SPALDING STUDIES LIBRARY -- SPECIAL  COLLECTIONS
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Thomas Gregg
(1808-1892)
The Prophet of Palmyra
(NYC: J. B. Alden, 1890)
Part 2: Chapters 10-21
  • Ch. 10  pp. 096-106   Ch. 11  pp. 107-120
  • Ch. 12  pp. 121-132   Ch. 13  pp. 133-137
  • Ch. 14  pp. 138-148   Ch. 15  pp. 149-155
  • Ch. 16  pp. 156-163   Ch. 17  pp. 164-174
  • Ch. 18  pp. 175-180   Ch. 19  pp. 181-188
  • Ch. 20  pp. 189-195   Ch. 21  pp. 196-205

    •
    Chps.  1-9  |  Chps.  22-33  |  Chps.  34-45  |  Chps.  46-50 & Appendix  |  Comments

     


    Return to page 95


    96                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          







    CHAPTER X.

    A  REVIEW  CONTINUED.

    Testimony of Three Witnesses -- Also of Eight Witnesses -- "What More Need be Said?" -- Death to Behold the Plates -- A Box of Brickbats -- Testimony Analyzed -- Smith's Ipse Dixit -- Collusion or Deception -- Testimony Invalid -- Strang's Failure -- Laban's Sword and Lehi's Directors.

    WE have now shown this Book of Mormon to be utterly valueless as a revelation to mankind; to be puerile, absurd, inconsistent, false, and blasphemous. It does not contain within its lids one known historical or scientific fact, one valuable religious or moral maxim, one elevating or ennobling thought, not to be found elsewhere, promulgated long before its framers had existence.

    Let us next consider the testimony and the means and methods by which it is attempted to palm it upon the world. The fact of its unworthiness alone, however, ought to be conclusive against it. The Almighty could not, by extraordinary or any other means, communicate to mankind an unworthy mesage.

    A story to be believed, must, 1, Be reasonable; 2, Must agree in its several parts; 3, Must comport


     



                              A  REVIEW  CONTINUED.                           97


    port with well-known facts;

    (under construction)




     



    98                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    the commandments of God.

    (under construction)




     



    [ facing 98 ]



     



    T H E   T H R E E  W I T N E S S E S.




     



                            A  REVIEW  CONTINUED.                         99


    "What more need be said? triumphantly exclaims the editor of the Deseret News,

    (under construction)




     



    100                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    covered with a cloth,

    (under construction)




     



                            A  REVIEW  CONTINUED.                         101


    evidently so, also from statements in his autobiography

    (under construction)




     



    102                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    and Harris had each been

    (under construction)




     



                              A  REVIEW  CONTINUED.                             103


    "Prophet, Seer, and Revelator" -- but that he was instead an arrant fraud and impostor.

    (under construction)




     



    104                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    the three thousand dollars must be forthcoming,

    (under construction)




     



                                A  REVIEW  CONTINUED.                             105


    "REVELATION given to Oliver Cowdery,

    (under construction)




     



    106                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    The instruments used by Jared

    (under construction)





     


                            A  FURTHER  REVELATIONS.                         107







    CHAPTER XI.

    FURTHER  REVELATIONS  AND  LABORS.

    The World's Redemption at Hand -- Harris Obstinate, but Yields -- He Sees Money in It -- Revelations Continue -- Church Discipline -- Sidney Rigdon's Hand Manifest -- A New Statement Concerning Him -- Church Organized -- Calvin Stoddard's Conversion -- "Support" for the Prophet -- No. 1 Provided For -- The Elect Lady -- Rigdon Converted -- Takes High Rank -- Parley P. Pratt -- Zion Established -- Fanatical Excesses -- Smith and Cowdery Baptized.

    WE have thus far seen the plates taken from their long repose in the hill of Cumorah, carried abouf in a box by the young prophet, after three years translated, their authenticity and truthfullzess vouched for, and the copyright of a book obtained; and now the work is ready to be issued for the redemption of the world. But it cost something in thosedays, as well as now, to print books; and where was the money to come from to pay for the edition of five thousand copies, deemed necessary to begin with? None of the Smiths and none of the Whitmers, with Cowdery and Page to help, were in a financinl condition sufficiently prosperous to meet the requirement. Martin Harris was the only camel that was known to be able to carry the


     



    108                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    burden; but he was not yet quite willing to kneel down and receive the load. Yet he thought he could see money in the venture. He was told that the retail price for the book had been fixed by divine authority at $1.25 per copy, cheap enough for so valuable a message, and as everybody would be keen to purchase, there must be a fortune in the enterprise. He figured thus: "$1.25 x 5,000 = $6, 259; cost $3,000; profit $3,250, not taking into account the large sums to be obtained on future editions. * Still he hesitated and was rebellious; and to add to his own misgivings, he had at home a very heavy weight to hold him back, in the person of his more cautious wife. But the prophet was equal to the emergency, and brought forth the following to counteract the obstinacy of his dupe:

    "A Commandment of God, and not of man, to Martin Harris, given (Manchester, N. Y., March 1830) by Him who is eternal."

    It was designed to be impressive, for Martin's aid must be secured. After rebuking and threatening him severely for his disobedience and want of faith, section three reads as follows:

    "3. And again I command thee that shalt not thy neighbor's wife, nor seek thy neighbor's life. And again I command thee that thou

    __________
    * Of the many editions of the Book of Mormon yet published, no one ever heard of Martin Harris or his heirs receiving any perquisites. So the venture proved to be not so great a speculation as he imagined.


     



                            A  FURTHER  REVELATIONS.                         109


    shalt not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon, which contains the truth and the word of God, which is my word to the gentiles, that soon it may go to the Jew, of whom the Lamanites are a remnant, that they may believe the gospel, and look not for a Messiah to come, who has already come."

    He was then asked:

    "Behold, canst thou read this without rejoicing and lifting up thy heart for gladness?"

    Subsequent events proved that Mr. Harris had yet some nisgivings as to the condition of his heart, yet he surrendered; the farm was mortgaged, and the printing paid for.

    About this period several revelations were obtained, giving directions as to creed, church polity, and discipline. In these revelations the hand of Sidney Rigdon is conspicuously manifest, although Mormon chronology places his advent among them at some months' later period. This fact strongly confirms the belief that Mr. Rigdon was through the whole a prime acror and mover, behind the scenes, if not the real instigator. In such case, these church affairs must have been subsequently fixed up and ante-dated to suit the occasion.

    Mr. Tucker, in his work on Mormonism, mentions a "mysterious stranger" who was, on several occasions, seen about the Smith residence, during the days that the prophet and Cowdery were engaged in the translation. Of this we had not, until


     



    110                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    lately, been able to obtain any proof, but now have positive testimony on the subject. Under date of January 19, 1885, a gentleman of undoubted character for veracity, now resident of a western state, but who was in the early days of Mormonism residing at Palmyra, and well acquainted with the Smith family, informs us that he saw said Rigdon there at three different dates: once in the spring of 1827, once in the fall of the same year, and again in the summer of 1828; that he was told by a member of the Smith family that it was "Sidney Rigdon, a friend of Joseph's from Pennsylvania." He also informs us that Oliver Cowdery came there from Kirtland, Ohio, in the summer of 1826, and in the autumn took a school in the district in which the Smiths lived; that he came again the next year, and taking the school, taught about a week, when he resigned, and went to writing for the prophet.

    These statements concerning Rigdon and Cowdery throw a flood of light on the early history of the fraud, and they explain the dilemma which occurred during the translation and loss of the 116 pages of manuscript by Martin's disobedience. Rigdon had to be consulted; and he was in Ohio, several hundred miles away. Hence the seven month's interruption and delay.

    On April 6, 1830, the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" was organized, with a membership


     



                            A  FURTHER  REVELATIONS.                         111


    of about thirty persons,

    (under construction)




     



    112                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    The result was rather more dramatic

    (under construction)




     



                            A  FURTHER  REVELATIONS.                         113


    needed for food, and for raiment, and for shoes, and for money, and for scrip."

    (under construction)




     



    114                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    John, the same that is called John

    (under construction)




     



                            A  FURTHER  REVELATIONS.                         115


    numbers of Indian in their own States of New York


     



    116                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    peculiar to themselves

    (under construction)




     



    [ facing 116 ]



     

    P A R L E Y   P.  P R A T T.




     



                            A  FURTHER  REVELATIONS.                         117


    two of these fanatics to have been obtained from Jesus Christ, and signed by him thus:
     | Be ye always ready, |
    { Be ye always ready,  }
     | Be ye always ready, |
    When I Shall Call.
               My Seal:
     
    The command to establish the headqurters at Kirtland was soon felt in that little village and vicinity. As fast as they were made, proselytes were required to remove thither, and of their substance contribute to the building up of Zion. In January, 1831, the first hint of settling on Ohio was given, but in February and March several revelations followed, referring to the Zion and its place "hereafter to be appointed."

    In January we find two revelations, which, as specumens of the Lord's dealings with mankind (According to the New Dispensation), are at least curious and worthy of a place here. James Covill was a convert in New York. For some reason not given, he wanted to go back east, a proposition which Smith did not sanction. After many threatenings and promises, James was directed not to go to the east, "but thou art called to go to the Ohio," Covill, however, disobeyed, and did go


     



    118                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    east. The next revelation

    (under construction)




     



                            A  FURTHER  REVELATIONS.                         119


    into more complete subjection

    (under construction)




     



    120                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    temple was already in process of erection there. Section 12 says:

    (under construction)





     


                                    A  STAKE  PLANTING.                                 121







    CHAPTER XII.

    STAKE  PLANTING.

    Translation of the Scriptures -- Reasons for It -- Translation Suspended -- The First Hegira -- Cowdery's Mission a Failure -- The Stake at Kirtland -- Another in Missouri -- Expedition Thither -- Erza Booth's Secession -- Zion Located -- An Organ Established -- The Expulsion -- A Crusade and its Termination.

    TRANSLATION did not cease with the publication of the Book of Mormon; for while Sidney was sojourning with the prophet in New York, they were employed in the work of translating the New and Old Testaments. Although Rigdon is known to have assisted in this work, Number One always claimed the honor, and expected the emoluments thereof. Its title is:

    "THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, Translated and Corrected by the Spirit of Revelation, by Joseph Smith, Jr., the Seer."

    The reasons given in the preface for this "translation," are"that many plain and precious parts" have been taken away from the Bible:

    "For behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb, many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have been taken away; and all this have they


     



    122                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    ' done, that they might pervert the right ways

    (under construction)




     



                                    A  STAKE  PLANTING.                                123


    my words as naught,

    (under construction)




     



    124                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    in New York were ordered

    (under construction)




     



                                    A  STAKE  PLANTING.                                125


    accompanied by influential, faithful ones,

    (under construction)




     



    126                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    ever reached their destination

    (under construction)




     



                                    A  STAKE  PLANTING.                                127


    did find the church, says Mr. Booth, consisting of four women!

    (under construction)




     



    128                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    The "everlasting" of this revelation proved to be of very short duration

    (under construction)




     



                                    A  STAKE  PLANTING.                                129


    to the leaders. They could not be present at each, to guide and hold in check the followers whose ambition led them to be unruly. Martin Harris, whose money had insured the printing of the Book of Mormon, chafed under the indignities that were constantly heaped upon him; Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, the two other members of the trio of testifiers to the divine origin of the Book of Mormon, left without official superiors in Missouri, also transgressed in some way the behests of the prophet, and were anathematized. The same fate befel several others. Some of these subsequently relented and returned. Harris is believed to have been one of the latter, and to have died in the faith. Cowdery removed to Tiffin, Ohio, and settled in the practice of law, and became a prominent Democratic politician. He died in Missouri, as is claimed by Mormon authority, while on his way to Salt Lake, to again unite his fortune with the sect he had for so many years deserted. Whitmer was still living in 1887, near the deserted Missouri Zion, but occupying in his old age an anomalous position; that of maintaining the correctness of his early testimony, while holding himself aloof from the sect, and characterizing the prophet and his vicegerent as bad men and organizers of the "Danite Band," or "Destroying Angels."

    The years 1832, 1833, and 1834, were periods


     



    130                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    of great activity, much strife, and some apostasy,

    (under construction)




     



                                    A  STAKE  PLANTING.                                131


    of The Latter-Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate, but located at Kirtland.

    (under construction)




    132                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    travel they reached Clay County,

    (under construction)





     


                              AN  ANTI-BANKING  BANK.                           133







    CHAPTER XIII.

    AN  ANTI-BANKING  BANK.

    Rigdon President and Smith Cashier -- Notes Issued -- No Redemption -- Pittsburgh Bankers -- Bank Breaks -- Flight of Its Officers -- The Kirtland Stake Abandoned.

    IN 1836 a company was organized at Kirtland, called the "Kirtland Safety Society," the purpose of which was not well defined. But in January of the following year a meeting was held, and the old constitution annulled, and new articles of agreement entered into. The title of the company was now changed to "Kirtland Safety Society Anti-Banking Company." Its purpose was stated to be:

    "... for the promotion of our temporal interests, and for the better management of our different occupations, which consist in agriculture, mechanical arts and merchandising."

    Its ofiicers were a board of thirty-two managers, a treasurer, and a secretary. The capital stock was declared to be"not less" than four millions of dollars, divided into shares of fifty dollars each. The pay of the managers was fixed at one dollar per day, while actually employed, and of the other; two officers such sum as the managers should decide. A dividend was to be declarcd every six months by


     



    134                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    the treasurer.

    (under construction)




     



                              AN  ANTI-BANKING  BANK.                           135


    the former and the wife of the latter.

    (under construction)




     



    136                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    gained a considerable circulation abroad,

    (under construction)




     



                              AN  ANTI-BANKING  BANK.                           137


    If honesty and fair dealing, and redemption of notes when presented, are the proper attributes of legitimate banking, then the title of "Anti-Banking Bank," as first given this institution, would seem to have been a very proper one.

    And the "stake" at Kirtland was henceforth abandoned, never to be resumed during the lifetime of the prophet. The title to the Temple has since, however, been acquired by the "Reconstructed" branch of the sect, and still remains in their hands.




     


    138                             THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          







    CHAPTER XIV.

    FURTHER  STAKE  PLANTING  --  APOSTASY  AND  PUNISHMENT.

    Adam-ondi-Ahmon, Far West -- And Others -- Apostasy Shows Its Head -- Its Punishment -- The Danites -- War and Violence -- Mobs and Banishment.

    THE flight of the two leaders from Kirtland was a disaster to that stake from which it never recovered. It was now determined to locate a new Zion in Missouri, not in Jackson County, but at a place called Spring Hill, on Grand River. To this the followers were called, and, as on other occasions, they obeyed; those still located at Kirtland, deserting their unfinished temple, left and wended their way to the border-land. Smith and Rigdon were there before them; so was also Brigham Young -- he having left in haste a few days before his chiefs. Many of the refugees from Jackson had settled in Clay County, and had for three or four years been permitted to occupy the ground in comparative peace.

    This Spring Hill settlement was re-named [A]dam-Ondi-Ahmon by revelation; and here the faithful began to settle in great numbers. The place was


     



                            FURTHER  STAKE  PLANTING.                         139


    in Daviess County, and about twenty miles from Far West, the county seat of Caldwell. Far West and considerable of Caldwell were also taken possession of by them. But trouble was in store for the chiefs. During their absence at Kirtland, apostasy had dared to raise its head in more than one of the border camps; and to meet and subdue this insubordination caused them almost as great trouble as did the "border ruffian" element by which they were surrounded. To meet the case, and to bring the discontents to subjection, a secret band, first called the "Daughters of Zion," then the "Destroying Angels," and afterwards known as the "Danite Band," was instituted. That organization was under the control of Smith and Rigdon, and was in existence through the remainder of their sojourn in Missouri, and in Illinois, and has since been an active agent for Brigham Young in Utah. The Mormons have always denied the existence of such a band; treating the charge as a fabrication of the enemy. Many writers, and perhaps a large portion of the reading public, have had doubts concerning it; but the fact is as susceptible of proof as any other dependent on human testimony.

    We have already quoted in a previous chnpter the statement lately made by the venerable David Whitmer. What follows is strongly confirmatory of his story -- given at far distant periods and under


     



    140                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    different circumstances.

    (under construction)




     



                            FURTHER  STAKE  PLANTING.                         141


    The testimony taken on the trial

    (under construction)




     



    142                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    forfeiture.'

    (under construction)




     



                            FURTHER  STAKE  PLANTING.                         143


    of Sidney Rigdon;

    (under construction)




     



    144                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    direct charges and the circumstantial evidences,

    (under construction)




     



                            FURTHER  STAKE  PLANTING.                         145


    the land, and crying out

    (under construction)




     



    146                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    after some months; confinement,

    (under construction)




     



                            FURTHER  STAKE  PLANTING.                         147


    thus united,

    (under construction)




     



    148                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    although this does not justify a mob, yet there are few communities in this country, that would not, if placed in the same situation, have been exasperated to violence."





     


                     ACROSS  THE  MISSISSIPPI  EASTWARD.                 149







    CHAPTER XV.

    ACROSS  THE  MISSISSIPPI  EASTWARD.

    Exodus from Missouri and First Appearance in Illinois -- The Situation.

    ONE of the chief purposes of this work is to give an accurate and faithful history of Mormonism, as it existed during a period of about eight years in the State of Illinois. Such a history, the writer believes, has never been written. Governor Ford, in his History of Illinois, devotes considerable space to this era, embracing the time he occupied the executive chair. But his excellency, like the Governor of Missouri, found the Mormon problem too hard a one to handle; and his work must be regarded as more a defense of his administration during the Mormon era, than an impartial history. The writer approaches this part of his task with more confidence, from the fact that before and during the Mormon sojourn, he was a citizen of the State, and intimately acquainted with many of the events as they transpired.

    Early in their career, claiming more than common sanctity, and in order to be more specially distinguished from the outside world, these people took upon themselves the title of "Latter-Day Saints;"


     



    150                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    and therefore, in their estimation,

    (under construction)




     



                     ACROSS  THE  MISSISSIPPI  EASTWARD.                 151


    denunciatory of the "border ruffians" passed;

    (under construction)




     



    152                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    enterprising, intelligent, and generous people,

    (under construction)




     



                     ACROSS  THE  MISSISSIPPI  EASTWARD.                 153


    of the prophet to locate on the west side

    (under construction)




     



    154                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    him because he would not agree

    (under construction)




     



                     ACROSS  THE  MISSISSIPPI  EASTWARD.                 155


    The population of the county was about five

    (under construction)


     


    156                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          







    CHAPTER XVI.

    IMMIGRATION  AND  SETTLEMENT.

    Status in Illinois -- The New City -- Mission to Washington -- Governor Lucas's Letter -- Great Church Conference -- Mission to the Jews in Europe and Asia -- Call to the Faithful.

    SUCH was the status of Hancock County (Illinois), and its people and neighborhood, when this Mormon immigration began in their midst. The rank and file continued to stream into Quincy, as a crossing place, from their late homes in Missouri, and thence into the near communities, during the whole spring of 1839; and as they arrived, they were reivedwith open arms by the inhabitants. And as the spring and summer of that year passed, many of them made homes wherever there was an empty house in the city, or log cabin in the country, on farm or in village, fit to receive a family. They were thus soon located at different points all over Hancock, and to some extent through the adjoining counties of Pike, Schuyler, McDonough, Henderson, and Warren. Their heaviest settlements in Hancock, after Nauvoo, were at La Harpe, Plymouth, Macedonia, Green Plains, and Montebello.


     



                           IMMIGRATION  AND  SETTLEMENT.                        157


    Active proselytism was was immediately commenced in all the neighborhoods about home, and numerous missionaries were sent abroad to preach. Again the call, or more properly the command, was issued for the faithful to repair to Nauvoo, to aid in building up the city. Nor was the requisite revelation wanting in aid of the new location. "Thus sayeth the Lord," -- as on so many former occasions -- was again sent abroad, and again it was answered by an immigration greater than had responded to it on any former occasion.

    In September, 1839, the city of Nauvoo was laid out and named, its legal proprietors being Joseph Smith, Jr., Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith, and George W. Robinson. Afterwards, down to May, 1843, as many as fifteen additions had been made to it, in several of which the prophet was interested; always with an eye single to his own advantage.

    The name "Nauvoo" was said by its projectors to be Hebrew for "pleasant land." Whether this be true, we leave for linguists to determine, but the site is acknowledged on all hands to be one of the most pleasant and beautiful on the Mississippi River. It is presumed, however, that the prophet knew about as much of the Hebrew as he did of the "Reformed Egyptian" (whatever that may


     



    158                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    be), the language in which the message was written on the golden plates.

    (under construction)




     



                           IMMIGRATION  AND  SETTLEMENT.                        159


    declining to take further action;

    (under construction)




     



    160                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    "Since their expulsion

    (under construction)




     



                           IMMIGRATION  AND  SETTLEMENT.                        161


    cities of London,

    (under construction)




     



    162                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    Committee of Congress,

    (under construction)




     



                           IMMIGRATION  AND  SETTLEMENT.                        163


    heretofore used the terms

    (under construction)


     


    164                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          







    CHAPTER XVII.

    PROGRESS  AND  POLITICS.

    First Great Error -- Presidential Election of 1840 -- How Will the Prophet Vote? -- Whig Convention -- Nominations -- A Disgraceful Act -- Little and Douglas -- Dr. Charles -- The Charters -- Their Character -- Organizations -- John C. Bennett -- The Warsaw Signal -- Smith Offended -- His Characteristic Letter -- The "Times and Seasons."

    THE first great error committed by the people of Illinois, in regard to the Mormons and Mormonism, was in placing too much reliance on their stories of persecution. They were continually reiterated, and believed as often as asserted. The Mormons were among them, objects qf sympathy and aid; the " border ruffians" of Missouri and Ohio were at a distance; and that was before railroads and telegraphs and fast mails had penetrated these prairie States.

    Another great wrong had its origin in party spirit. The two great parties of the nation, Democratic and Whig, were pretty evenly balanced in both county and State, and a highly exciting Presidential election was approaching. It was generally understood, or so proclaimed, that while in Missouri Mr. Smith had been an adherent of the


     



                            PROGRESS  AND  POLITICS.                         165


    Democratic party; but the rebuff he had met with at Washington had greatly exasperated him against the existing Van Buren administration. In addition be had been kindly aided by Mr. Stuart in Congress, and decorously treated by the great Whig leader, Henry Clay. It was apparent thnt the prophet's influence could control the vote of his followers; and that this vote, if all thrown to one party, would soon be sufficient to decide all political contests in the county, and perhaps in the State. Hence, it was only natural that politicians of both parties should seek to attach the prophet to their interests. In August, 1839, the election did not turn on party politics, and but few of the new-comers being voters, the result was much as before -- some of the aspirants from each party being elected.

    As the Presidential campaign progressed during the summer of 1840, it was generally believed that the prophet would vote against Mr. Van Buren; but that he would desert the whole Democratic ticket was uncertain. As he had now several hundred votes at his control, it became a matter of importance with candidates to secure his favor; and it was wonderful how many of them had business at Nauvoo. And while there, of course duty and curiosity both required that they should call on the prophet, laugh at his rough jokes, listen to


     



    166                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    his anathemas against Governor Boggs

    (under construction)




     



                            PROGRESS  AND  POLITICS.                         167


    placed at the head of the editorial columns

    (under construction)




     



    168                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    Mr. Lincoln had in some way unknown rendered himself obnoxious to the prophet.

    (under construction)




     



                            PROGRESS  AND  POLITICS.                         169


    1841, by being thrown from a buggy.

    (under construction)




     



    170                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    manner they did, omitted the performance of their plain duty.

    (under construction)




     



                            PROGRESS  AND  POLITICS.                         171


    and the University

    (under construction)




     



    172                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    that Bennett was a stranger

    (under construction)




     



                            PROGRESS  AND  POLITICS.                         173


    reigning authority at Nauvoo.

    (under construction)




     



    174                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    "This Bennett was probably the greatest scamp in the Western country. I have made particular inquiries concerning him, and have traced him in several places in which he has lived before he joined the Mormons -- in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois -- and he was everywhere accounted the same delsauched, unprincipled and profligate character. He was a man of some little talent, and had the confidence of the Mormons, and particularly that of the leaders." -- Hist, of Illinois, page 263.

    In referring to the appointment of Bennett to be Master in Chancery, the Signal had used the following language:

    "Bennett has but recently become an inhabitant of this State. He came here followed by evil report -- he joins a sect and advocates a creed in which no one believes he has any faith -- his true character is not known to our citizens, nor have they any confidence in him."

    To this the next jssue of the Times and Seasons responded:

    "... But General Bennett's character as a gentleman, an officer, a scholar and physician, stands too high to need defending by us; suflice it to say that he is in the confidence of the executive, holds the office of Quarter-Master-General of the State, etc."

    It is interesting to contrast this with what these people had to say of Dr. Bennett about a year afterwards -- for which see a future chapter.


     


                              AN  ANTI-MORMON  PARTY.                          175







    CHAPTER XVIII.

    AN  ANTI-MORMON  PARTY.

    Unworthy Sycophancy -- A Growing Apprehension -- Public Meetings -- Anti-Mormon Party -- Candidates Elected -- Thomas Ford Nominated for Governor -- The Wasp.

    THE consideration with which the prophet was treated by the great men of the land --governors, judges, politicians, divines, and others -- had much effect in pampering his pride and vanity, and leading him on to his destruction. Had all these prominent men treated him as they knew he deserved, and sternly said to him: "Joseph Smith! you are an arrant knave and impostor, and deserve the contempt of all honest men," or had they even neglected to run after and fawn upon him; he would have fallen into obscurity, and we would long since have ceased to hear of Mormonism, except as one of those fantastic tricks with which the world is so frequently afflicted.

    The following is one among many instances of the character to which we refer. On a certain Sunday in May, Judge Douglas, then holding court in Capthage, in company with Cyrus Walker, Esq., an attorney at the bar -- prominent leaders in the


     



    176                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    two great political parties --

    (under construction)




     



                              AN  ANTI-MORMON  PARTY.                          177


    namely, the organization of a party

    (under construction)




     



    178                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    party strife,

    (under construction)




     



                              AN  ANTI-MORMON  PARTY.                          179


    his stead.

    (under construction)




     



    180                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    They were conducted -- the monthly or religious organ -- mainly by the prophet himself, though often relieved by others of his principal adherents, and the latter, a weekly secular sheet, by John Taylor, an English convert. The ability displayed in their editorial management was below that of most of the country press of the State.







     

    [ facing 181 ]





    T H E   T E M P L E   A T  N A U V O O.




     




                              THE  NAUVOO  TEMPLE.                          181






    CHAPTER XIX.

    THE  NAUVOO  TEMPLE.

    Temple Building -- At Nauvoo -- Corner-Stones Laid -- Revelation Demanding It -- Also a "Boarding House" -- The "Nauvoo House" Unfinished -- Stockholders Named by Revelation

    TEMPLE building seems to have ever been one of the chief purposes of Mormonism. The prophet began at a very early day, at Kirtland, to extract money and labor from his followers, ostensibly for the purpose of rearing a grand structure in Zion, in which to worship and receive messages from the Most High. One was built there, but never finished until thirty or forty years after his death. Others, how many we do not know, were begun or projected in Missouri; and now a still more imposing and magnificent one is to be commenced tn Nauvoo.

    The revelation ordering this great work is one of the most elaborate and remarkable among the many issued by him. As it could only be built by the free-will offerings of his people, ample provision had to be made to secure these. One of the latest revelations given in Missouri, was at Far West, dated July 8, 1838, and was in answer to the question


     



    182                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    "O Lord, show unto thy servants how much thou requirest

    (under construction)




     



                              THE  NAUVOO  TEMPLE.                          183


    Mormon authority,

    (under construction)




     



    184                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    called to make a solemn proclamation

    (under construction)




     



                              THE  NAUVOO  TEMPLE.                          185


    and my servant John Snyder,

    (under construction)




     



    186                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    Then it goes on to organize a stock company

    (under construction)




     



                              THE  NAUVOO  TEMPLE.                          187


    And yet that house, which was to be

    (under construction)




     



    188                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    And the temple was built, though never completely finished,

    (under construction)







     

    [ facing 189 ]





       H Y R U M   S M I T H.




     




                            MUCH  ADO  ABOUT  THEFT.                         189





    CHAPTER XX.

    MUCH  ADO  ABOUT  THEFT.

    Hyrum Smith's Affidavit -- And the Twelve -- Brother Joseph's Affidavit and Proclamation -- The Court-Martial and all the Generals.

    ONE of the many charges made against the Latter-Day Saints while in Illinois, was that the rank and file were prone to appiopriate the property of their Gentile neighbors to their own use. That this propensity did exist among them, to a greater extent than among outsiders, is capable of the clearest demonstration, though strenuously denied on their part. There were two causes -- excuses, we may say -- for this propensity. One was the extreme poverty of many of them, dragged about, as many of them had been, from place to place, and robbed of their scanty means, to pamper their leaders; and the other was, the teachings of the leaders themselves. It is not to be supposed that the prophet or many of his numerous missionaries meant to inculcate theft; but they did teach, and it was ever one of the chief burdens of their harangues, that "the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof," and that the Gentile possessions were soon to fall into the hands of his Saints for an inheritance,


     



    190                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    and "we" are his Saints.

    (under construction)




     



                            MUCH  ADO  ABOUT  THEFT.                         191


    characters on earth,

    (under construction)




     



    192                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    and "we" are his Saints.

    (under construction)




     



                            MUCH  ADO  ABOUT  THEFT.                         193


    brass, and its face like steel,

    (under construction)




     



    194                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    and assist in bringing them

    (under construction)




     



                            MUCH  ADO  ABOUT  THEFT.                         195


    "To Maj.-Gen. Bennett: -- I approve of the above decision, and submit it to you

    (under construction)





     


    196                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          







    CHAPTER XXI.

    THE  GAME  OF  HABEAS  CORPUS.

    Arrest of Smith at Quincy, 1841 -- Trial Before Judge Douglas at Monmouth and Discharge -- Attempted Assassination of Governor Boggs of Missouri -- O. P. Rockwell Charged with the Crime -- New Demand for Smith and Rockwell -- Arrest in Nauvoo -- Habeus Corpus Applied by the Municipal Court -- Ford's Statement -- Re-arrest and Trial Before Judge Pope and Discharge -- The Writs, Etc.

    IT will be remembered that the prophet and three or four of his associates had made their escape from prison in Missouri, and were consequently regarded as fugitives from justice. It was afterwards asserted, and was probably true, that their escape was effected by the connivance or gross carelessness of the officers in charge. At any rate, it is believed that the Missouri authorities were quite willing to be relieved of their presence. If this were really so, there can be no valid reason shown, why efforts should be again made to obtain them. Yet Missouri justice, or Missouri vengeance, was not satisfied; for, on June 5, 1841, Mr. Smith, being in Quincy, was arrested on a warrant from Governor Carlin, on a requisition from the Governor of Missouri. Smith's counsel


     



                      THE  GAME  OF  HABEAS  CORPUS.                   197


    at once obtained a writ of habeccs corpus from Calvin A. Qarren, Esq., Master in Chancery for Adams County -- Judge Douglas being then absent holding court at Monmouth, Warren County. But coming home to Quincy before the trial of the writ, he ordered the writ and the prisoner to be sent to Monmouth for a hearing on the following Monday. This was done, and after argument of counsel, the prisoner was discharged, on the ground that the writ had been once returned before it was served, and was functus officio.

    The warrant for arrest, it appeared, had before been in the hands of an officer, who, through fear, or for some other cause, had returned it to the executive office. This arrest and discharge of the prophet caused much excitement and comment, at Nauvoo and elsewhere. The decision of the judge was generally accepted as correct; yet a strong suspicion prevailed that the whole thing was arranged and concocted for political effect. Of this we know of no existing proof.

    On the morning of the 7th of May, 1842, the people near his residence in Missouri, mere startled to learn that during the night an attempt had been made to assassinate ex-Governor Boggs of that State. He had been fired at through his window, as he sat reading in his room, and seriously but not fatally wounded. The assassin, who was afterwards


     



    198                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    strongly suspected to have been the notorious Orrin P. Rockwell, of Nauvoo,

    (under construction)




     



                      THE  GAME  OF  HABEAS  CORPUS.                   199


    of this work, it is not difficult to believe

    (under construction)




     



    200                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    secreted somewhere in the city.

    (under construction)




     



                      THE  GAME  OF  HABEAS  CORPUS.                   201


    "As I before said,

    (under construction)




     



    202                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    of for several days;

    (under construction)




     



                      THE  GAME  OF  HABEAS  CORPUS.                   203


    "The People of the State of Illinois,

    (under construction)




     



    204                           THE PROPHET OF PALMYRA.                          


    officials, were engaged in;

    (under construction)




     



                      THE  GAME  OF  HABEAS  CORPUS.                   205


    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."




    continue reading on: p. 206



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