Mormon History
General Alarm by Iowa Citizens - 1841
The Warsaw Signal – October 6, 1841
From the
Burlington Hawkeye and Patriot.
LATTER-DAY-ISM.
NUMBER ONE.
Mr. Editor -- It is with
extreme reluctance that the undersigned are induced to intrude upon the public,
what will probably by many of your readers be considered merely as private
grievances; but the indignities and injuries which we have suffered at the hands
of the deluded followers of that wretched impostor, Joe Smith, have been so many
and frequent, that forbearance long since ceased to be a virtue; and a sense of
duty to ourselves and others, impels us to make the following statement -- which
may be the means of preventing some individuals from making shipwreck of their
fortunes and character, by embracing this miserable scheme of humbug and
delusion.
It may be proper here to remark, that we shall state facts -- facts that can be
neither gainsayed nor denyed; and if half the truth is told, it will convince
the world that "truth is stranger than faction," and will act like the spear of
Ithuriel, in exposing in all their deformity, some of the atrocious features of
an imposture, a ridiculous and silly as the designs of its authors are dangerous
and treasonable.
That there are not some worthy men and good citizens who sincerely believe in
the mission of Joe Smith as a Prophet, we should be sorry to believe, but in
speaking of a community like this, we speak of them collectively and of the
general features of their system.
They have now been in our midst for more than two years; they came among us in a
destitute and suffering condition, a condition that called into lively exercise
all the benevolent feelings of our natures; we believed that they had been
persecuted for their religious sentiments, that a majority of them were honest,
and we were disposed to give them an opportunity to live down -- if false -- the
evil reports that have followed them, whenever they have been compelled to make
a removal. In proof that a kindly disposition has been exercised, we may point
to the fact that until very recently not a newspaper in their vicinity has
published a harsh remark in reference to them [or] their Prophet. How has the
kindness thus extended been requited? they have rung the [charges] on their
"persecutions in Missouri" till it no longer possesses the power to bind
together the discordant elements of Mormonism, and abuse of the men that have
opened their doors to them and ever treated them kindly, has become the order of
the day; the events of the past year have forced the conviction upon us, that in
relation to their troubles in Missouri, there are "two sides to the story."
Three years since, we could retire at night without that painful feeling of
insecurity which now exists; then it was unnecessary to lock our buildings to
secure our property from robbers; now, nothing is safe however strongly secured
by bolts and bars.
The undersigned having been somewhat in the way of the fulfillment of a
pretended revelation relative to the building up a city at Montrose -- which
being interpreted into the unknown tongue of Mormonism means 'Zarahemla' -- have
been the greatest sufferers by these depredations. No less than thirteen
Robberies, amounting in value to more than one thousand dollars, having been
committed on our property since the Mormons came here; and though we have
offered rewards for the detection of the thieves and the recovery of the
property, we have never in a single instance succeeded in accomplishing either;
a case in which we made an attempt to ferret out the thieves and were thwarted
by the direct interference of Joe Smith will presently be mentioned.
We subjoin an account of the various robberies:
Robbery 1st. -- Store robbed of a general assortment of goods, a Mormon bishop
at the time living over head with only a thin floor between.
Robbery 2d. -- Ware house broken open and robbed of one barrel of pork, two
barrels sugar, and five kegs lard.
Robbery 3d. -- Smoke house entered by breaking the lock and robbed of 33 hams
and 11 shoulders.
Robbery 4th. -- 14 barrels salt stolen from the building where it was stored.
Robbery 5th. -- 1 barrel salt.
Robbery 6th. -- 1 saddle, bridle and martingale stolen from stable.
Robbery 7th. -- 1 wagon wheels stolen from wagon standing in front of the house.
Robbery 8th. -- 3 saddles, bridles, and martingales stolen from stable.
Robbery 9th. -- 60 bushels wheat, in sacks, stolen from Granary.
Robbery 10th. -- Ware house again entered by breaking lock and robbed of 6 boxes
glass, 150 pounds bacon, (together with 2 boxes axes belonging to C. Peck, Esq.)
Robbery 11th. -- 6 barrels salt, the salt taken from the barrels and the barrels
left.
Robbery 12th. -- 300 to 400 bushels of corn stolen from the crib during the past
summer at various times.
Robbery 13th. -- 1 wheel stolen from a chariot standing in the enclosure of the
undersigned.
These are the principle robberies to say nothing of petty, every day stealing of
trifles which is annoying enough. The character of the articles stolen precludes
the idea that they were taken to any considerable distance from Montrose or
Nauvoo. The robbery last mentioned must have been from sheer malice, as one
wheel of a carriage could be of no benefit to any one.
The premises from which our conclusions are drawn that the greater part of this
mischief is done by Mormons are, that in every case of robbery, the silly story
is at once raised by them and circulated with the greatest industry that we have
secreted our own property for the sake of [making] an excitement against the
Mormons; or the robbery is justified and surprise expressed that we don't lose
more than we do, because we oppose the swindling schemes of their Prophet. As
before stated the stand taken by us to prevent the building up of Montrose by
the "Latter days," had rather thwarted their plans and the Prophet himself
proclaimed that "he did not care how much was stolen from K----s," thus giving
full license to his followers to go on and plunder as much as they pleased,
often indeed in his discourses justifying theft, by citing the example of Christ
while passing through the corn field; on one occasion said the world owed him a
good living and if he could not get it without he would steal it, "and catch me
at it" said he, "if you can." This is the doctrine that is taught "not to be
caught -- stealing." -- It has for months been the common talk among the
understrappers of Joe Smith that we should be driven from the place; the various
robberies of which we have given a history show the means by which such a result
is to be brought about.
We come now to a circumstance which goes clearly to show the hollow hearted
character of the scoundrel prophet and the other leading Mormons, and which
convinces us that all their pretended zeal for the destruction of villainy, and
the punishment of offenders, is a mere ruse to give persons abroad a favorable
opinion of their morals, and is a piece with the farce exhibited in the
enactment of a law by the City Council of Nauvoo, that no ardent spirits should
be sold within the corporate limits of Nauvo under severe penalties, yet winking
at the establishment of a drunkery at the very portals of the Temple, and in
full view of the mayor's office. The morning after robbery No. 10, convinced by
traces in the sand on the bank of the river that the property stolen had been
taken across the river, with a view to obtain of possible a further clue to the
robbers, one of the undersigned accompanied by a young man from Ohio, went to
one of the leaders of the society (Stephen Markham) at Nauvoo, and solicited his
aid in ferreting out the thieves which he appeared quite willing to render; we
examined several skiffs along the river bank, and at length came to one
belonging to J. C. Annis, an Elder. Markham observed that he believed that James
Dunn (a son-in-law of Annis,) was the thief, and added "Old Annis is, in my
opinion no better;" pointing to the skiff he continued "if that skiff could
speak it would tell you where your goods are." Some further conversation was
had, as to the best place of making some discoveries of the [robber], and he
(Markham) have the names of James Dunn, an Elder, -- D. B. Smith, a relative to
the Prophet Joe, -- O. P. Rockwell, _____ Stevens, -- J. D. Parker, Elder and
Capt. Nauvoo Legion, -- H. G. Sherwood, City Marshal and Elder, as being very
suspicious characters, at the same time remarking that he did not believe
Sherwood would be concerned in committing any of the robberies himself but that
he would probably be willing to share the plunder.
The young man that accompanied the writer observed that he formerly knew D. B.
Smith in Ohio, and he thought he could gain his confidence, and by stratagem
obtain information of the place of concealment of the stolen goods. This by the
advice of a magistrate and a legal gentleman he undertook; to gain their
confidence he found an easy matter and he soon had an interview with Dunn, Smith
and Rockwell, who he avers proposed to him to aid them in robbing the store of
the undersigned; to this he assented, and the arrangements were made on their
part to commit the robbery and on ours to take them in the act. It is believed
that up to this moment Markham was desirious that the guilty should be caught,
but he with other leaders, found the matter was going too far, that if we
succeeded in catching so many of their elders it would raise an excitement
against them, and show the world their true characters; here too was a fine
opportunity for the gratification of those vindictive feelings by which it is
well known Joe Smith is ever actuated. The Prophet therefore causes the young
man to be arrested, orders him to give up every thing he has on his person,
cocks and presents his rifle and threatens to shoot -- to use his own language
on the occasion -- "quicker than hell can srorch a feather;" the young man was
taken before the Mayor's Court consisting of officers of the Nauvoo Legion as
follows: -- Major General Bennett, Mayor, &c., Lieut. Gen. Joe Smith, Prophet,
seer, revelator, merchant, &c. &c., Col. Fuller of the Legion and another
officer of the Legion, the six individuals above named were then called as
witnesses, and though they appeared to rejoice at their narrow excape through
the firmness of their leaders, they showed a spirit of vindictiveness towards
the young man who from a sincere desire that justice might be done, consented to
watch their movements: they testifyed that he had counterfeit coin in his
possession. On the part of the defence it was proved that the coin was loaned to
him by the Magistrate before alluded to, and the writer for the purpose of
showing it, to induce them to belkieve that he could supply any quantity and to
inspire them with confidence in him, yet with all this testimony going to show
his good intentions, that the coin was given to him for a specific purpose, that
he was engaged in a laudable endeavor to bring the guilty to justice, this
Mormon Court Martial bound him over for his appearance at Court. And where
was Stephen Markham the Mormon leader who could in one moment have set the
matter in its true light? The moment the young man was arrested he mounted his
horse and started for Quincy, and thus avoided giving testimony that would at
once have set the young man at liberty.
With this matter, is closely connected the conspiracy as the Mormons please to
call it. A young man living with Joe, a relative of the elect lady (Joe's wife)
by the name of Lorenzo D. Wassen & O. P. Rockwell complained that the
undersigned had conspired, &c., to unlawfully procure an indictment.
The same six witnesses that appeared in the former case, were sworn on the part
of the prosecution. The undersigned viewing the whole proceedings with that
contempt which they merited, asked the witnesses no questions, and introduced no
witnesses themselves, yet with all their efforts, the complaint was unsustained
by a shadow of proof; to have done any thing with us under such
circumstances, would have been too barefaced even for a Mormon Court Martial,
and we were of course immediately discharged. That this malicious prosecution
was instigated and set on foot by Joe Smith, it is useless for him to deny; he
said previously that he would have us arrested, and afterwards boasted that he
had; as for his tool Lorenzo D. Wassen, we have only to say that, he did not
even make his appearance in court, it was sufficient for him to please the
"money-digger" he had perjured himself for the purpose of injuring one
who never saw him or heard of him before.
The evening that these proceedings took place, and during our absence, a
valuable horse was poisoned, and the evening subsequently another was posioned;
these two horses were standing in a stable with their heads to open windows,
three other horses not thus exposed escaped.
Would it be taxing our credulity too much to believe, that a man who could
conceive a murderous plot to assassinate a man that opposed his designs, and
that has had -- if he has not now -- a "Danite band" to "haul his enemies
into the brush" and "Destroying Angels," commissioned to kill their cattle, burn
their buildings, poison their wells, and destroy their lives, if necessary to
the accomplishment of his infamous designs, would for a moment hesitate to
employ desperadoes to commit any or all the acts of outrage with which we have
been visited?
Allusion has been made to a pretended revelation which conflicts with the
interests of the undersigned and others. Our object being to strip from this
impostor the "silver veil" that covers his hideousness, we shall in a future
article give a history of the revelation, and the interests with which it
conflicts. It may appear to some that our remarks about this bold Blasphemer are
harsh in the extreme, but a moment's reflection will convince any one, that he
is either what he claims to be, a Prophet of the Lord, or a scoundrel with out
one redeeming quality, and capable of doing any deed of darkness.
D. W. & EDW. KILBOURN.
Montrose, Iowa, Sept. 20, 1841.