighborhood, until the whole region was
infected by it, and the greatest excitement was created, in which all
the good effects of a revival were swallowed up in bitter contests of
opinions and the strife of words between the adherents of the various
creeds.

The Smith family inclined towards the Presbyterian faith, and the
mother, two sons and a daughter united themselves with that church.
Joseph was at the time in his fifteenth year--just at an age, with his
limited experience, he might be deemed most susceptible to the example
of others. He listened and considered, yet could not profess the faith
of his family. The clergymen of other sects assailed him; but although
he became somewhat partial to the Methodist creed, their soft words and
direful threats were alike unavailing. The tempest could not reach the
depths of the boy's nature. Unknown to himself he was awaiting the hour
when the divine message should stir the waters of his soul.

Footnotes

1. See NOTE 1., APPENDIX.



CHAPTER III.

LIGHT FROM THE SCRIPTURES--THE PRAYER AND ITS ANSWER--"THIS IS MY
BELOVED SON: HEAR HIM"--PERSECUTION AND SCOFFING OF THE MULTITUDE--
JOSEPH DOUBTS HIMSELF AND SUPPLICATES FOR RENEWED HELP.

Joseph was earnest beyond his years; but he was not of a nature to
become a prey to morbid feelings. He was neither terrified by the
awful threats of the revivalists into a ready acceptance of their
dogmas, nor driven by their divisions and strife into unbelief in
revealed religion. The all-absorbing question with him was: Which
of these churches is the church of Christ? Under the influence of
his great desire to know the truth and the correct path which led to
salvation, he made a thoughtful analysis of the proffered creeds. Can
it be wondered at that he was bewildered in the labyrinth of paths,
each of which claimed to be the heavenly way? When at divers times he
thought of uniting himself with some one of the churches, his further
investigation each time revealed some false mysteries. Dissatisfied
with their claims and pretensions, and conscious of his own want of
knowledge and how easily he might err in a matter of such vital and
eternal importance, he was led to seek for guidance from a righteous
source. He had recourse to the word of God.

Searching the scriptures for comfort and light, one happy and most
fortunate moment he read these sacred words:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

Like a flash of sunlight through lowering clouds, the import of a
mighty truth burst upon Joseph's mind. He had been vainly asking help
from men who had answered him out of their own darkness. He determined
now to seek assistance from God. A modest fear might suggest: Who was
he that he should dare to approach the great Creator's throne? But
there was the plain promise. He could not doubt it, without doubting
his Maker. He felt that he lacked wisdom; and to such as he, asking of
God, there was the divine pledge to hear and give without upbraiding.

It was one morning in early springtime of the year 1820, that Joseph
felt the earnest prompting and adopted the holy resolve. He walked into
the depths of a wood, which stood near his home, and sought a little
glade. There, in trembling humility, but with a faith which thrilled
his soul--alone, unseen of man, he fell upon his knees and lifted his
voice in prayer to God. While he was calling upon the Almighty, a
subtle and malignant power seized him and stilled his utterance. Deep
darkness enveloped him; he felt that he was in the grasp of Satan,
and that the destroyer was exerting all the power of hell to drag him
to sudden destruction. In his agony he called anew upon the Lord for
deliverance; and at the moment when he seemed to be sinking under the
power of the evil one, the deep gloom was rolled away and he saw a
brilliant light. A pillar of celestial fire, far more glorious than
the brightness of the noon-day sun, appeared directly above him. The
defeated power fled with the darkness; and Joseph's spirit was free to
worship and marvel at his deliverance. Gradually the light descended
until it rested upon him; and he saw, standing above him in the air,
enveloped in the pure radiance of the fiery pillar, two personages of
incomparable beauty, alike in form and feature, and clad alike in snowy
raiment. Sublime, dazzling, they filled his soul with awe. At length,
One, calling Joseph by name, stretched His shining arm towards the
other, and said:

"THIS IS MY BELOVED SON: HEAR HIM!"

As soon as Joseph could regain possession of himself, to which he was
encouraged by the benign and comforting look of the Son, and by the
heavenly bliss which pervaded his own soul, he found words to ask,
which of all the multitude of churches upon the face of the globe had
the gospel of Christ; for up to this time it had never entered his mind
to doubt that the true church of the Lamb, pure and undefiled, had
an existence somewhere among men. But the answer came that no one of
the creeds of earth was pure, and that Joseph must unite himself with
none of them. Said the glorious Being: "THEY DRAW NEAR ME WITH THEIR
LIPS, BUT THEIR HEARTS ARE FAR FROM ME; THEY TEACH FOR THE DOCTRINE
THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN, HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT THEY DENY THE
POWER THEREOF."

Even in the transport of his vision, Joseph felt amazed at the
instruction. But the Heavenly Personages continued to commune with him,
and repeated Their command that he should not ally himself with any
of the man-made sects. Then They and Their enclosing pillar of light
passed from his gaze, and he was left to look into the immensity of
space.

The boy's faith in the promises of God had now deepened into knowledge.
He had been assailed by the power of evil, until it seemed he must
succumb--that the limit of human endurance was passed. And in that
instant of deepest despair, he had been suddenly transported into the
blaze of celestial light. He had seen with his own eyes the Father and
the Son, with his own ears he had heard Their eternal voice. Over this
untaught youth at least, the Heavens were no longer as brass. He had
emerged from the maze of doubt and uncertainty in which he had so long
groped, and had received positive assurances on the matter nearest his
heart from Him, whom to know was anciently declared to be life eternal.

Emboldened, satisfied, and happy beyond expression, Joseph's first
thought was of his loved ones. He must impart the glorious truth to
them. His parents and his brethren listened, and were lost in awe
at his straightforward recital. He next sought his old friends the
ministers, those who had affected such an interest in his welfare and
who would nave so willingly acted as his guides toward heaven. His
first experience with these gentlemen was somewhat discouraging. A
Methodist preacher who had formerly cultivated the utmost friendship,
and who probably had acquired considerable influence with him, was
soon informed by Joseph of the Heavenly manifestation. The pious man
treated the communication with contempt, and curtly replied that
there were no such things as visions or revelations in these days,
they having ceased with the Apostles, and that the whole thing was of
the Devil. Other ministers, and in fact the religious portion of the
entire neighborhood, as the event became more widely known, united in
the determination to overwhelm with ridicule and abuse that which they
found themselves unable to silence by argument.

Joseph had been a great favorite among his neighbors, his gentle ways
had made him beloved by all; he now was hated and reviled. He had
been especially sought after by the clergy because of his diligence,
earnestness and humility in striving to secure the grace of God; he now
was stigmatized as a dissolute dreamer, a worthless knave and an an
arrant hypocrite. A boy of fourteen is seldom the object of universal
conversation and comment in his locality; yet this youth's enemies did
not rest short of lifting him to an eminence where he could the better
be seen and scorned of all men.

His family were made to share the vindictiveness and contumely
exhibited toward him which at last reached such a pitch that an attempt
was actually made to assassinate him. The family, on hearing the report
of the gun, rushed from the house only to find the marks made by the
crouching murderer at the side of the path, and the leaden missiles
embedded a short distance from the spot.

But persecution, slander and cruel outrage were all unable to change
the steadfast testimony of Joseph. Three years passed away, during
which time he was true to his trust through toil and poverty, through
scorn and tribulation. The heavens no more opened to his view in
this trying period; but the youth, who was fast maturing--growing in
strength and understanding--was able to show the staunchness of his
nature while he waited in patience and humility for the additional
light which he had been led to expect.

Yet Joseph was human, with human loves and human wants. He sorrowed to
find himself and his kindred cast off by all their old associates, and
he at times was forced into the society of persons who made few or no
pretensions to religion.

Doubtless the avowed infidels and unbelievers, whom he thus
occasionally met, were no more lacking in genuine purity than were
the self-righteous enthusiasts who shunned him except when they
could devise some means for persecution and torture. But he had not
yet learned to justly weigh the virtues and failings of others; and
often he reproached himself with sinfulness because of his enforced
associations. His quick conscience was apt to exaggerate every youthful
foible, and he regarded many of his acts of thoughtlessness as offenses
at which the Heavens must frown.

At last he felt the imperative need of light and help from the source
whence flows all truth. He acknowledged that he had fallen into many
foolish errors and youthful weaknesses; and he prayed without ceasing
for the pardon of every wrong which he had done. He plead earnestly
that he might gain greater knowledge for his guidance, and asked for
a manifestation, from which he might know concerning his state and
standing before the Lord. Despite his own self-accusation, the answer
to his prayer proves that his probationary period had been passed
satisfactorily to the Heavens and that he was still unstained by any
dark offense.



CHAPTER IV.

THE ANGEL MORONI VISITS JOSEPH THRICE IN THE NIGHT--A RECORD TO BE
BROUGHT FORTH--VISION OF CUMORAH.

It was on the night of the 21st of September, in the year 1823, that
Joseph, having retired to his humble room, invoked an answer to his
petition unto the Lord. While lying upon his bed thus seeking with all
the power of his spirit, the usual darkness of the room began to fade
away and a spreading glory appeared, which increased until the room was
lighter than at noonday. In the midst of this light, which was most
brilliant around his person, stood a radiant being, whose countenance
was more bright than vivid lightning and was marvelously lovely. He
seemed of greater stature than an ordinary man and moved and stood
without touching the floor. He was clothed in a robe of intense and
dazzling whiteness, far exceeding anything of an earthly character; and
his hands and wrists and feet and ankles, as well as his head and neck,
were bare. The glorious personage stood at Joseph's bedside; and to the
awed youth, in a voice of tenderness and comfort, calling Joseph by
name, the angel announced himself to be a messenger from the presence
of the Almighty, and that his name was Moroni. The holy visitor then
proceeded to unfold some of the grand purposes of the Lord. He said
that through Joseph, God's power and kingdom were to be restored to
earth; that Joseph's name should go out to all nations, kindred and
tongues, to be blessed by the pure reviled by the unholy--that it
should be both good and evil spoken of among all people; that in the
fulfillment of this mission, Joseph would be led to a hill, where was
buried an ancient record engraved upon plates of gold, which record was
a history of the nations that had inhabited the American continent,
and furthermore contained the fulness of the Gospel as given during
the administration of Jesus on this land. He said that with the plates
were hidden two sacred stones, set in a bow of silver fastened to a
breastplate, and called Urim and Thummim, by the possession and use of
which, men in ancient times had become seers, and by means of which,
aided by the inspiration of Heaven, Joseph also would become a seer and
be able to read and translate the engraven record.

While the angel was thus speaking, Joseph was enabled in vision to
see clearly and distinctly the holy hill and its environs, and the
particular spot upon the hillside where the plates were held in silent
trust. Moroni resumed his teachings, saying that the hour had not yet
come for the translation of the record, but Joseph must prepare his
mind by prayer and thought for the exalted duties and blessings which
awaited him; and he most solemnly warned the youth, on penalty of sure
destruction, against showing the hidden treasures to anyone except by
commandment of God. Before taking his leave, the angelic messenger
rehearsed much of ancient prophecy relating to the restoration of
all holiness, the second coming of our Savior and His dominion upon
earth; he explained many scriptural utterances; and of the wicked and
unbelieving blasphemies, he spoke in such a sorrowful yet terrible
voice that these words seemed to still the beating of the listener's
heart:

"FOR BEHOLD, THE DAY COMETH THAT SHALL BURN AS AN OVEN; AND ALL THE
PROUD, YEA AND ALL THAT DO WICKEDLY SHALL BURN AS STUBBLE!"

Among many commands and promises, Moroni gave this assurance from the
Lord to Joseph:

"BEHOLD, I WILL REVEAL UNTO YOU THE PRIESTHOOD BY THE HAND OF ELIJAH
THE PROPHET, BEFORE THE COMING OF THE GREAT AND DREADFUL DAY OF THE
LORD."

As the angel ceased to speak, all the light of the room gathered to his
person. Above him all earthly things seemed moved away and a shining
pillar was stretching heavenward. With a look of hope and blessing upon
the youth, Moroni ascended; and when he disappeared, darkness again
fell about the bedside.

Powerful emotions crowded upon Joseph's mind as he recalled the things
which had been revealed to him. And while he yet pondered, once more
Moroni came and stood in a blazing glory and repeated solemnly the
heavenly lessons to the listening youth, adding that great judgments
were coming upon the earth, and that grievous desolations should be
poured out during this present generation.

Again Moroni ascended as before; and yet for the third time he
returned to repeat the message of which he was the bearer. The solemn
instructions were once more given, and with them a special warning
concerning the plates of gold and the sacred stones. He told Joseph
that by reason of the poverty of himself and family, Satan would try
to tempt him to use them for the purpose of getting rich, and that if
he had any other motive than the glory of God, they would be withheld.
Many hours had passed in this communion, and when the heavenly
ambassador disappeared for the third time, Joseph heard the birds of
the air heralding the coming of the dawn.



CHAPTER V.

A MID-DAY VISITATION--JOSEPH CONFIDES IN HIS EARTHLY FATHER--CUMORAH
AND THE SACRED BOX--NEW PROBATION IS FIXED--SUCCESSIVE VISITS AND
MINISTRATIONS OF THE ANGEL--JOSEPH'S GROWTH IN GODLINESS.

At his usual hour of arising, Joseph left his bed, and according to
his custom went to labor in the field. The experiences of the night
had swept all color from his face. His mind was filled with thoughts
unutterable, and his attention was fixed beyond his earthly toil. His
father observed that the boy seemed weak, and acted strangely, and told
him to go home. Joseph started from the field towards the house, but on
his way, in attempting to cross a fence, he sank helpless to the earth.
He was recalled from a partial swoon by a voice which gently spoke his
name. He looked up and saw the same glorious messenger standing above
his head, clothed about with an effulgence which eclipsed the splendor
of the noonday sun.

Once more the angel told the truths of the night before, with their
commands and warnings, and he instructed Joseph to return to his
father, and impart to him that which he had learned of the purposes
of God. He obeyed at once, and standing there in the harvest field,
related to his father all that had passed. The inspiration of heaven
rested upon the elder Joseph as he heard the lad's words; and when the
account was finished, he said "My son, these things are of God; take
heed that you proceed in all holiness to do His will."

Having the consent and blessing of his earthly father, Joseph departed
to visit the hill. And now, within a few hours of its utterance, was
one of the angel's predictions fulfilled. During the journey of two or
three miles beyond Manchester toward the hill which had been pointed
out to him in vision, Joseph was made to feel within him the striving
of two invisible powers. On the one hand, the evil one presented
alluring prospects of worldly gain from the possession of the plates of
gold--on the other, the better influence whispered that the record was
sacred and must only be used for the glory of God and the fulfillment
of His purposes. In this frame of mind he approached the spot which
he had seen in vision. It was on the west side and near the top of a
hill which stood higher than any other in that neighborhood. [1] He
easily recognized the exact place which held the holy treasure; and
upon reaching it, he saw the rounded top of a stone peeping from the
ground, while all the edges were encased in the earth. He speedily
moved the surface soil, and with the aid of a lever raised the stone,
which proved to be the covering of a rock cavity or box. Into this box
he looked, and found that it did indeed contain the promised plates of
gold and the Urim and Thummim.

Joseph could see that the box had been fashioned by cementing stones
together to form the bottom and sides; while the rock which he had
lifted away, beveled thin at the edges but thick and rounded at the
center, had formed a close-fitting cover to the sacred receptacle.
Within and across each end of the bottom of the box lay a stone; and
upon these the plates and other treasures rested.

Carried away for a moment by admiration and his eager desire to learn
further, Joseph stretched forth his hands to remove the records, but
instantly the messenger was by his side and stayed his touch. Moroni
informed him that four years must elapse before he could be permitted
to hold and examine the contents of the box; in the meantime he must
prove faithful as he had proved in the past, and on each succeeding
anniversary of that day, during the intervening years, he must appear
at the spot to view the sacred records, renew his covenants and be
instructed from the Lord.

Many precious truths the angel now imparted to him: telling him that
he, Moroni, while yet living, had hidden up the plates in the hill,
four centuries after Christ, to await their coming forth in the
destined hour of God's mercy to man; that he, Moroni, was the son of
Mormon, a prophet of the ancient Nephites, who had once dwelt on this
land; that to the Nephites this sacred hill was known as Cumorah,
and to the Jaredites (who had still more anciently inhabited this
continent), as Ramah; and much more did he impart to Joseph concerning
the mysteries of the past, and the future purposes of Almighty God in
the redemption of fallen mankind.

Then the kingdom of Heaven, in all its majesty, and the dominion of the
Prince of darkness, in all its terror, were brought to Joseph's vision,
and Moroni said:

"ALL THIS IS SHOWN, THE GOOD AND THE EVIL, THE HOLY AND THE IMPURE, THE
GLORY OF GOD AND THE POWER OF DARKNESS, THAT YOU MAY KNOW HEREAFTER THE
TWO POWERS, AND NEVER BE INFLUENCED OR OVERCOME BY THAT WICKED ONE."

Joseph restored the cover to the box and replaced the earth; and when
the Heavenly messenger had ended the counsel and disappeared, the youth
again sought his home, marveling greatly at the goodness and infinite
power of his Creator.

Happily for the comfort of the chosen Prophet, at this hour he met
help within the family circle. He imparted to his parents and the
older children all that he had been empowered to reveal; and their
understanding and faith were quickened to the acceptance of the truth.
They learned to know of a surety that God had spoken and that Joseph
must obey.

On each recurrence of the twenty-second day of September during the
next three years, Joseph visited the hill Cumorah. Each time he opened
the box, viewed its precious contents, and then restored the hiding
place to its former appearance. Each time, the messenger visited him
on that consecrated spot; chastening him to patience, exacting anew a
covenant of self-sacrificing fidelity to the trust, and extending the
counsels and instructions pertaining to the re-establishment, at the
proper hour, of the Church of Christ upon the earth.

This continued communion wrought God's purpose with Joseph. It gave
him a comprehension of the destiny of man, both earthly and eternal;
unfolding to his view the progression of his race, from heaven
through the probation of this world and back to the judgment seat of
Omnipotence. It filled him with a burning zeal, and a higher wisdom
than that taught in the schools began to expand his intellect; he
was learning the sublime principle of just government; he was being
fitted to become the instrument to re-establish the Church which should
endure until the coming of Christ to reign therein in glory. Out of
His all-compassing power, the Lord gave to this unlearned youth, from
year to year, knowledge according to the hour of his need; and the
bestowal of this heavenly wisdom was continued to Joseph through all
the vicissitudes of the mortality which culminated in that awful day at
Carthage.

Footnotes

1. See NOTE 2., APPENDIX.



CHAPTER VI.

JOSEPH'S WILLING TOIL--FOUR YEARS OF WAITING--HE FINDS WORK IN
PENNSYLVANIA--HIS MARRIAGE WITH EMMA HALE--THE PROBATION COMPLETED.

When Joseph first stood upon the sacred hill Cumorah, he was in his
eighteenth year. The time in which the human character most strongly
assumes its shaping was to be with him the ensuing four years.

Wondrous as had been the vision of the host of Heaven and the ranks of
Lucifer; exalting as were the communications from the Lord; mighty as
was to be the mission of translation; yet Joseph had day by day the
humble labors of life to perform. Without a murmur he accepted his lot
of toil, working with his hands to aid in the family maintenance, while
his mind was busy with eternal truths. There is always a heroism in the
honest, uncomplaining home-toil of youth: a necessary heroism, indeed,
for without the early-formed habit of industry for man, the Almighty's
purposes concerning mankind would fail. And that heroism is doubly
beautiful in the life of Joseph, who knew already his destiny, divinely
ordained. Left much to itself in the selfishness of earth, a weaker or
an unsustained soul would have wasted its powers in vain dreamings or
found its destruction in pride and self-glory.

The sweat of the face, therefore, was at once a necessity and
a salutation: a requisite for the family welfare and comfort;
a protection from enervating dreams. No husbandman of all that
neighborhood was more industrious than he; and, except for the hatred
bred against him by false teachers and their followers, no one would
have had a better reputation.

As the younger sons of the family grew into vigor, the small farm and
the home duties less exacted the diligence of Joseph; and when an
opportunity came, in his twentieth year, for remunerative employment
at a distance, he willingly accepted the offer. The engagement carried
him to Susquehanna County, State of Pennsylvania, where the employer,
Josiah Stoal, though dwelling in New York State, had some property
upon which Joseph worked, while he boarded at the neighboring house of
Mr. Isaac Hale. Stoal conceived the idea that there were signs of a
silver deposit in his land, and he put his farming men to the work of
mining. It was soon evident that he had become infatuated with the hope
of achieving sudden and extraordinary wealth and was squandering his
means in a pursuit which gave no promise of an adequate return. Joseph,
who had become a favorite with Mr. Stoal because of industry and good
judgment, remonstrated with him, and finally influenced him to withdraw
from his sordid and fruitless project.

Isaac Hale had a daughter, Emma, a good girl of high mind and
devout feelings. This worthy young woman and Joseph formed a mutual
attachment, and her father was requested to give his permission to
their marriage. Mr. Hale opposed their desire for a time, as he was
prosperous while Joseph's people had lost their property; and it was
on the 18th day of January, 1827, the last year of waiting for the
plates, before Joseph and Emma could accomplish their desired union.
On that day they were married by one Squire Tarbill, at the residence
of that gentleman, in South Bainbridge, in Chenango County, New York.
Immediately after the marriage, Joseph left the employ of Mr. Stoal
and journeyed with his wife to his parental home at Manchester, where
during the succeeding summer, he worked to obtain means for his family
and his mission. The time was near at hand for the great promise to be
fulfilled and for his patience and faithfulness to be rewarded.

As the hour approached for the delivery of the ancient record into his
hands, Joseph prayed earnestly for humility and strength. He had not
failed in any of his prescribed visits to Cumorah. Even when at work in
Pennsylvania, he had obtained temporary release that he might journey
to the hill and meet his Heavenly teacher.

His wife, his parents and brethren were made participants in his hopes,
and they added their faith to his, and gave their hearty support to his
labor and preparation.

The 21st day of September, 1827, completed the fourth year since
Moroni first appeared at Joseph's bedside, and the occasion was
deemed a fitting hour for prayer and thanksgiving. In that humble
home God's chosen servant and his kindred offered their adoration
to the beneficent Father. It was also a time for the review of the
trying years since the call first came to Joseph. The family had
remained in honest lowliness, unmoved by the assaults and ridicule of
the world. Alvin, the eldest son of Joseph and Lucy, had died on the
19th of November, 1824, with a firm belief in the coming of the New
Dispensation and with words of comfort and blessing for his brother
Joseph upon his lips. The faithful Hyrum, like Joseph, was happily wed.
And the younger children were nearly all at years of understanding.

Quiet came with the darkness, and peace dwelt upon the house and by
the pillows of this devoted family. The tranquility of the night was
long remembered, for it was almost the last time they had on earth in
unfearing and undisturbed enjoyment of each other's society.



CHAPTER VII.

FINAL VISIT TO CUMORAH--DELIVERY OF THE PLATES BY THE ANGEL MORONI--
SOLEMN CAUTION TO JOSEPH--ATTACKS BY ASSASSINS AND ROBBERS--POVERTY AND
PERSECUTION--HELP FROM MARTIN HARRIS--REMOVAL TO PENNSYLVANIA.

For the fifth time Joseph stood by the place of deposit of the stone
box and its precious contents, which for fourteen centuries had
remained concealed from human vision and undisturbed by mortal hand. It
was the morning of the twenty-second day of September, in the year of
our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven. For the last time
he removed the soil and lifted the stone cover, while he prayed that he
might be as faithful to his trust as had been the inanimate hillside.
The angel of the Lord was at his side and bade him stretch forth his
hands and take from their long hiding place the Urim and Thummim and
the record.

Joseph touched them and his being was thrilled with a divine joy. He
lifted them to the surface and examined their beauty.

The Urim and Thummim was as the angel had described it--two precious
stones set in an arch of silver which was fastened to an ancient
breastplate of pure gold, curiously wrought. The breastplate was
concave on one side and convex on the other, and seemed to have been
made for a man of greater stature than is ordinary in modern days. Four
golden bands were fastened to it, for the purpose of attaching it to
the person of its wearer--two of the bands being for the shoulders, the
others for the waist or hips.

The plates, also of gold, were of uniform size; each was slightly less
in thickness than a common sheet of tin and was about eight inches in
width; and all were bound together by three rings, running through one
edge of the plates. Thus secured, they formed a book about six inches
in thickness. A part of the volume, about one-third, was sealed; the
other leaves Joseph turned with his hand. They were covered on both
sides with strange characters, small and beautifully engraved.

Moroni instructed Joseph that he must not attempt to open that part of
the book which was sealed, for the hour had not come wherein it was
destined to be made known; but in God's accepted time he would bring
that portion of the record to the knowledge of His children. Then the
angel repeated all that he had formerly said in advice and blessing.
Joseph was told that the Lord expected him to shield the record
from profane touch and sight, even with his life, until his work of
translation should be completed and the plates restored to the hands of
Moroni; that all the former guardians had relinquished their trust and
he alone would be held accountable for their safety; that efforts would
be made to rob him of the holy writings, but if he proved faithful
the Heavens would give their aid to his support and he would come off
triumphant. And he was finally and solemnly warned that if he should
betray his mission he must be cut off and destroyed.

With a crowning promise to Joseph that he should not be left to grope
in darkness, and that upon the conclusion of the labor of translation,
the angel would visit him and again receive the plates, Moroni
disappeared, and THE PROPHET OF THE LAST DISPENSATION stood alone upon
Cumorah, clasping to his bosom the priceless trust.

Joseph folded the golden record of past generations beneath his mantle
and sped homeward. The words of Moroni had been prophetic; three
different times in the brief journey to his house, the chosen minister
of salvation was assailed by unknown men--emissaries of the evil one,
who sought to strike him to the earth and rob him of his precious
charge. Once they dealt him a terrific blow with a bludgeon, but he
did not fall. He was a man of rare physical endowments, yet on this
occasion his own strength and activity, without the help of the Lord,
would not have delivered him or been sufficient to cast his assailants
one by one prone in the dust with the irresistible force which he used
against them.

With the plates unharmed, but himself bruised, and panting from the
contest, Joseph reached his home.

After this important hour the powers of darkness arrayed all their
subtle and murderous influences against him. Abominable falsehoods were
cunningly circulated against him and his father's family, the purpose
being to excite the rage of the populace against them. Constantly the
Prophet's life was beset by assassins; the sacred record was sought
by robbers. Each hour brought some new menace. Men, lurking by his
pathway, discharged deadly weapons at his person; and mobs attacked him
and invaded his home. Wherever the plates were supposed to be hidden,
there were the despoilers breaking through bolts and walls. Open force
failing, subtle stratagems were devised for the destruction of the
Prophet's life and the abstraction of the plates.

These numerous efforts all failed to accomplish the ends at which
they were aimed. But they prevented Joseph from obtaining the safe
leisure necessary for his labor of translation. Anxious to pursue his
heaven-appointed work without the interruption of these continued
attacks, he was led to the idea of removing from Manchester. Personal
fear was not an element of his nature, and no selfish motive prompted
his resolve; but in no other visible manner could his sacred
instructions be fulfilled. The home of Emma's parents in Susquehanna
County, Pennsylvania, was the place which he selected, and thither he
determined to journey.

Poverty seemed, however, to present an insurmountable barrier; but it
was suddenly removed. Martin Harris, a prosperous and respected farmer
of Wayne County, New York, and who was destined in the providence of
God to afterwards fill an important part in connection with the divine
record, was inspired to come to Joseph with a free offer of help. By
the aid thus extended, the Prophet was able to take his departure to
Manchester, carrying with him his wife and the sacred plates. As Joseph
and Mary were warned to flee with the infant Jesus into Egypt to escape
the destruction which Herod had planned, so the Prophet was led to seek
another place of residence for the performance of his labor.

But Satan was not idle. Twice while on the journey was the servant
of God stopped by officers, who, under a pretended warrant of law,
searched his wagon for the plates. But the angel of the Lord blinded
the eyes of the wicked and they found not what they sought.

It was in the month of December, 1827, when Joseph reached the house
of Isaac Hale in Pennsylvania; and without delay he began his inspired
work of translation by the aid of the seer stones.

It may seem strange and unaccountable that such extraordinary efforts
should be made to destroy this young man and to get possession of the
plates with which he had been entrusted. But his whole life from this
time forward until he sealed his testimony with his blood was filled
with incidents of the most remarkable character. The words of the angel
were that God had a work for Joseph to do, and that his name should
be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds and tongues; or
that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people; and
they were fulfilled to the letter. No man of this generation was so
passionately loved; no man was so cruelly hated. Satan knew that if
the work of which God had chosen him to be the founder on the earth
should prevail, his power and dominion should be overthrown. Against
this Prophet, therefore, the profoundest depths of hell were stirred
up. While he lived he was the target at which the most deadly shafts of
Satan were directed. For the succeeding sixteen or seventeen years from
the time of which we write his steps were beset by peril. Violence and
murder lurked in his pathway. He was never free from menace. Through
his life he enjoyed peace, but it was the peace that came from above
and not that which arises from auspicious surroundings and undisturbed
quiet. He was a happy man; but his happiness was never due to worldly
favor or popularity. God had endowed him with a buoyancy of spirit
and a strength of faith that the most deadly opposition and the most
threatening difficulties could not repress; with a courage which, in
the midst of brutal mobs howling for his blood, never faltered or was
quenched. His was a stormy career; but he was amply qualified for it.
As he himself said on one occasion:

    And as for perils which I am called to pass through, they seem but
    a small thing to me, as the envy and wrath of man have been my
    common lot all the days of my life, and for what cause it seems
    mysterious, unless I was ordained from before the foundation of
    the world for some good end, or bad, as you may choose to call it.
    Judge ye for yourselves. God knoweth all these things whether it be
    good or bad. But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim
    in. It has all become a second nature to me, and I feel like Paul,
    to glory in tribulation, for to this day has the God of my fathers
    delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth;
    for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the
    Lord God hath spoken it.



CHAPTER VII.

JOSEPH COPIES AND TRANSLATES FROM THE PLATES--MARTIN HARRIS AGAIN COMES
OPPORTUNELY--PROFESSOR ANTHON AND THE CHARACTERS--MARTIN'S LABOR AS A
SCRIBE--HIS BROKEN TRUST--THE TRANSLATION LOST TO JOSEPH--THE PROPHET
PUNISHED FOR WILFULNESS.

Joseph's first labor with the plates was in obedience to the general
command given to him through Moroni. The particular means by which the
translation was to be effected and given to the world had not been made
known; and this young, untaught, impoverished man was at that hour
unable, within his own resources of education and purse, to arrange
for the consummation of the work. He devoted every available moment,
however, to his sacred task, constantly praying to the Almighty for
aid; and yet the progress was slow.

In every step which Joseph took as the chosen messenger of God, human
struggle and sacrifice, to overcome perplexing difficulties and delays,
seemed necessary. In this way more than any other was he taught a
patient trust, and was sanctified for the exalted destiny which awaited
him. Though he had been instructed by Moroni that Jehovah designed
the record to be translated for the edification and blessing of the
race, he did not experience the direct interposition of God in the
accomplishment of the work--except only as the power of the Heavens
was manifested through the Urim and Thummim. And much he marveled
that the Lord should permit His holy purposes to depend upon weak and
slow-moving man. But the Prophet lived to learn and to demonstrate
that God commits His decrees to His earthly children for fulfilment;
and though he may often work miracles in their behalf, yet are they
required to give their best endeavor--even though weak and human--to
the appointed deed; and out of their trials, their stumblings, their
failures and their ultimate successes, will he bring the triumph of
their devotion and His word.

Joseph had leisure and safety, after establishing himself at the house
of Isaac Hale, in Harmony, Susquehanna County, State of Pennsylvania,
in the month of December, 1827, to examine the sacred history and
treasure which had been committed to his ward. And he very soon began
a somewhat desultory labor of copying the different styles of strange
characters found upon the plates and translating some of them by the
aid of the Urim and Thummim. He thus prepared a considerable number of
characters on sheets; some of them being accompanied by translations
and others being alone. It does not appear that he had any more
definite object in this superficial work than to seek, half-blindly, to
fulfill the command delivered by the lips of Moroni, the angel of the
record. But the purpose, wisely ordained, was latter apparent.

Joseph continued his efforts until some time in the month of February,
1828. Then the man, Martin Harris, who had once before befriended him,
appeared at the Hale homestead.

Martin Harris had been deeply affected by his former intercourse with
Joseph; and he had come in the depth of winter from his home near
Lake Ontario, to seek out the young Prophet and to learn more of his
wondrous mission. Harris tarried a brief time with Joseph at the house
of Isaac Hale; and then in this same month of February, 1828, with the
Prophet's permission, he carried away some of the various copies and
translations which Joseph, laboriously and patiently, had made. It was
the purpose of Martin Harris to submit the characters to scientists
and linguists; and possibly by their verdict to decide to establish or
withdraw his half-yielded faith. In pursuance of this plan, he went
to New York City, and there visited Charles Anthon, a professor of
languages at Columbia College.

Anthon examined first a sheet of characters accompanied by Joseph's
translation; and declared that the characters were Ancient Egyptian
and that the interpretation was correct--more complete and perfect
than any other translation of that language which he had ever seen. He
then looked at the other sheets, not accompanied by translations, and
pronounced the characters to be genuine specimens of various ancient
written languages. He wrote a certificate which embodied the foregoing
assertions and presented it to Martin Harris.

Afterward, Anthon made inquiry of Martin regarding the origin of
the characters; and then for the first time the learned professor
discovered what endorsement he had bestowed upon an unlearned youth who
had received from the hands of an angel a golden record filled with
these ancient writings. Anthon hastily demanded the certificate which
he had given to Harris; implying in his request that he wished to give
the paper a final examination or to add something to it. And as soon
as the professor received it again into his hands, he destroyed it,
saying: "There is no such thing in these days as ministering of angels."

He asked that "the book which the young man had dug up" might be
brought to him; and stated that out of his worldly learning he would
translate the whole work. Harris replied that a considerable portion
of the record was sealed and might not be opened to human gaze. Then
Anthon contemptuously responded.

"_I cannot read a sealed book_!"

And thus was fulfilled the word of Isaiah who wrote twenty-six
centuries ago:

"AND THE VISION OF ALL IS BECOME UNTO YOU AS THE WORDS OF A BOOK THAT
IS SEALED, WHICH MEN DELIVER TO ONE THAT IS LEARNED, SAYING, READ THIS,
I PRAY THEE: AND HE SAITH, I CANNOT; FOR IT IS SEALED."

When the conference with Professor Anthon was ended, Martin Harris
carried his manuscripts to one Doctor Mitchell, who claimed a knowledge
of some of the characters; and learning what Anthon had said concerning
their genuineness, the learned doctor endorsed the statements of the
other scholar.

Harris returned to the Prophet's home, fully convinced. This
man--generous, skeptical naturally, but honest--was seized upon by
the spirit of the work. When he met Joseph he related the convincing
occurrences of his visits to the learned men, and he proffered his
services as a writer for the Prophet, in the great work of translation.

The proposal was gladly accepted; and Martin proceeded to Palmyra to
arrange for a long absence from home. It was the 12th day of April,
1828, when he returned to Harmony, prepared to serve as a scribe.

From this time forward until the 14th day of June, 1828, Joseph
dictated to Martin Harris from the plates of gold; as the characters
thereon assumed through the Urim and Thummim the forms of equivalent
modern words which were familiar to the understanding of the youthful
Seer.

Martin Harris was a critical man without superstition. Listening to the
words dictated day by day, and becoming familiar with Joseph, he sought
to make another test.

One of Joseph's aids in searching out the truths of the record was a
peculiar pebble or rock, which he called also a seer stone, and which
was sometimes used by him in lieu of the Urim and Thummim. This stone
had been discovered to himself and his brother Hyrum at the bottom of
a well; and under divine guidance they had brought it forth for use
in the work of translation. Martin determined to deprive the Prophet
of this stone. He obtained a rock resembling a seer-stone in shape
and color, and slily substituted it for the Prophet's real medium of
translation. When next they were to begin their labor, Joseph was at
first silent; and then he exclaimed: "Martin, what is the matter? All
is dark."

Harris with shame confessed what he had attempted. And when the Prophet
demanded a reason for such conduct, Martin replied: "I did it to either
prove the utterance or stop the mouths of fools who have said to me
that you had learned these sentences which you dictate and that you
were merely repeating them from memory."

The work progressed through the two months from April until June;
not steadily, for Martin was much called away. But at the expiration
of that time, on the 14th day of June, 1828, Martin had written one
hundred and sixteen pages foolscap of the translation.

And at this hour came a test, bitter in its experiences and
consequences to the Prophet of God.

A woman wrought a betrayal of the confidence reposed in Martin Harris
and a temporary destruction of Joseph's power.

The wife of the scribe was desirous to see the writings dictated to
her husband by Joseph: she importuned Martin until he, too, became
anxious to have in his own possession the manuscript. Long before the
14th day of June, he began to solicit from the Prophet the privilege of
taking the papers away that he might show them to curious and skeptical
friends; and thereby be able to give convincing to doubting persons, of
Joseph's divine mission.

A simple denial was not sufficient, and he insisted that Jehovah should
be asked to thus favor him. Once, twice, in answer to his demands,
the Prophet inquired; and each time the reply was that Martin Harris
ought not to be entrusted with the sacred manuscript. Even a third time
Martin required that Joseph should solicit permission in his behalf;
and on this occasion, which was near the 14th day of June, 1828, the
word of the Lord came that Joseph, at his own peril, might allow Harris
to take possession of the manuscript and exhibit it to a few other
persons who were designated by the Prophet in his supplication. But
because of Joseph's wearying applications to God, the Urim and Thummim
and seer-stone were taken from him. Accordingly the precious manuscript
was entrusted to the keeping of Martin Harris; and he bound himself
by a solemn oath to show it only to his wife, his brother Preserved
Harris, his father and mother, and Mrs. Cobb, his wife's sister.
After entering into this sacred covenant, Martin Harris departed from
Harmony, carrying with him the inspired writings.

Then came about the punishment of Martin for his importunacy and
of Joseph for his blindness. Wicked people, through the vanity and
treachery of Martin's wife and his own weakness, gained sight of the
precious manuscript and they contrived to steal it away from Harris, so
that his eyes and the eyes of the Prophet never again beheld it.

For his disobedient pertinacity in voicing to the Lord the request
of Martin Harris, Joseph had been deprived of the Urim and Thummim
and seer-stone; but this was not his only punishment. The pages of
manuscript which contained the translation he had been inspired to
make, and which thereby became the words of God, had been loaned to
Martin Harris and been stolen; and now the plates themselves were taken
from him by the angel of the record.

The sorrow and humiliation which Joseph felt were beyond description.
The Lord's rebukes for his conduct pierced him to the centre. He
humbled himself in prayer and repentance; and so true was his humility
that the Lord accepted it as expiation and the treasures were restored
to his keeping.

Martin Harris was also shamed and grieved; and he repented in anguish
the violation of his trust. But, though a measure of confidence was
restored to him, he was never again permitted to act as a scribe for
the Prophet in the work of translation.

While Joseph was mourning the loss of the manuscript, the Lord revealed
to him many truths regarding the situation to which he had brought
himself, and also warned him of the designs of wicked men who plotted
to overthrow him and to put the name of God and His newly revealed
record to shame in the land.

A rebuke was given at this time in words which Joseph always remembered:

    Although a man may have many revelations, and have power to do many
    mighty works; yet, if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at
    naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his
    own will and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance
    of a just God upon him.

While these momentous events were in progress, Joseph and his wife were
called to mourn. In July, 1828, a son was born to their house, but
the babe died after a brief time, leaving its mother at the door of
dissolution. The needs of the little household now required that the
Prophet should give a time to toil; and he went forth to labor humbly
and uncomplainingly.

While he was thus engaged, in the month of February, 1829, he received
a comforting revelation from the Almighty:

    Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the
    children of men: * * * * *

    For behold the field is white already to harvest, and lo, he that
    thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store
    that he perish not, but bringeth salvation to his soul.

Joseph's desire to atone for his loss of the first manuscript impelled
him to constant exertion. After his manual toil was ended each day, he
contritely devoted his hours to the work of translation; and his young
wife aided him by writing at his dictation. In this way some progress
was made. But Emma was bowed with bodily suffering and with sorrow for
her babe; and often the holy task languished, causing Joseph to pray
earnestly to God for a writer who could give his whole time to the work.



CHAPTER IX.

OLIVER COWDERY IS SENT OF HEAVEN TO AID THE PROPHET--THE AARONIC
PRIESTHOOD IS BROUGHT TO EARTH BY CHRIST'S FORERUNNER--FIRST BAPTISMS
OF THIS DISPENSATION.

Almost a year had passed from the day upon which Martin Harris began
his service as a scribe for Joseph, when once more an earthly messenger
of help appeared to the Prophet.

It was at the hour of sunset on the Sabbath day, April 5th, 1829, when
Oliver Cowdery came to the Prophet's door--in Harmony, Susquehanna
County, state of Pennsylvania. This young man, Oliver Cowdery, a
school teacher, had been carried in the autumn of the year 1828, in
fulfillment of an engagement, to the town of Manchester, New York.
Hearing there of the angelic visitations to the unlearned farm-lad,
Joseph Smith, he was led to a deep and prayerful investigation of the
subject. A powerful conviction that Joseph had been ministered to by
heavenly beings, as he had testified, was wrought upon Oliver's mind,
and he asked the Lord for direct guidance. His prayer was answered, and
the Lord made plain to him that his would be the privilege and the duty
to aid the young Prophet as a scribe or secretary. Situated as Oliver
Cowdery was, he needed inspiration from the Almighty to enable him
to decide to accept such a mission; for around and within the little
village of Manchester at that dark hour surged the spirits of hatred,
cruelty, falsehood and even murder, and no man from any selfish wish,
would have cared to ally himself in acts or sympathetic words with
the cause and the man condemned by all the power of the pulpit. As
soon as he could gain honorable release from his school duties, Oliver
journeyed to Pennsylvania and presented himself to Joseph as one who
had a wish to serve God and aid His chosen servant.

This was the first conversion by the testimony of the Spirit of one who
had not seen the Prophet. The Church speaks for itself of the hundreds
of thousands of honest souls who have had the testimony of the Holy
Ghost since that hour.

Joseph accepted Oliver as the embodied answer to his prayer for help;
and on Tuesday, the 7th day of April, 1829--two days after they had
first beheld each other in the flesh--the Prophet began dictating to
Oliver in continuance of the work of translation. While they labored
the revelations of God came to them in guidance of their daily work, in
support of their hopes and in the enlargement of their understandings
concerning the principles of salvation.

As they progressed, they encountered a passage of the revealed record
which spoke of baptism for the remission of sins. Deeply imbued with
the sense of their great responsibility, Joseph and Oliver felt as
if a personal message had come to them, requiring their compliance
with some sacred observance. They talked together long and earnestly
upon the subject; and one day in the month of May, 1829, they went
into the woods together and knelt before the Lord. They asked Him for
light concerning the matter of baptism for the remission of sins.
While kneeling with uncovered heads and lifting up their voices in
supplication, a messenger of Heaven, clothed in dazzling glory,
descended before their eyes. As in the other visitations which had come
to the Prophet alone, this personage was also surrounded by a supernal
light. He stated to them that he was John, known as John the Baptist
at the time of Christ; and that he had come to minister to them, being
under the direction of Peter, James and John, the apostles who still
held the keys of the priesthood after the order of Melchisedec. He laid
his hands upon their heads and said:

    Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the
    priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of
    angels and of the gospel of repentance and of baptism by immersion
    for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from
    the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto
    the Lord in righteousness.

Then this heavenly personage, concerning whom the Savior Himself had
said: "Among those that are born of women, there is not a greater
prophet than John the Baptist," and whose unique and glorious privilege
it had been while in mortality to administer the ordinance of baptism
to the Son of God, instructed them in the duties of the Aaronic
priesthood to which they had just been ordained. He said to Joseph and
Oliver that the Aaronic priesthood did not possess the authority to
bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, but that
such power belonged to the priesthood of Melchisedec, which in due time
would be conferred upon them. John then commanded them that they should
go forth unto the water: and by the authority which he had transmitted
to them they should each baptize the other--Joseph to immerse Oliver
first, and then Oliver to perform the same office for Joseph; and that
each should, following baptism, re-ordain the other to the priesthood
after the order of Aaron. Later, they would receive the Melchisedec
priesthood and be ordained as elders; Joseph to be first and Oliver
second.

When John left them and ascended in his encircling pillar of light,
they went straightway to perform the command which they had received.
Joseph led Oliver down into the water, and, by authority which he had
received, the Prophet immersed his companion for the remission of sin.
As soon as this was done, Oliver immersed Joseph in the same manner
and by the same authority. They came up together out of the water; and
ordained each other to the Aaronic priesthood.

No sooner had they fulfilled the requirements left with them by John
than they felt the power of holiness resting upon them. Each one of
them had instantly the gift of mighty prophecy. Joseph saw and foretold
the establishment of a Church founded upon the rock of righteousness;
having the everlasting Gospel; proclaiming the truth to all the nations
of the earth; fulfilling the destiny designed by God in the redemption
of humanity from darkness and misery. Oliver, too, prophesied of many
glorious things, both for his own comfort and that of Joseph.

Thus filled with sublime delight, entertaining more hope and courage
than ever before, they returned to their labor of translation. If
anything had been wanting to banish every worldly thought from their
minds and to fill them with a zealous desire to hasten the work, the
promise of John supplied that requirement. Having so far been permitted
to partake of the blessings and ordinances enjoyed by the chosen
servants of Christ in another age; and having a promise that through
faithfulness they should enjoy other gifts of this holy nature, nothing
could restrain their ardor.

The bitter experience which Joseph had endured, through communicating
so freely the glorious manifestations which he had received, taught him
caution. When he received his first communications from heaven, he had
supposed that he could relate what had occurred and the tidings would
be gladly received; but he soon learned, as so many of those who have
since espoused the truth have also learned, that the words of caution
given by the Lord Jesus to His disciples, concerning giving that which
is holy unto the dogs and casting their pearls before swine, were as
applicable to these times as they were when He gave them. There was a
class of persons who would trample such precious things under their
feet and would turn again and rend those who presented the truth to
them. Except, therefore, in things of this sacred character which he
was commanded of the Lord to make known, he kept them to himself. So
he and Oliver hid within their breasts the fact of John's visitation
and their baptism, and the joy arising therefrom. Yet, notwithstanding
their caution, every step taken by the Prophet in fulfillment of God's
purposes in this dispensation, however quietly he had acted, had been
followed quickly by a new outburst of persecution. The dawn of a new
era was visible, and the evil one must exert every power he possessed
to becloud the minds of men. The hatred of the people dwelling in the
vicinity of Harmony was kindled, unaccountably even to themselves,
against the two young men. A mob spirit reigned in the neighborhood;
and a murderous attack upon Joseph and Oliver was only prevented by the
influence of Isaac Hale and his family, who gave sympathy and help at
this hour to the Prophet.

Joseph and Oliver, in the midst of their labors, did not fail to pray
for that help and guidance which they needed. From the record itself
they gathered a large store of religious truths; and their minds being
opened to comprehend the principles of salvation, they also searched
the other scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, with great profit
to themselves. As a result, much blessing came to them through their
devotion and industry. Joseph's concentration upon the work entrusted
to him had such effect upon members of the Hale family, that they
united in giving to him the assurance that he should be protected from
the mob; and that he should be saved from all unlawful persecution, so
far as their influence and strength could avail to defend him. The also
extended to Oliver a promise to similarly protect him so long as he
remained to assist Joseph.

After a little time, the spirit led the Prophet to impart to his
friends and acquaintances some of the information which he had gained.
Though at this time he was far from possessing the comprehension of
the truth which he afterwards had, he was still rich in knowledge and
blessings, compared with the people who surrounded him, and who were
enthralled by the ignorance and intolerance which had been growing
through all the ages since the ruin of the early church.



CHAPTER X.

THE PROPHET'S BROTHER SAMUEL BAPTIZED BY OLIVER--RENEWED DANGER TO
THE WORK--HELP FROM FAYETTE--MIRACULOUS INTERPOSITION TO AID DAVID
WHITMER--HYRUM SMITH AND OTHERS BELIEVE AND ARE BAPTIZED.

While thus busily engaged, Samuel H. Smith, a brother of Joseph, came
down from Manchester to Harmony. Joseph proclaimed to him the truth,
so far as it had been revealed; presented to his view the translation
of the Book of Mormon, so far as it had been completed; and then
besought him to gain by prayer to Almighty God, a knowledge for himself
concerning the divine origin of that which he had heard and seen.
Samuel, a man of integrity and singleness and fixity of purpose, was
not easily convinced. Finally, however, he consented to ask for light
from Heaven. For this purpose he retired to the woods and humbled
himself in supplication before the Lord. A convincing answer came to
his prayer, and he hastened to Joseph with his tidings of joy. At the
request of the Prophet, Oliver Cowdery administered to Samuel in the
ordinance of baptism for the remission of his sins, and later he was
confirmed. The same signs followed in this case; and Samuel was filled
with the spirit of prophecy and praise. He uttered many sublime truths
of which his mind up to that moment had never conceived. Desiring that
his kindred might be made partakers of his joy, he journeyed quickly
back to Manchester to give to the family the news of Joseph's extended
calling. Hyrum Smith came to Harmony immediately afterward to inquire
of Joseph concerning these wondrous things. The young Prophet declared
to his elder brother that an angel from Heaven had restored to earth
the power to baptize for the remission of human sin; and that himself
and Oliver had been made the recipients of this authority.

Hyrum Smith was a noble man, filled with earnest desire for truth and
holiness. He asked Joseph to obtain further light, and at his request
the Prophet solicited a direct revelation from the Lord, on Hyrum's
behalf. The desire was answered in a revelation given to Hyrum, through
the Prophet. In that revelation, these words occur:

    Hyrum, my son, seek the Kingdom of God, and all things shall be
    added according to that which is just. Build upon my rock, which
    is my Gospel. Deny not the Spirit of Revelation nor the Spirit of
    Prophecy; for woe unto him that denieth these things.

Hyrum believed and awaited the proper hour for baptism.

While the light of truth was thus breaking upon the world, all the
powers of hell allied themselves against it, with the determination
that it should be extinguished. Mobs increased in strength and hatred.
Added to this constant menace, Joseph once more found himself almost
destitute of means. He would soon have been compelled to relinquish the
glorious work of translation to engage again in manual toil for the
sustenance of his family and to provide maintenance for himself and
Oliver, had not Providence again raised up a friend to come to his aid.

In this eventful month of May, 1829, a man named Joseph Knight appeared
at Harmony and sought out the Prophet. Mr. Knight had heard of Joseph's
work and desired to contribute out of his means to the progress of the
cause. He brought food and such other comforts as would enable the
Prophet to continue his work of translation without being interrupted.
Not only upon this occasion, but more than once subsequently, Joseph
Knight journeyed from his home in Broome County, New York, a distance
of thirty miles, to bring supplies to the Prophet's house.

Also in this month of May, Joseph received a revelation from God
instructing him that the manuscript lost by Martin Harris had fallen
into the hands of wicked men, who had made alterations with intent to
bring shame and confusion upon Joseph, and distrust upon the word of
the Lord; that the portion which was thus lost and changed was only a
translation of an abridgment of certain records; and that, instead of
translating once more this part of the work, Joseph should translate
the record of the original plates from which the abridgment had been
made--thus giving a more complete presentation of that portion of
the history and thus preventing the wicked from bringing forth their
forgery and casting discredit upon the Prophet by its means.

But the persecution did not cease, and the mobs seemed to be gathering
their forces with some definite determination. At the opening of the
month of June, 1829, immediate danger threatened the Prophet and his
charge. But at this time a young man, calling himself David Whitmer,
presented himself at the residence of Joseph and announced that he
came with a message from his father, Peter Whitmer, of Fayette, Seneca
County, New York. The message was an invitation from the elder Whitmer
to Joseph, requesting him to remove with his work and his assistant
to Fayette and there enjoy the hospitality of the Whitmers and the
protection which they would be able to afford him, until his labor
could be completed.

The young man David also related to Joseph a marvelous interposition
which had enabled him to deliver his message so early. When David
first felt an impression that he ought to journey to Harmony in search
of Joseph, he questioned the wisdom of such a course; because his
farm-work was in such a condition that much loss must ensue, he feared,
if he departed at a time apparently so inopportune. He was pondering
his doubts upon the subject, when he was instructed by the whispering
of the Spirit that his duty required him to go down to Harmony as soon
as his field labor should reach a certain state. He toiled during the
ensuing day to harrow in the wheat of a large field; and at night
he found that he had done more in a few hours than he could usually
accomplish in two or three days. The next morning he went out to spread
plaster, according to the custom of that region, upon another field.
When he reached the spot where he had formerly deposited large heaps
of the plaster, he found that it had been carried upon the field and
spread just as he would have laid it by his own hand. He marveled much.
His sister dwelt near the place and he asked her who had done the work.
She answered him that three strangers had appeared at the field the day
previous and had scattered the plaster with wonderful skill and speed.
She and her children had viewed with amazement the progress made by the
men; but she had said nothing to them as they were strangers, and she
presumed that David had employed them to help him through his rush of
work.

Both Peter Whitmer and his son regarded these events as miraculous
interpositions to aid David to hasten down into Pennsylvania. The young
man therefore departed with his horses and wagon the next morning and
journeyed to Harmony, a distance, as traveled, of one hundred and fifty
miles, in two days.

This aid came providentially; and Joseph, after receiving instruction
in answer to prayer, accepted the invitation. When the Prophet was
prepared to depart from Harmony, he asked the Lord to direct the
manner in which the plates should be carried to Fayette. He was told
in response that the angel would receive the treasures; and after the
arrival of Joseph at the home of Peter Whitmer in Fayette, would again
deliver them into his hands. Thus relieved, Joseph went serenely forth;
and in a few days he was safe in Fayette. In the garden adjoining the
Whitmer residence, the Prophet was visited by the angel and once more
was placed in possession of the record.

The family of Peter Whitmer, and some other persons in the
neighborhood, were very earnest inquirers after truth. The supernatural
instruction and aid which David had received to go down into
Pennsylvania and offer his father's house as a refuge to Joseph, amazed
all who heard of the occurrence. Therefore Joseph found many people
at Fayette anxious to receive him. Peter Whitmer and all the members
of his household accorded to Joseph and also to Oliver every help and
comfort within their bestowal; and thus, without further anxiety as to
their maintenance or safety, they were enabled to progress with the
translation of the sacred history.

While they were not laboring upon this work, they were praying and
teaching among the people. Thus the Prophet and his assistant Oliver
wrought much good. Several honest, God-fearing souls became convinced
that Joseph Smith was entrusted with a divine mission. And in this
month of June, 1829, three persons were baptized in Seneca Lake, after
the pattern and under the authority received from John, the forerunner
of our Savior. Hyrum Smith and David Whitmer received this ordinance
under the hand of the Prophet himself, and John Whitmer, a brother of
David, was baptized by Oliver Cowdery.

The work of translation went on rapidly. When Oliver's hand would grow
weary after some hours of writing, either John or David Whitmer would
take his place and continue at the Prophet's dictation.



CHAPTER XI.

ELEVEN CHOSEN WITNESSES VIEW THE PLATES--THEIR UNIMPEACHABLE
TESTIMONY--RESTORATION OF THE MELCHISEDEC PRIESTHOOD BY DISCIPLES OF
OUR LORD--THE APOSTLESHIP CONFERRED--OTHER BAPTISMS--THE TRANSLATION
COMPLETED.

After establishing himself at the house of David Whitmer, and early in
the month of June while engaged in translating, Joseph was instructed
that three special witnesses should be blessed of God with a revelation
of the truth of the Book and should be permitted to examine the
plates. This was, also, in fulfillment of predictions published in
the Book of Mormon. When this promise became known to Oliver Cowdery
and David Whitmer, they begged that they might be numbered among the
three witnesses. While they were still making their petitions for
this favor, Martin Harris came to Fayette. Impelled by repentance and
a desire to gain forgiveness, he had followed Joseph. Martin humbled
himself in prayer to God and solicited the entreaties of Joseph in
his behalf. Joseph joined with Martin in praying to Heaven that his
humility and contrition might be accepted and that he might be received
again into favor. The Lord answered Joseph that if Martin continued
faithful and humble, and refused to be led away again by evil counsels
or the vanity of the world, his sins would be forgiven. Then Martin,
learning that witnesses were to be chosen to behold the plates of gold,
bearing the engraved record, and to give testimony to all the world
concerning this work of God, most penitently and anxiously solicited
that he might be one of the witnesses with Oliver Cowdery and David
Whitmer. Much supplication was offered by these three men; and Joseph
prayed to the Lord on their behalf. Soon the Prophet received a reply
that through prayer and humility, Oliver and David and Martin should
witness this manifestation of the power of God; that they should view
the plates of gold upon which were written the sacred records; that
they should see the Urim and Thummim--the breast-plate of gold, and
also the seer-stones which were given to the brother of Jared upon
the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face; and that they
should be permitted to behold the sword of Laban, which Nephi carried
away from Jerusalem. After this promise was given in a revelation
through the Prophet, he and his three fellow-servants, Oliver Cowdery,
David Whitmer and Martin Harris, withdrew into a retired spot in the
woods, and there bowed themselves in humble prayer. Joseph first
offered a supplication to the Lord and he was followed by the others
in succession; all asking that the witnesses might be purified and
forgiven before Heaven and be permitted to view the plates and the
other treasures. At first they received no manifestation of Divine
favor; and they contritely and fervently repeated their solicitations.
Still there came no answer. Martin Harris then arose and confessed
that his presence was the cause of their failure. He said that he
realized, through the whispering of the Spirit, that his presence
was objectionable because of the sins he had formerly committed, and
that the Lord designed this as a rebuke to him and an admonition that
he must continue to humble himself before Heaven. He proposed that
he should withdraw to a little distance, beyond the sight of his
companions, and engage in silent prayer; while they should continue
their joint supplications for the favor of God.

After Martin was gone, the others knelt down again and engaged once
more in prayer. While they were beseeching the Heavens, a light of
exceeding brightness changed the shadowed air above their heads into
wondrous brilliancy, and soon descended around about them. Within a
pillar of radiance stood the angel holding the treasures in his hands.
He turned over the leaves of the unsealed portion of the record one by
one, and displayed to the gaze of Oliver and David the golden plates.
So bright was the light that they could plainly discern the engraved
characters. The angel also showed to them the other promised treasures.
While the light was still about them, the voice of Heaven declared to
them the divinity of the work of which they were the witnesses. And
after they had been admonished to be forever faithful to the testimony
bestowed upon them, the vision withdrew.

Joseph left Oliver and David engaged in thanksgiving to God for His
infinite mercy, while he hastened away to find Martin Harris. At a
little distance, still within the wood, Joseph discovered Martin
praying hopelessly. He had not been able to obtain an answer to his
supplication, and he earnestly entreated Joseph to join with him in
his appeal to the Lord. Meekly they prayed to God; and at length came
an answer in the renewal of the vision. Once more the holy personage
descended in dazzling brightness and exhibited to Martin the plates and
the other treasures as they had been shown to Oliver and David. And
again the voice of Heaven gave testimony and admonition. So great was
the glory of the vision that Martin Harris had not strength to long
sustain his ecstasy; and he fell upon his face, crying,

"It is enough! Mine eyes have beheld of the glories of God!"

All the witnesses then returned with the Prophet to the house of
Peter Whitmer. Later they gave to the world the testimony which has
since gone forth with the Book of Mormon: declaring to all nations,
kindreds, tongues and people that through the grace of God the Eternal
Father and His Son Jesus Christ, they had seen the plates containing
the holy record; that an angel of God came down from Heaven and laid
before their eyes the plates; that they beheld the engraving thereon;
and that the voice of God had declared unto them for a surety that the
holy record was true and had been faithfully translated; and to this
testimony they added the solemn words:

    "We know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our
    garments of the blood of all men and be found spotless before the
    Judgment Seat of Christ, and shall dwell eternally with Him in the
    Heavens."

The great happiness which the three witnesses experienced in thus
being permitted to view the sacred treasure, and the great desire they
evinced from this hour to aid the work of the Lord, made Joseph anxious
that others who were worthy might, in part at least, participate in
that blessing. He therefore obtained permission from the Lord, to show
the plates of gold to eight other faithful persons: Christian Whitmer,
Jacob Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jr., John Whitmer, Hiram Page, Joseph
Smith, Sen., Hyrum Smith and Samuel H. Smith. And these men also gave
to the world a testimony which has linked their names forever with the
Book of Mormon and the cause of Christ. They saw, and testified to
seeing, the plates of gold and the engravings of curious workmanship
upon them. And they closed their simple declaration with these words:

    "And we give our names unto the world to witness unto the world
    that which we have seen; and we lie not, God bearing witness of it."

At length the translation was completed, and Joseph and his friends
arranged to have the book printed. A contract was made with Egbert B.
Grandin, of Palmyra, Wayne County, New York. And soon this sublime
work, which details the history of the peoples who anciently inhabited
the continents of North and South America; which describes the dealings
of God with the nations of the past upon these lands; and which
recounts the ministrations of Christ in this part of His vineyard after
His crucifixion at Jerusalem, was opened to the gaze of the world. It
is a marvelous book and a wonder. Its pages portray the history of
powerful nations which flourished for hundreds and even thousands of
years; and yet, despite the brevity of the work, this history is more
complete and graphic than any that was ever penned by the unaided hand
of man. The book also contains a record of a sublime system of religion
and religious government, as perfect as any enjoyed by man upon this
earth.

After the work of translation was ended, Joseph recommitted his charge
to the care of the Angel of the record; and Moroni received it back
into his keeping, to bring forth the yet unsealed portions of it only
when God shall so decree.

Joseph, and Oliver under the Prophet's direction, labored assiduously
to spread the truth among the people. And, though the powers of evil
were often manifested against them, they still were blessed with
much success. They had not waited for the completion of the work of
translation in order to engage in preaching. They felt that the command
was already definite, and that the need of the world was urgent. As
they became more acquainted with the glorious truths which had been
opened to their minds through the bestowal of the Aaronic Priesthood
upon them, they became eager to obtain a better understanding of the
work of God and to enjoy further blessings and gifts in accordance with
the promise made to them.

Some time in the month of June, 1829, Peter, James and John, the
ancient disciples of our Lord and Savior, and who, under Him, held the
keys of that dispensation, appeared in glory to Joseph and conferred
upon him the apostleship to which they themselves had been ordained
by the Lord Jesus while in mortality. Then these holy personages
ordained Oliver to the same Priesthood. After they had departed,
Joseph re-ordained Oliver, and also accepted a re-ordination himself
at Oliver's hands. Thus was the Melchisedek Priesthood in purity and
power again received on earth. The gift of the Holy Ghost was sealed
upon the heads of the Prophet and his fellow-servant, and they enjoyed
its fullness of blessing. A momentous revelation soon followed from
the Lord; directed not only to Joseph, but to Oliver Cowdery and
David Whitmer, making known the calling of the apostles of the last
dispensation and bestowing instructions concerning the building up of
the Church of Christ, according to the fullness of the gospel.

So passed some months of blessing and industry. Truth was constantly
developed by study and reflection upon God's goodness and the mysteries
of His kingdom through the aid of revelation from Him. Much time was
also given to inquiring acquaintances and strangers who came to seek
for light. Whenever any person, being convinced of the truth of the
mission to which Joseph Smith had been called, solicited baptism at the
hands of the apostles, if Joseph became convinced of the sincerity and
worthiness of the applicant, the ordinance was administered in faith
and power. It never failed to produce its promised result.

Emma, the wife of the Prophet, had remained in Pennsylvania. After the
manuscript translation had been placed in the printer's hands, Joseph
found time to visit his wife. As fast as the truth was made known to
him through revelation, he communicated it unto her; he desired that
she might partake with him of the gifts which Heaven was bestowing. He
paid two or three visits to Harmony during the autumn of 1829, and the
succeeding winter; while Oliver, under Joseph's direction, gave close
attention to the printing and publishing of the Book of Mormon. Early
in the spring of 1830, the work was completed and the first edition of
the book was given to the world.

And at this time the hour was come for the establishment, after the
order revealed by God, of the Church of Christ once more upon the earth.



CHAPTER XII.

ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH AT FAYETTE--REVIEW OF THE PROPHET'S LABORS--
HIS UNPRETENTIOUS CHARACTER--THE COURAGE WHICH ANIMATED HIM WAS SHARED
BY HIS ASSOCIATES--THE WITNESSES AND EARLY MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized on the
6th day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
and thirty, in Fayette, Seneca County, in the state of New York. Six
persons were the original members: Joseph Smith the Prophet, Oliver
Cowdery, Hyrum Smith, Peter Whitmer, Jun., Samuel H. Smith, and David
Whitmer. Each of the men had already been baptized by direct authority
from Heaven. The organization was made on the day and after the pattern
dictated by God in a revelation given to Joseph Smith. The Church was
called after the name of Jesus Christ; because He so ordered. Jesus
accepted the Church, declared it to be His own, and empowered it to
minister on earth in His name.

The sacrament, under inspiration from Jesus Christ, was administered to
all who had thus taken upon them His name.

This was a day of great joy to Joseph--a joy which was shared by those
who became thus united with him in a holy work. It is also a day now
reverenced by hundreds of thousands of the human family; a day to be
held in sacred veneration throughout all the time to elapse until the
Messiah Himself shall come in glory to accept the Kingdom from the
hands of His authorized servants, and to give reward for all the woes
and the persecutions which men have heaped upon His chosen ones.

Joseph was at this time twenty-four years of age. A period of ten
years had passed since the hour in which the Father and Son had first
appeared in answer to his prayer. During the most of this time he had
been in close communication with the Heavens, and the organization of
the Church was but the accomplishment of a definite purpose of the
Almighty. Joseph had been led along, himself not knowing in complete
fullness to what great result his life and labors were tending. He
had only known to do the will of Heaven as expressed to him, and to
patiently await the future. Doubtless at this hour of the organization
he looked back with thanks and marvel at all which God had given for
the benefit of His children. From out of the false religions of the
earth the Lord had lifted this His servant, and had trained him from
boyhood in the way most pleasing to Him.

In the very manner of the restoration of the gospel, Joseph learned
that God requires even His elect to defer to the order and authority
instituted by Christ. The power by which Joseph Smith was baptized was
the same power by which every man must be baptized who has a membership
in the Church of Christ. That power had been taken from the earth,
leaving the human family without the authority to administer the
ordinances of the gospel during many centuries. No earthly being could
restore it, and none could use it until John the Baptist conferred
it in its fullness upon Joseph and also upon his fellow servant,
Oliver. There is something significant in the fact that the authority
to baptize was bestowed upon Joseph and Oliver by the same personage
who had stood in the waters of the Jordan about 1800 years before, to
immerse in that stream the earthly tabernacle of God's Only Begotten.
As Joseph had not been permitted to officiate in baptism, or to confer
the Aaronic Priesthood, until John had visited him and transmitted
that authority from Heaven, so after even this blessing had become his
own, he was unable to seal the gift of the Holy Ghost, or to ordain
an Elder, until after Peter, James and John had endowed him with the
Priesthood after the holy order of Melchisedek. And even after both
these holy orders of Priesthood were given to him, and he had ordained
Oliver unto them; even after he had beheld in vision the establishment
of the work of righteousness, he knew not how nor when the organization
of the Church should be accomplished. It was necessary that God should
define the mode and the principle of organization and should direct
each step to be taken in this establishment of His kingdom; and it was
not until He did this that Joseph knew in what manner to obtain the
restoration of the power which belongs to the body of the Saints in
Christ.

Joseph proceeded carefully, and exactly according to the instruction of
the Almighty, and he laid the foundation of a work which will endure as
long as earth shall last.

The people who thus became associated with Joseph were generally his
seniors, but there was no hesitation on their part in yielding him the
respect due to the representative of Christ on earth, and they united
in giving him a devotion which supported and blessed him from hour to
hour. Joseph was no longer an uncouth village lad, for the exalted
course of his life during the years in which he had walked under God's
guidance had elevated him intellectually until he was already the peer
of any man. No doubt at this hour he was lacking, as he had been in his
earlier youth, in the technical teachings of the schools; but he had a
deeper knowledge and a finer judgment than any possessed by the most
favored of all the students of the colleges. As a boy he may have been
no more potent in swaying the feelings and judgment of those with whom
he came in contact than were his fellow youths; but as a man of God,
clothed upon with the Priesthood, filled with zeal, noble in carriage,
majestic in deportment, no person could view him without bestowing
veneration. Such is the testimony of all who knew him at this time. It
is true that he had not yet received that broad culture, he had not
penetrated to the depths of theology, astronomy, and all the higher
sciences which govern the kingdom of Christ, and unto which the Spirit
of God eventually led him; but from his almost transparent face there
shone a light of such beauty and power, and from his lips there came
such words of divine promise to mankind, that his associates accorded
to him a greater respect than could have been elicited by the most
learned minister of earthly churches, or the most powerful ruler of
earthly kingdoms.

The men who were thus associated with him, and who thus freely tendered
him, as the vicegerent of God on earth, the highest devotion of their
souls, were not naturally enthusiasts in the matter of religion; nor
were they men who could be deceived. They were of Puritan ancestry and
demanded the conviction of their reason before yielding their faith.

That reason once convinced, they were men of such exalted courage that
they dared the ridicule of the pulpit and the anger of mobs, to voice
their convictions and to yield their adherence to the gospel. The
witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and the men who supported Joseph in
his fulfillment of the divine command to organize the Church of Christ
in these last days, have left no room for a doubt of their sincerity.
Conservative in character, thrifty in habits, they were not of a class
who would venture from any slight motive to excite the hatred of a
world which they knew would deem itself outraged by their avowal. Each
one of them knew enough of the early experiences of Joseph to feel
certain that he, too, would become the object of clerical ridicule and
the vindictive persecution of the masses, incited by jealous religious
leaders. At every step since Joseph's encounter with the intolerant
spirit of the community in which he lived, he had been obliged to
call upon the Lord to aid him with more than mortal courage, to meet
and withstand the cruel assaults of his enemies. In thus joining him,
the witnesses and early members of the Church provoked the hostility
already raging against him, and they were obliged to seek the same
source for the same reinforcement of their natural strength, moral and
physical.

In this inception of the work its character was defined to a marvelous
degree. Joseph himself, and much less his companions, may not have
fully understood the divine simplicity and sublime comprehensiveness
of the organization of the Church of the Lamb of God which he was
commanded to effect upon that memorable day; but their minds were
enlightened by the Spirit of God, and by the gift of prophecy they
were inspired to foretell the grandeur of the results that would be
accomplished through this organization. Standing at this distance
of time from that day, the observer can clearly see how beautifully
adapted it is for the purposes for which it is designed. Suitable in
the beginning for the government of a Church of six members, and for
branches of the Church composed of any number of members, experience
has demonstrated that it is capable of furnishing heavenly government
for the entire race of man. Coming from Deity, it possesses divine
perfection and admits of magnificent and infinite expansion. No
officers necessary for the correct government of the Church and for
the growth and full development of its members were omitted, and
their spheres of operation and labor were so well defined that, while
they retain the Spirit of the Lord, there can be no conflict or even
friction between them. Fully recognizing the free agency of man, the
Lord designed that the officers should derive their power to control,
and the system its wonderful elasticity and strength, from the
cheerfully-yielded obedience of its members. In this way the requisite
authority to govern, the power to enforce and maintain order, and
complete personal freedom are harmoniously blended in the organization
of the Church as revealed to the Prophet Joseph.

The gospel, as revealed in part and promised in full to him at that
early day, was a pure and simple gift to all men upon the face of
the earth who would make themselves worthy. It neither contemplated
unrighteous espionage of thought and personal action, nor unholy
servitude or worship of man by man. The barbarity of power, which
characterized the apostate churches which swayed the world of
Christendom for so many long centuries, did not exist in this divine
plan for the salvation of the human race. Such gloomy tenets as
infantile damnation or accountability, and the consigning of the soul
to a place of eternal misery and torment from which there could be no
deliverance and to which there could be no alleviation, embodied in
the systems of religion which were taught and vouched for by their
teachers as divine, were absent from this simple gospel. At the time
of the organization of His Church, God made known His gospel in all
the simplicity and fullness of truth, sublime and symmetrical as
taught by the Redeemer, not as it had been perverted for ages. All
the dark and cruel mysteries which had enshrouded so-called religion
were swept away. Joseph had learned by most glorious and satisfactory
experience that it was possible for man to approach and know God for
himself. He taught his fellows that this is the true foundation of the
gospel of salvation; that it is every human being's privilege to lift
his eyes to God, to obtain revelation and every good gift from Him
through obedience to His laws. Who can measure the great blossoming
of human character which has already appeared, and the rich fruitage
which the coming generations will yet yield through the enforcement of
this grand truth? One of the accusations brought against the Savior,
and for which His enemies sought to stone Him, was that He, being a
man, made Himself equal with God. To a generation such as they, from
whom God was so far removed that all communication between them had
ceased, such a relationship between man and the great Creator, as the
Lord Jesus taught as existing, was offensive and blasphemous. It was
this elevating and ennobling truth that the Prophet Joseph taught to
the world. He taught a gospel of man's worship to God, and not man's
servitude to his fellow. One of its grand principles is that each soul
must be accountable to its Creator for its deeds; and no person who has
not reached the years of individual accountability is condemned for
the non-performance of ceremonies or ordinances which he can neither
understand nor attend to. Infants are all saved in Christ; and need no
penance, no baptism, no church membership. But a man who has heard the
word of God is personally responsible for his own life and must bear
the consequences of its rejection in his own person.

The full recognition of God's authority as bestowed by Him and man's
equality with his fellow-man constitute the vitality of the Kingdom
of God. But Satan prompts man to establish creeds of man-worship, in
which priestcraft, as opposed to priesthood, prevails. He appeals to
the avarice and ambition of men and divides society into classes,
making worldly learning, the possession of wealth, and the "accident of
birth," the distinctions which command respect and honor. The theology
of the churches, which flourished in the region where Joseph dwelt
from boyhood to maturity, flowed from the muddy stream. But he was not
influenced by it. Through the revelations of Jesus, the theology which
he was inspired to teach was utterly unlike any system taught by man.

Instead of being lifted up by the favor which had been shown to him,
Joseph was made to feel his own weaknesses. Chosen to be a prophet
and the leader of God's people, he was conscious that he was only
human, subject to human temptations and human frailties. Having the
honesty and courage inspired by the Spirit of the Lord, he dared to
confess this openly; and, under the same inspiration, acknowledge his
transgression and make his contrition known. He was not above any law
which applied to his fellow-man. Of his responsibility to God and his
brethren of the Church, he was required by the law revealed through
himself to the Church, to give as strict an account as any other
member. They who participated with him in authority owed it not to him
as an individual, but to the eternal power to which they were alike
responsible.

The grandeur of Joseph's character is most shown in his lack of
pretension. Christ declared Himself the head of the Church; and though
Joseph was to be our Savior's representative here on earth, he exacted
no homage from his fellow-believers, but only such respect as the
gospel required them to pay. The thought of gaining glory for himself
appears never to have entered his mind. His conduct in the beginning,
in execution of the requirements of the Lord, was but a type of his
whole life. The commands of God came through him to earth, and he gave
them voice firmly and fearlessly. Speaking as a prophet of God under
the influence of the Spirit, he brooked no opposition; but in his
personal relations with his fellow-Apostles and Elders he gave them,
according to their station and their deserts, as much deference as he
asked, or was willing to receive for himself. This characteristic gave
him power in the beginning. Only he who knows how to obey is worthy to
command; only he who yields to others their due can expect compliance
with his own order, however lawful it may be.

From this time of the organization of the Church, the revelations of
God have come constantly, through Christ's chosen representative, to
guide, to instruct, to admonish and to warn the people; and from this
source the body of the Saints has received its daily life.



CHAPTER XIII.

THE ALL-COMPREHENDING CHARACTER OF JOSEPH'S INSPIRATION--FIRST
PUBLIC MEETING OF THE CHURCH AFTER ORGANIZATION--BELIEVERS ASKING
BAPTISM--MOBS SEEKING THE LIFE OR THE LIBERTY OF THE PROPHET--TWICE
ARRESTED AND ACQUITTED--JOSEPH'S LAWYER HEARS A MYSTERIOUS
VOICE--COPYING THE REVELATIONS.

Joseph saw his mission now in its full significance. The instruction
which came to him when he first prayed in the woods at Manchester did
not mean that he alone should find salvation outside of the creeds of
man; but that the error of the ages was to be overthrown by the hand of
God, and the way opened for the redemption of a race.

The organization of the Church, therefore, meant that the chief Apostle
of Christ in this last dispensation should take upon himself the cross
and bear it through life. The people must be edified and perfected, and
the Gospel must be extended freely to the acceptance or rejection of
all nations, kindreds, tongues and people.

Joseph knew now that through prayer to Heaven he must seek stores of
wisdom for his own guidance and for the secure establishment and the
perfect government of the Church of our Lord and Savior. He was not
obliged to search the worldly records of the past for knowledge and
inspiration. If at this hour, all the histories of earthly governments
and religious organizations, with the books of philosophy and moral
truths--accepted by the world, had been blotted out, Joseph Smith and
his mission of enlightenment would have abated not one tittle of their
power and significance. The light of God's all-comprehending wisdom was
shining upon the Prophet's soul.

The first public meeting of the Church after the day of its
organization was held at the house of Peter Whitmer in Fayette, on
the 11th day of April, 1830. On that occasion Oliver Cowdery, under
Joseph's direction, proclaimed the word of God for the comfort and
instruction of Saints and strangers. The appointment for this meeting
had gone forth through all the neighborhood; and many persons came to
hear what wonderful things were to be spoken by the men who professed
to be called directly of God to the ministry. This was the first public
discourse delivered by an authorized servant of God in these last days.
At the conclusion of the services a number of persons demanded baptism
and membership among the people of God. They professed to have faith
in Christ, avowed their penitence for all evil done by them, and asked
to be baptized that they might obtain the remission of their sins. The
ordinance was administered to such as were worthy.

Following this meeting, which gave him joy and called forth praise
from his heart to Heaven, Joseph journeyed to Colesville, the home of
the kindly Mr. Knight whose bounty had been extended to the Prophet
and to Oliver in an hour of need. Joseph desired to make known to the
family of Knight all that God had spoken in way of command and promise.
Mr. Knight and several members of his family were Universalists. They
were firm in their conviction, but were glad to listen to the message
delivered by Joseph. It was a plain statement; for Joseph made no
attempt to lend earthly adornments to the pure word of Christ. Joseph
Knight listened and then argued with the Prophet. But he was deeply
impressed and solicited Joseph to hold meetings, in which the public
might hear the young Apostle and have opportunity to judge of the
doctrines which he avowed. Newel, a son of Joseph Knight, became much
interested in the Prophet's words. Many serious conversations ensued,
and newel became so far convinced of the divinity of the work that
he gave a partial promise that he would arise in meeting and offer
supplication to God before his friends and neighbors. But at the
appointed moment he failed to respond to Joseph's invitation. Later
he told the Prophet he would pray in secret, and thus seek to resolve
his doubts and gain strength. On the day following, newel went into
the woods to offer his devotions to Heaven; but was unable to give
utterance to his feelings, being held in bondage by some power which
he could not define. He returned to his home ill in body and depressed
in mind. His appearance alarmed his wife, and in a broken voice he
requested her to quickly find the Prophet and bring him to his bedside.
When Joseph arrived at the house, newel was suffering most frightful
distortions of his visage and limbs, as if he were in convulsions. Even
as the Prophet gazed at him Newel was seized upon by some mysterious
influence and tossed helpless about the room. Through the gift of
discernment Joseph saw that his friend was in the grasp of the evil
one, and that only the power of God could save him from the tortures
under which he was suffering. He took Newel's hand and gently addressed
him. Newel replied, "I am possessed of a devil. Exert your authority, I
beseech you, to cast him out." Joseph replied, "If you know that I have
power to drive him from your soul, it shall be done." And when these
words were uttered, Joseph rebuked the Destroyer and commanded him in
the name of Jesus Christ to depart. The Lord condescended to honor His
servant in thus exercising the power which belonged to his Priesthood
and calling, for instantly Newel cried out with joy that he felt the
accursed influence leave him and saw the evil spirit passing from the
room.

Thus was performed the first miracle of the Church. Many people were
present and witnessed it, and when they would have ascribed to Joseph
honor and praise, he checked them, saying:

"It was not done by man, nor by the power of man, but was done by God
and the power of His godliness; therefore let the honor and the praise
and the dominion and the glory be ascribed to the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit for ever and ever."

Since that hour thousands of miracles have been performed by the Elders
of the Church, through the power of the Priesthood restored from
Heaven and in fulfillment of the promises made by the Lord Jesus. But
those who have been honored in performing them have not administered
unto their fellowmen to gratify any wish to behold a miracle--a sign
sought for by a wicked and adulterous generation; but to comply with
the command of the Lord in administering an ordinance designed for the
healing of the faithful sick and to comfort them and strengthen them in
their faith.

Newel Knight believed and was made whole. He became enrapt in
contemplation of the goodness of God, and the visions of eternity were
opened to his view. He saw such a world of glory that he lost his sense
of earthly things. His physical being participated in the exaltation,
and while his spirit soared beyond the narrow confines of his earthly
house, his body was caught up and suspended in the air. When the vision
passed he sank, weak but happy, to the floor. So much was he overcome
that it was necessary to carry him to his bed, and leave him to some
hours of repose.

Of the many persons who witnessed these events nearly all subsequently
became members of the Church.

When Joseph had completed a brief ministry among the people in that
region he returned to Fayette, and found that much excitement prevailed
there because of the coming forth of the word of God. "The Book of
Mormon was accounted as a strange thing;" and persecution was heaped
upon the adherents of the Church, and all who would entertain friendly
relations with them.

The first appointed conference of the Church of Jesus Christ in
this dispensation was held at Fayette on the 1st day of June, 1830.
Thirty members were present on the opening day; and scores of people
were there who already believed, or came with the desire to hear
the principles taught by Joseph Smith. The sacrament of the Lord's
supper was administered to all the members of the Church in conference
assembled; and the faith of the congregation was so mighty that the
Heavens were opened to their view, and many beheld the glory of the
celestial kingdom. Newel Knight was one of the believers present,
and he saw, through the parted veil of eternity, the Lord Jesus
Christ seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Prophetic
vision flooded his soul with light, and he saw the mighty work of the
dispensation carried to its fulfillment; he saw Joseph Smith laboring,
as the instrument of God's choice, to redeem man and lead him back to
the presence of his Creator. The effect of these visions upon Newel
Knight and the others who beheld them, was to deprive them of their
natural strength, and they were carried to couches, upon which they
rested for a brief time. When their strength was restored they arose
and shouted, "Hosannah, to God and the Lamb," and then, to the wonder
and joy of all who heard them, they rehearsed the glories which they
had beheld.

Many baptisms followed. Those of the brethren who were most suitable
were ordained to the ministry, and received instantly the spirit of
their holy calling. Joseph returned to his own home, at Harmony.
Later, accompanied by his wife and three of the Elders, he went
again to Colesville. Here they found many people awaiting baptism.
Joseph prepared to accede to their demand. A suitable portion of a
little stream in that locality was prepared for the purpose of the
administration of the ordinance; but in the night sectarian priests,
fearful of losing their congregations and their hire, instigated evil
men to desecrate the spot and to destroy all the preparations of the
Elders. But the candidates for baptism remained faithful, and were
confirmed in their belief by this sign flowing from the hatred of the
ungodly; and a few days later the ordinance was administered by Oliver
Cowdery to thirteen persons at Colesville. Among them was Emma, the
Prophet's wife, who believed and humbly went forth to perform the
requirement of Heaven. The joy of Joseph when he welcomed his wife into
the Church was unspeakable.

While the baptisms were in progress an angry mob collected, and
threatened destruction to the Elders and believers. The mob surrounded
the houses of Joseph Knight and his son Newel and railed with devilish
hatred at the inmates. The Prophet spoke to them and made an effort to
calm their passion, but without avail. Wearied with their own impotent
wrath, the mobs departed; but only to concoct new plots.

That night a meeting was to be held, and when the believers and
sympathizers had assembled, and Joseph was about to offer them
instruction and consolation, a constable approached and arrested him on
a warrant charging him with being a disorderly person, for setting the
country in an uproar by circulating the Book of Mormon and by preaching
a gospel of revelation. The officer was a kind man, and some time after
the formal arrest he stated to Joseph that the object of the warrant
was to place the prisoner in the hands of the mob who were determined
to destroy him. These words were verified immediately after; because
when the constable was taking Joseph away from Mr. Knight's house in
a wagon, they found the mob in ambush awaiting the appearance of the
Prophet, and ready to act murderously upon a signal from the constable,
whom they vainly believed was in sympathy with them. The baffled mob,
more enraged than ever, pursued the wagon a considerable distance,
but were unable to overtake it; and the constable soon reached South
Bainbridge, in Chenango County, with his prisoner. The hour was late
and they went to an inn, where they were lodged in an upper room.
Joseph occupied a bed and slept peacefully, after communing silently
with his Maker. The officer threw his body across the entrance to the
room, and slumbered lightly. He held a loaded musket in his hands ready
to defend his prisoner from unlawful assault.

The next day was a time of intense excitement. A court was convened
to consider the strange charges brought against the young man, Joseph
Smith; and hateful lies, of every form which the father of falsehood
could devise, were circulated to create popular dislike. But Joseph
Knight appeared at the court with two of his neighbors, James Davidson
and John Reid, outspoken men, learned in the law and standing high
in public esteem, who were to appear on behalf of the Prophet. The
bitter feeling of endangered priestcraft was visible throughout the
trial; but all the accusations which were made were but lies, and none
were sustained. The court declared an acquittal. The evidence in the
trial was a high tribute to the character of Joseph Smith. Evidently
preparations had been made to deal his influence a fatal blow; and
people were brought from great distances who knew him intimately as a
boy and as a young man. It was hoped by the inciters of the outrage
that these former neighbors of Joseph would heed the public clamor
against him and testify that his nature was evil. But on the contrary,
all these witnesses declared that in all their intercourse with the
Prophet, his life had been above reproach.

Unheeding this emphatic demonstration in Joseph's behalf, his enemies
determined that they would not withhold their hands. They declared
that he had committed other offenses in Broome County, and they must
have a warrant for him in the interest of the public weal. This paper
was secured on the oath of a sectarian bigot; and no sooner was Joseph
acquitted by the court in Chenango County, than he was seized under the
new warrant and dragged back to Colesville. The officer in charge this
time was a sympathizer with the mob. He refused food to his prisoner
and refused to allow him to call at the houses of his friends, or to
see his wife. This constable carried him to a tavern, and then invited
a number of persons to unite in abuse and ridicule of the Prophet. The
rabble jeered and spat upon their victim. They pointed their fingers
at him, crying, "Prophesy! Prophesy!" Joseph offered security for his
appearance on the following day, and asked to be released; but the
officer would not consent. The only favor which he would grant to
Joseph was to bring to him a cup of water and a crust of bread.

When the morning came, Joseph was arraigned before the magistrate's
court of Colesville. Arrayed against him were some of the people who
had been discomfited at the trial in Chenango County. This time they
were determined to secure a conviction. By the side of the Prophet
were his friends and advocates who had aided him in the former trial.
Despite the vindictive effort of the mob, the court discharged the
Prophet, declaring that nothing was shown to his dishonor. Even the
cruel constable who had abused his little authority to make Joseph's
lot more miserable, became convinced of the entire innocence of his
charge; and he besought the forgiveness of his former prisoner. He gave
information to Joseph that a plot was in progress to secure his person.

The inciters of these outrages were two prominent Presbyterians of that
region--Cyrus McMaster and one Dr. Boyington. The creature whom they
secured to make oath against Joseph was also a Presbyterian; his name
was Benton.

The honest and courageous man John Reid, who successfully defended the
Prophet before the courts, himself had testified to the remarkable
manner in which he was engaged in the case. A messenger came to his
house and requested him to appear before the magistrate on behalf of
Joseph Smith. Mr. Reid was busy at the time; he had never seen the
young man Joseph Smith; and he determined not to enter the case. But
before he could decline aloud, a low, strange voice uttered these
words: "YOU MUST GO TO DELIVER THE LORD'S ANOINTED!" He was thrilled
with awe at the mysterious sound. He knew that the messenger had not
spoken; and upon inquiry Mr. Reid learned that the voice had been to
himself alone. The impression caused by this experience was such that
Mr. Reid hastened to the place of trial. While he was engaged in the
case his mysterious emotion increased; and when he arose to defend the
Prophet in argument, he was inspired to an eloquence beyond himself,
and which was irresistible. [1]

When Joseph was freed from custody after the second trial, the
constable extended his aid; and thus the Prophet was enabled to escape
while his enemies were organizing unlawfully to get him into their
clutches. Joseph had been two days without food; and when released, his
friends told him that he must flee at once, for the mob had organized
and was determined. Night had already come; and he traveled until
daylight the next morning, when he reached a place of safety at the
house of an acquaintance many miles distant from Colesville. Here he
found Emma, and they journeyed to Harmony without further molestation.
But a few days later, when he returned to Colesville to confirm the
persons who had been baptized, the mob assailed him with greater
violence than ever before; and it was with difficulty that his friends
aided him to preserve his life from the attacks of the sectarian
priests through their bigoted followers.

Upon returning once more to Harmony after this last visit to
Colesville, the Prophet engaged in the labor of making a record in
proper order of the revelations which had come to him from the Lord. In
this work he was aided for a time by Oliver Cowdery; but later Oliver
went to Fayette, and Emma, under commandment of the Lord, once more
served her husband as a scribe.

While Joseph was thus laboring in Pennsylvania, Parley P. Pratt visited
Fayette to learn something of the young Prophet. Not finding Joseph,
the seeker after truth made his investigations alone. He became
convinced that he had found the gospel; and he asked and received
baptism at the hands of Oliver Cowdery in Seneca Lake.

This was a momentous event.

Footnotes

1. It is worthy of notice here that Hon. Amos Reid, who, in early days,
was secretary and, part of the time, acting Governor of Utah Territory,
was the son of this honest man, John Reid, and always referred with
pleasure and pride to the part his father took in behalf of the Prophet
on these occasions.



CHAPTER XIV.

DISSENSIONS WITHIN THE FOLD--OLIVER COWDERY AND HIRAM PAGE LEAD THE
WHITMERS ASTRAY--MOBS AT COLESVILLE AND PERSECUTION AT HARMONY--ISAAC
HALE AND HIS FAMILY OPPOSE JOSEPH--THE PROPHET REMOVES TO FAYETTE--
PROPHETIC OUTLINE OF THE GATHERING.

The peaceful and blessed hours which the Prophet had hoped to enjoy in
the performance of his holy work at his home in Harmony, were quickly
intruded upon. Satan had been able already to excite Joseph's enemies
to a frenzy, and to make the conversion of even honest inquirers
difficult, and in many cases impossible. Not satisfied with this,
the evil one stirred up the hearts of some of Joseph's friends and
associates to feelings of jealous vanity and fear.

Oliver Cowdery, at Fayette, was the first victim within the fold of the
assaults of the adversary. While the Prophet, aided by his wife, was
transcribing the revelations, he received a startling letter, couched
in stern and disrespectful terms, addressed to him by Oliver from
Fayette. The letter demanded that Joseph should erase certain words
from one of the commandments given by God to the Church, alleging that
they had been incorrectly written. The Prophet was shocked and grieved,
because he saw therein the snare which Satan had set for the feet of
some of the flock of Christ. He knew, too, how prone Oliver was to be
lifted up in the pride of his heart; and he saw in this a concession to
evil by Oliver which must soon be checked and withdrawn, or Oliver, and
those who had sympathy for him, would soon be cast out. Joseph wrote a
letter, full of loving admonition, and yet rebuking firmly the error
to which Oliver was yielding. Joseph informed him that the revelation
had been correctly written--it was the command of God, and no man had
authority to take from it a single word.

Joseph soon followed his letter and visited his associates at Fayette.
He found there a most deplorable state of affairs. Oliver Cowdery
had yielded to the power of darkness. In the vanity of his heart he
had set himself up against the Prophet of the Lord, and by skillful
persuasion and flattery, had succeeded in winning the Whitmers to a
belief in his views. Joseph felt that they were hardened toward him,
and that the spirit which possessed them must at once be subdued and
cast out, else they would be lost to the cause of Christ. He prayed
for help, and labored earnestly and lovingly to show to Oliver and
the others the error of their way. None of them at first would listen
to his words. The influence which possessed them was perfectly aware
that if they gave attention to Joseph's words they would soon discover
their mistake; and it encouraged in them an obstinate and hateful
feeling. After some time Christian Whitmer became convinced of their
error. He saw the abyss into which the archenemy had endeavored to
drag him; and he joined with Joseph in supplication to the Lord that
his father and brothers and Oliver Cowdery might be turned aside from
their evil course, and brought back into the right way. One by one
they yielded to the voice of truth, and finally all--including Oliver
Cowdery--confessed that they had been misled by Satan, and that they
knew the Lord's words were not within the power of man to enlarge or
diminish.

Thus, promptly met, was an error rooted out. If unchecked it would
have led away some of those to whom angels had administered. This
showed to Joseph and to all who were with him that constant vigilance
was necessary to protect even the best from the devices of the evil
one. They saw that it was against the elect that Satan directed his
strongest efforts; and that, when blinded by his temptations, they were
unable to see the way of righteousness from which they were departing
or the mire of wickedness into which he was leading their feet. For
some of them the lesson was long effective; but with others it was of
but temporary avail. These latter seemed unable to long restrain their
own eager ambition and vanity, or to close their ears to the tempting
whispers of the adversary, who constantly plotted their downfall.

While Joseph was laboring in Fayette to restore peace to his brethren
and prosperity to the cause, the sectarian preachers were stirring
up the minds of the people at Harmony to think and act evilly toward
the Prophet and his work. As soon as Joseph went back to his home he
found that some persons who had been his friends now spoke and bore
themselves coldly toward him. A Methodist minister in the neighborhood,
taking advantage of Joseph's absence, had spoken all manner of evil
things concerning him, and had succeeded in making the people distrust
the Prophet and the work of God. Isaac Hale and his family were thus
led away. When Joseph had left them to go to Fayette, they were filled
with kindness toward him and his wife. They promised and accorded him
protection and help; and they were examining the principles of the
gospel so earnestly that Joseph hoped soon to welcome his wife's family
into the fold. But the Methodist minister, who was influential with
Isaac Hale, had whispered such untruths concerning the absent Prophet,
and Satan had worked so effectively to blind the eyes and becloud the
understanding of the people of Harmony, that nearly all were ready in
persecution against Joseph. Isaac Hale and his family were turned from
the work, and became from that hour its bitter opponents.

But Joseph must not falter in his labor. The branch of the Church at
Colesville was also suffering persecution; and the Prophet had to
forget for the time all his personal afflictions. In the latter part of
August, 1830, he called to his company John Whitmer, David Whitmer and
Hyrum Smith, and went to comfort and instruct Joseph Knight and those
who were associated with him. Such fierce threats had been uttered by
the mobocrats who sympathized with the Presbyterian ministers, that
Joseph and his brethren felt that they were risking their lives in
thus journeying to Colesville. They joined together in mighty prayer,
beseeching God that He would blind the eyes of their enemies, and
permit them to go and come without recognition by the wicked. The
Prophet informed his companions that their prayer would be answered,
and the angel of the Lord would protect them and cover with a veil
the vision of the murderous mob. They made no effort to disguise
themselves, but traveled through Colesville to the house of Joseph
Knight in broad day, meeting a score of their persecutors. A reward
had been offered to anyone who would give information of Joseph's
return; and among those whom they met were many who would gladly have
earned the money, even at the expense of the Prophet's life. But no one
said a harsh word to Joseph and his companions, and they were treated
merely as ordinary strangers passing through the village. A meeting of
the branch was held that night, and the Spirit of God was poured out
upon the believers in rich abundance. They were all made firm by the
blessing given, and filled with a determination to yield nothing of
their faith, though the anger of the wicked should be visited upon them
through robbery or even death.

The next morning Joseph and his party started back to Harmony. A few
hours after they were gone, a howling mob descended upon the house
of Joseph Knight and demanded the persons of the Prophet and his
companions--swearing to visit vengeance in case of a refusal. This mob
was composed of some of the persons who had been incited by sectarian
ministers on other occasions to offer violence to the Prophet. This
time they were more fierce than ever before. All day long they surged
around the houses of Joseph Knight and his son Newel, cursing and
threatening. Nothing apparently would appease them until, exhausted by
their own evil passions, they were forced to disperse.

The situation in Pennsylvania was not improved; and soon it became
apparent that the Prophet could not work in the vicinity of Harmony
with any degree of vigor and freedom. Persecution flourished on every
side. But while the Prophet was suffering all this in body and in
spirit, a messenger brought an invitation from Peter Whitmer, asking
Joseph once more to come to Fayette and establish his home. The peace
of the Holy Spirit had filled the hearts of the brethren at Fayette,
and they desired to have the Prophet among them, to bless him with
their faith, and aid him by their works in the accomplishment of his
ministry. After a brief time Joseph Knight came to Harmony. Seeing
the situation of the Prophet, he offered his wagon and horses for the
conveyance of Joseph's family to Fayette; and in the last week of
August, 1830, the Prophet found himself established once more in the
house of Peter Whitmer.

Wearied with the buffetings of the world, Joseph would have been glad
to enjoy a little season of peace; but on his arrival at Fayette he
found that the old spirit of vanity had gained an entrance, even
while he was journeying from Harmony. One of the brethren named Hiram
Page, had been inspired by the evil one to make known revelations
which he declared he had received for the Church, through a stone he
had, which were utterly at variance with the spirit of the gospel
and opposed to the commands of God, previously given through Joseph,
the ordained Prophet. These tempting declarations made by Hiram Page
had met with the favor of Oliver Cowdery and some of the Whitmers.
They were deceived by him; they had not yet fully learned that Satan
could give revelations. Joseph rebuked again, and this time more
sternly, the childish folly of these people. They were anxious to do
right; and yet, without his presence, they were certain to do evil.
He demanded that they should forsake the false doctrines which Hiram
Page was promulgating, and that all should unite with him in asking
God to reveal to them His will concerning the manner in which His
commands should be given to the world. The answer to this petition was
that revelation, given to Oliver Cowdery early in September, 1830,
establishing once and forever the order of Heaven concerning God's
revelations to men. It was made known to Oliver therein that God had
but one head for His Church, and that head was His chosen servant,
Joseph Smith. No one else should be appointed by the Church until God
should so direct, to receive commandments; for Joseph held the keys of
the mysteries and the revelations which were sealed, and through him
alone should they be given, until some other should be chosen by the
Lord in his stead. Oliver's place was defined to him: He should receive
revelations, but not to be written by way of command to the Church.
It was his duty to labor in secret with his brother, Hiram Page, and
declare to him that the things which Hiram had written as revelations
from that stone, were not of God and that Satan was deceiving him. When
these things should be finished, Oliver was told, it would be his duty
to go to the land of the Lamanites, or Indians, among whom the gospel
must be proclaimed, and by whose borders a city should be built.

The word of God had its effect, and the evil which had been done was
repented of by all. Hiram Page and the Whitmers forsook that which had
been condemned and asked forgiveness.

Besides settling the grand principle that individuals can receive
revelations for their own comfort, but not as commandments for the
Church, and that the chosen Prophet who stands at the head shall alone
have that authority, the Lord in this revelation informed His children
of a purpose which to them must have been a source of amazement. It was
within this divine purpose that a city of the Saints should be built;
and yet here was but a handful of people, with a Prophet persecuted,
threatened, driven, until he had no place to lay his head, except
through the charity of his brethren.

Doubtless these people, who were now reconciled to Heaven and united
with each other, felt wonder that they should be called upon to engage
in any labor likely to attract anew the vengeful feeling of mobs. But
whatever worldly fear may have assailed them, they were soon blessed
and encouraged by another revelation, which followed in a few days. It
came through Joseph in the presence of six elders at Fayette; and it
declared that they were chosen out of the world to proclaim the gospel
of Jesus Christ with the sound of rejoicing as with the voice of a
trump. They were informed that their duty would be to bring to pass
the gathering of God's people upon the earth. This was the spiritual
inception of that great missionary movement designed by God to bring
out from every nation, kindred, tongue and people to the land which He
should designate as a place of gathering, every honest soul who would
have faith and accept the requirements of the gospel.



CHAPTER XV.

THE SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE CHURCH--HARMONY AND LOVE AMONG
THE ELDERS--ACCESSIONS TO THE CONGREGATION--THE MISSION TO THE
LAMANITES--INDIVIDUAL REVELATIONS--GOD'S CHOSEN SERVANTS IN MISSOURI.

The second General Conference of the Church opened at Fayette, on the
1st day of September, 1830. Joseph Smith presided, and he was supported
by the presence, the faith and prayers of nearly all the members of the
Church. The Conference lasted three days and was remarkable for the
power of the Spirit which was exhibited.

At the Conference Joseph Smith showed one of his greatest
characteristics, which was an especial willingness to meet any issue
which might be involved within his labor as a prophet, or his life as
an individual. He had already won Oliver Cowdery and the Whitmers to
a rejection of the destroying revelations enunciated by Hiram Page;
and Hiram, himself, had abandoned these false manifestations. But the
Prophet knew that the people must learn within their own individual
experience to be guided by holy influence, and to know the voice of
Christ and for their individual rejection, the tempting whisper of the
evil one. His confidence in the inspiration which flowed from Heaven,
and then from heart to heart within the congregation, was not mistaken.
Every soul present at this Conference, realized for himself that Satan
had been lying in wait to ensnare the feet of God's children, and to
bring upon their heads a greater condemnation than the unbelieving
world could know. Therefore the conference officially and unanimously
renounced the false and pernicious doctrines sought to be foisted upon
the Church, and heard with joyful acceptance the revelation from God
declaring that His commands should come only through His Prophet.

The men who held the holy Priesthood in the new and everlasting
covenant were learning to love each other with a love greater than
that of brothers. Separated from the world no less by its hatred and
murderous persecution than by their own determination to keep the
commandments of God, they realized that they must seek within each
other's society on earth the comfort and peace necessary to sustain
them through the waters of tribulation. And at this Conference was felt
an unspeakable influence of union and mutual regard. People attracted
by the wondrous tidings, had come from afar to Fayette, and many
of them listened and believed. Baptisms for the remission of sins,
confirmations, for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and ordinations to power
and Priesthood, were numerous, and the sacrament was administered to
every person who was present claiming membership in the body of Christ.
Faith and hope and charity abounded in the midst of the congregation of
Israel.

Revelations to David Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jun., and John Whitmer,
and to Thomas B. Marsh, were received through the Prophet, announcing
the will of the Lord concerning these brethren. Of Peter Whitmer it was
decreed of God that he should soon journey with Oliver Cowdery towards
the land of the Lamanites. David was rebuked for being worldly-minded;
and he was ordered to attend to the ministry in the Church and before
the people dwelling in the regions around about Fayette, until the Lord
should give unto him further commandments.

The revelation formerly given through the Prophet to Oliver Cowdery,
enunciating the divine decree concerning the Lamanites and the work to
be accomplished among them, created great interest in the minds of the
elders of the Church. The desire to learn more of this important matter
was intensified by the harmony which prevailed during the Conference,
and the flow of the Spirit resulting therefrom. Joseph and his brethren
realized that the purposes of God toward the Indians of this land
were great and far-reaching; and that the time would come when they
must receive the gospel and enjoy its blessings. Many of the elders
expressed a desire to take up the work of the ministry among their
brethren bound in darkness and ignorance through the curse laid upon
their fathers; but before appointing any one to aid Oliver and Peter
Whitmer in this mission, Joseph inquired of the Lord. His answer was
a revelation appointing unto Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson that
they should go with Oliver and Peter into the wilderness, among the
Lamanites. Our Lord and Savior promised them that He would go with them
and be in their midst, and that nothing should prevail against them;
but they were commanded to pretend to no power or revelation except
that which was given to them by God, and unfolded by the Holy Spirit to
their understanding.

In the month of October, 1830, the elders appointed to this work
departed from Fayette, carrying with them a copy of the revelations
concerning their mission. Their mission was more than to journey
westward to the land of the Lamanites; for each one of them was also
under the special command and ordination to proclaim the gospel of
Jesus Christ to every listening ear. And from the hour that they
departed from Fayette, they lifted up their voices by the wayside and
left their testimony in every village through which they passed.

In this same month of October a revelation was given through the
Prophet to Ezra Thayer and Northrop Sweet, calling them to labor in
the vineyard, for the eleventh hour had come. They were promised
that speech sacred and powerful, should be given unto them, if they
would have faith to open their mouths before congregations. And in
November, 1830, Orson Pratt, a youth of 19 years, a brother of Parley
P. Pratt--came from his home in Canaan, New York, to Fayette, to ask of
the Lord for light and help concerning his individual duty. The Prophet
complied with the youth's desire and inquired of the Lord for him; and
in response a revelation was given in Orson's behalf, which has since
had a wondrous fulfilment in his life:

    Blessed are you, because you are called of me to preach my gospel.
    * * * * For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is
    soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great
    glory, and it shall be a day at the time of my coming for all
    nations to tremble. But before that great day shall come, the
    sun shall be darkened and the moon be turned into blood, and the
    stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great
    destructions await the wicked. Wherefore, lift up your voice and
    spare not, for the Lord God hath spoken. Therefore prophesy and it
    shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.

These revelations to individuals concerning their duty were necessary
in that hour. Men, however faithful and devoted to the Church, had not
yet learned the order of the gospel and its requirements upon them.
And, that they might not be suffered to rest in their own ignorance
and led astray by the whiles of Satan, the Lord, through His Prophet,
marked out the plain path which they were to follow. The rich heritage
of knowledge, which belongs now to every faithful member of the Church,
had to be gained little by little through long and continuous prayer to
God, by the early acceptors of the Gospel.

The Lord suffered none to go astray for lack of commandment. And,
in the subsequent history of the men whose names appear as early
recipients of Divine revelation, can be traced their faithfulness
to Heavenly requirement, or their yielding to the whispers of the
evil one. The Lord in His revelation through Joseph Smith gave a
mission to Orson Pratt which was nobly fulfilled. No less particular
and comprehensive was His commandment to other elders, but in many
instances far different was the result.

The work which the Prophet directed under these revelations shows
that the plan decreed by God for the building up of His Church was
understood by Joseph. Viewed from a human standpoint, the intention
of the Prophet to send missionaries throughout all the land, bearing
proclamation concerning the new Church, would have been a surprising
ambition. What was he that he should declare a gathering-place in the
west; that he should command men to lay down their daily toil, and go
forth as ministers proclaiming religious truth to a skeptical world;
that he should decree the building up of a city upon the Lamanite
borders? Had Joseph Smith, at the hour when he sent forth Oliver
Cowdery and Parley P. Pratt, with their companions into the western
wilderness, made avowal of such intentions, prompted by vanity and
a self-conceived desire to give himself and his cause prominence,
complete and humiliating would have been his failure. But if the
declaration which he made had originated from such a source, he could
not have been subjected to greater ridicule than fell upon him when
he avowed that he and his coadjutors were but fulfilling the will of
God--who would not suffer His purposes to fail one jot or tittle. To
call men untrained by education and special preparation to go forth
without purse or scrip, to preach the gospel, was a departure from
accustomed methods that in many minds excited derision and contempt.
True, this was the practice in apostolic days, and was the course taken
by the Savior in the calling and sending out of His disciples, but the
fashion had become obsolete. Education had become more essential for
ministers than the Holy Ghost; a salary than a faith that would trust
the Lord to supply food and clothing.

Teaching of the doctrine of the gathering, also was a new announcement
to the world. The belief common in Christendom was that man was as near
to God in one place as another, and He could be worshiped everywhere
alike. The idea, therefore of converts abandoning home, with all
its delightful associations and ancestral memories, and going to a
new land, remote from kindred and friends, as a religious duty was
a startling one and came in contact with all pre-conceived views.
Under the inspiration, however, of the Lord, Joseph made it known as
a movement required of true believers by the Almighty to prepare them
for coming events. It was a bold proclamation, and viewed from a human
standpoint, was likely to interfere with successful conversions. But
it was from the Lord, and honest seekers after truth were led to look
to Him for the evidence of its heavenly origin. The result came in due
time, and should have been convincing to every human soul. Of all the
commandments enunciated through Joseph Smith, nothing failed.

The Prophet, during the months of October and November, himself labored
in the ministry, encouraging all by his upright and zealous life,
making many converts, and spreading heavenly wisdom among all the
honest-in-heart who would give ear to his words.

In the meantime, the missionaries to the West were progressing with
their labor. They reached Kirtland, Ohio, and there made a brief stand,
because the field seemed promising. Many persons were converted to
the truth, and accepted the gospel. The Elders wrote at once to the
Prophet, informing him of these facts, and he directed John Whitmer to
proceed at once to Kirtland and preside over the branch of the Church
there.

When the Elders left Kirtland to proceed farther into the wilderness,
one of the new converts, Frederick G. Williams, accompanied them. They
went as far as Independence, Jackson County, Missouri; and were the
first of God's chosen servants in this dispensation to set foot upon
that consecrated soil.



CHAPTER XVI.

SIDNEY RIGDON AND EDWARD PARTRIDGE JOIN THE CHURCH--JOSEPH COMMENCES
THE TRANSLATION OF THE SCRIPTURES--SAINTS COMMANDED TO GATHER AT OHIO
--JOSEPH MIGRATES FROM NEW YORK--THE KIRKLAND SAINTS FALL INTO ERROR--
GOD'S POWER MANIFESTED--IMPORTANT REVELATIONS.

In December, 1830, two men came from Kirtland, Ohio, to visit the
Prophet at Fayette. They were Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge.
Both had accepted the gospel, as declared to them by the western
missionaries, and Sidney Rigdon had been baptized. After reaching
Fayette, Edward Partridge demanded and received baptism under the
Prophet's hands. These two men offered to Joseph, for the work of the
Lord, their time, their talents, and all they possessed. Like all the
early members of the Church, having not yet gained full understanding
of the purposes of God, having not yet gained confidence in their own
ability to rightly determine their conduct, they desired that the Lord
should give them His special commands. Joseph prayed for revelation on
their behalf, and was speedily answered.

The Lord revealed many comforting and exalting truths to Sidney Rigdon
and Edward Partridge. To Sidney He gave a special command that he
should write for Joseph. The Lord made known to Sidney what Joseph
already understood--that the Scriptures should be given, even as they
were in God's own bosom, to the salvation of His elect. And soon after
this time Joseph began a new translation of the Scriptures. While he
labored, many truths, buried through scores of ages, were brought forth
to his understanding, and he saw in their purity and holiness all the
doings of God among His children, from the days of Adam unto the birth
of our Lord and Savior. But before the close of December, after Sidney
had been aiding Joseph some little time, the Lord required the Prophet
to temporarily cease his work of translation. The enemy of all truth
was drawing his forces around about Fayette to achieve the destruction
of the Prophet, and the downfall of the newly-founded Church. But
they were to be foiled. Fayette was not the region where the Lord
designed His people to settle. Joseph's mind had been led to look to
the western country for that purpose. Contact with Sidney Rigdon and
Edward Partridge confirmed his inclination in that direction. The time
had now arrived when it appeared necessary for the accomplishment of
God's purposes, that His people (now increased to several score,)
should have an abiding-place. It was made known to Joseph by revelation
from the Lord, where this new resting-place should be. He himself, did
not expect to escape personal suffering or persecution by this new
move; nor was this in the providence of God concerning him. But he knew
that every migration made by him under the direction of the Almighty
had been followed by prosperity and increase to the work, and he,
therefore, obeyed the command to move to the place designated by the
Lord, without hesitation or doubt.

In the revelation now referred to, it was commanded that the people of
God should assemble in the State of Ohio, and there await the return of
Oliver Cowdery and his fellow-missionaries from their eventful journey
into the wilderness. Thus early in the history of the Church was the
destiny of the people outlined. Kirtland was to be a stake of Zion;
blessed by the presence of God's anointed Prophet and the Apostles of
our Lord Jesus Christ; glorified by a temple built to the name of the
Most High; and worthy to receive the ministrations in person of the
Only Begotten Son of the Eternal Father. And yet it was to be but a
temporary resting-place; for even while the Saints were to gather to
Kirtland, the western missionaries were viewing the region in Missouri,
yet to be known as the centre stake of Zion, which was to be built up
and beautified for the visible presence of our Lord and Savior.

Before organizing his company for the migration from Seneca County,
New York, into Ohio, the Prophet called a conference of the Church to
be held in Fayette on the 2nd day of January, 1831. With the opening
of the year, the Prophet saw a glorious prospect for the welfare of
the kingdom. And at this conference all present seemed to partake of
his faith and of the power of the Holy Spirit. In a revelation given
for the comfort and sustenance of the Saints on this occasion, the
Lord made known that in secret chambers there was much plotting for
the destruction of the Saints of God. The command was renewed that
they should go into Ohio, and some of the reasons for this movement
were made known. Encouragement was also given to the people that the
Lord intended to give unto them a land of promise--a land upon which
there should be no curse when the Lord should come. If they would seek
it with all their hearts the Lord made a covenant with them that it
should be the land of inheritance for themselves and their children,
not only while the earth shall stand, but in eternity, no more to pass
away. It is upon this and kindred promises that is founded the hope so
tenaciously clung to by the Latter-day Saints amid all the vicissitudes
of their checkered career, that they will yet inherit that land where
the centre stake of Zion is to be built.

In the latter part of January, 1831, Joseph departed for Kirtland. In
his company were his wife, and Elders Sidney Rigdon, Edward Partridge,
Ezra Thayer, and Newel Knight. Before leaving Seneca County, and later
at several points on their journey, they preached in public meetings
to many searchers after the truth. On every occasion new converts
came forward and accepted baptism at their hands. They reached their
destination in the opening of February; Joseph and his wife at once
found entertainment and comfort in the house of Elder Newel K. Whitney,
one of the converts made in Kirtland by the western missionaries. For
some weeks the Prophet dwelt here, solaced and sustained by the faith
and prayers of some dear friends. But outside this little circle he
found much to cause him concern of mind.

The branch of the Church at Kirtland had become numerically strong,
for it numbered nearly one hundred members. But they had been led
into strange errors and darkness. False spirits had crept in and had
manifested themselves in the subjugation of the physical and mental
powers of their victims--as Newel Knight had formerly been controlled
and possessed by the evil power at Colesville. The Saints at Kirtland,
not having had experience to enable them to distinguish between the
powers of light and the powers of darkness, and believing these things
to be divine manifestations, were yielding to them and imperiling
their earthly and eternal salvation, when the Prophet came and by his
presence and the prayers and faith of those Elders who accompanied him,
banished all these dark influences from the congregation of the Saints.
When the faith of the Saints was aroused and exercised, the miracle
which had been wrought at Colesville was here repeated. Joseph, by the
power of God, rebuked the vile one and his crew; and his brother Hyrum,
under the Prophet's direction, laid his hands on the sufferers' heads
and cast out the devils.

Immediately following the reconciliation wrought among the Saints of
God by their faith and these miracles, a revelation was given from the
Lord directing what the Elders should do to receive His law, that they
might know how to govern His Church, and informing them that he who
received his law and doeth it is His disciple; but he that saith he
receiveth it and doeth it not, is not His disciple, and should be cast
out from among them: and also appointing unto Edward Partridge that he
should be ordained a Bishop, to leave his own affairs and devote his
time to the service of the Lord. This was on the 4th of February, 1831.
Five days later the word of the Lord again came to the Elders of the
Church, saying:

    And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my
    gospel, two by two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the
    voice of a trumpet, declaring my word like unto the angels of God;
    and ye shall go forth baptizing with water, saying--Repent ye!
    Repent ye! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

    And from this place ye shall go forth unto the regions westward;
    and inasmuch as ye shall find them that will receive you, ye shall
    build up my Church in every region, until the time shall come when
    it shall be revealed unto you from on high, when the city of the
    New Jerusalem shall be prepared, that you may be gathered in one,
    that you may be my people and I will be your God.

In this revelation instruction was given that no one was to preach
or to build up the Church of Christ without being properly ordained
by one having authority; the Elders were taught the principles which
they should declare, and they were particularly enjoined to teach by
the Spirit of the Lord; and if they received it not, they were told
not to teach; the moral law was plainly declared and the dreadful
consequence of unchastity was strongly emphasized; he that sinned
and repented not was to be cast out; consecration of property to
sustain the poor was enforced; home manufacture was encouraged by the
requirements that dress should be plain and its beauty the beauty
which the Saints' own labor gave it; cleanliness was commanded and
idleness was condemned; the proper treatment of the sick and the
mourning for the dead were made known: that glorious promise--the
complete fulfillment of which has been a solace and a source of
unbounded joy to the Latter-day Saints through all the years which
have intervened since it was given--was made, "that those that die in
me [Jesus Christ] shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto
them;" to those who had various infirmities and had faith, miraculous
healing was promised; honesty of dealing was enjoined; instructions
concerning the new translation of the Scriptures were given; when asked
for, revelation upon revelation and knowledge upon knowledge were
promised; the converts in the east were to be taught by the Elders to
flee to the west to escape future trouble: the Saints were to receive
Church covenants sufficient to establish them in Ohio and in the New
Jerusalem; he that lacked wisdom was encouraged to ask and he should
be given liberally and without upbraiding; commandments were given
respecting fornicators, adulterers, and other transgressors, and the
manner they should be dealt with.

Altogether this was a most important revelation. It threw a flood of
light upon a great variety of subjects and settled many important
questions. Faithful men and women were greatly delighted at being
members of a Church which the Lord acknowledged as His own, and to
which He communicated His word through his inspired Prophet as he did
at this time.

While Joseph was thus administering among the people, in the same month
of February, 1831, the Lord commanded him to call the Elders of the
Church together from the east and the west, and from the north and
south, to receive in solemn assemblage the pouring out of His Spirit
upon them. Pursuant to this requirement a General Conference of the
Church was appointed to be held in Kirtland on the 6th day of June,
1831.

At no time during the Prophet's career did the care of the poor escape
his attention or become a matter of indifference to him. He was a
man of large benevolence, and his sympathies were quickly aroused
by any tale of sorrow or appeal for relief. In the most busy and
trying periods of his life those who went to him for counsel in their
troubles, always found him willing to listen, and they were sure to
receive encouragement and assistance. To extend comfort to the bruised
spirit, and to help the needy and distressed appeared a constant
pleasure to him. His hospitality, also, was a marked feature in his
character. His house was always open to entertain the stranger. One
of the most cherished recollections of many of the old members of
the Church is the kindness with which they were treated by "Brother
Joseph," and the warm welcome he gave them to his house upon their
arrival at Kirtland and other places where he lived.

In the revelation above referred to the Lord said:

    Ye must visit the poor and the needy and administer to their
    relief, that they may be kept until all things may be done
    according to my law which ye have received.

In other revelations which the Lord gave to Joseph, frequent mention
was made of the poor and the provisions which should be made for
their sustenance. Before leaving Fayette, New York, the Church was
commanded to appoint certain men to look to the poor and the needy and
administer to their relief that they should not suffer. Directly after
reaching Kirtland, Joseph received a revelation in which the Church
was told by the Lord to remember the poor and consecrate properties
for their support, that every man who had need might be amply supplied
and receive according to his wants. Again, the command was given to
"remember in all things the poor and the needy, the sick and the
afflicted, for," the Lord said, "he that doeth not these things the
same is not my disciple."

A clear exposition of the duty laid upon every believer in the gospel
as revealed in this last dispensation, if he had been blessed with
abundance, to share of his wealth with the poor, was given in a
subsequent revelation in the following striking language:

    Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the
    poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be
    your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of
    indignation--the harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul
    is not saved!

In this way the duty of the Saints towards the poor--this practical and
essential part of true religion--was deeply impressed upon them and
kept constantly before them. In numerous paragraphs of the revelations
given to the Church during those early days, were the members taught
that the Lord intended His people to be equal in temporal things--that
class distinctions should not exist among them because of the riches of
some and the poverty of others. The effect of those early revelations
and teachings upon this subject has been visible upon the people from
the time they were given to the present. There has been a continual
yearning for such a higher life--such a blessed and heavenly condition
of society--as the practical adaptation and realization of the truths
of the revelations will bring about. Amid the dangers with which many
of the faithful members have thought the Church has been menaced
through the increase of wealth of some of their number, they have
always been cheered by the assurance that the day was not far distant
when the injunction would be carried out, which the Lord gave in the
days of which we write: "Let every man deal honestly, and be alike
among this people, and receive alike, that ye may be one, even as I
have commanded you."

This has been the ideal condition to which all have lifted their
eyes. The effect has been that the wide difference which exists in
the world between the rich and the poor--with the one class wealthy
beyond all safety and reason, and the other class wretchedly poor even
to starvation--has always been felt to be terribly wrong and contrary
to the will of God. It was this bond of union and mutual help in a
temporal sense, established by the command of Jehovah, and constantly
taught by the Prophet Joseph and his co-laborers, which enabled the
Saints through all the succeeding persecutions to move and endure as
one family, all suffering measurably alike. Since the days of the
Savior there has never been until Joseph Smith's time, a system of
social life in which honorable poverty received such consideration and
such help. Concerning the poor at this early day the Lord said:

    They shall see the Kingdom of God coming in power and great glory
    unto their deliverance; for the fatness of the earth shall be
    theirs.

    For behold, the Lord shall come and his recompense shall be with
    him, and he shall reward every man, and the poor shall rejoice;
    and their generations shall inherit the earth from generation to
    generation forever and ever.

The Church at Kirtland soon began to assume an importance which alarmed
its opponents. Previous to this time falsehood and persecution had been
directed almost entirely against the Prophet himself. But as the work
extended and the Church increased in its membership, the father of lies
did not confine his attacks to Joseph; he sent forth his countless
emissaries to provoke hatred and wrath against the Church itself. Yet
nothing tangible up to this time could be alleged against the Prophet
Joseph or the Church which God organized through his instrumentality.
Here at Kirtland, and at this time, however, the foes of truth united
in formulating and publishing to the world all the calumnies which
their wicked imaginations could devise. None were more active in this
infamous business than certain fearful and lying priests and their
bigoted adherents; and it is from this fruitful source of accusation
and slander that subsequent defamers of the Prophet's early life have
drawn many of their falsehoods.

To the Saints, however, there was compensation for these attacks in the
word of the Lord which they received in plainness and power at this
time through the Prophet. He was inspired to write many revelations
which were of priceless value to the Church. Principles and doctrines,
instructions and warnings, promises and prophecies, were given with
a simplicity and clearness suited to the capacity of the humblest
understanding, and yet the truths they contained are so sublime as to
furnish instruction and food for profound thought to men of the highest
attainments and the most extensive cultivation.

Among several revelations given during this month of March, 1831,
there was one of more than ordinary interest to the Saints then, and
the lapse of time has only added to its importance in the minds of all
believers. It was upon that never-failing subject of interest--the
second coming of the Savior. The signs which should precede His coming
and the wonderful manifestations which should accompany it--making the
event the most awful and yet the most glorious witnessed since the dawn
of creation--were described with divine clearness. In this revelation
the Lord said:

    Wherefore hearken and I will reason with you, and I will speak unto
    you and prophesy, as unto men in days of old; and I will show it
    plainly as I showed it unto my disciples as I stood before them
    in the flesh, and spake unto them, saying, as ye have asked of me
    concerning the signs of my coming in the day when I shall come in
    my glory in the clouds of heaven to fulfill the promises that I
    made unto your fathers.

A rehearsal is then given of instructions and predictions which He gave
to His disciples, similar, but in greater fullness to those recorded in
the 24th chapter of Matthew in the New Testament. For the comfort of
His ancient disciples He made promises, from which Saints in every age
can derive satisfaction and hope. He said:

    And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking
    forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of
    the coming of the Son of Man. * * * But before the arm of the Lord
    shall fall, an angel shall sound his trump, and the saints that
    have slept shall come forth to meet me in the cloud; wherefore, if
    ye have slept in peace, blessed are you, for as you now behold me
    and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me, and your souls
    shall live and your redemption shall be perfected, and the Saints
    shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth. Then shall
    the arm of the Lord fall upon the nations, and then shall the Lord
    set his foot upon this mount and it shall cleave in twain, and the
    earth shall tremble and reel to and fro, the Heavens shall also
    shake. * * * For they that are wise and have received the truth,
    and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been
    deceived; verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and
    cast into the fire, but shall abide the day, and the earth shall
    be given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall multiply
    and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto
    salvation, for the Lord shall be in their midst, and his glory
    shall be upon them, and He will be their King and their Lawgiver.

In the months of April and May, 1831, the Prophet continued to labor
among the people and numerous commandments came from the Lord to
him and other Elders, especially directing their ministrations and
constantly resolving their doubts and removing their difficulties.
The harvest was being gathered; the Saints from New York and other
places had come up to Kirtland to join with their fellow-worshipers;
constant accessions were being made, until on the 1st of June, 1831, a
few days preceding the appointed General Conference of the Church, the
congregation of the Saints numbered nearly two thousand souls.



CHAPTER XVII.

FOURTH GENERAL CONFERENCE--GOD DESIGNATES MISSOURI AS THE PLACE OF
HOLDING THE NEXT CONFERENCE--TRANSGRESSION OF THE THOMPSON BRANCH--
JOSEPH GOES TO THE PLACE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM.

From all the dwelling-places of the Saints throughout the land came
representatives to attend the fourth General Conference of the Church.
It opened on the morning of the 6th of June, 1831, in Kirtland, Ohio,
under the presidency of Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God. Fourteen
months had elapsed since the organization of the Church, with six
members. Now the congregation numbered two thousand souls. For the
marvelous manifestation of His power which had brought these people to
a knowledge of the truth and had enabled them to become the recipients
of saving ordinances, the conference offered praise to Almighty God.
There was a great outpouring of the Spirit upon the assemblage, and
the Lord displayed His power in the firm establishment of His word in
the hearts of His children. Joseph himself says, "The Lord gave us
power in proportion to the work to be done." Several were selected by
revelation and ordained to the High Priesthood after the order of the
Son of God, which is after the order of Melchisedec. This was the first
occasion this Priesthood had been conferred upon the Elders in this
dispensation. The cause was no longer the work of a single family. Its
glory, its promise and its tribulation, as it must endure, were shared
by a considerable community; but if the Saints had been all one family
in the flesh, they could not have been more united and harmonious
than they were on the occasion of this conference. Peace was in the
household of faith, and through humility and prayer the blessings of
Heaven were generally enjoyed.

In the midst of the congregation the Lord made known, through Joseph,
that their next conference should be held far away, in the State of
Missouri, upon the spot consecrated by God unto the children of Jacob,
the heirs of His covenant. In the same revelation the Lord directed the
Prophet and Sidney Rigdon to prepare for their journey into the land of
Zion; promising to them that through their faith they should know the
land which was to be forever the inheritance of the Saints of the Most
High. Special instructions were also given to others of the Elders,
commanding them to go forth two by two in the proclamation of the
word of God by the way, to every congregation where they could get a
hearing. Though the western frontier of Missouri was their destination,
they were commanded to take different routes and not build on each
other's foundation or travel in each other's track.

At this time the branch of the Church in Thompson, Ohio, fell into
darkness, and messengers came to the Prophet asking him to inquire of
the Lord for them. This branch was composed of Saints who had moved
from Colesville, New York, and who had received instructions from
the Lord, through the Prophet at the request of Bishop Partridge, as
to the manner in which they should organize themselves to conduct
their temporal affairs. In response to the supplication which Joseph
addressed to the Lord upon this subject, humility and contrition were
required from the Saints at Thompson for their transgression, and they
were directed to take their journey into the regions westward, to near
the line of the State of Missouri and the then Indian country. Word had
been received from Oliver Cowdery and from Parley P. Pratt, announcing
their ministrations in the West, and giving information concerning the
Indians or Lamanites, who dwelt in the wilderness across the line from
Missouri.

While Joseph was preparing to depart on the western journey which he
had been commanded to take, William W. Phelps, a man of considerable
prominence in the Church afterwards, came with his family from afar
and offered himself to do the will of the Lord. He had not yet been
baptized, but he was promised the remission of his sins and the gift
of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, if he would submit to the
ordinances with the proper feeling, and he was to be ordained to do the
work of printing for the Church; and for this cause was required to
take his journey with Joseph and Sidney Rigdon to the west.

It was on the 19th day of June, 1831, that Joseph Smith departed
from Kirtland, Ohio, to go up into Missouri, the place promised as
an inheritance for the Saints and at which the New Jerusalem should
sometime be established. The Prophet was accompanied by Sidney Rigdon,
Martin Harris, Edward Partridge, W. W. Phelps, Joseph Coe and A. S.
Gilbert and wife. As rapidly as possible they journeyed by wagon and
stage and occasionally by canal boat to Cincinnati, Ohio. From the
latter point they went to Louisville, Kentucky, by steamer, and were
compelled to remain there three days waiting for an opportunity to get
to St. Louis; they reached St. Louis by steamer, and there made a brief
pause. From this city on the Mississippi, the Prophet of God walked
across the entire State of Missouri to Independence, Jackson County,
a distance of nearly three hundred miles as traveled. This journey
through the blazing heat of June and July was sweet to Joseph. There
was a charm about it which lightened toil. The pains and burdens were
unworthy of notice in the delightful anticipation of seeing the land
for which the Lord, as had been shown to him by vision and prophecy,
had reserved so glorious a future.

He was accompanied by Martin Harris, William W. Phelps, Edward
Partridge and Joseph Coe; while Sidney Rigdon and A. S. Gilbert and
wife went up the Missouri River a few days later by steamboat. It
was about the middle of July when the Prophet and his party reached
Independence. During the month of their journey Joseph had taught the
gospel, in the cities, the villages and the country places, in vigor
and simplicity.

Joseph himself says that the meeting with his brethren, who had long
awaited his arrival upon the confines of civilization, was a glorious
one, moistened by many tears. It seemed good and pleasant for brethren
to meet in unity and love after the privations which, for the sake of
obeying the commands of God, they had endured since their separation.



CHAPTER XVIII.

ON THE BORDERS OF THE WILDERNESS--LAYING THE FIRST LOG--DEDICATION
AND CONSECRATION OF THE LAND OF ZION AND TEMPLE SITE--BACK TO
CIVILIZATION--SIGN-SEEKING AND VIOLENCE.

    When will the wilderness blossom as the rose? When will Zion be
    built up in her glory? And where will Thy temple stand unto which
    all nations shall come in the last days?

The cry of the ancient prophets was repeated by the Prophet of the
last dispensation as he looked out upon the wilderness; and the Lord
answered the supplication with words of comfort and instruction. In a
revelation given immediately after Joseph's arrival with his party in
July, 1831, the Lord designated Independence and the lands surrounding
as the promised spot, appointed and consecrated for the gathering of
the Saints. It was the revealed purpose of the Almighty to give to His
devoted Saints an everlasting inheritance in that region. Independence
was to be the centre place of Zion, and the voice of the Lord indicated
the exact spot upon which He would have a temple erected to His glory.

In this revelation the Prophet and his brethren were informed, also,
concerning the division of lands among the Saints, that all might be
planted in their inheritances; and special instruction was given to
such of the Elders as were required to perform special duties.

On the first Sunday after the Prophet reached Independence, William W.
Phelps preached a sermon over the western boundary line of the United
States, Joseph and the other Elders being present. The strangers in the
congregation were Indians, negroes and many white citizens who dwelt
in the borders of the wilderness. Before the meeting adjourned two
believers were baptized into the Church.

Within a week after this time the members of the Colesville branch of
the Church, who had been instructed to establish themselves in the land
of Zion, arrived at Independence. About the first of August the word
of the Lord was received, in which was made known many of His purposes
concerning this land; that it should be the place upon which the Zion
of God should stand, and where a feast of fat things should be prepared
for the poor.

God promised that unto this land all nations should be invited:

    Firstly, the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble; and
    after that cometh the day of my power; then shall the poor, the
    lame and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the marriage of the
    Lamb, and partake of the supper of the Lord, prepared for the great
    day to come.

It was in this revelation that the Lord made known His will concerning
all rightful submission of His Saints to earthly powers. He said:

    Let no man think he is ruler, but let God rule him that judgeth,
    according to the counsel of his own will;

    Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws
    of God hath no need to break the laws of the land:

    Wherefore be subject to the powers that be, until He reigns whose
    right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under His feet.

    Behold the laws which ye have received from my hand are the laws of
    the Church, and in this light ye shall hold them forth.

There was a disposition on the part of many, now that God had raised
up a Prophet, through whom the word of the Lord could be given, to not
act upon their own agency, nor even exert their own powers in many
directions, without they received a command from the Lord, or counsel
from His servant to do so. The great anxiety of the people to comply
with the will of the Lord engendered this disposition. But there was
danger of this being carried too far. The Prophet could under the
inspiration of the Almighty, give general laws and counsel for the
government and guidance of the Church, and as occasion might require,
receive special revelations making known to individuals the will of the
Lord concerning them and their labors. But as the Church increased in
numbers there was necessarily a limit to this. It was not the design
of the Lord to keep His people in leading strings; but to develop in
them the attributes of Deity inherited from Himself. It was for them,
therefore, to seek for His inspiration for themselves, and to exercise
their own faculties ever subject to the general laws which He would
give through him whom He had chosen as the leader of His people.

Upon this subject His word came to the people at this time on this wise:

    For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things, for
    he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not
    a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

    Verily, I say men should be actively engaged in a good cause, and
    do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much
    righteousness.

    For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves.
    And inasmuch as men do good they shall in no wise lose their reward.

    But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and
    receiveth a commandment with a doubtful heart, and keepeth it with
    slothfulness, the same is damned.

It was also declared that by the voice of Sidney Rigdon the land should
be consecrated and dedicated unto the Lord, and that the temple site
should be blessed and set apart. Further, the Lord commanded that
Joseph and Oliver and Sidney, after the conference meeting of the
Church at Independence, should return to Kirtland and pursue their work
there.

This revelation closed with the words:

    Verily, the sound [of the gospel] must go forth from this place
    into all the world and unto the uttermost parts of the earth--the
    gospel must be preached unto every creature with signs following
    them that believe.

    And behold the Son of Man cometh.

The first log for a house as a foundation for Zion, was laid at Kaw
Township, Jackson County, Missouri, twelve miles west of Independence,
on the 2nd day of August, 1831. In honor of the twelve tribes of
Israel, it was carried and placed in position by twelve men, the
Prophet being one of that number. This act was performed by the Saints
of the Colesville branch, whose settlement in this region had been
dictated through revelation by the Almighty, and they were directed and
assisted in the same by Joseph himself. On the same day Sidney Rigdon
offered the dedicatory prayer, in which this was consecrated to be the
land of Zion, and to be a gathering place of the Saints. The promise of
that inspired prayer "will yet," according to the words of the Prophet,
"be unfolded to the satisfaction of the faithful." It seemed to Joseph
that when the curse should be taken from this land, it would become one
of the most blessed places on the face of the earth.

On the following day, the 3rd of August, the spot for the temple was
dedicated. Only eight men were present, but the Prophet says that
the scene was most solemn and impressive. The Elders who were named
by Joseph as having been so favored as to participate with him in
this most important work, were Sidney Rigdon, Edward Partridge, W. W.
Phelps, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris and Joseph Coe. The prayer of
dedication was offered by the Prophet himself; and his promises and
supplications to Heaven upon that spot have sanctified it for all time,
and while earth shall endure.

On the fourth day of August, 1831, the fifth conference of the Church
and the first conference in the land of Zion was held at the house of
Joshua Lewis, in Kaw Township, Joseph presided, and nearly if not quite
all of the members of the Church in that region were present.

These events which we have described--the selection and dedication of
the centre place of Zion and the spot upon which the temple was to be
erected, the formal laying of a foundation for the first building, the
holding of a conference, and the establishment of some of the Saints
in the land--attracted but slight attention at the time outside of the
little circle of God's people. To merely human eyes, and viewed from
the standpoint of men who had no faith in the promises of God, these
must have seemed insignificant and, perhaps, contemptible proceedings
to be the beginning of such great works as were predicted. But from
the day that land was thus dedicated, unshaken confidence in the
perfect fulfillment of every promise made concerning it, has filled the
heart of every faithful member of the Church. Towards it the eyes of
thousands upon thousands have been directed, around it their dearest
hopes for themselves and their posterity have clustered, and their
daily prayer has been that the Lord would hasten the redemption of Zion
and build up the centre stake thereof.

Having fulfilled the requirements of the Almighty, Joseph and ten
companion Elders departed from Independence Landing on the Missouri
River, for Kirtland, Ohio. It was on the 9th day of August, 1831, that
they started to row down the river with a flotilla of sixteen canoes,
carrying themselves and their provisions.

The Prophet departed on this journey as cheerfully as he had left the
land of civilization for the wilderness. If he knew the persecutions
and tribulation into which he was advancing, he made no sign to his
fellow voyagers. After three days of rowing down the Missouri, Joseph
and Sidney and Oliver were directed to journey by land speedily to
Kirtland, while the others were instructed to proceed with the canoes.

On the day following this division, the 13th of August, Joseph met
several Elders who were on their way to Independence. A meeting was
held in which joy abounded. After this the Elders parted, the Prophet
and his two companions continuing their journey and the others
advancing toward the land of Zion.

It was on the 27th day of August, 1831, that the Prophet and Sidney
and Oliver reached Kirtland. During their eventful absence they had
enjoyed the Spirit of inspiration to a great extent and had witnessed
many manifestations of God's power. Their faith had been strengthened,
and the purposes of the Almighty had been made more clear to their
comprehension. They had also gained greater knowledge of the effort
which Satan was making to hide the light from the eyes of mankind. The
Lord had said to them:

    Ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded
    in heaven for the angels to look upon, and they rejoice for you.

After the return of the Elders to Kirtland the Saints sought most
earnestly for further instruction concerning Zion and the gathering;
and Joseph received a revelation in which many things were made plain
upon these subjects, and they were shown the proper manner of securing
the land of Zion to the best advantage.

There had been some seeking after signs, and the Lord said:

    Wherefore, verily I say, let the wicked take heed, and let the
    rebellious fear and tremble; and let the unbelieving hold their
    lips, for the day of wrath shall come upon them as a whirlwind, and
    all flesh shall know that I am God.

    And he that seeketh shall see signs, but not unto salvation. * * *

    But behold faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow them that
    believe.

The ensuing few days were spent in earnest labor among the Saints in
Kirtland, many of whom were preparing to go up to Zion, hoping to start
in the ensuing October. Joseph and Sidney were making ready to removing
to the town of Hiram in Portage County, Ohio, where the Prophet
intended to re-engage in the work of translating the Bible. On the 12th
day of September, 1831, Joseph departed from Kirtland to take up his
abode at Hiram, and here encountered anew and in violence the malicious
spirit which, too often, accompanied those who seek after signs.



CHAPTER XIX.

A METHODIST PRIEST CONVERTED BY A MIRACLE--WANTS POWER TO SMITE--THE
PROPHET AT HIRAM ENGAGED IN TRANSLATING--ORDER FOR PUBLICATION OF "THE
EVENING AND MORNING STAR"--MAN-MADE COMMANDMENTS.

Joseph had learned and taught to his brethren that the mission of the
gospel was to bring peace and salvation to all mankind. He himself
ministered in the utmost humility among the Saints as well as among
strangers, for he was well aware that faith, meekness, patience and
tribulation went before blessing, and that God required lowliness of
heart before He exalted men; but the lesson which was so plain to him
was never learned by some who became associated with the Church in that
early day. One of the first of those who sought for signs was Ezra
Booth, a man who had been a Methodist priest and had become suddenly
converted to the gospel by seeing a miracle performed. Soon afterwards
he asked that he might be granted power of God that he might smite men
and make them believe the gospel of Christ. His conversion had been by
a sign, and he sought to minister by means of signs. He wanted to go
forth with the power to bless in one hand and the power to curse in the
other, and save souls after a fashion he thought would be successful,
and entirely different from the way ordained by the Lord. Early in the
month of September, 1831, Ezra Booth became disappointed and yielded to
the spirit of apostasy. Later he wrote a series of false and malignant
letters which aroused hatred against Joseph and the cause and which
culminated in a murderous attack.

It was on the 12th day of September, 1831, that the Prophet took up
his abode with his family at Hiram, Portage County, Ohio, at the
residence of John Johnson, a member of the Church, and father of Luke
S. and Lyman E. Johnson, who afterwards were chosen to be two of the
Twelve Apostles. His daughter Marinda was the wife of Orson Hyde,
another of the Twelve. Hiram was about thirty miles in a south-easterly
direction from Kirtland. His first work was the preparation to continue
the translation of the Bible. In the meantime, conferences were held
and the word of the Lord received. At the first conference, held at
the house where Joseph resided, October 11, 1831, it was decided
that William W. Phelps should go to Missouri, and on his way, at
Cincinnati, should purchase a press and type for the publication of a
paper at Independence, to be called _The Evening and Morning Star_.
This conference was adjourned until the 25th day of that month, to
meet at the house of Serems Burnett, in Orange, Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
During the interval, certain Elders were designated and directed to
go forth among the other branches of the Church and collect means to
aid the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon while engaged in translation of the
Scriptures.

At Orange, there were in attendance at the adjourned conference twelve
High Priests, seventeen Elders, four Priests, three teachers, and four
Deacons, in addition to a large congregation of other members.

While at Orange, William E. McLellin, one of the prominent Elders,
desired the Prophet to obtain the will of the Lord concerning him.
Joseph complied, and through the word of the Lord which came as an
answer to his prayer, William E. McLellin received much encouragement
for what he had done; but he was commanded to repent of some things
and was warned against adultery, a sin to which, it appears, he was
inclined. He was promised great blessings if he should overcome. This
instruction, direct from the Almighty, seemed to affect him for a
time, but the words did not sink deep into his heart, because he soon
rebelled and attempted to bring reproach upon the Church of Christ. He
joined with others in whom the spirit of discontent was brooding, to
find fault with the revelations of the Lord which Joseph received.

When the Prophet returned to Hiram, the Lord condemned the folly and
pride of McLellin and his sympathizers, and said to them that they
might seek out of the book of commandments even the least of the
revelations, and appoint the wisest among them to make one like unto it
from his own knowledge. Filled with vanity and self-conceit, McLellin
sacrilegiously essayed to write a commandment in rivalry of those
bestowed direct from God upon the Church. But he failed miserably in
his audacious effort, to the chagrin and humiliation of himself and
his fellows. The attempt was not without its benefits, however, for
the Saints were enabled to recognize the difference between the works
of God and the presumptuous efforts of men. Upon this subject the
Lord had said that the Elders should be under condemnation if they
failed to bear record to the truth of His commandments, should the
one who attempted to imitate them not succeed in his effort; "for,"
He said, "ye know there is no unrighteousness in them, and that which
is righteous cometh down from above, from the Father of lights." The
Elders obeyed this behest of the Lord and declared in strength and
power their absolute knowledge that the revelations which had been
bestowed upon the Church were from God.

The Prophet held many special conferences during October and November,
1831, with different branches of the Church. He also pursued his work
of translating the Bible, Sidney Rigdon writing at his dictation.
Important revelations continued to be received for the comfort of
the Saints. On the 3rd day of November the commandment now known and
published in the book of Doctrine and Covenants as the "Appendix" was
given to the Prophet at Hiram. Some of its sublime passages are as
follows:

    Hearken and hear, O ye inhabitant of the earth. Listen ye elders of
    my church together, and hear the voice of the Lord, for he calleth
    upon all men, and he commandeth all men everywhere to repent;

    For behold, the Lord God hath sent forth the angel crying through
    the midst of heaven, saying, prepare ye the way of the Lord, and
    make his paths straight, for the hour of his coming is nigh,

    When the Lamb shall stand upon Mount Zion, and with him a hundred
    and forty-four thousand having his Father's name written on their
    foreheads;

    Wherefore, prepare ye for the coming of the Bridegroom; go ye, go
    ye out to meet him,

    For behold, he shall stand upon the mount of Olivet, and upon the
    mighty ocean, even the great deep, and upon the islands of the sea,
    and upon the land of Zion;

    And he shall utter his voice out of Zion, and he shall speak from
    Jerusalem and his voice shall be heard among all people,

    And it shall be the voice as of the voice of many waters, and as
    the voice of great thunder, which shall break down the mountains,
    and the valleys shall not be found;

    He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into
    the north countries, and the islands shall become one land,

    And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back
    into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the
    days before it was divided.

    And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his
    people, and shall reign over all flesh.

    And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance
    before the Lord, and their prophets shall hear his voice and shall
    no longer stay themselves, and they shall smite the rocks, and the
    ice shall flow down at their presence.

    And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.

    Their enemies shall become a prey unto them.

    And in the barren desert shall come forth pools of living water;
    and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land.

    And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children
    of Ephraim my servants.

    And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their
    presence.

    And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in
    Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children
    of Ephraim;

    And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy.

    Behold, this is the blessing of the everlasting God upon the tribes
    of Israel, and the richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim and his
    fellows.

    And they also of the tribe of Judah, after their pain, shall be
    sanctified in holiness before the Lord to dwell in his presence,
    day and night, forever and ever.

    And now, verily saith the Lord, That these things might be known
    among you, O ye inhabitants of the earth, I have sent forth mine
    angel, flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting
    gospel, who hath appeared unto some, and hath committed it unto
    man, who shall appear unto many who dwell on the earth;

    And this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred,
    and tongue, and people,

    And the servants of God shall go forth, saying, with a loud voice,
    Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is
    come;

*    *    *    *    *

    And unto him that repenteth and sanctifieth himself before the
    Lord, shall be given eternal life;

    And upon them that hearken not to the voice of the Lord, shall be
    fulfilled that which was written by the prophet Moses, that they
    should be cut off from among the people.

    And also that which was written by the prophet Malachi: for,
    behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the
    proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day
    that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of hosts, that it
    shall leave them neither root nor branch.

    Wherefore, this shall be the answer of the Lord unto them:

    In that day when I came unto mine own, no man among you received
    me, and you were driven out.

    When I called again, there was none of you to answer, yet my arm
    was not shortened at all, that I could not redeem, neither my power
    to deliver.

    Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea. I make the rivers a
    wilderness; their fish stinketh, and dieth for thirst.

    I clothe the heavens with blackness, and make sackcloth their
    covering.

    And this shall ye have of my hand--ye shall lay down in sorrow.

    Behold and lo, there are none to deliver you, for ye obeyed not my
    voice when I called to you out of the heavens; ye believed not my
    servants, and when they were sent unto you ye received them not;

    Wherefore they sealed up the testimony and bound up the law, and ye
    were delivered over unto darkness.

    These shall go away into outer darkness, where there is weeping,
    and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

In November Joseph arranged the commandments of the Lord to the Church
which he had received, in their proper order, and sent them up into
Missouri by the hands of Oliver Cowdery and John Whitmer, the purpose
being to issue a printed edition of them for their dissemination among
the Saints.

Though the translating of the Scriptures occupied his attention at this
time, yet the Prophet was not permitted to confine himself entirely
to this labor; he was often required to go out and preach the gospel.
Sidney Rigdon accompanied him, and wherever they went they overcame all
opposition, confounding their enemies by a simple declaration of the
truth and putting to shame such of the sectarian preachers as opposed
them.

On the 4th day of December, 1831, while the Prophet was at Kirtland,
Newel K. Whitney was called by revelation from the Lord to be a Bishop
in that part of the vineyard, and his duties in that important office
were specified.

Ezra Booth had succeeded in securing space in the columns of the
Ohio _Star_, in which to publish his slanderous denunciations and
falsehoods concerning Joseph and the Church. In replying to these, and
in vindicating the people against them, the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon
were closely occupied for some weeks. Satan was busy arousing enmity,
and he used the apostate Booth and others as his instruments to provoke
persecution. They were successful in filling the minds of many with
darkness and prejudice; but Joseph and Sidney wherever they appeared
were enabled to allay much of the excited feeling of bigotry.

At Hiram, on the 16th day of February, 1832, the "vision" which is
recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 76--one of the grandest
revelations given by God to man, in which the different degrees of
glory held in reserve by the Almighty for His children and the dreadful
fate which awaits the sons of perdition, were described with felicitous
clearness--was given to Joseph and Sidney Rigdon. In writing this
vision they leave this momentous testimony:

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

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

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

As the numerical strength of the Church increased, the Lord renewed
his instructions concerning the welfare of the poor of His people. In
a revelation given in the month of March, 1832, it was declared that
a storehouse must be established for the needy among the Saints. This
revelation also declared the Lord's will and purpose to yet establish a
city in the land of Zion to secure equality of earthly blessings among
the Saints.

The wondrous enlightenment wrought by the revelations and the
instructions of the past year had been shared by Joseph with his
brethren. Nor did the knowledge of the great work stop with the Prophet
and the believers. It extended to the opponents of the Almighty's
purposes, and they were stirred up to intensity of hate. The wider
the influence of the Prophet and his mission, the greater the scope
of salvation thus ordained, the fiercer flamed out the fire of
persecution. The murderous spirit of evil which had followed close upon
Joseph's footsteps for several years threw its shadow on his humble
home at Hiram. He had received a letter from Missouri announcing the
arrival of the brethren at Independence and containing a prospectus for
_The Evening and Morning Star_, and he was making preparation to visit
the land of Zion when the fury of mobocratic violence broke loose upon
him.

During his residence at Father Johnson's he had held many meetings in
the evenings and on the Sabbath and had baptized a number of persons.
Olmsted Johnson, a son of Father Johnson, who had come upon a visit,
heard the gospel from Joseph's lips; but the young man would not accept
it. Joseph was led to warn him that if he rejected the truth, and
should depart without obeying the requirements of the gospel, he should
never return nor see his father's face more in this life. Olmsted was
obdurate and left Hiram for the Southern States and Mexico. On his way
homeward he was stricken with illness in Virginia and died there--a
literal fulfillment of the warning he had received.

Ezra Booth exerted a baleful influence upon three others of the Johnson
boys who had already accepted the gospel, and they grew weak in the
faith, and finally, together with Simonds Rider, apostatized and
opposed the Prophet.



CHAPTER XX.

A NIGHT OF FURY--THE MURDEROUS MOB AT HIRAM--JOSEPH DRAGGED FROM HIS
BED, AND IS STRIPPED, BRUISED AND ALMOST SLAIN BY A PROFANE AND DRUNKEN
CROWD LED BY APOSTATES AND SECTARIAN MINISTERS.

When the Prophet went to Hiram he carried with him twin children, the
offspring of John Murdock, which Emma adopted when they were nine
days old, intending to rear them in place of twin children of her own
which had died. These babes were now eleven months old. On the 25th of
March they were very ill, and the Prophet and his wife were anxiously
nursing them and getting only a little broken rest. At a late hour of
the night Joseph was lying down and slumbering heavily from weariness,
when Emma heard a gentle tapping on the window. Her senses were dulled
by sleepiness, and she paid little attention to the noise and made
no inquiry nor investigation. A few moments later an infuriated mob
burst the door open and surrounded the bed whereon Joseph lay in deep
slumber. Ten or twelve of them had seized him and were dragging him
from the house when Emma screamed. The cry awakened the Prophet, and in
an instant he realized his position. As they were taking him through
the door he made a desperate struggle to release himself. Getting a
limb clear for a moment, he kicked one of the mob with such force as
to fell the wretch to the ground. But before Joseph could bring his
superior physical powers to bear, he was confined again within the
grasp of numerous hands; and with a torrent of oaths, in which the
mobbers profaned the name of Deity, they declared that they would kill
him if he did not cease his struggles. As they started around the
house with him, the mobocrat whom he had kicked came thrusting his
bloody hands into the Prophet's face and shrieked at him with frightful
execrations. Then they seized his throat and choked him until he ceased
to breathe. When he recovered his senses from this inhuman attack he
was nearly a furlong from the house, and there he saw Sidney Rigdon
stretched upon the ground where the mob had dragged him by the heels.
The Prophet thought that his companion was dead.

These fiendish men continued to curse him and to blaspheme the name
of Deity. They told him to ask his God for help, for they would give
him none. They then dragged him nearly another furlong into a meadow
and began calling to each other, continuing, however, to utter threats
and oaths at him. By this time many additions had been made to their
number. One cried out asking if Joseph was not to be killed. A group
gathered at a little distance to hold a council and fix upon the
Prophet's fate; while several of their number held him suspended in
the air lest his person should touch the ground and thereby give him
an opportunity to get a spring and wrench himself loose. After the
council was concluded, the leading mobocrats declared that they would
not kill him but would strip him naked and whip and tear his flesh. One
cried out for a tar bucket, and when it was brought another exclaimed
with a wicked oath, "Let us tar up his mouth!" They thrust a reeking
tar paddle into his face and attempted to force it down his throat,
but he kept his teeth tightly clenched. Then they tried to force a
phial containing aquafortis into his mouth, but it broke between his
lips. Not content with inflicting all this violence upon the Prophet's
helpless form, one of the inhuman wretches, as though he was a devil
incarnate, fell upon him and began to tear like a wildcat, at the same
time screaming with a curse, "That's the way the Holy Ghost falls on
folks!"

While the mob were bruising him they mentioned two names that were
familiar to him, "Simonds" and "Eli."

After they left Joseph, he attempted to rise, but fell back again from
pain and exhaustion. He succeeded, however, in tearing the tar away
from his face so that he could breathe freely, and shortly afterward
he began to recover. Arising, he made his way toward a light and found
that it was from the house of Father Johnson where he lived. Emma saw
his bruised form covered with tar, and thinking him to be fatally
mangled she screamed and fainted.

Securing some covering for his person, the Prophet entered the house,
and spent the night in cleansing his body and dressing his wounds.

Before making the assault upon Joseph, the mob had locked Father
Johnson in his room. He had called for his wife to bring his gun,
saying that he would blow a hole through the door, and at this the mob
fled. As soon as he could force an egress, Father Johnson rushed from
the house, seizing a club as he ran. He overtook the party which had
captured Sidney Rigdon, and knocked one man down, and was about to
smite another to the earth, when the mob deserted their first victim
to attack the heroic old man. This diversion saved Sidney only for a
brief time. The mob soon returned to him and inflicted serious pain and
indignity upon him. They dragged him by his heels and left his head to
strike upon the rough and frozen ground. By such barbarous treatment
his scalp was lacerated and his body bruised, and he was driven into a
delirium.

The next morning, being the Sabbath, the people assembled at the
usual hour of worship. With them came some of the mobbers, Simonds
Rider, an apostate and Campbellite preacher, leader of the mob; one
McClentic, son of a Campbellite minister; and Pelatiah Allen, Esq., who
had given the mob a barrel of whisky to fill them with the devilish
daring necessary for their crime. Many others of the mob were also in
attendance.

With his flesh all bruised and scarred, Joseph went to the meeting and
stood before the congregation, facing his assailants of the previous
night calmly and manfully. He preached a powerful sermon and on the
same day baptized three believers into the Church.

This mob was chiefly composed of religious men, principally
sanctimonious Campbellites, Methodists and Baptists, besides several
apostates from the Church. They continued to watch the house of Father
Johnson, and even the death of one of the helpless little children,
which occurred on the Friday following from the exposures of the night
of the attack, could not dissuade the demoniac men from their purpose.
Indeed, the death of this poor little infant seemed to act upon them
like a taste of blood upon a tiger. It drove them to a murderous
frenzy. The spirit of mobocracy spread through all that region of
country and was particularly fierce at Kirtland. Sidney Rigdon fled to
the latter city from Hiram, taking his sick family; but after a brief
rest was compelled again to flee and went to Chardon. The Prophet
himself remained in Hiram during another week.



CHAPTER XXI.

DEPARTURE OF THE PROPHET FROM HIRAM FOR THE CONSECRATED LAND IN
MISSOURI--ACCEPTED AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD--RETURNING
FROM ZION, AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO POISON HIM--SAVED UNDER BISHOP
WHITNEY'S ADMINISTRATION.

On the 2nd day of April, 1832, Joseph started from Hiram for Missouri.
He was carried by Elder George Pitkin in the latter's wagon to
Stubenville, whence the Prophet and Sidney, who had joined him in the
meantime, took passage on Wednesday, the 5th of April, 1832, on board a
steamboat for Wheeling, then in the state of Virginia.

After departing from Hiram, Joseph directed his wife to go to Kirtland
and await his return; and this she did, finding help and consolation
with his friends.

From Wheeling he soon resumed his journey towards Zion, and reached
there on the 24th day of April, 1832.

Two days later, in a solemn assemblage of the Church, Joseph was
sustained as President of the High Priesthood. Bishop Edward Partridge
extended the right hand of fellowship and recognition to Joseph in the
office to which he had been elected, and the Saints ratified the deed
in an impressive and unanimous manner.

The Prophet found the Saints in Zion surrounded by people filled with
the spirit of murder and rapine, and he sought with all the vigor
and faith of his soul to unite the people in the bonds of love and
mutual trust and help, that thus they might be enabled to withstand
the assaults of their enemies. It was characteristic of him and of
the revealed work, that he should teach his brethren at this hour,
as always before and always after until the hour of his death, the
potency of union. His purpose was then, as ever, to show the Saints
the strength of a passive defense, coupled with kindness toward all
humanity. Joseph had the personal strength and courage which, when
not controlled by some mighty influence, make a man ambitious to
overcome and punish any cruel foe by the arm of flesh, and yet in all
his sufferings and ministrations he never advised or permitted any
aggression upon the law or any insult to rightful authority.

The Prophet visited the Saints in Kaw Township and was received with
delight. The people there loved him and rejoiced in his presence and in
his teachings.

On the 1st day of May, 1832, the council of the Elders was continued at
Independence, and the order was made that three thousand copies of the
"Book of Commandments" should be printed.

Five days later, Joseph departed from Independence for Kirtland in
company with Sidney Rigdon and Newel K. Whitney. On their return,
Bishop Whitney, while attempting to jump from the coach as the horses
were running away, had his leg and foot broken in several places.
Joseph had succeeded in getting out unhurt, and he took the Bishop to
a public house at Greenville, Indiana, remaining with him there while
Sidney went forward to Kirtland. Four weeks elapsed and still Newel was
unable to proceed. Several times during that period, when the Prophet
walked out into the adjoining woods he saw newly made graves; and one
day at dinner he was seized with a spasm caused by poison which had
been administered to him in his food with murderous intent. He rushed
to the door and quantities of blood and poisonous matter gushed from
his mouth. The muscular contortion induced by the agony was so great
that his jaw was dislocated. When the convulsion had partially passed,
he wrenched his jaw back to its place with his own hands, and made his
way to the couch of Bishop Whitney as speedily as possible. The Bishop
administered to him, and he was healed instantly, although the poison
had been so quick and strong in its effect as to loosen the hair upon
his head.

The Prophet felt that they must flee from this spot at once, and asked
his helpless brother to promise that he would be ready to start for
Kirtland the next morning. Joseph declared to Bishop Whitney that if he
would agree to this plan a wagon should be in waiting the next morning
to transport them to the river bank, where they should find a ferry
boat to take them quickly across. On the other side they should meet
a carriage ready to convey them directly to the boat landing. Here a
steamer should be ready to start, and at ten o'clock in the morning
they should be steaming up the river. When the Prophet was led to make
this prediction no arrangements had been made, neither were there any
afterwards made by him to carry out this programme of travel. But
animated by faith, Bishop Whitney gave his promise, and Joseph remained
with him all night. Early the next morning they departed, and at ten
o'clock, after having found the way opened, exactly as the Prophet was
led to promise, they were sailing up the river, with the Bishop's limb
sound enough to bear the journey without pain.

It was June, 1832, when they arrived at Kirtland, where Joseph found
his wife awaiting him.



CHAPTER XXII.

BRIGHAM YOUNG RECEIVES THE GOSPEL--HIS MEMORABLE MEETING WITH THE
PROPHET--HIS CONSTANT DEVOTION--"THAT MAN WILL YET PRESIDE OVER
THE CHURCH"--A REVELATION ON PRIESTHOOD--JOSEPH VISITS THE EASTERN
STATES--HIS NUMEROUS LABORS--PROPHECY CONCERNING THE CIVIL WAR--ITS
SUBSEQUENT FULFILLMENT.

While the Prophet was on his way to Missouri in the month of April,
1832, an event occurred afar off in Mendon, Monroe County, New York,
which was the forerunner of mighty help to Joseph and strength to the
Church. It was the baptism of Brigham Young on the 14th day of April,
1832, by Elder Eleazer Miller. This destined successor of the Prophet
had heard and accepted the truth. His sincerity and force of character
were visible at his conversion, and after his confirmation at the
water's edge as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, he was ordained
on the same day to the Melchisedec Priesthood.

In the month of June when Joseph returned to Kirtland from Missouri he
met and gave the hand of fellowship to Brigham Young, who had journeyed
to Kirtland to hear the voice of the Prophet of God. A most memorable
meeting was this of these two men whose names and fame were to become
so indissolubly united! Of all the men of their generation they were
to be the most loved and hated, their words and deeds were to be
heralded to every corner of the earth, and, beyond those of all their
contemporaries, were to make the deepest impress upon the world. If
the fact be not fully recognized and acknowledged to-day, the hour is
not far distant when it will be, that JOSEPH SMITH and BRIGHAM YOUNG
were the two greatest men of their time. Providence had assigned each
his labor, and each faithfully performed the allotted task. Joseph,
under the direction of the Almighty, marked out the design and laid
the foundation deep and strong; and Brigham, inspired from the same
source, builded upon it carefully and judiciously. The labor of one was
designed to be the fitting complement to the other.

At this first visit the Prophet Joseph heard, for the first time, the
gift of speaking in tongues. Brigham had received this gift, and at
a meeting in the evening the Spirit rested upon him and he spoke in
tongues. The Prophet received the gift of interpretation, and he said
it was the language spoken by our Father Adam. The Spirit also rested
upon him and he spoke in tongues. After this, the gifts of speaking in
tongues and interpreting tongues were received and enjoyed by many of
the Saints at Kirtland and elsewhere.

From that day Joseph and Brigham were friends, attached to each other
by a tie stronger and closer than that of earthly kinship. From
that time on for twelve years Brigham gave earnest help to Joseph
and demonstrated by his consideration and devotion that he knew the
authority under which the younger man was acting. There was a time
to come when Oliver Cowdery--the fellow apostle of Joseph, who, with
him, had received the Aaronic Priesthood under the hands of John the
Baptist, and the Melchisedec Priesthood under the hands of the apostles
Peter, James and John, heavenly messengers sent expressly to confer
these two Priesthoods upon them--would waver in his fidelity to the
truth and would oppose Joseph and leave the Church. Not many years from
the time of which we write Sidney Rigdon, the trusted counselor, the
eloquent spokesman of the Prophet, who with him had beheld in vision
the glories of the eternal world and borne solemn testimony that he had
seen the Savior and knew that He lived, would turn his back upon and be
ready to desert Joseph and to conspire against the Church. But not so
with Brigham Young; but not so with the Prophet's brother Hyrum, and
many others less eminent than these two. Hyrum Smith was the embodiment
of unswerving fidelity and fraternal love. Ever by his brother's
side to aid and comfort him, life had no charms for him when danger
threatened the Lord's anointed. He had a mother to whom he always
rendered dutiful and loving obedience; he had a wife and children upon
whom he lavished a wealth of affection; he had brothers and sisters to
whom he was kind, considerate and helpful; but for his brother Joseph
he had a love which over-mastered all these affections; it surpassed
the love of woman. When death stood in the pathway and menaced with its
fearful terrors Joseph and those who stood by him, the Prophet besought
Hyrum to stand aside and not accompany him. But, however obedient he
might be to the slightest wish of his brother in other directions, upon
this point he was immovable. If Joseph died, they would die together.
As in his life, so in his death, Hyrum Smith exhibited the perfection
of human love.

With similar fidelity and unshaken integrity Brigham Young, from the
time of this meeting in Kirtland, cordially sustained the Prophet
Joseph in all his ministrations up to the day of his martyrdom. Many
times during the ensuing twelve years, and especially during the
great defection and apostasy at Kirtland, he had occasion, because
of his devotion to Joseph, to exhibit the decision of character and
moral courage for which he was so distinguished in after life. When
hesitation and doubt were far too common, and many leading men faltered
and fell away, Brigham stood in the midst of the storm of opposition
like a tower of strength. The remark which he made concerning some
of his brother apostles at Nauvoo, after the death of the Prophet
Joseph, when he said "their hands had never trembled and their knees
had never shook in maintaining and defending the principles of
righteousness" applied with peculiar significance to himself and his
own past connection with the work of God. But it was not in Joseph's
lifetime alone that Brigham manifested his admiration for and devotion
to his great friend. During the long period--thirty-three years--which
he outlived the Prophet (when a common man under his circumstances
might have been tempted to criticise the acts or peculiarities of his
predecessor, or to contrast his own management of affairs with that
of Joseph's) no one ever heard a word drop from his lips that was
not worthy of the two men. His own success and great and world-wide
prominence never diminished nor obscured the deep-rooted love and
loyalty he felt towards the man whom God had chosen to hold the keys of
this last dispensation and to be his file-leader in the Priesthood.

It appears that the Prophet must have had something shown to him on
this occasion concerning the future of Brigham Young; for Heber C.
Kimball and Joseph Young, who both accompanied Brigham to Kirtland,
each testified in his lifetime that the Prophet Joseph said to those
who stood around him, "that man," pointing to Brigham Young who was
a little distance off, "will yet preside over this Church." Levi W.
Hancock, also, frequently testified that he heard the Prophet make this
same statement concerning Brigham.

In July Joseph was gratified to receive the first number of _The
Evening and Morning Star_ from Independence. Light was already
beginning to radiate from the land of Zion.

A few weeks later Elders began to come in from their missionary labors
in the Eastern States. Their reports were interesting, as from them
could be gathered the nature of the difficulties to be contended with
in bringing the people to a knowledge of the truth. The importance of
this missionary work was apparent. The message which the Lord had given
to His servants had to be declared to all people. The Prophet sought
for definite instructions concerning this labor. On the 22nd and 23rd
of September, 1832, he received the word of the Lord defining some of
the powers of the Priesthood and giving consolation and strength to
such as should be called to go forth in the ministry.

    Let no man among you * * * from this hour take purse or scrip that
    goeth forth to proclaim this gospel of the kingdom. * * *

    And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before
    your face: I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my
    Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you to
    bear you up. * * *

    Search diligently and spare not; and woe unto that house, or
    that village or city that rejecteth you, or your words, or your
    testimony concerning me.

    For I the Almighty have laid my hands upon the nations, to scourge
    them for their wickedness:

    And plagues shall go forth, and they shall not be taken from the
    earth until I have completed my work, which shall be cut short in
    righteousness,

    Until all shall know me, who remain, even from the least unto the
    greatest, and shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and
    shall see eye to eye, and shall lift up their voice, and with the
    voice together sing this new song, saying--

    The Lord hath brought again Zion,
    The Lord hath redeemed his people,
    Israel, According to the election of grace,
    Which was brought to pass by the faith
    And covenant of their fathers.

    The Lord hath redeemed his people,
    And Satan is bound and time is no longer;
    The Lord hath gathered all things in one;
    The Lord hath brought down Zion from above.
    The Lord hath brought up Zion from beneath.

    The earth hath travailed and brought forth her strength;
    And truth is established in her bowels;
    And the heavens have smiled upon her;
    And she is clothed with the glory of her God;
    For he stands in the midst of his people;
    Glory, and honor, and power, and might,
    Be ascribed to our God; for he is full of mercy,
    Justice, grace and truth, and peace,
    For ever and ever, Amen.

    * * * * * *

    Go ye forth * * reproving the world in righteousness of all
    their unrighteous and ungodly deeds, setting forth clearly and
    understandingly the desolation of abomination in the last days;

    For, with you, saith the Lord Almighty, I will rend their kingdoms;
    I will not only shake the earth, but the starry heavens shall
    tremble;

    For I, the Lord, have put forth my hand to exert the powers of
    heaven; ye cannot see it now, yet a little while and ye shall see
    it, and know that I am, and that I will come and reign with my
    people.

Early in the month of October the Prophet departed with Bishop Whitney
for the Eastern States, and made hurried visits to the cities of
Albany, New York and Boston, returning to Kirtland on the sixth day of
November, 1832. Three days previous to the latter date, on November
3rd, a son was born to him, whom he named Joseph.

To one not divinely sustained the burden of work now laid upon Joseph
would have been oppressive. The little time he could snatch from
the labors of the ministry was devoted to diligent labor upon the
translation of the Bible; and in addition he was planning for the
further progress of proselyting work and for the upbuilding of Zion, in
Missouri. Upon this latter subject he bestowed much anxious thought.
He communicated with the Elders there by letter, and gave them careful
instruction concerning the distribution of inheritances to the Saints
and the general management of affairs in that land.

On the 25th day of December, 1832, the following revelation and
prophecy were given to Joseph, at Kirtland, Ohio:

    Verily, thus saith the Lord, concerning the wars that will shortly
    come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which
    will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls.

    The days will come that war will be poured upon all nations,
    beginning at that place;

    For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the
    Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other
    nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and
    they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend
    themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out
    upon all nations.

    And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up
    against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for
    war;

    And it shall come to pass also, that the remnants who are left of
    the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceeding angry,
    and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation;

    And thus, with the sword, and by bloodshed, the inhabitants of the
    earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquakes,
    and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also,
    shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and
    indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the
    consumption decreed hath made a full end of all the nations; * * *

    Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day
    of the Lord come; for behold it cometh quickly, saith the Lord.
    Amen.

This revelation was made known at that time to the Saints and was a
subject of constant remark in the Church; in 1851 it was published to
the world and obtained a somewhat wide circulation. Nearly twenty-nine
years after its date, its wondrous fulfillment began when the first
gun was fired at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Since that time wars and
rumors of wars have prevailed throughout the world. Peace has fled, and
in view of all the Lord has said, it is not too much to expect it has
fled no more to return till the reign of righteousness shall begin.

It is strange that the solemn warning uttered by Joseph in 1832 should
have gone unheeded. His prophecy was not without its purpose. The Lord
inspired his mind with visions of the future and with power to view the
paths by which the nation might escape the impending disasters, but
like other parts of His message of salvation to the human race this
warning also was rejected.



CHAPTER XXIII.

ORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS--THE TRANSLATION OF THE
SCRIPTURES--THE WORD OF WISDOM REVEALED--JOSEPH SELECTS COUNSELORS--
THE SAVIOR AND ANGELS APPEAR AFTER THE ORDINATION--LANDS PURCHASED IN
AND AROUND KIRTLAND.

The warnings, of which he had been the chosen proclaimer to the world,
imbued the Prophet with a sense of mankind's physical danger, as he had
formerly been made to understand their spiritual jeopardy; and we find
from all his writings and utterances of this period that he repeated
often and in various ways the message of alarm.

It was a busy winter of 1832-3 for Joseph. He organized a school of
the Prophets, wherein such of the members of the Church as held the
Melchisedek Priesthood and were worthy were permitted to assemble and
receive instruction day by day in the things of God. He continued
his translation of the scriptures; he directed letters to the
Saints in Zion, exhorting them to repentance, to faithfulness and
purification, admonishing them of the punishment in store for workers
of unrighteousness; and he sat in many conferences in which the gifts
of the gospel were made manifest in recognition and blessing of the
humility of the people.

On the 22nd day of January, 1833, there were many manifestations of the
Holy Spirit at a conference at Kirtland. The Prophet and many of his
brethren of the higher Priesthood, together with several other members,
both men and women, spoke in tongues. The restoration of this gift to
man gave great joy to those who received it; but the gift of speaking
in tongues was esteemed by the saints of that early day as a reward
to patient trust and meekness and not as a necessary sign or proof of
truth.

On the second day of February, 1833, the Prophet completed, for
the time being, his inspired translation of the New Testament. No
endeavor was made at that time to print the work. It was sealed up
with the expectation that it would be brought forth at a later day
with other of the scriptures. Joseph did not live to give to the world
an authoritative publication of these translations. [1] But the labor
was its own reward, bringing in the performance a special blessing
of broadened comprehension to the Prophet and a general blessing of
enlightenment to the people through his subsequent teachings.

The Lord revealed His purpose in this matter when He said to Joseph at
a later time:

    And, verily I say unto you, that it is my will that you should
    hasten to translate my scriptures, and to obtain a knowledge of
    history, and of countries, and of kingdoms, of laws of God and man,
    and all this for the salvation of Zion. [2]

On the 27th day of February, 1833, the Prophet received the revelation
known as the Word of Wisdom, warning the people to abstain from
impurities and grossness in their food and drink, and promising them
rich blessings of physical strength and protection from the power
of the adversary as a reward for their obedience. The requirement
of bodily pureness, to be gained by clean and wholesome living, was
not more directly made upon the children of Israel anciently than
upon the Latter-day Saints through the Prophet Joseph. This revealed
Word of Wisdom embodies the most advanced principles of science in
the condemnation of unclean or gluttonous appetites; and if it were
implicitly obeyed by the human family, it would be a power to aid
in a physical redemption for the race. Its delivery to Joseph marks
another step in the divine plan for man's eventual elevation to divine
acceptability--a plan which had already proved itself of heavenly
origin by its sublime character.

And now we are brought to the time when the Lord designed that the
authority and power of the presidency of the Church should be shared
by others and should be conferred upon them by Joseph. An intimation
concerning the First Presidency of the Church was given in a revelation
which the Prophet received in March, 1832, in which Frederick G.
Williams was called of the Lord to be a counselor to Joseph. In
previous revelations, also, mention was made by the Lord of the First
Presidency of the Church, and some of the duties which belonged to that
body. But it was not until the 8th day of March, 1833, that the Lord
revealed His further will concerning this organization. At that time
two men were designated to be associates of the Prophet--to be his
counselors and members with him of the First Presidency of the Church.
They were Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, and on the 18th day
of March, 1833, in the school of the Prophets, at Kirtland, obedient
to the revealed word, Joseph ordained these men to this office, to
take part with him in bearing the burden of the Kingdom of God, and to
assist in the presidency of the High Priesthood. In this way was the
first presiding quorum formed to administer in the Church; and it was
not dissolved during the Prophet's life. But when the frightful deed at
Carthage took place in after years, the Lord had provided an authority,
equal in power to the complete first quorum, to hold the gifts and to
carry the responsibility of the work.

Joseph's glad submission to the will of the Lord respecting the
distribution of authority is sufficient proof of his unselfishness.
And the conception of this plan for the guidance of the Church proves
that the system had its origin beyond and above the petty ambitions of
humanity.

Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, with the successors of the
latter as counselors, ever received proper consideration from Joseph;
and though often they were a thorn in the flesh, because of their own
ambitions or misdoings, he bore with them patiently, knowing that they
were the chosen of the Lord, and forgave their failings as willingly
and as humbly as he besought forgiveness of his own frailties. The
Prophet was never more watchful of his own ordained prerogatives than
of the power similarly conferred upon his brethren. He showed by his
example to the Saints then and for all time how a man could defer to
proper authority without cringing to his fellow man.

The full beauty of the organization and the means by which the
authority of the Priesthood would be perpetuated in the Church was not
made fully known at that time. It came later, notably when the quorum
of Apostles was organized. But this creation of the First Presidency
was of great moment in demonstrating the exalted nature of his calling,
and the Lord blessed it in the eyes of the assembled Priesthood. On
the occasion when the ordination was solemnized, the sacrament was
administered by the Prophet under the promise that the pure in heart
should see a heavenly vision; and after the bread and wine had been
partaken of in prayer and humility, the Savior appeared before their
eyes, accompanied by concourses of holy angels. It was thus that the
faithful were comforted in their meekness and blessed in their devotion.

While looking forward to the building of Zion in Missouri, it was
still deemed necessary for the Saints to have a resting place for
some time to come in Kirtland. And very soon after the ordination
of Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, a council of the
Priesthood was called, by which it was decided to purchase lands in
and around Kirtland for the use of the Saints upon which they were
to be established. This plan was not vacillation, however it might
have seemed at that time to an unbeliever. Nor was it without its
accomplishments and great benefits. Hopeful as Joseph and the Saints
were to perform the work of establishing the center stake in Jackson
County, and earnest as they were in their endeavor, the administration
of ordinances, the endowment of the worthy Saints, and the ministration
of heavenly beings, which afterwards took place in the temple at
Kirtland, would necessarily have been delayed if the sole effort had
been to erect a temple in Missouri; because the hatred against the
truth soon became so violent there that the fulfillment of this purpose
was, for the time, impossible.

But while Kirtland was being strengthened and plans were being made
to beautify the city and to enrich it for the benefit of the Saints,
Zion in Missouri was also coming under the good influence. Joseph was
gratified to learn that every dissension among the elders and members
in Jackson County had ceased and that all was peace within that branch
of the Church. There had been no serious difficulties, but so far
removed from his direct guidance, some of the traveling Elders had
exalted their own authority to conflict with that exercised by the
resident presidency in Zion and misunderstandings ensued. This had all
been corrected after Joseph had sent an epistle to the Saints in that
region, and with the opening of April, 1833, there was much joy and
hope at Kirtland, and much union and love in Jackson County.

Later in the spring and in the early summer of 1833, revelations were
received concerning the erection of a temple at Kirtland, and with this
and attendant work the Prophet was constantly engaged.

Footnotes

1. We have heard President Brigham Young state that the Prophet before
his death had spoken to him about going through the translation of the
scriptures again and perfecting it upon points of doctrine which the
Lord had restrained him from giving in plainness and fullness at the
time of which we write.

2. Doctrine and Covenants, Section xciii, verse 54.



CHAPTER XXIV.

THREATS OF A MOB OF THREE HUNDRED AT INDEPENDENCE--PURITY REQUIRED
OF CHURCH MEMBERS--EXCOMMUNICATION OF DR. P. HURLBURT--HIS THREATS
AGAINST THE PROPHET--PIXLEY JOINS THE MOB--HIS MALICIOUS FALSEHOODS--
MEETING OF A BASE ELEMENT--WICKED DETERMINATIONS--DESTRUCTION OF THE
SAINTS' PRINTING ESTABLISHMENT--W. W. PHELPS DRIVEN FROM HOME--BISHOP
PARTRIDGE AND ELDER ALLEN TARRED AND FEATHERED--"YOU MUST LEAVE THE
COUNTRY"--ANOTHER MEETING OF THE ENEMY--THE SAINTS AGREE TO LEAVE
JACKSON COUNTY.

Eighteen hundred years after the crucifixion of our Savior, His Church
in this last dispensation celebrated the third anniversary of its
establishment. The ceremonies took place on the 6th day of April, 1833,
on the banks of the Big Blue River in the western part of Jackson
County, Missouri. Few as were the Saints then gathered in the land
Zion, the event was impressive in its solemn recall of the past, and
sublime in its exalted promise for the future of Christ's people.
Joseph himself was not there; but eighty men who had received the
Priesthood and also many other members of the Church were present to
enjoy this reawakening in modern times of the power of the Son of God.

This was not to be the only reawakening. The spirit of insensate
murder which Jesus had encountered and which had culminated on Calvary
was aroused in all its intensity against these His humble and chosen
followers in the latter days. In the same month which witnessed the
glorious reunion of the Saints, a mob, consisting of three hundred
men, congregated at Independence and swore with much blasphemy to
drive the people of God from their homes in that region and to destroy
that branch of the Church. News of these dreadful threats was brought
to the leading Elders at Independence; and in solemn assemblage they
prayed that God would stay the hand of the wicked. The supplication
was granted for a time; and the drunken rabble became filled with
mutual hatred and distrust, so that they scattered from the meeting and
carousing place, mingling with their maledictions against the Saints
much vile language and many execrations concerning each other.

When the Prophet learned of these manifestations in Jackson County,
he was filled with much concern for his brethren; but his duty as
commanded by the Lord required for a time his presence at Kirtland and
in the East. And at Kirtland, despite the poverty of the people and the
menace made by a wicked world against them, preparations were made to
build the house unto the Lord as required in the revelations.

The spirit of persecution which raged was doubtless permitted, if for
no other reason than that it had the effect to purify the Church, and
the members were also admonished thereby to sweep all unworthiness
from their midst and to exclude from Church membership all wilful and
persistent wrong-doers. Few and poor as were the Saints, it was the
rule that no man, whatever his attainments or wealth, should retain his
fellowship if his conduct proved that his soul was vile. It was not and
is not now the practice of the Latter-day Saints to cover the sins of
their members from the gaze of an unbelieving world, and to harbor the
wrong-doer rather than to subject the entire body to the reproach of
scoffers. With charity such as Christ commanded for all the frailties
of a humanity struggling toward goodness, the Church has ever been an
uncompromising punisher of wilful wickedness. In June, 1833, one Doctor
P. Hurlburt was tried by the council of High Priests upon a charge of
impure conduct with women while acting as a missionary in the East;
and although he contested the case, as he desired for his own selfish
purposes to continue for a time in relation with the Church, his guilt
was fully established, he was cut off and the world was warned against
him as an insidious enemy of female chastity. This man Hurlburt, being
filled with hatred by the exposure of his true nature, showed himself
a vindictive enemy of the Prophet and the Church, and in later times
his name became associated with the notorious Spaulding story, and with
threats and attempts upon Joseph's life.

It was by such men, dishonorable apostates, suborned and aided by a
jealous clergy, that the early falsehoods were propagated and the
early persecutions were incited against the Church which would not
condone their impurities. And it is the wicked untruth, started in
that age and added to by the same class of men in later times, which
is circulated to-day and which deceives the world concerning a people
whose sole desire is to live in purity and in peace with all mankind.
It was then, as it is now, noted that, in many instances, the charges
against Latter-day Saints have varied according to the varied character
of their originators. Men whose profession is divining for money,
whose trade is deceiving human souls to gratify their own avarice,
joined in the cry that Joseph Smith and his fellow Apostles were
selfish seekers after the things of this world. Men whose souls felt no
repugnance to the butchery of defenseless men, pure women and innocent
little children originated the awful lie that murder was practiced and
condoned by this Church. Impure wretches, looking with lustful eyes
upon females, originated the untruth that woman was degraded and her
virtue held in light esteem by the Latter-day Saints; and among the
most prominent persecutors and prosecutors of this people have been
lechers. Dishonest and disreputable men circulated the absurd falsehood
that Joseph Smith and his followers sought to despoil others of their
possessions instead of acquiring homes by the labors of their own
hands. It is one of the most peculiar experiences of the Saints that in
most instances the charge brought against them has been one of which
the originator would himself be glad to be guilty.

So it was at Independence in the summer of 1833.

The first effort of the mob failed. They lacked a leader sufficiently
base to unite them in their plans for robbery and murder. But in July
of that year a man named Pixley, a paid agent of a sectarian Missionary
Society, was dwelling in that region under the pretense of helping the
Indians to the light of Christianity. He defamed the Saints to their
fellow citizens of Missouri and sent malicious lies to the eastern
states to stir up the older communities of the nation to a feeling of
dislike. He misrepresented the Saints to the Indians and to the wilder
white men of the border, with the hope to inflame these ungoverned
and lawless people to attack and destroy the little handful of church
members. The number of the Saints in the center stake of Zion at this
time was twelve hundred. They were law-abiding and industrious. But
they were intent upon the work commanded of the Lord, and they did not
assimilate readily nor join in unworthy pursuits with the surrounding
people, white and red and black. This self-isolation or exclusiveness
constituted their sole offense. It is not surprising that the Saints
should have striven to keep their skirts clean from close contact with
the vicious element abounding there, nor that this same vicious element
should have been easily aroused against a people so singular in their
demeanor, and so unworldly in their lives and aspirations.

Pixley, himself the teacher of a false religion, proclaimed against
Joseph Smith as a false prophet. Pixley, himself the leader of deceived
converts, proclaimed against the Saints as deluded followers. Pixley,
himself a dishonest creature, proclaimed that the purpose of the
Saints was to steal the possessions of other settlers, to steal their
negroes, or to incite them to run away. The Latter-day Saints were
men from the eastern states--Yankees--and consequently open to the
suspicion of being Abolitionists. In upper Missouri in those days
no charge could be made that would arouse more intense hatred and
violence than that of being an Abolitionist. The mere whisper of such
a suspicion was sufficient to inflame anger and arouse a mob. By such
cries, Pixley and others of his kind induced every dissolute idler in
that region to join in an onslaught for plunder. They all hoped to
safely annihilate the Church and to seize the lands of the Saints under
cover of a Pharisaical cry, "False prophets, deluded followers, idle
vagabonds, land thieves!" With this man Pixley were united professed
ministers of the gospel, officers of the law, politicians and many
individuals of less personal importance if not less vindictiveness.
They succeeded in so exciting the public mind that a mass meeting to
devise some unlawful plan against the Saints was held at Independence,
on the 20th day of July, 1833, at which a great horde of five hundred
persons were in attendance. Not only were the scum of that wild region
gathered, but men holding high official positions were also present,
for individuals with political aspirations are often ready to join the
lowest and most depraved in any popular movement. Amazing as it may
seem, Lieutenant-Governor Lilburn W. Boggs, the second officer of the
State of Missouri, was personally cognizant of the proceedings and
aided every movement against the Saints.

Colonel Richard Simpson was chairman of the meeting, and James H.
Flournoy and Colonel Samuel D. Lucas were secretaries. A committee
appointed for the purpose prepared and presented a manifesto, which
was adopted by the meeting. It denounced the Saints for their poverty
and for their peculiar religious belief, but it did not dare to
charge a single specific violation of law against them. It closed
with the declaration that no Latter-day Saint should in future be
permitted to settle in Jackson County; that such as then resided there
should remove; that the _Evening and Morning Star_ should no longer
be published, and the business of printing by the Saints should be
discontinued in that county; and "that those who failed to comply with
this requisition are to refer to those of their brethren who have the
gift of divination and of unknown tongues to inform them of the lot
that awaits them."

Not a single voice was recorded against the adoption of this infamous
edict. It was unanimously accepted; and immediately a committee of
thirteen persons was appointed to see that the decree was enforced. The
space of two hours was allowed by the meeting for the delivery of the
terms of this manifesto to the presiding officers of the Church, for
their answer to this demand, and for the return of the committee to the
meeting. Scant time, indeed, for the expatriation of twelve hundred
law-abiding men, women and children! The Saints asked for delay for a
pitiful ten days, in which to consider the awful decree. The answer
was, "Fifteen minutes are enough."

The mob were terribly, murderously earnest. When the committee returned
to the re-convened meeting after a lapse of that brief two hours, they
reported that the leaders of the Saints and the editor of the paper
had asked time for consultation, not only among themselves but with
their fellow believers and the Presidency of the Church in Ohio. A
yell of hate greeted this announcement, and the meeting instantly and
unanimously resolved to wreak instant vengeance upon the Saints and the
paper. Headed by a red flag to signify their bloody purpose and their
defiance of law, they rushed upon their prey. The house of William W.
Phelps, the editor, containing the printing establishment, was razed
to the ground. His press and type and other materials were seized and
carried away by the mob. The papers and books were destroyed, and the
family and furniture of the editor were cast off the premises. An
infant child of Elder Phelps was dangerously ill in his wife's arms,
but mother and babe were thrust out as brutally as the rest. An attack
was made upon the store for the purpose of plundering it, but the
mob was induced to forego their purpose to engage in more sanguinary
delights. Bishop Edward Partridge and Charles Allen were stripped and
tarred and feathered, because they would not deny the truth nor agree
to leave the county at once. With the tar was mixed some powerful acid
which burned their flesh frightfully. Several of the brethren were
threatened with whipping and even worse. But it was growing dark and
the mob concluded that enough had been done for one time; so the mass
meeting, which this inhuman rabble was called, adjourned for three days
until the 23rd of July, 1833. And Lilburn W. Boggs addressed some of
the Saints saying, "You now know what our Jackson boys can do, and you
must leave the country."

Even a greater number of people assembled on the 23rd of July, as
agreed, to renew the persecution of the poor Saints. A new committee
was appointed to consult again with the presiding officers of the
Church; and, not being entirely dead to humanity, this committee agreed
to give the Saints time--one half until the 1st day of January, 1834,
and the remainder until the 1st day of April, of the same year, in
which to remove themselves from Jackson County. Further, it was settled
that the _Star_ was not to be again published nor a press set up by any
Latter-day Saint in the county, and that any members of the Church then
journeying toward Jackson County should be stopped on the road and only
permitted to have a temporary shelter until such time as all the Saints
could remove from Jackson County to some new gathering place. A solemn
pledge was given by the Committee that, meanwhile, the people should
not be again assailed. The mass meeting, upon receiving this report,
ratified it in a formal manner. Concluding that their great mission--to
which they had devoted "their bodily powers, their lives, fortunes and
sacred honors"--had been accomplished the rabble adjourned _sine die_.
 [1]

Oliver Cowdery was at once dispatched to Kirtland with full
information. When the Prophet Joseph heard of this wanton attack upon
the Church and the sad situation of the people at Independence, he
wrote, "Man may torment the body; but God in return will punish the
soul."

Footnotes

1. See NOTE 3., APPENDIX.



CHAPTER XXV.

THE CORNER STONE OF THE KIRTLAND TEMPLE LAID--A PRINTING ESTABLISHMENT
OPENED--THE PROPHET'S MISSION TO CANADA--A MINISTER'S OPPOSITION--
BAPTISMS--PERSECUTIONS AT KIRTLAND--WILFORD WOODRUFF RECEIVES THE
GOSPEL.

No work of murderous mobs or judicial persecution has ever been able to
stay the cause inaugurated under divine direction through Joseph Smith.
At the very hour when the mob, on the 23rd day of July, 1833, were
issuing their mandate of exile to the Saints in Jackson County, the
cornerstone of the Lord's house in Kirtland was being laid according to
the order of the Holy Priesthood of Christ. It was not that the purpose
had shifted, that the center stake was to be removed from Missouri to
Ohio. The command had been given; it will not be annulled. But long
before manifestation of mob violence in Jackson County, the Lord had
directed the building of a temple at Kirtland and the establishment of
a stake of Zion there.

And while the future, to human appearance, seemed to be growing darker
and darker, Joseph received a revelation in which the Lord declared
His immutable covenant that the Saints should be rewarded and blessed
according to His promise, and that their afflictions should eventually
be turned to their everlasting good. And, while the wickedness of the
mobs in Missouri was still agitating the hearts of Joseph and the
Saints and making the weak among the people to tremble and the strong
to feel deep indignation, the Lord commanded His Saints to renounce war
and proclaim peace and to bear afflictions patiently, until the third
time of their being smitten by the wicked. He promised them that whoso
should lay down their life in the cause of Christ should find it again,
even life eternal.

On the 11th day of September, 1833, a council under the presidency
of the Prophet was held in Kirtland, and it was decided that a
printing establishment should be opened there for the publication of
the persecuted _Evening and Morning Star_ and for a new paper to be
called the _Latter-day Saints' Messenger and Advocate_. About the same
time Elders Orson Hyde and John Gould were sent to Jackson County as
messengers from the First Presidency to the Missouri Saints in their
tribulation.

The Prophet felt that the field of souls was white for the harvest and
that it was incumbent upon him to thrust in his sickle and gather the
honest-in-heart. On the 5th day of October, 1833, he departed from
Kirtland upon a missionary journey to Canada, in company with Sidney
Rigdon and Freeman A. Nickerson. At various places on the road, they
stopped and proclaimed the word of the Lord unto the inhabitants. In
some villages they found already members of the Church. In others they
found God-fearing men and women who were praying for light and were
willing to obey when the simple gospel was presented before the eyes
of their understanding. On the 12th day of October they had arrived at
Perrysburg, New York, where they halted for a little time. Here the
Prophet received a revelation in which the Lord instructed him that
Zion must be chastened yet for a season, although she would finally
be redeemed. When they reached Lodi, New York, they preached in the
evening and made a further appointment for the day following at a
Presbyterian meeting house, the use of which had been promised to them.
But when many people had assembled outside the hall to hear Joseph,
they were refused admission by the jealous sectarians in charge, and
the indignant congregation went home in great confusion. On the 17th
day of October the Prophet and his companions reached the home of
Freeman A. Nickerson at Mount Pleasant in Upper Canada; and at this
place and the adjoining town of Brantford and the villages of Colburn
and Waterford they held several meetings which were blessed by a great
outflow of the Spirit of God and by the presence of many honest-hearted
people. Upon one occasion at Colburn they were beset very tumultuously
at one of their meetings by a Wesleyan Methodist, who was determined
that the assembled people should not hear the gospel. But his own
lack of logic and courtesy injured himself rather than the persons
against whom his violent efforts were directed. On the 26th day of
October, after preaching to a large congregation at Mount Pleasant,
Joseph baptized twelve persons, and on each of the two following days
he baptized two persons, all of whom were confirmed as members of the
Church. The Prophet also ordained E. F. Nickerson to be an Elder; and
he gave much instruction to the newly-converted Saints concerning
the truth and the constant necessity for watchfulness and humility.
This labor made a considerable opening in this region for the further
preaching of the truth. It was not, however the first proclamation of
the gospel in Canada, because as early as July 20th of the same year,
1833, Elder Orson Pratt had preached to the people in Patten.

On the 29th day of October the Prophet and his companions departed from
Mount Pleasant for Kirtland; and on Monday, the 4th day of November,
the Prophet reached his home and found his family in peace, as had been
promised in the revelation given to him at Perrysburg.

The inhabitants of Geauga County, Ohio, in which Kirtland was situated,
began now to partake of a persecuting and mobocratic spirit, and
threatened the Saints resident there with similar afflictions to those
which had been visited upon their brethren in Missouri. The Prophet
knew of the hate that was hanging around him, but he calmly viewed the
situation, and in writing to Bishop Partridge at Clay County, Missouri,
under date of December 5th, 1833, he said:

    The inhabitants of this county threaten our destruction, and we
    know not how soon they may be permitted to follow the examples of
    the Missourians; but our trust is in God, and we are determined, by
    His grace assisting us, to maintain the cause and hold out faithful
    unto the end, that we may be crowned with crowns of celestial
    glory, and enter into the rest that is prepared for the children of
    God.

On the 16th day of December, 1833, the Lord revealed to Joseph the
divine purpose concerning the Saints in Missouri, saying,

    I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them,
    wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their
    transgressions;

    Yet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that day when I
    shall come to make up my jewels.

    Therefore, they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham,
    who was commanded to offer up his only son;

    For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot
    be sanctified.

*    *    *    *    *

    And they that have been scattered shall be gathered;

    And all they who have mourned shall be comforted;

    And all they who have given their lives for my name shall be
    crowned.

    Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all
    flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God.

    Zion shall not be moved out of her place, notwithstanding her
    children are scattered;

    They that remain, and are pure in heart, shall return, and come
    to their inheritances, they and their children, with songs of
    everlasting joy, to build up the waste places of Zion.

And immediately after the revelation was received the Prophet sent
William Pratt and David W. Patten, as messengers to the scattered
Saints of Missouri to give them words of comfort and instruction.

Early in the month of December, 1833, Bishop Newel K. Whitney and
Oliver Cowdery had brought to Kirtland a new printing press, and on the
18th day of the month a printing office in Kirtland was dedicated to
the Lord and His purposes, and Oliver Cowdery began the publication of
the _Evening and Morning Star_, which had been cast out of Missouri. On
the day that Joseph dedicated the printing establishment to the service
of the Lord, his father, Joseph Smith, Senior, was ordained to be the
Patriarch to the whole Church. On that day Joseph wrote:

    And blessed is my father, for the hand of the Lord will be over
    him, for he shall see the afflictions of his children pass away;
    and when his head is fully ripe, he shall behold himself as an
    olive, whose branches are bowed down with much fruit; he shall also
    possess a mansion on high.

In view of all that has since occurred, it is a remarkable fact, that
the Prophet recorded in his journal of the 31st of December, 1833, the
fact that "Wilford Woodruff was baptized at Richland, Oswego County,
New York, by Zera Pulsipher." And this was before the Prophet and
the future Apostle and President had ever met in the flesh. This is
not the only mention of Wilford Woodruff in Joseph's dairy prior to
their meeting. In one place the Prophet notices that Wilford had been
ordained a teacher. It was the 25th day of April, 1834, when Wilford
Woodruff visited the Prophet at Kirtland, and from that time on until
Joseph's death they were intimately associated. It was clear that
Joseph felt the staunch worthiness of his young brother, and in relying
on him the Prophet was leaning upon no weak or broken reed, for Wilford
Woodruff had been and had ever shown the fidelity of a Saint and the
integrity and power of an Apostle of Jesus Christ. He was one of the
most faithful of all the men who were gathered near to the Prophet's
person to share his trials and his confidences. Wilford Woodruff never
made any attempt to cultivate showy qualities, and yet he was always
marked among his fellows; his characteristic humility and unswerving
honesty being sufficient to attract the attention of all who had known
him. His is another of the names to be recorded with that of Joseph,
and it is worthy to stand side by side with the names of Brigham Young
and John Taylor, for he was as loyal to them as he and they were to
Joseph, the first Prophet of this dispensation.



CHAPTER XXVI.

THE JACKSON COUNTY PERSECUTIONS--APPEAL TO GOVERNOR DUNKLIN--HIS TIMID
REPLY--HEARTLESS DRIVINGS--A BRUTAL MURDER--BOGGS ALLOWS THE MOB TO
ORGANIZE AS A MILITIA--PITCHER PLACED IN COMMAND--CERTAIN MEN TAKEN IN
CUSTODY BY THE MOB--SETTLEMENT IN CLAY COUNTY--COURT OF INQUIRY.

    "Be still and know that I am God."

These are the words with which the Almighty answered Joseph when he
importuned Heaven concerning the woes of the Saints in Missouri. And so
he was wont to solace himself and his brethren with the remembrance of
the revealed word that "After much tribulation cometh the blessing."
How many years of the people or days of the Lord must elapse before the
Saints would be planted in power in Zion, the Prophet could not learn;
but this he did know that after her term of affliction and purification
had passed she would be redeemed and beautified, and this is the
promise that he uttered to his brethren in Kirtland and wrote to the
Saints in Missouri.

While Joseph had been traveling in the missionary field, momentous
events took place in the far west. The truce which the mob had made,
the mob had broken. Assaults upon the houses of the Saints were of
constant occurrence. Satan was not satisfied that the people of the
Lord should peacefully migrate with their few possessions into some
other region, and the more turbulent spirits in the rabble began to
threaten the lives of leading men at Independence and to declare that
all of the people--men, women and children,--should be whipped out of
the county. An attempt was made to establish a colony in Van Buren
County, in the south. Some of the Saints settled there and began to
labor diligently in the fields, but the spirit of mobocracy had spread,
and a mob rose in arms, threatening to drive the Saints farther into
exile.

On the 28th day of September, 1883, a petition was addressed to His
Excellency Daniel Dunklin, Governor of the State of Missouri, by
the persecuted people in Jackson County; and it was carried to the
executive office in Jefferson City by Elders Orson Hyde and William W.
Phelps. In this eloquent document a recital was made of the woes to
which the people had been subjected, of the patience with which they
had borne these outrages, of the utter subversion of the principles
of law and humanity, and of the participation in these outrages by
leading men in the state, civil and military officers, politicians and
preachers. The final appeal in this petition was as follows:

    Knowing, as we do, that the threats of this mob, in most cases,
    have been put into execution, and knowing also that every officer,
    civil and military, with a very few exceptions, has pledged his
    life and honor to force us from the county, dead or alive; and
    believing that civil process cannot be served without the aid of
    the Executive; and not wishing to have the blood of our defenseless
    women and children to stain the land which has once been stained by
    the blood of our fathers to purchase our liberty; we appeal to the
    Governor for aid, asking him, by express proclamation or otherwise,
    to raise a sufficient number of troops, who, with us, may be
    empowered to defend our rights, that we may sue for damages in the
    loss of property--for abuse--for defamation, as to ourselves; and
    if advisable, try for treason against the government, that the law
    of the land may not be defied, nor nullified, but peace be restored
    to our country:--And we will ever pray.

Not one word in this petition had been set down in malice; it was
temperate and respectful; and though its utterances were strong, they
were borne out by incorruptible testimony, as well as, mainly, by the
admissions of the mob themselves.

After such an appeal, the Saints were entitled to prompt action and
help. The Governor merely replied that the attorney-general of the
state was absent, and upon his return a response would be prepared and
sent by mail to Independence. The messengers from Zion journeyed back
with empty hands, and awaited, amidst the tide of persecution, which
was rising higher and higher around them, the signal of succor, from
the executive office.

About the 26th of October, 1833, a reply was received from Governor
Dunklin, in which he says:

    No citizen, nor number of citizens, have a right to take the
    redress of their grievances, whether real or imaginary, into their
    own hands. Such conduct strikes at the very existence of society
    and subverts the foundation on which it is based. _Not being
    willing to persuade myself that any portion of the citizens of
    the state of Missouri are so lost to a sense of these truths as
    to require the exercise of force, in order to ensure respect for
    them,_ after advising with the attorney-general, and exercising my
    best judgment, I would advise you to make a trial of the efficacy
    of the laws; the judge of your circuit is a conservator of the
    peace. If an affidavit is made before him by any of you, that your
    lives are threatened and you believe them in danger, it would be
    his duty to have the offenders apprehended, and bind them to keep
    the peace.

Such was the redress offered by the man whose sworn duty it was to see
that the laws were faithfully executed. The lamb was sent back by the
lion to ask protection from the wolf! It has often happened since in
the history of the Saints, as it was then, that the men who should have
been their vigilant protectors against plunderers and murderers, have
been among the thieves and assassins.

But Governor Dunklin's letter contained a promise that, in the event
of a failure to get proper execution of the law in Jackson County,
he would, upon official notification, take further steps to enforce
its faithful observance. Upon this slight hope, the Saints began to
restore their houses to comfort and to labor in the fields for their
maintenance.

The Saints had engaged four lawyers to aid them in obtaining a redress
of their grievances, and as soon as this fact became known, the event
occurred which Governor Dunklin should have foreseen. With tenfold
intensity the fire of hatred raged against the people. On the night of
October 31st an armed mob attacked a settlement of the Saints west of
Big Blue, tore the roofs from many of the dwelling houses, whipped the
men and drove the women and children screaming into the wilderness. The
profanity of the mob was appalling. None of the Saints were armed, and
the resistance which they might have offered with sticks was forbidden
by their captors under penalty of death. Satiated with brutality, the
mob at length retired, leaving orders that the Saints--men, women and
children--should leave the county. The next day was the first of bleak
November; and when the cold morning dawned, the Saints crept out of
their hiding places whither they had fled for safety, and came back
to their despoiled homes to find their habitations and their gardens
in ruins. The women wept for their scourged and bleeding husbands.
Children sobbed with hunger, cold and fear. How were these plundered
people to find means for journeying to a land of safety? And whither
were they to go? Asylum had already been denied them in the adjoining
county: adequate protection had been practically denied to them by the
civil power of the state; and they had no hope that any section of
Missouri would harbor them.

Such scenes of horror were repeated night after night at Independence,
and every dwelling place of the Saints in that county. At Independence,
on the 1st of November, one of the mob was caught in the very act of
robbing the store of Gilbert & Whitney, and was carried before Samuel
Weston, a justice of the peace; but despite the boast of the Governor,
Mr. Weston refused to issue a warrant or to entertain the case, and
the robber was turned loose to join his fellows in a continuation of
murderous work. Other efforts were made to secure the aid of judicial
power to stop the horrible work of the rabble, but in vain. Such of the
officers of the law as were not allied with the mob dared not assert
their authority. And so the work of rapine went on until it ended in
murder.

The 3rd day of November, 1833, was Sunday, and the Saints hoped for a
cessation of hostilities, but none came. Word went out among the mob
that Monday would be a bloody time. On November the 4th, the day of
Joseph's return to Kirtland from his Canada mission, a large party of
the mob fired upon some of the Saints west of Big Blue. Several of the
Saints were wounded, two desperately. These were young men named Barber
and Dibble, who were thought to have been fatally injured; but Philo
Dibble finally recovered, and at the time of this writing is still
living, a respected citizen of Utah Territory. After lingering in great
agony, Barber died the next day. Three times and more the Saints had
permitted their enemies to smite them, and three times and more they
had submitted patiently. They had appealed to civil and military power
in vain, and now the sight of blood thus wantonly shed aroused in them
a strong spirit of resistance. When the mob continued the massacre they
were greeted by shots from such of the Saints as had guns, and two of
the mob fell dead. One of them, Hugh L. Brazeale, had often boasted: "I
will wade to my knees in blood but that I will drive the Mormons from
Jackson County."

The men who had caught the mobber in the act of plundering Gilbert &
Whitney's store were arrested upon a fictitious charge of assault upon
that wretch. Apparently the mob had no difficulty in obtaining process
of court and securing its service. An effort was made to kill these
prisoners while they were in charge of the officers of the law, and
shots were fired at them, and they had to be placed in jail to protect
their lives.

And now comes the most diabolical feature of all the persecution
in Missouri up to that date. On the 5th day of November, 1833,
Lieutenant-Governor Boggs permitted the mob to organize as a militia,
and placed them under the command of Colonel Thomas Pitcher. While the
Saints showed no intention of resisting, the rabble did not feel the
need of such organization; but when it was found that, driven to the
last extremity, the Saints would fight for their lives, Boggs clothed
the mob with military power, that resistance to them might be charged
against the Saints as insurrection against the legal authorities of the
state of Missouri.

Colonel Pitcher demanded that the Saints should give up their arms;
that certain men who had been engaged in the fight west of Big Blue
should be delivered into his hands to be tried for murder; and that
the people should leave the county forthwith. It was clear that the
alternative was death to the men and outrage to the women and children.
And so the Saints yielded under solemn promise of protection. As soon
as the demand was complied with, the mob rushed like demons in various
directions, bursting violently into houses and threatening the women
and children with massacre. One party of the mob was headed by Rev.
Isaac McCoy, and other preachers joined in the rabble. Men, women and
children fled to the prairie and to the river banks, seeking in the
wilderness, amidst all its terrors, a peace denied them by civilized
men. Husbands and wives and children were separated, and one knew not
whether his beloved kin were dead or alive.

Who can say that a restoration of the Gospel of Peace was not necessary
in such an age?

After a time most of the scattered Saints gathered in Clay County,
where a court of inquiry was ordered by Governor Dunklin, but the
murderers and robbers who slew the Saints and took their substance in
Jackson County, Missouri, went unwhipped of justice. Clay County was
the only section of the state which received the Saints with any degree
of charity. From Van Buren and Lafayette and other counties they were
forced to flee as they were from Jackson.

In Clay County, where many of them had found a haven of rest among
noble-hearted citizens, the Saints prepared and sent up to Governor
Dunklin such piteous appeals as might have melted a heart of adamant.
They had been stripped of all their worldly substance; winter was upon
them; they even lacked food and raiment; and from hour to hour they
were in expectation of further assaults. It was their supplication to
the Governor that he would use the power of the state to restore them
to their lands and possessions, and to give a sufficient guard to a
court of inquiry, which might examine into the whole history of the
outrages made against them. The court of inquiry was held, and Colonel
Pitcher was arraigned and ordered for further trial by court-martial.
But it soon became clear that the Saints could not be restored to
their lands in Jackson County under existing conditions; because the
mob swore that if they returned, there would be a wholesale massacre
of Mormons, and the Governor, it was said, had not the constitutional
right to establish a permanent guard for the persons and property of
the defenseless Saints.

Messengers had gone at various times from the scenes of the outrage in
Missouri to the Prophet at Kirtland, and when he heard the dreadful
news, he burst into tears and sobbed aloud:

"Oh, my brethren, my brethren! would that I had been with you to share
your fate. Almighty God, what shall we do in such a trial as this?"



CHAPTER XXVII.

HURLBURT'S EFFORTS TO DESTROY JOSEPH--HIGH COUNCILS ORGANIZED--THE
CAMP OF ZION--A HARD JOURNEY--RATTLESNAKES IN CAMP--THE PROPHET'S
PHILOSOPHY--ELDER HUMPHREY'S EXPERIENCE.

With the opening of the year 1834, Joseph recorded his prayer that the
Lord would deliver Zion and gather in His scattered people to possess
it in peace, and that, in their dispersion, He would provide for them
that they might not perish of hunger and cold.

At the same time he was pursued by threats against his own life. The
apostate, Doctor P. Hurlburt, was determined to wreak his rage upon
Joseph's person. Hurlburt had circulated vile falsehoods and presented
lying affidavits among the people in the towns surrounding Kirtland, in
the hope of exciting mobocratic violence. If personal considerations
alone had been involved in these attempts of Hurlburt's to destroy
him, the Prophet might have taken no steps to restrain him or to bring
him to justice. But his duty to the Church demanded his preservation,
and by his consent process of court was secured against Hurlburt, and
later, on the 9th of April, 1834, that infamous creature was found
guilty of threatening to kill, and was by a court at Chardon, Ohio,
placed under bonds.

Many high councils exist in the Church at the present time, there
being one in every Stake of Zion. It was on the 17th day of February,
1834, at Kirtland, however, that the Prophet organized the first high
council of the Church. This tribunal consisted of twelve High Priests,
and it was presided over by the Prophet and his two counselors, Sidney
Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams. Its duty was to hear all matters
of dispute between members of the Church who sought equity, and to
decide such issues according to the principles of eternal justice. The
plan of settling disputes and preventing litigation among brethren,
which the Prophet was then inspired to introduce, has grown with the
growth of the Church, and the high council has performed an important
mission in the years which have followed. It has worked without fees;
it has known no coercion; the honesty of its decisions have been beyond
question; and often it has been appealed to by men not of the faith,
that their disputes might be settled with fairness and economy. It has
never usurped the function of the criminal courts; it has never sought
to enforce its judgment by any civil process. It has only decreed
according to clear and unmistakable justice and has left the parties
to accept the judgment, and if not complied with or appealed from, to
have Church fellowship withdrawn from them. The rules which the Prophet
established to control its proceedings under divine guidance were
delivered to it at the time of organization, and they, speaking of all
the high councils which have since been organized, are still governed
by them. To confirm the twelve chosen men in their places the Prophet
laid his hands upon each one's head and blessed him with the gifts and
authority necessary for his calling.

The first act of the high council at Kirtland was to declare Joseph
Smith the President of the Church with Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G.
Williams as the other members of the First Presidency.

All this time the cry of the exiled Saints in Missouri was ascending to
heaven for the redemption of their homes and for their own release from
oppression. In a revelation given to the Prophet February 24, 1834,
the Lord made known that the wicked had been permitted to fill up the
measure of their iniquities that those who are called after His name
might be chastened for a season; because in many things they had not
hearkened unto His commandments. He declared that in His own due time
the punishment of His wrath should be poured out upon the persecutors
of His Saints, and He promised the elect that they should repossess the
goodly land from which they had been driven. The Prophet was commanded
to gather up the strength of the Lord's house to journey to the land
Zion to assist the scattered Saints. Two days later he departed for the
East to obtain assistance for the work of the Lord. Other Elders were
also called to perform similar missions. The Prophet traveled as far
as Geneseo, New York, reaching there on the 15th day of March, 1834.
On the way he preached to many of the congregations of Saints and also
to many assemblages of unbelievers. On the 19th of March he began his
return journey to Kirtland, which place he reached on the 28th. On
the 18th day of April, 1834, while Joseph was journeying in company
with Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdery and Zebedee Coltrin to New Portage
for the purpose of gathering up help for Zion, an effort was made by
a party of men to capture them as they traveled along the road after
darkness had fallen. By driving rapidly they escaped the hands of the
bandits who sent a torrent of curses after the Prophet's party.

It was the 5th day of May, 1834, when Joseph, having gathered clothing
and food for his brethren and sisters in Missouri who had been robbed
and plundered of their effects, departed, with a company of brethren,
from Kirtland to find and succor the distressed Saints. His party
consisted of about one hundred men, nearly all young and nearly all
endowed with the Priesthood. At New Portage they were joined by fifty
men, some of whom had gone in advance of the main body from Kirtland.
A careful and harmonious organization of the company was made that the
progress of this Camp of Zion might be in steadiness and order.

The wagons of the party numbered twenty and were filled with provisions
and clothing, and such arms as the company needed for the securing of
game and for defense. Nearly all of the men were compelled to walk,
and Joseph cheerfully led their journey. They traveled sometimes forty
or fifty miles in a day, resting always on the Sabbath and holding
religious services. Every night they retired to their tents at the
sound of the trumpet, and every man bowed to the Lord in thanksgiving
for the blessings of the day and in supplication for the welfare of
the families they were leaving behind and the poor Saints they were
going to meet. And every morning at the sound of the trumpet every man
arose and fell upon his knees before Heaven, invoking its watchful care
during the day.

The march was necessarily one of great hardship. The men waded rivers,
struggled through marshes and tramped across hard stretches of hill
and sandy plain. Many of them suffered from bruised and bleeding feet.
Often they were harassed by evil men who suspected their mission and
sought to prevent its fulfillment.

A few persons in the Camp had proved unruly, and while they were in
the vicinity of the Illinois River, Joseph was led to utter a solemn
warning against the dissensions of some of his brethren. He exhorted
them to faithfulness and humility, and told them that the Lord had
revealed to him that a scourge must come upon them in consequence of
their disobedience. Still if they would repent and humble themselves
before the Lord, a part of the severity of the scourge might be turned
away.

Joseph and his brethren reached the banks of the Mississippi on the
4th day of June, and encamped at a point where the river was a mile
and half in width. Having but one ferry boat two days were required
in which to make the passage of the entire party from Illinois into
Missouri. Besides, they were delayed, though not prevented, by the
menace of numerous enemies who swore that they should not pass beyond
the Mississippi.

One of the instructions given by the Prophet during this journey was
that his brethren should not kill an animal of any kind, unless it
became absolutely necessary to save themselves from starvation. On one
occasion, while the Prophet's tent was being pitched at camp the men
saw three rattlesnakes and were about to kill them, but Joseph forbade
the act. He asked the Elders how would the serpent ever lose its
venom while the servants of God made war upon it with desire to kill.
He said: "Men themselves must first become harmless before they can
expect the brute creation to be so. When man shall lose his own vicious
disposition and cease to destroy the inferior animals, the lion and
lamb may dwell together and the suckling child play with the serpent
in safety." It was a deep philosophy and contrary to the preconceived
notions and early lessons of his brethren; but they obeyed. And soon
they experienced the truth of his words. One of the members of the
Camp by the name of Solomon Humphrey lay down on the prairie one day
to rest. He fell asleep with his hat in hand. While he slumbered a
large rattlesnake crawled up and coiled between him and his hat, and
when Elder Humphrey awoke he found the serpent's head not a foot from
his own. He did not harm it, and when some of his brethren would have
killed it, he stayed their hands, saying: "No, I will protect him, for
he and I have had a good nap together." Although the rattlesnake was
roused it made no effort to strike.



CHAPTER XXVIII.

VAIN APPEALS OF THE JACKSON COUNTY SAINTS FOR PROTECTION--THE APPROACH
OF ZION'S CAMP--ATTEMPTS TO RAISE AN OPPOSING ARMY--JAMES CAMPBELL'S
PROPHECY AND ITS FULFILLMENT--A PROVIDENTIAL STORM--REMARKABLE RISE OF
FISHING RIVER--JOSEPH STATES THE OBJECT OF ZION'S CAMP--A COMFORTING
REVELATION.

While the Prophet was encountering and overcoming many difficulties to
bring succor to the Saints, the latter were engaged in a vain struggle
to secure their rights. Correspondence passed between their leaders and
the civil officers from the judges up to the President of the United
States. Many of the appeals brought polite replies, but they resulted
in no effective aid. Governor Dunklin sent several communications
recognizing and deploring the wrongs inflicted, but stating he could
not, without transcending his power, order a military force to maintain
the Saints in their Jackson County possessions. The latter sentiment
was also the substance of the reply from the Secretary of War in behalf
of the President of the United States. It is worthy of note that in
all of the correspondence upon this question not a single charge is
made against the Saints. It proves that in all things they were the
sufferers from wrong, and not the doers of wrong; because the men to
whom they appealed would have been quick to offer an excuse for their
failure to extend redress.

Possibly the Governor thought he had done enough when he filled his
correspondence with high-minded and sympathetic sentiments; but of what
avail was it to the Saints for him to say to them as follows?

    On the subject of civil injuries, I must refer you to the courts;
    such questions rest with them exclusively. The laws are sufficient
    to afford a remedy for every injury of this kind, and, whenever you
    make out a case, entitling you to damages, there can be no doubt
    entertained of their ample award. Justice is sometimes slow in its
    progress, but it is not less sure on that account.

This is but a repetition practically of what he had said before without
avail. Was not this almost a mockery of the people's disasters? It
was at least a satire upon the persistent denial of the judicial
officers in Jackson County to do justice. Later a court of inquiry was
convened at Independence, under military guard; but the mob defied all
the authority of law, scoffed at the Governor's order, subdued the
court into a state of terror, and laughed at the troops as they were
withdrawn. A court martial was convened and it found Colonel Pitcher
guilty of calling upon the militia to repress an insurrection where
there was no insurrection, and decided that he had taken arms from
the citizens who were lawfully seeking to defend themselves against
unlawful aggression; but the Governor in vain commanded the officers to
restore the arms to the people from whom they had been stolen. Although
repeated orders were issued by his Excellency those arms never were and
to this day have not been returned.

The assaults of the mob on the scattered Saints and their property
in Jackson County continued. In the latter part of April, 1834, one
hundred and fifty houses were torn to the ground by the rabble.

Joseph and his party found a branch of the Church at Salt River, in
the state of Missouri, where they encamped to spend Sunday, the 8th of
June. Here they were joined by Hyrum Smith and Lyman Wight with another
party which had been gathered in the State of Michigan and surrounding
regions; and the Camp of Zion with this addition now numbered two
hundred and five men and twenty-five wagons well laden. Several days
were devoted to much needed recuperation, for the greater part of this
devoted band of men had traveled nine hundred miles in a little more
than a month's time, the journey being largely made on foot amidst all
the natural hardships of a wild country where constant watchfulness had
to be exercised.

On the 18th of June they pitched their tents within one mile of
Richmond in Ray County. Two days previous to this time a mass meeting
had been held at the court house in Liberty, Clay County, to consider
propositions made by the people of Jackson County to the exiled Saints.
Flaming war speeches were delivered by civil officers and by sectarian
priests from Jackson County, who had hoped to arouse the hospitable
people of Clay against their inoffensive guests, the Saints. Because
General Doniphan and the chairman of the meeting, a Mr. Turnham,
counseled peace and decency, the old spirit of savage violence broke
loose with all its virulence on the part of the representatives from
Independence, and the meeting ended with a stabbing affray between
two members of the former mob, in which one of them was dangerously
wounded. The leading men among the Saints presented an answer in which
they asked for time and in which they deprecated any hostilities upon
either side during the pendency of the negotiation. It was at once
manifest that the proposition of the mobocrats had been but a sham to
cover further violence. The news of the approach of the Prophet and his
brethren in an organized camp had reached the ears of these infuriated
men, and they felt that he was putting himself in their power. They
counted with entire certainty upon the inability of the officers of the
law to prevent their carrying out any fell purpose which they might
adopt against the Latter-day Saints. If there was an official who did
not justify them in their attacks upon the believers in this unpopular
religion, they expected to overawe him; but from the Governor down they
knew they had secret sympathy if not their active aid. With all their
innocence and excellence, therefore, the Latter-day Saints could place
no reliance upon the laws and the safeguards of civilized society to
protect them if these desperadoes chose to attack them.

The sole purpose of Joseph and his brethren was to bring succor to
their suffering friends; but this their inhuman enemies were determined
they should not do. Fifteen of the most violent mobocrats, with Samuel
C. Owens and James Campbell at their head started to raise an army
to meet and overpower the Camp of Zion. James Campbell swore as he
adjusted his pistols in the holsters, "The eagles and turkey buzzards
shall eat my flesh if I do not fix Joe Smith and his army so that their
skins will not hold shucks, before two days are past." That night as
twelve of these mobocrats were attempting to cross the Missouri River
their boat was sunk and seven of them were drowned. Among the lost
was Campbell, whose corpse floated down the river several miles and
lodged upon a pile of driftwood, where ravenous birds did indeed pick
his flesh from his bones, leaving the hideous bare skeleton to be
discovered three weeks later by one Mr. Purtle.

On the night of the 19th, unobserved by a large party of their enemies
who intended to fall upon them and murder them, the members of Zion's
Camp passed through Richmond in the darkness, and pitched their tents
between two branches of Fishing River.

While the members of the Camp were making preparations for the night
five armed desperadoes appeared before them and, with many blasphemies,
said: "You will see hell before morning. Sixty men are coming from
Richmond, and seventy more from Clay County to utterly destroy you."
More than three hundred bloodthirsty men had engaged to concentrate
at this point and attack Joseph. But to the subsequent unbounded
thankfulness of the members of the Camp, the Lord interposed. When
night came a mighty hurricane arose, throwing the plans of these
savages into confusion, scattering them in the utmost disorder, and
melting their courage into abject fright in the presence of the awful
elemental strife. The severity of the storm was not felt to the same
extent where Joseph and the camp had rested, but around them hail fell
like grapeshot, spreading terror among the people and devastation
amidst all the work of human hands.

While the surrounding region was in this state of consternation, Joseph
and his party took refuge in a log meeting house near their camp, being
compelled to enter the building through a window. When the commotion
was over and they emerged from their retreat, the Prophet gave orders
that the parties to whom the house belonged should be visited and
tendered an explanation of the intrusion and remuneration for any
fancied damage. So scrupulous was he not to trespass upon the rights of
others.

When the tornado burst only forty of the mob had been able to cross
Fishing River. They afterwards swore that the little Fishing River rose
thirty feet in thirty minutes, separating them from their companions,
and making them glad to flee back among their lawless friends in
Jackson County. The larger party of the mob, thus foiled in their
purpose to cross the river, also fled. The Big Fishing River had risen
nearly forty feet in one night. One of the mob had been killed by
lightning.

On Saturday, the 21st of June, Colonel Scounce and two other leading
men of Ray County visited Joseph, and begged to know his intentions,
stating: "We see that there is an almighty power that protects this
people." Colonel Scounce confessed that he had been leading a company
of armed men to fall upon the Prophet, but had been driven back by the
storm. The Prophet with all the mildness and dignity which ever sat so
becomingly upon him, and which always impressed his hearers, answered
that he had come to administer to the wants of his afflicted friends
and did not wish to molest or injure anybody. He then made a full and
fair statement of the difficulties as he understood them; and when he
had closed the three ambassadors, melted into compassion, offered their
hands and declared that they would use every endeavor to allay the
excitement.

On the 22nd day of June, 1834, while encamped on Fishing River, Joseph
received a revelation in which the Lord declared that the Elders should
wait for a season for the redemption of Zion; that he did not require
at their hands to fight the battles of Zion, for he would fight their
battles; and this he addressed to the Camp which had come up from
Kirtland and other places into Missouri to do His will and with the
hope that they might contribute to the redemption of His afflicted
people. The Lord rebuked many among the Saints in the branches of the
Church in the different states for their failure to join the Camp of
Zion in response to the call which He had made upon them. The Lord had
required the churches abroad to send up wise men with their moneys to
purchase lands in Missouri, and thus assist in the redemption of Zion;
but they had not hearkened unto His words. After renewing the promise
that the day of redemption should surely come, and promising those
who had hearkened to His words that He had prepared a blessing and an
endowment for them if they would continue faithful, the revelation
concluded:

    And inasmuch as they [the Saints] follow the counsel which they
    receive, they shall have power after many days to accomplish all
    things pertaining to Zion.

    And again I say unto you, sue for peace, not only the people that
    have smitten you; but also to all people;

    And lift up an ensign of peace, and make a proclamation of peace
    unto the ends of the earth;

    And make proposals for peace unto those who have smitten you,
    according to the voice of the Spirit which is in you, and all
    things shall work together for your good;

    Therefore be faithful, and, behold, and lo, I am with you even unto
    the end. Even so. Amen.



CHAPTER XXIX.

THE SCOURGE OF ZION'S CAMP--JOSEPH AND HYRUM ATTACKED BY CHOLERA--THEIR
DELIVERANCE--THE CAMP DISBANDED--THREATS AGAINST THE PROPHET--HIS
FEARLESSNESS--JOSEPH RETURNS TO KIRTLAND--SYLVESTER SMITH'S CHARGE OF
IMPURITY--THE PROPHET VINDICATED--VISIT TO MICHIGAN--THE LAW OF TITHING.

The scourge came as had been foretold, and the Camp of Zion felt its
terrible effects. Moanings and lamentations filled the air. In the
divine economy it is not unfrequently the case that the innocent suffer
with the wrong-doers. "The Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain
that His justice and judgment may come upon the wicked." In this attack
some faithful men fell victims under the awful power of this scourge,
and the entire camp suffered more or less. In organized bodies of
Saints experience has proved that it is not always the element which is
guilty of transgression which alone has to endure the consequences, but
the entire body which harbors or permits the impurity has to suffer.
If it were not so, there would not be such imperative reason for a
community to look well to the work of self-cleansing. It is when the
judgment of Heaven falls upon the obedient as well as the careless
and disobedient of any organization that the people are taught to
strive unceasingly, not alone each for his own but all for the general
purification. Some of the men who went down from Kirtland with Joseph
and who had joined him on the road were among the noblest of human
kind. They were of such exalted faith and courage that their righteous
fame stands with that of the greatest disciples of old. They adhered
to the Lord's commandments and to His prophet with all the fidelity of
their souls. But other men--unjust, selfish, rebellious by nature--were
also among the number of Zion's Camp; and as soon as they became
wearied by hardships they betrayed their own lack of innate nobility.
It was this latter class of men which brought affliction upon the Camp.

It was about the 22nd day of June, 1834, when the cholera appeared
in Zion's Camp at Fishing River. During the next week it raged in
the midst of the party. Sixty-eight of the Saints were attacked and
thirteen of them died. Among the fatal cases was that of Algernon
Sidney Gilbert, a man of talent and many good works, though not
always able to subdue self. Just before the destroyer seized him,
the Prophet called him to journey to Kirtland to receive there his
endowments and from there to proclaim the everlasting gospel of
redemption. Elder Gilbert's answer was: "I would rather die than go
forth to preach the gospel to the Gentiles." When he thus answered the
Prophet of God he was full of strength and health; but in a few hours
after the scourge had breathed upon him he was dead. Joseph and Hyrum
administered assiduously to the sick, and soon they were in the grasp
of the cholera. They were together when it seized them; and together
they knelt down and prayed for deliverance. Three times they bowed in
supplication, the third time with a vow that they would not rise until
deliverance from the destroyer was vouchsafed. While they were thus
upon their knees a vision of comfort came to Hyrum. He saw their mother
afar off in Kirtland praying for her absent sons, and he felt that the
Lord was answering her cry. Hyrum told Joseph of the comforting vision
and together they arose, made whole every whit. In ministering to their
other brethren they discovered that to dip an afflicted person in cold
water afforded great relief and this was practiced generally until the
scourge had run its threatened course and had left the Camp.

During the days of the scourge the Prophet had moved his party from
Fishing River. On the 23rd of June, they had reached within five or
six miles of Liberty in Clay County, when General Atchison and several
other persons went out from the town to meet the Prophet. They begged
him not to go to Liberty as the people had become much enraged.
Accepting the advice, Joseph turned from the road to Liberty and
encamped on the banks of Rush Creek.

On the 25th of June the Prophet announced by letter to General Atchison
and party, that he had concluded to disperse his company, in order to
allay the prejudice and fear on the part of citizens of Clay County.
He requested the gentlemen to whom his note was addressed to inform
the Governor of the action thus taken; because the Prophet knew that
Dunklin's ears were being filled with the most malicious rumors
concerning the purpose entertained by Zion's Camp. In execution of
his promise Joseph disbanded his party, and the brethren scattered
themselves among the Saints of that region.

The next day a report was received from one S. C. Owens, a leader of
the Jackson County mob, in which he declared that his people would not
accept the proposition of the Saints--to buy the lands of the men who
objected to the Saints returning to their homes in Jackson County--nor
anything akin to it. He coolly recommended that the Saints "cast their
eye" on a distant and uninhabited spot which he named, "to see if that
was not a county calculated for them."

One appeal after another was being made to the Governor of the state;
but so far as practical help was concerned, all were unanswered. Active
hostilities in a general sense against the Saints had ceased for the
time being, and there was some reason for hoping that they would be
allowed to remain in Clay and surrounding regions. All the honest and
fair-minded settlers in that land were forced to recognize the good
qualities of the exiles from Jackson. The Saints were industrious,
charitable and thrifty. Among them were no drunkenness, brawls nor
crimes which too often gave a bad character to other border communities.

To this prospect of peace the Prophet's personality had greatly
contributed. In all the march through Missouri his magnificent
qualities had impressed themselves upon the people whom he met. His
course had been that of a worthy leader among men. He had shown in all
his intercourse with the inhabitants of Missouri the utmost courage
and generosity. It was his nature to extend consideration and kindness
towards others, and he was as regardful of the rights of his fellow-men
at this time as always before and always after during his lifetime. The
leading men of Clay County who were brought into contact with him felt
that he possessed remarkable power. There was that in his dignified
deportment and in the fearless glance of his blue eyes which warmed
the souls of other men to his own, and they submitted to his charm of
manner, even when they had come to oppose him. And when at last, to
allay the fears of his avowed enemies, he dispersed his party, while
surrounded by vindictive mobs who sought his life and the lives of his
associates, he evinced a courage and a wisdom as grand as they were
rare.

Jackson County was alive with men who had sworn to assassinate him if
he ventured within their reach. What could have been more admirable
than his noble disregard of all their threats! On the 1st of July,
1834, unattended, except by two or three personal friends, he crossed
the Missouri River from Clay into Jackson County, visited Independence
and saw all that goodly land which the Lord had promised as a Zion, but
which now was under the desecration of murder, rapine and a veritable
reign of terror.

He stood among the ruins of once peaceful homes and gazed upon once
fruitful fields which wicked men had laid waste, and his great heart
swelled nigh to bursting. Did any premonition come to him of that
awful hour when he should next look upon these scenes; when in chains
he should be carried through the streets of Independence, as captive
kings of old were dragged at their victor's chariot wheels to make the
populace shout with cruel joy! Well might Joseph, Prophet of God, have
indescribable emotions as he gazed upon this spot, hallowed in his mind
by so many tender recollections and so many promised glories. Mobs had
done their work, Zion was desolate. Joseph himself was free. But the
day was not far distant, when he should, as a captive, be brought to
Independence and his enemies should gloat over the tortured hero and
his pale but undaunted face.

The Prophet had gone to Independence without ostentation, but without
fear. While he prayed there, the eyes of the wicked were blinded,
that they knew him not; and when he returned to his brethren he was
unscathed.

On the 3rd day of July, the Prophet organized a high council near
Liberty, in Clay County, and for several days he was engaged in
imparting instruction to the members of that body, and such others as
desired to listen to his words of wisdom.

An appeal was made and published to the world regarding the grievances
of the Saints, and asking for the restoration of their rights, and for
the privilege to live in peace.

On the 9th day of July, Joseph, in company with his brother Hyrum and
Frederick G. Williams and others, departed for Kirtland. Returning, the
journey was as toilsome as at first. The distance to be traversed was
one thousand miles, and but few of the comforts of civilization existed
for them along the path. Heat, thirst, hunger and pain of body alike
oppressed them and were alike endured with patient fortitude. About the
1st day of August Joseph reached his home.

In leaving the Saints in Missouri the Prophet had hoped that for a
time, at least, they would be blessed with protection from their
enemies, and that the brethren would be accorded the opportunity to
gain a maintenance for their suffering wives and children. Although
before he parted with them many appeals had been made for a restoration
to their possessions in Jackson County, it is not probable that he
entertained any hope that Governor Dunklin would accomplish such a
courageous act. Joseph's subsequent zeal in building up Kirtland seems
to indicate that he had prescience of the continued exile of the Church
from the land of Zion.

Shortly after the Prophet's return to Kirtland, he submitted before
the high council some charges which had been made against himself by
one of the rebellious spirits in Zion's Camp. This man, Sylvester
Smith, had become angered on the march by Joseph's rebukes, which
were only uttered in kindness and to secure proper discipline and
mutual concession and forbearance among the brethren; and in his rage
Sylvester had declared that the Prophet was corrupt in his heart.
The complaint made by Sylvester did not include any specific charge
of impurity, and the Prophet might have passed it by without notice.
But he wanted to teach the brethren that no man was above the law of
God, and he cheerfully and patiently submitted to an investigation. It
was made fairly and fully, with no undue favor to him; and the result
was a complete vindication of the Prophet's character and eventually
a confession by Sylvester Smith of his own injustice, wrong-doing
and evil inspiration. Thus, by his own example, Joseph showed to his
brethren the saintly course for the settlement of difficulties.

Joseph gave another evidence of his devotion to the work and his
personal humility, at this time. Labor upon the house of the Lord
in Kirtland was in progress, but the poverty of the people and the
surrounding difficulties made the advancement very slow. Only thirty
families of Saints were then resident in Kirtland, and the toil and
self-denial of the little handful cannot be described. Joseph gave his
services as foreman in the temple stone quarry, and labored day after
day with his own hands in bringing out the materials for that important
structure. At the same time Hyrum was showing similar evidence of his
industry and meekness. It was he who lifted the first spadeful of earth
for the foundation trench, and he continued from that time on to watch
and work and pray for the success of this sacred undertaking.

Having placed all things in order in Kirtland for the progress of the
Lord's house, Joseph departed on the 16th of October, 1834, with his
brother Hyrum and others to visit the Saints in the state of Michigan.
They went by water, and on board the steamer they met a man who called
himself Elmer. Not knowing who they were, in the course of conversation
he said: "I am personally acquainted with Joe Smith; I have heard him
preach his lies, and now since he is dead I am glad. I heard Joe Smith
preach in Bainbridge, Chenango County, New York, five years ago, and
knew him because he had such a dark complexion." Then he continued
his exultations at the supposed death of the Prophet. This is an
illustration of the malice and ignorance which prevailed at that time.
Joseph was not dead; his complexion was not dark; he had never been
in Bainbridge. Elmer had probably heard the tirade of some sectarian
minister against Joseph Smith and thought he was praising God when
he lied about the Prophet, and that he was doing Christ's service by
exulting in his supposed death.

After preaching to the Michigan Saints for a brief time and giving and
receiving comfort in their society, Joseph and his companions returned
to Kirtland, reaching there about the last of October. During the month
of November with so many labors upon his hands Joseph found every
moment of time occupied. He was able to accomplish prodigious labors,
because he obeyed the rule which he had established over his life and
which he tersely states:

"WHEN THE LORD COMMANDS, DO IT."

His scrupulous regard for the interests of others is shown by a
circumstance which occurred during the last of November, 1834. Some
brethren and sisters representing a branch of the Church in the east
called at Kirtland. They had in their possession means with which to
purchase lands in Zion; but in view of the action of mobs and the
inaction of officials, they could not well proceed to Missouri. The
money was offered to the Church in Kirtland, or to Joseph as its
President; but as this was not the purpose for which the means had been
donated, he would only take it in trust to be paid back with interest
in the ensuing spring; and he gave proper security for the fulfillment
of these conditions. The means thus obtained was not devoted to his
personal use, but was entirely employed in the furtherance of Church
works.

It was with the close of 1834 that a pledge of tithing was first
given, and the custom now in force was begun, the doctrine having been
foreshadowed in previous revelations from the Almighty. The principle
of tithing as now practiced very properly begun with the Prophet. On
the 29th day of November, 1834, Joseph united in prayer with Oliver
Cowdery for a continuation of divine blessings; and being filled with
joy on this occasion, they entered into a covenant with the Lord as
follows:

"That if the Lord will prosper us in our business, and open the way
before us, that we may obtain means to pay our debts, that we be not
troubled nor brought into disrepute before the world, nor His people;
after that, of all that He shall give us, we will give a tenth, to be
bestowed upon the poor in His Church, or as He shall command; and that
we will be faithful over that which He has entrusted to our care, that
we may obtain much; and that our children after us, shall remember to
observe _this sacred and holy covenant_; and that our children and our
children's children may know of the same, we have subscribed our names
with our own hands.

"JOSEPH SMITH,

"OLIVER COWDERY.

"And now, O Father, as thou didst prosper our father Jacob, and bless
him with protection and prosperity wherever he went, from the time he
made a like covenant before and with thee; as thou didst, even the same
night, open the heavens unto him, and manifest great mercy and power,
and give him promises, so wilt thou do with us his sons; and as his
blessings prevailed above his progenitors unto the utmost bounds of the
everlasting hills, even so may our blessings prevail like his; and may
thy servants be preserved from the power and influence of wicked and
unrighteous men; may every weapon formed against us fall upon the head
of him who shall form it; may we be blessed with a name and a place
among the Saints here, and thy sanctified when they shall rest. Amen."



CHAPTER XXX.

THE CALLING OF CHRIST'S APOSTLES IN THE LAST DISPENSATION OF THE
FULLNESS OF TIMES--DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE TWELVE--THEIR LABORS IN THE
WORLD--ORGANIZATION OF THE SEVENTIES.

    And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world
    for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

    _St. Matthew_.

    But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and
    persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into
    prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

    And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

*     *     *     *     *

    And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and
    kinsfolks and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put
    to death,

    And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.

*     *     *     *     *

    And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift
    up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

    _St. Luke_.

Our Lord and Master had His twelve special witnesses to the world when
His gospel was offered to all mankind eighteen centuries ago. And so,
in the re-establishment of the Church in this dispensation, Twelve
Apostles were called and ordained to be witnesses of Christ, crucified
and risen, and of Christ's gospel brought forth through the darkness of
ages and now restored to stand forever.

The power, authority and scope of this Apostleship are shown in the
revelation given to the Prophet in Kirtland in the early part of the
year 1835:

    The Twelve traveling counselors are called to be the Twelve
    Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the
    world.

*     *     *     *     *

    And they form a quorum, equal in authority and power to the three
    Presidents [the first presidency].

    The Twelve are a traveling presiding High Council to officiate in
    the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Presidency of the
    Church, agreeable to the institution of heaven; to build up the
    Church, and regulate all the affairs of the same in all nations;

*     *     *     *     *

    The Twelve being sent out, holding the keys, to open the door by
    the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ--and first unto the
    Gentiles and then unto the Jews.

*     *     *     *     *

    It is the duty of the Twelve, also, to ordain and set in order all
    the other officers of the Church, agreeable to the revelation.

On the Sabbath day, February 8th, 1835, Joseph invited Brigham and
Joseph Young to his home and listened to some of their sweetest hymns.
They were always noted for the excellence of their singing; but on
this occasion with such wondrous power did their voices swell that the
Prophet was lifted up in his soul and felt the Holy Spirit descending
upon them. Joseph had seen in vision the brethren who had died of
cholera in Missouri; and he related the vision to his visitors, saying:
"If I get a mansion as bright as theirs, I shall ask no more." He
wept at the recital, and could not speak again for some moments. When
his composure returned, he told Brigham that he should be one of the
twelve special witnesses, and said to Joseph Young: "The Lord has made
you president of the Seventies." Neither of the Brothers Young fully
understood the Prophet's meaning at that time, but later they learned.

On the 14th day of February, 1835, the Prophet called an assemblage at
Kirtland of all the men who had formed the Camp of Zion. He said to
call this meeting he had been directed by the Almighty. The Elders who
had passed through the trials and sufferings of the journey to Zion
were to be ordained to the ministry to go forth and prune the vineyard
for the last time before the coming of the Lord. Twelve men were to be
chosen as Apostles to bear testimony of the name of the Lord Jesus and
to send it abroad among all nations, kindreds, tongues and people.

Under the hands of the Prophet the three witnesses of the Book of
Mormon, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris were blessed
by the direction of the Holy Spirit to choose the Twelve Apostles of
the Church. The men thus selected were all equal in authority, but in
a later time the Prophet designated the order in which they should sit
in council--that is, according to age the eldest first. And under this
rule the first quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus
Christ in these last days were: Thomas B. Marsh, David W. Patten,
Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, William E. McLellin,
Parley P. Pratt, Luke Johnson, William Smith, Orson Pratt, John F.
Boynton, and Lyman E. Johnson.

The Apostles had their mission of salvation divinely dictated unto
them. How they have fulfilled its requirements, let answer the
thousands from every continent and every isle of the sea who have heard
the message in their native tongues!

It was the work which was great and which conferred greatness upon
those who engaged in it. The world has never understood this. To man
has been attributed the success which has attended the system of
religion which Joseph Smith was the chosen earthly instrument to found.
Joseph himself had a wonderful personality; and it was the custom to
give him credit for the early growth of the Church numerically; and to
ascribe its spread and the devotion of its adherents to his individual
power of attraction. But he did not so esteem himself; and the work
which the apostles have performed is proof that it is the Holy Spirit
which animates and the Holy Spirit which convinces.

To the Twelve it was not only a call to the ministry; for some of them
it was also a call to martyrdom.

Of the disciples chosen then and of those since selected to keep the
quorum complete, not one has escaped the afflictions of time.

With some the pains were too intense to be endured, the burdens too
heavy to be borne; and they dropped aside from the on-marching ranks to
find, as they hoped, repose and safety amidst the cooling shadows of
that world from which they had been chosen to be special witnesses of
the Son of God. Such are no longer His Apostles.

But the others, with unshaken resoluteness, have gone forward in
fulfillment of their high mission, under the scorching heat of fiery
persecution. Joseph is their captain and their fellow soldier in
the cause of Christ. With him and after him many of them have, with
continuous and unyielding zeal, toiled steadily on until worn out in
the performance of the duty assigned them by their Master Jesus; they
have passed to the enjoyment of His promised rest. With Him they and
the other faithful Apostles will stand triumphant when human time shall
be no more, and when the voice of the Eternal shall fill the universe
with the thunder of His judgments. They shall not then be only twelve;
for they who have been called of God to this holy calling and who
endure faithful, though they may lay down their mortality, yet shall
they not lose their Apostleship; for it abideth with them in this world
and in the worlds to come.

To proclaim the truth in all the earth for a witness, requires not only
willingness but also numerical strength. And so the Seventies were
called by divine revelation. They are to preach the gospel and to be
special witnesses unto the Gentiles, and in all the world; they are
to act in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve, in
building up the Church and regulating all the affairs of the same in
all nations--first unto the Gentiles and then unto the Jews.

And they form a quorum equal in authority to that of the Twelve * * *
Apostles.

On the 28th day of February, 1835, the Church in council assembled
began the calling of the quorum of Seventies from the members of Zion's
Camp, and this devoted organization of the Seventies speedily engaged
in its appointed labors.

Thus was the Prophet blessed with efficient aids selected by the Spirit
of God.

One day when Joseph had assembled the Elders in Kirtland, soon after
the establishment of the quorums of Twelve and Seventy, he said to them
that the test had been made, the purpose of the journey to Missouri was
now clear, and God had chosen his Twelve and Seventy from a body of men
who had offered their lives, and who had made as great a sacrifice as
did Abraham.



CHAPTER XXXI.

JOSEPH AS A RESTORER AS WELL AS A PROPHET--THE BOOK
OF ABRAHAM--JOSEPH'S GROWTH INTO SCHOLARSHIP AND
STATESMANSHIP--DIFFICULTIES WITH WILLIAM SMITH.

Joseph Smith was not only a prophet but a reformer--as able as
Luther, as bold as Zwingli. And he was more than a reformer. He was a
restorer--the greatest in his personality and in the character of his
work since the day of the divine atonement.

Through him even the buried past reaches up to the listening
present, and the distant future bends down to this gazing age. His
work in revealing hidden truths spans the circle of all earthly
time--stretching from the decree by which the world was rolled into
space unto the moment when it shall become a purified and exalted
sphere. This comprehension was the divine gift to the predestined
martyr.

Through him had been revealed the hidden truths concerning prehistoric
America. From the hour when Joseph gave to the world the Book of
Mormon, all ignorance concerning the ancient inhabitants of this land
became wilful. Then his labor of restoration reached another hemisphere
and a remoter time.

Abraham, the friend of God, Abraham who died thirty-six centuries ago,
Abraham who was buried in the cave of Machpelah, spoke through the
modern prophet, his descendant; and the manner of that communication
so manifestly shows the overruling hand of Providence that no one can
doubt the divine direction.

While Joseph had been laboring in Kirtland, journeying to and from
Missouri, teaching his brethren and being taught of God, there were
moving to him from one of the catacombs of Egypt the writings of Father
Abraham and of Joseph who was governor in Egypt.

On the 7th day of June, 1831, a French traveler and explorer penetrated
the depths of a catacomb near the site of ancient Thebes. It had
cost him time and treasure and influence to make the entrance. After
securing the license to make his researches, he employed more than
four hundred men for a period of some months to make the necessary
excavation. When he was able at last to stand within this multiplied
tomb he found several hundred mummies; but only eleven of them were
in such a state that they could be removed. He carried them away, but
died on his voyage to Paris. By his will the mummies were bequeathed
to Michael H. Chandler, his nephew, and in search of this gentleman
they were sent through Ireland and finally across the sea. After two
years of wanderings they found their owner. Hoping to discover some
treasure of precious stones or metals, Mr. Chandler opened the coffins
or embalming cases. Attached to two of the bodies were rolls of linen
preserved with the same care and apparently by the same method as
the bodies. Within the linen coverings were rolls of papyrus bearing
a perfectly preserved record in black and red characters carefully
formed. With other of the bodies were papyrus strips bearing epitaphs
and astronomical calculations. The learned men of Philadelphia and
other places flocked to see these representatives of an ancient time,
and Mr. Chandler solicited their translation of some of the characters.
Even the wisest among them were only able to interpret the meaning
of a few of the signs. From the very moment when he discovered the
rolls, Mr. Chandler had heard that a Prophet lived in the west who
could decipher strange languages and reveal things hidden; and after
failing with all the learned, and having parted with seven of the
mummies and some few strips of papyrus, bearing astronomical figures,
he finally reached Kirtland and presented himself to Joseph with the
four remaining bodies, and with the rolls of manuscript. The Prophet,
under inspiration of the Almighty, interpreted some of the ancient
writings to Mr. Chandler's satisfaction. So far as the learned men of
Philadelphia had been able to translate, Joseph's work coincided with
theirs; but he went much further, and in his delight Mr. Chandler wrote
a letter to the Prophet certifying to this effect.

Later some of the friends of the Prophet purchased the four mummies,
with the writings. Joseph engaged assiduously to interpret from the
rolls and strips of papyrus. The result of his labor was to give the
world a translation of the Book of Abraham. This book was written by
the hand of Abraham while he was in Egypt, and was preserved by the
marvelous dispensation of Providence, through all the mutations of time
and dangers of distance, to reach the hand of God's Prophet in this
last dispensation. By this record the Father of the Faithful makes
known what the Lord Almighty had shown to him concerning the things
that were before the world was; and he declares that he did penetrate
the mysteries of the heavens even unto Kolob, the star which is nearest
the throne of God the Eternal One.

In the record of Joseph who was sold into Egypt is given a prophetic
representation of the judgment, the Savior is shown seated upon His
throne, crowned and holding the sceptres of righteousness and power;
before Him are assembled the Twelve Tribes of Israel and all the
kingdoms of the world; while Michael the Archangel holds the key to the
bottomless pit in which Satan has been chained.

At the time when Joseph, aided by the inspiration of the Almighty, was
enabled to make these translations, he was studying ancient languages
and the grandest sciences, while he was also imparting instruction
in the school of the brethren in Kirtland, that others than himself
might have their minds fitted to grasp the sublimities of truth in
theology and history and the laws governing the universe. Joseph was
now in his thirtieth year and was no longer an unlearned farmer lad.
He was the leader of the people by the command of heaven, and he was
the leader of the people by his growing intellectual greatness. The
Prophet had already become a scholar. He loved learning. He loved
knowledge for its righteous power. Through the tribulations which had
surrounded him from the day when first he made known to a skeptical
world his communion with the heavens, he had been ever advancing in
the acquisition of intelligence. The Lord had commanded him to study,
and he was obeying. Such branches of learning as he knew not, teachers
were employed to communicate. His mind, quickened by the Holy Spirit,
grasped with readiness all true principles, and one by one he mastered
these branches and became in them a teacher.

Joseph Smith was the head of a committee which had been appointed
in September, 1834, to compile the doctrines of the Church for
publication. And in Kirtland, at a general assembly held on the
17th day of August, 1835, that committee reported by presenting the
book of Doctrine and Covenants to the Church for the approval of
the congregation. Solemn testimonies were given of the truth of the
work and of the inspiration by which Joseph Smith had uttered the
revelations from on high. The testimony of the Twelve on this subject
closed as follows:

The Lord has borne record to our souls, through the Holy Ghost shed
forth upon us, that these commandments were given by inspiration of
God, and are profitable for all men, and are verily true. We give this
testimony unto the world, the Lord being our helper: and it is through
the grace of God, the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, that we are
permitted to have this privilege of bearing this testimony unto the
world, in the which we rejoice exceedingly, praying the Lord always,
that the children of men may be profited thereby.

At the same time there was presented and accepted the tenet of the
Church concerning government and laws in which the following passages
occur, showing that thus early in his career the Prophet's mind was
trained in true statesmanship and social philosophy:

    We believe that governments are instituted of God for the benefit
    of man, and that he holds men accountable for their acts in
    relation to them, both in making laws or administering them, for
    the good and safety of society.

*     *     *     *     *     *      *

    We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws
    are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the
    free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and
    the protection of life.

*     *     *     *     *     *      *

    We believe that religion is instituted of God, and that men are
    answerable to Him, and Him only, for the exercise of it, unless
    their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights
    and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law
    has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind
    the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private
    devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but
    never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress
    the freedom of the soul.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

    We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and
    are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the
    free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe
    that they have a right in justice, to deprive citizens of this
    privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard
    and reverence is shown to the laws, and such religious opinions do
    not justify sedition nor conspiracy.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

    We do not believe it is just to mingle religious influence with
    civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered, and
    another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual
    rights of its members as citizens denied.

The Prophet was not present at the assembly, as he was visiting Saints
in Michigan; but his hand was manifest in its proceedings, for he had
all the time led in preparing the book for presentation to the Church.

With his staunch advocacy of truth, and his unyielding adherence to
the commandments of God, Joseph was ever merciful to the weak and
the erring. During the summer of 1835, he was laboring in councils
and meetings in Kirtland and vicinity, and was chosen to take part
in the proceedings against several members who were to be tried for
utterances made against the Presidency of the Church. Whether it fell
to his lot to plead the cause of the accused or to prosecute, though he
himself might have been the one who was wronged, he acted with so much
tenderness and justice that he won the love of all.

At this time he labored under serious financial distress. The
performance of the work laid upon him demanded many expenditures,
and often it seemed that he would be involved in inextricable
embarrassment. But the way was constantly opened to him. His brethren
were kind and charitable, many of them presenting him or loaning him
sums sufficient for the performance of his labors and to meet all his
engagements; and all of these he blessed with the gratitude of his
soul, and was especially scrupulous to pay at the time agreed upon.

Joseph was a dutiful son; his strong affection for his parents was ever
a marked feature in his character. In the early part of October, 1835,
his father was ill; and, though the Prophet was performing wearisome
toil in traveling, preaching and other duties--exposed to chilling
storms--he watched and waited on his parent with the utmost humility
and tenderness. On the 10th day of October, the elder Joseph was
failing very fast, so much that his life was despaired of. The Prophet
prayed in secret most earnestly that his father's life might be spared,
and on the morning of Sunday, the 11th of October, while he was still
upon his knees, the Lord said to him:

"MY SERVANT, THY FATHER SHALL LIVE."

That night Father Smith arose and dressed himself and shouted and
praised the Lord for his recovery.

One of the most sorrowful passages in the Prophet's life opens with
the 29th day of October, 1835. Joseph's brother William was a man of
violent temper which he had not then nor ever afterwards subdued.
Though not destitute of qualities, which, if properly used, would have
made him a useful and noble man, he was willful and headstrong, and
so impatient of contradiction and rebuke that he often forgot his own
high station as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, and forgot the
kindness of his brother Joseph and the deference due him as a prophet
of God. On the day mentioned, at a high council meeting, William abused
Joseph in violent terms because of a just ruling made by the Prophet.
The noble and faithful Hyrum, their elder brother, admonished William,
but without avail. He left the building and soon after engaged in
circulating evil reports against the Prophet. Every effort was made
by his friends to correct the wrong and to bring him to a sense of
his position. He made an outward show of humility; but took an early
occasion when the Prophet was a guest at his house to assault him with
such violence that the effects were carried by Joseph to his grave.

Satan was indeed trying the Lord's chosen one. At home or abroad he was
fated to have afflictions showered upon his devoted head. But of all
the woes of his persecuted life, not one could have been more saddening
to him than these attacks by his own brother in the flesh.

The Prophet harbored no malice; but with the humility and the godliness
which permeated all his intercourse with his fellow-men he freely
forgave William. Such effect did the Prophet's kindness have upon
William that he repented and expressed his contrition with great
sincerity and earnestness. A reconciliation took place at which Father
Smith and his brother John, with Hyrum, Joseph and William were
present. The elder Joseph addressed them all in a pathetic manner, so
much so that they wept. They all covenanted at that time to endeavor
to build each other up in righteousness. Happy would it have been for
William if he had then taken the advice of the Prophet and his father;
but he violated his word, despised their counsel, and fell from his
high estate.

Not only did Joseph show tenderness in his dealings with his brother,
but also with others of the Twelve. When Thomas B. Marsh, the president
of the Twelve Apostles, complained that the Prophet in chastening them
for the wrong-doing of some of their number had used harsh language,
the Prophet readily begged their forgiveness if he had pained their
feelings. And by his noble conduct he brought about a restoration of
harmony and fellowship. If his brethren of the Twelve had all been as
mindful of the rule of righteousness as Joseph himself, the dissensions
in that quorum which cost some of its brightest members their standing
would not have occurred.



CHAPTER XXXII.

COMPLETION AND DEDICATION OF THE KIRTLAND TEMPLE--SUBLIME VISIONS TO
THE SAINTS--THE WORDS OF THE DIVINE REDEEMER--JOSEPH'S GRANDMOTHER
VISITS HIM, THEN DIES IN PEACE--HIS MISSION TO THE EAST.

The building of the Kirtland temple was accomplished by the utmost
self-sacrifice. Nearly three years had been occupied in its
construction; and during this time the Saints had given of their
substance and had toiled without ceasing to make a habitation fit for
the ministration of angelic visitants and of the Holy One, Himself. The
consummation of this work had been very near to the Prophet's heart,
especially since the tribulations in Missouri had shown that no house
of the Lord could be erected speedily in the center stake of Zion.

Wondrous were the visions bestowed in that sacred edifice. Previous
to its completion the glories of the heavens had been unfolded to
the Prophet and his brethren while administering in the ordinances
there. On the 21st of January, 1836, Joseph met with Sidney Rigdon and
Frederick G. Williams, and his father, Patriarch Joseph Smith, Sen., at
one of the finished school-rooms in the building to anoint their heads
with holy oil. They united in anointing and blessing the Prophet's
father as the Patriarch and to anoint their heads; and each of the
First Presidency was then anointed and blessed under the hands of
Father Smith. While they were engaged in this labor marvelous visions
and revelations were bestowed.

The Prophet says:

    The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial
    kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out
    I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through
    which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto
    circling flames of fire; also the blazing throne of God, whereon
    was seated the Father and the Son. I saw the beautiful streets of
    that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold. I
    saw fathers Adam and Abraham, and my father and mother, my brother
    Alvin, who has long since slept, and wondered how it was that he
    had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had
    departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather
    Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission
    of sins.

    Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying:

    All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would
    have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be
    heirs of the celestial kingdom of our God; also all that shall die
    henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it
    with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom, for I, the
    Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the
    desires of their hearts.

Many other things did the Prophet see and hear. He beheld that all
children who died before reaching years of accountability are saved
in the celestial kingdom of our God. A holy comfort this, which takes
the place of all the black threats concerning infantile damnation.
He saw the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb in foreign lands, standing in
a circle, with their clothes tattered and their feet swollen, with
their eyes cast downward, and Jesus was standing in their midst, but
they did not behold Him, and the Savior looked upon them and wept.
Those of the brethren who received the ordinances at this time saw
most glorious visions. Some of them beheld the face of their Redeemer;
others were ministered unto by holy angels; the spirit of prophecy and
revelation was poured out in mighty power; and loud hosannas saluted
the heavens from those who were communing with the sanctified hosts of
the celestial kingdom.

On other occasions, before the entire structure was completed and
dedicated, similar visitations came to manifest the power of God and
His gracious acceptance of this devoted labor.

On the morning of Sunday, March 27th, 1836, the first temple ever
built in this dispensation by the command of God, was dedicated to
His service. A large assemblage of the Saints had congregated in the
building. Joseph presided, and he was supported by the Priesthood. The
Prophet himself made the dedicatory prayer, which he closed in the
following words:

    Hear us, O Lord, And answer these petitions, and accept the
    dedication of this house unto Thee, the work of our hands, which we
    have built unto Thy name!

    And also this Church, to put upon it Thy name; and help us, by
    the power of Thy Spirit, that we may mingle our voices with those
    bright shining seraphs around Thy throne, with acclamations of
    praise, singing, Hosanna to God and the Lamb.

    And let these Thine anointed ones be clothed with salvation, and
    Thy Saints shout aloud for joy. Amen, and Amen.

Joseph was acknowledged by the several quorums, standing upon their
feet, as the Prophet and Seer of the Church, and they gave a solemn
pledge to uphold him as such by their faith and prayers. This action
was also ratified by the entire congregation of the Saints in the same
manner. The Prophet then called upon the quorums and the congregation
to acknowledge the other members of the First Presidency and the
several quorums in their offices and callings, and the vote was
unanimous in every instance.

After the administration of the Lord's Supper and the expression of
many solemn testimonies, the dedication was sealed by shouting Hosanna,
Hosanna, Hosanna to God and the Lamb, three times sealing it, each time
with Amen, Amen, and Amen.

Brigham Young had the gift of tongues powerfully upon him and made
an address, which David W. Patten interpreted. Then the Prophet
made a short exhortation also in tongues, and afterward blessed the
congregation in the name of the Lord, and the assembly dispersed.

The same evening the Prophet met the quorums in the temple. Brother
George A. Smith stood up and began to prophesy, when a noise was heard
like the sound of a mighty rushing wind which filled the building. All
the congregation rose in an instant, being moved upon by an invisible
power. Many began to speak in tongues and prophesy, others saw
glorious visions. The temple was filled with angels. People from the
neighborhood came running toward the temple, having heard an unusual
sound and seen a brilliant light like a pillar of fire rising above the
structure. These spectators were amazed at what they saw and heard.

On the 29th of March the Prophet met with many of the brethren in the
most holy place in the Lord's house and fasted and prayed and performed
sacred ordinances. In obedience to the commandment, they remained
together throughout that whole day and the succeeding night. While they
were there the Holy Spirit rested upon them; and they continued, until
the morning light broke, to prophesy and give glory to God. The same
services were repeated the day following.

Joseph said to the quorums that he had now completed the organization
of the Church, having passed through all the necessary ceremonies, and
that they were at liberty to go forth and build up the kingdom of God.
At nine o'clock in the evening he retired from the temple and left the
meeting in charge of the Twelve Apostles, who remained to prophesy and
speak in tongues until again the morning dawned. During the night the
Savior appeared with a host of ministering angels. The Prophet said
that it was a Pentecost long to be remembered, for the sound should go
forth from that place unto all the world.

The next day, Thursday, March 31st, the ceremonies in the temple were
repeated for the benefit of those Saints who could not find room in the
house on the preceding Sabbath.

On Sunday, the 3rd day of April, 1836, after the regular service of the
day, the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery retired to the pulpit and dropped
the veils by which it was separated from the body of the house, and
bowed in solemn and silent prayer. After rising, a vision of supernal
sublimity and beauty was opened to the eyes of their understanding.
They saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, and under
his feet they saw a paved work of pure gold in color like amber. His
eyes were as a flame of fire, the hair of His head was white like the
pure snow, His countenance shone above the brightness of the sun, and
His voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the
voice of Jehovah, saying:

    I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was
    slain, I am your advocate with the Father;

    Behold, your sins are forgiven you, you are clean before me,
    therefore lift up your heads and rejoice.

    Let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the hearts of all
    my people rejoice, who have with their might built this house to my
    name.

    For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here,
    and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house;

    Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine
    own voice, if my people will keep my commandments, and do not
    pollute this holy house.

    Yea, the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly
    rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out,
    and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this
    house;

    And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands, and this
    is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured out upon the
    heads of my people. Even so. Amen.

This vision closed, and then the heavens were again opened. Moses
appeared and committed unto them the keys of the gathering of Israel.
After this came Elias, who gave to them the dispensation of the gospel
of Abraham. When this vision had closed, Elijah, the prophet who was
taken to heaven without tasting death, appeared unto them, testifying
that the time had fully come which was spoken of by the mouth of
Malachi concerning the coming of Elijah--before the great and dreadful
day of the Lord--to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and
the children to the fathers, lest the earth should be smitten with a
curse.

During several weeks following the dedication of the temple the
Prophet and his associates were constantly engaged in measures for
the spiritual advancement of the people and with the building up of
Kirtland. A comforting thing came to Joseph at that time. It was in
the month of May, 1836, when his uncles Asael and Silas Smith arrived
in Kirtland with their families, bringing with them the Prophet's
grandmother, Mary Smith. This noble woman was ninety-three years of
age; she was the widow of Asael Smith, who had prophesied concerning
the coming forth of Joseph and who had lived to accept the Book of
Mormon. The aged Mary had traveled five hundred miles to see her
grandson, the Prophet. For ten days all her relatives in Kirtland
enjoyed the pleasure of her presence, and then she gently fell asleep
in death.

On the 25th day of July, 1836, the Prophet departed with his brother
Hyrum, Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery, on a mission to the
Eastern states. He labored diligently in the vicinity of Salem in
Massachusetts, and while there received a revelation in which the Lord
declared that many people from that part would in His due time be
gathered out to journey to Zion.

Joseph returned to Kirtland in the month of September.



CHAPTER XXXIII.

CLAY COUNTY SORROWFULLY BIDS THE SAINTS TO MIGRATE INTO THE
WILDERNESS--JOSEPH SENDS A DIGNIFIED LETTER TO THE CITIZENS--
CONTINUANCE OF MOB AUTOCRACY IN JACKSON--DUNKLIN'S HELPLESSNESS--THE
SAINTS FORM THE NEW COUNTY OF CALDWELL AND LAY OUT FAR WEST.

    They were eastern men, whose manners, habits, customs, and
    even dialect, are essentially different from our own. They are
    non-slaveholders, and opposed to slavery, which in this peculiar
    period, when Abolitionism has reared its deformed and haggard
    visage in our land, is well calculated to excite deep and abiding
    prejudices in any community where slavery is tolerated and
    protected.

This was the complaint raised against the Saints in Clay County on
the 29th day of June, 1836, by a mass meeting of leading citizens who
assembled at Liberty.

It will be remembered that when the mob had accomplished its awful
work in Jackson County, the persecuted Saints had sought and found a
temporary refuge in Clay. During all the intervening time of nearly
three years, constant efforts had been made to secure a restoration of
the Saints to their lawful possessions at Independence and vicinity;
but all in vain, for the mob power triumphed over law, and murderous
rapine still trampled upon law and justice.

Clay County had been the only one to show any available hospitality
toward the plundered ones. But now the time had come when a feeling of
self-preservation, as they called it, prompted the citizens of even
this charitable region to send the Saints forth to renewed wandering.

The measures adopted were not intentionally cruel; it is pitiable even
at this hour to read the resolutions of the mass meeting which decreed
this exile; they show that the men who forced them were sinning against
their own sense of justice, but for the sake of their own families and
property.

At the meeting at Liberty, John Bird was chosen chairman, and John F.
Doherty secretary. The recorded minutes of that assemblage state that
the reasons given in the opening of this chapter, with other similar
causes, "have raised a feeling of hostility" against the Saints "that
the first spark might ignite into all the horrors and desolations of a
civil war, the worst evil that could befall any country."

Continuing, the document says:

    We therefore feel it our duty to come forward, as mediators, and
    use every means in our power to prevent the occurrence of so great
    an evil. As the most efficacious means to arrest the evil, we urge
    on the Mormons to use every means to put an immediate stop to the
    emigration of their people to this country. We earnestly urge them
    to seek some other abiding place, where the manners, the habits and
    customs of the people will be more consonant with their own.

    For this purpose we would advise them to explore the territory of
    Wisconsin. This country is peculiarly suited to their condition and
    to their wants. It is almost entirely unsettled; they can procure
    large bodies of land together, where there are no settlements, and
    none to interfere with them. It is a territory in which slavery
    is prohibited, and it is settled entirely with emigrants from the
    north and east.

    The religious tenets of this people are so different from the
    present churches of the age, that they always have, and always will
    excite deep prejudices against them in any populous country where
    they may locate. We, therefore, in a spirit of frank and friendly
    kindness, do advise them to seek a home where they may obtain large
    and separate bodies of land, and have a community of their own. We
    further say to them, if they regard their own safety and welfare,
    if they regard the welfare of their families, their wives and
    children, they will ponder with deep and solemn reflection on this
    friendly admonition.

    If they have one spark of gratitude, they will not willingly plunge
    a people into civil war, who held out to them the friendly hand of
    assistance in that hour of dark distress, when there were few to
    say, God save them. We can only say to them, if they still persist
    in the blind course they have heretofore followed in flooding the
    country with their people, that we fear and firmly believe that an
    immediate civil war is the inevitable consequence. We know that
    there is not one among us who thirsts for the blood of that people.

    _We do not contend that we have the least right, under the
    Constitution and laws of the country, to expel them by force_. But
    we would indeed be blind, if we did not foresee that the first blow
    that is struck, at this moment of deep excitement, must and will
    speedily involve every individual in a war, bearing ruin, woe and
    desolation in its course. It matters but little how, where, or by
    whom, the war may begin, when the work of destruction commences, we
    must all be borne onward by the storm, or crushed beneath its fury.
    In a civil war, when our home is the theatre on which it is fought,
    there can be no neutrals; let our opinions be what they may, we
    must fight in self-defense.

    We want nothing, we ask nothing, we would have nothing from this
    people, we only ask them, for their own safety, and for ours, to
    take the least of two evils. Most of them are destitute of land,
    have but little property, are late emigrants to this country,
    without relations, friends, or endearing ties, to bind them to
    this land. At the risk of such imminent peril to them and to us,
    we request them to leave us, when their crops are gathered, their
    business settled, and they have made every suitable preparation to
    remove. Those who have forty acres of land, we are willing should
    remain until they can dispose of it without loss, if it should
    require years. But we urge, most strongly urge, that emigration
    cease, and cease immediately, as nothing else can or will allay for
    a moment, the deep excitement that is now unhappily agitating this
    community.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

    That if the Mormons agree to these propositions, we will use every
    means in our power to allay the excitement among our own citizens,
    and to get them to await the result of these things.

    That it is the opinion of this meeting that the recent emigration
    among the Mormons should take measures to leave this county
    immediately, as they have no crops on hand, and nothing to lose by
    continuing their journey to some more friendly land.

This paper had the unanimous support of the meeting, and when this
decree, mingling the sorrow of humane men with the cruel necessity of
what seemed self-preservation, was entered, the meeting adjourned for
three days. In the meantime a committee named in the resolution was to
confer with the leaders of the Saints and obtain their reply.

When the Prophet heard of this new mandate of banishment he was on
the eve of starting from Kirtland upon his journey to the east; but
before going he forwarded a letter signed by himself, his counselors,
his brother Hyrum, and Oliver Cowdery, to the committee of citizens at
Liberty entrusted with the promulgation of the order of exile, in which
letter the following passages occur:

    Under existing circumstances, while rumor is afloat with her
    accustomed cunning, and while public opinion is fast setting,
    like a flood-tide against the members of said Church, we cannot
    but admire the candor with which your preamble and resolutions
    were clothed, as presented to the meeting of the citizens of Clay
    County, on the 29th of June last. Though, as you expressed in your
    report to said meeting--"We do not contend that we have the least
    right, under the constitution and laws of the country, to expel
    them by force,"--yet communities may be, at times, unexpectedly
    thrown into a situation, when wisdom, prudence, and that first item
    in nature's law, self-defense, would dictate that the responsible
    and influential part should step forward and guide the public
    mind in a course to save difficulty, preserve rights, and spare
    the innocent blood from staining that soil so dearly purchased
    with the fortunes and lives of our fathers. And as you have come
    forward as "mediators," to prevent the effusion of blood, and save
    disasters consequent upon civil war, we take this opportunity to
    present to you, though strangers, and through you, if you wish,
    to the people of Clay County, our heartfelt gratitude for every
    kindness rendered our friends in affliction, when driven from their
    peaceful homes, and to yourselves, also, for the prudent course in
    the present excited state of your community. But, in doing this,
    justice to ourselves, as communicants of that Church to which our
    friends belong, and duty towards them as acquaintances and former
    fellow citizens, require us to say something to exonerate them from
    the foul charges brought against them, to deprive them of their
    constitutional privileges, and drive them from the face of society:

    They have been charged in consequence of the whims and vain notions
    of some few uninformed, with claiming that upper country, and that
    ere long they were to possess it, at all hazards, and in defiance
    of all consequences. This is unjust and far from a foundation in
    truth. A thing not expected, not looked for, not desired by this
    society, as a people, and where the idea could have originated is
    unknown to us. We do not, neither did we ever insinuate a thing of
    this kind, or hear it from the leading men of the society, now in
    your country. There is nothing in our religious faith to warrant
    it, but on the contrary, the most strict injunctions to live in
    obedience to the laws, and follow peace with all men. And we doubt
    not, but a recurrence to the Jackson County difficulties, with our
    friends, will fully satisfy you, that at least, heretofore, such
    has been the course followed by them. That instead of fighting for
    their own rights, they have sacrificed them for a season, to wait
    the redress guaranteed in the law, and so anxiously looked for at a
    time distant from this. We have been, and are still, clearly under
    the conviction, that had our friends been disposed, they might have
    maintained their possessions in Jackson County. They might have
    resorted to the same barbarous means with their neighbors, throwing
    down dwellings, threatening lives, driving innocent women and
    children from their homes, and thereby have annoyed their enemies
    equally, at least--but this to their credit, and which must ever
    remain upon the pages of time, to their honor--they did not. They
    had possessions, they had homes, they had sacred rights, and more
    still, they had helpless, harmless innocence, with an approving
    conscience that they had violated no law of their country or their
    God, to urge them forward--but, to show to all that they were
    willing to forego these for the peace of their country, they tamely
    submitted, and have since been wanderers among strangers (though
    hospitable) without homes. We think these sufficient reasons to
    show to your patriotic minds, that our friends, instead of having
    a wish to expel a community by force of arms, would suffer their
    rights to be taken from them before shedding blood.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

    Another charge of great magnitude is brought against our friends in
    the west--of "keeping up a constant communication with the Indian
    tribes on our frontier, with declaring, even from the pulpit, that
    the Indians are a part of God's chosen people, and are destined,
    by heaven, to inherit this land, in common with themselves." We
    know of nothing, under the present aspect of our Indian relations,
    calculated to rouse the fears of the people of the upper Missouri,
    more than a combination or influence of this nature; and we cannot
    look upon it other than one of the most subtle purposes of those
    whose feelings are embittered against our friends, to turn the eye
    of suspicion upon them from every man who is acquainted with the
    barbarous cruelty of rude savages. Since a rumor was afloat that
    the western Indians were showing signs of war, we have received
    frequent private letters from our friends, who have not only
    expressed fears for their own safety, in case the Indians should
    break out, but a decided determination to be among the first to
    repel any invasion, and defend the frontier from all hostilities.
    We mention the last fact, because it was wholly uncalled for on our
    part, and came previous to any excitement on the part of the people
    of Clay County, against our friends, and must definitely show, that
    this charge is also untrue.

    Another charge against our friends, and one that is urged as a
    reason why they must immediately leave the county of Clay, is, that
    they are making or are likely to make, the same "their permanent
    home, the center and general rendezvous of their people." We have
    never understood such to be the purpose, wish or design of this
    society; but on the contrary, have ever supposed, that those who
    ever resided in Clay County, only designed it as a temporary
    residence, until the law and authority of our country should put
    them in the quiet possession of their homes in Jackson County; and
    such as had not possessions there, could purchase to the entire
    satisfaction and interest of the people of Jackson County.

    Having partially mentioned the leading objections urged against
    our friends, we would here add, that it has not been done with
    a view on our part, to dissuade you from acting in strict
    conformity with your preamble and resolutions, offered to the
    people of Clay County, on the 29th ult., but from a sense of
    duty to a people embarrassed, persecuted and afflicted. For you
    are aware, gentlemen, that in times of excitement, virtues are
    transformed into vices, acts, which in other cases and under
    other circumstances, would be considered upright and honorable,
    interpreted contrary from their real intent, are made objectionable
    and criminal; and from whom could we look for forbearance and
    compassion with confidence and assurance, more than from those
    whose bosoms are warmed with those pure principles of patriotism
    with which you have been guided in the present instance, to secure
    the peace of your county, and save a persecuted people from further
    violence and destruction?

    It is said that our friends are poor; that they have but little
    or nothing to bind their feelings or wishes to Clay County, and
    that in consequence, have a less claim upon that county. We do not
    deny the fact, that our friends are poor; but their persecutions
    have helped to render them so. While other men were peacefully
    following their avocations, and extending their interest, they
    have been deprived of the right of citizenship, prevented from
    enjoying their own, charged with violating the sacred principles
    of our constitution and laws; made to feel the keenest aspersions
    of the tongue of slander, waded through all but death, and are now
    suffering under calumnies calculated to excite the indignation and
    hatred of every people among whom they may dwell, thereby exposing
    them to destruction and inevitable ruin!

    If a people, a community, or a society can accumulate wealth,
    increase in worldly fortune, improve in science and arts, rise to
    eminence in the eyes of the public, surmount these difficulties,
    so much as to bid defiance to poverty and wretchedness, it must
    be a new creation, a race of beings superhuman. But in all their
    poverty and want, we have yet to learn, for the first time, that
    our friends are not industrious and temperate, and wherein they
    have not always been the last to retaliate or resent an injury,
    and the first to overlook and forgive. We do not urge that there
    are not exceptions to be found: all communities, all societies
    and associations, are cumbered with disorderly and less virtuous
    members--members who violate in a greater or less degree the
    principles of the same. But this can be no just criterion by which
    to judge a whole society. And further still, where a people are
    laboring under constant fear of being dispossessed very little
    inducement is held out to excite them to be industrious.

    We think, gentlemen, that we have pursued this subject far enough,
    and we here express to you, as we have in a letter accompanying
    this, to our friends, our decided disapprobation to the idea of
    shedding blood, if any other course can be followed to avoid it;
    in which case, and which alone, we have urged upon our friends to
    resist only in extreme cases of self-defense; and in this case
    not to give the offense or provoke their fellow-men to acts of
    violence,--which we have no doubt they will observe, as they ever
    have. For you may rest assured, gentlemen, that we would be the
    last to advise our friends to shed the blood of men, or commit one
    act to endanger the public peace.

    We have no doubt but our friends will leave your county, sooner or
    later,--they have not only signified the same to us, but we have
    advised them so to do, as fast as they can without incurring too
    much loss. It may be said that they have but little to lose if they
    lose the whole. But if they have but little, that little is their
    all, and the imperious demands of the helpless, urge them to make
    a prudent disposal of the same. And we are highly pleased with a
    proposition in your preamble, suffering them to remain peaceably
    till a disposition can be made of their land, etc., which if
    suffered, our fears are at once hushed, and we have every reason
    to believe, that during the remaining part of the residence of
    our friends in your county, the same feelings of friendship and
    kindness will continue to exist, that have heretofore, and that
    when they leave you, you will have no reflection of sorrow to cast,
    that they have been sojourners among you.

    To what distance or place they will remove, we are unable to say:
    in this they must be dictated with judgment and prudence. They
    may explore the territory of Wisconsin--they may remove there, or
    they may stop on the other side--of this we are unable to say; but
    be they where they will, we have this gratifying reflection, that
    they have never been the first, in an unjust manner, to violate the
    laws, injure their fellow-men, or disturb the tranquility and peace
    under which any part of our country has heretofore reposed. And we
    cannot but believe, that ere long the public mind must undergo a
    change, when it will appear to the satisfaction of all that this
    people have been illy treated and abused without cause, and when,
    as justice would demand, those who have been the instigators of
    their sufferings will be regarded as their true characters demand.

    Though our religious principles are before the world, ready
    for the investigation of all men, yet we are aware that the
    sole foundation of all the persecution against our friends, has
    arisen in consequence of the calumnies and misconstructions,
    without foundation in truth, or righteousness, in common with
    all other religious societies, at their first commencement; and
    should Providence order that we rise not as others before us, to
    respectability and esteem, but be trodden down by the ruthless
    hand of extermination, posterity will do us the justice, when our
    persecutors are equally low in the dust, with ourselves, to hand
    down to succeeding generations, the virtuous acts and forbearance
    of a people, who sacrificed their reputation for their religion,
    and their earthly fortunes and happiness to preserve peace, and
    save this land from being further drenched in blood.

    We have no doubt but your very seasonable mediation, in the time
    of so great an excitement, will accomplish your most sanguine
    desire, in preventing further disorder; and we hope, gentlemen,
    that while you reflect upon the fact, that the citizens of Clay
    County are urgent for our friends to leave you, that you will also
    bear in mind, that by their complying with your request to leave,
    they surrender some of their dearest rights and among the first of
    those inherent principles guaranteed in the constitution of our
    country; and that human nature can be driven to a certain extent,
    when it will yield no farther. Therefore while our friends suffer
    so much, and forego so many sacred rights, we sincerely hope, and
    we have every reason to expect, that a suitable forbearance may
    be shown by the people of Clay, which if done, the cloud that has
    been obscuring your horizon, will disperse, and you will be left to
    enjoy peace, harmony and prosperity.

Nothing could be more admirable than the candor and gentleness of this
letter. While Joseph's heart was bleeding for his injured brethren in
the west, his sense of justice was so exalted that he could recognize
every honest purpose among the men who felt forced to make the edict of
expatriation. The Prophet also sent a letter of comfort to the Elders
in Clay, counseling peace and yet advising the protection at any cost
of wives and little children.

No delay had been granted in which to receive such communication
from Kirtland, and the leading brethren in Clay assembled on July 1,
1835, the second day following the mass meeting, and considered the
proposition. William W. Phelps was chairman, and John Corrill was
secretary. A committee consisting of twelve--E. Partridge, I. Morley,
L. Wight, T. B. Marsh, E. Higbee, C. Beebee, I. Hitchcock, I. Higbee,
S. Bent, T. Billings, J. Emmett and R. Evans--was appointed to report a
preamble with resolutions. These were presented and unanimously adopted
as follows:

    That we (the "Mormons" so called) are grateful for the kindness
    which has been shown to us by the citizens of Clay, since we have
    resided with them, and being desirous for peace and wishing the
    good rather than the ill will of mankind, will use all honorable
    means to allay the excitement, and, so far as we can, remove any
    foundations for jealousies against us as a people. We are aware
    that many rumors prejudicial to us as a society are afloat, and
    time only can prove their falsity to the world at large. We deny
    having claim to this or any other county or country further than we
    purchase with money, or more than the constitution and laws allow
    us as free American citizens. We have taken no part for or against
    slavery, but are opposed to the abolitionists, and consider that
    men have a right to hold slaves or not according to law. We believe
    it just to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth, and warn
    the righteous to save themselves from the corruptions of the world;
    but we do not believe it right to interfere with bondservants, nor
    preach the gospel to, nor meddle with, or influence them in the
    least to cause them to be dissatisfied with their situation in
    life, thereby jeopardizing the lives of men. Such interference we
    believe to be unlawful and unjust, and dangerous to the peace of
    every government allowing human beings to be held in servitude. We
    deny holding any communications with the Indians, and mean to hold
    ourselves as ready to defend our country against their barbarous
    ravages as any other people. We believe that all men are bound
    to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they
    reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights
    by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion
    are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished
    accordingly. It is needless to enter into a further detail of our
    faith or mention our sufferings:--

    _Therefore Resolved_, For the sake of friendship, and to be in
    a covenant of peace with the citizens of Clay County, and the
    citizens of Clay County to be in a covenant of peace with us,
    notwithstanding the necessary loss of property and expense we incur
    in moving, we comply with the requisitions of their resolutions
    in leaving the county of Clay, as explained by the preamble
    accompanying the same; and that we will use our exertions to have
    the Church do the same; and that we will also exert ourselves to
    stop the tide of emigration of our people to this county.

    _Resolved_, That we accept of the friendly offer verbally tendered
    to us by the committee yesterday, to assist us in selecting a
    location and removing to it.

The dread decree was met and accepted. The Saints were fully alive to
the kindness of the people of Clay and were willing to sacrifice what
little comforts they had been able to accumulate since their banishment
from Jackson and to take up their sick and their helpless ones and
journey--but whither? Nobly did they repay the charity which had been
extended to them. If their presence was a menace to the well-being of
men who had in the hour of affliction offered the hand of help, they
would brave death in the wilderness rather than have it so any longer.
It was an awful hour, but the alternative was exile or dishonor to
their pledge. Let their choice speak for them throughout all the ages.

A home in civilization was denied to these afflicted Saints. The
old mob organization in Jackson was still maintained. Only a few
weeks previous to this time a committee of officials in Jackson had
formulated recommendations to their fellow-ruffians in case the Saints
should attempt to come back to form a new settlement or to repossess
their own property. The chief executive of the state, Daniel Dunklin,
under date of July 18th, made a miserable confession of his utter
inability to help or protect them. And the settled counties adjoining
Clay had already refused to permit them to live and labor within their
borders.

But when the citizens of Clay witnessed the nobility of the
long-suffering Saints, they adopted a resolution urging the keeping of
"the peace towards the Mormons as good faith, justice, morality and
religion require." Committees were appointed by these citizens to aid
the people in their removal. And before adjourning, the meeting adopted
the following resolution:

    That this meeting recommend the Mormons to the good treatment of
    the citizens of the adjoining counties. We also recommend the
    inhabitants of the neighboring counties to assist the Mormons in
    selecting some abiding place for their people, where they will be
    in a measure the only occupants and where none will be anxious to
    molest them.

In less than three months the Saints began their work of removal from
Clay County into the wilderness. They had few of the facilities for
extensive travel or for the establishment of comfortable settlements.
To the north and east of Clay was Ray County, the upper part of which
was almost entirely unoccupied. But seven men lived there, and these
were bee-hunters who, having exhausted the honey of that region,
were about to desert the place. The timber was poor and the land
unattractive to ordinary settlers. Into this place, known as the Shoal
Creek region, the Saints journeyed. They bought out the few possessions
of the bee-hunters and began to make homes. The natural poverty of the
county rendered it for a time a place of safe refuge. But it was then,
as it has been since, the case, that the Latter-day Saints are left
in undisputed possession of a desert or a wilderness, until they have
redeemed it from physical chaos and made it a delightful habitation
for man--then their expulsion or oppression begins. Their industry and
thrift are a temptation to the idle and dissolute.

With the simple hope of enjoying the life, liberty, and religious
freedom guaranteed by the constitution, the Saints immigrated into
northern Ray in considerable numbers. In December, 1836, they
petitioned the legislature of the state of Missouri to incorporate the
Shoal Creek region and surrounding lands, which were almost entirely
unoccupied except by them, as a new county. The prayer was granted in
that month, and the county was organized under the name of Caldwell.
The city of Far West was laid out during the winter, and in the spring
of 1837 preparations were made for the erection of a house of the Lord
in that place.



CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE FIRST SERIOUS APOSTASY AND THE FIRST GREAT MISSIONARY MOVEMENT--
DISSENSIONS AT KIRTLAND, AND SUCCESSFUL LABORS IN ENGLAND--JOSEPH MEETS
JOHN TAYLOR IN CANADA--TRIALS AND MURDEROUS MOBS AT PAINESVILLE--THE
PROPHET WADES THROUGH SWAMPS IN THE NIGHT, CARRYING SIDNEY UPON HIS
BACK.

    I say unto all the Twelve, Arise and gird up your loins, take up
    your cross, follow me, and feed my sheep.

    Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant Joseph, for
    verily I say unto you, I am with him, and my hand shall be over
    him; and the keys which I have given unto him, and also to youward,
    shall not be taken from him till I come.

*     *     *     *     *

    Wherefore, whithersoever they (the First Presidency) shall send
    you, go ye, and I will be with you.

This was a commandment given through Joseph Smith unto Thomas B. Marsh,
at Kirtland, on the 23rd day of July, 1837, concerning the Twelve
Apostles of the Lamb. It was necessary; for pride and disunion and
the ambitions of the world were doing their work among some of their
number, and they would heed neither the counsels of Joseph nor the
direct behest of the Almighty.

Not for many generations had men been favored of the Lord as they
had been. They had received heavenly manifestations sufficient, one
would think, to keep them from ever turning away from the truth. But
after receiving these glorious evidences of divine favor, like their
master, Jesus, they were "tempted of the devil;" yet not like their
Lord, some of these men yielded to temptation and fell from their high
estate. They did not resist the allurements of Satan. The desire for
the glory of the world, the wealth of the world, the vain things of
the world, overcame them. A mania to speculate, to make money, became
almost universally prevalent. It was a general tendency in the United
States, and especially in the west, at the time of which we write.
Forgetting the visions of eternity they had beheld; forgetting the
holy anointing they had received; forgetting their high callings and
their dedication to the ministry of the Son of God, leading men became
real estate dealers, merchants, organizers of "wildcat" schemes, and
eventually deadly enemies of the work of God and of him whom He had
chosen as His Prophet. Simultaneously with this spirit of speculation,
came the spirit of apostasy and rebellion against the authority of
heaven. So rife did this spirit become that those who rebelled were
applauded, and even men were glad to find excuse in the example of the
Twelve and other leading men for their own wrong-doing. The few of the
Apostles who were willing to fulfill the requirements of the gospel in
all things were ridiculed and every effort was made to dissuade them
from the course they were pursuing. Jealousy and hatred of the Prophet
cropped out on every hand. Those who disobeyed were called wise by all
the disaffected spirits; and those who made every required sacrifice
in humility were called foolish. But the generation had not passed
away before the Lord repaid according to His promise. The men who had
exalted themselves were abased into nothingness; while those who had
bowed their heads in humility were exalted. Today the names of the
proud and the vain of that time are almost forgotten; while the names
of the Apostles who endured all things faithfully are held in most
solemn and sacred remembrance by the congregation of Israel.

It was a time of great trial. In the winter of 1836-7 preparations
had been made to establish a bank to be known as the Kirtland Safety
Society--an institution wisely designed to ameliorate the financial
condition of the community. The society was established; but the
Prophet's plan for its usefulness and the general prosperity failed
through the envy and covetousness of some of the leading men. The
sorrow which this brought to Joseph cannot be described. He had labored
and advised with no other object than the general benefit, carrying
upon his own shoulders a greater burden than was imposed upon anyone
else. He had not sought self-aggrandizement, nor would he willingly
permit the avarice of other men to gain advantage over the community's
welfare.

He took part in every labor; and had assumed personally a large share
of the work and care of the printing office, which was at that time a
great responsibility and expense.

So many evil surmisings, so much disunion and apostasy followed in
quick succession the spirit of speculation to which reference has been
made, that the Prophet was led to exclaim:

    It seemed as though all the powers of earth and hell were combining
    their influence to overthrow the Church.

The integrity of all was tested. Instances of fidelity to the Prophet
were not wanting, especially among the meek and humble, and when the
Prophet met with these their presence and words brought solace and
encouragement to his wounded spirit. Among the prominent men defection
was too general. Several of them yielded to a spirit of murmuring and
fault-finding who afterwards bitterly repented of their unstable and
weak conduct and lack of integrity and courage. The feeling which
Joseph had during these sorrowful days is illustrated by remarks which
he made to Elder Wilford Woodruff, when the latter called upon him in
the spring of 1837, on the eve of his departure on a mission to Fox
Islands. At that time Elder Woodruff was one of the first seventy.
The Prophet scrutinized him very closely, as though he would read his
inmost thoughts, and remarked: "Brother Woodruff, I am glad to see you;
I hardly know, when I meet those who have been my brethren in the Lord,
who of them are my friends, they have become so scarce."

When Elder Woodruff reported to Sidney Rigdon, who was then the
Prophet's first counselor, how strongly he was impressed to carry the
gospel to Fox Islands, to a people who, he felt, were ready to receive
it, Sidney said: "That is right; I wish you would go; for if you do,
some of the devils who are now here in Kirtland will follow you, as
they will every faithful man who goes out into the vineyard."

The enemies of the cause abroad were united with the spirits of
dissension at Kirtland, to produce disaffection against the Prophet
himself and to attribute to him those evils which were solely caused by
disobedience to his counsel and the command of God expressed through
him. As we have seen, some of the Twelve were so far blinded that they
joined secretly with the enemy; but there was not a quorum in the
Church that was entirely exempt from the evil influence.

Joseph was stricken with illness in June, 1837. And while he was
wrestling with the adversary to overcome the physical affliction, the
doubting members of the Church were taught by apostates that his woes
had been sent upon him because of his transgressions. When the Prophet
was once more restored through prayer and the blessing of the Almighty
to his condition of health and power, he humbly said of his enemies:

    The Lord judge betwixt me and them, while I pray my Father to
    forgive them the wrong.

While Satan was spreading this spirit of dissension through Kirtland,
the Lord was directing to Joseph the magnificent missionary movement
to the old world. About the first day of June, 1837, that devoted and
ever-constant Apostle Heber C. Kimball was set apart by the spirit of
prophecy and revelation to preside over a mission to England--the first
in that dispensation. With him were associated Apostle Orson Hyde and
Elders Willard Richards and Joseph Fielding; and when they reached New
York they were joined by three brethren from Canada, John Goodson,
Isaac Russell and John Snyder. They sailed from the United States
on the 1st day of July, 1837, on the ship _Garrick_, and landed in
Liverpool on the 20th day of that same month.

This was the commencement of a glorious work, which has brought the
honest-in-heart by tens of thousands from foreign lands, and which yet
continues and must continue until the elect shall be gathered and the
judgments of God are poured out upon the nations. Though this was the
first missionary work of the Church performed in another hemisphere,
self-denying brethren had up to this time been diligent in laboring in
Canada, in the states and among the Indians on the border, that the
people of this continent might have an opportunity to hear and obey.

It was a glorious overcoming of the evil which menaced the Church at
that hour. Drawing strength and means from abroad to the cause, the
missionary movement also opened a glorious opportunity for Elders in
Zion to forsake speculations, vanities, dissensions, and to prove their
faith by their devoted efforts for the salvation of their fellow-men.

Apostles Kimball and Hyde, and Elder Richards and companions landed on
this foreign shore absolutely moneyless. They did not have so much as a
cent or a farthing, but they were not dismayed. The Prophet of God had
pronounced upon their heads blessings which they knew could not fail.
Immediately after landing at Liverpool they advanced to Preston, thirty
miles distant. When they alighted from the coach they found unfurled
above their heads a large flag bearing this inscription in letters of
gold:

"TRUTH WILL PREVAIL."

The banner was floating in compliment to Queen Victoria who had but
recently ascended the throne after the death of King William IV; but it
was accepted as a promise and a good omen by the Elders, and they were
not disappointed.

Elder Joseph Fielding had a brother who resided at Preston, and with
whom he and his sisters, one of whom afterwards became the wife of
President Hyrum Smith, and the mother of his son, Joseph F. Smith,
had corresponded. He was a minister of religion, and was styled Rev.
James Fielding. Three days after the Elders landed in England they
preached in Mr. Fielding's church, at Preston, and seven days later
they baptized nine persons in the River Ribble near that place. The
continuation of their work was marked by a noble zeal on their own part
and a prosperity under the divine assistance almost without parallel.

The hatred against the Prophet took violent form at this time. Every
possible effort was made by apostates and mobocrats to harass and
injure him. On the 27th day of July, 1837, he departed from Kirtland
with Elders Brigham Young, Albert P. Rockwood, Sidney Rigdon and Thomas
B. Marsh for the purpose of performing a mission among the Saints in
Canada. A considerable work was being done there, and the Prophet
desired to give personal counsel and assistance to the Saints. But when
they reached Painesville, a few miles from Kirtland, writs in civil
action and warrants of arrest were served upon Joseph for the purpose
of detaining him. These suits were vexatious and without any foundation
in law or justice. Their purpose was stated by Sheriff Kimball, the man
who served the papers upon the Prophet, to Elder Anson Call as follows:

    We don't want your Prophet to leave Kirtland, and he shan't leave.

Two or three times during that day the civil suits against him were
dismissed, and he was discharged from the criminal warrants, their
trumped-up character being evident. But this was only to make a show
of justice; for the sheriff went after the Prophet as he was leaving
Painesville, sprang into his carriage and served another writ upon
him. Though this case was manifestly unjust as the others, he was
held to bail in the sum of $700--quite a large amount in those days,
considering the poverty of the people and the petty nature of the
suit. It was decided by the court that no one who lived in Kirtland
should be accepted as sureties upon the bonds. This order was made for
no other purpose than to prevent the giving of bail, as it was hoped
that Joseph could not secure it elsewhere and that his person would
remain in the hands of his enemies. It was Anson Call, then living at
Madison, who gave the necessary security for the Prophet's liberation,
thereby permitting him to return to Kirtland. Some weeks subsequently,
at the time appointed for the trial, the Prophet appeared in the court
at Painesville; but as no one was there to maintain the charge against
him, the falsifiers having in the meantime become frightened at their
own perjury, he was acquitted.

On the night of July 28th, 1837, which was the day after the arrest at
Painesville, Joseph started again for Canada with the brethren formerly
named. On the afternoon of the 29th of July, having reached Ashtabula,
they took a deck passage on board a steamer for Buffalo. They had very
little money, and their accommodations and fare were of the humblest.
They lay all night on the upper deck of the boat with their clothes on
and with their valises for pillows. Despite the tribulations through
which he had just passed and despite the rudeness of his couch, the
Prophet slept serenely and restfully. When they reached Buffalo the
party separated, Elders Brigham Young and Albert P. Rockwood going to
the Eastern States, and Joseph--with Elders Rigdon and Marsh--departing
for Upper Canada.

During the month of August, 1837, Joseph traveled among the branches of
the Church in Canada, ministering counsel and comfort to the Saints. At
Toronto he met John Taylor, who had been baptized by Parley P. Pratt,
and who was then the president over the Church in Canada. The Prophet
and the future President had a time of rejoicing together. Joseph
was deeply impressed by the character of John Taylor. The latter had
been a preacher in the Methodist church at Toronto, and had in that
organization taken rank as a religious reformer. He declared apostolic
doctrines before he ever saw one of the Latter-day Saints, and had been
brought to trial before a ministerial body for his heretical sermons.
With the inspiration that was upon him he had refused to recant,
although his courageous act brought ostracism upon himself and family.
It was this brave and scholarly man who welcomed Joseph and labored
with him in Canada. It was this same hero who, after seven years of
trial--during which he never flinched--was with his beloved Prophet
at the martyrdom in Carthage jail. Joseph's association with John
Taylor, as with other leading men in the Church, shows how the Lord
was directing the footsteps of His future Apostles and Seers of that
generation, that they should come into communication and into living
and loving companionship with the founder of the Church.

When the Prophet returned from Canada he secured a horse and wagon at
the city of Buffalo, with which to make the journey to Kirtland. Sidney
was with him, and they traveled to Painesville without molestation;
but while there, eating supper at the house of a Mr. Bissel who had
been the Prophet's advocate in the former law suits, a mob surrounded
the house and yelled for Joseph's blood. Bissel knew that he himself
might be a sufferer, but he was determined that murder should not be
committed upon an unoffending man if he could prevent it. While the
rabble was congregating in groups around the house, he led Joseph and
Sidney quietly through the back door, and under cover of night they
slipped between the assassin crowds and escaped. Scarcely were they
gone when the mob discovered the fact and, mounting horses, pushed out
upon the Mentor road. They posted sentinels and lighted bonfires all
along this track, which they expected the Prophet and his companion
would travel to get into Kirtland. But Joseph took to the fields.
Sidney was weakened and almost helpless with illness and fear. Many
swamps lay in their way; and Joseph waded through these and carried
Sidney upon his back. He kept away from the road far enough to be
secure in the darkness, while the fires which had been intended for his
detection really aided him to avoid his blood-thirsty pursuers. After a
toilsome and rapid journey, during which Joseph carried Sidney most of
the way, they reached the end of the Mentor road which intersected with
a highway leading two miles into Kirtland. The mob had not posted their
sentinels or built their fires further than this point; and, being well
past their enemies, Joseph and Sidney were able to take the traveled
road and to continue their journey with less pain and toil. It was
very late on Saturday night when they reached their homes in Kirtland
greatly exhausted. None but their families heard of their arrival
until the next morning, when Joseph appeared at meeting and preached a
powerful sermon to the assembled Saints.

Immediately after this time, on September 3rd, at a conference held
in Kirtland, Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, Sen., Hyrum Smith and John
Smith were sustained as assistant counselors to the First Presidency,
the congregation having declined to sustain Frederick G. Williams
in the position which he held as second counselor to the Prophet.
Objection being also made to three of the Apostles, Luke Johnson,
Lyman E. Johnson and John F. Boynton, they were by the voice of
the Saints shorn of their apostolic rank and were disfellowshiped;
however, as they subsequently made protestation of their repentance,
they were received back into the Church and into their station. But
their humility was either a mere pretense or was very volatile in its
character; because not many weeks elapsed until they were once more
engaged in an effort to ruin the Church and the Prophet.

Thus the first serious apostasy and the first great missionary movement
of the Church started together. How unavailing the falsehoods and lack
of fidelity have been and how glorious the efforts of the servants of
God to spread the light of the gospel through every land, every chapter
of the Church's history from that time to this speaks in eloquent tones.

In the August number of the _Messenger and Advocate_ was published a
prospectus for the _Elders' Journal_ to be edited by the Prophet. In
pursuance of this announcement the publication of the _Messenger and
Advocate_ was suspended with the September number, and in October,
1837, the _Elders' Journal_ was begun; but only two numbers were issued
when, through the destruction of the printing office by fire, in
December, 1837, work of this character was stopped.



CHAPTER XXXV.

JOHN TAYLOR'S BRAVE DEFENSE OF JOSEPH--THE PROPHET ENCOUNTERS THE
SPIRIT OF APOSTASY IN MISSOURI--HYRUM IN THE FIRST PRESIDENCY--BRIGHAM
YOUNG'S COURAGE AND DEVOTION--JOSEPH DRIVEN FROM KIRTLAND--DAVID W.
PATTEN'S PROPHETIC OBJECTION--SAD EXCOMMUNICATIONS--FATE OF PROMINENT
MEN--ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN--THE GATHERING.

After the apostasy became general at Kirtland, those who banded
themselves against the Prophet and the faithful Saints set up a claim
to the ownership of the Temple. Scenes of a turbulent and even violent
character were witnessed in the sacred building. Deadly weapons were
drawn and flourished and lives were threatened by the members of the
apostate party who sought by these means to overawe the peaceful
members of the Church and to accomplish the ends they had in view.

After the visit which the Prophet, Sidney Rigdon and Thomas B. Marsh
made to Canada, Elder John Taylor, with the view of making preparations
to gather with the Saints and to provide a home for himself and
family, repaired to Kirtland. While there he attended services in the
Temple. Fault-finding and accusation were indulged in by leading men
in their remarks, and the Prophet was the target at which their shafts
of censure were aimed. They looked upon him and spoke of him as a
fallen prophet. These attacks aroused all the lion of John Taylor's
nature--and all who ever saw him when strength and courage were
demanded, can remember how grandly he could rise to the occasion and
satisfy every expectation--and he arose and obtained the privilege of
speaking from one of the stands. He was a stranger to the congregation;
they knew not who he was nor whence he came, but the Saints saw in him
a man of God. His fine presence, his courageous demeanor, the plainness
and strength of his reasoning and the power of God which accompanied
his words, made a great impression upon the entire audience. His
address was a masterly exposition of the great truths which God
had inspired Joseph to reveal--truths of which all the learned and
religious world were in entire ignorance until they were brought forth
by Joseph--and a defense of him as a prophet of God. The dissenters
were rebuked and the Saints were strengthened and encouraged and all
felt that a man had appeared upon the scene who would yet be a power
among the Saints. This was President Taylor's first public introduction
to the Saints at the gathering place.

Undaunted by the apostasy, and relying upon the promise of the Lord,
Joseph knew that the work would surely grow and that places must be
appointed for the gathering of the Saints in the last days. To every
human appearance, in the spring and summer of 1837, the Church was in a
state of dissolution; but all who were animated by the spirit of truth
knew that the disunion at Kirtland was but the effort of the adversary,
which, with patience and faithfulness, might be overcome.

In September, Joseph had not yet learned through any earthly
medium of the marvelous work which was to be done abroad among the
honest-in-heart; and yet, on the 27th day of that month, he and Sidney
Rigdon began a journey to the west to visit the Saints in Missouri
and to establish places into which might come converts from every
land. They were accompanied on this journey by Vinson Knight and
William Smith, while Hyrum was already at Far West, laboring with his
accustomed energy and fidelity for the advancement of the gospel and
the well-being of the Saints.

While the Prophet and his companions were on the way, Hyrum's wife
Jerusha died at Kirtland, leaving five little children. Her dying
message was full of faith in the gospel and was a comfort to her absent
husband when he learned it, and it proved that she was worthy to be the
consort of the destined patriarch and martyr.

A little over a month was consumed in the journey to Far West; and
soon after the Prophet's arrival he began to hold meetings for the
settlement of all difficulties which had arisen between the brethren
there, the same evil spirit which had gained such sway in Kirtland
having begun to assert its power in Missouri. On the 7th of November,
1837, a general assembly of the Church was held at Far West, at which
Frederick G. Williams was rejected by the congregation as a counselor
to the President of the Church; and, upon motion of Sidney Rigdon,
Hyrum Smith was elected to fill the vacancy. The local organization was
also perfected, and prayer was offered to God that this place might be
a gathering spot for the Saints.

As it appeared to the Prophet that the regions surrounding Far West,
occupied by other settlers, afforded yet much room, the plat of Far
West was enlarged into the dimensions of a city, and every preparation
was made to afford a refuge to such as might choose to gather to this
new Stake of Zion. It was also decided that the time had not yet come
for the building of a temple at Far West, but that the brethren should
await the commandment of the Lord upon this subject.

About the 10th of November, Joseph left Far West to return to Kirtland,
occupying a month in the journey and reaching his home on the 10th day
of December.

While he had been absent, the spirit of apostasy had gained an
ascendancy with men who had previously begged forgiveness from
the Prophet. Warren Parrish, John F. Boynton, Joseph Coe and
others,--deeming that the absence of the Prophet afforded them an
opportunity--banded themselves together to accomplish the overthrow
of the Church. They renounced the Church of Jesus Christ, renounced
the authority of the Prophet of God, and set up an organization for
themselves. Denouncing Joseph and his faithful supporters as heretics,
they became so violent at any opposition to their falsehoods that they
even sought the lives of their former brethren.

Brigham Young always was one of the truest and most intrepid of men;
and during all these Kirtland troubles he openly and fearlessly
declared to all that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and had neither
transgressed nor fallen from his divinely appointed place. His
unswerving and undaunted attitude, the plainness of his declarations
and the vigor of his defense of Joseph, and his exposure of the schemes
of his enemies, aroused their fury. The apostates could not brook this
boldness of the Apostle Brigham; it interfered with their murderous
designs against Joseph and their hateful purposes against the Church.
Threats and cajolery having alike failed to intimidate or divert him,
they determined to kill him. But he learned of their designs; and
nearly two weeks after the Prophet had returned to Kirtland and was
able to assert his own authority, Brigham Young departed for Missouri
to escape the assassins who ravened for his life at Kirtland.

In the meantime the work abroad progressed gloriously. On Christmas
day, 1837, a conference was held at Preston, at which the reports
showed that already the branch of the Church in England numbered about
one thousand souls.

The letters conveying these happy tidings had not yet reached the
Prophet; and except as hope was inspired in his heart by the Holy
Spirit, he had little comfort through the darkness of that night of
1837, for apostasy and transgression strove hard to rule the weak and
ruin the staunch at Kirtland.

The experience of 1836-7 in the Church demonstrated as never before,
that irrefragable testimonies concerning the divine origin of the
gospel and the prophetic calling of Joseph were not alone sufficient
to keep men faithful. Unflinching firmness and intrepidity were also
indispensable; but preeminent above all other qualities, purity of
life was absolutely essential. The half century which has since
elapsed has abundantly confirmed this. The virtuous, humble men who
possessed steadfastness and faith in the days of trial at Kirtland,
have since grown to prominence among the Saints. The qualities which
they then exhibited have had ample room for exercise in the subsequent
vicissitudes through which the Church has passed. The Lord has tried
and proved them; they have acquired confidence themselves; and the
people have ever looked to them as leaders who could be trusted and
upon whose courage, judgment and integrity they could safely rely.

In this connection it is worthy of remark that the three men who have
succeeded the Prophet Joseph as Presidents of the Church, were all
distinguished during Joseph's lifetime for their love for the truth and
their unswerving affection and loyalty to him as the Prophet of God.
President Brigham Young, probably above all men in Kirtland, displayed
these qualities during the stormy scenes of the last year of his
residence at that place.

President Wilford Woodruff, though not so prominent in those days as
he afterwards became, was expostulated with, coaxed and ridiculed by
some of his old friends, notably Warren Parrish, who had been his
fellow-missionary in the Southern States, for the purpose of inducing
him to join them and turn against the Prophet. But the integrity of the
man was immovable and all their efforts proved unavailing.

With the dawn of the new year confusion and mobocratic power increased,
and on the 12th of January, 1838, Joseph and Sidney were driven from
Kirtland to escape mob violence. Their destination was Far West, and
they were pursued more than two hundred miles by armed enemies seeking
their lives. The weather was intensely severe, and Joseph and his
companion, with their families who had joined them, suffered greatly
in their endeavor to elude the murderous pursuit. Several times the
pursuers crossed the Prophet's track. Twice they entered the houses
where his party had gained a refuge, and once they occupied a room in
the same building with only a partition between them, through which the
Prophet heard their oaths and imprecations concerning him. Thus were
they protected by divine power, else murder would have been done, for
the long and unavailing pursuit had filled these would-be assassins
with a fiendish desire for blood. Owing to the severity of the season
two months were occupied in the journey to Far West, which place
the Prophet and his family reached on the 14th day of March, 1838,
accompanied by Apostle Brigham Young, who had joined him on the way.

His arrival was very timely and necessary. Upon his previous visit
objection had been raised to some of the local authorities and they
were only accepted by the congregation after having made humble
confession of their sins and entered their solemn promise of repentance.

But so soon as the Prophet had turned his back upon Far West to go to
Kirtland, the local presidency had again entered into transgression,
acting selfishly and arbitrarily in the administration of financial
affairs and completely losing the confidence of the body of the people.

While the Prophet had been journeying toward Missouri after escaping
the Kirtland mob in January, 1838, a general assembly of the Saints
in Far West was held on the 5th day of February, at which David
Whitmer, John Whitmer and William W. Phelps were rejected as the local
presidency; and a few days later Thomas B. Marsh and David W. Patten,
of the Twelve, were selected to act as a presidency until the Prophet
should arrive. Oliver Cowdery too had been suspended from his position.
Persisting in unchristianlike conduct, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer
had been excommunicated by the high council in Far West, four days
previous to the arrival of Joseph.

This was the sad situation as the Prophet approached the dwelling place
of the Saints in Missouri. Many of the people went out to meet him, and
at a distance of one hundred and twenty miles from Far West they found
him and tendered him teams and money to help him forward. The joy they
had in his presence arose from an absolute knowledge of his power and
authority as a Prophet of God. They were certain that many of their
difficulties would end with his presence, because he would give the
light of truth by which to guide their footsteps.

On the eighth anniversary of the organization of the Church a
conference was held at Far West under the presidency of Joseph. On this
occasion David W. Patten declared that he could not recommend William
E. McLellin, Luke Johnson and John F. Boynton as members of the Twelve,
and he was also doubtful of William Smith. His objection to these
men was prophetic; all of them lost their standing, disgraced their
calling, forfeited their knowledge of the truth and their promise of
reward hereafter, and sank back into the mire of this world.

At the same conference Brigham Young, David W. Patten and Thomas B.
Marsh were chosen to preside over the Church in Missouri.

On the 12th of April, 1838, Oliver Cowdery was found guilty of
serious wrong-doing for which he had not made repentance, and he
was excommunicated by the high council at Far West. Before the same
tribunal on the day following David Whitmer was charged with persistent
disobedience of the word of wisdom and with unchristianlike conduct,
and he was also cut off. Luke Johnson, Lyman E. Johnson and John F.
Boynton were excommunicated about the same tune, and less than a month
later a similar fate befell William E. McLellin.

It was a sorrowful day for Joseph when he lost the companionship
of these men who had been with him during many trials and who had
participated with him in the glorious understanding of heavenly things.
But they were no longer anything but dead branches, harmful to the
growing tree, and it was necessary for the pruner to lop them off.
Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer were two of the witnesses to the
Book of Mormon, designated by the word of the Almighty to view the
plates and to be ministered unto by the Angel of the Record. Oliver
had stood with Joseph in the Kirtland temple and seen the marvelous
manifestations there. It was sad to see them thus shorn of power and
blessing, but they had demonstrated their unworthiness to hold the
positions which they had filled, and the penalty must fall upon them
that the Church might escape the evil of their sins.

Had Joseph's faith in God and confidence in the mission which the
Creator had entrusted to him been less than it was, he might have
temporized with these men and not dealt with them in so strict and
summary a manner. He was attached to them by many ties. They had been
his aids and companions in days when he most needed help, sustenance
and friendship. Through his ministrations of the gospel, God had
enabled him to abundantly repay them. Still he never could forget their
past associations. They were two of the heaven-selected witnesses who
had testified that God's voice had declared to them that Joseph's
translation of the Book of Mormon had been made by the gift and power
of God. If they should be excommunicated from the Church, suppose
that they, filled with anger thereat, should abandon themselves to
the spirit of evil which so many men, so dealt with, yielded to in
those days; what then? Like others, might they not renounce the truth,
circulate all manner of falsehoods, deny the divinity of the work and
even the solemn testimony which they had borne? These might be the
reflections of an ordinary man under such circumstances; but such
thoughts never troubled this Prophet of God. This Church was not the
Church of man. Jesus Christ, its divine head, had promised He would
take care of, sustain and defend it. However much, then, Joseph's
affection and friendship might be for these men, he owed a paramount
duty to his God to deal with transgressors in His Church according to
the laws which He had given. This duty the Prophet performed without
hesitation, leaving all consequences for the Lord to control.

Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris, the three witnesses of
the divine origin of Joseph's translation of the Book of Mormon, were
all severed from the Church. They became opponents of Joseph Smith and
claimed he had fallen into transgression; but amid all their trials,
temptations and vicissitudes they never hesitated or wavered in regard
to the published testimony which they gave to the world concerning the
Book of Mormon. Each of them to the day of his death, asseverated in
the most solemn manner the truth of his testimony. All three are dead;
but they still live as immutable witnesses of the truth and divinity of
the record known as the Book of Mormon, and by their testimony will the
world yet be judged.

In the sacred records which have come to us there is no mention of any
other man, that was so highly favored as Oliver Cowdery was, falling
from his exalted position and forfeiting his blessings and Priesthood
as he did. What a lesson and warning does his history convey! It is
generally understood by those who knew him in the days of which we
write, that he was guilty of unvirtuous conduct. This came to the
Prophet's knowledge. He warned Oliver of the consequences which would
follow if he did not repent. The warnings were unheeded. The Spirit of
God withdrew itself from him and he fell into darkness; and from being
the second Elder in the Church, he lost his standing as a member and
became an alien to the people of God. For years he remained in this
condition. After the exodus of the Saints from Nauvoo and the city of
Salt Lake had been founded, he arrived at Kanesville, made suitable
acknowledgments in great humility to the Church there and was admitted
to it by baptism under the direction of Elder Orson Hyde. He was
re-ordained to the Melchisedec Priesthood and shortly afterwards died
at Richmond, in the state of Missouri.

Martin Harris also came back penitent to the Church, after being
for years separated from it. He was restored to fellowship and the
Priesthood, and was strong in his testimony for the truth up to his
death, which was at a very advanced age at Smithfield, Cache County,
Utah Territory.

David Whitmer never rejoined the Church; but his testimony concerning
the divine origin of the Book of Mormon was widely circulated through
the newspapers of the country. He died at Richmond, Missouri.

Of the three Apostles who were then excommunicated--Boynton and the two
Johnsons--one only rejoined the Church. Luke Johnson came to Nauvoo at
the time of the exodus and was again admitted to fellowship. He was
one of the company of Pioneers who under the leadership of President
Brigham Young, left Winter Quarters on the Missouri River in 1847, to
find a home for the Latter-day Saints in the great West, and which
resulted in the settling of Great Salt Lake Valley. Luke Johnson was a
member of the Church when he died in Salt Lake City.

President Brigham Young related a conversation himself and some others
of the Twelve Apostles had with Lyman E. Johnson on one occasion in
Nauvoo. It was after the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph. They were
speaking of old times when they were all engaged in the ministry
and when Lyman E. Johnson was a zealous advocate of the truth. The
bitterness he had exhibited in Kirtland had passed away, and he was
softened by the association with his old companions. Speaking of the
heavenly influence and spirit which had accompanied him in his labors
in the ministry, Lyman said, "I would give my right hand to-day if, by
so doing, I could feel once more as I did then."

In the month of April, 1838, the Lord commanded His Saints through
Joseph that the Church in these last days should be called the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also commanded His people to
arise and shine that their light might be a standard for the nations,
and that the gathering to Zion and her stakes might be a refuge from
the storm and from the wrath which shall be poured out upon the whole
earth.

During the spring and early summer of 1838, the Prophet was peacefully
engaged in his labors at Far West and in the regions surrounding. He
established a stake of Zion at Adam-ondi-Ahman in Daviess County,
Missouri, at the spot where Adam had dwelt and where, according to
Daniel the Prophet, the Ancient of Days shall sit. He assisted in the
laying of the corner stones of the house of the Lord at Far West on
the 4th day of July. And during all this time he was busily engaged in
collating data and recording facts relating to Church history, that the
momentous events of the eight years preceding might not be lost to the
coming generations.

On the 8th day of July, John Taylor, John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff
and Willard Richards were appointed by revelation to fill the places
of those who had fallen from the quorum of the Twelve. On the same day
the Lord declared the law of tithing to stand for the guidance of the
faithful forever.

Joseph also labored in the preparation of the _Elders' Journal_, the
publication of which was resumed in July, 1838, at Far West.

Apostles Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde had returned from England,
reaching Kirtland in May, 1838, having left the English mission under
the presidency of Joseph Fielding, with Willard Richards and William
Clayton as his counselors.

On the 10th of March, 1838, the Seventies at Kirtland had decided to
remove their quorum in a camp to the west; and on the 6th day of July
of this year, a large body of the Saints, numbering five hundred and
fifteen souls--including and in charge of the Seventies--departed from
Kirtland for Missouri. Many sufferings were endured by this devoted
band. Their ranks were decimated by disease and persecutions. Some of
them grew faint and faithless and fell by the wayside. But the majority
persevered; and about two hundred of the original number reached
Adam-ondi-Ahman in a body, while many of the others came as speedily as
their circumstances would permit.

From that time on, until the mob once more triumphed and drove them
forth, the gathering of the Saints continued.



CHAPTER XXXVI.

PENISTON AROUSES A MOB--HIS EXCITING SPEECH CAUSES A CRUEL ATTACK
UPON TWELVE UNARMED BRETHREN--ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MOBOCRATS DRIVE
THEM FROM THE POLLS--ADAM BLACK'S PROMISE--FALSE CHARGES AGAINST THE
SAINTS--THE SHERIFF OF DAVIESS COUNTY ARRESTS JOSEPH--BOGGS ORDERS THE
RAISING OF THE MILITIA--THE PROPHET PERCEIVES THE REAL OBJECT OF THIS
ORDER.

In August, 1838, the appalling mob crusade began which resulted finally
in the exile of the Saints from the state of Missouri.

Previous to this time lands had been purchased by some of the brethren
in Daviess County, adjoining Caldwell on the north. The Saints who
settled there were industrious and law-abiding citizens. But the
murderous element in that region would not permit them to toil in peace
and enjoy the rights of freemen. Some of the old mobbers were there,
and they joined with the people who had sold farms to the Saints and
who saw in this wicked conjunction of forces an opportunity to recover
their possessions, without any other cost than the banishment or murder
of the "Mormon" settlers. Colonel William P. Peniston, who had led the
mob in Clay County against the Saints, was desirous of being returned
to the state legislature as a representative from Daviess County. The
election was to be held on the 6th day of August, 1838. Previous to
that time Peniston and his friends had organized with a determination
to prevent the Saints from voting, as it was believed that they would
not aid their old enemy--persecutor and law-breaker that he was--to a
seat in the law-making body of the state. A friendly judge named Morin
told some of the Elders of the plot against them and advised them to go
to the polls armed and ready to resist the unlawful aggression. But,
though they were strong in their intention to exercise their rights
as set forth in the constitution and the laws, bitter experience had
taught them that such an act on their part as carrying arms, merely for
self-protection, would be called an unlawful demonstration and would
be followed by a general assault upon them under cover of authority.
So they went to the polling places with no other weapons than clean
consciences, clean ballots and clean, strong hands. At Gallatin, the
principal town of the county, twelve of them were preparing to cast
their votes. But Peniston mounted a barrel and made an exciting,
desperate speech. He was surrounded by an assemblage of ruffians
numbering one hundred and fifty. To this inflammable material he
applied the torch.

He said:

    The Mormon leaders profess to heal the sick, and you know that is a
    damned lie.

He declared his opposition to the settlement of the Saints in that
region and told his hearers that if they suffered the "Mormons" to
vote, they would deserve to lose their own suffrages.

Addressing the Saints he declared:

    I headed a mob to drive you out of Clay County and would not
    prevent your being mobbed now.

Incited to horrible rage by his incendiary tirade some of the drunken
men in the mob attacked the brethren, and when effective resistance was
made by the courageous twelve, the entire rabble of one hundred and
fifty set upon them. The brethren fought with desperate courage. They
were defending the most sacred right of American citizenship. Before
the well-directed blows from their stout arms and bare hands, scores of
the mobocrats fell in the dust; but at last, overpowered by numbers,
and warned by the authorities of the county that this attack had
been premeditated and they would do better to withdraw, the brethren
retreated.

Just outside of town they held a council to decide whether to return to
the polling places or seek their homes. While they were debating this
point, they saw crowds of mob recruits rush into the town armed with
guns, pistols, knives and clubs; and knowing that these men intended
to do murder upon them the brethren hastened to their farms, collected
their families and hid them in a thicket of hazel brush for the night.
A heavy rain came on. The women and little children, drenched to the
skin, were compelled to lie upon the chilling ground through all the
stormy hours of darkness, while their husbands and fathers stood sentry
at the edge of the copse, expecting every hour that the dread attack
would come.

The next morning word was brought to Far West by friendly settlers that
some of the brethren had been killed at Gallatin, while attempting to
cast their votes, and that the mob power was again supreme and was
determined to drive the Saints from the county of Daviess. It was
reported that the murderers would not even allow the Saints to obtain
the bodies of their dead nor direct their burial.

Without a thought for his personal safety and with that lion-like
courage which ever distinguished him, Joseph and his no less heroic
brother Hyrum, with fifteen or twenty others, started to aid the
Saints in Daviess. On the way Joseph was joined by a few brethren from
different places, some of whom were fleeing from the mob, and that
night, having reached Colonel Wight's house in Daviess County, he was
rejoiced to learn that although some of the brethren had been badly
bruised, none had been killed.

Among the men who had sold lands to the Saints was one Adam Black,
a justice of the peace and just then judge elect for the county.
This man, a sworn officer of the law and an aspirant for further
judicial honors, had joined himself with the mob, probably in the
hope to recover his farm without cost. Joseph determined to see this
treasonable man and remonstrate with him against the cruelty and
dishonesty of his course. Upon visiting him the Prophet received a
verbal confession of his alliance with the rabble. Being further
pressed to declare what his future course would be concerning the
Saints and solicited to sign an agreement of peace, he prepared and
gave to the Prophet a document, of which the following is an exact copy:

    I Adam Black a Justice of the peace of Daviess county do hereby
    Sertify to the people coled Mormin, that he is bound to suport the
    constitution of this State, and of the United State, and he is
    not attached to any mob, nor will not attach himself to any such
    people, and so long as they will not molest me, I will not molest
    them. This the 8th day of August, 1838.

    Adam Black J. P.

No force nor unkindness was used with Black. No threat was uttered
against him. The Prophet merely visited him as he visited other men
of prominence or notoriety in that region, in a manly endeavor to
subdue the kindling flame. Whatever contempt Joseph felt for the wretch
who, with a judge's dignity upon him, could connive with a lawless,
murderous mob, he was able to suppress; his demeanor was that of
dignity and repose. But, as subsequent events proved, Black could not
forgive the Prophet for the humiliation which he had made him feel.

That night some of the leading citizens of the county called
upon the Prophet, and together they agreed to hold a conference
at Adam-ondi-Ahman the next day at 12 o'clock. Pursuant to this
appointment, both parties met in friendly council, and entered into
a covenant of peace, to preserve each other's rights and to stand in
their defense. For the Saints such men as Lyman Wight, John Smith,
Vinson Knight, Reynolds Cahoon, and others resident there, gave this
pledge. And for the other settlers, Joseph Morin, senator-elect; John
Williams, representative-elect; James P. Turner, clerk of the circuit
court; and other men of influence and character, made their solemn
promise. Having accomplished so much, the assembly dispersed on terms
of amity, and the Prophet and his companions returned to Far West.

The covenant of protection extended by the prominent men of Daviess
County, who knew and by their acts admitted that the Saints had been
unjustly dealt with and unlawfully threatened, was without avail. On
the 10th day of August, 1838, William P. Peniston and several of his
creatures made affidavit before Judge Austin A. King that a large body
of armed men, whose movements and conduct he declared to be of a highly
insurrectionary character, had been collecting in the county of Daviess
under the leadership of Joseph Smith and Lyman Wight, to intimidate and
take vengeance upon the other settlers, to drive from the county all
the old citizens and possess their lands. He further averred that they
had already committed great violence upon Adam Black by forcing him to
sign a paper of a disgraceful character. This affidavit was made in
Ray County; and on the 11th day of August a committee of citizens came
from that place to Far West to make inquiry of the Saints concerning
the charges therein made. It stands as a monument of disproof against
the assertions of Peniston, that the citizens of Ray County did not
hesitate to place themselves in the power of the "Mormons" and their
Prophet--knowing full well, as they did from past experience, that the
Saints were full of kind disposition toward all men who would treat
them as fellow-citizens possessed of equal rights.

In answer to the inquiry of the committee from Ray the Saints appointed
a delegation of seven men, to make a full explanation of the facts and
to demonstrate to all fair-minded men their own innocence as well as
the wrongs inflicted upon them.

On the 11th of August, 1838, the Prophet went to visit some brethren
from Canada who had settled on the banks of the Grand River, and
remained with them through the succeeding day, which was the Sabbath,
offering such counsel as their situation required. On the 13th, while
returning to Far West, he was pursued by some of the mobbers but
managed to elude them. When within eight miles of Far West he was met
by several of the brethren who had gone out to inform him that a writ
had been issued by Judge King for his arrest and that of Lyman Wight,
on a complaint made by Peniston. Calmly as one returning to his evening
rest from the harvest field the Prophet went to his home, despite the
fears and warnings of his friends. He remained there awaiting the
coming of the officers for three days, and all the time being engaged
in labor for the prosperity and protection of the community.

On the 16th of August, 1838, the sheriff of Daviess County, accompanied
by Judge Morin, appeared and said that he had a writ to take Joseph
into Daviess for trial, for the offense of visiting that county on
the 7th of August. The sheriff was no doubt surprised to find the
Prophet and to serve his writ without molestation, because a report had
been spread by the mob that Joseph would not be apprehended by legal
process. Joseph informed the sheriff that he always hoped to submit to
the law of his country. The sheriff was impressed as well as astonished
by the calm action and dignified deportment of the Prophet; and when
Joseph expressed a wish to be tried in Caldwell instead of Daviess
County, since he thought that the statute of the state gave him that
privilege and justice for him in Daviess was out of the question, the
sheriff declined to serve the writ and said he would go to Richmond to
consult Judge King. Joseph promised to remain at home until the sheriff
returned. The pledge was fulfilled; and when the officer got back he
told Joseph that Caldwell was out of his jurisdiction and he would not
act.

For the greater general prosperity, the Saints in the various parts
of Caldwell County now organized under the Prophet's direction into
agricultural companies, to enclose their lands into large fields.
Joseph showed them how this plan would be economical and add facility
to the tilling of the soil. So readily could this inspired man turn
from the tragic tribulations of life to render to his brethren calm
assistance in their daily labors!

On the 28th day of August, 1838, Adam Black made oath before a justice
of the peace of Daviess County that he had been threatened with instant
death by an armed force of more than one hundred and fifty men on the
8th day of August. He named several of the brethren whom he charged
with aiding and abetting in the perpetration of the offense, and this
was Black's revenge upon the Prophet who had detected him in an attempt
to steal back the land which he had sold to the Saints.

The agitation in Daviess County and the perjuries of the foiled mobbers
aroused Lilburn W. Boggs, of memory already infamous, who was now
governor of the state; and he sent letters to General David R. Atchison
and six other generals, ordering them to raise immediately within the
limits of their divisions four hundred mounted men armed and equipped
as infantry or riflemen. This act, which was ostensibly for the
protection of good order, accomplished its wicked purpose. It aroused
intense excitement and inflamed the desire of the mob to find an excuse
for an attack upon the Saints, since they knew that the militia would
be composed of men who hated the "Mormons" and would be willing to
plunder them on the first opportunity.

Joseph saw the tendency of events and wrote at this time in his journal
as follows:

    There is great excitement at present among the Missourians, seeking
    if possible an occasion against us. They are continually chaffing
    us, and provoking us to anger if possible; one sign of threatening
    following another. But we do not fear them; for the Lord God, the
    Eternal Father is our God, and Jesus, the Mediator is our Savior,
    and in the great I AM is our strength and confidence. We have been
    driven from time to time, and that without cause, and been smitten
    again and again, and that without provocation, until we have proved
    the world with kindness, and the world proved us that we have no
    design against any man or set of men; that we injure no man; that
    we are peaceable with all men; minding our own business, and our
    own business only. We have suffered our rights and our liberties to
    be taken from us; we have not avenged ourselves for those wrongs.
    We have appealed to magistrates, to sheriffs, judges, to governors
    and to the President of the United States, all in vain. Yet we have
    yielded peaceably to all these things. We have not complained at
    the great God. We murmured not; but peaceably left all, and retired
    into the back country, in the broad wild prairie, in the barren and
    desolate plains, and there commenced anew. We made the desolate
    places to bud and blossom as the rose; and now the fiend-like race
    are disposed to give us no rest.



CHAPTER XXXVII.

JOSEPH VOLUNTEERS FOR TRIAL AND LYMAN WIGHT FOLLOWS--BEGINNING THE
STUDY OF LAW--THE TRIAL BEFORE A COWARD JUDGE, WITH A PERJURED
WITNESS--MILITIA CALLED OUT, BUT THE MOB PRACTICALLY DEFIES IT--BOGGS
CONTINUES THE WORK OF OPPRESSION.

Angered at the frustration of their plots of force and legal treachery
against the Prophet, the mob continued to spread reports in August and
September of 1838, that he was defying the law and refusing submission
to process of court. This perjured tale received additional credence
among the uninformed from the fact that the Daviess County sheriff had
failed to arrest him; though, as all should have known, this failure
was no fault of Joseph. But the falsehood was bringing renewed menace
upon the Saints. Upper Missouri erupted a lava stream of bad men into
Daviess, Carroll, Saline and Caldwell Counties. Something must be done
to turn aside the overflow or it would sweep over all the dwelling
places of the Saints.

To stay the fiery river of hate, the Prophet offered himself as a
sacrifice. On the fourth day of September, 1838, he volunteered,
through his lawyers, Generals Atchison and Doniphan, to be tried before
Judge King, in Daviess County. Lyman Wight, who had been charged with
him, followed his example.

It was characteristic of this industrious Prophet, that on the day when
he tendered his liberty and his life as a price for the physical and
political redemption of his brethren, he began the methodical study of
law. The anxiety natural to his position was unfelt. He had looked so
often upon danger that its face was no longer terrible. And he knew
that such learning as he should ever acquire must be gained in the
midst of turmoil. He wanted to know the science upon which statutes
were based, and to become learned in the knowledge of his country's
constitution and enactments that he might the better minister temporal
salvation to his fellowmen, and the hour when prison and even murder
menaced him was as propitious as any he might ever see.

The time appointed for the trial in Judge King's court was Thursday,
the 6th day of November, 1838. Joseph was there, but the case could
not proceed, because the prosecuting witness was absent, and no
testimony was forthcoming. The court adjourned for the day, and Joseph
returned to his home, but the next morning he was again in attendance
and the trial proceeded. Peniston prosecuted and Adam Black swore to
everything which Peniston asked. He had been bribed by money, promises
or threats, else he was incited by murderous hate, and he told things
which manifestly could not have had any existence except in his false
mind. He was the only witness against the defendants. In their behalf
four reputable men testified, proving incontestably that Black's oaths
were perjury and Peniston's complaint was a lie. Judge King admitted in
private conversation that nothing had been proved against the Prophet
and his companion, and yet he bound them over in bonds of $500. Without
a murmur the Prophet and Lyman submitted and gave the necessary bail.

From the trial they were followed to Far West by two gentlemen who
stated that they had come from Chariton County as a commission of
inquiry in behalf of their fellow citizens. A demand had been made
by the mobbers upon the residents of Chariton County for assistance
to capture Joseph Smith and Lyman Wight, and a committee had been
appointed by the fair-minded people of Chariton to investigate the
situation. When these gentlemen saw that the real purpose of the
request was to secure ruffian help to impoverish the defenseless Saints
and drive them once again into the wilderness, they declared that they
had been outrageously imposed upon by the demand of the mob, and they
returned to their own county filled with sympathy and friendly feeling
for Joseph and his brethren. Their findings they subsequently embodied
in an affidavit.

An attack was planned by the mob upon Adam-ondi-Ahman; on the 9th
a wagon laden with guns and ammunition in charge of a party of the
murderous rabble was going to that place from Richmond. But it was
intercepted by Captain William Allred, who arrested the men in charge,
John B. Comer and two others--Miller and McHoney--and took possession
of the weapons. A letter was addressed to Judge King immediately by
the Saints, asking him what should be done with the prisoners and
the captured munitions. This coward responded to turn the prisoners
loose and let them receive kind treatment. He was the judicial officer
who, to satisfy the mob instead of satisfying justice, had placed the
Prophet and Lyman Wight under bonds when, by his own confession, not
one illegal act could be proved against them. Concerning the guns he
was reluctant to give advice, although he promised that they should not
be taken from the Saints to be converted and used for illegal purposes.

Under the same date this unjust judge wrote to General Atchison to send
two hundred or more men to force the "Mormons" to surrender. He well
knew that the Saints were not in a rebellious or unlawful attitude,
nor in a position to fight. They had not even the power to resist
mobocratic aggression against themselves, to say nothing of being the
assailants in any illegal movement.

On the 12th of September, the men who had been arrested while
transporting guns to the mob in Daviess County, were held to bail for
their appearance at the circuit court.

About the same time a large body of the mob entered De Witt in Carroll
County, and warned the brethren to leave on pain of death.

William Dryden, justice of the peace in Daviess County, complained
falsely to the Governor that service of process from his court, issued
against Alanson Ripley, George A. Smith and others for threatening Adam
Black, had been withstood.

General Atchison called out the militia of Clay and Ray Counties which,
under the command of Brigadier-General Doniphan, marched to the timber
on Crooked River, while he went with a single aide to Far West, the
county seat of Caldwell, to confer with the leading men among the
Saints. Here he was the guest of the Prophet.

Doniphan's troops had ostensibly been called into the field to suppress
an insurrection and preserve peace. But instead of the military
powers being used as a menace to the mob, it was operated as if the
long-suffering Saints had been the aggressors. General Doniphan, a
friendly, fair and kindly-disposed man, was acting under the Governor's
orders, and the responsibility of his conduct falls chiefly upon the
executive of the state. The mob prisoners were demanded and were set
free with no regard for any other law than that which seemed to reign
supreme in Missouri--the law of mobocratic will. The arms which had
been seized on the way from Richmond into Daviess County were collected
and delivered up to the General. From Crooked River General Doniphan
brought his troops through Millport in Daviess County to the spot where
a mob had congregated to make an attack upon the Saints. When the
General read an order of dispersion to the rabble they declared that
their object was solely for defense; and yet they would not even permit
the General in command of the state militia to approach them without
going through such military formalities as might have greeted a flag of
truce from an opposing force, while all the time that he was conferring
with them guards were marching in and out, showing that the camp was
being kept in a state of activity. Although they promised to obey the
order requiring them to withdraw, they failed to do so.

From this place the General proceeded to the spot where the Saints had
assembled together for mutual protection under the direction of Lyman
Wight. A conference ensued in which the Saints agreed to disband, to
surrender up any one of their number accused of crime, on condition
that the hostile forces of the mob, only a few miles distant, should
be dispersed. The Saints had every wish to comply with the law and to
avoid every appearance of resistance, but they knew too well that if
they scattered, unless the mobbers were also disbanded, they would be
murdered and plundered. General Atchison, also in command of troops,
was joined on the 15th at the county seat of Daviess by General
Doniphan and his regiments. He found that the mobbers were still under
arms and still aggressive, while the Saints were still huddled together
for safety. To him the Saints also stated their willingness to yield
to any legal requirement, and they would cheerfully submit to any
investigation which might be demanded. General Atchison thought that
peace might be restored and so wrote to the Governor; but immediately
Boggs ordered the Booneville guards to be mounted with ten days'
provisions and in readiness to march on his arrival; and he also
ordered General Lucas to proceed immediately with four hundred mounted
men to co-operate with General Atchison. Similar orders were issued to
Major-Generals Lewis Bolton, John B. Clark and Thomas B. Grant.

While this military movement was taking place the mob continued to
seize prisoners and to send threatening messages, hoping to incite the
Saints to some overt act that the whole power of the mob and militia
combined might be brought against them to annihilate them. Several
times word was brought to the encampment of the Saints that prisoners
taken by the mob were being tortured. This was done in the hope to
provoke a spirit of retaliation. It seems strange that this situation
could have continued for more than a day with such a military force
at hand. A little prompt and vigorous action would have dispersed the
mob and taught them to respect the power of the law. It would not have
been necessary to shed blood, only to let constitutional majesty be
asserted; and the Saints might have remained in peace. But this was
not the purpose. The troops really had been called out, not to protect
the "Mormons," but to answer the lying call of a justice of the peace.
This mighty power of war was brought into operation to apprehend two or
three men, charged with a petty offense, and who had not resisted any
attempt to serve legal papers upon them.

On the 20th of September General Atchison wrote to the Governor that
the insurrection was practically ended; all the leading offenders
against the law had been arrested and bound over to appear at court.
It is noticeable that the people were called offenders, the plundering
rabble going scot free. All of the troops, except two companies of the
Ray militia under command of Brigadier General Parks, were discharged.
In this same letter General Atchison said:

    They [the Mormons] appear to be acting on the defensive, and I must
    further add, gave up the offenders with a good deal of promptness.
    The arms and prisoners taken by the Mormons were also given up upon
    demand with seeming cheerfulness.

This candid opinion was re-enforced a few days later by a letter
from General Parks to the Governor, in which he uses the following
expressions:

    Whatever may have been the disposition of the people called
    "Mormons" before our arrival here, since we have made our
    appearance they have shown no disposition to resist the laws,
    or of hostile intentions. There has been so much prejudice and
    exaggeration concerned in this matter that I found things entirely
    different from what I was prepared to expect. When we arrived here
    we found a large body of men from the counties adjoining, armed
    and in the field, for the purpose, as I learned, of assisting the
    people of this county against the "Mormons," without being called
    out by the proper authorities.

    P.S.--Since writing the above, I have received information that if
    the committee do not agree, the determination of the Daviess County
    men is to drive the "Mormons" with powder and lead.

Near the same time, General Atchison wrote to Governor Boggs as follows:

    Things are not so bad in this county [Daviess] as represented
    by rumor, and, in fact, from affidavits I have no doubt your
    Excellency has been deceived by the exaggerated statements of
    designing or half-crazy men. I have found there is no cause of
    alarm on account of the "Mormons;" they are not to be feared; they
    are very much alarmed.

About the 26th day of September, 1838, a committee from the mob met
some of the leading brethren at Adam-ondi-Ahman and entered into an
agreement whereby the Saints were to purchase lands and possessions of
all who desired to sell; but this resulted in nothing, for the mob had
other purposes in view.

About fifteen or twenty of the Saints with Lyman Wight were pledged to
appear before the court at Gallatin for trial on the 29th of September.

Hundreds of men drawn into the militia service of Generals Atchison,
Doniphan, Parks, and Lucas were in personal affiliation with the mob.
When the greater part of the forces were disbanded in Daviess County a
general movement took place toward De Witt, in Carroll County. On their
way the bandits breathed their murderous intent against the Saints;
and before the onslaught, the brethren addressed a humble petition to
Lilburn W. Boggs, imploring him to send succor, but he was deaf to the
appeal. His ears were always open to the voice of the murderer; never
to that of the victim. The mob could not ask him in vain for help; the
injured Saints supplicated again and again without a reply. With the
opening of October, the mob pressed hard upon the Saints in De Witt,
threatening death to men, captivity to children and outrage to women.



CHAPTER XXXVIII.

BOMBARDMENT OF DE WITT--APPEAL OF THE SAINTS TO GOVERNOR BOGGS--HIS
HEARTLESS REPLY--JOSEPH'S PRESENCE ENCOURAGES THE BRETHREN--THE
SAINTS LEAVE THEIR POSSESSIONS IN DE WITT--THEY GO TO FAR WEST--ADAM
ONDI-AHMAN DEVASTATED--THE SAINTS ORGANIZE FOR DEFENSE--JOSEPH CONTROLS
A MOB WHO DESIGN TO MURDER HIM--APOSTASY OF THOMAS B. MARSH--DEATH OF
DAVID W. PATTEN--"WHATEVER YOU DO ELSE, OH, DO NOT DENY THE FAITH."

    Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for
    his friend.

On the 5th day of October, 1838, word came to the Prophet of the
bombardment of the town of De Witt, in Carroll County, by a mob army
with muskets and artillery. The ravenous wretches, many of whom had
been in the militia companies of Atchison, Doniphan and Parks, foiled
for the moment in Daviess and Caldwell Counties, had concentrated upon
the more remote and defenseless places for the purpose of plundering
the Saints and driving them forth. As soon as Joseph heard the news
he hastened to the scene of conflict. The rage of the mob naturally
fell against him more heavily than against anyone else; but it was his
nature always to be where danger threatened his brethren.

It was on the 2nd of October that the mob, under the leadership of Dr.
Austin, Major Ashley, a member of the legislature, and Sashiel Woods,
a Presbyterian clergyman, fired first upon the town of De Witt. They
continued during that day and the next, when they were reinforced by
two companies of militia under the command of Captains Bogart and
Houston, who were soon followed by Brigadier-General Parks. It is not
wrong to speak of these troops as a reinforcement of the mob. They were
nothing else. Bogart was a Methodist preacher by profession, and only
led the company of militia to De Witt for the purpose of wreaking the
sectarian vengeance of a bigot upon the Saints. Parks himself confessed
that Bogart's men would not be controlled and were with the mob in
feeling; and this was the General's excuse for allowing the outrages
of this time to go unchecked. On the 4th of October, after forty-eight
hours of siege, the people of the town, in command of Colonel Hinkle,
returned the fire. Parks made no effort to check the mob's plan of
organized murder. On the 6th he coolly wrote in his report to Atchison,
as follows:

    _The Mormons are at this time too strong_ and no attack is expected
    before Wednesday or Thursday next, at which time Dr. Austin [who
    with Bogart was leader of the mob] hopes his forces will amount to
    five hundred men, when he will make a second attempt on the town of
    De Witt, with small arms and cannon. _In this posture of affairs I
    can do nothing but negotiate between the parties until further aid
    is sent me_.

Evidently in this posture of affairs Parks wanted to do nothing.
The "Mormons" were too strong. He would wait until Austin's rabble
increased to five hundred, and by that time he hoped to have more
companies of militia, which in turn would swell the ranks of the
plundering besiegers. Parks' conduct indicates his utter lack of
conscience; because in the same letter he says: "As yet they, the
Mormons, have acted only on the defensive as far as I can learn."

General Lucas had been an observer of the gathering at De Witt and had
been informed that a fight had taken place there, in which several
persons were killed. Upon this he wrote to the Governor that if his
information was true it would create excitement in the whole of Upper
Missouri, "and those base and degraded beings will be exterminated from
the face of the earth." He added that if one of the citizens of Carroll
should be killed, before five days there would be raised against
the "Mormons" five thousand volunteers whom nothing but blood would
satisfy. Without attempting to suggest a remedy to Boggs, this cruel
and sanguinary Lucas significantly informs his Excellency that his
troops of the fourth division were only dismissed subject to further
order and could be called into the field at an hour's warning. He
wanted to share in the work of extermination!

These events had happened before the Prophet reached De Witt. It was a
trying journey, in which he had been obliged to travel by unfrequented
roads and had put his life in constant jeopardy because mobs guarded
every ingress to the town. When Joseph entered the place he found
the brethren only a handful in comparison to their assailants. Their
provisions were exhausted, and there was no prospect of obtaining more.
The Prophet concluded to send a message to the Governor and secured
the services of several influential and honest gentlemen who lived in
that vicinity and who had been witnesses of the wanton attack upon the
Saints. These men were bold as well as honest for they made affidavit
of the outrages which had been perpetrated within their sight, and
they accompanied the supplication for redress to the executive office.
The answer of the men who had been chosen by the suffrages of his
fellow-citizens as the chief officer of the state, sworn to uphold its
honor, protect its dignity and maintain the supremacy of its laws, was
only this:

    The quarrel is between the Mormons and the mob, and they may fight
    it out.

Joseph's presence was a solace and a sustaining power to the Saints. He
animated them by the courage of his presence and taught them patience
by his own tenacity of endurance. He was not there as a warrior; he did
not bear arms; and yet he was a tower of strength to his brethren.

Mobs were gathering in from Ray, Saline, Howard, Livingston, Clinton,
Clay, Platte and other parts of the state to reinforce the besiegers.
For the combined assailants a man named Jackson was chosen as the
leader. The Saints were forbidden to leave the town under penalty of
death. It was the purpose to starve them, since even this large crowd
of mobbers, outnumbering the Saints ten to one, feared to risk a hand
to hand contest. Fires were set to some of the houses; the cattle were
stolen and roasted; the horses were driven off; while the mob made
merry in feasting within sight of the starving people whom they had
plundered.

Joseph directed applications for protection to the judges of the
circuit court and in other quarters but without avail; for where aid
was given, it consisted of men willing to join and abet the mobs and to
share in the spoils. In the town, men were perishing for want of food;
women and children cried for bread. There was no hope of earthly succor.

In this crisis, Henry Root and David Thomas, two men who had been the
sole cause of the settlement at De Witt, solicited the Saints to leave
the place, claiming that they had assurance from the besiegers that, in
such case, no further attack would be made and all the losses would be
paid. Yielding to a necessity the Saints agreed to this proposition. A
committee of appraisement was appointed from men not connected with the
Saints. They placed a meagre value on the bare land, and said nothing
about the houses and other improvements which were still standing
or had been destroyed by the mob, and nothing about the stock and
the vehicles which had been run off. It was, however, an unnecessary
economy of valuation; because the price, meagre as it was, has never
been paid.

On the 11th day of October, 1838, the Prophet and the Saints vacated
De Witt and started for Caldwell with the small remnants of their
possessions which they could gather and hope to convey. They were
harassed continually on the journey by the mob which, in violation of
its pledge, fired upon the retreating people. Among the exiles men
died from fatigue and starvation--for the journey was greatly hurried
because of the mobocratic threats; and one poor woman, who had given
birth to a child on the very eve of the banishment, died on the journey
and was buried in a grave without a coffin.

The experience at De Witt and on the journey from that place to Far
West taught the Prophet and the Saints anew that they had no hope of
protection, no hope of redress, while they remained in Missouri; and
no hope that if they attempted to leave they would not be set upon
and massacred by the blood-thirsty mob. Nothing was left them but to
organize in some fashion for self defense, as they came fleeing into
Far West from all the surrounding country, leaving their worldly all
and glad to escape with their lives.

The tiger spirit of the mob had grown upon its food. As the brethren
left De Witt, Sashiel Woods called many of the mobocrats together and
invited them to hasten into Daviess County to continue their work
there. He said that the land sales were coming on, and that if the
"Mormons" could be first driven out the mob could get all the land
entitled to preemption; besides, they could get back without pay the
property already bought from them by the Saints. It was a welcome
invitation, and, taking their artillery, this horde, with appetites
whetted for their base and cruel work, departed for Adam-ondi-Ahman.

Other mobs were raised in other parts to join in this general movement
for rapine, among the rabble being a man named Cornelius Gilliam who
called himself Delaware Chief, with a party of miscreants painted to
represent Indians.

When the Prophet arrived in Far West from De Witt, on the 12th day of
October, General Doniphan informed him that a mob of eight hundred men
was marching against the people in Daviess County. A small party of
militia had been on the way and might have intercepted the rabble; but
Doniphan ordered them back, knowing well that instead of hindering they
would join the mob. He said: "They are damned rotten-hearted."

Pursuant to an order made by General Doniphan a company of militia was
raised in the county of Caldwell to act under Colonel Hinkle and to
proceed to Adam-ondi-Ahman for the protection of that place. Joseph
went with the militia to give counsel to his friends, risking his own
life again, and taking with him many who were willing to stand with him
in martyrdom if need were.

At Adam-ondi-Ahman the scenes of De Witt were repeated. Houses were
burned, cattle were run off, women and children were driven out and
exposed to a terrible storm which prevailed on the 17th and 18th of
October. In many cases people in ill health were torn from their
beds and were refused time to secure comfortable clothing in which
to make their flight. Among the fugitives was Agnes Smith, the wife
of the Prophet's brother, Don Carlos, who was absent on a mission to
Tennessee. Her house had been burned by the mob, her property seized,
and she had fled three miles, wading Grand River and carrying all the
way two helpless babes in her arms--glad to escape death and outrage.

Joseph's soul rose in arms at these crimes. The sacrifice had been
sufficient. Every possible appeal had been made and denied. Henceforth
the Saints must protect themselves, and God arm the right! It was this
resolve alone which saved the remaining element of the Church that
finally escaped from Missouri. At Adam-ondi-Ahman the mob intended
to make a work of extermination; but after the arrival of the troops
there, promises were demanded and secured from General Parks for the
organization of a militia company to resist the attack and quell the
mob. The force was immediately raised and placed under the command of
Colonel Lyman Wight who held a commission in the fifty-ninth regiment
under General Parks. These troops went out with a determination to
drive the mob or die. They no longer fought in the state of Missouri
for their rights as American citizens; that day had passed. They fought
for life, for home, and for that which was dearer than all, the honor
and safety of their wives and daughters who had been threatened with
ravishment.

A remembrance of the day at Gallatin, when twelve had put one hundred
and fifty to flight, suddenly came upon the mob as they saw the
advancing forces of the Saints; and they fled. But fleeing, they
resorted to stratagem. They removed everything of value from some
of their own old log cabins and then set fire to these structures,
afterwards spreading abroad through all the country the declaration
that the "Mormons" had plundered and burned the mansions of law-abiding
citizens.

An incident of this period shows the Prophet's calmness and
self-command in the face of danger, as well as the influence of his
presence even upon sworn enemies.

He was sitting in his father's house near the edge of the prairie one
day, writing letters, when a large party of armed mobocrats called at
the place. Lucy Smith, the Prophet's mother, demanded their business,
and they replied that they were on the way to kill "Joseph, the Mormon
Prophet." His mother remonstrated with them; and Joseph, having
finished his writing and hearing the threats against himself, walked to
the door and stood before them with folded arms, bared head and such
a look of majesty in his eyes that they quailed before him. Though
they were unacquainted with his identity, they knew they were in the
presence of greatness; and when his mother introduced him as the man
they sought, they started as if they had seen a spectre.

The Prophet invited the leaders into the house, and without alluding to
their purpose of murder, he talked to them earnestly with regard to the
persecutions against the Saints. When he concluded, so deeply had they
been impressed, that they insisted upon giving him an escort to protect
him to his home.

As they departed, one of the mob leaders said to another:

    Didn't you feel strange when Smith took you by the hand?

And his companion replied:

    I could not move. I would not harm a hair of that man's head for
    the whole world.

It was always so when men would listen to Joseph long enough to let the
Spirit which animated him assert itself to their reason.

The extent of the unhallowed league against the Saints is shown by
the fact that not even the United States mails were safe during this
period, for every post was plundered and all letters addressed to the
Prophet were opened.

Unable to bear the pressure and to face the terrors of the time, Thomas
B. Marsh had apostatized and had joined with McLellin and other evil
men to act the part of Judas against the Prophet. The faith of others
also failed, and, thinking by apostasy to save themselves from the
destruction which seemed impending, they came out against Joseph and
the Church and went over to their enemies.

On the 24th of October, eight armed mobbers plundered a house some
little distance from Far West and took three of the brethren prisoners,
namely, Nathan Pinkham, William Seely and Addison Green. With much
exultation, these brigands declared their intention to murder their
prisoners that night. Learning of this awful boast, the judge of the
county instructed Colonel Hinkle to send out a company to rescue the
men and disperse their captors. Seventy-five of the militia, under
command of David W. Patten, were directed by Hinkle to fulfil this
order. In departing, Captain Patten announced his hope to rescue his
unoffending brethren without shedding any blood and to bring them
back to Far West. Fifty men of this company marched to the ford on
Crooked River, where they came upon an ambuscade of the mob, who fired
upon them, mortally wounding a young man named O'Banion. Captain
Patten ordered a charge upon the enemy, at the same time shouting the
watchword, "Our God and liberty!" The concealed mobocrats fired as the
company rushed down upon them. A musket ball pierced the bowels of
David W. Patten, fatally wounding him. At the same fire a shower of
bullets struck Gideon Carter, who fell to the ground to die after a few
moments of agony. So defaced was Carter by his many wounds, that later,
when his brethren were gathering up their dead and wounded, they failed
to recognize his body. Several others among the brethren were wounded.
The others, even after the fall of their leader, dashed on in pursuit
and put the mob to flight. The prisoners were rescued, but one of them
was shot by the mob during the engagement. From them it was learned
that Bogart had commanded the marauders and that his forces had been
greater than those of the attacking party.

When the affray was over, David W. Patten--still alive, but gasping in
mortal extremity--was lifted up by his brethren, and they carried him
tenderly to his home.

A courier brought the news to Far West, and Joseph and Hyrum went out
to meet the sorrowful cavalcade. Several were with Apostle Patten when
he died that night, in the triumph of the faith. He had fulfilled
his covenant to yield life rather than to yield the right. As he was
departing, he spoke with holy exultation of the eternity opening to his
view, and with sorrow of those traitorous Apostles and Elders who had
forsaken the Saints to save their own lives and property. One of his
last expressions to his wife was:

    WHATEVER YOU DO ELSE, OH, DO NOT DENY THE FAITH.

Thus perished the first apostolic martyr to the cause of Christ in this
dispensation. How much better his fate than that of the Judases who
helped to bring him to his death!

At the funeral, Joseph stood in the presence of the assemblage, and,
pointing at the noble form marred by the assassin's bullet, testified:

    There lies a man who has fulfilled his word: he has laid down his
    life for his friends.



CHAPTER XXXIX.

BOGGS ISSUES AN ORDER OF EXTERMINATION--GENERAL ATCHISON'S THREAT
AGAINST THE TYRANT--AVARD ORGANIZES THE DANITES--THE HAUN'S MILL
MASSACRE--FAR WEST BESIEGED--THREE NOBLE ONES REFUSE TO DESERT THEIR
FRIENDS--COLONEL HINKLE'S BASE TREACHERY--"THESE ARE THE PRISONERS
I AGREED TO DELIVER UP"--A COURT MARTIAL SENTENCES JOSEPH AND HIS
COMPANIONS TO DEATH--GENERAL DONIPHAN'S NOBLE ACTION--DEMONIAC DEEDS
ENACTED IN FAR WEST.

On the day of the martyr Patten's funeral at Far West, Lilburn W. Boggs
issued to General John B. Clark an order of extermination against the
Saints. His words were:

    The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated
    or driven from the state, if necessary for the public good. Their
    outrages are beyond all description.

The excuse of this tyrant was the encounter between the militia, sent
out by Colonel Hinkle under judicial endorsement, and Bogart's mobbers.
How quickly Boggs could respond when any of his assassins were checked
in their career of massacre and plunder! Before making his order of
extermination he had already directed two thousand troops to be raised;
and in his edict of death, entrusted to General Clark, he authorized
any desired increase of forces. He also directed Major-General Wallock
and General Doniphan, with one thousand men, to intercept the retreat
of the Saints, should they attempt one, by this act proving that the
Saints were not to be permitted to leave the state, and that his
order of extermination was intended to be construed absolutely and
without alternative. He had taken the command from General Atchison
and given it to General Clark because the latter was more suitable to
his purpose, since he feared that Atchison might have some qualms of
conscience. Incensed at this official slight, at a later time, General
Atchison declared in a public speech:

    If the governor does not restore my commission to me, I will kill
    him, so help me God.

To make some show of palliation for this unparalleled act of atrocity,
Boggs published the most infamous lies concerning the doings and
intentions of the "Mormons," making it appear that they, a little
handful of poverty-stricken exiles, were about to flood the state with
a ruinous war. His stories were full of tragedy and bombast. They would
have been too ridiculous to be believed for an instant, but that the
infuriate element for whose incitement they were addressed were eager
as he to plunge the knife into the heart of innocence.

All the vile characters in that section of the country soon flocked to
the mob-organizations. The most diabolical combinations were formed:
one of the worst being under the direction of Dr. Sampson Avard, one of
the apostate spirits, who formed a band which he called Danites, to aid
him in purposes of plunder and murder, which he intended to attribute
to the Church, and thus furnish an excuse for the attacks upon his
former brethren. But his plot was discovered by the Prophet, and Avard
was publicly excommunicated, so that the world might know that the
Church had no part in this infamy. His plan was, by this prompt action,
defeated almost before it had birth.

By the 26th of October twenty-five hundred of the mob militia had
congregated at Richmond, and from there they took up their march for
Far West, robbing, plundering, shooting, and threatening ravishment by
the way. It was such rare sport, this outrage of the innocents, that it
drew an overwhelming force to execute the ghastly order of Boggs, the
executioner at wholesale.

The executive decree of massacre fell like music upon the ears of
the wicked mob. On Tuesday, the 30th of October, 1838, a party of
two hundred and forty of them fell upon a few families of Saints at
Haun's Mill on Shoal Creek, and butchered them. The awful particulars
of that deed must be left, with many others of like character, for
another publication now in course of preparation, since the scope of
this volume will not permit of more than a general view of events,
however important, in which the Prophet had no personal part. But one
or two circumstances of that atrocious deed can be detailed to show
the unquenchable thirst for blood of Boggs' emissaries. Among the
Saints at Haun's Mill was one old man named McBride, who had fought for
independence under General Washington. This veteran patriot the mob
seized and shot with his own gun, then they slashed him to pieces with
a corn cutter. Stalwart Missourians slew and mutilated little children,
and afterwards boasted of their deeds. They even robbed the dead.

On the 30th day of October the mob army beleaguered Far West. Their
ranks were constantly augmented, and during the ensuing week six
thousand demoniac men had taken part against that city.

On the first day of the siege a messenger was sent into the town to
demand three persons to whom amnesty was to be accorded, as the mob
declared their intention to massacre all the rest of the people and lay
Far West in ashes. Adam Lightner, John Cleminson and wife were these
three persons. When the messengers offered them the chance of life they
responded: "If the people must be destroyed, we will die with them."

Elder Charles C. Rich was sent out, bearing a flag of truce, to hold a
conference with General Doniphan and others; but when he approached the
camp of the besiegers, Bogart, the Methodist preacher, fired upon him.

The defenders of the city threw up a temporary fortification of wagons
and timber on the south, for they were in hourly expectation of the
attack.

About eight o'clock on the morning of Wednesday, the 31st day of
October, a white flag approached the city from the camp of the mobbers.

Colonel George M. Hinkle went out to meet it and accompanied it back
to the camp. What he did there ought to have made even a Judas blush.
He returned at evening and said to Joseph that hope had arisen for
the settlement of the difficulties, and that the presence of the
Prophet and some of his leading friends was desired by the officers of
the militia. Hinkle pledged his own honor and that of the besieging
generals that no harm was intended or would be permitted against the
brethren.

Always ready to meet personal danger in a just cause, the Prophet
complied, and was joined by the men whom Hinkle designated: Sidney
Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, Lyman Wight and George W. Robinson. Led by
Colonel Hinkle they proceeded toward the camp and were met by General
Lucas with one piece of artillery and the whole army at his heels. At
this moment Hinkle earned his thirty pieces of silver, for he said:

    These are the prisoners I agreed to deliver up.

Lucas brandished his sword and ordered his men to surround the Prophet
and his companions. A fierce and exultant yell burst from the throats
of the mob, and horrid blasphemies poured from them in torrents. They
would not wait for an order to butcher before assailing the Prophet,
so eager were they to take his life; and several of them snapped their
guns at him, but he was spared. Arrived at the camp, the prisoners were
placed in charge of a strong guard of obscene and blasphemous wretches,
who hour after hour profaned the name of God, mocked at Jesus Christ
and boasted of having defiled virgins and wives by force. They demanded
a miracle from Joseph, saying:

    There is one of your brethren here in camp whom we took prisoner
    yesterday in his own house, and knocked his brains out with his
    own rifle, which we found hanging over his own mantel; he lies
    speechless and dying; speak the word and heal him, and then we will
    all believe.

Among the people who came to gloat over them was William E. McLellin,
the apostate. He taunted them with their impending fate, declaring that
there was no hope for them.

When the news reached Far West the people were appalled. They had
feared for Joseph and his brethren, because they knew that to go out
was to enter the lair of a monster; and now they felt that their worst
fears were confirmed.

That night the Prophet and his friends lay upon the wet ground, chilled
by the rains of dawning November and subject to the most cruel and
exasperating insults. The next morning Hyrum Smith and Amasa M. Lyman
were dragged from their families in Far West and brought as prisoners
into the camp.

On the evening of November 1st, 1838, Lucas convened a court martial,
over which he presided. It was composed of seventeen preachers and some
of the principal officers of the mob army. Its purpose was to put the
Prophet and his friends on trial for their lives, but not one of them
was permitted to be present during any part of its deliberations. A
few moments were sufficient for the promulgation of its edict, since
no testimony was to be heard and no pleas admitted. The sentence was
that Joseph and his companions should be shot at eight o'clock the next
morning, November 2nd, 1838, on the public square at Far West in the
presence of their helpless wives and little children.

When the sentence was passed, General Doniphan said:

    I wash my hands of this thing; it is murder!

Then he ordered his brigade of troops off the ground, or he would not
permit them to take part in the assassination. General Graham also
resisted the sentence with honor and manliness.

After the adjournment of the court martial the Prophet demanded from
General Wilson the reason why he should be shot, since he had always
been a supporter of the constitution and the government of his country.
Wilson's answer was:

    I know it, and that is the reason why I want to kill you.

It was an absurdity to try by court martial, even if that body had been
a legal and just tribunal, a man who had not borne arms nor engaged in
warfare nor committed any overt act. Joseph was a licensed minister
of the gospel, not a soldier. He belonged to the class recognized
always and everywhere as non-combatant. Probably this was the reason
why Lucas had seventeen preachers as members of the court, to give the
proceedings an ecclesiastical air.

On this same day, November 1st, 1838, Lucas required the Caldwell
militia to give up their arms. They only numbered five hundred men, all
told; while the mob army numbered thousands. But the diabolical purpose
which they had in view made it desirable to the attacking horde that no
one in the city should have any power of resistance remaining. Lucas
gave color to his demand by the fact that Hinkle, the betrayer, who
had commanded the forces in Far West, had made a treaty by which the
disarmament of the Caldwell militia was conceded.

The brethren were all marched out of the town and their weapons taken
from them. Then gangs of miscreants were turned loose in Far West to
work their will. They rushed through the streets like wolves, tearing
and devouring whatever came in their way. Such deeds were done that day
as would make a savage hang his head in shame. Property was seized and
carried away without a pretext; houses were fired; the sick and the
infantile were insulted and abused; the men were secured as prisoners;
and women were outraged in sight of their helpless husbands and fathers.

The Prophet's house was singled out for a special attack; his family
was driven out and all his property seized or destroyed.

The brethren who possessed real estate were brought before Lucas, and
at the point of the bayonet, were compelled to sign deeds of trust of
all their possessions to pay the expenses of the mob.

A more appalling instance of cruelty history does not record. An
innocent people are ordered exterminated. But before proceeding to the
final act of massacre the immolators demand their pay in advance from
the victims.

It was an awful night at Far West; but more awful it was feared the
morrow would be, for the sentence of death pronounced upon the Prophet
and his fellow-captives was promised to be executed at eight o'clock
the next morning.



CHAPTER XL.

THE PROPHET'S LIFE SAVED BY THE VANITY OF LUCAS--FAREWELL OF THE
PRISONERS TO THEIR FAMILIES--ON TOWARD INDEPENDENCE--CONTINUED RAVAGES
AT FAR WEST--GENERAL CLARK'S INHUMAN ADDRESS--THE MOVEMENT AGAINST
ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN.

On the morning of Friday, November 2nd, 1838, in pursuance of the
sentence of the secret tribunal of preachers and mobocrats--misnamed a
court-martial--the Prophet and his fellow-prisoners were marched into
the public square at Far West. But the brutal murder which had been
decreed, did not take place. The failure of Lucas to enforce that part
of the sentence was due in part to the manly rebellion of Generals
Doniphan and Graham, and in part to his own wish to drag the Prophet
and his brethren through the country and exhibit them as his captives.
General Clark was expected immediately at Far West. He wanted the
prisoners delivered to him; and jealousy worked in the mind of Lucas.
It was esteemed a high honor to hold Joseph Smith in captivity; and
Lucas was determined not to share this glorious trophy of war with
another. What the tears of women and children, the innocence of men,
and a sense of justice could not accomplish in this bad man's mind, was
easily achieved by the base motives of envy and vanity. He wanted to be
recognized as a victorious general, and the presence of the captives
would add to the pageantry of his march. If greater notoriety could
have been achieved or greater admiration for his prowess secured by the
murder of these men at Far West, he would not have stayed his hand. It
was an opportunity of a lifetime for a militia leader to cover himself
with the dishonors of war. Less than a quarter of a century from that
time, the state of Missouri and all its citizens had ample occasion to
deal with real enemies and to view in every city and village, and every
field and every forest, and in every home the misery of fratricidal
strife. Men who had thirsted for blood were given more than a glut of
it, for hundreds of them weltered in their own gore.

Lucas prepared to continue his triumphal march, intending to take the
brethren to Jackson County and expose them as captives at Independence.
Before they left they begged to be permitted to bid their families
farewell. This boon, so estimable to them and so trifling to the mob,
was ostensibly granted, but under conditions which showed an inhuman
desire to torture. Every prisoner was permitted, under a strong guard,
to seek out his beloved ones, _but was forbidden to speak to them_. He
might gaze on them with tearful eyes and wave them farewell, a long
farewell--forever, if he would; but no word from his lips might fall as
balm upon their bruised spirits.

Hyrum, the Prophet's beloved brother, who was never very far away from
Joseph, was one of the captives. Hyrum's young wife, Mary--for he was
again a husband--was prostrated with suffering. When he was dragged
before her by his armed captors he would have solaced her agony with a
few words of comfort and cheer. He wanted to bid her look up and trust
in God; but the mob soldiers threatened to kill him at her feet if he
breathed a syllable, and to spare her tortured soul this awful pang
he held his peace. Mary saw her husband carried from her, perhaps to
death; she gathered the motherless little children of Jerusha about her
and sought to comfort them. She did not see her noble husband again
until after she had passed through the trial and pain of maternity; for
her son, Joseph Fielding Smith, was born eleven days after, and while
his father was still a captive in the hands of the mob.

To moan and weep over the captive Prophet came his wife and babes, and
his aged father and mother. He had begged to have a moment in which to
comfort his wife, for she was utterly overpowered with fear for his
life. He wanted to reassure her that the sentence of death was not to
be executed that morning and to promise her that they should meet again
in this life. But the mob guards with their swords rudely thrust his
wife and little ones away from Joseph's side, and threatened to kill
him if he should speak.

Joseph gazed upon the overwhelming scene at Far West as he was being
marched forth a captive. He commended the city and its people to the
care of that God whose kindness had always followed them into the dark
valley of tribulation, and who alone could protect them from death and
defilement.

That night the Prophet with Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Parley P.
Pratt, Lyman Wight, Amasa M. Lyman and George W. Robinson, were started
for Independence. Under a strong guard, commanded by Generals Lucas and
Wilson, they camped at night on Crooked River.

A vision of hope and security came to Joseph that night, and when he
arose in the morning he spoke to his brethren in a low and cheerful
tone, saying:

    Be of good cheer, my brethren, the word of the Lord came to me last
    night that our lives should be given us, and that whatever else we
    might suffer during this captivity, not one of us should die.

An express from General Clark demanding the august prisoners reached
Lucas at this point. This commanding general had so far achieved
little, the triumphs of the cruel contest being with his subordinates.
He was therefore determined that the prisoners should be dragged at
_his_ chariot wheels and that their slaughter should be under _his_
personal direction, to show Boggs and the populace that he was worthy
of the truculent enterprise entrusted to him. But Lucas was no less
determined that, having won the victory, he himself should enjoy the
spoils and the plaudits; and with all possible speed he hastened
forward with the captives.

Leaving the Prophet and his companions advancing toward their unknown
fate, we must return with their anxious thoughts to the proceedings
at Far West; as General Clark was marching upon that place, and the
prisoners feared for their unprotected families.

Lucas had sent several companies of the mob militia including
Neal Gilliam's band of painted wretches under General Parks to
Adam-ondi-Ahman with instructions to disarm the militia at that place
and to take prisoners. By his orders also a large body of troops had
been left to guard some eighty brethren held captive at Far West.

General Clark did not arrive at the beleaguered city until the 4th of
November, 1838; but on that day he came at the head of two thousand
troops. In the interval of two days the people in the town had been
subjected to every possible indignity. Apostates prowled through the
streets pointing out to the mob all the men of influence or station
in the Church, and aiding to put them in irons. At first it had been
ordered that all who were not held as prisoners should flee the city on
the instant. But finally the mob concluded to keep the people within
the town until General Clark's arrival.

It was a joy to the sectarian ministers of the neighborhood to see
this work of ruin; and many of them visited Far West to exult over the
prisoners and their suffering families.

Many privations and tortures were endured. The captives were kept
without food until they were on the verge of starvation. The mob
continued their work of ruin, hunting and shooting human beings like
wild beasts; and ravishing and murdering women.

Upon Clark's arrival at Far West he selected fifty-six of the leading
men and held them under a strong guard for trial, for what offense
neither he nor they could tell. He also sent a messenger to the
commander of the troops advancing to assault Adam-ondi-Ahman, requiring
him to take all of the "Mormons" prisoners and to secure all their
property to pay the damages of other citizens.

On the 6th day of November, 1838, Clark assembled the people and
delivered an address to them as follows:

    GENTLEMEN:

    You whose names are not attached to this list of names will now
    have the privilege of going to your fields and of providing corn,
    wood, etc., for your families. Those who are now taken will go
    from this to prison, be tried and receive the due demerit of their
    crimes; but you (except such as charges may hereafter be preferred
    against), are at liberty, as soon as the troops are removed that
    now guard the place, which I shall cause to be done immediately.

    It now devolves upon you to fulfill a treaty that you have entered
    into, the leading items of which I shall now lay before you. The
    first requires that your leading men be given up to be tried
    according to law; this you already have complied with. The second
    is, that you deliver up your arms: this has been attended to. The
    third stipulation is that you sign over your properties to defray
    the expenses of the war. This you have also done. Another article
    yet remains for you to comply with--and that is, that you leave the
    state forthwith. And whatever may be your feelings concerning this,
    or whatever your innocence, it is nothing to me. General Lucas
    (whose military rank is equal with mine), has made this treaty with
    you, I approve of it. I should have done the same had I been here.
    I am therefore determined to see it executed.

    _The character of this state has suffered almost beyond
    redemption_, from the character, conduct and influence that you
    have exerted; and we deem it an act of justice to restore her
    character to its former standing among the states by every proper
    means. _The orders of the Governor to me were, that you should be
    exterminated, and not allowed to remain in the state. And had not
    your leaders been given up, and the terms of the treaty complied
    with, before this time you and your families would have been
    destroyed and your houses in ashes_.

    There is a discretionary power vested in my hands, which,
    considering your circumstances, I shall exercise for a season. You
    are indebted to me for this clemency. I do not say that you shall
    go now, but you must not think of staying here another season or of
    putting in crops; for the moment you do this the citizens will be
    upon you; and if I am called here again in case of a non-compliance
    of a treaty made, do not think that I shall do as if I have done
    now. _You need not expect any mercy, but extermination, for I am
    determined the Governor's order shall be executed_.

    _As for your leaders, do not think, do not imagine for a moment, do
    not let it enter into your minds, that they will be delivered and
    restored to you again, for their fate is fixed, their dye is cast,
    their doom is sealed_.

    I am sorry, gentlemen, to see so many apparently intelligent men
    found in the situation that you are; and oh! if I could invoke
    that Great Spirit, THE UNKNOWN GOD to rest upon and deliver you
    from that awful chain of superstition, and liberate you from those
    fetters of fanaticism with which you are bound--that you no longer
    do homage to a man.

    I would advise you to scatter abroad, and never again organize
    yourselves with Bishops, Presidents, etc., lest you excite the
    jealousies of the people and subject yourselves to the same
    calamities that have now come upon you. You have always been the
    aggressors--you have brought upon yourselves these difficulties, by
    being disaffected, and not being subject to rule. And my advice is,
    that you become as other citizens, lest by a recurrence of these
    events you bring upon yourselves irretrievable ruin.

The prisoners whom he had taken were sent by him to Richmond, in Ray
County, for trial.

About this same time Boggs wrote a letter requiring Clark to finish the
awful work which had been begun. He directed a movement against the
Saints at Adam-ondi-Ahman and said:

    My instructions to you are to settle this whole matter completely,
    if possible, before you disband your forces.

To fulfill this edict, Clark ordered General Wilson with his brigade to
Adam-ondi-Ahman, although there were enough mob troops already there to
furnish a special guard and a special executioner for every man, woman
and child in the place. On the 8th of November a cordon was drawn about
Adam-ondi-Ahman. A court of inquiry was instituted with the notorious
Adam Black on the bench, and with a man from General Clark's army as
prosecuting attorney. Not a thing could be proved against any of the
brethren, except that they had been long-suffering victims of senseless
hate, and they were acquitted; but not until a military order was
prepared requiring them, one and all to vacate the place in ten days
and to be outside of the state as early as the next spring or to be
exterminated.



CHAPTER XLI.

JOSEPH PREACHES IN JACKSON AND FULFILLS HIS OWN PROPHECY--FAVOR IN
THE EYES OF THEIR CAPTORS--DRUNKEN GUARDS--IN RICHMOND JAIL--MAJESTY
IN CHAINS--CLARK'S DILEMMA--THE MOCK TRIAL--TREASON TO BELIEVE THE
BIBLE--CLOSE OF THE YEAR 1838.

Early in the year 1838, while it was more than his life was worth
for any Saint to penetrate Jackson County, the Prophet made a public
prophecy that some one of the Elders would preach a sermon there before
the close of the ensuing December.

Lucas crossed the ferry of the Missouri River from Clay into Jackson
County with his prisoners on the night of Saturday, the 3rd of
November, 1838. His march had been made with great expedition, because
he feared to be overtaken by a further demand from his superior officer
for the captives.

The next morning was the Sabbath; and the people along the road came
out in their best attire to view the "Mormon" Prophet, for the news had
preceded his advent, and the whole country was aroused. While they were
yet in camp on that morning a number of ladies and gentlemen visited
them; and one woman inquired of the guards, "Which of the captives is
the Lord worshiped by the Mormons?"

The mobocrat pointed to Joseph with a significant smile and said, "That
is he." After gazing upon the Prophet for a moment the lady candidly
asked whether he professed to be the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Joseph answered:

    I am only a man, a humble minister of salvation sent by the
    Redeemer to preach His gospel.

Astounded at this reply, so different from what she had been led to
expect, the lady pressed question after question upon the Prophet.
As he responded many listeners gathered around, including a company
of the wondering soldiers; and there on that Sabbath morning, with
hundreds of spectators and his captors for a congregation, the Prophet
preached as impressive a discourse as ever before in his life. He set
forth the doctrines of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism for
the remission of sin, with a promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost--as
recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. And by this sermon was his own
prophecy fulfilled.

His listeners were filled with strange emotions, this man spoke as no
other had ever talked in their hearing. The woman who had first asked
to see the Prophet was wrought upon by a spirit of conviction. When
Joseph finished his remarks, she arose and praised God in solemn tones,
and she went away praying that the Lord would protect and deliver His
servants.

At ten o'clock of that Sunday morning, the entire brigade having
crossed the river, the march was resumed. As they passed along the road
hundreds of people flocked to see them, and General Wilson often halted
the cavalcade to introduce his prisoners to the populace, pointing
out each one of the captives by name. A few hours later the prisoners
entered Independence surrounded by the exultant troops, who blew every
instant triumphant blasts upon their bugles to arouse the inhabitants
into a frenzy of joy. Rain was falling in torrents, but it could not
extinguish the blazing hate and exultation of the mob as they paraded
the Prophet through the streets of the city whence his brethren had
been once driven from homes and growing wealth.

But soon after their arrival a reaction of feeling set in, and the
prisoners began to be treated with some show of compassion. It is true
they were badly lodged, closely guarded and exhibited every day as a
victorious Roman general might have exhibited his captive kings; but
they were fed, partly shielded from the severity of the season and
were permitted to plead their cause and proclaim their belief to any
interested listener.

The effect of their situation and their teachings was most amazing.
Here in this region where they had once met cruelty in its direst shape
and whither they had been brought in hourly peril of their lives, they
awakened feelings of pity, respect and personal regard.

They were permitted occasionally to walk out in charge of a guard;
and then they visited the spot dedicated for a temple, which had been
denuded of its noble forests and now lay desolate, and also the place
where had once stood the dwellings of the Saints, but not a vestige
of these habitations remained, for they had been consumed by fire or
carried away by plunderers.

After four days' imprisonment at Independence, and after repeated
demands from Clark for their persons, it was decided to send them to
Richmond, Ray County; but the officers, now become somewhat friendly,
could not give them any light concerning the charges to be made against
them. It was agreed that they were not to be tried by civil process,
because none had been served upon them; it was also agreed that they
could not be tried by court martial since they were civilians--amenable
to civil law; martial law had not been declared, and they had not
committed any military offense.

It was extremely difficult to secure guards to accompany the brethren
to Richmond. None would volunteer, and when drafted from the ranks they
refused to obey orders. The soldiers, impressed by the personality
of the captives, and wrought upon by the spirit of mercy, wished the
brethren to go at liberty. Hundreds of the men who had fought against
them with bitterness now entertained for them the kindest feelings;
and, besides, both officers and troops disliked to see General Clark
secure the triumph so ardently desired by him. The view entertained by
Lucas was shared by his officers and men and was stated to the brethren
by General Wilson in the following words:

    It was repeatedly insinuated by the other officers and troops,
    that we should hang you prisoners on the first tree we came to on
    the way to Independence. But I'll be damned if anybody shall hurt
    you. We just intend to exhibit you in Independence, let the people
    look at you, and see what a damned set of fine fellows you are. And
    more particularly to keep you from that G--d damned old bigot of a
    General Clark and his troops, from down country, who are so stuffed
    with lies and prejudice that they would shoot you down in a moment.

Finally, three men consented to escort the prisoners to Richmond, and
on the morning of Thursday, the 8th day of November, 1838, they started
on their journey. What a reflection it is upon the doings of that time
that the officers in charge of these captives should entrust seven of
them to three guards! Joseph and his brethren had been designated and
treated as the most desperate men in the state of Missouri. The mob
proved their own assertion to be false when they arranged the journey
to Richmond. That afternoon, between Independence and Roy's Ferry, the
three guards became drunk. As Joseph and his brethren had no physical
restraint upon them, they could easily have killed their guard and
escaped; but instead of doing this, they merely secured the arms and
the horses, that the intoxicated soldiers might not injure themselves
or their prisoners and that the steeds might not stray away.

After crossing the Missouri they were met by Colonel Sterling Price
with a guard of seventy-four men, by whom they were conducted to
Richmond and thrown into a vacant house closely watched. A few hours
after their arrival General Clark visited them. When they demanded the
reason why they had thus been carried from their homes, and demanded
a statement of the charge made against them, the great General Clark,
called an eminent lawyer, answered that he could not then determine
what particular offense could be alleged against them, but would think
the matter over. Immediately after he had withdrawn, Colonel Price came
in with ten armed men and some chains and padlocks. The guards were
ordered to stand with muskets ready to fire. Then the windows were
nailed down, and a man named John Fulkerson, chained the seven brethren
together and fastened the manacles with padlocks.

General Clark spent many hours trying to find some definite charge
against the prisoners and trying to find some authority to arraign them
before a court martial. The result of his researches is shown in a
letter addressed to the Governor at that time, in which he says:

    I have detained General White and his field officers here a day
    or two, for the purpose of holding a court martial, if necessary.
    I this day made out charges against the prisoners, and called on
    Judge King to try them as a committing court; and I am now busily
    engaged in procuring witnesses and submitting facts. There being
    no civil officers in Caldwell, I have to use the military to get
    witnesses from there, which I do without reserve. The most of the
    prisoners here, I _consider_ guilty of treason; and I believe
    will be convicted; and the only difficulty in law is, can they be
    tried in any county but Caldwell? If not, they cannot be there
    indicted until a change of population. In the event the latter view
    is taken by the civil courts, I suggest the propriety of trying
    Joseph Smith and those leaders taken by General Lucas for mutiny.
    This I am in favor of only as a dernier resort. I would have taken
    this course with Smith at any rate; but it being doubtful whether
    a court martial has jurisdiction or not in the present case--that
    is, whether these people are to be treated as in time of war, and
    the mutineers as having mutinied in time of war--and I would here
    ask you to forward to me the Attorney-General's opinion on this
    point. It will not do to allow these leaders to return to their
    treasonable work again on account of their not being indicted in
    Caldwell. _They have committed treason, murder, arson, burglary,
    robbery, larceny and perjury_.

A more helpless state of mind than that of General Clark can scarcely
be imagined. The document which has been quoted and which he closes
with charges against the brethren of nearly all the offenses under the
law--and yet does not know how to substantiate or legally punish a
single one of them--proves that he was in a desperate state of mind.

He was determined that they should die and made his preparations for
the commission of the murder before he had even decided what charge to
bring against the prisoners. While this matter was pending, Brother
Jedediah Grant, then a young man, put up at the same tavern with the
General at Richmond. He saw Clark select the men to shoot Joseph and
his fellow prisoners, and he heard the day of the execution fixed as
Monday, November 12th, 1838. He saw the men who were selected load
their rifles with two bullets each, and after this was done he heard
General Clark say to them:

    _Gentlemen, you shall have the honor of shooting the Mormon leaders
    next Monday morning at eight o'clock_.

Colonel Price, who had immediate charge of the prisoners, permitted all
manner of abuse to be heaped upon them. They were kept chained together
like wild beasts; left to lie upon the bare floor without any covering.
When they might have forgotten their sufferings of body and mind in
slumber, the inhuman guards kept them awake by yelling ribald songs and
jests and by shrieks of laughter. Parley P. Pratt, who was one of the
prisoners confined with Joseph, writes of one of these painful nights
as follows:

    In one of those tedious nights we had lain as if in sleep, till
    the hour of midnight had passed, and our ears and hearts had been
    pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the
    horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies and filthy language of our
    guards, Colonel Price at their head, as they recounted to each
    other their deeds of rapine, murder, robbery, etc., which they had
    committed among the Mormons while at Far West and vicinity. They
    even boasted of defiling by force wives, daughters and virgins, and
    of shooting or dashing out the brains of men, women and children.

    I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified,
    and so filled with the spirit of indignant justice, that I could
    scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards,
    but I had said nothing to Joseph or anyone else, although I lay
    next to him, and knew he was awake. On a sudden he arose to his
    feet and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion,
    uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words:

    "Silence! Ye fiends of the infernal pit! In the name of Jesus
    Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still. I will not live
    another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I
    die this instant!"

    He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained,
    and without a weapon, calm, unruffled, and dignified as an angel,
    he looked down upon his quailing guards, whose knees smote
    together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his
    feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet until an exchange of
    guards.

    I have seen ministers of justice, clothed in ministerial robes,
    and criminals arraigned before them, while life was suspended upon
    a breath in the courts of England; I have witnessed a congress in
    solemn session to give laws to nations; I have tried to conceive
    of kings, of royal courts, of thrones and crowns; and of emperors
    assembled to decide the fate of kingdoms; but dignity and majesty
    have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a
    dungeon, in an obscure village of Missouri.

More than fifty of the brethren from Far West were also held in
captivity at Richmond; failing to find authority or excuse for trying
any of these men by court martial, Clark informed them that the
whole party would be turned over to the civil authorities. A court
was convened with Austin A. King presiding, and Thomas C. Burch the
state's attorney, for the prosecution. The first act of this strange
tribunal was to send out a body of mobocratic soldiers, armed with
guns instead of civil process, to bring in witnesses, who, when they
arrived, were sworn at the point of the bayonet. Nearly forty persons
gave evidence for the prosecution. Though they all swore in a general
way monstrous crimes against the accused, not one definite charge was
maintained. When the defense were asked for their witnesses they named
as many as fifty, any of whom could have disproved the accusations.
Captain Bogart, the Methodist preacher, was sent out with a company
of soldiers to procure these witnesses, and when he brought them in
under arrest, they were thrust into jail and kept there until after the
trial, without being accorded an opportunity to testify or to see the
defendants.

One day, while the trial was proceeding, a man named Allen, who knew
something of the facts and was there as an interested spectator, was
called by the defense and sworn. As his testimony was favorable to the
Prophet and the other prisoners, the mob set upon him in open court
and tried to murder him. When he left the building he was pursued by
mobocrats with loaded guns. Observing the outrages inflicted upon
people who wanted to tell the truth, the Prophet and his brethren
ceased to demand witnesses, preferring themselves to suffer than to
involve other people in the toils of mobocratic hate.

The mock investigation continued from day to day until Saturday,
November 24th, 1838, when all of the brethren were discharged except
Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin, Alexander McRae,
Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, Morris Phelps, Luman Gibbs, Darwin
Chase, and Norman Shearer, who were held for murder and treason.

The judge was a Methodist, and he had been particularly anxious to know
whether the defendants believed in the prophecy of Daniel, that:

    In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
    kingdom, which shall break in pieces all other kingdoms, and stand
    forever.

And,

    The kingdom and the greatness of the kingdom, under the whole
    heaven, shall be given to the Saints of the Most High.

When it appeared clear that the prisoners believed in the Bible and in
this particular part of it, their treason was established. The judge
so decided in express terms and he then committed them; and as General
Doniphan, who was present, remarked:

    If a cohort of angels were to come down and declare the innocence
    of the prisoners it would be all the same; for King has determined
    from the beginning to throw them into prison.

King and Burch, the judge and prosecuting attorney, had sat in Lucas's
secret tribunal in Far West which had sentenced the brethren to be
shot; and they were anxious to take this new opportunity to wreak their
vengeance. In open court the judge stated that there was no law to
protect "Mormons" in the state of Missouri, and he was bound to aid the
Governor's edict of extermination.

The prisoners had been kept in chains during the examination; and in
chains they stood to hear the judgment of the court. It was that Joseph
Smith, Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae, Caleb Baldwin, and
Sidney Rigdon be imprisoned in the jail of Clay County until delivered
therefrom by due course of law. The others who were held were retained
in Richmond jail.

Thus was the charge of treason maintained in that day; and upon the
same grounds it has been repeated against the Saints down to the
present time, for they still continue to believe that the Bible is the
word of God.

Joseph and his companions were carried to Liberty, Clay County, in
irons. As they entered the town considerable excitement prevailed among
people desirous to view them. Arrived at the jail, they descended from
the vehicle and walked up the steps to a landing or platform in front
of the entrance of the prison building. Joseph wore a suit of black and
had a cloak of dark colored material hanging on his arm. Hyrum followed
him and the others stood close around. The gaze of the spectators was
concentrated upon Joseph, and his majestic air made a deep impression
upon them. One lady in the crowd cried: "Their Prophet looks like a
gentleman!" Another looking at the group expressed the opinion: "Well,
they are fine looking men if they are Mormons."

It was on the 30th day of November, 1838, that they were incarcerated
in Liberty jail; and at once an order was made to cut off all
communication between them and their friends, while every effort was
put forth to drive away or frighten any witnesses whose testimony might
be desirable for the defendants. And at the same time the threat went
out through all that region that if judges or juries or courts of any
kind should clear the prisoners, they would be slaughtered.

After a little time the rule concerning communications was relaxed, and
Joseph was able to write to his brethren. In one of his letters, dated
from Liberty jail, December 16th, 1838, he said:

    But we want you to remember Haman and Mordecai: you know Haman
    could not be satisfied so long as he saw Mordecai at the king's
    gate, and he sought the life of Mordecai and the people of the
    Jews. But the Lord so ordered it, that Haman was hanged upon his
    own gallows. So shall it come to pass with poor Haman in the last
    days. Those who have sought by unbelief and wickedness, and by
    the principle of mobocracy, to destroy us and the people of God,
    by killing them and scattering them abroad, and wilfully and
    maliciously delivering us into the hands of murderers, desiring us
    to be put to death, thereby having us dragged about in chains and
    cast into prison, and for what cause? It is because we were honest
    men, and were determined to save the lives of the Saints at the
    expense of our own. I say unto you, that those who have thus vilely
    treated us like Haman, shall be hanged on their own gallows; or in
    other words, shall fall into their own gin and snare, and ditch and
    trap, which they have prepared for us, and shall go backwards and
    stumble and fall, and their names shall be blotted out, and God
    shall reward them according to all their abominations.

    The people were making their preparations to leave the state; but
    in the meantime they addressed a memorial and petition to the
    legislature of Missouri, setting forth the wrongs and outrages
    committed upon them. These appeals were presented, but after an
    angry discussion they were laid upon the table. At the same time an
    appropriation of $200,000 was made to the mob to pay them for their
    crimes against the Saints.

This action was so outrageous that something must be done to distract
public attention, and the mob element secured the publication of the
most enormous falsehoods against the people. In these accounts the
wickedness of the mob was disguised or denied. But the Prophet exposed
them in the following words:

    But can they hide the Governor's cruel order for banishment or
    extermination? Can they conceal the facts of the disgraceful treaty
    of the generals with their own officers and men at Far West? Can
    they conceal the fact that twelve or fifteen thousand men, women
    and children have been banished from the state without trial or
    condemnation? And this at the expense of two hundred thousand
    dollars--and this sum appropriated by the state legislature in
    order to pay the troops for this act of lawless outrage? Can they
    conceal the fact that we have been imprisoned for many months,
    while our families, friends and witnesses have been driven away?
    Can they conceal the blood of the murdered husbands and fathers, or
    stifle the cries of the widow and the fatherless? Nay! The rocks
    and mountains may cover them in unknown depths, the awful abyss of
    the fathomless deep may swallow them up--and still their horrid
    deeds stand forth in the broad light of day, for the wondering gaze
    of angels and men! They cannot be hid.

The year drew to a close. The Saints were impoverished and scattered.
The Prophet and his companions, loaded with chains, were in a noisome
dungeon; several times they were poisoned, and, during a period of five
days, human flesh was served to them as meat. The guards called it
"Mormon beef," and the Prophet warned his companions not to touch it.

The earth was wrapped in gloom for the people of God when the sun sank
for the last time upon the year 1838; but beyond and above this sphere
was the star of eternal faith, whose light no prison walls could shut
out from trusting souls.



CHAPTER XLII.

THE PLEDGE FOR THE POOR SAINTS IN MISSOURI--BRIGHAM YOUNG DRIVEN
FORTH--EFFORTS TO SECURE THE PROPHET'S RELEASE--REMOVAL TO GALLATIN--
EXAMINATION OF THE CASE BY A DRUNKEN JURY--WHOLESALE INDICTMENT--CHANGE
OF VENUE TO BOONE--ESCAPE FROM MISSOURI TO ILLINOIS.

With the dawn of 1839, a pledge was given by many of the brethren in
Missouri that they would assist each other and assist the poor to
escape from the state; and the promise was sacredly redeemed.

But the persecution did not cease. Brigham Young who had been chosen
president of the Twelve in place of Thomas B. Marsh, an apostate, was
driven out of Far West by mobs that sought his life. He with other
fugitive Saints went to Illinois, and the charitable people of Quincy,
Adams County, extended to the persecuted people a hand of kindness.

In January, Heber C. Kimball and Alanson Ripley went to Liberty
and began to importune at the feet of judges for relief for their
suffering Prophet and brethren in prison. One Judge Hughes believed
that they were pleading the cause of the innocent and wanted the
captives admitted to bail; but his associates were hardened and would
not consent. The two supplicants were soon compelled, by mob fury, to
desist from their importunities and were driven away from Liberty.

A writ of _habeas corpus_ was secured about the close of January to
bring the prisoners before Judge Turnham. An examination was held, but
it was a farce. Nearly all the officers of the law, if not in league
with the mob, were in terror of its power. Sidney Rigdon alone was
released at the hearing upon the writ; but he had to return to jail
because the rabble swore they would kill him if he were turned loose. A
little later Sidney was let out of the prison secretly in the night by
a friendly jailor, and he escaped to Quincy.

The families of Joseph, Hyrum and the other captive brethren gathered
up to Quincy after undergoing the most appalling privations. It was
Stephen Markham who escorted Emma, Joseph's wife, and their children
from Far West, through all the dangers of Missouri and to a place of
safety. The Saints were arriving there in large numbers during the
winter and early spring, but were not decided yet where to settle.

On the 15th day of March the Prophet and the other brethren in Liberty
jail made petitions to the judges of the supreme court for writs of
_habeas corpus_, by which they hoped to have the proceedings of their
imprisonment examined; but they were obstructed by the hatred against
them. It was evident that the purpose of their enemies was to withhold
judicial hearing until after the brethren had suffered death in prison.
And their efforts from this time on during their captivity were
continuous to secure such hearing.

A conference was held at Quincy on the 17th of March, 1839, over which
Brigham Young presided as the head of the Twelve. Thomas B. Marsh and
several other persons of some prominence were excommunicated from the
Church.

A gathering place for the Saints was necessary. This the Prophet felt
every hour. While he was in prison in Liberty the brethren had friendly
communication with one Dr. Isaac Galland upon the subject of settlement
by the Saints in Iowa Territory and at Commerce, Illinois. From his
dungeon the Prophet pressed the Elders to make a close examination of
this matter, as the springtime was at hand and the crops for the year
must be planted.

In prison, Joseph was in constant communion with the heavens and he
received revelations, without which he and his brethren must have been
cast down and without hope. He also sent epistles full of instruction
and hope to leading men among the Saints. And his cheerful courage
under the most trying circumstances of his life was very helpful in
animating the banished people to pursue their migration with energy and
fortitude.

While the Prophet and companions were still in Liberty jail, and after
having repeatedly and vainly sought release by law, they thought they
saw an opportunity to escape. At Hyrum's instance Joseph prayed to
the Lord and asked if it were His will that they should depart from
prison. The answer came to the Prophet that if they were all agreed
in faith and purpose they might escape that night. When this response
was made known, all of the brethren except Lyman Wight coincided in
the opinion that they should seize their liberty, for they relied
implicitly upon the promise given. But Lyman trembled, hesitated; and,
as his companions would not resolve to leave him and as the promise of
the Lord was based upon their unanimity, they resolved to wait until
the next night as Lyman Wight agreed to then accompany them. The delay
was fatal; they broke the conditions of the promise and remained in
durance. On the night for which the promise was given the jailer came
in alone with their suppers and left the doors wide open, so that they
might easily have escaped. The next night he brought a double guard
with him and also six visiting brethren. As the jailor was leaving
their dungeon some of them attempted to follow him; but they were
foiled. The guards were so enraged at the effort, although it had been
a vain one, that they locked up the visiting brethren and made threats
against their persons and property. The attempt to escape created
great excitement; and the people of the town swarmed around the jail
proposing various plans to destroy Joseph and all his companions. But
the Prophet told his brethren to have no fear; not a hair of their
heads should be harmed, and the brethren who had come in to comfort
them should not lose any of their personal belongings--not even a horse
or a saddle. He told them that they had risked their lives to bring joy
to himself and companions and the Lord would bless them. These promises
were fulfilled to the letter.

When the visiting brethren were called for trial, Brother Erastus Snow,
who was one of them, plead their cause as he had been counseled by
Joseph. He did so in such a forcible and eloquent manner that orders
of discharge in some cases and orders for bail in the others were
immediately entered. Elder Snow's argument had been so strong and
logical in its legal deductions that the lawyers who heard him supposed
that he was a trained attorney.

Many enemies of the Prophet were permitted by the guard to visit and
insult him in prison. It was their habit to charge him with murder.
Several different men accused him of having killed their sons at the
battle of Crooked River; several more, who were no kin to each other,
charged him with having killed their brothers in the same battle. And
this was the texture of the accusations made against him in and out of
court. It had been alleged that only one man was killed at the battle
of Crooked River, so it was impossible for several different men to
lose sons and brothers there; and Joseph was not near the scene of that
contest.

On one occasion a company under the leadership of William Bowman made
solemn oath that they would never eat or drink more until they had
taken the life of Joseph Smith. Bowman himself went to one of the
Elders and made this boast:

    After I once lay eyes on your Prophet I will never taste food or
    drink until I have killed him.

As these men all saw the Prophet soon afterward, and as he lived more
than five years from that time, they either broke their oath or endured
a long fast.

Before Brigham Young was driven out of Missouri into Illinois he went
with Elders Heber C. Kimball and George A. Smith to see the Prophet in
prison. Joseph enjoyed two visits with them; and when they left him
they were much affected and were determined to do something further for
his release. In the latter part of March, Elders Heber C. Kimball and
Theodore Turley, carrying with them the papers in the case, went to see
the Governor. As Boggs was absent from the capital the secretary of
state reviewed the documents; and he was amazed that any man should be
held in custody upon such papers, for they were in every sense illegal,
insufficient and absurd. However, nothing was done from the executive
office to relieve them; and Elders Kimball and Turley then applied to
the supreme court judges for a writ of _habeas corpus_ but without
avail. When these devoted men returned to Liberty and reported the
failure of their mission, the Prophet bade them be of good cheer and
said:

    We shall be delivered; but no arm but that of God can save us now.
    Tell the brethren to be of good cheer and to get the Saints away
    from Missouri as soon as possible.

On Saturday, the 6th day of April, 1839, Judge King ordered the Prophet
and his fellow-prisoners off to Gallatin, Daviess County. This judicial
autocrat feared a change of venue or some movement from a superior
tribunal to secure the release of the prisoners or their removal from
his personal power, and he determined to carry them away from Liberty.
He sent them under a guard of ten men, promising the brethren that they
should be permitted to go through Far West to see their friends, as
that place was directly on their route. Instead, however, of fulfilling
his promise, the guards carried the captives eighteen miles out of the
direct course to avoid the city, dragging them through a dangerous
country, apparently in the hope that some of their sworn enemies would
fall upon and massacre them.

The journey to Gallatin was very painful, for Joseph and his brethren
had been greatly enfeebled by their long confinement and the privations
which they had endured while enchained in Liberty dungeon. Before they
had started on this journey, some of the captive brethren had desired
to have a party of friends to accompany them for protection. But as
they never did anything without asking the Prophet, they consulted him
upon this point. He responded:

    In the name of the Lord, if we put our trust in Him alone we shall
    be saved and no harm shall befall us, and we shall be better
    treated than ever before since we have been prisoners.

Although this surprised the brethren, it satisfied them. But when they
arrived at the place where the court was to be held at Gallatin, they
began to think the Prophet had been mistaken for once, for the rabble
rushed out upon them shrieking, "Kill them; -------- -------- them,
kill them!" There was apparently no chance for escape except to fight,
and they were unarmed. At this instant the Prophet rose to his feet and
said:

    We are in your hands; if we are guilty, we do not refuse to be
    punished by the law.

Some of the bitterest mobocrats hearing these words and being impressed
by the power with which they were uttered, warned the blood-thirsty
rabble back and quieted the storm. During the time of their stay in
Gallatin the Prophet's promise was fulfilled; for they enjoyed all the
comforts and some of the luxuries of life, tendered them by men who
sympathized with their long-suffering and patient endurance. The day
after their arrival at Gallatin, an examination of their case commenced
before a drunken jury. Austin A. King, who acted here as the presiding
judge, was as drunk as the jurymen. The same perjured testimony was
invoked at this time as on previous occasions. Everything which was
prejudicial to the prisoners, even when it was a patent falsehood,
and even when, if true, it could have had no relevancy to the case,
was eagerly seized and applauded. Stephen Markham desired to testify
to some facts which were favorable to the defendants. He had reached
Gallatin on the afternoon of the 9th, having hastened from Far West,
swimming several streams by the way, to bring money and comfort to the
Prophet and his companions. At his request his testimony was received.
It did not suit the mobocratic guards, and they attempted to kill him.
The notorious Colonel William P. Peniston was one of their number.
Judge King and all the members of the grand jury saw the attack upon
Markham, and the threats against his life, but they took no cognizance
of these outrages.

On the 11th of April, 1839, the grand jury brought in a bill against
Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Alexander McRae, Caleb Baldwin and Lyman
Wight for "murder, treason, burglary, arson, larceny, theft and
stealing." All of these counts were embodied in one indictment, and not
one of them was sustained by any specific statement of circumstances.
The language of the bill proves that the grand jury, like General
Clark, had failed to find a definite charge which they could
substantiate, and so included everything which they could think of.
That night Elder Markham stayed with the brethren and while he slept
a vision came to Joseph, showing him that his beloved Brother Markham
was in peril of his life, at the same time showing him that his own
deliverance and that of his captive companions, was nigh. The Prophet
aroused Stephen and told him to hasten away from Gallatin, because if
he waited until broad day--according to his expectation for the purpose
of meeting the lawyers--he would be waylaid by a mob which intended to
assassinate him. Stephen knew that the warning was from the Lord and
he fled, thereby baffling the mobocrats who, as shown to Joseph in the
vision, had really made their plot to kill Stephen. After he was gone,
an armed party pursued him a long distance on the road to Far West; but
they were unable to overtake him.

Elder Alexander McRae, who was a prisoner with Joseph at this time,
says that it was the Prophet's characteristic to always defend his
companions no matter how unpopular it might be to speak in their
favor. He was much more solicitous for them than for himself. And as
an illustration Brother McRae says that while they were at Gallatin,
Peniston began to insult one of the captive brethren. Joseph darted a
glance of lightning upon the wretch and said in tones of thunder: "Your
heart is as black as your whiskers."

Peniston threw his hand over his beard, which was as black as a crow
and rushed from the room quaking in every limb.

Elder Markham had left with the brethren a recent statute which
enabled them to secure a change of venue upon their own affidavit; and
after the mock examination in Gallatin the Prophet and his companions
procured a change of venue to Boone County, for which place they
departed on the 15th day of April, 1839, under charge of a strong
guard. On the evening of the 16th, while pursuing their journey, all
of the guards became intoxicated. It was a favorable moment for an
escape, and the brethren seized the opportunity. The Prophet's reasons
for consenting to this escape were stated by him at the time in the
following language:

    Knowing the only object of our enemies was our destruction, * * *
    we thought that [escape] was necessary for us, inasmuch as we love
    our lives, and did not wish to die by the hands of murderers and
    assassins; and inasmuch as we love our families and friends.

By this act the brethren took their change of venue from the state
of Missouri to the state of Illinois. After indescribable hardships,
traveling by night and suffering all manner of privations, they arrived
in Quincy, Illinois, and met the congratulations of their friends and
the embraces of their families.

Reviewing the awful experience through which he and his fellow captives
had passed, Joseph wrote on the day of his arrival at Quincy as follows:

    We were in their hands, as prisoners, about six months; but
    notwithstanding their determination to destroy us, * * and although
    at three different times (as we were informed) we were sentenced to
    be shot, without the least shadow of law (as we were not military
    men) and had the time and place appointed for that purpose, yet
    through the mercy of God, in answer to the prayers of the Saints,
    we have been preserved and delivered out of their hands, and can
    again enjoy the society of our friends and brethren, whom we love
    and to whom we feel united in bonds that are stronger than death,
    and in a state where we believe the laws are respected, and whose
    citizens are humane and charitable.

    During the time we were in the hands of our enemies, we must say
    that although we felt anxiety respecting our families and friends,
    who were so inhumanly treated and abused, and who had to mourn the
    loss of their * * * slain, and, after having been robbed of nearly
    all that they possessed, be driven from their homes, and forced to
    wander as strangers in a strange country, in order that they might
    save themselves and their little ones from the destruction they
    were threatened with in Missouri, yet as far as we were concerned,
    we felt perfectly calm, and resigned to the will of our Heavenly
    Father. We knew our innocency, as well as that of the Saints, and
    that we had done nothing to deserve such treatment from the hands
    of our oppressors. Consequently, we could look to that God who has
    the hearts of all men in His hands, and who has saved us frequently
    from the gates of death, for deliverance; and notwithstanding that
    every avenue of escape seemed to be entirely closed, and death
    stared us in the face, and that our destruction was determined
    upon, as far as man was concerned, yet from our first entrance
    into the camp, we felt an assurance that we, with our families,
    should be delivered. Yes, that still small voice, which had so
    often whispered consolation to our souls, in the depths of sorrow
    and distress, bade us be of good cheer, and promised deliverance,
    which gave us great comfort. And although the heathen raged, and
    the people imagined vain things, yet the Lord of Hosts, the God
    of Jacob, was our refuge, and when we cried unto Him in the day
    of trouble, He delivered us; for which we call upon our souls to
    bless and praise His holy name. For although we were troubled on
    every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair;
    persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.



CHAPTER XLIII.

THE EXODUS COMPLETED--A FRAGMENT OF ITS AGONIES--THE WOES OF A
MARTYR'S WIDOW, A TYPE OF THE GENERAL SUFFERING--THREAT THAT ONE OF
JOSEPH'S PROPHECIES SHOULD FAIL--BUT IT IS FULFILLED BY COURAGEOUS
APOSTLES--MISSOURI'S PUNISHMENT AND ATONEMENT.

The agony of the exodus from Missouri cannot be described. Many of the
brethren had been killed; many more were in prison; and all the rest
were pursued with vindictive hate and threats of death. But for the
spirit of mutual help which prevailed, the half of the stricken Saints
must have perished by massacre or starvation in Missouri. A pitiful
picture of some of the trials they endured was drawn by Sister Amanda
Smith, a survivor of the Haun's Mill massacre. The mob had killed her
husband and one son and had dangerously wounded another of her children.

She says:

    They [the mob] told us we must leave the state forthwith or be
    killed. It was cold weather, and they had our teams and clothes,
    our men all dead or wounded. I told them they might kill me and
    my children and welcome. They sent word to us from time to time,
    saying that if we did not leave the state they would come and kill
    us. We had little prayer meetings; they said if we did not stop
    these, they would kill every man, woman and child. We had spelling
    schools for our little children; they said if we did not stop these
    they would kill every man, woman and child. We [the women] had to
    do our own milking, cut our own wood; no man to help us. I started
    on the 1st of February for Illinois without money; mobs on the way;
    drove our own team; slept out of doors. I had five small children;
    we suffered hunger, fatigue and cold.

This is one scene by which the whole Missouri tragedy of that day may
be judged.

Some time after the Saints had completed their exodus Hyrum Smith
epitomized the awful events in the following words:

    Governor Boggs and Generals Clark, Lucas, Wilson and Gilliam,
    also Austin A. King, have committed treasonable acts against the
    citizens of Missouri, and did violate the constitution of the
    United States and also the constitution and laws of the state of
    Missouri, and did exile and expel, at the point of the bayonet,
    some twelve or fourteen thousand inhabitants of the state, and did
    murder some three or four hundred of men, women and children in
    cold blood, in the most horrid and cruel manner possible. And the
    whole of it was caused by religious bigotry and persecution, and
    because the Mormons dared to worship Almighty God according to the
    dictates of their own conscience, and agreeably to His divine will,
    as revealed in the scriptures of eternal truth.

The Prophet himself bore testimony that the conduct of the Saints under
their accumulated wrongs and sufferings was most praiseworthy. He had
observed them from within his prison walls, and after the order of
exile was fully enforced he wrote:

    The courage of the Saints in defending their brethren from the
    ravages of the mobs, their attachment to the cause of truth, under
    circumstances most trying and distressing which humanity can
    possibly endure; their love to each other: * * * their sacrifice
    in leaving Missouri and assisting the poor widows and orphans and
    securing them homes in a more hospitable land; all combine to
    raise them in the estimation of all good and virtuous men, and
    has secured them the favor and approbation of Jehovah, and a name
    as imperishable as eternity. And their virtuous deeds and heroic
    actions, while in defense of truth and their brethren, will be
    fresh and blooming when the names of their oppressors shall be
    either entirely forgotten, or only remembered for their barbarity
    and cruelty.

On the 5th day of April, 1839, Captain Bogart, who was now the county
judge of Caldwell, with a number of apostates and mobocrats, visited
Elder Theodore Turley, in Far West, and called his attention to the
revelation given through Joseph Smith, July 8th, 1838, in which the
following passage occurs:

    Let them [the Twelve] take leave of my Saints in the city of Far
    West on the 26th day of April next, on the building spot of my
    house, saith the Lord.

Bogart and his companions said to Elder Turley:

    As a rational man, you must give up the claim that Joseph Smith is
    a prophet and an inspired man; the Twelve are scattered all over
    creation; let them come here if they dare: if they do, they will be
    murdered. As that revelation cannot be fulfilled, you must now give
    up your faith. This is like all the rest of Joseph Smith's damned
    prophecies.

Elder Turley rebuked them with such manliness and power of the Spirit
that John Whitmer, one of the apostates who was present, hung his head
in shame.

But the Lord God Almighty would not permit one jot or tittle of His
promise to fail; He had servants with the courage and fidelity to
perform His command. At 1 o'clock in the morning of the 26th day of
April, 1839, the day promised in the revelation, seven of the Twelve
Apostles, a majority of the quorum, held a conference on the temple
site at Far West; and the master workman laid a corner stone of the
foundation of the Lord's house. After the inspiring services were
ended, the Twelve took leave of the congregation of the Saints, as had
been promised.

It was at this conference that Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith
were ordained to the Apostleship. Brigham Young presided over the
meeting and John Taylor was its clerk.

President Brigham Young, in speaking of this matter in his history,
details the following incident:

    As the Saints were passing away from the meeting, Brother Turley
    said to Page and Woodruff, "Stop a bit, while I bid Isaac Russell
    good-bye;" and knocking at the door called Brother Russell.

    His wife answered, "Come in, it is Brother Turley."

    Russell replied, "It is not; he left here two weeks ago," and
    appeared quite alarmed; but on finding it was Turley, asked him to
    sit down; but he replied, "I cannot; I shall lose my company."

    "Who is your company?" inquired Russell.

    "The Twelve."

    "_The Twelve_!"

    "Yes. Don't you know that this is the twenty-sixth, and the day the
    Twelve were to take leave of their friends on the foundation of the
    Lord's House, to go to the islands of the sea? The revelation is
    now fulfilled, and I am going with them."

    Russell was speechless, and Turley bid him farewell.

    Thus was this revelation fulfilled, concerning which our enemies
    said, if all the other revelations of Joseph Smith were fulfilled,
    that one should not, as it had day and date to it.

After the fulfillment of this prophecy, none of the Saints had any
desire to remain longer in the state of Missouri, and the last remnant,
except such as were held in chains and dungeons hastened away to join
their brethren in Illinois and to find a new place of gathering. And a
few months later, after undergoing thrice the tortures of death, Parley
P. Pratt and the other captives had all been released.

The turbulent spirits in Missouri had conquered, overriding law and
justice and trampling humanity into the dust. This is not the place for
a review in detail of all the sufferings of the Church of Jesus Christ
in that region; but when the chapter shall be written, it will be as
tragic as anything in American history.

The edict of exile was made and enforced, and so far as the Saints were
concerned, the deed ended there; but not so with the state of Missouri,
for the wrong committed remained to plague and wreak its vengeance
upon guilty and innocent alike. The demon conjured into power by the
murderous and plundering element of that region, would not down. When
there were no "Mormons" to persecute, the turbulent spirits of the
border at times fell upon each other and at other times fell unitedly
upon law-abiding, prosperous citizens. Missouri became deeply involved
in the Kansas troubles, in which the lawless, mobocratic element took
bloody part; and when the Civil War opened, the government of Missouri,
from the executive office down, became a chaos. The man who occupied
the place disgraced by Lilburn W. Boggs, was a secessionist, and fled
from his capital to lead the state militia at Booneville against the
Union troops. The national power triumphed, and the governor and his
forces, among which were many of the old mobocrats, were utterly
routed. The offices which had once been disgraced by cowards were
now declared vacant by an arbitrary decree of a state convention in
sympathy with the Republic, one and indivisible. The state was declared
out of the Union by the secessionist governor, and then became the
theatre for a fratricidal strife which deluged it with blood.

On the 31st day of August, 1861, General John C. Fremont, then in
command of the western department, declared martial law in the state of
Missouri, and proclaimed free the slaves of all persons who had taken
up arms against the United States. It was a wonderful retribution that
Missouri, in which the mob had declared as a pretext for their assaults
upon the Saints that the latter were Abolitionists, should be the
first state in which an edict of manumission went forth. It is also a
wonderful retribution that the state in which the civil power had once
been helpless to protect law-abiding citizens, should, only five months
after the breaking out of the war, have its civil power abrogated and
all its people placed under martial rule. Some of the statements in
Fremont's proclamation show with startling significance the character
of that evil population which had been rewarded by the state for
expatriating the Latter-day Saints.

The General says:

    Circumstances in my judgment of sufficient urgency, render it
    necessary that the Commanding General of this Department should
    assume the administrative powers of the state. Its disorganized
    condition, _the helplessness of its civil authority, the total
    insecurity of life, and the devastation of property by hands
    of murderers and marauders, who infest nearly every county
    in the state, and avail themselves of the public misfortunes
    and the vicinity of a hostile force to gratify private and
    neighborhood vengeance, and who find an enemy wherever they find
    plunder_,--finally demand the severest measures to repress the
    daily increasing crimes and outrages, _which are driving off the
    inhabitants and ruining the state_. In this condition, the public
    safety and the success of our arms require unity of purpose:
    without let or hindrance, to the prompt administration of affairs.

    In order, therefore, to suppress disorders, to maintain as far
    as now practicable the public peace, and to give security and
    protection to the persons and property of loyal citizens, I do
    hereby extend, and declare established, martial law throughout the
    state of Missouri. The lines of the army of occupation in this
    state are for the present declared to extend from Leavenworth, by
    way of the posts of Jefferson City, Rolla and Ironton, to Cape
    Girardeau, on the Mississippi River.

    All persons who shall be taken with arms in their hands within
    these lines shall be tried by court martial, and if found guilty,
    will be shot.

Upon the subject of the slaves, in the same proclamation, the General
says:

    The property, real and personal, of all persons in the state of
    Missouri who shall take up arms against the United States, and
    who shall be directly proven to have taken active part with their
    enemies in the field, is declared to be confiscated to the public
    use; _and their slaves_, if any they have, _are hereby declared
    free men_.

And in enforcement of his proclamation to set the negroes free, he
issued deeds of manumission, of one of which we are able to present a
copy:

    Deed of manumission.--Whereas, T. L. S., of the city and county of
    St. Louis, Missouri, has been taking active part with the enemies
    of the United States in the present insurrectionary movement
    against the government of the United States, Now, therefore,
    I, John Charles Fremont, Major-General, commanding the Western
    Department of the Army of the United States, by authority of law,
    and the power vested in me, as such Commanding-General, declare
    Frank Lewis, heretofore "held to service" or labor, by said T. L.
    S. to be free, and forever discharged from the bonds of servitude;
    giving him full right and authority to have, use and control
    his own labor or service as to him may seem proper, without any
    accountability whatever to said T. L. S., or any one to claim
    by, through or under him. And this Deed of Manumission shall be
    respected and treated by all persons and in all courts of justice,
    as the full and complete evidence of the freedom of said Frank
    Lewis.

    In testimony whereof this act is done at St. Louis, Missouri, this
    1st day of September, 1861, as is evidenced by the departmental
    seal hereto affixed by my order.

    (Signed), JOHN C. FREMONT.

Horace Greeley, in his _American Conflict_, speaks of "Missouri,
betrayed by Jackson" (the governor). Referring to the spectacle of
anarchy and treason exhibited by the seceding states, Greeley reaches
the culmination with Missouri and uses the following words:

    _We are now to contemplate more directly the spectacle of a state
    plunged into secession and civil war, not in obedience to, but in
    defiance of, the action of her convention and the express will of
    her people--not, even, by any direct act of her legislature, but by
    the will of her executive alone_. * * * The state school fund, the
    money provided to pay the July interest on the heavy state debt,
    and all other available means, amounting in the aggregate to over
    three millions of dollars, were appropriated to military uses, and
    placed at the disposal of [Governor] Jackson, under the pretense of
    arming the state against any emergency. By another act the governor
    was invested with despotic power--_even verbal opposition to his
    assumptions of authority being constituted treason_; while every
    citizen liable to military duty was declared subject to draft into
    active service at Jackson's will, and an oath of obedience to the
    state executive exacted.

To support him in his treasonable exercise of power, among the men
chosen by Governor Jackson was John B. Clark, the man whom Boggs had
selected as a willing tool and whom Jackson now found pliant to his
purpose. Another of the mob officers, Sterling Price, was now made by
Jackson, Major-General of the state forces.

Poor Missouri atoned with rivers of blood and tears for her sin against
herself in permitting the executive to usurp unlawful authority. The
precedent of Boggs' exercise of power was handed down. In the day
of the persecution of the Saints, a court had decided that belief
in the Bible was treason against the government. The idea had moved
with terrible momentum; for here we find in 1861 that, "even verbal
opposition to the governor's assumption of authority was constituted
treason."

It is true that with any kind of a population Missouri must have taken
part either for or against the Union; but it is also true that the
existence within her boundaries of thousands of lawless wretches who
loved plunder and rapine, largely increased her sufferings. The entire
state was punished for permitting the massacre of the Saints to go
unchecked and for encouraging the spirit of plunder by rewarding the
mobocrats with money from the state treasury. Men learned to live by
murder and rapine. It cost Missouri dearly to get rid of the evil, but
happily for her much of the bad element was eliminated. Many of the old
mobocrats suffered all the tortures which they had inflicted.

But Missouri largely purged herself of the vile element, and after
the strife was ended better men and better sentiments came into the
ascendancy. Some of the men who had been averse to mobocratic violence
against the Latter-day Saints believed that retribution would come.
They lived to see the day of atonement and to participate in a local
reconstruction and a restoration of better things.

The constituency of the mob is thus described by the Prophet, in a
letter dated at Commerce, Illinois, May 17th, 1839:

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

And at a later day in repeating this view, he said:

    We consider that in making these remarks, we express the sentiments
    of the Church in general as well as our own individually, and also
    when we say in conclusion, that we feel the fullest confidence,
    that when the subject of our wrongs has been fully investigated by
    the authorities of the United States, we shall receive the most
    perfect justice at their hands; whilst our unfeeling oppressors
    shall be brought to condign punishment, with the approbation of a
    free and enlightened people, without respect to sect or party.



CHAPTER XLIV.

THE LOCATION OF COMMERCE--NAUVOO, THE BEAUTIFUL--PITY FROM PROMINENT
MEN IN ILLINOIS--A DAY OF MIRACLES--THE PROPHET RAISES THE SICK AT THE
SOUND OF HIS VOICE--JOSEPH SOUNDS THE TRUMP OF WARNING--THE MISSION OF
THE APOSTLES--THEIR SELF-SACRIFICE AND COURAGE--CONFERENCE AT COMMERCE.

It was a sudden shifting of scenes from Missouri to Illinois in that
sad springtime of 1839.

An examination had been made of lands in Iowa, and tracts were
eventually secured there; but the beauty of the site of Commerce
and the hospitality evinced by the people of Illinois were great
attractions and decided the Prophet upon making the location at that
place. It was on the 1st day of May that Joseph made the first purchase
of lands in that locality. The town consisted of only six houses; the
land was covered with trees and brush; and the soil was so wet that
teams mired in the streets. The climate was very unhealthy; but the
Prophet knew that the blessing of God would make it a fit habitation
for His Saints.

It was a magnificent site, overlooking the Mississippi which swept
around it in a half circle, giving the place three fronts upon the
noble river. Because of the loveliness of the site the name of Commerce
was changed to Nauvoo which means in Hebrew, the fair or beautiful.

The woes of the Saints while in Missouri had been observed with an eye
of pity from Illinois. Such monstrous crime against an unoffending
people shocked the patriotism and humanity of all who witnessed it, and
the people of Illinois wondered how the Missourians could be so lost to
all sense of justice and mercy as to commit these acts of murder and
pillage. Under date of May 8, 1839, Governor Thomas Garlin, Senator
Richard M. Young, and many other prominent citizens of Illinois, wrote
a letter to all whom it might concern, in which they spoke of "the
sufferings of this unfortunate people [the Saints], stripped as they
have been of their all, and now scattered throughout this part of the
state. We say to the charitable and benevolent, you need have no fear,
but your contributions in aid of humanity will be properly applied if
entrusted to the hands of Mr. [John P.] Greene. He is authorized by his
church to act in the premises; and we most cordially bear testimony to
his piety and worth as a citizen."

It was on the 10th day of May that Joseph arrived with his family at
the Commerce purchase, taking up his abode in a small log cabin on the
bank of the river, thankful to get even this poor shelter.

Joseph had been as much a sufferer as any among the Saints. He and his
family were in a state of utter destitution as were his brethren and
sisters when the location was made at Nauvoo. His own afflictions and
poverty showed him what the Saints were enduring, and he ministered
among them with the unselfishness and vigor of his life. The people
looked to him for counsel and help from day to day; and he found time,
in all the multiplicity of the business thrust upon him, to aid and
advise each individual according to his needs. It was almost a work of
creation from chaos to gather the scattered people and establish the
community in one spot, to feed and clothe and house the destitute and
afflicted.

The region surrounding Nauvoo had been too sickly for other settlers,
and soon after the Saints reached there they suffered greatly from
malaria. Joseph had filled his house and tents with the sick, and
through his exertions in their behalf and his other labors he was soon
prostrated. But on the morning of the 22nd day of July, 1839, the
Spirit of the Lord rested powerfully upon him, and he arose from his
own bed and commenced to administer to the sick who were at his place.
He commanded them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to arise and
be made whole; and all who heard him in faith were healed. The events
of that day of miracles are thus minutely described in the journal of
President Wilford Woodruff, which was written at the time:

    Many lay sick along the bank of the river, and Joseph walked along
    up to the lower stone house, occupied by Sidney Rigdon, and he
    healed all the sick that lay in his path. Among the number was
    Henry G. Sherwood, who was nigh unto death. Joseph stood in the
    mouth of his tent and commanded him in the name of Jesus Christ
    to arise and come out of his tent, and he obeyed him and was
    healed. Brother Benjamin Brown and his family also lay sick, the
    former appearing to be in a dying condition. Joseph healed them
    in the name of the Lord. After healing all that lay sick upon the
    bank of the river as far as the stone house, he called upon Elder
    Kimball and some others to accompany him across the river to visit
    the sick at Montrose. Many of the Saints were living at the old
    military barracks. Among the number were several of the Twelve. On
    his arrival, the first house he visited was that occupied by Elder
    Brigham Young, the President of the quorum of the Twelve, who lay
    sick. Joseph healed him, when he arose and accompanied the Prophet
    on his visit to others who were in the same condition. They visited
    Elder W. Woodruff, also Elders Orson Pratt and John Taylor, all
    of whom were living in Montrose. They also accompanied him. The
    next place they visited was the home of Elijah Fordham, who was
    supposed to be about breathing his last. When the company entered
    the room the Prophet of God walked up to the dying man, and took
    hold of his right hand and spoke to him; but Brother Fordham was
    unable to speak, his eyes were set in his head like glass, and he
    seemed entirely unconscious of all around him. Joseph held his hand
    and looked into his eyes in silence for a length of time. A change
    in the countenance of Brother Fordham was soon perceptible to all
    present. His sight returned, and upon Joseph asking him if he knew
    him, he, in a low whisper, answered "Yes." Joseph asked him if he
    had faith to be healed. He answered, "I fear it is too late; if
    you had come sooner I think I could have been healed." The Prophet
    said, "Do you not believe in Jesus Christ?" He answered in a feeble
    voice, "I do." Joseph then stood erect, still holding his hand
    in silence several moments, then he spoke in a very loud voice,
    saying, "Brother Fordham, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ
    to arise from this bed and be made whole." His voice was like the
    voice of God, and not of man. It seemed as though the house shook
    to its very foundation. Brother Fordham arose from his bed and was
    immediately made whole. His feet were bound in poultices, which
    he kicked off, then putting on his clothes he ate a bowl of bread
    and milk and followed the Prophet into the street. The company
    next visited Brother Joseph Bates Noble, who lay very sick. He
    also was healed by the Prophet. By this time the wicked became
    alarmed, and followed the company into Brother Noble's house. After
    Brother Noble was healed all kneeled down to pray. Brother Fordham
    was mouth, and, while praying, he fell to the floor. The Prophet
    arose, and looking round, he saw quite a number of unbelievers in
    the house, whom he ordered out. When the room was cleared of them
    Brother Fordham came to and finished his prayer.

    After healing the sick in Montrose, all the company followed Joseph
    to the bank of the river, where he was going to take the boat to
    return home. While waiting for the boat a man from the west, who
    had seen that the sick and dying were healed, asked Joseph if he
    would not go to his house and heal two of his children, who were
    very sick. They were twins and were three months old. Joseph told
    the man he could not go; but he would send some one to heal them.
    He told Elder Woodruff to go with the man and heal his children. At
    the same time he took from his pocket a silk bandanna handkerchief,
    and gave it to Brother Woodruff, telling him to wipe the faces of
    the children with it and they should be healed; and remarked at the
    same time: "As long as you keep that handkerchief it shall remain a
    league between you and me." Elder Woodruff did as he was commanded,
    and the children were healed, and he keeps the handkerchief to this
    day.

    There were many sick whom Joseph could not visit, so be counseled
    the Twelve to go and visit and heal them, and many were healed
    under their hands. On the day following that upon which the above
    described events took place Joseph sent Elders George A. and Don
    Carlos Smith up the river to heal the sick. They went up as far
    as Ebenezer Robinson's--one or two miles, and did as they were
    commanded, and the sick were healed.

With the summer the building of the city was begun; also settlements
were established across the river in Iowa.

Joseph bestowed constant attention upon the spiritual as well as the
temporal interests of the people. He gave them many important points of
doctrine at this time; and he labored as a missionary among both Saints
and strangers throughout the regions surrounding. His efforts and those
of his brethren, the Apostles, in preaching the gospel bore rich fruit.
There were many sincere people who were seeking for light and these
soon joined the ranks of the believers.

The material welfare of the Saints increased marvelously, the marshy
wilderness on the Mississippi banks soon grew to be a solid resting
place for their weary feet. The Twelve, on whom the burden of the
exodus from Missouri had fallen, were now preparing for their mission
to England; but before they went Joseph uttered the warning sound which
was to penetrate to the ends of the earth:

    The signs of the coming of the Son of Man are already commenced.
    One pestilence will desolate after another. We shall soon see war
    and bloodshed. The moon will be turned into blood. I testify of
    these things, and that the coming of the Son of Man is nigh, even
    at your doors. If our souls are not looking forth for Him, we shall
    be among those to call for the rocks to fall upon us.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

    I see men hunting the lives of their own sons, and brother
    murdering brother, women killing their own daughters, and daughters
    seeking the lives of their mothers. I see armies arrayed against
    armies. I see blood, fire, desolation. Jesus has said that the
    mother shall be against the daughter, and the daughter against the
    mother. These things are at our doors. They will follow the Saints
    of God from city to city. * * * I know not how soon these things
    will take place; and after a view of them, shall I cry peace? No! I
    will lift up my voice and testify of them.

The Apostles shared in his zeal. About the 1st of July, 1839, six of
them, all who were then at that point--Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball,
John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff, John Taylor and George A. Smith,
addressed a communication to the Elders of the Church, to all the
branches, and to all the Saints scattered abroad wherever they might
be. Their epistle was so pleasing to the Prophet that he embodied it in
his personal journal, and from it the following sentiments are selected:

    Many of you have been driven from your homes, robbed of your
    possessions, and deprived of the liberty of conscience. You have
    been stripped of your clothing, plundered of your furniture, robbed
    of your horses, your cattle, your sheep, your hogs, and refused
    the protection of law; you have been subject to insult and abuse,
    from a set of lawless miscreants; you have had to endure cold,
    nakedness, peril and sword; your wives and your children have
    been deprived of the comforts of life; you have been subject to
    bonds, to imprisonment, to banishment, and many to death, "for
    the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God." Many of your
    brethren, with those whose souls are now beneath the altars, are
    crying for the vengeance of heaven to rest upon the heads of their
    devoted murderers, and saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true,
    dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the
    earth?" But it was said to them, that they should rest yet for a
    little season, until their fellow-servants also, and their brethren
    that should be killed as _they were_, should be fulfilled.

    Dear brethren, we should remind you of this thing; and although
    you have had indignities, insults and injuries heaped upon you,
    till further suffering would seem to be no longer a virtue: we
    would say, be patient, dear brethren, for as saith the Apostle, "ye
    have need of patience, that after being tried you may inherit the
    promise." You have been tried in the furnace of affliction; the
    time to exercise patience is now come; and we shall reap, brethren,
    in _due time_ if we faint not. Do not breathe vengeance upon your
    oppressors, but leave the case in the hands of God; "for vengeance
    is mine, saith the Lord, and I will repay."

    We would say to the widow and the orphan, to the destitute, and
    to the diseased, who have been made so through persecution, _be
    patient_; you are not forgotten; the God of Jacob has His eye upon
    you; the heavens have been witness to your sufferings, and they
    are registered on high; angels have gazed upon the scene, and your
    tears, your groans, your sorrows, and anguish of heart, are had in
    remembrance before God; they have entered into the sympathies of
    that bosom who is "touched with the feelings of our infirmities,"
    who was "tempted in all points like unto you;" they have entered
    into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth; _be patient_ then, until the
    words of God be fulfilled, and His designs accomplished; and then
    shall He pour out His vengeance upon the devoted heads of your
    murderers; and then shall they know that He is God, and that you
    are His people.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

    We wish to stimulate all the brethren to faithfulness; you have
    been tried; you are now being tried; and those trials, if you are
    not watchful, will corrode upon the mind, and produce unpleasant
    feelings; but recollect that now is the time of trial; soon the
    victory will be ours: now may be a day of lamentation--then will be
    a day of rejoicing; now may be a day of sorrow--but by and by we
    shall see the Lord; our sorrow will be turned into joy, and our joy
    no man taketh from us. Be honest; be men of truth and integrity;
    let your word be your bond; be diligent, be prayerful; pray for
    and with your families; train up your children in the fear of the
    Lord; cultivate a meek quiet spirit; clothe the naked, feed the
    hungry, help the destitute, be merciful to the widow and orphan, be
    merciful to your brethren, and to all men; bear with one another's
    infirmities, considering your own weakness; bring no railing
    accusation against your brethren.

*     *     *     *     *

    We are glad, dear brethren, to see that spirit of enterprise and
    perseverance which is manifested by you in regard to preaching the
    gospel; and rejoice to know that neither bonds nor imprisonment,
    banishment nor exile, poverty nor contempt, nor all the combined
    powers of earth and hell, hinder you from delivering your testimony
    to the world, and publishing those glad tidings which have been
    revealed from heaven by the ministering of angels, by the gift of
    the Holy Ghost, and by the power of God, for the salvation of the
    world in these last days. And we would say to you, that the hearts
    of the Twelve are with you, and they with you are determined to
    fulfil their mission, to clear their garments of the blood of this
    generation, to introduce the gospel to foreign nations, and to make
    known to the world these great things God has developed. They are
    now on the eve of their departure for England, and will start in
    a few days. They feel to pray for you, and to solicit an interest
    in your prayers, and in the prayers of the Church, that God may
    sustain them in their arduous undertaking, grant them success
    in their mission, deliver them from the powers of darkness, the
    stratagem of wicked men, and all the combined powers of earth and
    hell. And if you unitedly seek after unity of purpose and design;
    if you are men of humility, and of faithfulness, of integrity and
    perseverance; if you submit yourselves to the teachings of heaven,
    and are guided by the Spirit of God; if you at all times seek the
    glory of God and the salvation of men, and lay your honor prostrate
    in the dust, if need be, and are willing to fulfil the purposes of
    God in all things, the power of the priesthood will rest upon you,
    and you will become mighty in testimony, the widow and the orphan
    will be made glad, and the poor among men rejoice in the Holy One
    of Israel.

The bond between the Prophet and his brethren, the Apostles, was close
and strong. He relied upon them, confided in them, and showed them all
the respect which their nobility of soul deserved. In their exercise
of authority during his incarceration in Missouri he gave them cordial
support, subsequently having all their acts ratified by the voice of
the general conference. When he escaped from captivity and joined them
in Illinois, the love with which he greeted them was like that of
brother for brothers. Brigham Young, writing of the meeting, says:

    It was one of the most joyful scenes of my life to once more strike
    hands with the Prophet, and behold him and his companions free from
    the hands of their enemies. Joseph conversed with us like a man who
    had just escaped from a thousand oppressions, and was now free in
    the midst of his children.

Joseph met with the Apostles frequently before their departure, praying
for them and blessing them for their work. He also attended their
farewell meetings and added his voice to the instructions which they
gave to the Saints at Nauvoo before departing to engage in the vast
work in the Old World. Elder Parley P. Pratt, now freed from prison,
and Elder Orson Pratt were with them. In the months of August and
September seven of the Twelve departed on their mission to England.

Elders John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff were the first, leaving on the
8th day of August, 1839. Elder Woodruff arose from the bed to which he
had been confined for two weeks in order to start on this journey. Both
of these devoted men left their no less devoted families at Montrose
in sickness and poverty and distress; and yet all relying upon the
Lord for preservation and blessing. Elders Taylor and Woodruff started
together without purse or scrip.

Elders Parley P. Pratt and Orson Pratt, making all necessary
sacrifices, departed from Nauvoo on the 29th of August.

Elders Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball started together on the 18th
of September, 1839. Brigham was so sick that he was unable to walk a
few rods down to the river without assistance. He left his wife ill
with a babe only ten days old, and all his other children helpless.
Heber was in the same plight. His wife and all her children but one
were prostrated. After Brigham and Heber had traveled thirteen miles
on their journey, they stopped at the residence of a friend and were
so feeble as to be unable to carry into the house their trunks, which
contained the very few articles of clothing they were able to take with
them. In less than a month after their departure President Brigham
Young's father John Young, died at Quincy, Adams County, Illinois;
so when Brigham bade his father farewell to go on this mission, the
parting was for the remainder of their earthly lives. John Young was a
noble man: he had been a soldier in the Revolution. At his death the
Prophet said of him:

    He was a firm believer in the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ,
    and fell asleep under the influence of that faith which buoyed up
    his soul, in the pangs of death, to glorious hope of immortality;
    fully testifying to all that the religion he enjoyed in life was
    able to support him in death. He was driven from Missouri with the
    Saints; * * * he died a martyr to the religion of Jesus, for his
    death was caused by his sufferings in that cruel persecution.

On the 21st of September, 1839, Elder George A. Smith departed for
England. He left his father, mother, sister and brother sick in a log
stable, all unable to help themselves or each other. He, himself, was
so emaciated that after he was a little way on his journey, he met
some men who cried out: "Somebody has been robbing a graveyard of a
skeleton."

Three other men started with the Apostles: Hiram Clark in company with
Parley and Orson, and Theodore Turley and Reuben Hedlock in company
with George A. Smith.

This was the sublime missionary movement of the Apostles. How like
the grain of mustard seed! Leaving the people of God in sickness and
in poverty, they themselves being on the verge of the grave, these
disciples of Jesus went forth to proclaim the gospel of redemption. If
their faith had not been such as not to be shaken, the world never more
would have heard of their endeavor. But it was firm and steadfast, and
God rewarded it; and the little mustard seed quickened and grew and
became a mighty tree. The Prophet said of them:

    Perhaps no men ever undertook such an important mission under such
    peculiarly distressing, forbidding and unpropitious circumstances.
    Most of them * * * were worn down with sickness and disease or
    were taken sick on the road. Several of their families were also
    afflicted and needed their aid and support. But knowing that they
    had been called by the God of heaven to preach the gospel to other
    nations, they conferred not with flesh and blood, but obedient to
    the heavenly mandate, without purse or scrip, commenced a journey
    of five thousand miles entirely dependent on the providence of that
    God who had called them to such a holy calling.

The Twelve faltered not an instant in their appointed labor, and while
they spread abroad the tidings of salvation, the Prophet in Nauvoo
was directing the gathering Saints that they might build a city whose
loveliness and greatness should attract the eye of every beholder.

On the 5th day of October, 1839, a general conference of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was convened at Nauvoo, at which
it was decided to establish there a stake of Zion, and to organize
a branch of the Church on the opposite side of the river in Iowa
Territory, and officers were appointed to preside and officiate in the
stake and over the branch.

At this same conference it was resolved that Joseph Smith, accompanied
by Elias Higbee and Sidney Rigdon, should proceed to Washington to lay
before the President and Congress of the nation the wrongs which the
Saints had endured.



CHAPTER XLV.

REASONS FOR AN APPEAL TO WASHINGTON--JOSEPH AND COMPANIONS DEPART FOR
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL--THE PROPHET'S ACT OF PHYSICAL HEROISM--HE SEES
INGRATITUDE--MARTIN VAN BUREN AND JOSEPH SMITH--THE LATTER'S SCORN--
COWARDICE AND CHICANERY--"YOUR CAUSE IS JUST, BUT I CAN DO NOTHING FOR
YOU."

The Saints had suffered innocently in Missouri; they had appealed in
vain for redress; they were impoverished through the robberies which
had been perpetrated upon them; and their old men, delicate women, and
little children, even after the gathering to Nauvoo, were dying of
privations.

These were material reasons for an application to the national
government for succor; and besides these, the Prophet knew that the
Lord required this appeal to be made that--upon the answer thereto--the
nation's responsibility for the barbarities might be judged.

On Tuesday, the 29th day of October, 1839, Joseph and his companions
departed from Nauvoo. At Columbus, Ohio, Joseph was obliged to leave
Sidney Rigdon in the care of attendants, as Sidney's frail health made
travel slow, and the Prophet's business required expedition; so Joseph
went on with Judge Elias Higbee.

Joseph and Judge Higbee traveled in the coach; and on the way while
they were passing through the mountains the driver of the stage stopped
at a public house to get some liquor. While he was gone the horses took
fright and ran down a steep hill, at full speed. The coach was crowded
with passengers, some of whom were members of Congress, with two or
three ladies. There was very much excitement in the vehicle. Joseph did
all he could to calm his fellow-passengers and was able to reassure
most of them. But he had to hold one woman to keep her from throwing
her infant out of the stage window. As soon as he got the people in
the coach under control, he opened the door; and securing his hold
on the side, he climbed up into the driver's seat, a feat requiring
physical strength, as well as nerve and a cool head, for the stage was
pitching and rolling like a boat in a storm. He instantly seized the
lines and stopped the maddened steeds. They had run about three miles;
but the coach, horses and passengers all escaped without injury--thanks
to Joseph's presence of mind and courage. The passengers praised him
extravagantly; they thought his conduct most heroic; and the members
of Congress even went so far as to suggest that the incident should
be mentioned in that body, as such a deed of daring deserved a public
recognition. But upon inquiring of Joseph what his name was, in order
to mention it as that of the hero who had saved their lives, they found
that their deliverer was Joseph Smith, the "Mormon Prophet." The mere
mention of the name was sufficient for them; and he heard no more of
their praise, gratitude or promises of reward.

Joseph and his companion reached Washington on the 28th day of
November, 1839; and secured rooms at the corner of Missouri and Third
streets. The Prophet determined that the cause of his people should
be vigorously presented. He visited the leading men of the nation,
including the President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. He had
prepared for presentation to Congress an eloquent memorial in which was
plainly stated the crime of Missouri. Nothing was set down in malice;
but the facts were all given in such a straightforward way that they
formed apparently an irresistible argument.

The closing paragraphs of this paper must be here presented:

    The above statement will also show, that the Mormons on all
    occasions submitted to the laws of the land, and yielded to its
    authority in every extremity, and at every hazard, at the risk of
    life and property. The above statement will illustrate another
    truth: that wherever the Mormons made any resistance to the mob, it
    was in self-defense; and for these acts of self-defense they always
    had the authority and sanction of the officers of the law for so
    doing. Yet they, to the number of about fifteen thousand souls,
    have been driven from their homes in Missouri. Their property to
    the amount of two millions of dollars, has been taken from them
    or destroyed. Some of them have been murdered, beaten, bruised or
    lamed, and have all been driven forth, wandering over the world
    without homes, without property.

    But the loss of property does not comprise half their sufferings.
    They were human beings possessed of human feelings and human
    sympathies. Their agony of soul was the bitterest drop in the cup
    of their sorrows.

    For these wrongs the Mormons ought to have some redress; yet
    how and where shall they seek and obtain it? Your constitution
    guarantees to every citizen, even the humblest, the enjoyment of
    life, liberty and property. It promises to all, religious freedom,
    the right to all to worship God beneath their own vine and fig
    tree, according to the dictates of their conscience. It guarantees
    to all the citizens of the several states the right to become
    citizens of any one of the states, and to enjoy all the rights and
    immunities of the citizens of the state of his adoption. Yet of all
    these rights have the Mormons been deprived. They have, without
    a cause, without a trial been deprived of life, liberty, and
    property. They have been persecuted for their religious opinions.
    They have been driven from the state of Missouri, at the point of
    the bayonet, and prevented from enjoying and exercising the rights
    of citizens of the state of Missouri. It is the theory of our laws,
    that for the protection of every legal right, there is provided a
    legal remedy. What, then, we would respectfully ask, is the remedy
    of the Mormons? Shall they apply to the legislature of the state
    of Missouri for redress? They have done so. They have petitioned,
    and these petitions have been treated with silence and contempt.
    Shall they apply to the federal courts? They were, at the time of
    the injury, citizens of the state of Missouri. Shall they apply
    to the courts of the state of Missouri? Whom shall they sue? The
    order for their destruction, their extermination, was granted by
    the Executive of the state of Missouri. Is not this a plea of
    justification for the loss of individuals, done in pursuance of
    that order? If not, before whom shall the Mormons institute a
    trial? Shall they summon a jury of the individuals who composed the
    mob? An appeal to them were in vain. They dare not go to Missouri
    to institute a suit; their lives would be in danger.

    For ourselves we see no redress, unless it is awarded by the
    Congress of the United States. And here we make our appeal as
    _American citizens_, as _Christians_, and as _Men_--believing that
    the high sense of justice which exists in your honorable bodies,
    will not allow such oppression to be practiced upon any portion of
    the citizens of this vast republic with impunity, but that some
    measures which your wisdom may dictate, may be taken, so that the
    great body of people who have been thus abused, may have redress
    for the wrongs which they have suffered. And to your decision they
    look with confidence, hoping it may be such as shall tend to dry up
    the tear of the widow and orphan, and again place in situations of
    peace, those who have been driven from their homes, and had to wade
    through scenes of sorrow and distress.

And yet the appeal was vain, as far as any practical help was
concerned. Some members of Congress showed a great deal of interest in
the Prophet, and the cause which he was pleading; but after the most
earnest effort, the only result was to receive from Martin Van Buren
the famous, almost infamous, reply:

    YOUR CAUSE IS JUST, BUT I CAN DO NOTHING FOR YOU.

And in the sense of this answer, if not in its words, the Senate and
House of Representatives coincided. No arm of national power would
be outstretched in behalf of the Saints. As, early in the Missouri
trouble, Governor Dunklin--to whom the people appealed, had sent
them back to their plunderers for redress and protection; so now the
President and Congress of the grandest republic under the sun, told
them to apply to Missouri to rectify the wrong. It was as if one who
had been robbed and beaten on the public highway, should apply to a
magistrate for help and should be sent back to ask the highwayman to
restore his purse and pour balm on his wounds.

In one of his interviews with Van Buren the latter coolly told the
Prophet: "If I take up for you, I shall lose the votes of Missouri."

This response shocked Joseph in more than a personal sense. He was
astounded that the flagrant outrages committed against his people
aroused no purpose of redress; but more than this, he felt the insult
offered to every American citizen when the chief executive of the
nation placed his political aspirations above his sense of right.
The Prophet himself was a man whose whole life was unstained by any
act of fear. He knew the right and dared all in its accomplishment.
Before such a man as he, towering in all his personal majesty and in
the grandeur of the cause he represented, how even the President of
the United States must have cringed when he confessed to the basest
motives which can animate a public man! Joseph could not, upon hearing
these words, disguise the contempt which he felt for the occupant of
that position to which every American citizen loves to pay honor. The
disdain which flashed from his eyes must have made even Martin Van
Buren feel small; for it is the universal testimony of enemies and
friends alike, that Joseph Smith's righteous scorn was terrible as the
lightning flash.

It is a historic picture, this meeting of the two presidents. The
subject of their interview was justice for an unpopular people, few
in number and poor in earthly influence. The manner in which the
negotiation was carried on, clearly shows the different natures of the
two men.

Van Buren, a truckler to political influence and power, was on this
occasion autocratic and insolent. Your sycophant is always, when
opportunity offers, a tyrant. Van Buren was no exception to this. The
opportunity to display the insolence of office without jeopardizing his
own interests was eagerly embraced. He doubtless had received his cue
from the traitorous officials who had besmirched the escutcheon of the
state of Missouri with their foul crimes against the Constitution, the
laws and the principles of justice, or from those who represented them,
and deported himself accordingly.

On the other hand, his visitor was but a private citizen in a political
sense, and was the religious leader of a mere handful of refugees,
exiled from home and all the comforts of this life, and now apparently
as helpless in politics as they were weak in numbers and distressed in
finances. And yet Joseph stood as an equal, overcoming vain arrogance
by natural dignity. Before they finally parted the advantage was all
with the humbler man; he crushed down the insolence of Van Buren by his
personal kingliness and his declaration of the principles of truth and
justice.

Becoming satisfied that there was little use for him to further press
the claims of the Saints, Joseph departed from the nation's capital
and returned to Nauvoo, reaching there on the 4th day of March, 1840.
While in the east he had preached the gospel at every opportunity,
in Washington, Philadelphia and other places, and had met with much
success. And this was a partial compensation for the utter failure of
his appeal.

After he returned home he wrote:

    I arrived safely at Nauvoo, after a wearisome journey, through
    alternate snow and mud, having witnessed many vexatious movements
    in government officers, whose sole object should be the peace and
    prosperity of the whole people; but I discovered this, that popular
    clamor and personal aggrandisement are the ruling principles of
    those in authority; and my heart faints within me when I see by the
    visions of the Almighty, the end of this nation if she continues to
    disregard the cries and petitions of her virtuous citizens.

In the Prophet's absence, Hyrum had acted as the president at Nauvoo.
He had labored assiduously for the temporal as well as the spiritual
advancement of the people, to sustain their bodily life and strength
through the trying winter and their faith through all the assaults
of the adversary. He had also published an account of the Missouri
persecutions, in the _Times and Seasons_, a semi-monthly paper begun at
Commerce in November, 1839, by Don Carlos Smith and Ebenezer Robinson.



CHAPTER XLVI.

THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES--MIRACULOUS OPENING OF THEIR WAY TO THE
OLD WORLD--ORDINATION OF WILLARD RICHARDS--SPECIAL LABORS OF EACH
APOSTLE--THE FIRST IMMIGRANTS TO ZION--JOSEPH'S LETTERS OF INSTRUCTION
AND COMFORT TO ELDERS AND SAINTS ABROAD.

    They "went forth weeping, bearing precious seed;" but they "have
    returned with rejoicing bearing their sheaves with them."

This is what the Prophet says of the Apostles and the other
missionaries who first went out from Nauvoo. The details of the sublime
work, which then was resumed with such unparalleled vigor and which
resulted in such a marvelous increase to the Church, will soon be
published in another work of this series. There is only space in this
volume for a recognition of the general movement and its success, as
Joseph observed it and as it brought many precious souls to restore the
numerical strength and the prosperity of the Saints.

We have seen how the Apostles went out from the poverty of Nauvoo and
Montrose. No man who reads the history of that mission, undertaken at
such a time, can doubt that they and their fellow-missionaries were
inspired; for no mere zealot, without the absolute consciousness of
divine direction and divine protection, would have joined the movement.

We shall now see how these men triumphed over that which to human
understanding was impossible. Briefly told:

Departing from Nauvoo ill and penniless, they made their way across
the country, scattering the seeds of truth on every hand. And before
they had reached the sea coast some of the harvest was ready to gather.
Their way was miraculously opened to them in this land, that they
might have means to pursue their voyage to another. Elders Taylor and
Woodruff reached England on the 11th of January, 1840, in company with
Elder Theodore Turley. Elders Young, Kimball, Parley P. and Orson
Pratt, and George A. Smith, accompanied by Elder Reuben Hedlock, landed
at Liverpool on the 6th day of April, 1840, just ten years from the day
of the Church's organization. The brethren found there Elder Willard
Richards and ordained him to the Apostleship in obedience to the
revelation. They scattered among the honest-in-heart, and each one of
them achieved a quick and lasting victory for the faith. In the name of
Jesus Christ they went forth healing the sick, restoring the lame and
opening the eyes of the blind. In all their labors they gave evidence
of such personal humility, bearing such a strong testimony to the truth
of the gospel that the honest-in-heart flocked by hundreds to the
standard which they reared.

Every one among those brethren performed some special labor or occupied
some special field. Elder Woodruff made the proclamation of the truth
in Staffordshire and afterwards in Herefordshire, which yielded a
wonderful harvest of fruit. Elder Taylor organized a large branch of
the Church in Liverpool and established the gospel in Ireland and
the Isle of Man. Elder Heber C. Kimball who had been so successful
on his previous mission in proclaiming the gospel in Lancashire,
opened the work in London; in this labor he was accompanied by
Elders Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith. In this conference the
faithful and talented young Elder, Lorenzo Snow, now an Apostle,
soon became president. Elder George A. Smith followed Elder Woodruff
into Staffordshire, in which field he continued to labor after Elder
Woodruff went to Herefordshire. Elder Smith set apart and directed
Elder William Barratt for a mission to South Australia; and about
the same time William Donaldson, an English convert, was ordained
and blessed to perform a mission in the East Indies. Elder Willard
Richards labored principally in Lancashire, though he spent some
time with Elder Woodruff in Herefordshire. Elder Orson Pratt carried
the work to Scotland. Elder Parley P. Pratt, under the direction of
President Brigham Young and the other brethren of the Twelve, began the
publication of the _Millennial Star_. President Brigham Young directed
the printing of the Book of Mormon, hymn book and other works, and
traveled and preached as opportunity offered, being looked up to and
sustained by his brother Apostles as their President.

As early as the 6th of June, 1840, a company of Saints sailed from
England to make their way to Nauvoo. This party consisted of forty-one
people, the first to emigrate from a foreign land to join the cause of
Jesus Christ in this last dispensation. Three months later the ship
_North America_ sailed with two hundred Saints. From this time on the
work of immigration has been too vast to be followed in the brief space
now at command.

The greatness of the work which the brethren were to perform in England
was revealed to Joseph by the Spirit, and he was impressed to extend
the missionary movement still further. On the 6th day of April, 1840,
Elder Orson Hyde, one of the Twelve Apostles, was directed to take a
mission to Jerusalem. He left his home in Commerce on the 15th of the
month, and in due time he reached his field and offered a prayer to
heaven from the Mount of Olives as an introduction to his work.

The preaching of the gospel in the Old World was a marvelous work and
a wonder. From the time of the first mission, Elders Joseph Fielding,
Willard Richards and William Clayton, with many other faithful
brethren, had kept open the source of the stream by their noble
efforts; but when the Apostles landed there again in obedience to
divine revelation, and put forth their hands, the little stream became
an on-rushing river bearing triumph for the Church upon its bosom.

From their labor the work spread into every land and has gathered up
its tens of thousands of heroic and self-sacrificing souls.

Such a foundation was laid that when the majority of the Apostles were
called home, the work continued, and it has continued up to the present
time.

Joseph's appreciation of their labor is evinced in a letter which he
addressed to them in October, 1840. He says:

    BELOVED BRETHREN:

    May grace, mercy and peace rest upon you from God the Father and
    the Lord Jesus Christ. * * * *

    Be assured, beloved brethren, that I am no disinterested observer
    of the things which are transpiring on the face of the whole earth;
    and amidst the general movements which are in progress, none is
    of more importance than the glorious work in which you are now
    engaged; consequently I feel some anxiety on your account, that
    you may, by your virtue, faith, diligence and charity, commend
    yourselves to one another, to the Church of Christ, and to your
    Father who is in heaven; by whose grace you have been called
    to so holy a calling; and be enabled to perform the great and
    responsible duties which rest upon you. And I can assure you, from
    the information I have received, I feel satisfied that you have not
    been remiss in your duty; but that your diligence and faithfulness
    have been such as must secure you the smiles of that God whose
    servants you are, and also the goodwill of the Saints throughout
    the world. The spread of the gospel throughout England is certainly
    pleasing.

*     *     *     *     *

    It is likewise very satisfactory to my mind, that there has been
    such a good understanding between you, and that the Saints have so
    cheerfully hearkened to counsel, and vied with each other in the
    labor of love, and in the promotion of truth and righteousness.
    This is as it should be in the Church of Jesus Christ: unity is
    strength. "How pleasing it is for brethren to dwell together
    in unity." Let the Saints of the Most High ever cultivate this
    principle, and the most glorious blessings must result, not only
    to them individually, but to the whole Church--the order of the
    kingdom will be maintained, its officers respected, and its
    requirements readily and cheerfully obeyed.

    Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be
    manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled
    with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone,
    but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole
    human race. This has been your feeling, and caused you to forego
    the pleasures of home, that you might be a blessing to others, who
    are candidates for immortality, but strangers to truth; and for so
    doing, I pray that heaven's choicest blessings may rest upon you.

*     *     *     *     *

    Let the Saints remember that great things depend on their
    individual exertion, and that they are called to be co-workers
    with the Holy Spirit in accomplishing the great work of the last
    days; and in consideration of the extent, the blessings and glories
    of the same, let every selfish feeling be not only buried, but
    annihilated; and let love to God and man predominate, and reign
    triumphant in every mind, that their hearts may become like unto
    Enoch's of old, and comprehend all things, present, past and
    future, and come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of the
    Lord Jesus Christ.

    The work in which we are unitedly engaged is one of no ordinary
    kind. The enemies we have to contend against are subtle and well
    skilled in manoeuvring; it behooves us to be on the alert to
    concentrate our energies, and that the best feelings should exist
    in our midst; and then, by the help of the Almighty, we shall go
    on from victory to victory, and from conquest to conquest; our
    evil passions will be subdued, our prejudices depart; we shall
    find no room in our bosoms for hatred, vice will hide its deformed
    head, and we shall stand approved in the sight of heaven, and be
    acknowledged the sons of God.

    Let us realize that we are not to live to ourselves, but to God; by
    so doing the greatest blessings will rest upon us, both in time and
    in eternity.

And to the Saints scattered abroad the Prophet wrote:

    BELOVED BRETHREN:

    We address a few lines to the Church of Jesus Christ, who have
    obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which has been
    delivered to them by the servants of the Lord, and who are desirous
    to go forward in the ways of truth and righteousness, and by
    obedience to the heavenly command, escape the things which are
    coming on the earth, and secure to themselves an inheritance among
    the sanctified in the world to come.

*     *     *     *     *

    The work of the Lord in these last days is one of vast magnitude
    and almost beyond the comprehension of mortals. Its glories are
    past description, and its grandeur unsurpassable. It is the theme
    which has animated the bosom of prophets and righteous men from the
    creation of this world down through every succeeding generation to
    the present time; and it is truly the dispensation of the fullness
    of times, when all things which are in Christ Jesus, whether in
    heaven or on the earth, shall be gathered together in Him, and when
    all things shall be restored, as spoken of by all the holy prophets
    since the world began; for in it will take place the fulfillment of
    the promises made to the fathers, while the displays of the Most
    High will be great, glorious and sublime.

    The purposes of our God are great. His love unfathomable, His
    wisdom infinite, and His power unlimited; therefore the Saints
    have cause to rejoice and be glad, knowing that this God is our
    God forever and ever, and He will be our Guide until death. Having
    confidence in the power, wisdom and love of God, the Saints have
    been enabled to go forward through the most adverse circumstances,
    and frequently when, to all human appearance, nothing but death
    presented itself, and destruction inevitable, has the power of God
    been manifest, His glory revealed and deliverance effected; and the
    Saints, like the children of Israel, who came out of the land of
    Egypt and through the Red Sea, have sung an anthem of praise to His
    holy name. This has not only been the case in former days, but in
    our days, and within a few months have we seen this fully verified.

    Having, through the kindness of our God been delivered from
    destruction, and secured a location upon which we have again
    commenced operations for the good of His people, we feel disposed
    to go forward and suit our energies for the up-building of the
    kingdom and establishing the Priesthood in their fullness and
    glory. The work which has to be accomplished in the last days
    is one of vast importance and will call into action the energy,
    skill, talent, and ability of the Saints, so that it may roll forth
    with that glory and majesty described by the prophets, and will
    consequently require the concentration of the Saints, to accomplish
    works of such magnitude and grandeur.

    The work of the gathering spoken of in the Scriptures will be
    necessary to bring about the glories of the last dispensation. It
    is probably unnecessary to press this subject on the Saints, as we
    believe the spirit of it is manifest, and its necessity obvious
    to every considerate mind; and everyone zealous for the promotion
    of truth and righteousness is equally so for the gathering of the
    Saints.

    Dear brethren, feeling desirous to carry out the purposes of God
    to which we have been called, and to be workers with Him in this
    last dispensation, we feel the necessity of having the hearty
    co-operation of the Saints throughout this land and upon the
    islands of the sea; and it will be necessary for them to hearken to
    counsel and turn their attention to the Church, the establishment
    of the Kingdom, and lay aside every selfish principle,--everything
    low and groveling.

During the remaining years of his life the subject of missionary work
was very near to the Prophet's heart. He desired that all men might
have the privilege of hearing the truth. The gospel was proclaimed
in many lands, including the distant isles of the sea, during his
lifetime; and a plan was laid for the most comprehensive and unselfish
system of proselyting since the day when Jesus Christ said to His
Apostles: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature."



CHAPTER XLVII.

NAUVOO THE BEAUTIFUL--EVENTS THERE DURING THE YEAR 1840--RENEWAL OF
OUTRAGES BY THE MISSOURIANS--DEATH OF THE PROPHET'S FATHER AND EDWARD
PARTRIDGE--RETURN OF WILLIAMS AND PHELPS--JOSEPH'S HOPE FOR HIS CITY--
DEMAND BY GOVERNOR BOGGS FOR THE PROPHET AND HIS BRETHREN.

A general conference was held at Nauvoo on the 6th day of April, 1840,
at which Joseph presided and gave much instruction. Frederick G.
Williams came before the congregation and humbly asked forgiveness for
his former wrong-doing; he expressed a determination to do the will of
God, and the Church forgave him and received him into fellowship.

Commerce was officially recognized as Nauvoo by the post office
department on the 21st day of April, 1840. It was growing into the
dignity of a town. In a year after the first settlement of the Saints
there, two hundred and fifty houses had been built. The region was
becoming more healthful; and the Saints were achieving prosperity. It
is not the least of the miracles connected with this work that the
people have so often and so quickly risen from the ashes of their homes.

On the 27th day of May, 1840, the faithful Bishop Edward Partridge, the
first Bishop in the Church, died at Nauvoo, aged forty-six years.

Joseph bore this testimony concerning him:

    He lost his life in consequence of the Missouri persecutions; and
    is one of that number whose blood will be required at the hands of
    his persecutors.

In June of this year, William W. Phelps made humble confession of his
wrong-doing and begged the fellowship of the Prophet and the Saints.
This event and the return of Frederick G. Williams were most gratifying
to Joseph, because Elders Williams and Phelps before their fall had
occupied a large place in his affections.

Through the season of 1840, many stakes were organized in different
parts of the country.

On the 7th day of July, four brethren, James Allred, Noah Rogers,
Alanson Brown and Benjamin Boyce, were kidnapped at Nauvoo by a large
party of Missourians and carried over the river. Before they were
able to escape, they were almost murdered. After much agony they got
loose from their chains and returned home. This event showed that the
mobocratic spirit was not dead. No excuse existed for the crime; the
men kidnapped were not even accused of any offense by their captors.
The barbarous deed was the precursor of a larger movement. A meeting
was held immediately at Nauvoo to protest against the renewal of such
outrages, and to appeal to the executive of the state of Illinois for
redress for this injury and protection from further wrong.

On Monday, the 14th day of September, 1840, Joseph Smith, Sen.,
Patriarch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the
father of the Prophet, died at Nauvoo from the effect of exposure and
privation during the Missouri persecutions.

The Prophet says of him:

    He was the first person who received my testimony after I had seen
    the angel, and exhorted me to be faithful and diligent to the
    message I had received. He was baptized April 6th, 1830.

    In August, 1830, in company with my brother Don Carlos, he took a
    mission to St. Lawrence County, New York, touching on his route at
    several of the Canadian ports, where he distributed a few copies
    of the Book of Mormon, visited his father, brothers and sister,
    residing in St. Lawrence County, bore testimony to the truth, which
    resulted eventually in all the family coming into the Church,
    except his brother Jesse and sister Susan.

    He removed with his family to Kirtland in 1831; was ordained
    Patriarch and President of the High Priesthood, under the hands of
    Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, Frederick G. Williams and myself, on
    the 18th of December, 1833; was a member of the first high council,
    organized on the 17th of February, 1834 (when he confirmed on me
    and my brother Samuel H., a father's blessing).

    In 1836 he traveled in company with his brother John 2,400 miles
    in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and New Hampshire,
    visiting the branches of the Church in those states, and bestowing
    patriarchal blessings on several hundred persons, preaching the
    gospel to all who would hear, and baptizing many. They arrived at
    Kirtland on the 2nd of October, 1836.

    During the persecutions in Kirtland in 1837, he was made a
    prisoner, but fortunately obtained his liberty, and after a very
    tedious journey in the spring and summer of 1838, he arrived at Far
    West, Missouri.

    After I and my brother Hyrum were thrown into the Missouri jails
    by the mob, he fled from under the exterminating order of Governor
    Lilburn W. Boggs, and made his escape in mid-winter to Quincy,
    Illinois, from whence he removed to Commerce in the spring of 1839.

    The exposures he suffered brought on consumption, of which he died
    on this 14th day of September, 1840, aged sixty-nine years, two
    months, and two days. He was six feet, two inches high, was very
    straight, and remarkably well proportioned. His ordinary weight
    was about two hundred pounds, and he was very strong and active.
    In his young days he was famed as a wrestler, and, Jacob-like, he
    never wrestled with but one man whom he could not throw. He was one
    of the most benevolent of men, opening his house to all who were
    destitute. While at Quincy, Illinois, he fed hundreds of the poor
    Saints who were flying from the Missouri persecutions, although he
    had arrived there penniless himself.

On the 3rd day of October, 1840, a conference was held at Nauvoo at
which it was decided to build a house of the Lord in that city and
that the Saints each give every tenth day of labor to the erection of
the holy edifice. At the conference, an address from the Prophet and
his counselors was presented to the Church, in which brief reference
is made to the changes within the two years then just past. The
communication says:

    We feel rejoiced to meet the Saints at another General Conference,
    and under circumstances as favorable as the present. Since our
    settlement in Illinois we have for the most part been treated with
    courtesy and respect, and a feeling of kindness and of sympathy
    has generally been manifested by all classes of the community,
    who, with us deprecate the conduct of those men whose dark and
    blackening deeds are stamped with everlasting infamy and disgrace.
    The contrast between our past and present situation is great. Two
    years ago mobs were threatening, plundering, driving and murdering
    the Saints. Our burning houses enlightened the canopy of heaven.
    Our women and children, houseless and destitute, had to wander
    from place to place to seek a shelter from the rage of persecuting
    foes. Now we enjoy peace, and can worship the God of heaven and
    earth without molestation, and expect to be able to go forward and
    accomplish the great and glorious work to which we have been called.

    Under these circumstances we feel to congratulate the Saints of the
    Most High, on the happy and pleasing change in our circumstances,
    condition and prospects, and which those who shared in the
    perils and distresses, undoubtedly appreciate; while prayers
    and thanksgivings daily ascend to that God who looked upon our
    distresses and delivered us from danger and death, and whose hand
    is over us for good.

The Prophet saw a grand city of Nauvoo to rise in the near future; and
his vision and hope were fulfilled.

    Ascending the upper Mississippi in the autumn, when its waters
    were low, I was compelled to travel by land past the region of the
    Rapids. * * * My eye wearied to see everywhere sordid, vagabond
    and idle settlers, and a country marred, without being improved,
    by their careless hands. I was descending the last hillside upon
    my journey when a landscape in delightful contrast broke upon my
    view. Half encircled by a bend of the river, a beautiful city lay
    glittering in the fresh morning sun; its bright, new dwellings,
    set in cool green gardens, ranging up around a stately dome-shaped
    hill, which was covered by a noble marble edifice, whose high
    tapering spire was radiant with white and gold. The city appeared
    to cover several miles; and beyond it, in the back-ground, there
    rolled off a fair country, chequered by the careful lines of
    fruitful husbandry. The unmistakable marks of industry, enterprise
    and educated wealth everywhere, made the scene one of singular and
    most striking beauty.

This is what Colonel, afterwards Major-General, Thomas L. Kane thought
of Nauvoo when his eyes rested upon it from a distance in 1846, only
seven years after the purchase by the Saints of the marshy ground upon
which the city stood. It partially shows how well the Prophet and
his fellow-laborers had been able to fulfill his high hopes of the
city's destiny. For the Prophet did have a definite and exalted plan
for Nauvoo. It was his purpose, under the direction of the Almighty,
to make this a fit abiding place for the Saints of the Most High; not
only a place where they might receive spiritual guidance, but a place
where the arts and sciences might be taught and where all the benefits
of civilization might be enjoyed. The Prophet understood the gospel
which he proclaimed--that it comprehended the material betterment
of all mankind; and he aspired to establish in Nauvoo such social
conditions as would show the efficacy of gospel teachings in the daily
life of the community. He wanted to demonstrate in Nauvoo to the gaze
of all the world how nearly perfect community life might become in a
free republic, when all men were animated by the same motives of pure
religion and unselfish association; how much they might be prospered
and how easily they might be governed.

On the 16th day of December, 1840, the charter of the city of Nauvoo,
with charters of the Nauvoo Legion and the University of the City of
Nauvoo, were signed by Governor Thomas Carlin, having previously passed
both houses of the Legislative Assembly of the state of Illinois.
Under the terms of these charters it would be possible for the Prophet
to demonstrate his social problem; but he was not permitted to do it
without molestation.

It had been held out to the world by shrewd observers that all the
charges made in the state of Missouri against the Prophet and his
companions were false and would not bear fair judicial scrutiny;
because, after the escape of the brethren, they lived openly at Nauvoo
and no effort was made to secure them by the officers of the adjoining
state. It seemed very clear that the men who had murdered and plundered
the Saints did not want to have their acts reviewed, even though the
Prophet's liberty was the price of their inaction. But they were
taunted by some of their prominent fellow-citizens with this fact,
and they decided to answer this disagreeable clamor by renewing the
persecutions against the Prophet. The old mob element was determined to
have vengeance for this logical exposure of its unjust deeds.

On the 15th day of September, 1840, after a silence of a year and a
half, Governor Boggs of Missouri made a demand upon Governor Carlin
of Illinois for Joseph Smith, Jr., Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Parley
P. Pratt, Caleb Baldwin and Alanson Brown, as fugitives from justice.
Governor Carlin complied with the requisition by issuing an order
for the apprehension of these men. When the officer went to serve
the papers, the brethren were away from home; and, learning of the
movement, they determined to evade the process--not that they feared
any righteous inquiry into their conduct, but, having once escaped from
Missouri murderers, they declined to give themselves up again to be
assassinated.

A leading article from the Quincy, Illinois, _Whig_ of that
period--written by the editor, who was only an acquaintance of the
Prophet and not in affiliation with the Church--presents the situation
so clearly that it should be preserved for all time to come:

    We repeat, Smith and Rigdon should not be given up. The law
    requiring the governor of our state to deliver up fugitives from
    justice is a salutary and a wise one, and should not in ordinary
    circumstances be disregarded; but as there are occasions when it is
    not only the privilege but the duty of the governor of the state to
    refuse to surrender the citizens of his state upon the requisition
    of the executive of another,--and this we consider is the case of
    Smith and Rigdon.

    The law is made to secure the punishment of the guilty, and not
    to sacrifice the innocent, and the governor whose paramount duty
    it is to protect the citizens of his state from lawless violence,
    whenever he knows that to comply with such requisition he could
    be delivering the citizens into the hands of a mob as a victim to
    appease the thirst of the infuriate multitude for blood, without
    trial and against justice: under such circumstances, we repeat, the
    governor is bound by the highest of all human laws, to refuse to
    comply with the requisition; and will Governor Carlin pretend to
    say that the present is not a case of this kind?

    The history of the Mormon difficulties in Missouri, is of too
    recent an origin not to be well known to the governor. A few
    years since, when they had settled in the Far West, and had
    gathered around them the comforts and conveniences of life, and
    were beginning to reap the just reward of their industry and
    enterprise, a mob attempted to drive them from their homes; as
    peaceable citizens, enjoying all the rights guaranteed to them by
    a republican Constitution, they had a right, and did call on the
    governor of Missouri for protection. Did he, in obedience to the
    oath which he had taken to support the constitution of the state,
    respond to the call as a governor should? No! and forever will a
    stain rest upon the name of Lilburn W. Boggs, and the state of
    Missouri. Mr. Boggs told the Mormons that they must take care of
    themselves--in fact denying them the protection of the constitution
    under whose broad folds they had taken shelter. Thus denied the
    protection of the state, they prepared to defend their homes, wives
    and children. Did Mr. Boggs, as the controversy proceeded, remain a
    neutral spectator, as his first intimation had given the Mormons to
    understand? Oh, no! when the mob was forced to fly for safety--like
    cowards as they were--then this wise and oath-bound executive,
    called on the militia of the state, to aid in expelling--or rather,
    to use one of the expressions of Mr. Boggs--in "exterminating"
    the Mormons. Which is as much as to say, if the Mormons cannot
    be driven from their homes, their possessions, and all else that
    they hold dear, peaceably, why then, kill, murder, burn, destroy,
    anything so the Mormons are "exterminated" from the state! Most
    just, humane, wise, and patriotic Governor Boggs!

    Many of them were barbarously butchered, and all shamefully
    unsettled and cruelly driven from their comfortable firesides at an
    inclement season of the year; those who escaped secret murder, were
    inhumanly and savagely treated, their females violated, and their
    property confiscated and plundered, by the barbarous vandals who
    were persecuting them even unto death! and to such men and to such
    people, would Governor Carlin deliver up two of our Mormon citizens
    for a sacrifice! We oppose this barter and trade in blood, upon
    higher grounds than the mere forms of law upon which the _Argus_
    justifies the governor. If we believe that Smith and Rigdon had
    been guilty of criminal acts in Missouri, and could have a fair
    trial for such acts, under the laws of that state, we should be
    among the first to advocate the surrender of those gentlemen. It
    is not the laws of Missouri, of which we complain, it is of the
    officers who are appointed to execute and carry out those laws.
    Their conduct must be forever reprobated--it is a lasting disgrace
    to the state.

    The Mormons have resided in our state since they were driven
    out of Missouri--behaving as good citizens. Smith and Rigdon in
    particular, have resided ever since within the limits of our state,
    undoubtedly with the full knowledge of the authorities of Missouri,
    but no demand is made till the citizens of Missouri, pursuing
    them in their new homes in this state, with the same disregard of
    law that marked their previous conduct, a call is made upon the
    governor of that state to deliver them over to our authorities to
    be tried for violating our laws, then the very vigilant governor of
    Missouri calls for the apprehension of Smith and Rigdon!

    It may be that Governors Carlin and Boggs had a private
    understanding--that a cartel, an exchange of prisoners, may be
    agreed on between them. If it is so, the governor is trifling with
    the lives of our citizens--with the lives of those whom he is sworn
    to protect. Reason, justice and humanity, cry out against the
    proceeding.

    We repeat, that compliance on the part of Governor Carlin, would
    be to deliver them not to be tried for crime, but to be punished
    without crime; and that under those circumstances, they had a right
    to claim protection as citizens of this state.

This was the beginning of a trouble which lasted during the few
remaining years of the Prophet's life. While he was upon one hand
building up Nauvoo into a beautiful city and spreading abroad the glory
of the gospel; upon the other hand, he was himself harassed and driven
day and night by the relentless efforts of vindictive enemies incited
by bigotry which failed to comprehend the grandeur of his work and the
purity of his soul.

From this time on, though his labor was constantly expanding, he
himself was being hedged in. And as the events of the remaining four
years crowd each other with lightning rapidity, this is the proper time
to pause and look at length upon his matured person and character, just
as he is about to rise to the zenith of his career and just at the hour
when all the forces of the adversary are being united in a movement to
drag him down and destroy the cause entrusted to his care.



CHAPTER XLVIII.

JOSEPH SMITH AT NAUVOO--HIS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PERSONALITY--VIEWS OF
HIS OPPONENT COMMENTATORS--TESTIMONY OF THE SPIRIT TO HIS INSPIRATION.

When the Prophet first went to Commerce he was thirty-three years old;
and he was martyred in his thirty-ninth year. Despite the outrages
perpetrated upon him and the privations which he had endured, he
was during this period still a man of great physical beauty and
stateliness. He was just six feet in height, standing in his stockings,
and was grandly proportioned. In his mature years he weighed about two
hundred pounds. His eyes were blue and tender; his hair was brown,
plentiful and wavy; he wore no beard, and his complexion was one of
transparency so rare as to be remarkable; the exquisite clearness of
his skin was never clouded, his face being naturally almost without
hair. His carriage was erect and graceful; he moved always with an air
of dignity and power which strangers often called kingly. He was full
of physical energy and daring. Without any appearance of effort he
could perform astonishing feats of strength and agility, and without
any apparent thought of fear he met and smiled upon every physical
danger. From his boyhood up he was fond of athletics, and in his mature
years and at the very zenith of his fame he loved to unbend and wrestle
or jump with a friend. The men who could contest with him were very
few. When his situation would permit he was as happy as a school boy to
join in manly sports.

He showed a sense of gentle humor in his games. On one occasion two
sectarian ministers had addressed themselves to him with the boasted
purpose of conquering him in argument. His theological strength
dumbfounded them; he drove them from one position to another until they
were glad to cry for quarter. Then, as they were about to depart with a
crestfallen air, he said to them in a tone of kindness:

    Come, gentlemen, since you withdraw from the contest of logic, let
    us jump at a mark. I think I can beat you at this.

The preachers hastened away, filled with indignation, and spread all
manner of ridiculous reports concerning Joseph Smith because he could
condescend at times to run, or jump or wrestle like a boy. Probably
their defeat in argument had more than the professed shock to their
religious sensitiveness to do with their indignation. He was always
gentle and good-natured in his sports. Several men are yet living
who jumped or tried a fall with the Prophet. They say Joseph did not
lose dignity in these sports. His rare physical beauty and grace and
his athletic excellence set him far above his fellows and made his
condescension seem kingly.

Nearly every one of his commentators, whether friend or foe, speaks of
him as a handsome man, of distinguished appearance and possessing a
marvelous power of fascination. By his opponents, the inspiration which
was over him and upon him--enveloping and permeating him and radiating
from his whole being--was attributed to magnetism.

In every association with his fellow-beings he was considerate and
just. He was always willing to carry his part of the burden and to
share in any suffering or deprivation inflicted upon his friends. He
was gentle to children and universally won their love. Elder Lyman O.
Littlefield, now of Logan, Utah, was a boy thirteen years old with the
camp of Zion which went up into Missouri. He narrates an incident of
that journey which is characteristic of the Prophet's entire life, for
his deeds and words of thoughtfulness were a constantly flowing stream.
As we recollect Elder Littlefield's statement, it was this:

    The journey was extremely toilsome for all, and the physical
    suffering, coupled with the knowledge of the persecutions endured
    by our brethren whom we were traveling to succor, caused me to
    lapse one day into a state of melancholy. As the camp was making
    ready to depart I sat tired and brooding by the roadside. The
    Prophet was the busiest man of the camp; and yet when he saw me,
    he turned from the great press of other duties to say a word of
    comfort to a child. Placing his hand upon my head, he said, "Is
    there no place for you, my boy? If not, we must make one." This
    circumstance made an impression upon my mind which long lapse of
    time and cares of riper years have not effaced.

Joseph always sought to help the distressed. A cry of sorrow quickly
touched his ear, and its appeal invariably aroused him to helpful
action.

When he had become educated and refined as gold in the furnace by his
communion with the Holy Spirit, his words were heeded as if they were
falling jewels. He never had to beg for listeners; nor had he to ask
twice an audience with any one who had once met him. The great men of
the nation, with whom he came in contact, felt the power of his mighty
spirit. He was their peer as a philosopher and a statesman. He was
more, because he not only knew the past, but he saw the future.

The judgment of a man's friends is always the best judgment, especially
when his character and career are such as to excite the jealousy and
enmity of the world. But in the case of Joseph the Prophet, while none
but his friends could understand the full strength and beauty of that
God-like soul, there were not wanting plenty of non-believers who
recognize in him a man of amazing power. When a man is dead, he is
usually judged by his works, and few characters can bear the judgment
of the world pronounced during their lives by their opponents. Joseph
Smith was one of the few. In speaking of his opponents we refer not to
the sectarian bigots or to the mobocrats and apostates; but we refer
to men of standing and reputation, who were not so foolish as to speak
falsely in describing his attributes. We refer to men who recognized in
Joseph Smith a social factor and in his work a social movement, even
while they denied his inspiration and its divinity.

A writer for the New York _Herald_ had visited the Prophet, and in 1842
that paper said:

    Joseph Smith is undoubtedly one of the greatest characters of the
    age. He indicates as much talent, originality and moral courage
    as Mahomet, Odin or any of the great spirits that have hitherto
    produced the revolutions of past ages. In the present infidel,
    irreligious, ideal, geological, animal-magnetic age of the world,
    some such singular prophet as Joseph Smith is required to preserve
    the principle of faith, and to plant some new germs of civilization
    that may come to maturity in a thousand years. While modern
    philosophy, which believes in nothing but what you can touch, is
    overspreading the Atlantic States, Joseph Smith is creating a
    spiritual system, combined also with morals and industry, that
    may change the destiny of the race. * * * We certainly want some
    such prophet to start up, take a big hold of the public mind--and
    stop the torrent of materialism that is hurrying the world into
    infidelity, immorality, licentiousness and crime.

The Pittsburgh _American_ declared that Joseph Smith could not be
denied the attributes of greatness. A Cleveland paper responding said
that he was without education or genius, and that "he used to live near
these 'diggings.'" The Pittsburgh _Visitor_ then took up the argument,
saying:

    _No man was ever a prophet near the edge of his own diggings_. * *
    * We know that principally from a country which boasts its superior
    intelligence; where ignorance is supposed to be banished, and every
    man and woman taught to read and write; he [Joseph Smith] has built
    up a name, a temple and a city, conquering all opposition, and this
    both vindictive and powerful, and so entirely unaided that he can
    exclaim like the proud and haughty Roman, "Alone I did it!"

    If he is advancing the cause of truth, he certainly has claim to
    our sympathies and respect, as well for its discovery as the bold
    and determined manner in which he has maintained it. If it is a
    gross imposture, as you assert, he must be both ingenious and
    cunning to gloss over its deformities and make them so attractive.
    We have nothing to do with his doctrines--we only consider him the
    most remarkable man among the "diggins."

Probably the most comprehensive view taken of the Prophet by a man not
intimate with him was that of Josiah Quincy, who, in company with Hon.
Charles Francis Adams, the senior, visited Joseph Smith at Nauvoo on
the 15th day of May, 1844, just forty-three days before the Prophet's
martyrdom. Among many things descriptive of Joseph, Quincy says:

    It is by no means improbable that some future textbook, for the
    use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something
    like this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has
    exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his
    countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to
    that interrogatory may be thus written: _Joseph Smith, the Mormon
    Prophet_. And the reply, absurd as it doubtless seems to most men
    now living, may be an obvious common-place to their descendants.
    History deals in surprises and paradoxes quite as startling as
    this. The man who established a religion in this age of free
    debate, who was and is today accepted by hundreds of thousands
    as a direct emissary from the Most High--such a rare human being
    is not to be disposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory
    epithets. Fanatic, impostor, charlatan, he may have been; but
    these hard names furnish no solution to the problem he presents
    to us. Fanatics and impostors are living and dying every day, and
    their memory is buried with them; but the wonderful influence
    which this founder of a religion exerted and still exerts throws
    him into relief before us, not as a rogue to be criminated, but as
    a phenomenon to be explained. The most vital questions Americans
    are asking each other today have to do with this man and what he
    has left us. A generation other than mine must deal with these
    questions. Burning questions they are, which must give a prominent
    place in the history of the country to that sturdy self-asserter
    whom I visited at Nauvoo. Joseph Smith, claiming to be an inspired
    teacher, faced adversity such as few men have been called to meet,
    enjoyed a brief season of prosperity such as few men have ever
    attained, and finally, forty-three days after I saw him, went
    cheerfully to a martyr's death. When he surrendered his person
    to Governor Ford, in order to prevent the shedding of blood, the
    Prophet had a presentiment of what was before him. "I am going like
    a lamb to the slaughter," he is reported to have said; "but I am as
    calm as a summer's morning. I have a conscience void of offense,
    and shall die innocent." I have no theory to advance respecting
    this extraordinary man. I shall simply give the facts of my
    intercourse with him. At some future time they may be found to have
    some bearing upon the theories of others who are more competent
    to make them. Ten closely written pages of my journal describe
    my impressions of Nauvoo, and of its Prophet, mayor, general and
    judge. * * * *

    Pre-eminent among the stragglers by the door stood a man of
    commanding appearance, clad in the costume of a journeyman
    carpenter when about his work. He was a hearty, athletic fellow,
    with blue eyes standing prominently out upon his light complexion,
    a long nose, and a retreating forehead. He wore striped pantaloons,
    a linen jacket which had not lately seen the wash tub, and a beard
    of some three days' growth. This was the founder of the religion
    which had been preached in every quarter of the earth.

    _A fine looking man_ is what the passer by would instinctively have
    murmured upon meeting this remarkable individual who had fashioned
    the mould which was to shape the feelings of so many thousands of
    his fellow-mortals. But Smith was more than this, and one could not
    resist the impression that capacity and resource were natural to
    his stalwart person. I have already mentioned the resemblance he
    bore to Elisha R. Potter, of Rhode Island, whom I met in Washington
    in 1826. The likeness was not such as would be recognized in a
    picture, but rather one that would be felt in a grave emergency. Of
    all men that I have met, these two seemed best endowed with that
    kingly faculty which directs as by intrinsic right, the feeble or
    confused souls who are looking for guidance. This it is just to say
    with emphasis; for the reader will find so much that is puerile and
    even shocking in my report of the prophet's conversation that he
    might never suspect the impression of rugged power that was given
    by the man. * * * * * * *

    "General Smith," said Dr. Goforth, when we had adjourned to the
    green in front of the tavern, "I think Mr. Quincy would like
    to hear you preach." "Then I shall be happy to do so," was the
    obliging reply; and mounting the broad step which led from the
    house, the Prophet promptly addressed a sermon to the little group
    about him. Our numbers were constantly increased from the passers
    in the street, and a most attentive audience of more than a hundred
    persons soon hung upon every word of the speaker. The text was Mark
    16:15, and the comments, though rambling and disconnected, were
    delivered with the fluency and fervor of a camp-meeting orator. The
    discourse was interrupted several times by the Methodist minister
    before referred to, who thought it incumbent upon him to question
    the soundness of certain theological positions maintained by the
    speaker. One specimen of the sparring which ensued I thought
    worth setting down. The Prophet is asserting that baptism for the
    remission of sins is essential for salvation. _Minister:_ Stop!
    What do you say to the case of the penitent thief? _Prophet:_ What
    do you mean by that? _Minister:_ You know our Savior said to the
    thief, "This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise," which shows
    he could not have been baptized before his admission. _Prophet:_
    How do you know he wasn't baptized before he became a thief? At
    this retort the sort of laugh that is provoked by an unexpected hit
    ran through the audience; but this demonstration of sympathy was
    rebuked by a severe look from Smith, who went on to say: But that
    is not the true answer. In the original Greek, as this gentleman
    [turning to me] will inform you, the word that has been translated
    paradise means simply a place of departed spirits. To that place
    the penitent thief was conveyed, and there, doubtless, he received
    the baptism necessary for his admission to the heavenly kingdom.
    The other objections of his antagonist were parried with a similar
    adroitness, and in about fifteen minutes the Prophet concluded a
    sermon which it was evident that his disciples had heard with the
    heartiest satisfaction. * * * * * * * *

    In the afternoon we drove to visit the farms upon the prairie which
    this enterprising people had enclosed and were cultivating with
    every appearance of success. On returning we stopped in a beautiful
    grove where there were seats and a platform for speaking. "When
    the weather permits," said Smith, "we hold our services in this
    place; but shall cease to do so when the temple is finished." "I
    suppose none but Mormon preachers are allowed in Nauvoo," said the
    Methodist minister, who had accompanied our expedition. "On the
    contrary," replied the prophet, "I shall be very happy to have
    you address my people next Sunday, and I will insure you a most
    attentive congregation." "What! do you mean that I may say anything
    I please, and that you will make no reply?" "You may certainly
    say anything you please; but I must reserve the right of adding
    a word or two, if I judge best. I promise to speak of you in the
    most respectful manner." As we rode back, there was much dispute
    between the minister and Smith. "Come," said the latter, suddenly
    slapping his antagonist on the knee, to emphasize the production of
    a triumphant text, "if you can't argue better than that, you shall
    say all you want to say to my people, and I will promise to hold
    my tongue, for there's not a Mormon among them that will need my
    assistance to answer you." Some backthrust was evidently required
    to pay for this; and the minister, soon after, having occasion
    to allude to some erroneous doctrine which I forgot, suddenly
    exclaimed, "Why, I told my congregation the other Sunday that they
    might as well believe Joe Smith as such theology as that." "Did
    you say Joe Smith in a sermon?" inquired the person to whom the
    title had been applied. "Of course I did. Why not?" The Prophet's
    reply was given with a quiet superiority that was overwhelming:
    "Considering only the day and the place, it would have been more
    respectful to have said Lieutenant-General Joseph Smith." Clearly
    the worthy minister was no match for the head of the Mormon Church.

    I have quoted enough [from letters of converts] to show what
    really good material Smith managed to draw into his net. Were such
    fish to be caught with Spaulding's tedious romance and a puerile
    fable of undecipherable gold plates and gigantic spectacles? Not
    these cheap and wretched properties, but some mastering force of
    the man who handled them, inspired the devoted missionaries who
    worked such wonders. The remaining letters [picked up from Joseph's
    waste basket by Quincy] both written a year previous to my visit,
    came from a certain Chicago attorney, who seems to have been the
    personal friend as well as the legal adviser of the Prophet.
    With the legal advice come warnings of plots which enemies are
    preparing, and of the probability that a seizure of his person
    by secret ambush is contemplated. "They hate you;" writes this
    friendly lawyer, "because they have done evil unto you. * * * My
    advice to you is, not to sleep in your own house, but to have some
    place to sleep strongly guarded by your own friends, so that you
    can resist any sudden attempt that might be made to kidnap you in
    the night. When the Missourians come on this side and burn houses,
    depend upon it they will not hesitate to make the attempt to carry
    you away by force. Let me again caution you to be every moment upon
    your guard." The man to whom this letter was addressed had long
    been familiar with perils. For fourteen years he was surrounded by
    vindictive enemies, who lost no opportunity to harass him. He was
    in danger even when we saw him at the summit of his prosperity, and
    he was soon to seal his testimony--or, if you will, to expiate his
    imposture--by death at the hands of dastardly assassins. If these
    letters go little way toward interpreting the man, they suggest
    that any hasty interpretation of him is inadequate. * * * * * * * *
    *

    I asked him to test his [prophetic] powers by naming the successful
    candidate in the approaching presidential election. "Well, I will
    prophesy that John Tyler will not be the next President, for some
    things are possible and some things are probable; but Tyler's
    election is neither the one nor the other." We then went on to
    talk of politics. Smith recognized the curse and iniquity of
    slavery, though he opposed the methods of the Abolitionists. His
    plan was for the nation to pay for the slaves from the sale of the
    public lands. "Congress," he said, "should be compelled to take
    this course, by petitions from all parts of the country; but the
    petitioners must disclaim all alliance with those who would disturb
    the rights of property recognized by the constitution and foment
    insurrection." It may be worth while to remark that Smith's plan
    was publicly advocated eleven years later, by one who has mixed
    so much practical shrewdness with his lofty philosophy. In 1855,
    when men's minds had been moved to their depths on the question of
    slavery, Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson declared that it should be met in
    accordance "with the interest of the South and with the settled
    conscience of the North. It is not really a great task, a great
    fight for this country to accomplish, to buy that property of the
    planter, as the British nation bought the West Indian slaves."
    He further says that the "United States will be brought to give
    every inch of their public lands for a purpose like this." We
    who can look back upon the terrible cost of the fratricidal war
    which put an end to slavery, now say that such a solution of the
    difficulty would have been worthy a Christian statesman. But if the
    retired scholar was in advance of his time when he advocated this
    disposition of the public property in 1855, what shall I say of the
    political and religious leader who had committed himself, in print,
    as well as in conversation, to the same course in 1844? If the
    atmosphere of men's opinions was stirred by such a proposition when
    war-clouds were discernible in the sky, was it not a statesmanlike
    word eleven years earlier, when the heavens looked tranquil and
    beneficent?

    General Smith proceeded to unfold still further his views upon
    politics. He denounced the Missouri Compromise as an unjustifiable
    concession for the benefit of slavery. It was Henry Clay's bid for
    the presidency. Dr. Goforth might have spared himself the trouble
    of coming to Nauvoo to electioneer for a duellist who would fire
    at John Randolph, but was not brave enough to protect the Saints
    in their rights as American citizens. Clay had told his people to
    go to the wilds of Oregon and set up a government of their own. Oh
    yes, the Saints might go into the wilderness and obtain justice
    of the Indians, which imbecile, time-serving politicians would
    not give them in a land of freedom and equality. The Prophet then
    talked of the details of government. He thought that the number of
    members admitted to the lower house of the National Legislature
    should be reduced. A crowd only darkened counsel and impeded
    business. A member to every half million of population would be
    ample. The powers of the President should be increased. He should
    have authority to put down rebellion in a state, without waiting
    for the request of any governor; for it might happen that the
    governor himself would be the leader of the rebels. It is needless
    to remark how later events showed the executive weakness that Smith
    pointed out,--a weakness which cost thousands of valuable lives and
    millions of treasure; but the man mingled Utopian fallacies with
    his shrewd suggestions. He talked as from a strong mind utterly
    unenlightened by the teachings of history. Finally, he told us what
    he would do, were he President of the United States, and went on to
    mention that he might one day so hold the balance between parties
    as to render his election to that office by no means unlikely. * *
    * * *

    Who can wonder that the chair of the National Executive had its
    place among the visions of this self-reliant man? He had already
    traversed the roughest part of the way to that coveted position.
    Born in the lowest ranks of poverty, without book-learning and with
    the homeliest of all human names, he had made himself at the age
    of thirty-nine a power upon earth. Of the multitudinous family of
    Smith, from Adam down (Adam of the "Wealth of Nations," I mean),
    none had so won human hearts and shaped human lives as this Joseph.
    His influence, whether for good or for evil, is potent to-day, and
    the end is not yet.

    I have endeavored to give the details of my visit to the Mormon
    Prophet with absolute accuracy. If the reader does not know
    just what to make of Joseph Smith, I cannot help him out of the
    difficulty. I myself stand helpless before the puzzle.

A member of Congress wrote to his wife after meeting Joseph in
Washington:

    Everything he says is said in a manner to leave an impression
    that he is sincere. There is no levity, no fanaticism, no want
    of dignity in his deportment. He is apparently from forty to
    forty-five years of age, rather above the middle stature, and what
    the ladies would call a very good-looking man. In his garb there
    are no peculiarities, his dress being that of a plain, unpretending
    citizen. He is by profession a farmer, but is evidently well read.
    * * * Throughout his whole address he displayed strongly a spirit
    of charity and forbearance.

The Masonic Grand Master, in the state of Illinois, wrote of Joseph to
the _Advocate_:

    Having recently had occasion to visit the city of Nauvoo I cannot
    permit the opportunity to pass without expressing the agreeable
    disappointment that awaited me there. I had supposed, from what
    I had previously heard, that I should witness an impoverished,
    ignorant and bigoted population, completely priest-ridden and
    tyrannized over by Joseph Smith, the great Prophet of these people.

    On the contrary, to my surprise, I saw a people apparently happy,
    prosperous and intelligent. Every man appeared to be employed in
    some business or occupation. I saw no idleness, no intemperance,
    no noise, no riot; all appeared to be contented, with no desire to
    trouble themselves with anything except their own affairs. With
    the religion of this people I have nothing to do; if they can be
    satisfied with the doctrines of their new revelation, they have a
    right to be so. The constitution of the country guarantees to them
    the right of worshiping God according to the dictates of their own
    conscience, and if they can be so easily satisfied, why should we,
    who differ with them, complain? * * * * * * *

    During my stay of three days I became well acquainted with their
    principal men, and more particularly with their Prophet. I found
    them hospitable, polite, well-informed and liberal. With Joseph
    Smith, the hospitality of whose house I kindly received, I was well
    pleased. Of course, on the subject of religion we widely differed,
    but he appeared to be quite as willing to permit me to enjoy my
    right of opinion as I think we all ought to be to let the Mormons
    enjoy theirs. But instead of the ignorant and tyrannical upstart,
    judge my surprise at finding him a sensible, intelligent companion
    and gentlemanly man. In frequent conversations with him he gave
    me every information that I desired, and appeared to be only
    pleased at being able to do so. He appears to be much respected
    by all the people about him, and has their entire confidence. He
    is a fine-looking man, about thirty-six years of age, and has an
    interesting family.

An officer of the United States artillery who visited Nauvoo in
September, 1842, said:

    The Smiths are not without talent, and are said to be as brave as
    lions. Joseph, the chief, is a noble-looking fellow, a Mahomet
    every inch of him. * * * The city of Nauvoo contains about ten
    thousand souls, and is rapidly increasing. It is well laid out, and
    the municipal affairs appear to be well conducted. The adjoining
    country is a beautiful prairie. Who will say that the "Mormon"
    Prophet is not among the great spirits of the age?

In 1842 or 1843, a Methodist preacher by the name of Prior visited
Nauvoo and on the Sabbath day attended religious services for the
purpose of hearing a sermon by the Prophet. He published the following
description of Joseph's appearance and words:

    I will not attempt to describe the various feelings of my bosom
    as I took my seat in a conspicuous place in the congregation, who
    were waiting in breathless silence for his appearance. While he
    tarried, I had plenty of time to revolve in my mind the character
    and common report of that truly singular personage. I fancied that
    I should behold a countenance sad and sorrowful, yet containing the
    fiery marks of rage and exasperation. I supposed that I should be
    enabled to discover in him some of those thoughtful and reserved
    features, those mystic and sarcastic glances, which I had fancied
    the ancient sages to possess. I expected to see that fearful,
    faltering look of conscious shame which, from what I had heard of
    him, he might be expected to evince. He appeared at last; but how
    was I disappointed when instead of the heads and horns of the beast
    and false prophet, I beheld only the appearance of a common man, of
    tolerably large proportions. I was sadly disappointed, and thought
    that, although his appearance could not be wrested to indicate
    anything against him, yet he would manifest all I had heard of him
    when he began to preach. I sat uneasily, and watched him closely.
    He commenced preaching, not from the Book of Mormon, however, but
    from the Bible; the first chapter of the first of Peter was his
    text. He commenced calmly, and continued dispassionately to pursue
    his subject, while I sat in breathless silence, waiting to hear
    that foul aspersion of the other sects, that diabolical disposition
    of revenge, and to hear rancorous denunciation of every individual
    but a Mormon; I waited in vain; I listened with surprise; I sat
    uneasy in my seat, and could hardly persuade myself but that he
    had been apprised of my presence, and so ordered his discourse on
    my account, that I might not be able to find fault with it; for
    instead of a jumbled jargon of half-connected sentences, and a
    volley of imprecations, and diabolical and malignant denunciations,
    heaped upon the heads of all who differed from him, and the
    dreadful twisting and wresting of the Scriptures to suit his own
    peculiar views, and attempt to weave a web of dark and mystic
    sophistry around the gospel truths, which I had anticipated, he
    glided along through a very interesting and elaborate discourse
    with all the care and happy facility of one who was well aware of
    his important station, and his duty to God and man.

In 1843, an English traveler wrote a letter which appeared in most of
the American newspapers concerning a visit to Nauvoo. He first recites
many of the awful tales which he had heard concerning the Prophet
and the Saints, and describes the fears of his own life which were
entertained by his friends should he put himself in the Prophet's
power, evidently taking much credit to himself for his "chivalric" and
"foolhardy" enterprise. But when he reaches Nauvoo, he finds all his
fears and adventurous calculations dispelled; so he sits calmly down to
make a dispassionate review of the city and its founder. A portion of
his letter is as follows:

    The city is of great dimensions, laid out in beautiful order; the
    streets are wide, and cross each other at right angles, which will
    add greatly to its order and magnificence when finished. The city
    rises on a gentle incline from the rolling Mississippi, and as you
    stand near the temple, you may gaze on the picturesque scenery
    around; at your side is the temple, the wonder of the world; round
    about, and beneath, you may behold handsome stores, large mansions,
    and fine cottages, interspersed with varied scenery; at the foot
    of the town rolls the noble Mississippi, bearing upon its bosom
    the numerous seaships which are conveying the Mormons from all
    parts of the world to their home. I have seen them landed, and I
    have beheld them welcomed to their homes with the tear of joy and
    the gladdening smile, to share the embrace of all around. I have
    heard them exclaim, How happy to live here! how happy to die here!
    and then how happy to rise here in the resurrection! It is their
    happiness; then why disturb the Mormons so long as they are happy
    and peaceable, and are willing to live so with all men? I would
    say, "Let them live."

    The inhabitants seem to be a wonderfully enterprising people. The
    walls of the temple have been raised considerably this summer;
    it is calculated, when finished, to be the glory of Illinois.
    They are endeavoring to establish manufactories in the city.
    They have enclosed large farms on the prairie ground, on which
    they have raised corn, wheat, hemp, etc.; and all this they have
    accomplished within the short space of four years. I do not
    believe that there is another people in existence who could have
    made such improvements in the same length of time, under the same
    circumstances. And here allow me to remark, that there are some
    here who have lately emigrated to this place, who have built
    themselves large and convenient houses in the town; others on their
    farms on the prairie, who, if they had remained at home, might have
    continued to live in rented houses all their days, and never once
    have entertained the idea of building one for themselves at their
    own expense.

    Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, is a singular character; he lives
    at the "Nauvoo Mansion House," which is, I understand, intended to
    become a home for the stranger and traveler; and I think, from my
    own personal observation, that it will be deserving of the name.
    The Prophet is a kind, cheerful, sociable companion. I believe that
    he has the good-will of the community at large, and that he is ever
    ready to stand by and defend them in any extremity; and as I saw
    the Prophet and his brother Hyrum conversing together one day, I
    thought I beheld two of the greatest men of the nineteenth century.
    I have witnessed the Mormons in their assemblies on a Sunday, and
    I know not where a similar scene could be effected or produced.
    With respect to the teachings of the Prophet, I must say that there
    are some things hard to be understood; but he invariably supports
    himself from our good old Bible. Peace and harmony reign in the
    city. The drunkard is scarcely ever seen, as in other cities,
    neither does the awful imprecation or profane oath strike upon your
    ear; but, while all is storm, and tempest, and confusion abroad
    respecting the Mormons, all is peace and harmony at home.

In June, 1851, a work appeared entitled "The Mormons" published by a
journalist connected with the _Morning Chronicle_, London, England.
The author had made some close personal researches into the question,
and the volume was the candid expression of his matured views. Being
skeptical, and having little sympathy for a religious movement of this
character, naturally his conclusions were colored by his prejudices.
But he says:

    Joseph Smith was indeed a remarkable man: and, in summing up
    his character, it is extremely difficult to decide, whether he
    were indeed the vulgar impostor which it has been the fashion to
    consider him, or whether he were a sincere fanatic who believed
    what he taught. But whether an impostor, who, for the purposes of
    his ambition, concocted the fraud of the _Book of Mormon_, or a
    fanatic who believed and promulgated a fraud originally concocted
    by some other person, it must be admitted that he displayed no
    little zeal and courage; that his tact was great, that his talents
    for governing men were of no mean order, and that, however glaring
    his deficiencies in early life may have been, he manifested, as he
    grew older, an ability both as an orator and a writer, which showed
    that he possessed strong natural gifts, only requiring cultivation
    to have raised him to a high reputation among better educated men.
    There are many incidents in his life which favor the supposition
    that he was guilty of a deliberate fraud in pretending to have
    revelations from heaven, and in palming off upon the world his new
    Bible: but, at the same time, there is much in his later career
    which seems to prove that he really believed what he asserted--that
    he imagined himself to be in reality what he pretended--the chosen
    medium to convey a new gospel to the world--the inspired of
    heaven, the dreamer of divine dreams, and the companion of angels.
    If he were an impostor, deliberately and coolly inventing, and
    pertinaciously propagating a falsehood, there is this much to be
    said, that never was an impostor more cruelly punished than he was,
    from the first moment of his appearance as a prophet to the last.
    Joseph Smith, in consequence of his pretensions to be a seer and
    prophet of God, lived a life of continual misery and persecution.
    He endured every kind of hardship, contumely and suffering. He was
    derided, assaulted and imprisoned. His life was one long scene
    of peril and distress, scarcely brightened by the brief beam of
    comparative repose which he enjoyed in his own city of Nauvoo. In
    the contempt showered upon his head his whole family shared. Father
    and mother, and brothers, wife and friends, were alike involved in
    the ignominy of his pretensions, and the sufferings that resulted.
    He lived for fourteen years amid vindictive enemies, who never
    missed an opportunity to vilify, to harass, and to destroy him;
    and he died at last an untimely and miserable death, involving in
    his fate a brother to whom he was tenderly attached. _If anything
    can tend to encourage the supposition that Joseph Smith was a
    sincere enthusiast_ maddened with religious frenzies, as many have
    been before and will be after him--_and that he had strong and
    invincible faith in his own high pretensions and divine mission, it
    is the notability that unless supported by such feelings, he would
    have renounced the unprofitable and ungrateful task, and sought
    refuge from persecution and misery in private life and honorable
    industry_. But whether knave or lunatic, whether a liar or a true
    man, _it cannot be denied that he was one of the most extraordinary
    persons of his time, a man of rude genius, who accomplished a much
    greater work than he knew; and whose name, whatever he may have
    been whilst living, will take its place among the notabilities of
    the world_.

A writer in Chamber's Encyclopaedia speaking of the Prophet says.

    From his early years he was regarded as a visionary and a fanatic;
    a fact which is of the utmost importance as affording a clue to his
    real character, and an explanation of that otherwise unaccountable
    tenacity of purpose and moral heroism displayed in the midst of
    fiercest persecution. A _mere_ impostor * * * would have broken
    down under such a tempest of opposition and hate as Smith's
    preaching excited.

The foregoing opinions quoted from the Prophet's contemporaries and
observers--his opponents, candid though they were--are as favorable
as could be looked for in a skeptical, materialistic age. They prove
all that can be asserted of the Prophet by his believers, except the
essential feature of his inspiration. This could not be testified to
by any except a believer. His reviewers, whom we have quoted, judge
entirely from external evidence. They saw the phenomenon presented
by his life and work, and recorded it; excluding entirely from their
consideration of his character and deeds all thought of the superhuman.
And yet such candid judgment of these men is worthy of preservation; it
reinforces to the world the idea expressed of him by those who accepted
the faith which he taught. If some of these opposing writers could have
known him as intimately as his brethren knew him, the same sincerity
which prompted their favorable testimony concerning his remarkable
character must have compelled them to speak of those finer qualities
which endeared him to the Saints. The Prophet was only a man; but he
was a good man, an inspired man, a better man than he could have been
without the inspiration of his master, Christ. In all his actions
he was fearless as an angel of light. Not in all that has ever been
written or said of him by friend or foe is there one word to impugn the
magnificent physical bravery and moral courage of Joseph Smith. Withal
he was as meek and gentle as a little child. Disciplined by the Spirit
of God, which was his constant monitor, he put away from him alike the
fear of men and the ambitions of the world. These were things which a
remote or casual observer would not be likely to discover.

It cannot be expected that any non-believer will testify to the
prophetic power of Joseph Smith. To admit it is to believe. And yet
this power, too, can be proved by external evidence. Of his predictions
not one word has failed. His inspiration may also be proved by eternal
evidence. It is now admitted by every student of his life and work that
the Book of Mormon came from or through him. This work could not have
been originated by any other man in the nineteenth century.

But the best evidence of the divine inspiration which had descended
upon him is not external. It is like faith in Christ. It is the whisper
of the Spirit. During Joseph Smith's lifetime many thousands of people
bore solemn testimony that they knew he was a Prophet of God. Since
his death many more thousands have declared the same knowledge. Such
proof may be insufficient for the world, but it is enough for the
Saints. The world says that men who knew him were deceived by his
personal magnetism. But what shall be said of men who believe and yet
never saw him? Very few of the Latter-day Saints living today ever met
the Prophet. Magnetism has a limited circle and a limited duration.
Inspiration is infinite and eternal. The men who never saw Jesus Christ
believe on Him because the Holy Spirit inspires belief; the men who
never saw Joseph Smith believe in him because the Holy Spirit inspires
belief. The Jews were witnesses to the miracles of our Savior. Their
great historian Josephus says:

    Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to
    call him a man: _for he was a doer of wonderful works_, a teacher
    of such men as received the truth with pleasure. He drew over to
    him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was Christ.
    And when Pilate at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us,
    condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did
    not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day;
    as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other
    wonderful things concerning him. And a tribe of Christians, so
    named from him, are not extinct at this day.

But Josephus remained a Jew, and very few of his race accepted the
Redeemer, despite their knowledge of His works; they had only the
external testimony which is insufficient, they hardened their hearts
against the internal testimony which is all-convincing. Josephus'
testimony of Jesus Christ is no stronger considering the time in which
he lived, than is the testimony of some of Joseph Smith's unbelieving
commentators, considering the age in which they lived. If Christians
were dependent today solely upon the history of Christ's work, their
faith might be insecure; but they have that testimony of the Spirit
which gives to the sincere seeker after truth a conviction so firm as
to be unassailable by all the power of Satan. It is this same Spirit
which convinces the Saints of latter days that as truly as Christ
lived, God's Only Begotten Son, as truly as He performed a divine
mission upon earth, as truly as He died upon Calvary a martyr to redeem
a fallen world; just so truly was Joseph Smith ordained and inspired of
God to reveal his truths and lead men back out of the darkness of ages,
into communion with the heavens. The physical strength and the mental
power of an unbelieving world may be arrayed against the followers of
this Prophet of latter days; as these same powers were arrayed against
the early Christians. But prisons and crosses and swords and bullets
cannot undo a fact. They may operate upon the fears of men and they may
induce recantation; but they cannot destroy absolute knowledge.

As the years pass away the recognition of Joseph Smith's wonderful
career grows more widespread. The day is near, even if it has not
already come, when the world of thinking but unbelieving men must
accept him as a marvel. They confess the mystery of his power and the
unaccountable grandeur of his deeds, even while they dispute all claim
to inspiration. They say he "was a doer of wonderful works." They
confess their special amaze that an unlearned farmer lad, dwelling
in the backwoods in the early part of this century, should have
conceived of his own mind, a system of theology and a purpose of church
organization, a plan of social redemption, so vast, so extraordinary;
and that he should have held to his work with such heroic tenacity,
through all the ills of life and unto the final scene of martyrdom. No
words of a believer can of themselves convince an unbeliever. There is
but one power of demonstration, and that is to seek by humble prayer
for the voice of the Holy Spirit. So surely as man prays in faith and
meekness, so surely will the answer come. This answer is the testimony
of Jesus Christ; it is the testimony to His servant Joseph Smith.

The world will not put this to the test. Only here and there an honest,
humble soul, struggling to the light will bow before the eternal throne
and make sincere petition for guidance.

By this testimony will the age be judged. We declare unto all to
whom these words shall come that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God.
Flesh and blood have not revealed it unto us, but our Father which is
in heaven: and this holy revelation is the gift, exclusively, to no
man and no class of men. It is free to all who will seek for it in
obedience and sincere humility.



CHAPTER XLIX.

DR. J. C. BENNETT JOINS THE CHURCH--NAUVOO CITY CHARTERED--NAUVOO
UNIVERSITY AND LEGION ORGANIZED--JOSEPH SMITH COMMISSIONED AS
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL OF THE STATE MILITIA--TEMPLE SITE--DEDICATION OF THE
TEMPLE--AN IMPORTANT CONFERENCE.

With the establishment of Nauvoo as a city Dr. John C. Bennett came
into prominent association with the Church. He was a quarter-master
general of the state of Illinois, and a man of extensive acquirements
and many ambitions. At the time of the Prophet's imprisonment in
Missouri he had offered his services to secure Joseph's release, by
force, if necessary, but the tender was not accepted. His expressed
sympathy was no doubt sincere. He saw the sufferings of the people and
was drawn toward them. He saw the grandeur of the Prophet's character
and was attracted by it. When the people moved into Illinois, he made
a closer examination of their faith, and accepted it. No doubt he was
still sincere at this time; and if he had been willing to heed the
Prophet's warning and to be humble and pure, he might have been a
blessing to the Church for many years, and might have lived and died a
happy man, with a full assurance of eternal salvation.

On Sunday, the 24th day of January, 1841, Hyrum Smith received the
office of patriarch to the Church, to succeed his deceased father;
he was also by revelation sustained as a prophet and revelator to
the Church. The vacancy in the quorum of the First Presidency, thus
occasioned, was filled by the selection of William Law to be second
counselor to Joseph.

On the 30th day of January a special conference was held at Nauvoo at
which Joseph was elected sole trustee-in-trust for the Church, to hold
the office during his life, his successor to be of the First Presidency
of the Church. This action was taken in pursuance of the provisions of
an act of the Illinois Legislature concerning religious societies.

The charter of the city of Nauvoo was devised by Joseph, as he says
"on principles so broad that any honest man might dwell secure under
its protective influence without distinction of sect or party." It was
comprehensive, and in some respects unusual, but its provisions were
purely republican and the end designed by its framer was insured. It
was signed by Thomas Carlin, governor, and was certified by Stephen A.
Douglas, secretary of state.

On the 1st day of February, 1841, the charter for the city of Nauvoo
took effect. On the same day an election was held for mayor and members
of the city council. John C. Bennett was elected mayor; with William
Marks, Samuel H. Smith, Daniel H. Wells and Newel K. Whitney for
aldermen; and Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Charles C.
Rich, John T. Barnett, Wilson Law, Don Carlos Smith, John P. Greene and
Vinson Knight for councilors.

The twenty-fourth section of the charter of the city of Nauvoo was as
follows:

    The city council may establish and organize an institution of
    learning within the limits of the city, for the teachings of
    the arts, sciences and learned professions, to be called the
    "University of the City of Nauvoo," which institution shall be
    under the control and management of a Board of Trustees, consisting
    of a Chancellor, Registrar and twenty-three Regents, which Board
    shall thereafter be a body corporate and politic, with perpetual
    successors by the name of the "Chancellor and Regents of the
    University of the City of Nauvoo," and shall have full power to
    pass, ordain, establish and execute all such laws and ordinances
    as they may consider necessary for the welfare and prosperity of
    said University, its officers and students; provided that the said
    laws and ordinances shall not be repugnant to the constitution of
    the United States, or of this state; and provided, also, that the
    Trustees shall at all times be appointed by the city council, and
    shall have all the powers and privileges for the advancement of the
    cause of education which appertain to the Trustees of any other
    college or university of this state.

In pursuance of this provision, at the first meeting of the city
council Joseph Smith presented an ordinance organizing the university
and appointed a board of trustees. The purpose of this institution
of learning was to give the Saints and all others who loved learning
an opportunity to gain a knowledge of the arts and sciences; for
Joseph was ever desirous to bring his brethren and friends into close
acquaintance with all that was best in the experience of the world. One
of the trustees of the university was Daniel H. Wells, who also had
been elected an alderman of the city. He was not then a member of the
Church, but he was a young man of such manifest fairness and integrity
that the Prophet was glad of his assistance.

The twenty-fifth section of the city charter was as follows:

    The city council may organize the inhabitants of said city,
    subject to military duty, into a body of independent military
    men, to be called the "Nauvoo Legion," the court martial of which
    shall be composed of the commissioned officers of said legion,
    and constitute the law-making department, with full powers and
    authority to make, ordain, establish and execute all such laws
    and ordinances as may be considered necessary for the benefit,
    government and regulation of said Legion; provided said court
    martial shall pass no law or act, repugnant to, or inconsistent
    with, the constitution of the United States, or of this state; and
    provided also that the officers of the Legion shall be commissioned
    by the governor of the state. The said Legion shall perform the
    same amount of military duty as is now or may be hereafter required
    of the regular militia of the state, and shall be at the disposal
    of the mayor in executing the laws and ordinances of the city
    corporation, and the laws of the state, and at the disposal of the
    governor for the public defense, and the execution of the laws of
    the state or of the United States, and shall be entitled to their
    proportion of the public arms; and provided also, that said Legion
    shall be exempt from all other military duty.

In pursuance of the provisions of the charter the Nauvoo Legion was
organized on the 4th day of February, 1841. Subsequently citizens
of Hancock County enrolled themselves in the legion, and at the
election Joseph Smith was chosen as Lieutenant-General and John
C. Bennett Major-General, with Wilson Law and Don Carlos Smith as
Brigadier-Generals of the two cohorts of the Legion.

Speaking of the University and the Legion in a letter written at this
time, the Prophet describes their purpose in these words:

    The "Nauvoo Legion" embraces all our military power, and will
    enable us to perform our military duty by ourselves, and thus
    afford us the power and privilege of avoiding one of the most
    fruitful sources of strife, oppression and collision with the
    world. It will enable us to show our attachment to the state and
    nation, as a people, whenever the public service requires our aid,
    thus proving ourselves obedient to the paramount laws of the land,
    and ready at all times to sustain and execute them.

    The "University of the City of Nauvoo" will enable us to teach our
    children wisdom, to instruct them in all knowledge and learning,
    in the arts, sciences and learned professions. We hope to make
    this institution one of the great lights of the world, and by and
    through it to diffuse that kind of knowledge which will be of
    practical utility, and for the public good, and also for private
    and individual happiness. The Regents of the University will take
    the general supervision of all matters appertaining to education,
    from common schools up to the highest branches of a most liberal
    collegiate course. They will establish a regular system of
    education, and hand over the pupil from teacher to professor, until
    the regular gradation is consummated and the education finished.

At a session of the city council held on the 8th day of February, 1841,
Joseph reported a bill for an ordinance to prohibit the sale of liquor
at retail, which was subsequently passed and put into effect under the
title "An ordinance in relation to temperance." The purpose of this
measure was to prevent dram drinking, and the event proved that it was
wisely and safely drawn, for Nauvoo, under the strict enforcement of
this provision, was able to get rid of the low and the depraved. In
the discussion of the bill the Prophet spoke at some length on the use
of liquors, showing that they operated as a poison upon the system and
demonstrating that even in medicine other and harmless things might
take their place.

The part taken by Joseph Smith indicates his willingness to join
in any practical labor for the advancement of his fellow-men and
for the welfare of his country. He consented to act as a member of
the city council because he desired to assist in the promotion of
a wholesome municipal government. His inspiration was not entirely
among the clouds. It prompted him to those practical works without
which no community can hope to achieve happiness and prosperity. He
became a trustee of the University because no man of his time loved
knowledge more than he, and he wished to assist the institution to
present the wisdom of past and present times to the rising generation.
He consented to act as Lieutenant-General of the Nauvoo Legion--not
that he loved military powers or expected to go to war, but that he
recognized the duty of every citizen to be prepared to give his arm to
his country's service. His conduct in this respect is a reminder that,
notwithstanding his divine appointment, he held himself amenable to
every law and every regulation of his country.

On the 1st day of March Councilor Joseph Smith presented bills for
ordinances providing for the freedom of all religious sects and
denominations, and the freedom of all peaceable public meetings within
the city of Nauvoo. The ordinances were passed in accordance with the
provisions of his bills. His purpose was not to secure freedom for the
Saints within the municipality; for this was made certain by their
numerical preponderance and by the fact that nearly all the officials
were of their number. But it was always Joseph's plan to encourage
further discussion and consideration of religious matters, and he
desired that no insult or injury should be offered by any of the people
of Nauvoo to any minister, or to any other person who might desire to
present views not in accordance with the opinions of the majority.
He himself and his associates had suffered so much at the hands of a
bigoted majority in the past that he determined to prevent any such
offense against justice and against heaven, by the citizens of Nauvoo.

On the 10th day of March, Governor Thomas Carlin issued a commission to
Joseph Smith as "Lieutenant-General, Nauvoo Legion, of the militia of
the state of Illinois."

The spiritual welfare of the people was never neglected by him,
and during this busy period he was still able to impart religious
instruction from time to time as the needs of the people made such
instruction necessary. A revelation was received on the 19th day of
January, 1841, concerning the building of the Nauvoo temple and the
order and authority of the Priesthood; also making proclamation to all
the world to give heed to the light and glory of Zion. In March of the
same year the Saints were commanded by revelation to build a city in
Iowa, across the river from Nauvoo, to be called Zarahemla.

The building of the Nauvoo house was directed by revelation that it
should be an abiding place for the weary traveler who might seek health
and safety and the opportunity to contemplate the word of the Lord. The
Prophet and his brethren went forward to fulfill this commandment.

The site selected for a Temple at Nauvoo was most beautiful for
situation. The city of Nauvoo was partly built on a level plain and on
a noble hill which rose boldly to a height which gave from its summit a
commanding view of the surrounding country. The site of the temple was
at the summit and in the foreground of this hill. The Mississippi river
swept in a half-circle around the lower level of the city, and a number
of the north and south terminations of the streets in that part were
on the river. The temple could be seen from up and down the river for
many miles, and was the most conspicuous building in all that region.
The view from its roof and tower was very grand--embracing an extensive
view of the river and a wide stretch of forest and improved lands on
both the Illinois and Iowa sides of the "Father of Waters."

On the 6th day of April, 1841, the first day of the twelfth year of the
existence of the Church of Jesus Christ in this last dispensation, a
general conference was convened in the city of Nauvoo. At the same time
conferences were being held in England under the direction of Brigham
Young and the other Apostles, nine of that quorum being in that land
and at Philadelphia under the direction of Hyrum Smith.

At Nauvoo the first step was to lay the corner stone of the temple as
directed by revelation from the Lord. On the morning of the 6th a vast
procession was formed, which proceeded to the grounds selected for a
site. A hollow square of people was formed around the spot, and the
officers of the Nauvoo Legion, with the architect of the building,
the speakers and others, were conducted to the stand at the principal
corner stone--the south-east. After an address by Sidney Rigdon,
followed by hymns and prayer, the architect, by direction of the
Prophet, lowered the south-east corner stone to its place, and Joseph
Smith pronounced the benediction, saying:

    The principal corner stone, in representation of the First
    Presidency, is now duly laid in honor of the great God; and may
    it there remain until the whole fabric is completed; and may the
    same be accomplished speedily; that the Saints may have a place to
    worship God, and the Son of Man have where to lay His head.

After an adjournment for one hour, the people again assembled, and the
south-west corner stone was laid by direction of Don Carlos Smith and
his counselors, presiding over the High Priesthood. The north-west
corner stone was laid under the direction of the high council; and the
north-east corner stone was put in place under the direction of Bishop
Newel K. Whitney and other officers of the Aaronic Priesthood. As each
stone was placed in its position a prayer was offered, and blessings
were invoked upon it by the Priesthood of the quorum officiating.

This occasion was a time of much rejoicing for Joseph and the Saints.
After all their sufferings from mobocracy they had at last reached a
place where they could rest for a season and commence the erection
of a house of the Lord. The Lord had a great endowment in store for
His Saints. A suitable house was necessary in which to bestow this
endowment--a place where the holy ordinances of the gospel could
be administered. The foundation stones were now laid, and many and
fervent were the prayers which were offered up that the Saints might be
permitted to complete it. Joseph was eager to push the work ahead. The
people were sick and poor, and it seemed like a very heavy undertaking
for so few people as there were there to attempt the erection of such a
house. But God had commanded, and they stepped forth cheerfully to obey.

Joseph, in alluding to the proper manner of laying the foundation
stones of temples, said:

    If the strict order of the Priesthood were carried out in the
    building of temples, the first stone would be laid at the
    south-east corner by the First Presidency of the Church. The
    south-west corner should be laid next. The third or north-west
    corner next; and the fourth or north-east corner last. The First
    Presidency should lay the south-east corner stone, and dictate
    who are the proper persons to lay the other corner stones. If a
    temple is built at a distance, and the First Presidency are not
    present, then the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are the persons to
    dictate an order for that temple; and in the absence of the Twelve
    Apostles, then the Presidency of the Stake will lay the south-east
    corner stone, the Melchisedec Priesthood laying the corner stones
    on the east side of the temple, and the Lesser Priesthood those on
    the west side.

At a later time President Young explained concerning the laying of the
corner stones of the Salt Lake temple:

    The First Presidency, who are Apostles, started on the south-east
    corner; then the second Priesthood laid the second stone; we bring
    them into our ranks at the third stone, which the High Priests and
    Elders laid; we take them under our wing to the north-east corner
    stone which the Twelve and the Seventies laid; and there again
    joined the Apostleship. It circumscribes every other Priesthood,
    for it is the Priesthood of Melchisedec, which is after the order
    of the Son of God.

The conference at Nauvoo continued five days, and the time was a happy
one for the Saints. In an address to the people on the second day, the
Prophet said:

    The Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
    feel great pleasure in assembling with the Saints at another
    general conference, under circumstances so auspicious and cheering;
    and with grateful hearts to Almighty God for His providential
    regard, they cordially unite with the Saints, on this occasion in
    ascribing honor, glory and blessing to His holy name.

    It is with unfeigned pleasure that they have to make known the
    steady and rapid increase of the Church in this state, the United
    States and Europe. The anxiety to become acquainted with the
    principles of the gospel, on every hand, is intense, and the cry
    of "Come over and help us" is reaching the Elders on the wings of
    every wind; while thousands who have heard the Gospel have become
    obedient thereto, and are rejoicing in its gifts and blessings.
    Prejudice, with its attendant train of evils, is giving way before
    the force of truth, whose benign rays are penetrating the nations
    afar off.

    The reports from the Twelve Apostles in Europe are very
    satisfactory, and state that the work continues to progress with
    unparalleled rapidity, and that the harvest is truly great.

    In the eastern states the faithful laborers are successful, and
    many are flocking to the standard of truth. Nor is the south
    keeping back. Churches have been raised up in the southern and
    western states, and a very pressing invitation has been received
    from New Orleans for some of the Elders to visit that city,
    which has been complied with. In our own state and immediate
    neighborhood, many are avowing their attachment to the principles
    of our holy religion, and have become obedient to the faith.

    Peace and prosperity attend us, and we have favor in the sight of
    God and virtuous men. The time was when we were looked upon as
    deceivers, and that Mormonism would soon pass away, come to nought
    and be forgotten. But the time has gone by when it was looked upon
    as a transient matter, or a bubble on the wave, and it is now
    taking a deep hold in the hearts and affections of all those who
    are noble-minded enough to lay aside the prejudice of education and
    investigate the subject with candor and honesty. The truth, like
    the sturdy oak, has stood unhurt amid the contending elements which
    have beat upon it with tremendous force. The floods have rolled,
    wave after wave, in quick succession, and have not swallowed it up.
    "They have lifted up their voice, O Lord, the floods have lifted
    up their voice; but the Lord of Hosts is mightier than the mighty
    waves of the sea," nor have the flames of persecution, with all
    the influence of mobs, been able to destroy it; but, like Moses'
    bush, it has stood unconsumed, and now at this moment presents
    an important spectacle both to men and angels. Where can we turn
    our eyes to behold such another? We contemplate a people who
    have embraced a system of religion, unpopular, and the adherence
    to which has brought upon them repeated persecutions. A people
    who, for their love to God and attachment to His cause, have
    suffered hunger, nakedness, perils, and almost every privation.
    A people who, for the sake of their religion, have had to mourn
    the premature deaths of parents, husbands, wives and children. A
    people who have preferred death to slavery and hypocrisy, and have
    honorably maintained their characters and stood firm and immovable
    in times that have tried men's souls. Stand fast, ye Saints of God,
    hold on a little longer, and the storm of life will be past, and
    you will be rewarded by that God whose servants you are, and who
    will duly appreciate all your toils and afflictions for Christ's
    sake and the gospel's. Your names will be handed down to posterity
    as Saints of God and virtuous men.

On the third day of the conference, the Prophet stated to the assembled
Saints that the presidents of the different quorums would be presented
before them for their acceptance or rejection. He declared the rule
of acceptance or rejection to be by a majority in each quorum; and he
exhorted them to deliberation, faith and prayer, that they might be
strict and impartial in their examinations. Objection was made to Elder
John E. Page, one of the Twelve Apostles, and his case was laid over
to be tried before his quorum. Elder Page had been called to accompany
Apostle Orson Hyde upon his mission to Jerusalem, but had felt the
sacrifice demanded was too great for him, and had delayed until this
time.

On this same day Lyman Wight was chosen as an Apostle to fill the
vacancy occasioned by the death of Elder David W. Patten.

About the 1st of May, 1841, Joseph received a visit at Nauvoo from Hon.
Stephen A. Douglas, of the Supreme Court of the state of Illinois.
On this occasion Douglas was accompanied by his political opponent
Cyrus Walker, Esq. "The Little Giant" had not yet entered upon the
greatness of his career in politics; but the Prophet recognized in him
a master spirit among men. Douglas himself was so deeply impressed by
the grandeur of the Prophet's character that he sought him out with
deference.

On the 24th of May, the Prophet directed a call to all the Saints to
gather to the counties of Lee in Iowa and Hancock in Illinois; and
directed the discontinuance of all stakes of Zion outside of these two.

Under date of June 1st, 1841, the Prophet records that Elder Sidney
Rigdon had been ordained a prophet, seer and revelator. This ordination
was probably attended to in the month of May.



CHAPTER L.

JOSEPH'S VISIT TO GOVERNOR CARLIN AT QUINCY--ARREST ON THE OLD
REQUISITION FROM MISSOURI--A SHERIFF NURSED BY HIS PRISONER--JUDGE
DOUGLAS DISCHARGES THE PROPHET ON WRIT OF "HABEAS CORPUS"--BROWNING'S
ELOQUENT APPEAL--DEATH OF DON CARLOS SMITH--EVENTS AT NAUVOO CLOSING
1841.

On the 1st day of June, 1841, the Prophet accompanied his brother Hyrum
and William Law as far as Quincy, Illinois, on their mission to the
east. While at Quincy he called upon Governor Carlin at the latter's
residence and was treated with marked respect and kindness. In the
lengthy conversation which Joseph had with Carlin, nothing was said
concerning the requisition formerly issued by the state of Missouri and
endorsed by Carlin for the arrest of the Prophet. This requisition had
been returned, not served; all excitement concerning it had died away;
and the absurd character of the demand made for Joseph's person was
supposed to be understood by Carlin and all the other officials of the
state.

After enjoying the hospitality of the Governor, Joseph withdrew and had
only proceeded a little distance on his homeward journey, when Carlin
sent Thomas King, sheriff of Adams County, Thomas Jasper, constable of
Quincy, and several others, as a posse, with an officer from Missouri
to apprehend the Prophet and deliver him up to the emissaries of Boggs.
This large party pursued Joseph and on the 5th day of June overtook and
arrested him at Heberline's hotel, Bear Creek, about twenty-eight miles
south of Nauvoo. With the formal act of arrest the offense charged
against the Prophet was made known, that he was "a fugitive from
justice;" but as the fact of his persecution in Missouri was well-known
to the posse, and as the officer from Missouri did not conceal the
vindictive hate with which he viewed his prisoner nor smother his
threats, many of the party left in disgust and returned to their homes,
declaring that they would have nothing to do with such outrageous
proceedings. Their action had a salutary effect upon the officers who
remained. Joseph was taken back to Quincy and there obtained a writ
of _habeas corpus_ from Charles A. Warren, master in chancery. Judge
Stephen A. Douglas arrived at Quincy that night and appointed a hearing
on the writ for Tuesday, the 8th day of June, in Monmouth, Warren
County, where the court for the fifth judicial circuit for Illinois
would then commence the regular term. On the morning after the arrest,
Sheriff King and the Missouri officer with their aides, went to Nauvoo
with their prisoner in charge. In the meantime considerable excitement
had prevailed in the city, as news of the Prophet's arrest had been
conveyed there, and his brethren well knew that for him to return
to Missouri was to return to assassination. A party of his friends
including Hosea Stout, Tarleton Lewis, John S. Higbee and others, had
come by the river to find him at Quincy but had missed him on the way,
as he came to Nauvoo by land.

Sheriff King was suffering greatly from ill health; and, after leaving
Quincy, was seized with violent illness. At Nauvoo the Prophet took the
sheriff to his own house and nursed him like a brother, and continued
this assiduous care for his captor during the four days intervening
until after the arrival at Monmouth.

On Monday, the 7th day of June, the Prophet departed very early in the
morning for the appointed place, which was seventy-five miles distant.
He was accompanied by Charles C. Rich, Amasa Lyman, Shadrach Roundy,
Reynolds Cahoon, Charles Hopkins, Alfred Randall, Elias Higbee, Morris
Phelps, John P. Greene, Henry G. Sherwood, Joseph Younger, Darwin
Chase, Ira Miles, Joel S. Miles, Lucien Woodworth, Vinson Knight,
Robert B. Thompson, George Miller and others. They traveled all day and
until very late, making their camp about midnight in the road.

On Tuesday morning, June 8th, they reached Monmouth, where great
excitement prevailed. A multitude of citizens had gathered, filled
with curiosity to obtain a sight of the Prophet, whom they expected
and hoped to see loaded down with chains. A mob incited by sectarian
bigotry attempted to seize his person; but the sheriff, whose health
had been partially restored through Joseph's careful nursing, declared
that he would protect his prisoner at all hazards, and after much
difficulty the mob was repulsed by the sheriff and the friends of order.

An effort was made to have the hearing on the writ immediately, but the
state's attorney objected and secured a postponement until the next
morning. On that day the citizens were kept in a state of ferment.
The sectarian enemies of the Prophet hoped they saw an opportunity
to injure him, and they employed a great array of counsel to assist
in overthrowing the writ and remanding the Prophet back to his old
and blood-thirsty enemies. Others there were not so vindictive, who
besought him to preach to the populace that night. They crowded around
the prison and flocked to the window to get a peep at him, but the
confinement was too close to permit of his addressing them even through
the bars, further than to promise them that Elder Amasa Lyman should
give them a sermon on the succeeding evening.

At an early hour on Wednesday the court at Monmouth was filled with
spectators anxious to witness the proceedings. The counsel in behalf of
the Prophet were Charles A. Warren, Sidney H. Little, O. H. Browning,
James H. Ralston, Cyrus Walker and Archibald Williams. On behalf of
the prosecution there were not only the state's attorneys, but a large
number of prominent lawyers employed by Joseph's opponents, and there
were also some volunteer prosecutors who thought to get some fame or
notoriety out of this case. Threats of the most awful character were
uttered against the Prophet's advocates; and even the conservative
element warned them that they might expect no further political favors
from that county if they persisted in defending a man so repugnant to
the sectarian religious element. They were not to be frightened by any
such means, and they pursued their course vigorously. Two points were
raised for the Prophet. One was that the writ was void, having once
been returned to the executive by the sheriff of Hancock County; and
the other was that the whole proceeding on the part of Missouri was
illegal and that the indictment upon which the requisition was based
had been obtained through fraud, bribery and corruption.

A young lawyer from Missouri was among the volunteers to plead against
Joseph. While uttering his tirade in court, he was stricken by such
pains that he ceased to talk and rushed from the court house. Many of
the people who had been amused by his antics, shouted after him, as
they saw his pale face and the contortions of his stomach: "Now we know
why they call the people of Missouri _Pukes_."

O. H. Browning made the principal speech for the Prophet. This Mr.
Browning afterward became a member of President Johnson's Cabinet as
Secretary of the Interior. He was a man of great courage and possessed
vigor and eloquence in speech. After covering the points of law
involved, he recited many of the indignities which had been perpetrated
upon the Prophet in Missouri and ridiculed the idea of his going back
to be tried by his sworn murderers. Mr. Browning had been a witness
to much of the distress of the Saints. He stated the circumstances of
the exile from Missouri, and feelingly and emphatically pointed out
the impossibility of Joseph's obtaining justice there. He said that
the very men who would be called as witnesses for the defense in the
Prophet's case, if it were to be tried in Missouri, were actually
forbidden by executive decree under the penalty of death, to enter
upon the soil of that blood-stained state. He recounted the cruelties
which had been practiced upon the Saints until the streams of Missouri
had run with sanguinary hues; and declared that he himself had seen
women and children destitute and defenseless, crossing the Mississippi
to seek refuge from ruthless mobs. After saying that to send Joseph
Smith back to Missouri for trial was but adding insult to injury, he
concluded:

    Great God! have I not seen it? Yes, mine eyes have beheld the
    blood-stained traces of innocent women and children, in the drear
    winter, who had traveled hundreds of miles barefoot through frost
    and snow, to seek a refuge from their savage pursuers. It was a
    scene of horror, sufficient to enlist sympathy from an adamantine
    heart. And shall this unfortunate man, whom their fury has seen
    proper to select for sacrifice, be driven into such a savage land,
    and none dare to enlist in the cause of justice? If there was no
    other voice under heaven ever to be heard in this cause, gladly
    would I stand alone, and proudly spend my latest breath, in defense
    of an oppressed American citizen.

So affecting was Browning's address that many of the officers and
spectators of the court wept for the woes of the Prophet and his
persecuted people.

The case was then adjourned until the next morning. In the meantime,
Elder Amasa M. Lyman preached a sermon to which a large congregation
listened attentively. His address was marked by such power and spirit
that a total revulsion in sentiment took place; and when the court next
day decreed the discharge of the prisoner, the populace could no longer
be incited by jealous priests into a demonstration against Joseph.

The opinion of Judge Douglas in releasing the Prophet was recorded as
follows:

    That the writ being once returned to the Executive by the sheriff
    of Hancock County was dead, and stood in the same relationship
    as any other writ which might issue from the circuit court; and
    consequently, the defendant could not be held in custody on that
    writ. The other point, whether evidence in the case was admissible
    or not, he would not at that time decide, as it involved great and
    important considerations relative to the future conduct of the
    different states. There being no precedent, as far as they have
    access to authorities, to guide them; but he would endeavor to
    examine the subject, and avail himself of all the authorities which
    could be obtained on the subject before he would decide that point.
    But on the other, the defendant must be liberated.

About 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 10th, the Prophet and his company
started upon their return to Nauvoo where they arrived at 4 p.m. on the
11th, and were greeted by the joyous acclamations of the Saints.

Some of the so-called religious publications made this trial a pretext
for all manner of false and senseless utterances against Joseph and the
people. Their purpose was very apparent. The ministers who preached
for hire and divined for money feared to see their craft in danger;
the growth of the Saints was too rapid; the influence of Joseph was
too great. It did not matter to these enemies of the work that the
Saints were law-abiding and industrious, and that the Prophet exercised
no unrighteous authority, but labored in love and charity among his
brethren and all people. They were determined to spread their lies
abroad that a feeling of hatred might be incited against Joseph and the
people of Nauvoo; and they were successful, for prejudice continued to
enlarge its circle from that time. All these evil reports were colored
by statements of the Missouri officials who, to screen themselves gave
out the _ex parte_ testimony of mobocrats as being truthful statements
of the Missouri persecutions. A few papers had the courage and truth
to examine carefully before committing themselves; and were led to
protest against the unhallowed warfare waged by the blood-thirsty mob
against Joseph and his law-abiding and order-loving brethren in Nauvoo.
Among articles of this character was one which appeared in the Juliet
_Courier_, written to the editor of that journal by a spectator of the
trial at Monmouth, from which the following is an excerpt:

    Before this reaches you, I have no doubt you will have heard of
    the trial of Joseph Smith, familiarly known as the Mormon Prophet.
    As some misrepresentations have already gone aboard in relation to
    Judge Douglas's decision, and the merits of the question decided by
    the judge, permit me to say, the only question decided, though many
    were debated, was the validity of the executive writ which had once
    been sent out, I think in Sept., 1840, and a return on it that Mr.
    Smith could not be found. _The same writ_ was issued in June, 1841.
    There can really be no great difficulty about this matter, under
    this state of facts.

    The judge acquitted himself handsomely, and silenced clamors that
    had been raised against the defendant.

    Since the trial I have been at Nauvoo, on the Mississippi, in
    Hancock County, Illinois, and have seen the manner in which things
    are conducted among the Mormons. In the first place, I cannot
    help noticing the plain hospitality of the Prophet Smith to all
    strangers visiting the town, aided as he is in making the stranger
    comfortable by his excellent wife, a woman of superior ability. The
    people of the town appear to be honest and industrious, engaged
    in their usual avocations of building up a town and making all
    things around them comfortable. On Sunday I attended one of their
    meetings, in front of the temple now building and one of the
    largest buildings in the state. There could not have been less
    than 2,500 people present, and as well appearing as any number
    that could be found in this or any state. Mr. Smith preached in
    the morning, and one could have readily learned, then, the magic
    by which he has built up this society, because, as we say in
    Illinois, "they believe in him," and in his honesty. It has been
    a matter of astonishment to me, after seeing the Prophet, as he
    is a called, Elder Rigdon and many other gentlemanly men anyone
    may see at Nauvoo who will visit there, why it is that so many
    professing Christianity, and so many professing to reverence the
    sacred principles of our constitution (which gives free religious
    toleration to all), have slandered and persecuted this sect of
    Christians.

In the month of July, 1841, the Apostles began to return to Nauvoo from
their missions to Europe, and their coming was a great comfort to the
Prophet in his hour of affliction. At a special conference which was
held at Nauvoo on the 16th of August, 1841, shortly after the return of
the Twelve, Joseph stated to the people there assembled that the time
had come when the Apostles must stand in their places next to the First
Presidency. They had been faithful and had borne the burden and heat of
the day, giving the gospel triumph in the nations of the earth, and it
was right that they should now remain at home and perform duty in Zion.
At the same conference the Twelve selected a number of Elders to go on
missions, and Joseph stated to the congregation that it was desirable
to build up the cities in Hancock County, Illinois, and Lee County,
Iowa.

In addition to the woes wrought by his enemies upon the Prophet he had
cause to mourn in August. His infant child Don Carlos died, bringing
great distress upon the household. Also his youngest brother, Don
Carlos Smith departed this life on the seventh day of August, 1841.
This was a great blow to the Prophet and the family. Don Carlos was
but twenty-five years of age at the time of his death. He was a young
man of considerable promise, and had been very active and zealous in
the work from the commencement. He was one of the first to receive the
testimony of Joseph respecting the gospel. The evening after the plates
of the Book of Mormon were shown to the eight witnesses, a meeting was
held at which all the witnesses bore testimony of the truth of the
latter-day dispensation. Don Carlos was present at this meeting, and
also bore the same testimony. He was ordained to the Priesthood when
only fourteen years old, and at that age accompanied his father on a
mission to his grandfather and relatives in St. Lawrence County, New
York. While on this mission he was the means of convincing a Baptist
minister of the truth of the work of God. After this he took several
missions, and was very active in the ministry at home, being one of the
twenty-four Elders who laid the corner stones of the Kirtland temple.
Before he was quite twenty years old he was ordained President of the
High Priests' Quorum, in which capacity he acted until the time of his
death. He and his counselors laid the southwest corner stone of the
temple at Nauvoo. He was a printer, having learned the business in the
office of Oliver Cowdery at Kirtland, and when the _Elders' Journal_
was published there he took charge of the establishment. After the
Saints removed to Nauvoo, he commenced making preparations for the
publishing of the _Times and Seasons_. To get the paper issued at an
early date he was under the necessity of cleaning out a cellar, through
which a spring was constantly flowing, that being the only place where
he could put up the press. He caught cold at this labor, and this, with
administering to the sick, impaired his health, which he never fully
recovered again. At the time of his death he was Brigadier-General of
the first cohort of the Nauvoo Legion, and a member of the city council
of Nauvoo.

Like Joseph and his other brothers, he was a splendidly formed man
physically, being six feet, four inches high, very straight and well
made, and strong and active. He was much beloved by all who knew him;
for he was wise beyond his years, and he appeared to have a great
future before him.

On the 12th day of this month Nauvoo was visited by a band of Sac and
Fox Indians, under Chiefs Keokuk and Kiskukosh and Appenose. The party
consisted of about one hundred chiefs and braves with their families,
and they had come to Nauvoo to see the Prophet. At the landing they
were met by Joseph and Hyrum and escorted to the meeting ground in the
grove, where the Prophet proceeded to address them upon their origin
and the promises of God concerning them. His remarks were interpreted
to them and gave them great delight. Then he advised them to cease
killing each other and warring with other tribes and besought them to
keep peace with the whites. In reply to this Keokuk said he had a Book
of Mormon which the Prophet had given him years before. Said he to
Joseph:

    I believe you are a great and good man. I look rough, but I also am
    a son of the Great Spirit. I have heard your advice; we intend to
    quit fighting and follow the good advice you have given us.

On the 27th day of August, 1841, Elder Robert Blashel Thompson died
at his residence in Nauvoo in the thirtieth year of his age. He had
been Joseph's scribe and trusted friend, and the Prophet mourned him
sincerely. On the 13th day of September, 1841, Willard Richards was
appointed to be his successor.

On the 13th day of September, 1841, Edward Hunter visited Nauvoo and
made the acquaintance of the Prophet. This noble man had journeyed
from Chester County in Pennsylvania, in answer to the gospel call; and
he brought his substance with him. Being a man of wealth, he proved a
blessing to the people and city.

Brigadier-General Swazey and the Colonel of the militia of Lee
County, Iowa, invited Joseph and Hyrum, with John C. Bennett, to view
a military parade at Montrose on the 14th of September, 1841. They
accepted the invitation and were very courteously received by the
general and the officers, and every mark of respect was extended to
them by the militia. A foolish fellow named D. W. Kilbourn, a merchant,
took umbrage at the presence of the Prophet and his party and attempted
to raise a riot. During the noon hour, when the militia were resting
from their exercises, he gathered a large crowd around his store and
read to them the following quotation:

    Citizens of Iowa:--The laws of Iowa do not require you to muster
    under or be reviewed by Joseph Smith or General Bennett, and should
    they have the impudence to attempt it, it is hoped that every
    person having a proper respect for himself will at once leave the
    ranks.

Neither the Prophet nor his brother was in military costume, being
there entirely in the capacity of private citizens, and the ridiculous
insult was so apparent that even Kilbourn's friends resented it. After
the exercises were over the Prophet was escorted to the river landing
by a large party which bade him farewell with every manifestation of
respect and friendship.

At the general conference which was held in the grove at Nauvoo on
the 2nd, 3rd and 4th days of October, 1841, many matters of Church
welfare were transacted. At the request of the Twelve, Joseph gave
instruction on the subject of baptism for the dead. [1] His remarks
were a revelation of comfort to the Saints who had sorrowed that their
ancestry had been deprived of the privilege of hearing the gospel
truth. Among other things which the Prophet uttered on this memorable
occasion were the following sentiments:

    The only way to obtain truth and wisdom, is not to ask it from
    books, but to go to God in prayer, and obtain divine teaching. It
    is no more incredible that God should save the dead than that he
    should raise the dead.

    There is never a time when the spirit is too old to approach
    God. All are within the reach of pardoning mercy, who have not
    committed the unpardonable sin, which hath no forgiveness, neither
    in this world, nor in the world to come. There is a way to release
    the spirit of the dead; that is by the power and authority of
    the Priesthood--by binding and loosing on earth. This doctrine
    appears glorious, inasmuch as it exhibits the greatness of divine
    compassion and benevolence in the extent of the plan of human
    salvation.

    This glorious truth is well calculated to enlarge the
    understanding, and to sustain the soul under troubles, difficulties
    and distresses. For illustration: suppose the case of two men,
    brothers, equally intelligent, learned, virtuous and lovely,
    walking in uprightness and in all good conscience, so far as they
    had been able to discern duty from the muddy stream of tradition,
    or from the blotted pages of the book of nature.

    One dies and is buried, having never heard the gospel of
    reconciliation; to the other the message of salvation is sent, he
    hears and embraces it, and is made the heir of eternal life. Shall
    the one become a partaker of glory, and the other be consigned to
    hopeless perdition? Is there no chance for his escape? Sectarianism
    answers, None! none!! none!! Such an idea is worse than atheism.
    The truth shall break down and dash in pieces all such bigoted
    Pharisaism; the sects shall be sifted, the honest in heart brought
    out, and their priests left in the midst of their corruption.

At this conference the Prophet announced:

    There shall be no more baptisms for the dead until the ordinance
    can be attended to in the font of the Lord's house, and the Church
    shall not hold another general conference until they can meet in
    said house. For thus saith the Lord!

The conference had begun under discouraging circumstances. The
weather was unpropitious, and there was some ill health. But before
its conclusion a vast number of Saints and visitors from abroad had
gathered, and at the last day, when the weather became more favorable,
the congregation was a multitude. There was much occasion at this
conference for congratulation. The work was prospering at home and
abroad. Unanimity prevailed among the Saints in the stakes of Zion;
and the missionary Elders were constantly sending up reports of their
success among the honest-in-heart.

As the brethren of the Twelve had taken upon their own shoulders many
of the burdens which the Prophet had borne in their absence, he was
enabled to perform greater labors in the way of general instruction
than ever before. Under his direction the temporal interests of the
people in Nauvoo prospered greatly. He also read the proofs of the Book
of Mormon previous to its being stereotyped.

On the 8th day of November, 1841, the baptismal font in the Lord's
house was dedicated, President Brigham Young being spokesman.

The falsehoods concerning the Saints bore evil fruit. Bad men gathered
in Hancock and Lee and made depredations upon the property of the
Saints and other citizens alike. The thefts perpetrated upon other
citizens were attributed to the followers of the Prophet; and the
thieves themselves circulated the report secretly that these evil
deeds were committed under the direction of Joseph and Hyrum. So
industriously were these bad reports scattered and so generally were
they believed that in November of 1841, the Prophet and Hyrum gave out
to the world their innocence of these deeds, stating that they did not
sanction any evil practice in any person whatever, and they warned all
people of Nauvoo and the surrounding country against being made the
dupes of thieves, plunderers and falsifiers. They declared that the
Church would purge itself of all persons connected with any such crime.

Footnotes

1. See NOTE 4., APPENDIX.



CHAPTER LI.

THE POWER OF HUMAN HARMONY--CHANGING HELL TO HEAVEN--JOSEPH AS A
SERVANT--HIS SKETCH OF THE CHURCH--A RINGING EDITORIAL--ORGANIZATION OF
THE RELIEF SOCIETY--BENNETT BEGINS HIS PLOTS.

Upon one occasion, when the power of persecution was descending upon
the people, a threat of the mobocrats was carried to the Prophet. It
was this: "We are going to drive the Mormons to hell, this time, sure."

With an entrancing mildness of look and sweetness of voice, Joseph
replied:

    Never mind, my brethren, if they drive us to hell, we'll turn the
    devil out and make a heaven of it.

This sentiment is at once a sermon upon unity and an epitome of the
history of the Latter-day Saints. By their union and system of mutual
help they have again and again redeemed wildernesses; every time
demonstrating that the Prophet's view of the power of human harmony
was correct--for where the love of truth and the concord of the Saints
exist there is no room for Satan, and hell itself must be transformed
into a region of bliss.

Joseph was putting these principles into practice at Nauvoo, and a
beautiful city was growing out of a marsh; and institutions for human
liberty and human advancement were growing out of the most adverse
conditions.

Near the opening of 1842 the Prophet, with President Brigham Young
and Bishop Newel K. Whitney, began to devise a plan, by which a cheap
and expeditious conveyance of the Saints from the old world to Nauvoo
might be secured through a united effort; and the mercantile interests
of the people might be made to serve the general welfare and protect
and help the poor. The Prophet himself did not hesitate to engage in
mercantile and industrial pursuits; the gospel which he preached was
one of temporal salvation as well as spiritual exaltation; and he was
willing to perform his share of the practical labor. This he did with
no thought of personal gain, for in opening the store at Nauvoo he said:

    I rejoice that we have been enabled to do as well as we have, for
    the hearts of many of the poor brethren and sisters will be made
    glad with these comforts which are now within their reach.

In a letter to Brother Edward Hunter, under date of January 5th, 1842,
the Prophet shows his humility and the love of his heart in these words:

    The store has been filled to overflowing and I have stood behind
    the counter all day, distributing goods as steadily as any clerk
    you ever saw, to oblige those who were compelled to go without
    their Christmas and New Year's dinners for the want of a little
    sugar, molasses, raisins, etc.; and to please myself also, for I
    love to wait upon the Saints and to be a servant to all, hoping
    that I may be exalted in the due time of the Lord.

What a picture is here presented! A man chosen by the Lord to lay the
foundation of His Church and to be its Prophet and President, takes
joy and pride in waiting upon his brethren and sisters like a servant.
The self-elected ministers of Christ in the world are forever jealous
of their dignity and fearful of showing disrespect to their cloth; but
Joseph never saw the day when he did not feel that he was serving God
and obtaining favor in the sight of Jesus Christ by showing kindness
and attention "even unto the least of these."

One Tom Sharp, editor of the Warsaw _Signal_, was devoting the greater
part of his time and the greater part of his paper's space to slanders
and misrepresentations of the Saints. The Prophet's comment upon this
man, who afterward became a prominent factor in the persecutions
against the people, was: "Let Sharp publish what he pleases: the faster
he prints his lies the sooner he will get through."

There were signs of prosperity for the Saints and although they
were not yet surrounded by comforts, they began to give freely of
their substance to rear the temple, anxiously looking forward to its
completion as a thing of mighty importance to the living and to the
dead. With the rapid increase of their numbers, the politicians of
the state sought their favor. The Prophet took occasion, during the
gubernatorial contest of 1842, to announce that he would support
without regard to their political predilections, the men who were
devoted to humanity and equal rights--the cause of liberty and the law.
And this was his text in every political campaign in which the people
took part.

John Wentworth, proprietor of the Chicago _Democrat_, wrote to the
Prophet early in 1842, asking for a sketch of the Church and its
founder, stating that he desired the data for a Mr. Barstow who was
writing the history of New Hampshire. Joseph very willingly complied
with this request and gave a succinct history of the founding of the
Church, its progress and persecutions; with a statement of the faith
of the Latter-day Saints. The Prophet's own words cannot fail to be
of intense interest to students of his life; and as his account shows
masterly condensation and completeness, it is here presented in full:

    I was born in the town of Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont, on the
    23rd of December, A. D. 1805. When ten years old my parents removed
    to Palmyra, New York, where we resided about four years, and from
    thence we removed to the town of Manchester. My father was a farmer
    and taught me the art of husbandry. When about fourteen years of
    age I began to reflect upon the importance of being prepared for
    a future state, and upon inquiring upon the plan of salvation,
    I found that there was a great clash in religious sentiment; if
    I went to one society they referred me to one plan, and another
    to another; each one pointing to his own particular creed as the
    _summum bonum_ of perfection; considering that all could not be
    right, and that God could not be the author of so much confusion, I
    determined to investigate the subject more fully, believing that if
    God had a church it would not be split up into factions, and that
    if He taught one society to worship one way, and administer in one
    set of ordinances, He would not teach another principles that were
    diametrically opposed.

    Believing the word of God, I had confidence in the declaration of
    James--"If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth
    to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given
    him." I retired to a secret place in a grove, and began to call
    upon the Lord; while fervently engaged in supplication, my mind
    was taken away from the objects with which I was surrounded,
    and I was enwrapped in a heavenly vision, and saw two glorious
    personages, who exactly resembled each other in features and
    likeness, surrounded with a brilliant light which eclipsed the
    sun at noonday. They told me that all the religious denominations
    were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of them was
    acknowledged of God as His Church and kingdom; and I was expressly
    commanded to "go not after them;" at the same time receiving a
    promise that the fullness of the gospel should at some future time
    be made known unto me.

    On the evening of the 21st of September, A. D. 1823, while I was
    praying unto God, and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious
    promises of scripture, on a sudden a light like that of day, only
    of a far purer and more glorious appearance and brightness, burst
    into the room: indeed the first sight was as though the house was
    filled with consuming fire. The appearance produced a shock that
    affected the whole body. In a moment a personage stood before me
    surrounded with a glory yet greater than that with which I was
    already surrounded. This messenger proclaimed himself to be an
    angel of God, sent to bring the joyful tidings, that the covenant
    which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled,
    that the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah was
    speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the gospel, in
    all its fullness, to be preached in power unto all nations, that a
    people might be prepared for the millennial reign.

    I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the hands
    of God to bring about some of His purposes in this glorious
    dispensation.

    I was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this
    country, and shown who they were and from whence they came; a brief
    sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments,
    of their righteousness and their iniquity, and the blessings of God
    being finally withdrawn from them as a people, was made known unto
    me. I was also told where there were deposited some plates on which
    were engraven an abridgment of the records of the ancient prophets
    that had existed on this continent. The angel appeared to me three
    times the same night, and unfolded the same things. After having
    received many visits from the angels of God, unfolding the majesty
    and glory of the events that should transpire in the last days, on
    the morning of the 22nd of September, A.D. 1827, the angel of the
    Lord delivered the records into my hands.

    These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance
    of gold. Each plate was six inches wide and eight long, and not
    quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with engravings
    in Egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume as the
    leaves of a book, with three rings running through the whole.
    The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part
    of which was sealed. The characters on the unsealed part were
    small and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many
    marks of antiquity in its construction and much skill in the art
    of engraving. With the records was found a curious instrument,
    which the ancients called "Urim and Thummim," which consisted
    of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a
    breastplate.

    Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record,
    by the gift and power of God.

    In this important and interesting book the history of ancient
    America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that
    came from the tower of Babel at the confusion of languages, to
    the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are
    informed by these records that America in ancient times had been
    inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called
    Jaredites, and came directly from the tower of Babel. The second
    race came directly from the city of Jerusalem about six hundred
    years before Christ. They were principally Israelites of the
    descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time
    the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the
    inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race
    fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant
    are the Indians that now inhabit this country. This book also
    tells us that our Savior made His appearance upon this continent
    after His resurrection, that He planted the gospel here in all its
    fullness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that they had
    apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists; the same
    order, the same Priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers and
    blessings as were enjoyed on the eastern continent; that the people
    were cut off in consequence of their transgressions; that the last
    of their prophets who existed among them was commanded to write an
    abridgment of their prophecies, history, etc., and to hide it up
    in the earth, and that it should come forth and be united with the
    Bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of God in the last
    days. For a more particular account I would refer to the Book of
    Mormon.

    As soon as the news of this discovery was made known, false
    reports, misrepresentations and slander flew as on the wings of
    the wind in every direction; the house was frequently beset by
    mobs and evil-designing persons. Several times I was shot at and
    very narrowly escaped, and every device was made use of to get the
    plates away from me, but the power and blessing of God attended me,
    and several began to believe my testimony.

    On the 6th of April, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
    Saints was organized in the town of Fayette, Seneca County, state
    of New York. Some few were called and ordained by the spirit of
    revelation and prophecy, and began to preach as the Spirit gave
    them utterance, and, though weak, they were strengthened by the
    power of God, and many were brought to repentance, were immersed
    in the water, and were filled with the Holy Ghost by the laying on
    of hands. They saw visions and prophesied, devils were cast out,
    and the sick healed by the laying on of hands. From that time the
    work rolled forth with astonishing rapidity, and churches were soon
    formed in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana,
    Illinois and Missouri; in the last named state a considerable
    settlement was formed in Jackson County; numbers joined the Church,
    and we were increasing rapidly; we made large purchases of land,
    our farms teemed with plenty, and peace and happiness were enjoyed
    in our domestic circles and throughout our neighborhoods; but
    as we could not associate with our neighbors--who were, many of
    them the basest of men, and had fled from the face of civilized
    society to the frontier country to escape the hand of justice--in
    their midnight revels, in their Sabbath breaking, horse racing and
    gambling, they commenced at first to ridicule, then to persecute,
    and, finally, an organized mob assembled and burned our houses,
    tarred and feathered, and whipped many of our brethren, and finally
    drove them from their habitations, who, houseless and homeless,
    contrary to law, justice and humanity, had to wander on the bleak
    prairies till the children left the tracks of their blood on the
    prairie. This took place in the month of November, and they had no
    other covering but the canopy of heaven, in this inclement season
    of the year. This proceeding was winked at by the government, and
    although we had warrantee deeds for our land, and had violated no
    law, we could obtain no redress.

    There were many sick, who were thus inhumanly driven from their
    houses, and had to endure all this abuse, and to seek homes
    where they could be found. The result was, that a great many of
    them, being deprived of the comforts of life and the necessary
    attendance, died; many children were left orphans, wives widows,
    and husbands widowers. Our farms were taken possession of by the
    mob, many thousands of cattle, sheep, horses and hogs were taken,
    and our household goods, store goods, and printing press and type
    were broken, taken or otherwise destroyed.

    Many of our brethren removed to Clay, where they continued until
    1836, three years; there was no violence offered, but there
    were threatenings of violence. But in the summer of 1836 these
    threatenings began to assume a more serious form; from threats,
    public meetings were called, resolutions were passed, vengeance and
    destruction were threatened, and affairs again assumed a fearful
    attitude. Jackson County was a sufficient precedent, and as the
    authorities in that county did not interfere, they boasted that
    they would not in this, which, upon application to the authorities,
    we found to be too true, and after much violence, privation and
    loss of property, we were again driven from our homes.

    We next settled in Caldwell and Daviess counties, where we made
    large and extensive settlements, thinking to free ourselves from
    the power of oppression by settling in new counties with very
    few inhabitants in them; but here we were not allowed to live in
    peace, for in 1838 we were again attacked by mobs; an exterminating
    order was issued by Governor Boggs, and under the sanction of
    law organized banditti ranged through the country, robbed us of
    our cattle, sheep, horses, hogs, etc. Many of our people were
    murdered in cold blood, the chastity of our women was violated,
    and we were forced to sign away our property at the point of the
    sword; and after enduring every indignity that could be heaped
    upon us by an inhuman, ungodly band of marauders, from twelve to
    fifteen thousand souls--men, women and children--were driven from
    their own firesides, and from lands that they had warrantee deeds
    of, houseless, friendless and homeless, in the depth of winter,
    to wander as exiles on the earth, or to seek an asylum in a more
    genial clime and among a less barbarous people.

    Many sickened and died in consequence of the cold and hardships
    they had to endure; many wives were left widows, and children
    orphans and destitute. It would take more time than is allotted
    me here to describe the injustice, the wrongs, the murders, the
    bloodshed, the theft, misery and woe that have been caused by the
    barbarous, inhuman and lawless proceedings of the state of Missouri.

    In the situation before alluded to, we arrived in the state of
    Illinois in 1839, when we found a hospitable people and a friendly
    home; a people who were willing to be governed by the principles
    of law and humanity. We have commenced to build a city called
    "Nauvoo," in Hancock County. We number from six to eight thousand
    here, besides vast numbers in the county around, and in almost
    every county of the state. We have a city charter granted us, and
    a charter for a legion, the troops of which now number 1,500. We
    have also a charter for a university, for an agricultural and
    manufacturing society, have our own laws and administrators, and
    possess all the privileges that other free and enlightened citizens
    enjoy.

    Persecution has not stopped the progress of truth, but has only
    added fuel to the flame, it has spread with increasing rapidity:
    proud of the cause which they have espoused, and conscious of their
    innocence, and of the truth of their system, amidst calumny and
    reproach, have the Elders of this Church gone forth, and planted
    the gospel in almost every state in the Union; it has penetrated
    our cities, it has spread over our villages, and has caused
    thousands of our intelligent, noble and patriotic citizens to obey
    its divine mandates, and be governed by its sacred truths. It has
    also spread into England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales; in the year
    1840, where a few of our missionaries were sent, over five thousand
    joined the Standard of Truth; there are numbers now joining in
    every land.

    Our missionaries are going forth to different nations, and in
    Germany, Palestine, New Holland, the East Indies and other places,
    the Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can
    stop the work from progressing, persecutions may rage, mobs may
    combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth
    of God will go forth boldly, nobly and independent, till it has
    penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every
    country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall
    be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done.

    We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ,
    and in the Holy Ghost.

    We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not
    for Adam's transgression.

    We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be
    saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.

    We believe that these ordinances are 1st: Faith in the Lord
    Jesus Christ; 2nd, Repentance; 3rd, Baptism by immersion for the
    remission of sins; 4th, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy
    Ghost.

    We believe that a man must be called of God by "prophecy and by
    laying on of hands" by those who are in authority, to preach the
    gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

    We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive
    church, namely, Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists,
    etc.

    We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelations, visions,
    healing, interpretations of tongues, etc.

    We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is
    translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the
    word of God.

    We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal,
    and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important
    things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

    We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the
    restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion will be built upon this
    continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and
    that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

    We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to
    the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same
    privilege, let them worship how, where or what they may.

    We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and
    magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.

    We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and
    in doing good to_ all men_; indeed we may say that we follow the
    admonition of Paul "we believe all things, we hope all things,"
    we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all
    things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely or of good report, or
    praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

    Respectfully, etc.,

    JOSEPH SMITH.

In February of 1842, Joseph became the editor of the _Times and
Seasons_, assisted by Apostle John Taylor. The Prophet continued to
carry this responsibility for nearly a year when a press of other
business, combined with the persecution of his enemies, compelled him
to relinquish the task into the hands of his assistant, Elder Taylor,
who was then formally announced as the editor. During 1842, Joseph gave
many instructions of precious truth through that periodical to the
Saints, and published, with engravings made by Elder Reuben Hedlock,
his translation of the Book of Abraham.

In the issue of the _Times and Seasons_ for March 1st, 1842, appears
the Prophet's first editorial article. It is significant and strong:

    "HONOR AMONG THIEVES."

We extract the following from the New York _Tribune_:

    "The paymaster of the Missouri militia, called out to put down the
    Mormons some two years since, was supplied with money some time
    since and started for western Missouri, but has not yet arrived
    there. It is feared that he has taken the saline slope."

    We are not surprised that persons who could wantonly, barbarously
    and without the shadow of law, drive fifteen thousand men, women
    and children from their homes, should have among them a man who
    was so lost to every sense of justice, as to run away with the
    wages for this infamous deed; it is not very difficult for men
    who can blow out the brains of children; who can shoot down and
    hew to pieces our ancient veterans that fought in the defense
    of our country and delivered it from the oppressor's grasp; who
    could deliberately, and in cold blood, murder men, and rob them
    of their boots, watches, etc., and whilst they were yet weltering
    in their blood and grappling with death, and then proceed to
    rob their widowed houses. Men who can deliberately do this, and
    steal nearly all the horses, cattle, sheep, hogs and property of
    a whole community, and drive them from their homes _en masse_,
    in an inclement season of the year, will not find many qualms of
    conscience in stealing the pay of his brother thieves, and taking
    the "saline slope."

    The very idea of government paying these men for their bloody
    deeds, must cause the sons of liberty to blush, and to hang their
    harps upon the willow; and make the blood of every patriot run
    chill. The proceedings of that state have been so barbarous and
    inhuman that our indignation is aroused when we reflect upon the
    scene.

    We are here reminded of one of the patriotic deeds of the
    government of that state, which, after it had robbed us of
    everything we had in the world, and taken from us many hundred
    thousand dollars worth of property, had its sympathies so far
    touched (_alias_, its good name,) that it voted two thousand
    dollars for the relief of the "suffering Mormons," and choosing two
    or three of the state's noblest sons to carry the heavenly boon,
    these angels of salvation came in the plenitude of their mercy, and
    in the dignity of their office, to Far West. To do what? to feed
    their hungry, and clothe their naked with the $2,000? Verily nay!
    but to go into Daviess County and steal the Mormons' hogs (which
    they, [the Mormons] themselves, were prohibited from obtaining,
    under penalty of death) to distribute among the destitute, and to
    sell where they could obtain the money. These hogs, thus obtained,
    were shot down in their blood, and not otherwise bled; they were
    filthy to a degree. These, the Mormons' own hogs, and a very few
    goods, the sweepings of an old store in Liberty, were what these
    patriotic and noble-minded men gave to the "poor Mormons," and
    then circulated to the world how sympathetic, benevolent, kind and
    merciful the legislature of the state of Missouri was in giving two
    thousand dollars to the "suffering Mormons." Surely, "the tender
    mercies of the wicked are cruel."

The organization of the Female Relief Society at Nauvoo began under
the Prophet's direction on the 17th of March, 1842, and was completed
on the 24th day of that month. The purpose of the society was to
comfort the poor and relieve the destitute and sustain the widow and
the orphan. The sisters among the Saints had always been signalized
for their acts of kindness; but the cruel usage they had received in
Missouri had prevented their extending the hand of charity as they
desired. Yet even in the midst of their persecution, when the bread was
torn from the mouths of their offspring by the oppressors, they had
always been willing to open their doors to the weary travelers and to
divide their pittance with the stranger. With the growing prosperity of
the Church, the Prophet felt sure that the sisters would concentrate
their efforts to ameliorate the condition of the suffering stranger, to
pour oil and wine into the wounded heart of the distressed, to dry up
the tears of the orphan, and make the widow's heart to rejoice.

On the 20th day of March, 1842, after a sermon in the grove near the
temple, the Prophet went down to the river and baptized eighty persons
for the remission of their sins. Fifty of this number received their
confirmation under his hands later in the day. One week afterward he
baptized one hundred and seven people in the Mississippi.

At the conference of the Church held at the city of Nauvoo on the
6th day of April, 1842, the twelfth anniversary of its organization,
Apostle Page made explanation of the delays through which he failed to
accompany Elder Orson Hyde to Jerusalem.

The Prophet decided that Elder Page should be restored to his
fellowship; he took the occasion to instruct the Elders that when they
went forth as companions they were to adhere to each other as Elisha
and Elijah of old.

During this conference two hundred and seventy-five Elders were
ordained under the hands of the Apostles.

On Saturday, the 9th day of April, 1842, the Prophet attended the
funeral of Ephraim Marks, a son of William Marks, president of the
Nauvoo Stake. President Wilford Woodruff's journal of that date records
that Joseph addressed the funeral assemblage, and in the course of his
remarks said:

    Some of the Saints have supposed that "Brother Joseph" could not
    die; but this is a mistake. It is true that there have been times
    when I have had the promise of my life to accomplish certain
    things; but, having now done these things, I have no longer any
    lease of my life. I am as liable to die as other men.

This sermon is like a premonition of his own fate. At the time it was
uttered his surroundings had never been so propitious since the day
when he first received the plates from the Hill Cumorah. But soon
after he made this declaration, his enemies began again to pursue him
vindictively, and they continued until his death a little more than two
years after he delivered that sermon.

In the spring of 1842, the Nauvoo Legion of the Illinois state militia
consisted of twenty-six companies, comprising about two thousand
troops. On the 7th day of May the staff of the Legion dined at the
house of the commander-in-chief. Other guests were there, including
Judge Stephen A. Douglas, who had adjourned the circuit court, then in
session at Carthage, that he and the lawyers might visit Nauvoo and
witness the parade of the Legion. A sham battle between the two cohorts
under Brigadier-Generals Wilson Law and Charles C. Rich was a feature
of the day. The battle and the parade were brilliant; and the visitors
expressed their admiration of the energy and the patriotism of the
Prophet and his brethren who had organized and trained this large body
of loyal troops to be in readiness for their country's call.

It was during the sham battle of this day that the Prophet became
assured that John C. Bennett was a wicked man--impure and traitorous.
The proper place for the Lieutenant-General commanding, was upon
an eminence where, surrounded by his staff and the ladies and
distinguished visitors, he could review the contest between his
cohorts. But Bennett made several endeavors to draw Joseph down into
the battle; failing in that, to get him separated from his staff and
party and in the rear of one of his forces. Joseph might have yielded
to some of these requests but the Spirit whispered him that treachery
was meditated. A little later the purpose of Bennett was made manifest.
He had intended to get Joseph into such a position that he could be
killed by a shot and no one be able to identify the assassin. Bennett
no doubt had accomplices in this plot, and his plans were shrewdly
laid; but this was not the hour nor this the method for the Prophet's
death.

In recording the events of this day in his journal, Joseph develops
Bennett's treachery and predicts that the wicked doing of the traitor
will soon be made manifest before the world. The prophecy was fulfilled.



CHAPTER LII.

BENNETT'S IMPURITIES--HIS COWARDLY STAB AT THE PROPHET'S NAME AND
LIFE--FELLOWSHIP WITHDRAWN FROM THE EVIL-DOER--QUOTING HIS OWN LETTERS
TO INJURE THE SAINTS--ATTEMPT TO KILL BOGGS--ABSURD CHARGES AGAINST
"THE MORMONS"--JOSEPH'S HORSE, "JOE DUNCAN"--A PROPHECY.

Insidious as was the attempt of Bennett upon the Prophet's life during
the sham battle of the Legion on the 7th of May, 1842, it was not so
cowardly as the stab which Bennett sought to inflict very soon after
that. The first blow aimed solely at the Prophet's life; the second
intended to slay his reputation and then to have him killed with a
dishonorable stain upon his name. Bennett was lustful in his nature,
though he had brought that disposition into subjection, or at least
concealment, for a little time after his arrival at Nauvoo. But he
soon gave way to the whisper of the tempter. And to make his purpose
successful, and to encloak himself with protection, he taught secretly
to men and women that the Prophet countenanced sin between the sexes.
Bennett's prominence, and the intimacy that he represented as existing
between the Prophet and himself deceived a few, and he found some
followers in the city of Nauvoo. Men and women professing to accept
his teachings as having emanated from the Prophet, gave themselves up
to profligacy. They excused themselves to their own souls and their
fellow-beings by the pretense that the Prophet of God justified these
immoralities. Bennett's converts were few; and these were only among
the ignorant or the depraved, for everyone who was himself pure in soul
and blessed with reasonable intelligence knew that nothing was more
abhorrent to the Prophet than sexual impurity. Joseph's teachings upon
this point were emphatic and frequent. He regarded and taught that
virtue in man or woman was dearer than life, and that adultery was a
sin second only to the shedding of innocent blood.

But Bennett worked secretly and prevailed over several to yield to his
desires, and induced a few men to engage in his awful course, securing
concealment by the most adroit and outrageous falsehoods.

Among the persons addressed by Bennett were some pure minded brethren
and sisters, who knew in an instant that his teachings were corrupt,
and knew by the Spirit of the Lord that the Prophet was no party to
such an atrocious crime.

Bennett's sins were not long hidden from Joseph's knowledge. The
Prophet acted promptly as was his wont. He charged the sins of
falsehood and seduction upon Bennett, and the latter was forced to
confess. He humbled himself and with many tears begged for pardon.
Of his own volition he went before Alderman Daniel H. Wells and made
oath that Joseph Smith had never taught him "anything contrary to the
strictest principles of the gospel, or of virtue, or of the laws of God
or man, under any circumstance, or upon any occasion, either directly
or indirectly in word or in deed." These sentiments he reiterated in
public assemblages, declaring that so far as he knew and believed,
Joseph's life was unspotted by one act or word of immorality. On the
17th of May he resigned the office of mayor, being terrified by the
indignation of insulted men and abused women. The council accepted his
resignation and appointed Joseph to fill the vacancy.

On the 25th of May, notice was given to John C. Bennett that his
fellowship had been withdrawn from him and that notice must be given
through the press to warn the public against his evil doings. Weeping,
he fell upon his knees acknowledged his licentious conduct toward women
in Nauvoo, confessed that he was worthy of the severest chastisement;
but supplicated the brethren to spare him for his poor old mother's
sake, promising that he would sin no more and would endeavor to atone
for his wrong-doing. Joseph, who had been deeply injured, was the
one to plead for mercy for Bennett, and at his especial solicitation
the public notice was temporarily withdrawn. But the tears were
hypocritical, for Bennett renewed his machinations; and it became
necessary to warn all people against him as a dangerous man, a liar
and a seducer. Some of the persons who had lent a willing ear to his
corrupt counsels were also excommunicated. Evil reports soon began to
come in from other places concerning Bennett, and it was discovered
that he had pursued on former occasions the same sinful line of conduct
which caused his fall at Nauvoo.

In June Bennett withdrew from Nauvoo and circulated lying publications
against the truth and the Prophet, and endeavored to incite a mob to
march up against Nauvoo. The hideous character of this man is fully
shown by one circumstance: shortly after the Saints settled in Nauvoo
he began to publish a series of letters over the _nom de plume_ of
"Joab, General in Israel," in which he recounted many of the atrocities
of the Missouri persecutions. His articles breathed a spirit of
resentment against the mobocrats and their official supporters, but
these views belonged to Bennett personally and were not shared by
anyone else. When he fled from Nauvoo after the exposure of his evil
deeds, he called attention through the public prints to the sanguinary
utterances of his own letters attributing them to the Saints and
attempting by their sentiments to show that Joseph and his people were
disposed to violence. Such an act of duplicity is almost unparalleled.

Bennett published a book filled with dark falsehoods about the Prophet
and the Saints. It created a momentary excitement; but its author was
despised by everybody and soon sank into obscurity and distress. He
lived some years in agony, being wrecked in mind and body and died in
poverty and distress.

On the 6th day of May, 1842, ex-Governor Lilburn W. Boggs was shot
and dangerously wounded in his house at Independence, Jackson County,
Missouri. His little boy had found him lying near an open window,
weltering in blood, with three buckshot in his head. Outside of the
window were footprints and a smoking pistol. The case was clearly one
of attempted assassination. At first no hope was entertained that
Boggs would recover; but he subsequently took a favorable turn and his
life was saved. A rumor at once went forth charging the affair upon
the "Mormons," although there was not the slightest circumstance to
connect them with the deed. Boggs had plenty of enemies of a desperate
character; he had shown the utmost disregard for law, and had glutted
his vengeful spirit by murder and excitement to murder. What more
natural than that he who had invoked massacre should fall by the hand
of a ruffian taught by the example of Boggs himself to hold human life
in light esteem! At first the charge against the Saints was a general
one. It was safer to say that "Mormons did it," than to designate the
particular hand which fired the shot.

It was stated that the Prophet had predicted a violent death for Boggs;
and this rumor was circulated by his enemies to confirm suspicion
against the Saints. But he promptly denied having expressed any such
idea.

While this falsehood was being spread through that region, John C.
Bennett and David and Edward Kilbourn conspired to kidnap Joseph and
get him into Missouri. All the evil forces and powers of persecution
united themselves at this hour.

Under the Prophet's direction, Governor Reynolds of Missouri and
Governor Carlin of Illinois were informed of the efforts which were
being made in both states to precipitate mobocratic attacks upon the
Saints; Joseph being determined that the officials should not permit
this movement to gain head except by their wilful acquiescence or
neglect.

About the 1st of July, 1842, the first "Anti-Mormon" political
convention was held in Hancock County, Illinois. Its resolutions read
like a page out of recent Utah history. The complete set of candidates
were pledged to a man to receive no support from and to yield no
quarter to the "Mormons;" and then the ticket was _commended to the
suffrage of all the citizens of Hancock County_. The Prophet punctured
the bubble by a vigorous exposure of the hypocrisy, intolerance and
stupidity of such a campaign.

On Sunday, the 3rd day of July, eight thousand people assembled in
the grove to hear the Prophet and his brother Hyrum preach. Joseph
addressed the vast assemblage in the morning and Hyrum in the afternoon.

In the Prophet's journal, under date of July 11th, 1842, he records the
fact that he bought a horse of Harmon T. Wilson, which he afterwards
named Joe Duncan. This was the famous and beautiful steed which
Lieutenant-General Smith afterwards rode at the head of the Nauvoo
Legion. The Prophet had a great fondness for animals. His horse Charley
was widely known among the people, and with the boys of Nauvoo he was
a great favorite. Speaking of the horse Charley brings to mind an
occurrence which created considerable amusement at the time. A boy
named Wesley Cowle was flying a kite in one of the streets of Nauvoo.
One or two strangers came up to him and asked him where the Prophet
could be found. At that time officers were said to be coming from
Carthage for the purpose of serving papers upon Joseph and arresting
him. "Wes." Cowle did not know but the strangers were officers. He said
the Prophet was not in the city. He and Hyrum had gone to heaven on
"old Charley" and he was flying his kite to send them their dinner.

On Saturday, the 6th day of August, 1842, while Joseph was conversing
with several of his brethren at Montrose, Iowa, he uttered a remarkable
prophecy which, like every other prediction from his lips, has been
literally fulfilled. He declared that the Saints would continue to
suffer much affliction and would finally be driven to the Rocky
Mountains. Many would apostatize; others would be put to death by their
persecutors or lose their lives in consequence of their exile; and many
of those who listened to him would live to assist in building cities
and to see the Saints become a mighty people in the tops of the Rocky
Mountains.

That prophecy was uttered publicly and was placed on record at the time.



CHAPTER LIII.

THE PROPHET CHARGED WITH BEING AN ACCESSORY TO THE ATTEMPTED
ASSASSINATION OF BOGGS--ORRIN PORTER ROCKWELL ACCUSED OF THE
CRIME--THE GOVERNOR'S REQUISITION--THE ARREST--THE PROPHET'S DESIRE
FOR PEACE--WILSON LAW'S BRAVE WORDS--EMMA SMITH'S NOBLE APPEAL TO
THE GOVERNOR--CARLIN'S FALSE REPLY--AMASA M. LYMAN ORDAINED AN
APOSTLE--THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FAITHFUL VOLUNTEERS.

Independence was hundreds of miles from Nauvoo. The vast stretch of
country lying between the two cities was inhabited by a people who had
sworn death to any "Mormon" daring to set foot on Missouri soil. The
county of Jackson was the place from which the Saints had first been
driven in the state, with the loss of all their possessions; and from
which the Prophet and his companions, in 1839, had barely escaped with
their lives. On the day when Lilburn W. Boggs was shot at Independence,
Jackson County, Missouri, Joseph Smith attended the officers' drill
at Nauvoo. The day before the attempt on Boggs' life General Adams of
Springfield had been with the Prophet; the day following the attempt,
Judge Stephen A. Douglas and many lawyers of his court, with twelve
thousand other people, saw Joseph Smith reviewing the Legion at Nauvoo.

And yet Lilburn W. Boggs went before a justice of the peace for Jackson
County, one Samuel Weston, and swore to a complaint charging Joseph
Smith with "being an accessory before the fact, to an assault with
intent to kill made by one Orrin P. Rockwell on Lilburn W. Boggs, on
the night of the 6th of May, 1842." This affidavit was not made until
the latter part of July; and, during the interval, Boggs and his
friends had ample time to ascertain that no "Mormon" could possibly
have been connected with the assault--even if they had not been able
to secure the actual assassin. They had investigated the subject, for
their kidnappers were constantly hovering around the Prophet's person.
If they could have secured him by force, Boggs would not have committed
this perjury. But they must get him at all hazards. It would not do to
charge him as principal in the commission of the deed because hundreds
of prominent men in the state of Illinois could have testified to an
alibi. They must select some person comparatively obscure, upon whom
to charge the deed itself. As this victim they chose Orrin Porter
Rockwell, although he had spent the spring and summer of 1842 in
Illinois; and they charged the Prophet as being accessory, without
taking the pains to trace any connection between Rockwell and the deed,
or between the Prophet and Rockwell.

Boggs, having been governor of Missouri, found it easy to secure a
requisition from Governor Reynolds for the persons of Joseph Smith and
Orrin P. Rockwell; and upon this manifestly absurd and unconstitutional
demand, Governor Carlin issued his warrant for their apprehension.

On the 8th day of August, 1842, the deputy sheriff of Adams County
with two assistants, arrested Joseph Smith and Orrin P. Rockwell, at
Nauvoo, by virtue of the warrant from Carlin upon the requisition of
the governor of Missouri.

The monstrous character of the charge and the proceedings was clearly
apparent, but neither Joseph nor his fellow-prisoner made any attempt
to use force in the evasion of the illegal process. They succeeded in
getting a writ of _habeas corpus_; but the officers refused to comply
with its demands for the bodies of Smith and Rockwell and returned
their original writ to Governor Carlin for further instruction. No
doubt they were aware of the character of the duty entrusted to them:
they were to arrest as fugitives from the justice of Missouri men
who had not been in that state during or since the commission of the
crime charged, men who were as palpably innocent of the offense as
the officers themselves. Under these circumstances it is no cause for
wonder that they should have sought renewed orders.

When the officers were gone from Nauvoo, Joseph and Orrin absented
themselves pending preparations for a legal defense against this
unlawful seizure. The sheriff returned with his aides to Nauvoo on
Wednesday, the 10th of August. Failing to find his prey, he sought
to terrify Emma and others into a disclosure of the Prophet's
whereabouts--making violent threats to be executed in case of their
refusal. William Law contended in argument with the officers,
pronouncing the whole proceedings to be illegal and ridiculous. So
closely did he press the point that the deputy sheriff acknowledged
his own belief that Joseph was entirely innocent, and that Governor
Carlin's course was unjustifiable and unconstitutional.

Rockwell, to escape from the Missouri kidnappers, took a journey to the
eastern states where he remained some months.

Joseph left Nauvoo and spent a little time at his Uncle John Smith's
in Zarahemla. On the night of Thursday, the 11th of August, he
went in a skiff with Brother Erastus H. Derby to an island in the
Mississippi between Nauvoo and Montrose, where they were met by
Emma, Hyrum, William Law, Newel K. Whitney, George Miller, William
Clayton and Dimick B. Huntington. Joseph's visitors stated to him the
current report that the governor of Iowa had issued a warrant for his
apprehension and that the sheriff of Lee County was expected any hour
to execute it. The situation was critical; and Joseph's immediate
removal from his Uncle John's seemed necessary. It was decided that
the Prophet should proceed to the house of Edward Sayers in Nauvoo,
and abide there for a time. The next day William Walker crossed the
river from Nauvoo into Iowa, riding the Prophet's well-known horse Joe
Duncan, to lead the gathered officers and kidnappers away from the idea
that Joseph was on the Nauvoo side of the river.

On Saturday, the 13th, a letter was received by Hyrum from Elder
Hollister at Quincy, stating that Governor Carlin admitted the
proceedings to be illegal and declared that he would not pursue them
further. Ford, the agent appointed to receive Joseph from the hands of
the sheriff and carry him to Missouri, now announced his conclusion
to take the first boat for home, as it was useless to wait longer.
These announcements of Carlin and Ford were but part of a plan to lead
the Prophet from his hiding-place and get him into the hands of his
enemies. It was learned that Ford had declared his purpose to have a
large force brought from Missouri, and already companies of marauders
were making search in Montrose, Nashville, Keokuk and other places for
Joseph, to win the reward of $1,300 which was offered for his capture.
William Walker's ruse had been successful, and most of the efforts were
directed to the Iowa side of the river; but the officers of Illinois,
who were also eager to gain the reward, were determined if possible
to have him delivered to them at Nauvoo. They said they would stay in
the city a month but that they would find him, and if he were not then
forthcoming, they would lay Nauvoo in ashes.

Emma had followed Joseph to the house of Edward Sayers to nurse him as
he was in ill health.

On the 14th of August Joseph wrote to Wilson Law, who had been elected
Major-General of the Nauvoo Legion, concerning the threats of Missouri
mobocrats and Illinois kidnappers against the welfare of Nauvoo and the
liberty of her citizens. He said:

    We will take every measure in our power, and make every sacrifice
    that God or man can require at our hands, to preserve the peace
    and safety of the people without collision. And if sacrificing my
    own liberty for months and years were necessary I would bow to my
    fate with cheerfulness, and with a due consideration for the lives,
    safety and welfare of others. But if this policy cannot accomplish
    the desired object * * * we will defend ourselves to the best
    advantage we can and to the very last.

The entire sentiment of this letter indicates the wish of the Prophet
for peace and the supremacy of the law, and also his courageous
intention of submitting supinely no more to mobocratic violence--murder
and plunder.

The answer of Wilson Law is important in a personal sense. He says:

    I do respond with my whole heart to every sentiment you have so
    nobly and feelingly expressed; and while my heart beats or this
    hand which now writes is able to draw and wield a sword, you may
    depend on its being at your service in the glorious cause of
    liberty and truth, ready at a moment's warning to defend the rights
    of men, both civil and religious.

Brave words these; but they were not sustained by subsequent deeds.
Wilson Law was the Benedict Arnold of Nauvoo. In less than two
years after he wrote that letter, filled with sentiments of intense
affection, he aided to bring the Prophet to his death.

Joseph had considered, during a brief time after the service of this
writ, the advisability of taking his family and traveling into the
distant north-west, to remain for a season, in order that persecution
might be drawn away from Nauvoo and the people there be spared the
horrors which had attended the Saints in Missouri. But when he found
that the hatred of his opponents was extended to the city and people
of Nauvoo, he abandoned all thought of retreating from the scene. If
his absence could have preserved his brethren and sisters he would have
cheerfully banished himself into the wilderness; but since the danger
which menaced them was a common danger he would remain and share it.

On the night of the l5th of August, Hyrum Smith and several others
came to Joseph's hiding place and informed him that the officers had
threatened to bring a great force against the city and that the Prophet
would be safer at a distance. The brethren who brought this message and
advice labored under great excitement and fear for Joseph; but he took
occasion to calmly reprove them for their agitation, and he advised
them to maintain an even and undaunted mind. Their courage was renewed
with this exhibition of his fortitude, and they gladly remained with
him in serenity and joy, listening to his salutary counsels until two
o'clock in the morning.

From his retreat he issued on the 15th an editorial article for the
_Times and Seasons_ under the title of "Persecution," in which he
analyzes this movement against himself and the Saints, and demonstrated
the ridiculous illegality and insufficiency of the process.

Emma had declared her willingness to share her husband's exile and
self-imposed banishment if necessary. As that plan was abandoned she
offered to visit Governor Carlin and lay Joseph's case before that
functionary. In answer to this proposition the Prophet wrote to her:

    The governor is a fool; the more we flatter him the more eager he
    will be for our destruction. You may write to him whatever you see
    proper; but to go and see him I do not give my consent.

With this permission to write, Emma addressed a dignified and able
communication to Carlin, in which she called upon him by virtue of his
position as an officer and by every sense of manliness, to spare Joseph
and the people of Nauvoo from unjust persecution. This letter alone is
sufficient to demonstrate that Emma was a woman of superior ability,
and that she had an exalted appreciation and love for her great
husband. She says:

    Was my cause the interest of an individual, or of a number of
    individuals, then, perhaps, I might be justified in remaining
    silent. But it is not. Nor is it the pecuniary interest of a whole
    community alone that prompts me again to appeal to your Excellency.
    But, dear sir, it is for the peace and safety of hundreds, I
    may safely say, of this community, who are not guilty of any
    offense against the laws of the country; and also the life of my
    husband, who has not committed any crime whatever, neither has he
    transgressed any of the laws, or any part of the Constitution of
    the United States; neither has he at any time infringed upon the
    rights of any man, or of any class of men, or community of any
    description. Need I say, he is not guilty of the crime alleged
    against him by Governor Boggs? Indeed, it does seem entirely
    superfluous for me, or any one of his friends in this place,
    to testify to his innocence of that crime, when so many of the
    citizens of your place, and of many other places in this state, as
    well as in the territory, do know positively that the statement
    of Governor Boggs is without the least shadow of truth; and we do
    know, and so do many others, that the prosecution against him has
    been conducted in an illegal manner; and every act demonstrates the
    fact, that all the design of the prosecution is to throw him into
    the power of his enemies, without the least ray of hope that he
    would ever be allowed to obtain a fair trial, and that he would be
    inhumanly and ferociously murdered, no person having a knowledge of
    the existing circumstances, has one remaining doubt; and your honor
    will recollect that you said to me, that you would not advise Mr.
    Smith ever to trust himself in Missouri.

    And, dear sir, you cannot for one moment indulge one unfriendly
    feeling towards him, if he abides by your counsel. Then, sir,
    why is it that he should be so cruelly pursued? Why not give him
    the privilege of the laws of this state? When I reflect upon the
    many cruel and illegal operations of Lilburn W. Boggs, and the
    consequent suffering of myself and family, and the incalculable
    losses and sufferings of many hundreds who survived, and many
    precious lives that were lost,--all the effect of unjust prejudice
    and misguided ambition, produced by misrepresentations and calumny,
    my bosom heaves with unutterable anguish. And who, that is as well
    acquainted with the facts as the people of the city of Quincy,
    would censure me if I should say that my heart burned with just
    indignation towards our calumniators as well as the perpetrators of
    those horrid crimes?

    But happy would I now be to pour out my heart in gratitude to
    Governor Boggs, if he had arose with the dignity and authority
    of the chief executive of the state, and put down every illegal
    transaction, and protected the peaceable citizens and enterprising
    emigrants from the violence of plundering outlaws, who have ever
    been a disgrace to the state, and always will, so long as they go
    unpunished. Yes, I say, how happy would I be to render him not
    only the gratitude of my own heart, but the cheering effusion of
    the joyous souls of fathers and mothers, of brothers and sisters,
    widows and orphans, whom he might have saved by such a course, from
    now dropping under the withering hand of adversity, brought upon
    them by the persecutions of wicked and corrupt men.

    And now may I entreat your Excellency to lighten the hand of
    oppression and persecution which is now laid upon me and my family,
    which materially affect the peace and welfare of this whole
    community; for let me assure you that there are many whole families
    that are entirely dependent upon the prosecution and success of Mr.
    Smith's temporal business for their support; and if he is prevented
    from attending to the common avocations of life, who will employ
    those innocent, industrious, poor people, and provide for their
    wants?

    But, my dear sir, when I recollect the interesting interview I
    and my friends had with you, when at your place, and the warm
    assurances you gave us of your friendship and legal protection,
    I cannot doubt for a moment your honorable sincerity, but do
    still expect you to consider our claims upon your protection from
    every encroachment upon our legal rights as loyal citizens, as we
    always have been, still are, and are determined always to be a
    law-abiding people; and I still assure myself, that when you are
    fully acquainted with the illegal proceedings practiced against us
    in the suit of Governor Boggs, you will recall those writs which
    have been issued against Messrs. Smith and Rockwell, as you must
    be aware that Mr. Smith was not in Missouri, and of course could
    not have left there, with many other considerations, which, if duly
    considered, will justify Mr. Smith in the course he has taken.

    And now I appeal to your Excellency, as I would unto a father,
    who is not only able but willing to shield me and mine from every
    unjust prosecution. I appeal to your sympathies, and beg you to
    spare me and my helpless children. I beg you to spare my innocent
    children the heart-rending sorrow of again seeing their father
    unjustly dragged to prison or to death; I appeal to your affections
    as a son and beg you to spare our aged mother--the only surviving
    parent we have left--the unsupportable affliction of seeing her
    son, whom she knows to be innocent of the crimes laid to his
    charge, thrown again into the hands of his enemies, who have so
    long sought for his life; in whose life and prosperity she only
    looks for the few remaining comforts she can enjoy. I entreat your
    Excellency to spare us these afflictions and many sufferings which
    cannot be uttered, and secure to yourself the pleasure of doing
    good, and vastly increasing human happiness--secure to yourself the
    benediction of the aged, and the gratitude of the young, and the
    blessing and veneration of the rising generation.

The tone of the foregoing also proves that Emma shared the Prophet's
humanitarian views, and it proves that the sentiments Joseph breathed
at home were the sentiments he uttered abroad, prophetic and noble.
William Clayton carried this letter to Governor Carlin at Quincy and
delivered it to him in the presence of Judge Ralston. Carlin read
the communication with great attention and expressed astonishment
and admiration at its character. He first proceeded to announce his
certainty that there was no excitement anywhere but in Nauvoo and among
the "Mormons" themselves: that elsewhere all was quiet and there was
no apprehension of trouble. However, before Elder Clayton departed,
the governor so far forgot his falsehood as to say that persons were
offering their services every day either in person or by letter to
fight the "Mormons;" and that these warlike volunteers held themselves
in readiness to come up against Nauvoo whenever he should call upon
them. He had the effrontery to suggest that Joseph should give himself
up to the sheriff, despite the fact that all the proceedings were
notoriously illegal, and despite the fact that the Prophet's enemies
had sworn to kill him in case he should be acquitted of the charge made
against him. Carlin could not even say that if Joseph gave himself up
his protection from the mob, in traveling to and from court, would be
guaranteed.

On the 18th of August the pursuers had pressed so closely upon the
Prophet's retreat that he departed from Brother Sayers' house and went
to the residence of Carlos Granger in the north-east part of the city.

On the 19th of August Joseph concluded to go to his own home and remain
for a time.

The next day, Saturday, August 20th, 1842, the Apostles met in council
and ordained Amasa M. Lyman to be one of the Twelve. Amasa had been
ordained an Elder under Joseph's hands in Hiram, Portage County, Ohio,
in 1832, and had been one of the Prophet's fellow-prisoners chained to
him with the same manacles, in Richmond jail, Missouri.

On Monday, the 29th day of August, 1842, the Prophet had been absent
from the congregation of the Saints three weeks--hiding from his
enemies. On that day the conference was assembled in the grove near the
temple, when Joseph suddenly appeared upon the stand. The Saints were
delighted to see him and showed great animation and cheerfulness. He
addressed them with all his wonted fire, and advised them concerning
all the exigencies of their situation. He reminded the people that the
lies of John C. Bennett were being scattered over the land and called
for Elders to go abroad to declare the truth and refute the slanders
which the enemies of the Prophet and the Church were circulating.
While he talked an indescribable transport of joy was manifested by
the assembly; and when he concluded three hundred and eighty Elders
volunteered to go immediately into the east upon the proposed mission
of enlightenment.



CHAPTER LIV.

ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE JOSEPH--REWARD OFFERED--TRICKS TO ENTRAP THE
PROPHET--HE SUBMITS TO ARREST--VISITS GOVERNOR FORD--HIS EXAMINATION
AND RELEASE--A TRAITOR'S THREAT.

The interposition of Providence saved Joseph from the hands of his
enemies on the 3rd day of September, 1842.

A considerable party of mobocrats, joined with some officers of the
law, left Quincy on the 2nd of the month, intending to reach Nauvoo
in the night, surround the Prophet's house and seize him in his bed.
Although their road lay plainly before them, and to lose it would seem
impossible, yet they wandered from the track and were many hours late
in reaching their destination. About noon on the 3rd, Deputy Sheriff
Pitman with two other men came stealthily upon Joseph's residence and
entered it while he was at dinner with his family. Before they reached
the room where the Prophet was they met John Boynton and demanded
that he should reveal Joseph's hiding place. While Boynton was making
some evasive answer, the Prophet walked out through a rear door of
the mansion, and entering a patch of tall corn in the garden, passed
serenely through to the residence of Newel K. Whitney.

In the meantime the officers proceeded to search the house. Emma
demanded a sight of the warrant under which they were proceeding.
Pitman said he had none authorizing him to search, but insisted upon
going through the house. After Emma felt sure that Joseph had escaped,
she permitted them to hunt through the building.

Again that night two parties made another search of the residence but
failed to discover him whom they wished to make their prey.

About nine o'clock in the evening the Prophet went to the house of
Edward Hunter, where he received a joyous welcome and where it was
believed that he could be kept safe from the hands of his enemies. News
was brought that the Missourians were again moving in force to obtain
his person, and two requisitions were issued, one upon the governor of
Illinois and the other upon the governor of Iowa.

From his retirement, the Prophet sent out comforting epistles to the
Saints. In one letter, written from the residence of Elder Hunter under
date of September 6, 1842, the Prophet said:

 * * * * * It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be
smitten with a curse, unless there is a welding link of some kind or
other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other:
and behold, what is the subject? It is baptism for the dead. For we
without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be
made perfect. Neither can they or we be made perfect without those
who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering
in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation
is now beginning to usher in, that a whole, and complete and perfect
union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and
glories should take place, and be revealed, from the days of Adam even
to the present time; and not only this, but those things which have
never been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been
kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and
sucklings in this the dispensation of the fullness of times.

    Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice
    of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven, and a voice of truth out
    of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for
    the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful
    upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings
    of good things, and that say unto Zion, Behold! thy God reigneth.
    As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon
    them! * * * *

    Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward, and
    not backward. Courage, brethren, and on, on, to victory! Let your
    hearts rejoice, and be exceeding glad. Let the earth break forth
    into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise
    to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained before the world was, that
    which would enable us to redeem them out of their prisons; for the
    prisoners shall go free.

    Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and
    all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your eternal King.
    And ye rivers and brooks and rills flow down with gladness. Let the
    woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid
    rocks weep for joy. And let the sun, moon and the morning stars
    sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy. And let
    the eternal creations declare His name for ever and ever. And again
    I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming
    in our ears, glory, and salvation and honor, and immortality and
    eternal life, kingdoms, principalities and powers!

    Behold the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the
    day of His coming, and who can stand when He appeareth?

The brethren constantly visited him in his retirement, and he gave them
instructions and counsels to suit every need.

On the 10th day of September the Prophet returned to his home,
believing that he would be as safe there as anywhere else, since his
enemies would no longer expect him to take such a risk.

About the 1st of October Governor Carlin issued a proclamation offering
a reward of two hundred dollars each for the persons of Joseph Smith
and Orrin P. Rockwell. At the same time Governor Reynolds of Missouri
promised an additional price for the same purpose. On the day when this
news was brought to the Prophet his wife Emma was dangerously sick.
She continued to grow worse until the 5th, when fear of her death was
entertained. The Prophet had her baptized twice in the river; and she
began to mend and on the day following, hope was restored to the family.

Sidney Rigdon and Elias Higbee reported at Nauvoo that the Missourians
were gathering to unite with the militia of Illinois to secure the
Prophet's person. They had learned that Carlin had intentionally issued
an illegal writ, expecting thereby to draw Joseph to Carthage where he
would be discharged under _habeas corpus_ proceedings and fall at once
into the hands of his waiting enemies, who were to be there in numbers
to seize and carry him away to Missouri without further ceremony.
Sidney Rigdon was told by Stephen A. Douglas that the governor's
proclamation, offering a reward to any man or set of men to secure
Joseph's person, would give as much authority as a legal warrant could
to an officer.

It seemed likely that a general search would be instituted in Nauvoo,
and Joseph concluded to leave his home once more and go into more
remote retirement. On the night of Friday, the 7th of October, 1842, he
started away from Nauvoo, in company with Elders John Taylor, Wilson
Law and John D. Parker, traveling through that night and a part of
the next day when, greatly wearied, they arrived at Father Taylor's
house. Elder John Taylor was very dangerously ill at this time, being
prostrated with fever. The message from the Prophet that he desired
Elder Taylor to accompany him as a guide to Father Taylor's came to him
when he was in bed and too weak to be capable of much exertion. It was
a task utterly beyond his strength, and to human appearance it might
cost him his life if he attempted it. But Joseph had sent him word that
the Lord would strengthen him and heal him, and he would be able to
perform the journey. Elder Taylor believed him and prepared to start.
He was so weak that he had to be lifted on his horse. The night was
dark and he was not very familiar with the road, and they lost their
way; but the promise of the servant of the Lord to Elder Taylor was
fulfilled. He endured the fatigue of the journey excellently and they
reached his father's house safely.

The Prophet remained away until Thursday, the 20th of October, when he
returned to his family and the brethren who needed his presence and
advice.

In this same month a written opinion was received from Justin
Butterfield, United States attorney for the district of Illinois, in
which he proved the illegality of the requisition made by the governor
of Missouri upon the governor of Illinois for the surrender of the
Prophet. In the same document he showed in a very lucid manner what
were the rights and privileges of the people of Nauvoo, pertaining to
writs of _habeas corpus_ issued from their municipal court, and the
full power and authority of the city council. This opinion removes at
once and forever all shadow of suspicion that the Prophet was acting in
a disrespectful manner toward the laws of his country.

After one day at Nauvoo, Joseph returned to Father Taylor's; but in
a week he was called home to find Emma worse. With his presence her
health was soon renewed.

On Sunday, the 30th of October, the Saints met in worship upon a
temporary floor in the temple. The Prophet was expected to address
them, but on that day he was so ill as to be unable to be present.
Two days later, while driving out with his three children and William
Clayton, the carriage was upset on the hillside. Joseph was thrown some
distance, but all of the little ones were pinioned under the shattered
vehicle. As soon as he could rise he rushed to rescue his boys and
found them unhurt. The escape was marvelous, and he thanked his Maker
therefor.

The multiplicity of other business upon his hands made it impossible
for Joseph to continue as editor of the _Times and Seasons_. On the
15th day of November, 1842, he appointed Apostle John Taylor to that
position.

Carlin's term as governor closed in 1842, and on the 8th day of
December of that year Thomas Ford, his successor, delivered an
inaugural address to the Senate and House of Representatives of the
state in which he declared that the charters granted to the people of
Nauvoo were objectionable to other citizens of the state, and that
these charters should be modified and restricted.

On the next day, the 9th, Hyrum Smith started for Springfield, with a
number of other brethren, to present testimony to the governor that
Joseph was in Illinois at the time Boggs was shot, and consequently
could not have been a fugitive from the justice of Missouri. It was
hoped by this means, to procure a recall by Governor Ford of the writs
and proclamations issued by Carlin. On the day of the departure of
these brethren the Prophet began personally to haul and cut wood for
the poor of Nauvoo; and this labor of love and charity was continued
vigorously and cheerfully as opportunity permitted. About this same
time he began to read German in company with Apostle Orson Hyde.

The friends of the Prophet called upon Governor Ford at Springfield
on Wednesday, the 14th day of December, 1842, accompanied by Mr.
Butterfield, United States district attorney. Butterfield read to the
governor several papers in the case--including the affidavit of Boggs,
the writs and proclamation of Carlin, the petition of the Prophet, and
also his own written opinion upon the question at issue. In reply, the
governor stated that he believed the writ issued by Carlin was illegal,
but he hesitated to interfere with the act of his predecessor. Ford on
the 17th of December, directed the following letter to Joseph:

    Your petition requesting me to rescind Governor Carlin's
    proclamation and recall the writ issued against you has been
    received and duly considered. I submitted your case and all the
    papers relating thereto to the judges of the Supreme Court, or
    at least to six of them who happened to be present. They were
    unanimous in the opinion that the requisition from Missouri was
    illegal and insufficient to cause your arrest, but were equally
    divided as to the propriety and justice of my interference with the
    acts of Governor Carlin. It being, therefore, a case of great doubt
    as to my power, and I not wishing even in an official station, to
    assume the exercise of doubtful powers, and inasmuch as you have a
    sure and effectual remedy in the courts, I have decided to decline
    interfering. I can only advise that you submit to the laws and
    have a judicial investigation of your rights. If it should become
    necessary, for this purpose, to repair to Springfield, I do not
    believe that there will be any disposition to use illegal violence
    towards you, and I would feel it my duty in your case, as in the
    case of any other person, to protect you with any necessary amount
    of force from mob violence whilst asserting your rights before the
    courts, going to and returning.

This advice was repeated in communications of the same date from Justin
Butterfield and General Adams to the Prophet; as these gentlemen
thought that he would be certain of discharge and protection.

Joseph, after a few days of deliberation and prayer, concluded to
pursue the course suggested. He allowed himself to be arrested under
the governor's proclamation, on the 26th day of December by General
Wilson Law. In custody of Law, and accompanied by Hyrum Smith, Willard
Richards, John Taylor and others, the Prophet departed for Springfield
on Tuesday, the 27th day of December.

Joseph and his party arrived at Springfield on the afternoon of Friday,
December 30th; and the next morning under direction of his attorney,
Butterfield, he signed a petition to Judge Pope for a writ of _habeas
corpus_. Upon the brief and vigorous showing made by the lawyer the
writ was granted at once; and, the Prophet being there, it was served
and returned to the court in one minute. Bail was granted and General
James Adams and General Wilson Law signed the bonds for the Prophet,
in the sum of $2,000 each, Monday the 2nd day of January being set for
the trial. While these preliminaries were being arranged, a vast crowd
was gathering in the court room curious to see the famous Prophet. As
Joseph and his friends were passing through the building, one of the
multitude observed:

    There goes Smith the Prophet, and a good-looking man he is.

Another said:

    Every one that takes his part is as damned a rascal as he is.

A riot would have ensued and a mob would have been raised to do
violence upon the Prophet and his friends, but for the vigorous
exertion of Marshal Prentice.

After the crowd was dispersed so that the Prophet could get clear of
the building, he walked for some distance between living walls of
staring people. In company with his attorney, Mr. Butterfield, and
Elder Willard Richards he went to the American House to see Governor
Ford who was sick. In the course of their conversation Ford remarked:
"I am not religiously minded."

Joseph responded: "I have no narrow creed to circumscribe my mind;
therefore the sectarians do not like me."

When the visit closed the governor said: "Well, from reports, I had
reason to think that the Mormons were a peculiar people, different
from other people, having horns or something of the kind; but I found
that they looked like other people; indeed, I think Mr. Smith a very
good-looking man."

The interest and curiosity concerning the Prophet grew more intense
throughout the day, after the news of his presence became generally
circulated. In the afternoon a team ran away, dashing past the state
house. Someone raised the cry:

    Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, is running away!

So great was the excitement occasioned by this announcement that the
House of Representatives adjourned on the instant, to give the members
an opportunity to get into the street and participate in the supposed
sensation.

The next morning was Sunday, the 1st day of January, 1843; when the
speaker of the house visited the Prophet and tendered the hall of
representatives for religious service. Joseph appointed Apostles Orson
Hyde and John Taylor to preach to the people; and a large congregation
gathered to hear the sermons and feast their eyes upon Joseph Smith.

On Monday, before going to court, Joseph prophesied in the presence of
Judge Adams that, in the name of the Lord, he would not go to Missouri
dead or alive.

A postponement was had of the case at the request of the attorney
general of the state until the morning of Wednesday, January 4th.
During the intervening two days the Prophet made many friends. He was
invited to the houses of the most distinguished people, and received
as much deferential attention as would have been accorded by faithful
Catholics to a prince of the church of Rome.

At nine o'clock on the morning of the day set for the trial Judge Pope
appeared upon the bench with ten ladies by his side, who had been
attracted by the novelty of the case and the fame of the petitioner.
This Judge Pope was the father of Major-General Pope who, in the War
of the Rebellion, became so distinguished for his gallant services. An
effort was made by Josiah Lamborn, attorney general of the state of
Illinois, to have the proceedings dismissed, and the prisoner remanded
to the custody of the Missouri officers on the ground that the court
lacked jurisdiction. After the motion of Lamborn had been resolutely
and eloquently resisted by Butterfield, the court decided that it had
jurisdiction.

Mr. Butterfield then made a strong plea for the discharge of the
defendant, and proceeded to recount the enormities of these attempts
upon the Prophet's liberty. He said that Governor Reynolds had
subscribed to a lie in making his demand for the Prophet, as appeared
from the papers, and he averred that Governor Carlin would not have
given up his dog on such a requisition. That an attempt should be made
to deliver up a man who had not been out of the state during or since
the commission of the offense, was a blow at the sacred liberty of the
citizen and the strength of our institutions. After reminding the court
that, if the Prophet's rights were wantonly trampled upon under color
of law, the fate visited upon him might in turn fall upon others--even
upon the judge--for the precedent would be followed; he concluded by
saying:

    I do not think that the defendant ought, under any circumstances,
    be given up to Missouri. It is a matter of history that he and his
    people have been murdered or driven from that state. If he goes
    there it is only to be assassinated, and he had better be sent to
    the gallows here. _He is an innocent and unoffending man_.

The opinion of Judge Pope in deciding the case was very lengthy
and comprehensive. It announced the discharge of the Prophet, and
completely annihilated the pretended grounds upon which the requisition
was made from Missouri and the warrant and proclamation issued in
Illinois. In conclusion his Honor said:

    No case can arise demanding a more searching scrutiny into the
    evidence than in cases arising under this part of the constitution
    of the United States. It is proposed to deprive a freeman of his
    liberty; to deliver him into the custody of strangers; to be
    transported to a foreign state; to be arraigned for trial before a
    foreign tribunal, governed by laws unknown to him; separated from
    his friends, his family, and his witnesses, unknown and unknowing.
    Had he an immaculate character, it would not avail him with
    strangers. Such a spectacle is appalling enough to challenge the
    strictest analysis.

    The framers of the constitution were not insensible of the
    importance of courts possessing the confidence of the parties. They
    therefore provided that citizens of different states might resort
    to the Federal Courts in civil causes. How much more important that
    the criminal have confidence in his judge and jury. Therefore,
    before the capias is issued, the officers should see that the case
    is made out to warrant it. Again, Boggs was shot on the 6th of May.
    The affidavit was made on the 25th of July following. Here was time
    for enquiry, which would confirm into certainty, or dissipate his
    suspicions. He had time to collect facts to be had before a grand
    jury, or be incorporated in his affidavit.

    The court is bound to assume that this would have been the course
    of Mr. Boggs but that his suspicions were light and unsatisfactory.
    The affidavit is insufficient. First, because it is not positive;
    second, because it charges no crime; third, because it charges no
    crime committed in the state of Missouri. Therefore he did not flee
    from the justice of the state of Missouri, nor has he taken refuge
    in the state of Illinois.

    The proceedings in this affair, from the affidavit to the arrest
    afford, a lesson to governors and judges whose action may hereafter
    be invoked in cases of this character. The affidavit simply says
    that the affiant was shot with intent to kill; and he believes that
    Smith was accessory before the fact to the intended murder, and is
    a citizen or resident of the state of Illinois. It is not said who
    shot him, or that the person was unknown. The governor of Missouri,
    in his demand, calls Smith a fugitive from justice, charged with
    being accessory before the fact to an assault, with intent to kill,
    made by one O. P. Rockwell, on Lilburn W. Boggs, in this state
    (Missouri). This governor expressly refers to the affidavit as his
    authority for that statement.

    Boggs, in his affidavit, does not call Smith a fugitive from
    justice, nor does he state a fact from which the governor had a
    right to infer it. Neither does the name of O. P. Rockwell appear
    in the affidavit, nor does Boggs say Smith fled. Yet the governor
    says he has fled to the state of Illinois. But Boggs only says he
    is a citizen or resident of the state of Illinois. The governor of
    Illinois, responding to the demand of the Executive of Missouri
    for the arrest of Smith, issues his warrant for the arrest of
    Smith, reciting that "whereas Joseph Smith stands charged by the
    affidavit of Lilburn W. Boggs with being accessory before the fact
    to an assault, with intent to kill, made by one O. P. Rockwell, on
    Lilburn W. Boggs, on the night of the 6th day of May, 1842, at the
    county of Jackson, in said state of Missouri; and that the said
    Joseph Smith has fled from the justice of said state, and taken
    refuge in the state of Illinois."

    Those facts do not appear by the affidavit of Boggs. On the
    contrary, it does not assert that Smith was accessory to O. P.
    Rockwell, nor that he had fled from the justice of the state of
    Missouri, and taken refuge in the state of Illinois.

    The Court can alone regard the facts set forth in the affidavit
    of Boggs as having any legal existence. The mis-recitals and
    overstatements in the requisition and warrant are not supported by
    oath, and cannot be received as evidence to deprive a citizen of
    his liberty and transport him to a foreign state for trial. For
    these reasons Smith must be discharged.

Thereupon Governor Ford certified that there was no further cause for
the arrest or detention of Joseph Smith by virtue of any proclamation
or warrant issued by the Executive of Illinois; and that, since the
judgment of the circuit court, all such proclamations and warrants were
inoperative and void.

After the conclusion of these proceedings and the settlement of matters
attendant, the Prophet returned to Nauvoo on the afternoon of the 10th
of January. The Saints were delighted to welcome him safe home, and the
Twelve Apostles issued an epistle to the Saints, appointing Tuesday,
the 17th day of January, 1843, as a day of humiliation, fasting,
praise, prayer and thanksgiving before the great God for His mercies,
and supplicating for a continued outpouring of His Holy Spirit upon the
Prophet and Saints.

The promised joy of this festival was marred by the threats of a
traitor. On the 15th of January Sidney Rigdon received the following
letter from John C. Bennett:

    Springfield, Illinois, January 10, 1843

    _Mr. Sidney Rigdon and Orson Pratt_:

    DEAR FRIENDS:--It is a long time since I have written to you,
    and I should now much desire to see you, but I leave tonight for
    Missouri, to meet the messenger charged with the arrest of Joseph
    Smith, Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight and others, for murder, burglary,
    treason, etc., etc., who will be demanded in a few days, on new
    indictments, found by the grand jury of a called court on the
    original evidence, and in relation to which a _nolle prosequi_ was
    entered by the district attorney.

    New proceedings have been gotten up on the old charges, and no
    _habeas corpus_ can save them. We shall try Smith on the Boggs
    case, when we get him into Missouri. The war goes bravely on; and,
    although Smith thinks he is now safe, the enemy is near, even at
    the door. He has awakened the wrong passenger. The Governor will
    relinquish Joseph at once on the new requisition. There is but
    one opinion on the case, and that is, nothing can save Joseph on
    a new requisition and demand predicated on the old charges on the
    institution of new writs. He must go to Missouri; but he shall not
    be harmed, if he is not guilty; but he is a murderer, and must
    suffer the penalty of the law. Enough on this subject.

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

    Yours respectfully,

    JOHN C. BENNETT.

Sidney perused the cowardly missive, and instead of warning the
Prophet, he gave the communication to Orson Pratt, but the latter at
once presented it to the Prophet, that he might know of the further
plot against his life. Orson Pratt wanted no correspondence with
Bennett, the traitor, and had no fellowship with his works of darkness.

On Wednesday, the 18th day of January, 1843, Joseph and Emma
entertained a large company of brethren and sisters at their house to
celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of their wedding.



CHAPTER LV.

A BREATHING SPELL--JOSEPH'S ANTICIPATION OF HIS SACRIFICE--MANY
PROPHECIES AND AN IMPORTANT THEOLOGICAL EPOCH IN THE EARLY PART OF
1843--WRESTLING AND OTHER MANLY SPORTS--EXTRACTS FROM HIS SERMONS--
ATTACK ON THE NAUVOO CHARTER--THE LULL WAS BRIEF.

One of the very few seasons of peace in Joseph's life now dawned upon
him. It was none the less appreciated because it was brief.

The early part of 1843 is one of the marked epochs in the theological
history of the Church. The Prophet, having his unrestrained liberty,
was enabled to give to the Saints in writings, sermons and in personal
conversations, many prophecies and principles for spiritual and
temporal guidance.

Joseph must have known that this was but the lull which precedes the
fiercer outburst of the tempest, for in January, 1843, outlining
some work which he designed that the Twelve should perform very soon
thereafter, he promised his assistance and leadership to them, with
this very significant condition, upon which he placed emphasis:

_"If I live."_

A few days later, on Sunday, the 22nd day of January, he preached from
the stand which had been erected inside the temple walls, a temporary
floor having been put in that building for the purpose of holding
meetings there. President Wilford Woodruff made a synopsis of the
sermon, in which occurs the following:

    God Almighty is my shield; and what can man do if God is my friend?
    _I shall not be sacrificed until my time comes; then I shall be
    offered freely._

The Prophet recorded this same prophecy concerning his own fate in his
journal, showing thereby that he recognized its weight and foresaw its
fulfilment.

Among the many prophecies of this period was one concerning Orrin P.
Rockwell, who had been captured, imprisoned and maltreated in Missouri.
There seemed no human possibility of Porter Rockwell's deliverance; his
murder was decreed before his arrest; and no one of the brethren would
be permitted to enter Missouri to assist him with advice or bail, under
penalty of death. And yet on the 15th day of March the Prophet publicly
declared:

    In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I prophecy that Orrin P.
    Rockwell will get away honorably from the Missourians.

In the same month of March, Joseph, in company with Elders Willard
Richards and Wilford Woodruff, discovered in the early evening a stream
of light in the southwest quarter of the heavens. Its rays were in the
form of a broad sword with the hilt downward; the blade was raised,
pointing from the west to the southwest, at an angle of forty-five
degrees, and extended nearly to the zenith. As they beheld this marvel
in the sky Joseph said:

    As sure as there is a God who sits enthroned in the heavens, and as
    sure as He ever spoke by me, so sure will there be a bloody war;
    and the flaming sword in the heavens is the certain sign thereof.

Two or three weeks later, he prophesied in the presence of Elder Orson
Hyde and others that a struggle in which much blood would flow would
begin in South Carolina, and would probably arise through the slave
question. This was a repetition of the revelation which he had received
and announced more than ten years earlier.

A delegation of young men from New York came to see Joseph at Nauvoo in
February, 1843, and with great respect solicited his views concerning
Millerism and the coming of Christ, and the day of judgment, which
Miller had fixed for April 3, 1843. The Prophet warned them that Miller
was in error; that before Christ should come the prophecies must all be
fulfilled, the sun be darkened and the moon turned to blood. A Chicago
paper of that time published a certificate of one Hyrum Reading, of
Ogle County, Illinois, stating that he had seen the sign of the Son of
Man; and the editor of the paper declares that Joseph Smith had met his
match. The Prophet responded that Mr. Reading had not seen the sign of
the Son of Man, as foretold by Jesus, neither had any man nor will any
man, until after the fulfilment of the prophecies; and he declared:

    Hear this, oh earth! the Lord will not come to reign over the
    righteous in this world in 1848, nor until everything for the
    bridegroom is ready.

Joseph was once praying very earnestly to know the time of the coming
of the Savior, when he heard a voice saying:

    Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years
    old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man. Therefore let this
    suffice and trouble me no more.

In recording this divine utterance, the Prophet says that he was left
thus without being able to decide whether this coming referred to the
millennium or to some previous appearing, or whether he should die and
thus see the face of Christ. Joseph would have been eighty-five years
old on the 23rd day of December, 1890; and he says:

    I believe the coming of the Son of Man will not be any sooner than
    that time.

The question was proposed at a lyceum which Joseph attended whether the
kingdom of God was set up before the day of Pentecost or not till then?
The Prophet's answer was recorded at some length by Apostle Wilford
Woodruff from whose synopsis the following paragraphs are taken:

    Some say the kingdom of God was not set up until the day of
    Pentecost, and that John did not preach the baptism of repentance
    for the remission of sins; but I say, in the name of the Lord, that
    the kingdom of God was set up on the earth from the days of Adam to
    the present time.

    Whenever there has been a righteous man on earth unto whom God
    revealed His word and gave power and authority to administer in
    His name, and where there is a priest of God--a minister who has
    power and authority from God to administer in the ordinances of the
    gospel and officiate in the Priesthood of God, there is the kingdom
    of God; and, in consequence of rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ
    and the Prophets whom God has sent, the judgments of God have
    rested upon people, cities and nations, in various ages of the
    world, which was the case with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah,
    which were destroyed for rejecting the prophets.

    Now I will give my testimony. I care not for man. I speak boldly
    and faithfully, and with authority. How is it with the kingdom of
    God? Where did the kingdom of God begin? Where there is no kingdom
    of God, there is no salvation. What constitutes the kingdom of God?
    Where there is a prophet, a priest or a righteous man unto whom
    God gives His oracles, there is the kingdom of God; and where the
    oracles of God are not, there the kingdom of God is not.

    In these remarks, I have no allusion to the kingdoms of the earth.
    We will keep the laws of the land; we do not speak against them; we
    never have spoken against them; though we can scarcely mention the
    state of Missouri and our persecutions there, but that the cry goes
    forth that we are guilty of treason, which is false. We speak of
    the kingdom of God on the earth; not the kingdoms of men.

These emphatic statements show the loyal position which the Prophet
maintained toward his country, and the view he had concerning
governments in general.

The Prophet gave his brethren three grand keys whereby to know whether
any supernatural visitor was from God or from Satan.

When a messenger comes, saying he has a message from God, offer him
your hand, and request him to shake hands with you. If he be an angel,
he will do so, and you will feel his hand. If he be the spirit of a
just man made perfect, he will come in his glory; for that is the only
way he can appear. Ask him to shake hands with you, but he will not
move, because it is contrary to the order of heaven for a just man to
deceive; but he will still deliver his message. If it be the devil as
an angel of light, when you ask him to shake hands, he will offer you
his hand, and you will not feel anything: you may therefore detect him.

In the midst of these exalted labors, Joseph took great delight in
mingling with the brethren in manly sports. On Saturday, the 28th day
of January, 1843, he played a fine game of ball at Nauvoo with his
brethren. During the same winter some of his friends saw him teaching
his little son Frederick to slide upon the ice; and the Prophet enjoyed
the exhilaration and was as merry as a boy. On Monday, the 13th day
of March, 1843, Joseph met William Wall, the most expert wrestler of
Ramus, Illinois, and had a friendly bout with him. He easily conquered
Wall who up to that time had been a champion. About the same time he
had a contest at pulling sticks with Justus A. Morse, reputed to be the
strongest man in that region. The Prophet used but one hand and easily
defeated Morse.

One evening in March, twenty-seven children were brought to a meeting
to be blessed. Joseph took great joy in laying his hands upon the
heads of the innocent little ones, and he blessed nineteen of them
himself with great fervency. He turned pale and lost his strength,
and was compelled to retire, leaving the meeting and its duties to
his brethren. Elder Jedediah M. Grant inquired of him the next day
concerning the cause of the strange manifestation. The Prophet replied
that as he blessed the little ones, it was made known to him that
Lucifer would exert an influence to destroy them, and he strove with
all his faith to seal upon them security of their lives and virtue upon
earth. So much power emanated from him into the children that he became
weak. Joseph referred to the case of the woman who touched the hem of
the garment of Jesus, by which her issue of blood was staunched, and
the Savior said: "Somebody hath touched me; for I perceive that virtue
has gone out of me."

Joseph told Elder Grant that the virtue referred to by the Savior was
the spirit of life; and men who exercised great faith in administering
to the sick, blessing little children, and making confirmations were
liable to become weakened.

On Monday, the 6th day of February, 1843, the Prophet was elected mayor
of Nauvoo by unanimous vote; at the same time Orson Spencer, Daniel H.
Wells, George A. Smith and Stephen Markham were elected aldermen; and
Hyrum Smith, John Taylor, Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, Sylvester Emmons,
Heber C. Kimball, Benjamin Warrington, Daniel Spencer and Brigham Young
were elected councilors.

Joseph put his accustomed vigor into his duties as chief officer of the
municipality. At the first meeting of the council after the election
Joseph urged the necessity of relieving the city of unnecessary
expenses and burdens, and warned the members against demanding pay for
every little service rendered. At the same meeting it was resolved to
establish markets in the city; and the Prophet spoke earnestly about
the regulation of prices, so that the poor should not be oppressed;
that, while the farmer should have fair compensation for his products,
the mechanic should also have justice in purchasing the necessaries of
life.

If the principles of official integrity and economy, and the principles
of fair dealing and mutual protection between producers and dealers,
which the Prophet taught at this time, could have general acceptance
and obedience throughout the world, what a wonderful stride would be
taken toward the social redemption of the human race! Politics would
be purified--for only men of integrity and nobility of character could
or would hold office. Pauperism, that fruitful source of crime, would
be practically unknown. Public economy and private prosperity would go
hand in hand.

On the 2nd day of March, 1843, the House of Representatives of the
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.

On the 16th day of June, Judge Jesse B. Thomas came to Nauvoo and
advised the mayor and the other men named in Morrison's warrant to go
before some justice of the peace in the county and be examined upon
the charge named therein. Judge Thomas said that if they would do
this and should be acquitted or bound over, all excitement would be
allayed, the mob would be left without a pretext, and he himself would
be bound to compel the mobocrats to keep the peace. Joseph and his
brethren expressed their readiness to submit to any fair investigation.
The next day, upon the complaint of W. G. Ware, they were arrested by
Constable Joel S. Miles, on a writ issued by Daniel H. Wells for a
riot in destroying the Nauvoo _Expositor_ press. They all submitted
to this process, and went before Justice Wells, who, at this time, it
must be remembered, was not a member of the Church. After a long and
close examination, it appeared to the court that they had not proceeded
illegally, and they were discharged.

As mobs in various parts of the county continued to menace Nauvoo,
the Prophet sent several letters and messengers to keep the governor
informed. Samuel James went to Springfield on the 15th of June, and
Edward Hunter with Philip B. Lewis and John Bills went on the 17th.
To Elder Edward Hunter, Joseph said as he was leaving: "I charge you
solemnly to tell the governor everything you know concerning me, good
or bad."

The most outrageous falsehoods were being circulated to inflame the
people against Nauvoo. Upon this point Governor Ford, in his history of
Illinois, says:

    A system of excitement and agitation was artfully planned [by the
    mob leaders] and executed with tact. It consisted in spreading
    reports and rumors of the most fearful character. As examples:--On
    the morning before my arrival at Carthage, I was awakened at
    an early hour by the frightful report, which was asserted with
    confidence and apparent consternation, that the Mormons had already
    commenced the work of burning, destruction and murder; and that
    every man capable of bearing arms was instantly wanted at Carthage
    for the protection of the country. We lost no time in starting; but
    when we arrived at Carthage we could hear no more concerning this
    story. Again: During the few days that the militia were encamped
    at Carthage, frequent applications were made to me to send a
    force here and a force there, and a force all about the country,
    to prevent murders, robberies and larcenies, which, it was said,
    were threatened by the Mormons. No such forces were sent, nor were
    any such offenses committed at that time, except the stealing of
    some provisions, and there was never the least proof that this was
    done by a Mormon. Again: On my late visit to Hancock County, I was
    informed, by some of their violent enemies, that the larcenies of
    the Mormons had become unusually numerous and insufferable. They
    indeed admitted that but little had been done in this way in their
    immediate vicinity, but they insisted that sixteen horses had been
    stolen by the Mormons in one night, near Lima, in the county of
    Adams. At the close of the expedition, I called at this same town
    of Lima, and upon inquiry was told that no horses had been stolen
    in that neighborhood, but that sixteen horses had been stolen in
    one night in Hancock County. The last informant being told of
    the Hancock story, again changed the venue to another distant
    settlement in the northern edge of Adams.

*     *     *     *     *

    Occasional threats came to my ears of destroying the city and
    murdering or expelling the inhabitants.

*     *     *     *     *

    Frequent appeals had been made to me to make a clean and thorough
    work of the matter by exterminating the Mormons.

The Warsaw_ Signal_, edited by an infamous man by the name of Thomas
Sharp, took a prominent and diabolical part in arousing the spirit
of murder. It published the minutes of mob meetings and resolutions
adopted there, in which the most fiendish threats were made. Some of
them are as follows:

    We therefore declare that we will sustain our press and the
    editor at all hazards; that we will take full vengeance, terrible
    vengeance, should the lives of any of our citizens be lost in
    the effort; that we hold ourselves at all times in readiness
    to co-operate with our fellow-citizens in this state, Missouri
    and Iowa, to _exterminate, utterly exterminate the wicked and
    abominable Mormon leaders_, the authors of our troubles.

    _Resolved,_ That a committee of five be appointed forthwith to
    notify all persons in our township _suspected_ of being the tools
    of the Prophet to leave immediately on pain of _instant vengeance.
    And we do recommend the inhabitants of the adjacent townships to do
    the same, hereby pledging ourselves to render all the assistance
    they may require._

    _Resolved,_ That the time, in our opinion has arrived, when
    the adherents of Smith, as a body, should be driven from the
    surrounding settlements into Nauvoo. That the Prophet and his
    miscreant adherents should then be demanded at their hands; and,
    if not surrendered, _a war of extermination should be waged, to
    the entire destruction_, if necessary for our protection, _of his
    adherents._ And we do hereby recommend this resolution to the
    consideration of the several townships, to the mass convention
    to be held at Carthage, hereby pledging ourselves to aid to the
    utmost the complete consummation of the object in view, that we may
    thereby be utterly relieved of the alarm anxiety and trouble to
    which we are now subjected.

    _Resolved,_ That every citizen arm himself to be prepared to
    sustain the resolutions herein contained.

It was further resolved that a deputation be sent to Springfield to
solicit executive help, but the intention was expressed not to allow
the mob movements to be retarded by this action. The mobs at Warsaw
and Carthage pretended to believe that the destruction of the Warsaw
_Signal_ office had been threatened by Hyrum Smith. The statement to
this effect was of a piece with the lies told to the governor. No
threat had been made against the _Signal_ office or the editor, and the
mob well knew that any attack from the citizens of Nauvoo upon anybody
in Carthage or Warsaw was out of the question.

The mail communications of the Saints were cut off with the connivance
of officials.

A company of the mob numbering three hundred, began training at
Carthage on the 13th day of June. Arms were brought to Warsaw and
Carthage from Quincy and other places. On the 17th of June, fifteen
hundred Missourians were reported to have crossed the river and joined
the rabble at Warsaw. Five pieces of artillery had already been brought
to the latter place. From Warsaw the mob forces were to proceed to
Carthage and join the Quincy Grays and other companies from Adams
County. Scattering from here it was their purpose to seize the arms of
all the Saints in Hancock County, outside of Nauvoo, and compel them to
recant their faith or be exterminated. They declared that they would
take Joseph and Hyrum and the city council from Nauvoo on Thursday, the
20th of June, and deliver them up to sacrifice. If any resistance were
offered, the city would be shelled and all the inhabitants slaughtered
or driven away. One of the mob leaders was Levi Williams, a colonel of
militia and a Baptist preacher, and to such as he was due the attempt
to make the Saints recant.

No word came from the governor. Was the city to be left to massacre,
pillage, ravishment, like Far West! Forbid it, Heaven!

Under these circumstances, nothing remained but to prepare for
resistance--not attack, only defense. The mayor, on the 18th of June,
1844, declared the city of Nauvoo under martial law, and called out the
Legion to protect the city from rapine and its people from massacre by
the mob.



CHAPTER LXII.

JOSEPH'S DREAM--HIS LAST PUBLIC ADDRESS--CONSCIOUSNESS OF HIS IMPENDING
FATE--HIS LOVE FOR HIS BRETHREN.

Events were now hurrying on to the last awful scene. Joseph saw the
sacrificial cup prepared for him and knew that he must drink its bitter
draught. As he draws nearer to the final hour clearer and clearer
becomes his mind, more nearly divine are his works, and more closely do
we see the likeness to the sacred Master of whom Joseph deemed himself
but the humblest follower. It is no mere accidental similarity this
betrayal of the modern Prophet by the modern Judas and this sacrifice
of a holy name to glut the hate of Pharisees. The Prophet's work is
almost done. More plainly as the supreme moment draws on he tells his
followers of the fate awaiting him. At first they scarcely understand,
so used are they to see him in the midst of peril. It may be that the
vision of the end is opened to Hyrum's view, for he will not leave his
brother's side. They have loved in life, the elder brother living by
the other's prophetic words, and in death they shall not be separated.
Joseph says: "Hyrum, take your family on the next boat to Cincinnati.
I want you to live to avenge me." Hyrum replies: "Joseph, I will not
leave you." It is not a vengeance of blood that the Prophet means: it
is the triumph of the work over all murderous mobs, a triumph in which
he wants his faithful brother to share in the flesh.

After the traitors had gone out from Nauvoo to join with the Pharisees
in raising a mob, the Prophet related a dream to his brethren,
assembled in meeting. He said that he thought that he was riding in a
carriage, and his guardian angel was with him. They saw two serpents
in the road firmly locked together, and the angel told him that these
were two of his traitorous enemies, Robert Foster and Chauncey Higbee,
so fast bound to each other that of themselves they could not harm him.
Then Joseph rode on farther, but his angel was no longer by his side;
and William Law and Wilson Law came out upon him, dragged him from his
carriage, tied his hands and threw him into a deep pit. After a time he
partly loosened his hands and climbed to the edge of the pit and looked
out. He saw Wilson Law attacked by ferocious beasts and William Law
expiring in the coils of a poisonous snake. They cried for him:

    Oh, Brother Joseph! Brother Joseph! save us or we perish!

But he responded that they themselves had deprived him of the power to
aid them. Then, after a little time, his angel came once more and said:
"Joseph, why are you here?"

And he responded: "Mine enemies fell upon me, bound me, and threw me
into this pit."

The angel took him by the hand and drew him up, and they went away
together.

Impressive as was the recital of this dream, his brethren failed to
comprehend its full significance; but scores of them recalled it at a
later time and preserved it as a sacred remembrance.

On Sunday, the 16th day of June, 1844, Joseph preached in the grove
east of the temple to the assembled Saints. The rain fell heavily,
but the people would not disperse while the Prophet spoke. Nor would
he be stayed by all these tears of nature, for it was one of his last
opportunities to advise the people for whom he was willing to give
his life. Often before the Prophet had counseled his brethren that it
was not necessary yet to preach from the revelations of St. John the
Divine; that the plain principles of the gospel should first be taught.
But now, with the consciousness of his approaching death upon him, he
read to the people the third chapter of Revelation. It was to be a
message of comfort to the Saints when he was gone. He then turned to
the first chapter and read:

    And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first
    begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.
    Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
    blood.

    And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him
    be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Rev. 1:5-6.)

He carried the Saints into a profounder depth of revealed theology
than ever before. He talked of the plurality of Gods and the different
glories of the eternal realm. He said:

    Go and read the vision in the Book of Covenants. There is clearly
    illustrated glory upon glory--one glory of the sun, another glory
    of the moon, and a glory of the stars; and as one star differeth
    from another star in glory, even so do they of the telestial world
    differ in glory, and every man who reigns in the celestial glory is
    a God to his dominion.

*     *     *     *     *

    It is in the order of heavenly things that God should always send a
    new dispensation into the world when men have apostatized from the
    truth and lost the Priesthood; but when men build without authority
    from God, and when the floods come and the winds blow, their whole
    fabric will crumble.

*     *     *     *     *

    Oh thou God who art King of kings and Lord of lords!

After the city had been declared under martial law, the Legion was
drawn up in front of the mansion to be addressed by the Prophet. He
stood upon the frame of a building opposite his house, dressed in his
full uniform as lieutenant general.

William W. Phelps read from an extra issue of the Warsaw _Signal_ of
the day before, calling upon all the old citizens to assist the mob in
exterminating the leaders of the Saints and driving the people into
exile.

Joseph then recounted the doings of the time at Nauvoo, and
demonstrated that he and his brethren had been willing and were still
as willing as ever to submit to the authority of law; that they had not
transgressed the statutes; that the effort making against them was the
device of Satan. He told them that a pretext had been sought by their
enemies in order that a band of infuriated mob men might be congregated
to fall upon Nauvoo, to murder, plunder, and ravish the innocent. He
said:

    We are American citizens. We live upon a soil, for the liberties of
    which our fathers periled their lives and spilt their blood upon
    the battle-field. Those rights, so dearly purchased, shall not be
    disgracefully trodden under foot by lawless marauders without at
    least a noble effort on our part to sustain our liberties.

    Will you stand by me to the death, and sustain, at the peril
    of your lives, the laws of our country, and the liberties and
    privileges which our fathers have transmitted unto us, sealed with
    their sacred blood? ["Aye," shouted thousands.] It is well. If you
    have not done it, I would have gone out there, [pointing to the
    west], and would have raised up a mightier people.

    I call all men, from Maine to the Rocky Mountains, and from Mexico
    to British America, whose hearts thrill with horror to behold the
    rights of free men trampled under foot, to come to the deliverance
    of this people from the cruel hand of oppression, cruelty, anarchy
    and misrule to which they have long been made subject. Come, all ye
    lovers of liberty, break the oppressor's rod, loose the iron grasp
    of mobocracy, and bring to condign punishment all those who trample
    under foot the glorious principles of our Constitution and the
    people's rights [Drawing his sword and presenting it to heaven.] I
    call God and angels to witness that I have unsheathed my sword with
    a firm and unalterable determination that this people shall have
    their legal rights, and be protected from mob violence, or my blood
    shall be spilt upon the ground like water, and my body consigned to
    the silent tomb. While I live, I will never tamely submit to the
    dominion of accursed mobocracy. I would welcome death rather than
    submit to this oppression; and it would be sweet, oh, sweet to rest
    in the grave, rather than submit to this oppression, confusion and
    alarm upon alarm, any longer.

*     *     *     *     *

    Peace shall be taken from the land which permits these crimes
    against the Saints to go unavenged.

    I call upon all friends of truth and liberty to come to our
    assistance; and may the thunders of the Almighty, and the forked
    lightnings of heaven, and pestilence, and war, and bloodshed come
    down on those ungodly men who seek to destroy my life and the lives
    of this innocent people.

    I do not regard my own life. I am ready to be offered a sacrifice
    for this people; for what can our enemies do? Only kill the body,
    and their power is then at an end. Stand firm, my friends; never
    flinch. Do not seek to save your lives, for he that is afraid to
    die for the truth will lose eternal life. Hold out to the end,
    and we shall be resurrected, and become like Gods and reign in
    celestial kingdoms, principalities and eternal dominions, while
    this mob will sink to the portion of all those who shed innocent
    blood.

    God has tried you. You are a good people; therefore I love you
    with all my heart. Greater love hath no man than that he should
    lay down his life for his friends. You have stood by me in the
    hour of trouble, and I am willing to sacrifice my life for your
    preservation.

    May the Lord God of Israel bless you forever and ever. I say this
    in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, and in the authority of the Holy
    Priesthood, which He hath conferred upon me.

    And all the people cried Amen!

The vast assemblage had listened to his words with breathless
attention, for he spoke with a power transcending anything that the
Saints had ever before heard, even from him whose speech was always
soul-touching. Had he expressed a wish to fight, his people would have
followed him with joy to the contest. It is no wonder that his words
sank deep into their hearts; it is no wonder that to their sight he
appeared grander than mortal. It was the last time for many of them in
the flesh that they were to listen to the music of his voice or to feel
the spell of his mighty inspiration. It was his last public address! In
a few short days that Godlike form, so perfect in its manly beauty, was
to be locked in the embrace of the tomb; and that voice, whose angelic
sweetness had comforted them in the hour of darkest woe, was to be
hushed in death.

On the 20th of June he wrote to all the apostles who were absent on
missions to come home immediately. Only two of the twelve were with
him, Apostles John Taylor and Willard Richards. He had often stated to
the twelve that upon them would devolve the work when he was gone, and
he knew that their presence would soon be needed.

His consciousness of his impending fate and his fortitude were divine.
His last deeds and his last thoughts were for the cause and the people
whom he loved.



CHAPTER LXIII.

PONTIUS PILATE FORD'S ENTRANCE UPON THE SCENE AT CARTHAGE--THE OLD CRY
OF "CRUCIFY!"--JOSEPH'S FINAL EFFORT TO AVERT DANGER FROM NAUVOO--LACK
OF FAITH AND SUSPICIONS OF COWARDICE--FATAL BLINDNESS--LIKE A LAMB TO
THE SLAUGHTER--THE ARMS DEFENDED--FAREWELL TO NAUVOO--AT CARTHAGE.

On the 21st day of June, 1844, Thomas Ford, governor of the state of
Illinois, arrived at Carthage. What Pontius Pilate was to the divine
atonement on Calvary, this man Ford was to the sealing martyrdom at
Carthage. [1]

He was a politician, a friend to the masses, right or wrong. He
submitted himself at Carthage to the direction of the mob leaders. From
the moment of his arrival there until the deed was done, he interposed
no hand to stay the awful deed. He could not have been so blind as to
fail in seeing that murder impended for the Prophet and Patriarch;
and that extermination threatened the Saints. A statesman and a true
and brave patriot could have put forth his power and dissipated the
evils at a stroke; but Ford was not of such mettle. He affected to
view Joseph and his brethren as rebels and the mob as law-abiding
citizens--at best, he classed them altogether. How he must have cringed
when the Prophet asked him:

    Sir, is it not an easy matter to distinguish between those who have
    pledged themselves to exterminate innocent men, women and children,
    and those who have only stood in their own defense, and in defense
    of their innocent families, and that, too, in accordance with the
    Constitution and laws of the country as required by the oaths, and
    as good and law-abiding citizens?

On the 21st Ford wrote to Joseph asking for a conference at Carthage
with discreet representatives from Nauvoo. Apostle John Taylor and Dr.
John M. Bernhisel went at once, in obedience to this request, carrying
with them a full account of the situation and the circumstances which
had led to it, and a score of affidavits from trustworthy men--some
of whom were not connected with the Prophet or his people--showing
clearly the purpose of the mob to commit murder. The next day Lucien
Woodworth was sent to him from Nauvoo, with further documents and
with a letter from the Prophet. When Apostle Taylor and Dr. Bernhisel
reached Carthage, they found that the governor had taken the entire
mob into his service; that he had passed judicially upon the municipal
ordinances and proceedings at Nauvoo; and that, without hearing from
them, he had decided upon his course. He received them coolly and as
he read their communications aloud, he was surrounded by mobocrats
who interrupted him at every sentence with a torrent of profanity and
threats. He could listen to no argument and weigh no justice, for the
cry was in his ears, "Crucify! Crucify!" By the hands of these brethren
he sent a communication back to Nauvoo to require "all who are or shall
be accused, to submit themselves to arrest by the same constable, by
virtue of the same warrant, to be tried by the same magistrate whose
authority had heretofore been resisted."

He asked that martial law should be abolished. He sent the constable
with a guard to Nauvoo to secure Joseph and his friends. Of this
circumstance Ford himself says:

    Upon the arrival of the constable and guard [at Nauvoo], the
    mayor and common council at once signified their willingness to
    surrender, and stated their readiness to proceed to Carthage next
    morning at 8 o'clock. Martial law had previously been abolished.
    The hour of 8 o'clock came, and the accused failed to make their
    appearance. The constable and his escort returned. The constable
    made no effort to arrest any of them, or would he or the guard
    delay their departure one minute beyond the time to see whether an
    arrest could be made. Upon their return, they reported that they
    had been informed that the accused had fled and could not be found.

    I immediately proposed to a council of officers to march into
    Nauvoo with a small force then under my command, but the officers
    were of opinion that it was too small, and many of them insisted
    upon a further call of the militia. Upon reflection, I was of
    opinion that the officers were right in the estimate of our force,
    and the project for immediate action was abandoned. I was soon
    informed, however, of the conduct of the constable and guard,
    and then I was perfectly satisfied that a most base fraud had
    been attempted; that, in fact, it was feared that the Mormons
    would submit and thereby entitle themselves to the protection of
    the law. It was very apparent that many of the bustling, active
    spirits were afraid that there would be no occasion for calling out
    an overwhelming militia force, for marching it into Nauvoo, for
    probable mutiny when there, and for the extermination of the Mormon
    race. It appeared that the constable and the escort were fully in
    the secret, and acted well their part to promote the conspiracy.

Informed of all the plots against him and seeing the executive weakness
or connivance with the mob the Prophet determined to make one final
effort to draw the menace from Nauvoo. He addressed a letter to the
governor, in which he exposed the fallacy and cowardice of Ford's
official proceedings and personal position. Then, after dark on the
night of the 22nd of June, he called Hyrum, Willard Richards, John
Taylor, W. W. Phelps, A. C. Hodge, John L. Butler, Alpheus Cutler
and some others into his house and read to them the letter from the
governor, merely remarking: "There is no mercy--no mercy here!"

Hyrum said: "No: as sure as we fall into their hands, we are dead men."

Joseph then told the brethren that if he and Hyrum should leave Nauvoo
the attention of the mob would be attracted away from the Saints and
in pursuit of the Prophet and Patriarch; and if the people would go
quietly about their business none of them would be harmed. With this
purpose he prepared to cross the river and go into the west. That night
they bade farewell to their families. As they departed it was seen that
Joseph's tears were falling fast, and he uttered not a word while they
walked down to the bank of the river. Joseph, Hyrum and Willard, rowed
by Orrin P. Rockwell, crossed the Mississippi in a leaky skiff, bailing
out the water with their boots and shoes to keep the frail boat from
sinking. They found refuge on the Iowa side at the house of Brother
William Jordan, and made immediate preparations to depart toward the
Rocky Mountains. But while they were packing their provisions, on the
23rd day of June, messengers came from Emma and others in Nauvoo,
entreating the Prophet to return and by innuendo accusing him of
cowardice in thus leaving the city. It was a fatal blindness on the
part of these professed friends. They seemed to fear that the governor,
failing to find Joseph and Hyrum, would fall upon Nauvoo with the
militia. The Prophet knew better, that Ford would not dare such a thing
as this--he might consent to the murder of individuals but he dare not
lead an army against an unoffending city. It is pitiable to think that
the Saints could have so misjudged their leader as to suspect him of
cowardice. But it is often so, that men placed in responsible stations,
who act by the light of heaven and for the benefit of their brethren,
without one thought of personal safety or advantage, are condemned by
the unthinking.

"We are going back to be butchered," said Joseph; "if we live or die we
will be reconciled to our fate," said Hyrum; as they moved down to the
river to cross to Nauvoo on that 23rd day of June. While they walked
Joseph fell behind, deep in thought. Someone shouted to him to quicken
his steps, and he remarked: "There is time enough for the slaughter."

That night, Sunday, June 23rd, 1844, Joseph sent a letter to the
governor informing him that he would go to Carthage the next morning
to meet his trial. He asked that the governor send a posse to meet him
near the Mound, outside of Carthage, about two o'clock on the afternoon
of the 24th. Seeing the determination of Joseph, the very friends who
had induced him to return would now have interposed; but he was firm.
To remain in Nauvoo would be to draw the vengeance of the mob upon that
city. The next morning Elder Jedediah M. Grant and Theodore Turley, who
had carried Joseph's communication to the governor, returned to Nauvoo
and reported their mission. Ford had at first agreed to send a posse
to escort Joseph in safety to Carthage, but some of the mobocrats and
apostates made bitter speeches to him and he rescinded his promise.
He refused to send or allow an escort for Joseph, "as it was an honor
not given to any other citizen." He would not even allow Elders Grant
and Turley to remain in Carthage that night, but sent them out with a
demand that Joseph should appear unaccompanied at Carthage the next
morning. The messengers told the Prophet that intense excitement
existed at Carthage; but he would not heed their warning.

On the morning of Monday, the 24th of June, 1844, Joseph and the
seventeen other men named in the old writ from Morrison, started from
Nauvoo. When they reached the temple, the Prophet looked upon it with a
long and wistful gaze, and then turned his eyes upon the city, saying:
"This is the loveliest place and these are the best people under the
heavens. Little do they know the trials that await them."

As they passed out of the city the Prophet said to Daniel H. Wells:
"Squire Wells, I wish you to cherish my memory, and not think me the
worst man in the world, either."

On the way out they met Captain Dunn coming from Carthage with about
sixty mounted men. Joseph said: "Do not be alarmed, brethren, for they
cannot do more to you than the enemies of truth did to the ancient
Saints--they can only kill the body."

Dunn presented to Joseph an order from Governor Ford for all the
state arms in the possession of the Nauvoo Legion. Joseph immediately
countersigned the order. Then he turned to the company and spoke these
memorable words:

    I AM GOING LIKE A LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER, BUT I AM CALM AS A
    SUMMER'S MORNING. I HAVE A CONSCIENCE VOID OF OFFENSE TOWARD GOD
    AND TOWARD ALL MEN.

Again, he said: "If they take my life I shall die an innocent man, _and
my blood shall cry from the ground for vengeance_, and it shall yet be
said of me, 'He was murdered in cold blood.'"

Joseph sent Henry G. Sherwood back to Nauvoo to get the arms ready
for Captain Dunn and to have all things done with good order and
regularity. But Dunn feared that the governor's demands, coming at
such a time, would excite resistance, and he requested Joseph and
the brethren to return with him to the city under a pledge of mutual
protection. He preferred to depend upon the well-known integrity of
Joseph rather than to risk the wounded feelings of a much abused
people. When the order for the state arms was made known in Nauvoo many
of the brethren regarded this as a preparation for another Far West
tragedy: but they heeded the Prophet's word and unresistingly yielded
obedience to the requirement.

It was an outrage to ask these arms under the circumstances; they were
borne by men who were on the defensive, not the offensive--men who
carried them for the protection of home and virtue, and who had not set
foot outside the limits of their own city. Ford's action in this matter
was atrocious; the compliance of the Prophet and the Saints was noble.

Joseph again bade farewell to his family, and looked again and again
upon the fair domain which his mortal eyes were beholding for the last
time. His face was white and luminous, yet upon it and in his eyes
was a look of anguish. His friends would even now have detained him,
be the consequences what they might; but he told them he must either
yield himself to his sworn murderers or the city would be given up to
massacre and pillage under the sanction of the governor.

Shortly after leaving Nauvoo they met Brother A. C. Hodge coming from
Carthage, who told them that a minister--whom Joseph had previously
treated with great kindness--warned him that so sure as Joseph and
Hyrum came to Carthage they would be killed. He also said that
Hamilton, the innkeeper at Carthage, had pointed to the Carthage Greys,
saying: "Hodge, there are the boys that will settle you Mormons."

A little farther on the way, the Prophet received letters from
attorneys at Carthage to whom the governor had pledged his own honor
and the honor of the state of Illinois that the prisoners should be
protected from all harm. This pledge Ford reiterated often; and upon
the strength of it many of the Prophet's friends felt that he was safe.

It was not until a little before midnight that the party reached
Carthage, but they found the mob up and expecting them with great
anxiety. As they passed the public square, many troops, especially the
Carthage Greys, gave way to a frenzy of joy.

Some of them shouted, "God damn you, old Joe Smith, we have got you
now." Others cried, "Where is the damned Prophet!" "Stand away, you
McDonough boys, and let us shoot the damned Mormons." "Clear the way
and let us have a view of Joe Smith, the Prophet of God. He has seen
the last of Nauvoo. We'll use him up now, and kill all the damned
Mormons."

The profanity of the mob was an avalanche. Such ravings and cursings
were scarcely ever before heard from civilized men. The governor was
an ear witness to it all and leaned from his tavern window to say in a
fawning voice to the rabble:

    Gentlemen, I know your great anxiety to see Mr. Smith, which is
    natural enough, but it is quite too late tonight for you to have
    that opportunity; but I assure you, gentlemen, you shall have that
    privilege tomorrow morning, as I will cause him to pass before the
    troops upon the square, and I now wish you, with this assurance,
    quietly and peaceably to return to your quarters.

At this there was a hurrah for Tom Ford, and the mob obeyed his wish.

The prisoners were quartered at the tavern of Hamilton, who had
threatened Brother Hodge that the Carthage Greys would settle the
"Mormons." At the same inn was a party of apostates. One of them, John
A. Hicks, formerly president of the elders' quorum, stated to Brother
Cyrus H. Wheelock that it was determined to shed the blood of Joseph
Smith, whether he was cleared by the law or not. Hicks talked freely
and unreservedly upon the subject, as if he were discoursing upon the
most common occurrence of life; and boldly declared that the Laws, the
Higbees and the Fosters were all agreed upon this course.

Elder Wheelock carried this information to Governor Ford, but that
craven wretch treated it with perfect indifference and suffered Hicks
and his associates to go on with their plans for murder.

A few hours later the most prominent enemies of the Prophet at Carthage
declared:

    _There is nothing against these men; the law cannot reach them, but
    powder and ball shall. They will never get out of Carthage alive._

Footnotes

1. Sixteen years after Ford had acquiesced in the murder of Joseph and
Hyrum Smith, he said in his history of Illinois:

The Christian world, which has hitherto regarded Mormonism with silent
contempt, unhappily may yet have cause to fear its rapid increase.
Modern society is full of material for such a religion. At the death
of the Prophet, fourteen years after the first Mormon Church was
organized, the Mormons in all the world numbered about two hundred
thousand souls (one-half million according to their statistics); a
number equal, perhaps to the number of Christians when the Christian
Church was of the same age. It is to be feared that, in the course of a
century, some gifted man like Paul, some splendid orator, who will be
able by his eloquence to attract crowds of the thousands who are ever
ready to hear, and be carried away by the sounding brass and tinkling
cymbal of sparkling oratory, may command a hearing, may succeed in
breathing a new life into this modern Mahometanism, and make the name
of the martyred Joseph ring as loud, and stir the souls of men as much,
as the mighty name of Christ itself. Sharon, Palmyra, Manchester,
Kirtland, Far West, Adam-ondi-Ahman, Ramus, Nauvoo and the Carthage
jail, may become holy and venerable names, places of classic interest,
in another age: like Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Mount of
Olives, and Mount Calvary to the Christian, and Mecca and Medina to
the Turk. And in that event, the author of this history feels degraded
by the reflection, _that the humble governor of an obscure state, who
would otherwise be forgotten in a few years, stands a fair chance, like
Pilate and Herod, by their official connection with the true religion,
of being dragged down to posterity with an immortal name_, hitched
on to the memory of a miserable impostor. There may be those whose
ambition would lead them to desire an immortal name in history, even in
those humbling terms. I am not one of that number.



CHAPTER LXIV.

VOLUNTARY YIELDING TO PROCESS--JOSEPH AND HYRUM CHARGED WITH TREASON
--FORD'S COWARDICE AND FALSE-HOOD--IN CARTHAGE JAIL--THE FIRST DAY AND
NIGHT--PREACHING TO THE GUARDS--FORD LEAVES THE MARTYRS TO THEIR FATE.

When the morning came on the 25th of June, 1844, Joseph and his
brethren voluntarily presented themselves to Constable Bettisworth,
who had held the original writ against them. They sought and had an
interview with the governor at his headquarters; and he then and there
pledged his own faith and that of the state of Illinois that Joseph
and Hyrum and the other prisoners should be protected from personal
violence and should have a fair and impartial trial.

A few moments after 8 o'clock a.m., Joseph and Hyrum were arrested upon
warrants issued by Justice Robert F. Smith, of Carthage, charging them
with treason, upon the affidavits of Augustus Spencer and Henry O.
Norton.

After making an inflammable speech to the rabble army, the governor
led the brothers before the troops, as the mob had requested to have a
clear view of Joseph and Hyrum. As they passed in front of the lines,
Ford introduced the Prophet and Patriarch as Generals Joseph and Hyrum
Smith. The Carthage Greys refused to receive them by that introduction,
and some of the officers threw up their hats, drew their swords and
said: "We will introduce ourselves to the damned Mormons in a different
style." The Governor quieted them by saying:

_You shall have full satisfaction._

An hour later the Carthage Greys revolted and were put under guard;
they could not be content to wait another hour for the murder. But they
were soon released.

Joseph had asked a private interview with Ford, but it had been
refused. In declining, the governor looked down with shame.

In the afternoon several officers of the mob militia called upon Joseph
at the tavern. They gazed upon him with much curiosity, and he asked
them if he appeared like a desperate character. They replied that his
outward appearance seemed to indicate exactly the opposite, but they
could not tell what was in his heart. To this Joseph responded:

    Very true, gentlemen, you cannot see what is in my heart, and you
    are therefore unable to judge me or my intentions; but I can see
    what is in your hearts, and will tell you what I see. I can see you
    thirst for blood, and nothing but my blood will satisfy you. It is
    not for crime of any description that I and my brethren are thus
    continually persecuted and harassed by our enemies, but there are
    other motives, and some of them I have expressed, so far as relates
    to myself; and inasmuch as you and the people thirst for blood, I
    prophesy, in the name of the Lord, that you shall witness scenes of
    blood and sorrow to your entire satisfaction. Your souls shall be
    perfectly satiated with blood, and many of you who are now present
    shall have an opportunity to face the cannon's mouth from sources
    you think not of; and those people that desire this great evil upon
    me and my brethren, shall be filled with regret and sorrow because
    of the scenes of desolation and distress that await them. They
    shall seek for peace, and shall not be able to find it. Gentlemen,
    you will find what I have told you to be true.

At 4 o'clock Joseph and Hyrum, and thirteen other brethren were taken
before Robert F. Smith, justice of the peace and captain of the
Carthage Greys, on a charge of riot in destroying the printing press
of the _Expositor_. Robert Smith took the place of Morrison, by the
direction of the mob and with the connivance of the governor, although
Ford had stated that the hearing must be had before the same justice
who issued the original writ. But he had only made this assertion in
order to justify himself in overlooking the proceedings in Justice
Wells' court. Now that he had the brethren at Carthage he was willing
that the mob should have them tried before the most vindictive man
to be found exercising judicial functions. Upon this hearing before
Robert F. Smith, the fifteen brethren were admitted to bail in the sum
of $7,500, and John S. Fullmer, Edward Hunter, Dan Jones, John Benbow,
and others as sureties. Then the court was adjourned without calling on
Joseph and Hyrum to answer to the charge of treason, or even intimating
to them or their counsel that an examination of this charge was to be
made.

About dark that night the constable appeared with a mittimus from
Justice Smith and demanded that Joseph and Hyrum go to jail upon
the charge of treason. This mittimus falsely alleged that the trial
for treason had been begun and had been postponed. Joseph and his
counsel, Messrs. Woods and Reid, exposed this tyrannical proceeding,
showing clearly that the law did not permit the justice to send them
to jail by mittimus without having them first brought before him for
examination, and appealed to the governor. He refused assistance. A
little later Captain and Justice Robert F. Smith applied to him to
know how he should enforce the illegal mittimus, and the governor said
significantly: "You have the Carthage Greys at your command." The mob
captain took the hint and dragged the prisoners violently to jail.

Apostles John Taylor and Willard Richards, and John P. Greene, Stephen
Markham, Dan Jones, John S. Fullmer, Dr. South wick and Lorenzo D.
Wasson accompanied the Prophet and Patriarch to prison; and it is well
that they did so. Stephen Markham and Dan Jones walked one on either
side of Joseph and Hyrum, keeping off the drunken rabble which several
times broke through the ranks of the file of soldiers guarding the
brethren on their way to prison.

They made their dungeon seem a heaven that night by their prayers and
by their faith.

After spending the night in Carthage jail, Joseph wrote on the
morning of June 26th, 1844, soliciting an interview with Ford. The
governor sent back a favorable reply, and to the messengers he spoke
apologetically of his failure to interfere the previous night. Apostle
John Taylor had been to him in the meantime and had made him feel
his falseness and cowardice. About 9:30 a.m. the governor came to
the prison and had a lengthy interview with Joseph. President Taylor
was present and made an extensive report of the conversation. Joseph
charged Governor Ford with absolute knowledge that the enemies of the
Saints had first commenced these difficulties; that Joseph and his
people had not transgressed the law; and that the Nauvoo Legion had
only been ordered out in pursuance of orders received by Joseph from
the governor requiring him to assemble the Legion for the protection of
Nauvoo against armed bands of marauders.

As they parted the governor reiterated his promise, pledging his faith,
the honor of his officers, and the good name of the state of Illinois
that the brethren would be protected. He said that he might go to
Nauvoo that day or the next, and if so he would take Joseph with him.

After Ford left the prison, he went to Hamilton's hotel and began to
converse with a mob soldier standing there. Alfred Randall, a man of
approved veracity, testified that he heard the mobocrat saying to Ford,
"The soldiers are determined to see Joe Smith dead before they leave
here;" and heard Ford reply, "If you know of any such thing keep it to
yourself." It was common conversation that day on the camp ground and
in the dining-room of the hotel in the presence of Governor Ford: "The
law is too short for these men, but they must not be suffered to go at
large." "No; if the law will not reach them powder and ball must."

Most of the afternoon of the 26th was spent by Dan Jones and Stephen
Markham in hewing the warped door of the cell in which the brethren
were confined with a penknife so that it would fasten in the frame.

The brethren preached by turns to the guards, several of whom were
relieved before their watch was out because they admitted that they
were convinced of the innocence of the prisoners.

One of them said: "We have been imposed upon; these men are guiltless."

Another said: "Let us go home, boys, for I will not fight any longer
against these men."

During the day Hyrum vainly attempted to lead Joseph into a belief that
his life would be saved. To his brethren Joseph said: "Could my brother
Hyrum but be liberated it would not matter so much about me."

Then he said: "Poor Rigdon, I am glad he has gone to Pittsburg out of
the way. Were he to preside he would lead the Church to destruction in
less than five years."

At half-past two that afternoon Constable Bettisworth demanded the
persons of the prisoners from the jailor upon an order signed by
Justice Robert F. Smith. The jailor refused, as the prisoners had
been committed to his charge to be held by him until released from
his custody by due course of law. The justice then inquired of the
governor what he should do, and Ford once more responded: "There are
the Carthage Greys under your command, bring them out; we have plenty
of troops."

Again taking the significant hint, the mob captain and justice used his
willing rabble of soldiers to drag Joseph and Hyrum illegally away. He
had them brought before him, Robert F. Smith, captain of the Carthage
Greys, at the court house. The grave charge against them was treason
and when they asked for time in which to get witnesses, they were
vehemently opposed. Finally at five o'clock in the afternoon the court
adjourned until noon of the next day to give the defendants opportunity
to send to Nauvoo, twenty miles distant, and obtain their witnesses.
Subsequently, without any notification to the prisoners or their
counsel, the mob justice and captain postponed the trial until the 29th
of June.

Patriarch John Smith, father of Apostle George A. Smith, came from
Macedonia to see his nephews Joseph and Hyrum in jail. He narrowly
escaped with his life from mobbers on the way. It was with difficulty
that he secured admission to the prison. After remaining an hour he
left the jail to carry a message to Almon W. Babbitt, requesting his
assistance as attorney for the Prophet at the expected trial. Patriarch
John Smith found Babbitt, but learned from him that he could not comply
with Joseph's request.

That night in prison Hyrum read from the Book of Mormon concerning
the sufferings and deliverance of the servants of God from the hands
of their enemies. Joseph arose and bore a powerful testimony to the
guards to the divinity of the book; he declared that the gospel had
been restored and that the kingdom of God was again established on the
earth for the sake of which he was then incarcerated in prison, and not
because he had violated any law of God or man. They retired to rest
very late. In the room with the Prophet and Patriarch were Apostles
John Taylor and Willard Richards and Elders John S. Fullmer, Stephen
Markham and Dan Jones.

In the night Joseph whispered to Dan Jones, "Are you afraid to die?"

Brother Jones answered: "Has that time come, think you! Engaged in such
a cause I do not think that death would have many terrors."

Joseph replied: "You will yet see Wales and fulfill the mission
appointed you, before you die." [1]

In the morning Dan Jones went down, at the Prophet's request, to learn
the cause of a disturbance of the night, and Frank Worrell, the officer
of the guard of Carthage Greys, said to Dan:

    We have had too much trouble to bring old Joe here to let him ever
    escape alive, and unless you want to die with him, you had better
    leave before sundown; and you are not a damned bit better than him
    for taking his part, and you'll see that I can prophesy better than
    old Joe, for neither he nor his brother, nor anyone who will remain
    with them, will see the sun set today.

Brother Jones started to find the governor and on the way saw an
assemblage of the mob, and heard one of them who was making a speech
say:

    Our troops will be discharged this morning in obedience to order,
    and for a sham we will leave the town; but when the governor and
    the McDonough troops have left for Nauvoo this forenoon, we will
    return and kill these men, if we have to tear the jail down.

When Dan found the governor, and related the threats, Ford only sneered
at him. Ford was actually preparing to go to Nauvoo. He had disbanded
some of the troops and in his hearing they declared that they would
return and kill Joseph and Hyrum as soon as he was far enough away from
town.

Ford refused permits for the Prophet's friends to pass in and out of
the prison. This deprived Joseph and Hyrum of the society of all but
Apostles Taylor and Richards who remained constantly with them.

The governor held consultation with the officers of the mob army. A
Dr. Southwick who was there afterward declared that the purpose of the
meeting was to consider the best way of stopping Joseph Smith's career,
as his views on the government were being widely circulated and they
took like wildfire. The mobocrats said that if he did not get into the
presidential chair this election he would be sure to next time; and if
Illinois and Missouri would join together and kill him, they would not
be brought to justice for it.

As the governor continued his preparations to depart from Carthage
to Nauvoo, and as it was clear that he intended to break his solemn
promise by failing to take Joseph with him, Cyrus H. Wheelock, Dan
Jones and John P. Greene went in town to him and protested with all
possible solemnity against his deed. He professed to reassure them;
and then he took with him Captain Dunn, and his company--of all the
militia the least vindictive against the Prophet; and left as a guard
the Carthage Greys--of all the mob the most bloodthirsty. These
Carthage Greys had but two days before been under arrest for insulting
the commanding general; their conduct had shown them to be notoriously
hostile to the prisoners; and they had often in the governor's hearing
threatened the lives of Joseph and Hyrum. Of the disbanded troops the
governor permitted two or three hundred under Colonel Levi Williams,
a sectarian preacher and a sworn enemy to Joseph, to remain encamped
in the vicinity of Carthage, awaiting the hour when they might safely
descend upon the jail.

Cyrus H. Wheelock was permitted to enter the prison, and during his
visit he slipped a small revolver, of the kind known in those days as
the "pepper-box" revolver, into Joseph's pocket. Cyrus was going to
Nauvoo with messages from the brethren in prison. They were so numerous
that Dr. Richards proposed to write them down feeling that Wheelock
might forget, but Hyrum fastened his eye upon the messenger, and with a
look of penetration, said:

    Brother Wheelock will remember all that we tell him, and he will
    never forget the occurrences of this day.

Footnotes

1. This prediction was gloriously fulfilled.



CHAPTER LXV.

ADMINISTRATION OF THE HOLY ENDOWMENTS--THE WORK OF THE CLOSING
MONTHS--UNION OF SATANIC FORCES AGAINST THE PROPHET--A MOMENTARY GLANCE
AT HIM BEFORE THE FINAL HOUR.

Before recounting the final act which closed this great life, we may
pause to glance at some of the work of the Prophet and some of the
difficulties which beset his path and wrought the martyrdom.

During the winter of 1843-4 superhuman power rested upon the Prophet
in his teachings and administrations. He was impelled to constant
labor in his ministry as if he had the briefest possible time in which
to accomplish his work. Perhaps he was not fully aware how little
there was of mortal life left to him, yet many of his expressions
at this time were recalled by the Apostles and others afterwards as
foreshadowing the nearness of his departure. He bestowed upon the
faithful Apostles and other chosen ones the endowments, and gave
them the keys of the Priesthood in their fullness as he had received
them. He also taught and administered to them the sealing ordinances,
explaining in great plainness and power the manner in which husbands
and wives, parents and children are to be united by eternal ties,
and the whole human family, back to Father Adam, be linked together
in indissoluble bonds. In imparting these glorious principles and
bestowing these keys and powers upon his fellow Apostles, the Prophet
was filled with god-like power. More important doctrines and ordinances
were never imparted unto man. The spirit which rested upon Joseph in
teaching and upon the people in listening to them (for he dwelt much
upon these principles in his public discourses) will never be forgotten
by those who heard him. It was to the deep and abiding effect of these
teachings upon the minds of the Saints that the extraordinary exertions
which were made after his death in completing the temple may chiefly be
attributed.

* * * * *

The perusal of the History of the Church during the life of Joseph
the Prophet suggests many reflections and to many minds prompts many
inquiries. One cannot fail to be struck with the unceasing opposition
with which he had to contend. From the day that he received the first
communication from heaven up to the day of his martyrdom his pathway
was beset with difficulties, his liberty and life were constantly
menaced. Had he been an ordinary man he would have been crushed in
spirit and sunk in despair under the relentless attacks which were
made upon him. To find a parallel to his case we must go back to the
days of our Savior and His Apostles and the prophets who preceded
them. Joseph's life was sought for with satanic hate. The thirst for
his blood was unappeasable. Had there not been a special providence
exercised in his behalf to preserve him until his mission should be
fulfilled, he would have been slain by murderous hands long before the
dreadful day at Carthage.

To the inexperienced reader it seems unaccountable that any generation
of men could have been so blind to everything god-like, so dead to
every humane sentiment, so utterly cruel and barbarous, as not to
recognize in the teachings, works and life of God's beloved Son the
divinity with which He was clothed and to nail Him upon a cross between
two thieves. Also that His chosen Apostles, filled with angelic power,
preaching so pure a doctrine and laboring with such self-denial and
unselfish zeal for the salvation of mankind, should have been slain by
the very people whose benefactors they sought to be.

But in our own age the same scenes are re-enacted. Joseph Smith, a
Prophet of God, called by the Almighty to receive the everlasting
Priesthood to lay the foundation of the Church of Christ, and to preach
the ancient pure gospel, performs the mission to which he was divinely
appointed, and is pursued with vindictive hate through his life, and is
finally barbarously slain. The explanation of all this is given by the
Lord Himself in His words to His disciples: "If ye were of the world,
the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but
I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

According to the predictions, this is the dispensation of the fullness
of times--the crowning dispensation of all. To leave the world without
excuse and to prepare the way for the second coming of the Lord, the
holy Priesthood, the pure gospel and the true Church of Christ are
restored to earth through the ministration of angels. Satan, fully
conscious that if these prevail his dominion will be overthrown, arrays
all his forces against the servants and work of God. He resorts to his
old tactics to accomplish his purposes. He was a liar and a murderer
from the beginning. Lies and murder are the agencies he depends upon.
Many, being free agents and having power to choose whom they will
serve, become the instruments of hate, and the earth is drenched with
the blood of innocence. The Prophet Joseph, while he lived, was the
conspicuous object of his vengeance. Like Paul, he could have recounted
a long list of perils which he had to encounter, not the least of
which, as in the case of Paul, were "perils among false brethren."'
Of all the evils with which this great Prophet had to contend, none
were so grievous or so hard to be borne as the defection and treason
of "false brethren." The most deadly wounds he ever received were from
those who, Judas-like, had been his companions. When, through their
transgressions, they lost the Spirit of God, and turned away from the
truth, the spirit of murder took possession of them, they became fit
instruments for Satan's service, and to this class more than to any
others, can the foul murders of the 27th of June, 1844, be charged.

The great bulk of those who composed the mobs which attacked the Saints
in Missouri and Illinois were ignorant men. Their passions were easily
aroused. A few cunning and unscrupulous leaders were able to use them
to accomplish their ends. Seeing the increase of the Saints, they were
easily persuaded that, if left to themselves, they would soon outnumber
the old settlers, they would outvote them, take possession of the
offices, and drive them out of the country. By such representations
and artifices as these, appealing to the lowest and basest of motives,
they were able to inflame the minds of ignorant and unprincipled men.
Envious of the prosperity of the Saints, coveting their possessions,
they thought to profit in driving them from their homes. Apostates had
personal vengeance and hates to gratify; politicians saw a growing
power which they could not control, and whose union made it formidable
in county and state affairs; the clergy saw a system of religion which
they could not controvert; and the rabble had their cupidity excited
at the prospect of plunder, which might fall to them through the
abandonment of lands and improvements and stock by the people whom they
were driving away.



CHAPTER LXVI.

THE LAST DAY--FORD'S ACTION AT NAUVOO--CONSPIRACY BETWEEN THE GUARDS
AND THE MURDEROUS MOB MILITIA--THE PRISONERS LEFT TO THEIR FATE--"A
POOR WAYFARING MAN OF GRIEF"--THE ASSAULT AND THE MURDER--THE END.

Governor Ford went to Nauvoo on the morning of the 27th of June,
1844, accompanied by a body of troops. When he arrived there he made
a public speech before thousands of the Saints, in which he used this
expression: "A great crime has been done by destroying the _Expositor_
press, and placing the city under martial law, and _a severe atonement
must be made, so prepare your minds for the emergency_."

Whether Ford was fully cognizant of the plot to murder the Prophet
during his absence from Carthage is not altogether clear. He was
unquestionably aware of the murderous feeling which existed among the
Carthage Greys, and the men who were associated with Levi Williams
and the Laws, Higbees, Fosters and others at Carthage. It has been
stated upon good authority, and it has never been disputed, that he was
informed of the intentions of the mob. But he ventured into Nauvoo.
Would a cowardly man like he was have dared to risk himself in such a
manner at such a time, if he was fully advised of the time the massacre
was to take place? The presumption is that he was indifferent as to the
fate which would befall the Prophet and his companions; but that he did
not know, as some of his officers did, that the bloody deed was to be
consummated while he was absent at Nauvoo. If Ford had been a man of
greater daring, it might with certainty be assured that his visit to
Nauvoo was a part of the conspiracy, and that he went there to avoid
the appearance of complicity in the murder. This is certain, that while
Ford was addressing the people, a sound like the distant firing of a
cannon, or the slight sound of distant rumbling thunder, was heard by
many in the audience, and by some of Ford's aides who stood near him,
and that they whispered something to him, and without loss of time and
in the greatest haste, he and his escort rode out of Nauvoo. Their
departure was more like a flight than the decorous leave-taking of the
executive of the state accompanied by a command of troops. A cannon was
fired at a certain point distant from Carthage, as a signal that the
massacre had been accomplished; but it was never known whether or not
this was the sound which attracted attention at Nauvoo. Governor Ford's
hasty flight at that time has always been deemed conclusive evidence
that he had been informed by some of his companions--if he had not been
fully advised of the plot and its details before--that Joseph Smith and
his companions had been murdered.

Ford and his aides occupied a room in the Nauvoo mansion that day.
Orrin P. Rockwell heard one of them at three o'clock say: "the deed is
done before this time."

The governor and his company went to the temple. Some of the officers
broke the horns from the oxen supporting the baptismal font, while Ford
made rare sport of the sacred edifice.

One of his attendants remarked: "This temple is a curious piece of
workmanship; and it was a damned shame that they did not let Joe Smith
finish it."

Another said: "But he is dead by this time, and he will never see this
temple again."

Brother William Gr. Sterrett stood by and replied: "They cannot kill
him until he has finished his work."

At this Ford gave a significant smile and one of his aids standing by
said: "Whether he has finished his work or not, by God, he will not see
this place again, for he is finished before this time."

At Carthage, after the governor left, the external situation was this:
The guarding of the jail had been left to General Deming who had the
Carthage Greys under his command; but Deming retired during the day for
fear of his life, as he saw the determination of the troops to connive
at murder. The main body of the company was stationed in the public
square, one hundred and fifty yards from the jail, awhile eight men
were detailed, under the command of Sergeant Frank A. Worrell, to guard
the prisoners. The disbanded mob militia had come up to Carthage to the
number of two hundred, with their faces blackened with powder and mud.
The Carthage Greys were informed that the assassin band was ready; and
it was then arranged that the guard at the jail should load with blank
cartridges and that the mob should attack the prison and meet with some
show of resistance.

Within the jail, the brethren, Joseph and Hyrum, John Taylor and
Willard Richards, were confined in a room upstairs and were busy,
during the day, writing letters, conversing and praying and singing.
Between three, and four o'clock at the Prophet's request, Apostle
Taylor sang this sweet and comforting poem:

    A poor wayfaring man of grief,
    Hath often cross'd me on my way,
    Who sued so humbly for relief
    That I could never answer _Nay_.

    I had not power to ask his name;
    Whither he went or whence he came;
    Yet there was something in his eye
    That won my love, I know not why.

    Once when my scanty meal was spread,
    He entered--not a word he spake!
    Just perishing for want of bread;
    I gave him all; he blessed it, brake,

    And ate, but gave me part again;
    Mine was an angel's portion then,
    For while I fed with eager haste,
    The crust was manna to my taste.

    I spied him where a fountain burst,
    Clear from the rock--his strength was gone,
    The heedless water mocked his thirst,
    He heard it, saw it hurrying on.

    I ran and rais'd the suff'rer up;
    Thrice from the stream he drain'd my cup,
    Dipped and return'd it running o'er;
    I drank and never thirsted more.

    'Twas night, the floods were out, it blew
    A winter hurricane aloof;
    I heard his voice, abroad, and flew
    To bid him welcome to my roof.

    I warm'd, I cloth'd, I cheer'd my guest,
    I laid him on my couch to rest;
    Then made the earth my bed, and seem'd
    In Eden's garden while I dream'd.

    Stripp'd, wounded, beaten nigh to death,
    1 found him by the highway side;
    I rous'd his pulse, brought back his breath,
    Reviv'd his spirit, and supplied

    Wine, oil, refreshment--he was heal'd;
    I had myself a wound conceal'd;
    But from that hour forgot the smart,
    And peace bound up my broken heart.

    In prison I saw him next--condemn'd
    To meet a traitor's doom at morn;
    The tide of lying tongues I stemm'd,
    And honor'd him 'mid shame and scorn.

    My friendship's utmost zeal to try,
    He asked if I for him would die;
    The flesh was weak, my blood ran chill,
    But the free spirit cried, "I will!"

    Then in a moment to my view,
    The stranger started from disguise;
    The tokens in his hands I knew,
    The Savior stood before mine eyes.

    He spake--and my poor name he nam'd--
    "Of me thou hast not been asham'd;
    These deeds shall thy memorial be;
    Fear not, thou didst them unto me."

And when it was done, Joseph asked him to repeat it. He replied that
he did not feel like singing. He was oppressed with a sense of coming
disaster; but to gratify Hyrum, he sang the hymn again, with much
tender feeling.

At four o'clock the guard was changed. A little after five, the jailor
came in and said that Stephen Markham had been surrounded by a mob and
driven from Carthage. A little later there was a slight rustling at the
outer door of the jail, and a cry of surrender, then a discharge of
three or four guns. The plot had been carried out: two hundred of the
mob came rushing into the jail yard, and the guards fired their pieces
over the heads of the assailing party.

Many of the mob rushed up the stairs while others fired through
the open windows of the jail into the room where the brethren were
confined. The four prisoners sprang against the door, but the murderers
burst it partly open and pushed their guns into the room. John Taylor
and Willard Richards, each with a cane, tried to knock aside the
weapons. A shower of bullets came up the stairway and through the door.
Hyrum was in front of the door when a ball struck him in the face and
he fell back saying:

    "I AM A DEAD MAN."

As he was falling, another bullet from the outside passed through his
swaying form, and two others from the doorway entered his body a moment
later. When Hyrum fell, Joseph exclaimed, "Oh, my dear brother Hyrum!"
and opening the door a few inches he discharged his pistol into the
stairway--but two or three barrels missed fire.

When the door could no longer be held, and when he could no longer
parry the guns, Elder Taylor sprang toward the window. A bullet from
the doorway struck his left thigh. Paralyzed and unable to help himself
he fell on the window sill, and felt himself falling out, when by some
means which he did not understand at the time he was thrown backward
into the room. A bullet fired from the outside struck his watch and the
watch saved his life in two ways, it stopped the bullet, which probably
would have killed him, and the force of the ball in striking it threw
him into the room. The watch stopped at sixteen minutes and twenty-six
seconds past 5 o'clock. After he fell into the room three other bullets
struck him, spattering his blood like rain upon the walls and floor.

Joseph saw that there was no longer safety in the room; and thinking
that he would save the life of Willard Richards if he himself should
spring from the room, he turned immediately from the door, dropped his
pistol and leaped into the window. Instantly two bullets pierced him
from the door, and one entered his right breast from without, and he
fell outward into the hands of his murderers exclaiming:

    "OH LORD, MY GOD!"

When his body struck the ground he rolled instantly upon his
face--dead. As he lay there, one of the mob, bare footed and bare
headed, wearing no coat, with his trousers rolled above his knees and
his shirt sleeves above his elbows, seized the body of the murdered
Prophet and set it against the south side of the well curb. Colonel
Levi Williams then ordered four men to shoot Joseph. Standing about
eight feet from his body they fired simultaneously. The body slightly
cringed as the bullets entered it, and once more Joseph fell upon his
face. He had smiled with sweet compassion in his countenance as he
gazed upon his murderers in the last moment of his life; and this was
the expression when the face was set in death.

The Missourians had offered a large reward for Joseph's head; and the
ruffian who had set him against the well curb now approached with a
glittering knife for the purpose of severing the head from the body.
William M. Daniels who claims to have been an eye-witness to the
proceedings says that as he was about to make the awful stroke a vivid
light burst from the heavens upon the bloody scene. It passed between
Joseph and his murderers, and they were struck with terror. The knife
fell from the powerless hand of the ruffian, and he stood transfixed.
The muskets dropped from the arms of Williams' four executioners, and
they had not the power to move a limb.

Horrified, the mob scattered in all directions. Williams cried to them
to come back and carry off the four men who still stood like marble
statues, frozen with terror. They obeyed, and these men were lifted
into the baggage wagons as inert as corpses.

When Joseph fell from the window the mob on the stairway rushed down
and out of the building to find him; and it was this which saved the
lives of Willard Richards, and John Taylor. Willard started to leave
the room thinking all were dead but himself; but Elder Taylor called
to him. He returned, took up the body of John, which was bleeding from
four ghastly wounds, and carried him into an inner dungeon cell and
placed him on a filthy mattress which was lying there, saying: "If your
wounds are not fatal I want you to live to tell this story."

Nearly all the inhabitants of Carthage followed the mob in their flight
of horror. The governor came to Carthage in the night, wrote an order
for the citizens of Nauvoo to defend themselves, and then the miserable
coward fled to Quincy.

Having provided as well as possible for the wounds of John Taylor, on
the morning of the 28th of June Dr. Richards started for Nauvoo with
the bodies of the martyrs. They were met by thousands of lamenting
Saints whose wailings ascended into the ears of Almighty God. Ten
thousand people were addressed by Apostle Richards, Colonel Markham and
others who admonished them to keep the peace and trust to the law for a
remedy for the awful crimes which had been committed, and when the law
failed, to call upon God in heaven to avenge them of their wrongs.

The bodies of the martyrs were taken to the Mansion House and cared for
by loving friends. The loved ones of the dead Prophet and Patriarch
were first admitted and fell upon the dear faces and kissed them and
begged for one more word of comfort.

Early the next morning the bodies were placed in coffins covered with
black velvet, and the caskets were then placed in rough pine boxes.
The doors were thrown open, and ten thousand people walked through the
Mansion and gazed upon the martyred clay. All this time the people
were in constant expectation of an attack by the mob army upon the
defenseless city.

At night the house was closed and then the coffins were lifted out of
the boxes and concealed in an apartment of the Mansion while bags of
sand took their place in the outer caskets. A mock funeral was held;
the boxes were carried in a hearse to the graveyard and there deposited
in the earth with the usual ceremonies. The course seemed necessary,
because the enemies of Joseph and Hyrum had taken a ghastly oath to
steal the remains.

At midnight the bodies were taken in their caskets from the Mansion
House by Dimick B. Huntington, Edward Hunter, William D. Huntington,
William Marks, Jonathan H. Holmes, Gilbert Goldsmith, Alpheus
Cutler, Lorenzo D. Wasson, Philip B. Lewis and James Emmett to the
Nauvoo House, the foundation of which was then built, and they were
interred in the basement. Immediately afterward, a terrific storm
of rain came on accompanied by thunder and lightning. The tears of
heaven obliterated all traces of the newly dug graves, and the bodies
remained there in safe repose until a later time when they were removed
elsewhere.

The woe of the Saints cannot be described. They were menaced with
extermination. Their Prophet and Patriarch were dead. Only two of the
Apostles were there, and one of these was supposed to be dying.

The enemies of truth were sure that they had now destroyed the work.
And yet it lives, greater and stronger after the lapse of years! It is
indestructible for it is the work of God. And knowing that it is the
eternal work of God, we know that Joseph Smith, who established it, was
a Prophet holy and pure.



ANECDOTES AND SAYINGS OF THE PROPHET.

"Seek ye wisdom from the best books."

"The cause of human liberty is the cause of God."

"We will never be justly charged with the sin of ingratitude."

"Baptism is a covenant with God that we will do His will."

"All men will be raised from the grave by the power of God, having
spirit in their bodies and not blood."

"Our affections should be placed upon God and His work more intensely
than upon our fellow-beings."

"I will walk through the gates of heaven, and claim what I seal and
those that follow me and my counsel."

"I understand some law, and more justice and know as much about the
rights of American citizens as any man."

"All children are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the moment
they leave this world they are taken to the bosom of Abraham."

"The Lord once told me that what I asked for I should have. I have
been afraid to ask God to kill my enemies, lest some of them should,
peradventure, repent."

"Beware, oh earth! how you fight against the Saints of God and shed
innocent blood; for, in the days of Elijah, his enemies came upon him,
and fire was called down from heaven to destroy them."

"Sectarian priests cry out concerning me and ask: "Why is it that this
babbler gets so many followers and retains them?" I answer: "It is
because I possess the principle of love. All that I offer the world is
a good heart and a good hand."

"I am a rough stone. The sound of the hammer and chisel was never heard
on me until the Lord took me in hand. I desire the learning and wisdom
of heaven alone."

"I asked a short time since for the Lord to deliver me out of the hands
of the governor; and if it needs must be to accomplish it to take him
away; and the next news that came pouring down from there was that
Governor Reynolds had shot himself."

Speaking of the death of Judge Higbee, a just and good man, Joseph said:

"Who is there that would not give all his goods to feed the poor, and
pour out his gold and silver to the four winds to go where Elias Higbee
has gone?"

At Far West, Missouri, on the 4th day of July, 1838, the liberty pole
was struck by lightning and shattered into splinters. Joseph walked
around on the fragments, saying:

"As that pole was splinted, so shall the nations of the earth be."

Soon after the nomination of the Prophet for the Presidency of the
United States, Apostle George A. Smith related that Elder Farnham heard
the people in St. Louis say:

"Things have come to a strange pass if Joseph Smith is elected
President, he will raise the devil with Missouri; and if he is not
elected he will raise the devil anyhow."

An angry sectarian in Kirtland commanded fire to come down out of
heaven to consume the Prophet and his house. Joseph smiled and said:

"You are one of Baal's prophets; your God does not hear you."

A visitor, who remarked that the people had been gathered from the four
quarters of the earth, of different races and creeds, asked the Prophet:

    "Mr. Smith, how do you govern these people?"

    "I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves."

"Salvation cannot come without revelation; it is in vain for any man to
minister without it. No man is a minister of Jesus Christ without being
a Prophet. No man can be a minister of Jesus Christ except he has the
testimony of Jesus, and this is the spirit of prophecy."

The Prophet was preaching in Philadelphia, when a man called out for
a sign and would not let Joseph proceed peaceably with his sermon.
After having vainly warned the man of what Christ said concerning
sign-seekers, the person still persisting, Joseph said to the
congregation:

    "This man is an adulterer."

    "It is true," cried another, "for I caught him in the very act;"
    and the sign-seeker after wards confessed that the charge was
    correct.

"The Saints can testify whether I am willing to lay down my life for
my brethren. If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to
die for a Mormon, I am bold to declare before heaven that I am just as
ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist or a
good man of any other denomination; for the same principle which would
trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the
rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be
unpopular and too weak to defend themselves."

"There are two Comforters spoken of. The first Comforter is the Holy
Ghost. * * * Now what is this other Comforter? It is the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself. When any man obtains this last Comforter he will have
the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from
time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him. They will
take up their abode in him, and the visions of the heavens will be
opened unto him and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may
have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God; and
this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had
such glorious visions."

Sunday, March 10, 1844--"I prophesy in the name of the Lord that Christ
will not come this year; and I also prophesy in the name of the Lord
that Christ will not come in forty years; and if God ever spoke by my
mouth He will not come in that length of time. Jesus Christ never did
reveal to any man the _precise_ time that He _would_ come."

"The Savior, Moses and Elias, gave the keys of the Priesthood to Peter,
James and John, on the Mount, when they were transfigured before Him. *
* * How have we come at the Priesthood in the last days? It came down
in regular succession. Peter, James and John had it given to them, and
they gave it to others." [The Prophet and Oliver Cowdery].

The Laws, and Fosters, and Higbees had threatened to kill Joseph,
alleging that he was a false Prophet and they would do well to rid the
world of him. He preached a funeral sermon upon Elder King Follett, on
Sunday, the 7th day of April, 1844. Referring to the murderous hate of
his enemies he said:

    "If any man is authorized to take away my life because he thinks
    and says I am a false teacher, then, upon the same principle, we
    should be justified in taking away the life of every false teacher;
    and where would be the end of blood? and who would not be the
    sufferer?

    "But meddle not with any man for his religion; and all governments
    ought to permit every man to enjoy his religion unmolested. No
    man is authorized to take away life in consequence of difference
    of religion, which all laws and governments ought to tolerate and
    protect, right or wrong. Every man has a natural, and, in our
    country, a constitutional right to be a false prophet as well as
    a true prophet. If I show, verily, that I have the truth of God,
    and show that ninety-nine out of every hundred professing to be
    religious ministers are false teachers, having no authority, while
    they pretend to hold the keys of God's kingdom on earth, and was
    to kill them because they are false teachers, it would deluge the
    whole world with blood."

Elder O. B. Huntington relates the following circumstance, which was
detailed to him by Father Zera Cole while they were at work in the
Logan temple for the dead:

Brother Cole was with the Camp of Zion which went up to Missouri in
1834. While traveling across a vast prairie, treeless and waterless,
they encamped at night after a long and wearisome day's march. They had
been without water since early morning, and men and animals suffered
greatly from thirst, for it had been one of the hottest days of June.
Joseph sat in his tent door looking out upon the scene. All at once
he called for a spade. When it was brought he looked about him and
selected a spot, the most convenient in the camp for men and teams to
get water. Then he dug a shallow well, and immediately the water came
bubbling up into it and filled it, so that the horses and mules could
stand upon the brink and drink from it. While the camp stayed there,
the well remained full, despite the fact that about two hundred men and
scores of horses and mules were supplied from it.

Elder William Cahoon also told Brother Huntington of this incident.

"There are but a few beings in the world who understand rightly the
character of God. The great majority of mankind do not comprehend
anything, either that which is past or that which is to come, as it
respects their relationship to God. * * * If a man learns nothing more
than to eat, drink and sleep, and does not comprehend the designs of
God, then the beast comprehends as much. If men do not comprehend the
character of God they do not comprehend themselves. I want to go back
to the beginning, and so lift your minds into a more lofty sphere and a
more exalted understanding than what the human mind generally aspires
to.

"I want to ask this congregation--every man, woman and child--to answer
the question in their own hearts, what kind of a being is God? Ask
yourselves; turn your thoughts into your hearts, and say if any of you
have seen, heard or communed with Him. This is a question that may
occupy your attention for a long time. I again repeat the question,
What kind of a being is God? Does any man or woman know? The Scriptures
inform us that 'This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.'"

On the 25th day of June, 1844, at about half past nine a. m., after
repeated solicitations from the Prophet for a personal interview,
Governor Ford came to Carthage jail, in company with Colonel Geddes,
and the following conversation occurred, as reported by Apostle John
Taylor:

_Governor_: "General Smith, I believe you have given me a general
outline of the difficulties that have existed in the country in
the documents forwarded to me by Dr. Bernhisel and Mr. Taylor;
but, unfortunately, there seems to be a great discrepancy between
your statements and those of your enemies. It is true that you are
substantiated by evidence and affidavit, but for such an extraordinary
excitement as that which is now in the country, there must be some
cause, and I attribute the last outbreak to the destruction of the
_Expositor_, and to your refusal to comply with the writ issued by
Esq. Morrison. The press in the United States is looked upon as the
great bulwark of American freedom, and its destruction in Nauvoo was
represented and looked upon as a high-handed measure, and manifests
to the people a disposition on your part to suppress the liberty of
speech and of the press; this, with your refusal to comply with the
requisition of a writ, I conceive to be the principal cause of this
difficulty, and you are, moreover, represented to me as turbulent and
defiant of the laws and institutions of our country."

_General Smith_: "Governor Ford, you, sir, as governor of this state,
are aware of the prosecutions and persecutions that I have endured.
You know well that our course has been peaceable and law-abiding, for
I have furnished this state, ever since our settlement here, with
sufficient evidence of my pacific intentions, and those of the people
with whom I am associated, by the endurance of every conceivable
indignity and lawless outrage perpetrated upon me and upon this people
since our settlement here, and you yourself know that I have kept
you well posted in relation to all matters associated with the late
difficulties. If you have not got some of my communications, it has not
been my fault.

"Agreeable to your orders, I assembled the Nauvoo Legion for the
protection of Nauvoo and the surrounding country against an armed band
of marauders, and ever since they have been mustered I have almost
daily communicated with you in regard to all the leading events that
have transpired; and whether in the capacity of mayor of the city, or
lieutenant-general of the Nauvoo Legion, I have striven, according
to the best of my judgment, to preserve the peace and administer
even-handed justice to all; but my motives are impugned, my acts are
misconstrued, and I am grossly and wickedly misrepresented. I suppose
I am indebted for my incarceration here to the oath of a worthless man
that was arraigned before me and fined for abusing and maltreating his
lame, helpless brother.

"That I should be charged by you, sir, who know better, of acting
contrary to law, is to me a matter of surprise. Was it the Mormons or
our enemies who first commenced these difficulties? You know well we
did not; and when this turbulent, outrageous people commenced their
insurrectionary movements, I made you acquainted with them, officially,
and asked your advice, and have followed strictly your counsel in
every particular. Who ordered out the Nauvoo Legion? I did under
your direction. For what purpose? To suppress these insurrectionary
movements. It was at your instance, sir, that I issued a proclamation
calling upon the Nauvoo Legion to be in readiness, at a moment's
warning, to guard against the incursions of mobs, and gave an order to
Jonathan Dunham, acting major-general, to that effect. Am I then to be
charged with the acts of others; and because lawlessness and mobocracy
abound, and I, when carrying out your institutions, to be charged with
not abiding law? Why is it that I must be made accountable for other
men's acts? If there is trouble in the country, neither I nor my people
made it, and all that we have ever done, after much endurance on our
part, is to maintain and uphold the constitution and the institutions
of our country, and to protect an injured, innocent and persecuted
people against misrule and mob violence.

"Concerning the destruction of the press to which you refer, men may
differ somewhat in their opinions about it; but can it be supposed that
after all the indignities to which we have been subjected outside, that
this people could suffer such a set of worthless vagabonds to come
into our city, and right under our own eyes and protection, vilify
and calumniate not only ourselves, but the character of our wives and
daughters, as was impudently and unblushingly done in that infamous and
filthy sheet? There is not a city in the United States that would have
suffered such an indignity for twenty-four hours. Our whole people were
indignant, and loudly called upon our city authorities for a redress of
their grievances, which if not attended to, they themselves would have
taken the matter into their own hands, and have summarily punished the
audacious wretches, as they deserved.

"The principles of equal rights that have been instilled into our
bosoms from our cradles, as American citizens forbid us submitting to
every foul indignity, succumbing and pandering to wretches so infamous
as these. But, independent of this, the course that we pursued we
considered to be strictly legal; for, notwithstanding the insult, we
were anxious to be governed strictly by law, and therefore convened the
city council; and, being desirous in our deliberations to abide law,
summoned legal counsel to be present on the occasion.

"Upon investigating the matter we found that our city charter gave
us power to remove all nuisances; and, furthermore, upon consulting
Blackstone upon what might be considered a nuisance that distinguished
lawyer, who is considered authority, I believe, in all our courts,
states, among other things, that a libelous and filthy press may be
considered a nuisance and abated as such.

"Here then one of the most eminent English barristers, whose works
are considered standard with us, declares that a libelous and filthy
press may be considered a nuisance, and our own charter, given us by
the legislature of this state, gives us the power to remove nuisances;
and by ordering that press abated as a nuisance, we conceived that we
were acting strictly in accordance with law. We made that order in our
corporate capacity, and the city marshal carried it out. It is possible
there may have been some better way, but I must confess that I could
not see it.

"In relation to the writ served upon us, we were willing to abide the
consequences of our own acts, but were unwilling, in answering a writ
of that kind, to submit to illegal exactions sought to be imposed upon
us under the pretense of law, when we know they were in open violation
of it.

"When that document was presented to me by Mr. Bettisworth, I offered
in the presence of more than twenty persons, to go to any other
magistrate, either in our city or Appanoose, or any other place where
we should be safe, but we refused to put ourselves into the power of a
mob.

"What right had that constable to refuse our request? He had none
according to law; for you know, Governor Ford, that the statute law in
Illinois is, that the parties served with the writ 'shall go before him
who issued it, or some other justice of the peace.' Why, then, should
we be dragged to Carthage, where the law does not compel us to go? Does
not this look like many others of our prosecutions with which you are
acquainted? And had we not a right to expect foul play?

"This very act was a breach of law on his part--an assumption of power
that did not belong to him, and an attempt, at least, to deprive us of
our legal and constitutional rights and privileges. What could we do
under the circumstances different from what we did do? We sued for, and
obtained a writ of _habeas corpus_ from the municipal court, by which
we were delivered from the hands of Constable Bettisworth, and brought
before and acquitted by the municipal court.

"After our acquittal, in a conversation with Judge Thomas, although he
considered the acts of the party illegal, he advised, that to satisfy
the people, we had better go before another magistrate who was not in
our Church.

"In accordance with his advice we went before Esq. Wells, with whom you
are well acquainted: both parties were present, witnesses were called
on both sides, the case was fully investigated, and we were again
dismissed.

"And what is this pretended desire to enforce law, and these lying,
base rumors put into circulation for, but to seek, through mob
influence, under pretense of law, to make us submit to requisitions
that are contrary to law, and subversive to every principle of justice?

"And when you, sir, required us to come out here, we came, not because
it was legal, but because you required it of us, and we were desirous
of showing to you and to all men that we shrink not from the most rigid
investigation of our acts.

"We certainly did expect other treatment than to be immured in a jail
at the instance of these men, and I think, from your plighted faith, we
had a right to, after disbanding our own forces, and putting ourselves
entirely in your hands: and now, after having fulfilled my part, sir,
as a man and an American citizen, I call upon you, Governor Ford, and
think that I have a right to do so, to deliver us from this place, and
rescue us from this outrage that is sought to be practiced upon us by a
set of infamous scoundrels."

_Gov. Ford_: "But you have placed men under arrest, detained men as
prisoners, and given passes to others, some of which I have seen."

_John P. Greene, City Marshal_: "Perhaps I can explain. Since these
difficulties have commenced, you are aware that we have been placed
under very peculiar circumstances, our city has been placed under a
very rigid police guard; in addition to this, frequent guards have
been placed outside the city to prevent any sudden surprise, and those
guards have questioned suspected or suspicious persons as to their
business.

"To strangers, in some instances, passes have been given, to prevent
difficulty in passing those guards. It is some of those passes that you
have seen. No person, sir, has been imprisoned without a legal cause in
our city."

_Governor_: "Why did you not give a more speedy answer to the _posse_
that I sent out?"

_General Smith_: "We had matters of importance to consult upon. Your
letter showed anything but an amicable spirit. We have suffered
immensely in Missouri from mobs, in loss of property, imprisonment and
otherwise.

"It took some time for us to weigh duly these matters. We could not
decide upon matters of such importance immediately, and your _posse_
were too hasty in returning. We were consulting for a large people and
vast interests were at stake.

"We had been outrageously imposed upon, and knew not how far we could
trust anyone; besides a question necessarily arose, how shall we come?
Your request was that we should come unarmed. It became a matter of
serious importance to decide how far promises could be trusted, and how
far we were safe from mob violence."

_Col. Geddes_: "It certainly did look from all I have heard, from the
general spirit of violence and mobocracy that here prevails, that it
was not safe for you to come unprotected."

_Governor_: "I think that sufficient time was not allowed by the
_posse_ for you to consult and get ready. They were too hasty, but I
suppose they found themselves bound by their orders. I think, too,
there is a great deal of truth in what you say, and your reasoning is
plausible: yet I must beg leave to differ from you in relation to the
acts of the city council. That council in my opinion, had no right to
act in a legislative capacity, and in that of the judiciary.

"They should have passed a law in relation to the matter, and then the
municipal court, upon complaint, could have removed it; but for the
city council to take upon themselves the law-making, and the execution
of the law is, in my opinion, wrong; besides, these men ought to have
had a hearing before their property was destroyed, to destroy it
without was an infringement of their rights, besides, it is so contrary
to the feelings of American people to interfere with the press.

"And furthermore, I cannot but think that it would have been more
judicious for you to have gone with Mr. Bettisworth to Carthage,
notwithstanding the law did not require it. Concerning your being in
jail, I am sorry for that, I wish it had been otherwise. I hope you
will soon be released, but I cannot interfere."

_Gen. Smith_: "Governor Ford, allow me, sir, to bring one thing to your
mind, that you seem to have overlooked. You state that you think it
would have been better for us to have submitted to the requisition of
Constable Bettisworth, and to have gone to Carthage.

"Do you not know, sir, that that writ was served at the instance of an
anti-Mormon mob, who had passed resolutions and published them to the
effect that they would exterminate the Mormon leaders; and are you not
informed that Captain Anderson was not only threatened when coming to
Nauvoo, but had a gun fired at his boat by this said mob in Warsaw,
when coming up to Nauvoo, and that this very thing was made use of as
a means to get us into their hands, and we could not, without taking
an armed force with us, go there without, according to their published
declarations, going into the jaws of death?

"To have taken a force would only have fanned the excitement, as they
would have stated that we wanted to use intimidation, therefore we
thought it the most judicious to avail ourselves of the protection of
the law."

_Governor_: "I see, I see."

_Gen. Smith_: "Furthermore, in relation to the press, you say that you
differ from me in opinion; be it so, the thing, after all, is only a
legal difficulty, and the courts, I should judge competent to decide on
that matter.

"If our act was illegal, we are willing to meet it, and although I
cannot see the distinction that you draw about the acts of the city
council, and what difference it could have made in point of fact, law
or justice, between the city council's acting together or separate, or
how much more legal it would have been for the municipal court, who
were a part of the city council, to act separate, instead of with the
councillors.

"Yet, if it is deemed that we did wrong in destroying that press, we
refuse not to pay for it, we are desirous to fulfill the law in every
particular, and are responsible for our acts.

"You say that the parties ought to have a hearing. Had it been a civil
suit, this of course would have been proper; but there was flagrant
violation of every principle of right, a nuisance, and it was abated on
the same principle that any nuisance, stench or putrefied carcass would
have been removed.

"Our first step, therefore, was to stop the foul, noisome, filthy
sheet, and then the next, in our opinion, would have been to have
prosecuted the man for a breach of public decency.

"And furthermore, again, let me say, Governor Ford, I shall look to you
for our protection. I believe you are talking of going to Nauvoo; if
you go, sir, I wish to go along. I refuse not to answer any law, but I
do not consider myself safe here."

_Governor_: "I am in hopes that you will be acquitted; but if I go, I
will certainly take yon along. I do not, however, apprehend danger, 1
think yon are perfectly safe, either here or anywhere else. I cannot,
however, interfere with the law. I am placed in peculiar circumstances,
and seem to be blamed by all parties."

_Gen. Smith_: "Governor Ford, I ask nothing but what is legal. I have a
right to expect protection, at least from you; for, independent of law,
you have pledged your faith, and that of the state for my protection,
and I wish to go to Nauvoo."

Governor: "And you shall have protection, General Smith. I did not make
this promise without consulting my officers, who all pledged their
honor to its fulfillment. I do not know that I shall go tomorrow to
Nauvoo, but if I do, I will take you along."

The governor Left after saying that the prisoners were under his
protection, and again pledging himself that they should be protected
from violence, and telling them that if the troops marched the next
morning to Nauvoo, as he then expected, they would probably be taken
along, in order to ensure their personal safety.



APPENDIX.

NOTE 1.

  FAMILY OF JOSEPH SMITH, SEN.

   NO. NAME.            WHEN BORN.   WHERE BORN.                WHEN DIED.   WHERE DIED.                       FATHER'S NAME.    MOTHER'S NAME.
   1   Alvin Smith      11 Feb. 1799 Tunbridge, Orange Co. Vt.  19 Nov. 1823 Palmyra, Ontario, N. Y.           Joseph Smith, Sr. Lucy Mack.
   2   Hyrum Smith      9  Feb. 1800 Tunbridge, Orange Co. Vt.  27 June 1844 Carthage, Hancock, Ill.           do.               do.
   3   Sophronia Smith  18 May  1803 Tunbridge, Orange Co. Vt.               Coalchester, McDonough, Illinois. do.               do.
   4   Joseph Smith     23 Dec. 1805 Sharon, Windsor Co. Vt.    27 June 1844 Carthage, Hancock, Ill.           do.               do.
   5   Samuel H. Smith  13 Mar. 1808 Tunbridge, Orange Co. Vt.  30 July 1844 Nauvoo, Hancock, Ill.             do.               do.
   6   Ephraim Smith    13 Mar. 1810                            24 Mar. 1810                                   do.               do.
   7   William Smith    13 Mar. 1811 Royalton, Vt.                           Still living 1888.                do.               do.
   8   Catherine Smith  8  July 1812 Lebanon, New Hampshire.                                                   do.               do.
   9   Don Carlos Smith 25 Mar. 1816 Palmyra, Ontario Co. N. Y.    Aug. 1841 Nauvoo, Hancock, Ill.             do.               do.
   10  Lucy Smith       18 July 1821                                         Coalchester, McDonough, Illinois. do.               do.

  FAMILY OF HYRUM SMITH.

   NO. NAME.            WHEN BORN.    WHERE BORN.        WHEN DIED.  WHERE DIED.            FATHER'S NAME.   MOTHER'S NAME.
   1   Lovina Smith     16 Sept. 1827                    8 Oct. 1876 Farmington, Davis, Ut. Hyrum Smith      Jerusha Barden
   2   Mary Smith       27 June 1829                                                        do.              do.
   3   John Smith       22 Sept. 1832 Kirtland, Ohio.                                       do.              do.
   4   Hyrum Smith      27 Apr. 1834  Kirtland, Ohio.    1843        Nauvoo, Hancock, Ill.  do.              do.
   5   Jerusha Smith    13 Jan. 1836  Kirtland, Ohio.                                       do.              do.
   6   Sarah Smith      2 Oct. 1837   Kirtland, Ohio.    6 Nov. 1876 Ogden, Weber, Utah.    do.              do.
   7   Joseph F. Smith  13 Nov. 1838  Far West, Caldwell, Mo.                               do.              Mary Fielding
   8   Martha Ann Smith 14 May 1841   Nauvoo, Hancock, Ill.                                 do.              do.

  FAMILY OF JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET.

   NO. NAME               WHEN BORN.   WHERE BORN.             WHEN DIED. WHERE DIED.           FATHER'S NAME.     MOTHER'S NAME.
   1   Julia M. Smith     30 Apr. 1831 Ohio.                                                    Joseph Smith, Jun. Emma Hale
      (adopted daughter)
   2   Joseph Smith       6  Nov. 1832 Kirtland, Ohio.                                          do.                do.
   3   Fredk. G. W. Smith 20 June 1836 Kirtland, Ohio.         1862       Nauvoo, Hancock, Ill. do.                do.
   4   Alex H. Smith      2  June 1838 Far West, Caldwell, Mo.                                  do.                do.
   5   Don Carlos Smith   13 June 1840 Nauvoo, Hancock, Ill.   Aug. 1841  Nauvoo, Hancock, Ill. do.                do.
   6   David Hyrum Smith  18 Nov. 1844 Nauvoo, Hancock, Ill.                                    do.                do.

NOTE 2.

"As you pass on the mail road from Palmyra, Wayne County, to
Canandaigua, Ontario County, New York, before arriving at the little
village of Manchester, say from three to four, or about four miles from
Palmyra, you pass a large hill on the east side of the road. Why I say
large, is because it is as large, perhaps, as any in that country.

"The north end rises quite suddenly until it assumes a level with the
more southerly extremity, and I think I may say, as elevation higher
than at the south, a short distance, say half or three-fourths of a
mile. As you pass toward Canandaigua it lessens gradually, until the
surface assumes its common level, or is broken by other smaller hills
or ridges, water courses and ravines. I think I am justified in saying
that this is the highest hill for some distance round, and I am certain
that its appearance, as it rises so suddenly from a plain on the north,
must attract the notice of the traveler as he passes by. The north end
(which has been described as rising suddenly above the plain) forms
a promontory without timber, but covered with grass. As you pass to
the south you soon come to scattering timber, the surface having been
cleared by art or wind; and a short distance further left, you are
surrounded with the common forest of the country. It is necessary to
observe that even the part cleared was only occupied for pasturage; its
steep ascent and narrow summit not admitting the plow of the husbandman
with any degree of ease or profit. It was at the second mentioned
place, where the record was found to be deposited, on the west side
of the hill, not far from the top down its side; and when I visited
the place in the year 1830, there were several trees standing--enough
to cause a shade in summer, but not so much as to prevent the surface
being covered with grass, which was also the case when the record was
first found."

NOTE 3.

The record of these inhuman proceedings is made up mainly from the
mobs' own official report of their doings.

NOTE 4.

The revelation in our day of the doctrine of baptism for the dead may
be said to have constituted a new epoch in the history of our race.
At the time the Prophet Joseph received that revelation the belief
was general in Christendom that at death the destiny of the soul was
fixed irrevocably and for all eternity. If not rewarded with endless
happiness, then endless torment was its doom, beyond all possibility
of redemption or change. The horrible and monstrous doctrine, so
much at variance with every element of divine justice, was generally
believed, that the heathen nations who had died without a knowledge of
the true God and the redemption wrought out by His Son, Jesus Christ,
would all be eternally consigned to hell. The belief upon this point
is illustrated by the reply of a certain Bishop to the inquiry of the
king of the Franks, when the king was about to submit to baptism at
the hands of the Bishop. The king was a heathen, but had concluded
to accept the form of religion then called Christianity. The thought
occurred to him that if baptism was necessary for his salvation what
had become of his dead ancestors who had died heathens. This thought
framed itself into an inquiry which he addressed to the Bishop. The
prelate, less politic than many of his sect, bluntly told him they had
gone to hell. "Then, by Thor, I will go there with them," said the
king, and thereupon refused to accept baptism or to become a Christian.

When the Latter-day Saints received the gospel, and learned that
there is but one way by which men can be saved, their thoughts
turned to their dead ancestry. What would be their fate in the great
hereafter? In many cases they knew their parents, grandparents and
other relatives, had been persons who conscientiously lived up to the
light they had received and served God to the best of their ability.
The words of the Prophet Malachi as quoted by the angel Moroni to the
Prophet Joseph, were literally fulfilled:

    Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of
    Elijah the Prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day
    of the Lord.

    And he shall plant in the hearts of the children, the promises made
    to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their
    fathers; if it were not so the whole earth would be utterly wasted
    at His coming.

As predicted, Elijah, the Prophet did come. The hearts of the fathers
were turned to the children, and the children to the fathers, according
to the promise. Then came the revelation of God's plan for the
salvation of the dead who had passed away without the opportunity of
receiving the ordinances of the gospel, administered by those whom
God had authorized to perform them in His name. Peter's words were
explained, where he says:

    For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead,
    that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live
    according to God in the spirit.

Also Paul's to the Corinthians, in which he alludes to baptism for the
dead:

    Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the
    dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?

God's justice and mercy were vindicated. The comprehensive and
far-reaching character of the atonement of the Lord Jesus was made
plain, and the children of men had renewed cause to extol the glorious
plan of salvation provided for the redemption of the human family.
Jesus had died for all. His vicarious atonement had broken the bands of
death. In a limited sphere, by the revelation of the sublime doctrine
of baptism for the dead, His brethren and sisters had the glorious
privilege accorded them of becoming saviors, and contributing to
the general salvation of the race. They, also, could, vicariously,
officiate for those who had died without the opportunity of obeying
baptism and other ordinances essential to salvation, administered by
legally authorized servants of God.

NOTE 5.

The _Illinois Springfield Register_ said of the Prophet's candidacy:

    GENERAL JOSEPH SMITH A CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT.

    It appears by the Nauvoo papers that the Mormon Prophet is actually
    a candidate for the Presidency. He has sent us his pamphlet,
    containing an extract of his principles, from which it appears
    that he is up to the hub for a United States bank and a protective
    tariff. On these points he is much more explicit than Mr. Clay,
    who will not say that he is for a bank, but talks all the time of
    restoring a national currency. Nor will Mr. Clay say what kind of a
    tariff he is for. He says to the south that he has not sufficiently
    examined the present tariff, but thinks very likely it could be
    amended.

    General Smith professes no such fastidious delicacy. He comes right
    out in favor of a bank and a tariff, taking the true Whig ground,
    and ought to be regarded as the real Whig candidate for President,
    until Mr. Clay can so far recover from his shuffling and dodging as
    to declare his sentiments like a man.

    At present we can form no opinion of Clay's principles, except as
    they are professed by his friends in these parts.

    Clay himself, has adopted the notion which was once entertained by
    an eminent grammarian, who denied that language was intended as a
    means to express one's ideas but insisted that it was invented on
    purpose to aid us in concealing them.

The _Iowa Democrat_ said:

    A NEW CANDIDATE IN THE FIELD.

    We see from the _Nauvoo Neighbor_ that General Joseph Smith,
    the great Mormon Prophet, has become a candidate for the next
    Presidency. We do not know whether he intends to submit his claims
    to the National convention, or not; but, judging from the language
    of his own organ, we conclude that he considers himself a full team
    for all of them.

    All that we have to say on this point is, that if superior talent,
    genius and intelligence, combined with virtue, integrity and
    enlarged views, are any guarantee to General Smith's being elected,
    we think that he will be a full team of himself.

    The _Missouri Republican_ believes that it will be death to Van
    Buren, and all agree that it must be injurious to the Democratic
    ranks, inasmuch as it will throw the Mormon vote out of the field.



TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

Various dates in the Appendix tables appear to be incorrect, but were
left as they appear in the original text.





*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet" ***

Copyright 2023 LibraryBlog. All rights reserved.