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PART I.
J O S E P H S M I T H,
HIS FAMILY AND HIS FRIENDS.
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I had read of the several movings and strange migrations of the Mormons; of their troubles and turmoils with their always-persecuting neighbors; with state and national authorities. It was hard for me to believe that in free America any religious sect could be persecuted merely because it was too pure and good. Still, might not Mormonism be just the one exception proving the rule of perfect religious toleration in this most tolerant and easy-going Republic? I resolved to examine the matter and see for myself on which side was the burden of wrong-doing, and what of truth there might be in this strange and continual charge from the Mormon side of "persecution." It has been my way to study eccentric and exceptional movements, political and religious, in the personal characters of the leading spirits of such movements.
Having applied my usual method in the case of Joseph Smith and his associates, I find that the world at large and especially the thousands of Mormons in Utah know but little of the true life, character and actions of Joseph Smith and the ringleaders of the so-called Mormon Church and Kingdom. In my investigations I learned to my surprise that Mormons by the thousand have left their leaders in
16
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
the early times of the Church and neither came to Utah nor rejoined their ranks. The vast majority of the poor dupes in Utah and surrounding Territories, never having passed through such experiences as drove Mormons by the wholesale into rebellion and indignant apostacy, and drove those who continued steadfast in their infatuation from their places of settlement and sojourn in Ohio, Missouri and Illinois, are utterly incredulous, even refusing to believe the facts when recited and fully sustained, and thus remain in profound and blissful ignorance of much they ought to know, and which, if known, would undoubtedly influence them to repudiate any institution making it possible to have committed such acts in the name of God and religion.
Stories and reports of the criminal conduct of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and their henchmen, did not rise from nothing, but are found to have had their origin in facts, which can be fully established and proven under the rules of historical investigation and criticism, Let me first introduce those of my witnesses who knew Joseph Smith's parents. It must be interesting to the reader to know the tree from which fell this prodigious apple.
THE PROPHET'S PARENTS.
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The Old Patriarch and Blesser, Joseph Smith, Sr. -- A Mother of Lies -- A Pair of Splendid Gypsies -- The Father
of the Prophet Lectures on Money-Digging and Geology.
Mrs. P. states: "Joseph's father, the first Patriarch (if not President) of the Mormon 'Church' was very tall; his crooked nose was very prominent; he was a real peasant, without any education. Joseph looked very much like him. Old Smith sold the blessings, which he used to pronounce on the heads of the faithful, at $3 apiece, and sold a good many of them for years."
A Pair of Splendid Gypsies.
17
Mr. W. states: "I knew old father Smith when he was about eighty years old; he was a great fanatic, and believed that Joseph was inspired from his boyhood on."
Mrs. P. states: "Joseph's mother was a little woman; she looked very vulgar. She was full of low cunning; no trick was too mean for her to make a little money. You could not believe a word of what she said. She used to talk a great deal about Mormonism. Everybody's opinion of her was, that she was a thorough liar. Her daughter wrote that book about Joseph for her. She and her husband looked like a pair of splendid gypsies. They looked wild and ignorant. Seeing them, nobody could doubt the stories about their money-digging, fortune-telling, etc."
Now, this is rather hard on the old couple. I know that the excellent lady who gave me these details spoke the absolute truth, but I cannot enjoy it. I rather like old "Mr. Smith" and Mrs. Lucy Smith, nee Mack. Why admire Mr. and Mrs. Micawber and be hard on Mr. and Mrs. Smith? They are splendid people in their way. Lying was as natural to them as drinking water, and they do it in a delightful way; it's prestidigitation with the truth, you see; artistic skill, acquired by a life's practice. Just read old Lucy's book on Joseph the prophet, for instance where she tells that Mrs. Harris wanted to force money on her, and that she refused it scornfully; read her description of the "breast-plate," which she valued at five hundred dollars, and that other of the "Urim and Thummim," which consisted of "three-cornered diamonds set in glass." And Joseph wore them always on
his person It is not vulgar lying, it is the talent
of Sheherezade, without the bloody Sultan, and without alas! the dreamy atmosphere of the Orient.
Old "Mr. Smith" is the Micawber of the family. His imagination is an Ophir of delightful absurdities, hatched in an atmosphere filled with the sound of the urgent but never-heeded claims of his countless creditors. I will give you one example of his, a little lecture on money-digging, with a smack of geological discoveries of his own, showing a real but neglected talent for this
18
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
branch of science. Peter Ingersoll, an old acquaintance of his, puts it in this shape: *
"I was once ploughing near the house of old Joseph Smith. When about noon, he requested me to walk with him a short distance from his house, for the purpose of seeing whether a mineral rod would work in my hand, saying at the same time he was confident it would. When we arrived near the place at which he thought there was money, he cut a small witch-hazel bush and gave me direction how to hold it. He then went oft some rods, and told me to say to the rod, ' Work to the money? which I did in an audible voice. He rebuked me severely for speaking it loud, and said it must be said in a whisper. While the old man was standing off some rods, throwing himself into various shapes, I told him the rod did not work. He seemed much surprised at this, and said he thought he saw it move in my hand. . . . Another time he told me the best time for digging money was in the heat of summer, when the heat of the sun caused the chests of money to rise near the top of the ground. ' You notice,' said he, * the large stones on the top of the ground we call them rocks, and they truly appear so, but they are, in fact, most of them, chests of money raised by the heat of the sun."
Now, let us compare a little tale of Mother Lucy's with one of Abigail Harris:
LUCY SMITH. ABIGAIL HARRIS.
"Joseph Smith the Prophet" page Affidavit dated Palmyra, Nov. 28, no. 1833.
"She ( Mrs. Harris ) commenced urging upon me a considerable sum of money, I think some seventy-five dollars, to assist in getting the plates translated. I told her that I came on no such business; that I did not want her money. . .
"Old Lucy Smith took me into another room, and after closing the door, said: ' Have you four or five dollars that you can lend until our (Gold Bible) business is brought to a close?
The Spirit has said that you shall receive fourfold.'
I asked her what her particular want of money was,
Yet she was determined to assist in the business, for
she said she knew that we should
to which she replied: ' Joseph
want money, and she could spare
wants to take the stage and come
two hundred dollars as well as
home from Pennsylvania to see
not." what we are all about.' To which
I replied, he might look in his
stone, and save his time and
money. The old lady seemed
confused, and left the room."
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* Affidavit dated Palmyra, Dec. 2, 1833.
Astrology and Atheism.
19
This surely shows talent, or I don't understand anything about such things. But let us leave the humble parents, and turn to the great son, irreverently called by the wicked, "Joe Smith."
VIEWS OF JOSEPH SMITH.
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The Prophet Believes in Astrology -- Laughs Heartily About Mormonism -- Does not know what the other World
will be -- Elder Rockwell's Curiosity.
There are two things you would naturally expect from a prophet. First, a belief in some sort of a religion, and then a belief in his own particular shop. Now, Joseph Smith didn't believe in any religion, he had no hopes of a future life, and as to Mormonism, he laughed about it just as you would expect from an impostor who had, as he said himself, "fixed the damned fools," and "wanted to carry out the fun." The only thing the Prophet believed in was astrology. This is a fact generally known to old "Nauvoo Mormons." Wm. Clayton, his chief clerk, used to cast figures and make calculations for him. Brigham Young copied Joseph in this as in many other things.
John C. Bennett says in his book: "I will mention a short conversation that passed between Joseph and myself, as we were one day riding together up the banks of the Mississippi. After a short interval of silence, Smith suddenly said to me, in a peculiarly inquiring manner: ' General Harris says you have no faith, and that you do not believe we shall ever obtain our inheritances in Jackson County, Missouri. ' Though somewhat perplexed by the Prophet's remark, and still more by his manner, I coldly replied: ' What does Harris know about my belief or the real state of my mind? I like to tease him now and then about it, as he is so firm in the faith and takes it all in such good part.' 'Well, I said Joe, laughing heartily,
20
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
'I guess you have got about as much faith as I have. Ha! Ha! Ha! ' 'I should judge about as much, ' was my reply." (This anecdote, told by Bennett, pp. 175 and 176 of his book, was fully confirmed to me by Mrs. Sarah Pratt, to whom it was told by Bennett shortly after the dialogue occurred.)
Mr. Johnson told me in the presence of Lawyer Jonasson, now deceased, the following story: "Port Rockwell zzz who used to be Joseph's coachman and factotum in Nauvoo, once asked the Prophet the following question: 'Brother Joseph, how is it in the other world? ' Joseph said in answer: ' Don't you bother, Brother Rockwell, about the other world; try co be as comfortable as possible in this and make the most of it; nobody knows what the other world will be." Mr. Johnson was a guard at the Penitentiary, and having heard that Rockwell had made such a statement, he went to him and asked him, whether the Prophet had really expressed himself in such a manner. Rockwell confirmed fully what he had told to others, and repeated Joseph's answer word for word."
JOSEPH SMITH AND HIS PLATES.
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The Prophet's Curious Proposition to His Bosom Friend, Bennett -- The Same Fully Confirmed by Mrs. Pratt.
The truth about the golden plates, from which Joseph pretended to "translate" the Book of Mormon, has been established since 1834, by E. D. Howe. I give the substance of the very curious affidavits, obtained by him from Smith's neighbors, in the Appendix to Part I. of this book. There were never any plates of any kind. The book, a stupid historical novel, was written by Solomon Spaulding, stolen and "religiously" remodeled by Sidney Rigdon and published through Joseph Smith, whose wide-spread fame as "Peeper" and "Treasure-finder" enabled him admirably to assume the role of discoverer of golden plates. Sidney Rigdon was a man of taste in the matter
Joseph Wants False Plates.
21
of choosing the right kind of a rascal to do his dirty jobs. But he failed in one respect; he thought he found a tool and he really found a master in Peeping Joe.
Now it will surely be interesting to the reader, that I can not only convict Joseph Smith out of his own mouth, giving his full confession of the original fraud, but I am also able to show that he contemplated an additional fraud with the "plates," and that, as usual, he thought to make a pile of money out of the second fraud, too. The witness in the case is Joseph's Nauvoo accomplice, Dr. John C. Bennett. Those who would refuse his testimony, will not be able to contradict that of Mrs. Sarah Pratt.
Bennett says: ' Shortly after I located in Nauvoo, Joe proposed to me to go to New York and get some plates engraved and bring them to him, so that he could exhibit them as the genuine plates of the Book of Mormon, which he pretended had been taken from him, and ' hid up ' by an angel, and which he would profess to have recovered. He calculated to make considerable money by this trick, as there would of course be a great anxiety to see the plates, which he intended to exhibit at twenty-five cents a sight. I mentioned this proposition to Mrs. Sarah M. Pratt, on the day the Prophet made it, and requested her to keep it in memory, as it might be of much importance." When asked by me in the spring of 1885 about this statement of John C. Bennett, Mrs. Pratt confirmed it fully and stated also that Bennett had reported to her this conversation with Joseph on the very day when it happened.
JOSEPH LIKES HIS GLASS.
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The Prophet Gets Drunk Now and Then -- His Sprees and Adventures -- "Awfully Funny."
Let Bacchus to Venus libations pour forth and vive la Let the sober historian of Joseph paint him
22
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
as he was. Who could be vindictive or malicious with such an eccentric as Joe? The prophet with all his vices and wickednesses was yet neither malicious nor vindictive. He had a very strong, healthy stomach, excellent digestion. He was almost the very antipode of dyspeptic, reticent Brother Brigham. Joseph dearly loved the social glass. Brigham much preferred a flowing bowl of oatmeal porridge. The great prophet of this dispensation of the fullness of time was a real Bacchant. Perhaps he thought with his long-time bosom-crony, the famous O. Porter Rockwell, Esq., that he should "lose the spirit and testimony of Mormonism," if not "steamed up." The intelligent reader of this book will not fail to see that the inspiring deities of Joseph were rather Venus, Bacchus; and Pluto, than the pretended Scriptural Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Mrs. P.: "A good deal of whisky was consumed in Nauvoo. Joe himself was often drunk. I have seen him in this state at different times. One evening one of the brethren brought Joseph to my home. He could not walk and had to be led by a helpful brother. The prophet asked me to make some strong coffee, which I did. He drank five cups, and when he felt that he could walk a little better, he went home. He dared not come before Emma in this state. Joseph was no habitual drunkard, but he used to get on sprees. When drunk he used to be 'awfully funny.' He sometimes went to bed with his boots on."
Mr. W.: "Whisky, good whisky, was then 25 cents a gallon. No wonder that Joseph sometimes went to bed with his boots on, or that he slept, as he sometimes did, in a ditch. He was a right jolly prophet. No sanctimonious humbug about him."
Mrs.J.: "Joseph used to preach: 'Brethren and sisters, I got drunk last week and fell in the ditch. I suppose you have heard of it. I am awfully sorry, but I felt very good. 7 He used to get drunk on military occasions, after the parades of the Nauvoo Legion."
A Jolly Prophet.
23
JOSEPH THE WRESTLER.
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Joseph and the Tax Collector -- Passion for Fine Horses -- Foot-Races -- The U. S. A. Major -- Two Reverends
Who do not Want to Wrestle.
No, there was no holy humbug about Joseph. He made no "long face" he gave himself as the jolly brigand he was, and that is what made him loved and admired by the motley crowd of impecunious vagabonds and adventurers that surrounded him. Brigham was, though always obeyed, feared and hated by his "friends; 17 they knew that he would sacrifice anything and anyone to his passion for ( gold; but Joseph was a good comrade in the midst of brigands of a lower order; they admired his physical strength and agility and loved his jolly, cordial ways. He had physical courage, he even died game, while Brigham was the greatest coward of his time, the greatest among a whole set of cowards like Geo. A. Smith and the rest of them. There was something of Macbeth in that fellow Joseph and he died like Mac. But hear our witnesses:
Mr. K.: "A tax collector once asked a certain amount from Joseph; he stopped the prophet, who was riding in his carriage. Joseph said that he had paid him and owed him nothing. The collector said: "If you say this, you are a liar." Joseph jumped out of his carriage and struck the collector such a blow that he went flying a distance of three or four yards. Joseph took his seat in the carnage and drove away."
Mrs. P.: "Joseph had a passion for fine horses. He had a fine carriage. He used to drive the buggy himself, but the carriage was generally driven by a coachman."
Mr. K.: "Charlie" was the favorite family horse; Emma used to drive him. Emma often rode on horseback in company with Joseph, especially on military parades. Joseph was always ready to show his force and cleverness
24
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
in some sport. He liked foot races and would have his boots off in a moment, to the great grief of old bigots. I remember the visit of a U. S. A. major, who came as a guest to the Nauvoo House. The major was of higher build than Joseph, but not so strong as the prophet. Joseph wanted to wrestle with him. He threw off his coat and cried: 'I bet you five dollars that I will throw you, come on!' The major declined. Joseph laughed and said: ' Now you see the benefit of one 's being a prophet; I knew you wouldn't wrestle,' One of the Saints felt so scandalized by this joke of the prophet that he left the Church."
"Two reverends came one day to Nauvoo. They wanted to see the Prophet and to hear the principles he was teaching. Joseph took them to his study, and talked to them about repentance, baptism, remission of sins, etc. The two reverends interrupted Joseph frequently. After half-an-hour or so, getting impatient the Prophet said to the two holy men, while he stood up in his full height: ' Gentlemen, I am not much of a theologian, but I bet you five dollars, that I will throw you one after the other' The reverends ran away and Joseph laughed himself nearly to death."
JOSEPH AS A STUDENT.
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A Poor Writer and Reader -- Little Tricks Played by Him and the Elders -- Study of Hebrew -- Kimball's Desperate
Fight With Grammar.
When, surely to his own surprise, arrived at the height of his ambition, Joseph, who was naturally "smart," felt keenly the want of some ornamental learning. s usual he decided to make the world believe that he had what, in fact, he had not. He did in this respect just the same thing which he had done in regard to plates, apparitions of angels, etc. Let the witnesses talk:
The Prophet Photographed.
25
Mrs. P.: "Joseph was a very poor writer and reader. He readily confessed this; it was a fulfillment of Scripture."
Mr. W.: "Joseph was the calf that sucked three cows. He acquired knowledge very rapidly, and learned with special facility all the tricks of the scoundrels who worked in his company. He soon outgrew his teachers. He studied Hebrew, he wanted to be fit for his place and enjoy the profits and power alone. He learned by heart a number of Latin, Greek and French common-place phrases, to use them in his speeches and sermons. For instance: Vox populi: vox diaboli; or Laus Dens (sic) or amor vincet omnium (stc), as quoted in the Nauvoo ' Wasp.' Joseph kept a learned Jew in his house for a long time for the purpose of studying Hebrew with him; the Jew used to teach his language in a room of the -Temple" to Joseph and a number of the elders." It was probably his rapidly augmenting knowledge of the sciences, that made him say, a few months before his death: ' / know more than the whole world. ' "I taught him the first rules of English Grammar in Kirtland in 1834. He learned rapidly, while Heber C. Kimball never came to understand the difference between noun and verb."
JOSEPH'S HABITS, APPEARANCE, ETC.
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The Prophet at Table -- Uses Tobacco -- Is Well Dressed -- The Prophet's Jewelry -- The Prophet on Horseback --
His Laughter --His Conversation.
Mrs. P.: "Joseph was no gourmand at all. He ate heartily, but was not particular about the kind of food. I believe that he used tobacco in some form. He was always well dressed, generally in black with a white neck-tie. He looked like a Reverend. On the little finger
26
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
of his left hand he wore a heavy gold ring; he wore a gold watch and chain; people used to make him presents of such things. When I saw him for the first time he rode on a splendid black horse that had been given to him by some admirer. He was a very good horseman. He was, when walking, very lank and loose in his appearance and movements."
Mr. K.: "People coming to Nauvoo expected to find a kind of John the Baptist, but they found a very jolly prophet. He used to laugh from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, it shook every bit of flesh in him."
Mrs. P.: "Joseph did not talk much in society, his talk was not very fluent. He used to make a remark now and then, letting the others talk. Whenever he spoke of Church affairs, his talk grew intelligent. He had no great choice of words, and generally expressed his ideas in a very humble, common-place way. At all events, he was by no means interesting in company. It looked as if he wanted to keep those who surrounded him in respect by talking little."
JOSEPH AS A PREACHER.
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Strong Voice, no Oratorical Art, but much Magnetism -- Gets very Pale -- Joseph and Brigham Young Compared.
There was an old Dane in a Mormon settlement. He had half a dozen buxom daughters; one of them had been sealed to the bishop. Whenever the bishop was absent from his flock, the old Dane used to preach in his stead in the Sunday meeting. Once the bishop was in Salt Lake our old Dane goes on the "stand" with a letter in his hand. "The Bishop writes from Salt Lake," says he, "that Brother Brigham does not want any round dancing any more. The bishop writes that this command must be
Mahomet and His Army.
27
obeyed. The bishop is the representative of God and I am his father-in-law. Amen." This may be taken as no unfair example of "preaching" as introduced by the founder of this motley "creed." Joseph used to say whatever came on his tongue, and so do all who are Joseph's. Jokes and curses, meekness and bravado, temporal and spiritual, the Holy Ghost and stock-raising, irrigation and baptism for the dead all is "preaching."
Mr. K.: "Joseph's voice was very strong and could easily fill the remotest corner of a big hall."
Mrs. P.: "Joseph was no orator. He said what he wanted to say in a very blundering sort of way. John Taylor is the best speaker the Church ever had. Joseph had great magnetic influence over his audience, more than Brigham ever had. He had uncommon gifts in this line; he was what spiritualists call a strong medium. His eyes had nothing particular. When excited in speaking, he used to get very pale. The Saints thought that this change of colour came through the influence of the Holy Ghost. Whenever he had been 'tight,' he used to confess it in next Sunday's meeting. In the same way he confessed often that he had been wrong in some act. Brigham never did such a thing. But Joseph lied at the same time, stating that he had done so to try the faith of the Saints. The Lord would have a tried people."
JOSEPH AS A GENERAL.
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Lots of Generals -- Colonel Orson Pratt -- The Modern Mahomet -- A Terrible General Order -- "Blood must be Shed"
-- Fine Uniforms -- A Jolly General.
Yes, he was even a general at Nauvoo, not. only a "prophet, seer and revelator." There were innumerable colonels in the Nauvoo Legion; even dreamy Orson Pratt bore that warlike title. But Joseph and his next friends
28
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
were generals, of course. And he looked fine in his military rig-out, to be sure.
I quote from a letter in the New York Herald, dated Nauvoo, May 8, 1842:
"Yesterday was a great day among the Mormons. Their Legion, to the number of two thousand men, was paraded by Generals Smith, Bennett and others, and certainly made a noble and imposing appearance. There are no troops in the States like them in point of enthusiasm and warlike aspect, yea, warlike character Joseph, the chief,
is a noble-looking fellow, a Mahomet every inch of him."
It was in perfect keeping with this style, when Hugh McFall, Adjutant General, gave the following "General Order" at "Head-Quarters, Nauvoo Legion," "by order of Lieut. -General Joseph Smith:"
"The requisition from the Executive of Missouri, on the Executive of Illinois, for the person of the Lieutenant-General for the attempted assassination of ex-Governor Boggs, makes it necessary that the most able and experienced officers should be in the field, for if the demand should be persisted in, BLOOD MUST BE SHED."
Hear now a living witness:
Mrs. P.: "There was a great deal of gold on his uniform. Bennett was the man who introduced this grand style, he always wanted everything of the finest; they both rigged themselves out wonderfully. The Nauvoo Legion looked very well. Bennett understood parading thoroughly. Bennett did not look well on a horse, but Joseph looked splendid, and so did 'General' Hyrum. Notwithstanding all this style, Joseph was very cordial with everybody, shook hands with all the world, and was always addressed 'Brother Joseph.' The people fairly adored him."
No Help for the Widow's Son.
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JOSEPH AS A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.
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Joseph's Vertigo at Nauvoo -- The "Times and Seasons" in May and in June, 1844 -- Danite John D. Lee as Canvasser
-- The Cry of a Mason.
Joseph got crazy about his greatness in Nauvoo. His general's uniform, the Urim and Thummim, the Plates, the Breastplate, Laban's sword all went to his head at once and made a fool of him. In this state of vertigo he conceived the glorious idea to. be a candidate for the Presidency of the United States. It is a very curious sight, that announcement * in the Times and Seasons:
FOR PRESIDENT,
GENERAL JOSEPH SMITH.
FOR VICE-PRESIDENT,
SIDNEY RIGDON, ESQ.
The greatest impostors and swindlers of the time, as bidders for the highest gifts of the Nation! And, looking over the yellowish leaves of the same Church organ, to see only a few numbers later the sacred columns in mourning, announcing the tragic death of the great candidate!
Well, he has paid for his crimes and his follies! Let us honor death, even in the corpse of an impostor. At that moment, when he cried out of the window of Carthage jail: "Is there no help for the widow's son?" hoping to find mercy from the hands of some brother Mason, he felt the bitterness of death as keenly as it can be felt. In this terrible moment he must have become
__________
* And this announcement was a lie. Joseph presents himself "of Illinois," but Sidney Rigdon, who had resided with
Joseph all the time in Nauvoo, hails "of Pennsylvania." This was done to satisfy the well-known necessity of naming
two different States. "They can't do a thing without lying!" as an old apostate said to me the other day, with
flaming eyes and clenched fist.
30
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
aware that the hour of his own "blood atonement" had come, the hour of payment of his tremendous debt to outraged, swindled, robbed and murdered humanity.
Joseph sent 337 elders to canvass for him all over the country. John D. Lee was one of them, and though an admirer of the Prophet, he says in his book, pp. 148-149: "I left Nauvoo on the fourth of May, 1844, with greater reluctance than I had on any previous mission. It was hard enough to preach the gospel without purse or scrip, but it was nothing compared to offering a man with the reputation that Joseph Smith had, to the people as a candidate for the highest gift of the Nation. I would a thousand times rather have been shut up in jail than to have taken the trip, but I dared not refuse."
Mrs. P.: "The Mormons found it very natural that Joseph Smith wanted to be President of the United States, and Sidney Rigdon Vice-President. They thought the time was sure to come soon when he would be at the head of the Nation. This belief was part of their fanaticism, Joseph and Sidney spoke in public about their candidacies, and gave instructions to the elders whom they sent abroad. They said they would soon get the whole United States, and then they would make laws to suit themselves; and the people believed what they said."
JOSEPH AND NERO BOGGS.
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"The Land of Your Enemies" -- The House of Israel Claiming the State of Missouri -- A Noble Deed -- "Lend Me
Your Husband's Rifle" -- Elder Rockwell's Reward.
Missouri was to be the Canaan of the Saints. "My servants Sidney and Joseph" had promised it to them a thousand times, just as Don Quixote promised to Sancho Panza the idol of his wishes, the island. Look at the "revelation" of June, 1831, where the Lord speaks to the elders assembled in Kirtland:
The Mormon Troubles Explained.
31
"And thus, even as I have said, if ye are faithful, ye shall assemble yourselves together to rejoice upon the land of Missouri, which is now THE LAND OF YOUR ENEMIES."
And the same Lord, who is evidently a first-class Mormon himself, says to the same elders in February, 1831:
"For it shall come to pass, that which I spake by the mouth of my prophet, shall be fulfilled; for I will consecrate the riches of the Gentiles unto my people which are of the House of Israel."
Now let any person possessed of common sense read these two communications of the Mormon Lord, and he will need no other explanation of the "Mormon war" in Missouri and of the tribulations and turmoils of the Saints in general. Everywhere they go, there is "Zion"; what is not theirs, is their "enemies" and what is their "enemies'" must become theirs. It did not take the Missourians long to find out the kind intentions of the "House of Israel" towards them, and a civil war with its attending horrors ensued. Boggs, a faithful officer of the metal of our Murray, found out soon that quick amputation was the only method of healing this case of blood poisoning. He gave his celebrated order to drive the Mormons away or, "if it should become necessary for the public peace," to exterminate them. Would not any energetic patriot have acted just the same in such a case? Look at the evidence given in the trial of Joseph Smith and others, quoted in our Appendix to Part I., and then call Boggs the "Nero of Missouri," as the Mormon leaders did then and do to-day. *
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* Here is an example of a modern Mormon Sunday school teaching as to Governor Boggs. This is one instance out of
hundreds showing how the minds of the young in Utah get filled with lies and hatred of the American name:
Q. "Who acted as the chief persecutor of the Saints?"
A. "The infamous Lilburn W. Boggs, Governor of the State of Missouri."
Q. "Whom did Governor Boggs unjustly charge with this attempt to murder him?"
A. "Brother O. P. Rockwell, and that Joseph Smith prompted him to do it, or was accessory before the fact."
(Deseret Sunday School Catechism No. I. Questions and answers on the life and mission of the Prophet Joseph
Smith. 1882.)
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Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
Boggs was the embodiment of the lawful wrath of the Missourians, kindled by the arrogance and the crimes of the band of fanaticized adventurers called "Mormons." Boggs was, even in Nauvoo times, Macbeth-Smith's Banquo; while he lived there was no rest for the King of Nauvoo. He was hated for what he had done and feared for what he could do. While he lived Joseph's extradition at the call of the Missouri authorities was only a question of time. He must die, like Banquo, and then, what a fine effect on the
"Mormon people," themselves, was to be expected from a sudden violent death of Nero! Was there not an admirable opportunity to show that Joseph, having predicted it, was the greatest of all prophets? The Lord was always on hand to smite his enemies with a timely stroke of lightning, and would not the death of Boggs, the "persecutor," deter other would-be Boggses from interfering with the Lord's chosen people and frighten the enemies of Zion in general?
Let us first glance at Bennett's book again. He says: "Joseph Smith in a public congregation in the city of Nauvoo, in 1841, prophesied that Lilburn W. Boggs, Ex-Governor of Missouri, should die by violent hands within a year. Smith was .speaking of the Missouri difficulties at the time, and said that the exterminator should be exterminated, and that the Destroying Angel should do it by the right hand of his power. 'I say it' said he, 'in the name of the Lord God! ' In the spring of the year 1842 Smith offered a reward of five hundred dollars to any man who would secretly assassinate Gov. Boggs. I heard the offer made at a meeting of the Danites in the Nauvoo lodge room . . . O. P. Rockwell left Nauvoo from one to two months prior to the attempted assassination of Governor Boggs, and returned the day before the report reached there. The Nauvoo Wasp, of May 28, A. D. 1842, a paper edited by William Smith, one of the twelve Mormon apostles, and brother of the Prophet, declared: "Who did the noble deed remains to
To Fulfill Prophecy.
33
be found out." * Some weeks after Rockwell left Nauvoo I asked Smith where he had gone. ' Gone? ' said he; "gone
to fulfill prophecy,' with a significant nod, giving me to understand that he had gone to fulfill his prediction
in relation to the violent death of Governor Boggs. Soon after Rockwell's return, Smith said to me, speaking of
Governor Boggs: "The destroying angel has done the work, as predicted, but Rockwell was not the man who shot;
the angel did it." †
No impartial writer about Mormon history has ever doubted Joseph's connection with this attempted assassination, ‡
but nobody has yet given direct proof. I am able to lay it before the reader, introducing the testimony of
Mrs. Sarah Pratt: "One evening Dr. Bennett called at my house and asked me to lend him my husband's rifle. This
was an excellent arm, brought from England by Orson Pratt; it was known to be the best rifle in that part of the
country. I asked him what he wanted the rifle for, and he said: "Don't be so loud; Rockwell is outside Joseph
wants it; I shall tell you later."... I suspected some foul play, and refused to give him the rifle, stating
that I dared not dispose of it in the absence of my husband. Bennett went away, and when the news came that
Gov. Boggs had been shot at and all but killed, Bennett came and told me that he had wanted the rifle of my husband
__________
* This is correct. The author saw the Wasp in the Historian's office at Salt Lake. And, en passant, I observe
that President John Taylor in his celebrated discussion in France, in the year 1850, is strangely oblivious
of this noble deed, dismissing with a virtuous flourish the charge as a weak invention of the enemy; in effect
denying (as he also at the same time and place denied polygamy, etc.,) that Boggs' life had ever been sought by
Mormon thugs: "Governor Boggs is residing at the present time in the State of California."
† Bennett, pp. 281-2.
‡ May 6th 1842, Boggs was shot at Independence, Mo., while reading a newspaper. The pistol was loaded with
buckshot and three balls took effect in his head, one penetrating his brain. His life was despaired of for several
days, but he recovered. See Wasp of May 28.
34
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
for "that job," and that Joseph had sent him to get it. I have not the slightest doubt that Joseph had planned and ordered the assassination of Gov. Boggs."
So far Mrs. Pratt, whose testimony, as all decent people in Salt Lake City well know, is absolutely reliable. It shows that our aspiring friend, Bennett, was an accomplice in the murderous plot, as he was in the other rascally schemes of his friend, the prophet; he was, indeed, in this college of crime, more teacher than disciple; and, not unlikely, the first suggestion of murdering Boggs came from Bennett himself. But, as to his own guilt, his book is like that of John D. Lee, telling any amount of truth concerning others, while lying about and screening himself.
Rockwell, it seems, got a good reward from the prophet for his zeal in fulfilling prophecy; Joseph was much more liberal in this respect than Brigham, who wanted his assassins to work for the Lord at their own expense, to murder "without purse or scrip."
John C. Bennett: "I would further say that Rockwell was abjectly poor before he left Nauvoo, but since his return he has an elegant carriage and horses at his disposal, and his pockets filled with gold. These horses and carriage belonged to Smith, and the gold was furnished by him."
C. G. Webb: "I saw the fine carriage, horses and harness which Rockwell got from Joseph after the attempt on the life of Gov. Boggs."
Some of My Witnesses.
35
THE LORD'S BANKERS IN KIRTLAND.
______
My Friend Webb, the aged Father of Wife Number Nineteen -- Interviews with Webb, James McGuffie and his Wife --
Joseph as Land Speculator, Banker and Auctioneer of Town-lots -- Those Window-glass Boxes and fine Bank Notes.
Do you remember, my excellent friend Webb, that balmy Sunday afternoon, in April, 1885, when you told me about that famous bank whose President and Cashier were the two chosen servants of the Lord, Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith? It was one of our many interviews in that cosy house of stalwart, sterling old James McGuffie and his good, honest soul of a wife. We sat, as usually, in the kitchen, not far from McGuffie's pride, that stove with "Zion" in shining nickel letters on it. I put question after question, with note-book and pencil in hand, and you and James McGuffie were busy answering. I have studied a great many old paintings in many cities of the old world, in Rome, Florence and Venice, in Vienna, Berlin and Paris, in Amsterdam, Brussels and London. But, I assure you, I have never seen better heads in any picture than yours and McGuffie and wife's; I never saw more sound sense, solidity and crystallized honesty in old heads, and good, well-meaning eyes besides, shining with all that makes eyes dearest to us love of truth and interest in humanity's progress and welfare. I wish those over-cultivated people in the East could have some interviews with you three "vile apostates." They would soon see what Mormonism really is, and not talk any more nonsense about it. But I want to dish before the reader what you said about that famous bank, friend Webb. So let me introduce you in your own words, dear old Liveoak:
"I personally lost $2, 500 in that famous bank, of which Sidney Rigdon was President and Joseph Smith Cashier. I got for my money the blessing of the Lord, and the
36
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
assurance that bye and bye the notes of that bank would be the best money in the country! The bank was founded in 1836. Its origin dates from Joseph's idea to secure to all the Saints 'inheritances,' which they should possess in this life and in the other. Consequently, many elders were sent east with the instruction to get as much money as possible. The elders returned with money, and Smith now bought a tract of land called the ' Smith farm. ' The temple was built and the city lots surveyed. But instead of receiving their 'inheritances,' the Saints had to buy them, and at good round prices, too. Joseph played auctioneer, and a very good auctioneer he was. The Saints were full of enthusiasm and lots went up from a hundred dollars to three and four thousand. This transaction brought some money into Joseph's capacious pockets and he now began to think of starting a bank in Kirtland. It was to be secured by real estate; but this was never done. They went to New York and had notes engraved, beautiful notes, the finest I had ever seen. In the bank they kept eight or nine window-glass boxes, which seemed to be full of silver; but the initiated knew very well that they were full of sand, only the top being covered with Accent pieces. The effect of those boxes was like magic; they created general confidence in the solidity of the bank, and that beautiful paper money went like hot cakes. For about a month it was the best money in the country. But the crash came soon, as everybody knows."
Yes, the crash came and the two bankers of the Lord had to leave Kirtland "between two days." But not because of their bank-swindle; the above-quoted "Sunday School Catechism No. zzzi" tells us that they left "to escape mob-violence." The swindled mob behaved shamefully indeed towards the man who had been appointed "Commander-in-chief of the Armies of Israel," and to whom Moses, "the great law-giver to ancient Israel," had given personally "the keys of the gathering of Israel." All that is in this useful little Catechism of 1882.
They Stole too Much.
37
COUNTERFEITING APOSTLES.
______
Brigham Young' s Official Money a Counterfeit -- A Jewel of a Confession, Contributed by Brigham' s Brother --
Nine Apostles as Criminals -- Brigand William Smith.
I am glad to be able to give some positive and partly very picturesque proof for this department of Mormon elders' iniquity. Should you come to Utah, reader, some old Mormon or apostate will show you the gold coins of Zion, coined by Brigham Young. Even this official money of the Kingdom, now out of course, is counterfeit; it bears on its face "Five Dollars.'' and is in reality only worth about $4.30. For proof of my assertions as to the earlier times of the "Church," the times in Missouri and Illinois, I rely principally on the confession of that daisy, Phineas Young, brother of Brigham, which, in my opinion, is worth fifty volumes on Mormon history. I give it in the very words of my informant, who is one of the most cultivated and reliable men of Salt Lake City:
"Phineas Young, a near relative of mine, said to me in 1875: 'We have been driven (from Missouri and Illinois) because our people stole too much. They stole horses, cattle and beehives, robbed smokehouses, and anything you may imagine, and then scores of us passed counterfeit money on the Gentiles."
Gov. Thomas Ford: "During the winter of 1845-6 the Mormons made the most prodigious preparations for removal (from Nauvoo). The twelve apostles went first, with about two thousand of their followers. Indictments had been found against nine of them in the Circuit Court of the United States, for the District of Illinois, at its December term, 1845, for counterfeiting the current coin of the United States" *
In the beginning of May, 1885, while stopping at the Metropolitan Hotel, in Salt Lake City, I met a lady of
__________
* History of Illinois, pp. 412-413.
38
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
the name of Mrs. E , who had lived in Nauvoo as a
child. She told me the following story: "My parents lived for a time at what was called ' Joseph Smith's Tavern,' in Plymouth, thirty-three miles from Nauvoo, and fifteen miles from Carthage. We children played hide and seek, one day, as we often did. We came, by chance, to an upper room, which Apostle Bill Smith, Joseph's brother, used as a bedroom when he was at the ' tavern.' While running about and trying to hide, we suddenly came upon a long, heavy sack, which we opened and found full of coined money silver and gold. At least, it looked so. We were very happy to become so rich. We little girls put lots of money in our small aprons, called together the children of the neighbors, and gave them some of the money. Our parents were not at home, but when they came we ran up to them: ' Oh, pa! oh, ma! we have a whole bread-pan full of money for you! ' Father gave us a severe rebuke, and ordered us to get all the money together, and to get back from our little friends all that we had given to them. We obeyed, with our eyes swimming in tears, and laid all the money before our father, who put it back in the sack and buried the sack: He said he would wait till Bill Smith and his comrades would ask him for the money. A few days after, Apostle Bill came to the 'tavern,' and with him came Zinc Salisbury and Luke Clayborn, both brothers-in-law of Bill. They searched for the money, and, not finding it, invited my father to go coon-hunting with them. My father divined that they wanted to punish him for the disappearance of the money, so he said to them: ' Why don't you tell me, honestly, that you wanted your money?' And so saying he showed them where he had buried the treasure. They took it, and threatened my father that they would kill him if he talked to anybody about it. There was great excitement in the country about this bogus money, and it finally became so intense that the authorities had to interfere. The officers found the machinery, with which the money was made, in Plymouth. Whenever Joseph Smith owed money he paid with this kind of coin."
Thus Saith the Lord.
39
JOSEPH IN MONEY MATTERS.
______
The Lazy Prophet and His Secretary -- A Hotel for the New Abraham and His Posterity -- The Prophet Robs and
Defrauds Poor and Rich Alike.
Lying and laziness there is an alliteration for you were the two great characteristics of Joseph in early youth. There are extenuating circumstances in the case, however: he inherited both qualities from the "splendid gypsies," his parents, so that telling the truth and working hard would really and literally have been against his nature. His innate hatred of all serious work made him a money-digger and a fortune-teller, and finally a prophet. As such he had in his employ a factotum and secretary, who wrote down all that Joseph needed for the execution of his plans, which always tended to his power, profit or lust. This secretary, or chum of his, he used to call the "Lord," and what he had dictated to him, "revelations." Brigand Joseph and his next friends knew this funny circumstance perfectly well, but thousands of dupes swallowed the celebrated formula "Thus saith the Lord'' notwithstanding.
Let us hear some of those funny "revelations," dictated by Joseph to his "Lord" and then published in the latter 's name:"
"If thou lovest me thou shalt keep my commandments and thou shall consecrate all of thy properties unto me, with a covenant and deed which cannot be broken."
"Deed" shows the smart Yankee in dictating Joseph, He is not content with a religious "covenant," he wants a good, solid, ironclad deed. I proceed to quote from the official church books:
"Who receiveth you receiveth me and the same will feed you and clothe you and give you money and he who does not these things is not my disciple."
40
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
That secretary of the prophet is a thoroughly good fellow, it seems. But he can do better:
"And let all the moneys which can be spared, it mattereth not unto me whether it be little or much (!), be sent up unto the land of Zion, unto those I have appointed to receive it."
Now, getting all the spare money people have is surely very nice, but Joseph had to show to the people still more clearly what he could do with his above mentioned "pard." So he made him write:
"It is meet that my servant Joseph should have a house built in which to live and translate. And, again, it is meet that my servant Sidney Rigdon should live as seemeth him good, inasmuch as he keepeth my commandments. Provide for him (Joseph) food and raiment, and whatsoever he needeth and in temporal labor thou (Joseph! shalt have no strength, for this is not thy calling."
This is one of those great contradictions in nature to puzzle even a Darwin. Joseph, the wrestler, 6 feet high, and weighing 212 pounds, is too feeble to work. But the chum can do better. Joseph has a house and whatsoever he needeth, but he wants the comfort of a hotel, you see, with bar and all other appurtenances. Such a concern is just the thing for the necessities of a daily increasing polygamous or celestial household. So the chum sits down and writes:
"And now, I say unto you, as pertaining to my boarding house, which I commanded you to build for the boarding of strangers, let it be built unto my name and let my name be named upon it, and let my servant Joseph and his house have places therein from generation to generation. For this anointing have I put upon his head that this blessing shall also be put upon the heads of his posterity after him, and as I said unto Abraham even so I say unto my servant Joseph, in thee and in thy seed shall the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Therefore, let my servant Joseph and his seed after him have place in that house from generation to generation forever and ever, saith the Lord, and let the name of that house be called the "Nauvoo House." (January, 1841.)
Now this is perfectly delightsome. It is religion, you know. Don't you see the smart Yankee-eyes through the zzz/
The Plundering Prophet.
41
But I have to hasten to my notes and introduce my witnesses after this reproduction of old, well-known * 'revelations," without which, however, no biography of the imposter would be complete. Let us hear first
Mrs. P.: "Whenever a man of means came into the Church Joseph was sure to get a revelation that the money of the new comer must be "consecrated." He had no rest till he got hold of it. Examples are, Hunter, Shurtliff, Bosley and others. Joseph had not so much opportunity to make money, as Brigham, but both acted just alike. Joseph had great talents in the art of making himself agreeable to those whom he wanted to plunder. He borrowed money wherever he could and never returned a cent of it. If you wanted your money back he laughed in your face. He grew rapidly worse under the influence of John C. Bennett in this and every other respect. To rob people was called "consecrate to the Lord."
Mrs. Sw.: "Two good, honest people, Mr. and Mrs. Farrar, came to Nauvoo from England. They had been in the service of Sir Robert Peel and had amassed a little competence, about eight hundred pounds of English money, each. Joseph got the money from them. He told them that he would build up the kingdom with it, and, said he, emphatically: ' I shall die for you, if necessary! ' When Joseph was shot, Mr. Farrar became crazy; Mrs. Farrar died long afterwards, a pauper in Salt Lake."
Mr. W.: "Joseph was in money matters just like Brigham and Taylor. Whoever had money had to consecrate it to the Lord. When people were stripped of every dollar they had, they got sometimes a little pittance from the tithing office; that was all. I am convinced that Joseph never entertained the least idea of returning any money he had borrowed. He became rich through the sale of town lots."
Mrs. P.: "When people asked for their money, Joseph sometimes made dreadful scenes. How could, they dare to ask for money from the Lord's priesthood, which has the right to use everybody's money for the upbuilding of the kingdom! In this regard, indeed,
42
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
Joseph's mantle fell on the shoulders of Brigham Young." Mr. S.: "Whenever Joseph sold a lot to somebody, he gave a church deed. Soon afterward the buyer got "counsel" to join the order of Enoch, and in this way Joseph got the lot back and kept the money. He sold as Mayor and took back as Enoch. For either emergency he had another name."
Mr. K.: "Money was like sand in Joseph's hands; it ran through his fingers. Bishop Hunter gave Joseph eleven thousand dollars in gold." [In Kirtland money was sand, as we have seen.]
Mr. R.: "Solomon Wixom was a poor but hard-working farmer in Nauvoo. Out of his scant earnings he managed to save about one hundred and twenty dollars, and laid it by in the Fall to buy a yoke of cattle in the Spring, to enable him to work a piece of land. Joseph Smith got wind of the little treasure by a 'revelation' an unsuspecting brother, to whom Wixom told his plans, chanced to speak of it in the presence of a confidant of Joseph. The prophet went to see Wixom, and after a few commonplace remarks which rather flattered the latter, said: 'Brother W., I am hard up for some money, I need it badly; do you know of anyone that could lend me a little?" Well, Brother Joseph, really I don't know. I have a little laid by, but I cannot spare it, for I want it to buy a yoke of cattle in the Spring.' 'Oh,' was Joseph's reply, "let me have it, Brother Wixom, and I can easily pay it back before you want it, and God will bless you.' 'Well, well, if you can, Brother Joseph, I'll lend it you.' He went and put the amount in Joseph's hand. When the prophet counted the money, he turned to Wixom and said: 'It's all right, I need not give you a note, Brother Sol., I suppose.' * Oh no, no, Brother Joseph, your word is good enough to me for that.' Spring came, and advancing toward the middle, but Joe never advanced toward Wixom, The poor man becoming uneasy went to his prophet-debtor: ' The Spring is come, Brother Joseph, and I come to ask you to be kind enough to give me that money I lent you.' 'Money, what money, Brother Sol.?' 'Why, don't you
The Prophet Robs the Poor.
43
recollect the money I lent you last Fall which you promised to pay me in the Spring to buy my oxen? ' After a moment's pause, apparently to jog his memory, the prophet replied:; No, Brother Sol., I never got any money from you that I know of. Have you got a note?' 'No, I haven't; you said there would be no need to give a note, for you would be sure and pay it, as it obliged you so much.' 'I don't remember any such transaction, and will not pay it,' said the man of God. The poor man never received his money, and when asked what he thought of the dishonest trick, he said that Joseph must have done it to try his faith."
This incident comes from a near relative of Wixom who is now a faithful polygamous Saint in Utah.
The following is a most characteristic story: Among the proselytes who came to Kirtland to enjoy the blessings of the new gospel, was a good honest spinster by the name of Vienna J , who herself related the occurrence. She came from away down East, where she had accumulated by hard work, dime by dime, some fourteen or fifteen hundred dollars. Joseph hearing of it immediately got a revelation concerning this money. He told Vienna, that the Lord wanted her to return East, gather up her substance and bring it on to Kirtland. Vienna obeyed and brought the money. When she arrived, Joseph was away from Kirtland. Some of the Elders, who were in the secret, itched to get hold of the money; one of them succeeded in getting a loan of fifty dollars from Vienna, one of those loans that are like Shakespeare's immortal traveler that never returns. Vienna followed the prophet to the place where he had gone. She had made up her mind, good soul, to give the prophet a big present in money a hundred dollars! She thought that was much, and, considering her circumstances and the way she had saved her dimes, it was much, sure enough. Well, she finds Joseph, and full of pious zeal, eager to surprise the prophet of the Lord, she hastens to lay before him the hundred dollars, well counted. But Joseph's countenance darkened and fell; he assumed a searching, severe look and cried: "Where is the rest of it? What have you done with the
44
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
money, sister?" The poor thing "shelled out" very soon; her whole earnings and savings went to Joe. Being asked what was done with it? "Oh," said she, "Joseph bought a gold watch, and Hyrum got a gold watch, and so did some others." Asked further: "And this did not shake your faith in the prophet?" "Oh no," said the good soul. "The Lord said I should have an inheritance in Zion. But I was to be industrious. You can see the revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants. I saw it in manuscript before it was printed, only they changed it a little in the print. In the revelation it first read her money, they made it say the money. But it was all right. Well, I never was lazy in my life, but I suppose the Lord saw I might get lazy." Well, that poor, old creature died "fixed" in the faith, over ninety years old, and the story shows what hold such a "religion" can have on simple, confiding, devout souls.*
SECRET MURDERS IN NAUVOO.
______
Fine Nauvoo Tales by Brother Lee -- Thrown in the Lime Kiln, Body, Clothes and All -- The Drowning of the Good
Old Woman, Described by R. Rushton -- Some Graceful Lies by John Taylor.
They are "secret" no more since Lee's book, and they will be less so after this little book of mine shall have seen the light. Murder is the most natural thing in the world with despotism; look for instance at Venice, Spain, etc. It is no wonder, therefore, that the Mormon form of theocracy, the most searching, brutal and absolute form of all tyrannies ever known in history, should resort to murder for the purpose of protecting itself from enemies Boggs, for example and screening its criminal and treasonable secrets, which form such an important part of
__________
* Told to the author by a witness, who heard it more than once recited by the old aunt, now in heaven.
Danite Lee Talks Plain.
45
this "religion." We are, therefore, not surprised in the least to find, that from the infancy of this "Church" up to our days, murder has always been the preferred instrument for fighting the enemies of the "Kingdom." Only a few weeks ago U. S. Attorney Dickson was attacked by a number of Mormon hoodlums, bearing the name of Cannon, a name synonymous with the most impudent kind of lying and misrepresentation. And why was Dickson attacked? Because he is the most able, energetic and incorruptible of all public accusers Utah ever had. Deputy Marshal Collin escaped barely with his life, a few months ago, while attacked by three or four "Danites" in a dark alley. The reason? He is a faithful officer.
Let me first introduce the testimony of John D. Lee, who, while in Nauvoo, (like Abraham O. Smoot and Hosea Stout), was only a modest Danite and policeman, but later became the most celebrated of assassins in the service of Brigham Young, outshining even stars like Porter Rockwell and Bill Hickman. What he says cannot but be true; there is too much proof for it.
"I knew of many men being killed in Nauvoo by the Danites. It was then the rule that all the enemies of Joseph Smith should be killed, and I know of many a man who was quietly put out of the way by the orders of Joseph and his apostles while the church was there. It has always been a well-understood doctrine of the church that it was right and praiseworthy to kill every person who spoke evil of the prophet. This doctrine has been strictly lived up to in Utah, until the Gentiles arrived in such great numbers that it became unsafe to follow the practice; but the doctrine is still believed, and no year passes without one or more of those who have spoken evil of Brigham Young being killed in a secret manner. In Springville it was certain death to say a word against the authorities, high or low. In Utah it has been the custom with the priesthood to make eunuchs of such men as were obnoxious to the leaders. This was done for a double purpose; first, it gave a perfect revenge, and next, it left the poor victim a living example to others of the dangers of disobeying counsel, and not living as ordered by the priesthood. In
46
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
Nauvoo it was the orders from Joseph Smith and his apostles to beat, wound and castrate all Gentiles that the police could take in the act of entering or leaving a Mormon household under circumstances that led to the belief that they had been there for immoral purposes. I knew of several such outrages while there."
The official murderers in the service of the Mormon priesthood were always called "City Police," and are so called to-day.
Lee, one of the high priests who officiated at the great religious sacrifice, called "Mountain Meadows Massacre" by wicked Gentiles and apostates, says (Confession, p. 287): "Soon after I got to Nauvoo I was appointed seventh policeman. I had superiors in office, and was sworn to secrecy and to obey the orders of my superiors, and not let my left hand know what my right hand did. It was my duty to do as I was ordered, and not to ask questions. I was instructed in the secrets of the priesthood to a great extent, and taught to believe, as I then did believe, that it was my duty, and the duty of all men, to obey the leaders of the church, and that no man could commit sin so long as he acted in the way that he was directed by his church superiors. I was one of the lifeguard of the prophet Joseph."
I now introduce living witnesses.
Mrs. Pa.: "It was not rare for people who owned fine pieces of property in Nauvoo to disappear all of a sudden. An English family sold all the property they had in England, and then went to "Zion." The husband and father arrived first in Nauvoo, and soon wrote home to England that he owned a fine house and garden. The wife came later, but could not find her husband or his property. He had simply disappeared. She was told that he had died suddenly, but they could not show his grave. The woman had sold her property in England after her husband had left, but she was smart enough not to say a word about it in Nauvoo, that she had the money in her pockets. She told the prophet that she had tried to sell her property, but had not succeeded, and that she left it in trust. She managed to get out of Nauvoo."
Dead Men Tell No Tales.
47
Mrs. J.: "While I was in Nauvoo, the following was very common talk there: .'What is it?' 'Oh, nothing, only a dead man has been picked up.' I had been very strong in the faith, but such things opened my eyes."
A man by the name of Thompson is authority for the following statement. He was for years an employee of the Tithing office in Salt Lake; he had been a long time in Nauvoo and apostatized in 1860. He told one of my chief witnesses, who thinks him a perfectly reliable man, the following: "All those that were inimical to the Kingdom of God in Nauvoo, were put away. I knew a man who was looked upon as an enemy to the church. They threw him, body, clothes and all, in the lime kiln and burned him up. But I believed' then [ just like John D. Lee] that it was all right; it had been commanded by Joseph the Prophet and was done for the safety of the Kingdom."
"Dead men tell no tales" was a favorite word of Joseph Smith, and Brigham Young adopted and used it very frequently. One might say that it was the motto of the two prophets as to the treatment of their enemies. But sometimes the motto was changed a little and then it had to read: "Dead women tell no tales." This is proved by a terrible tale related by old Richard Rushton, the faithful steward of the "Nauvoo Mansion," where Joseph lived as hotel-keeper.
"Old Sister , well-known in early times in
Nauvoo was a good, generous woman, a faithful Saint, and tried to be worthy the name by being kind and truthful. Having some means she could spare, she helped the: prophet' and gave amply to the ' church.' She attended to the sick and there were many there alleviating their distresses and speaking words of cheer to the disconsolate. She was respected by many as a ' mother in Israel.' But she was outspoken, and seeing so much that appeared to her corrupt, she would sometimes ' blab ' about the brethren's doings. Her reproofs showed that she knew too much, and she might become dangerous to them. Though she knew but little, comparatively, of what was going on, the priesthood became alarmed, and as it was easier to get
48
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
rid of an old woman that to reform their lives, it was considered necessary to ' attend to her case. ' A council was held in Joseph's room, at which were Joseph Smith, O. P. Rockwell and a few others. After Rockwell had accused her, the subject was broached of drowning her, the council concluding that for the safety of some of the brethren, and especially Joseph, although she was a zzzi purty good 'oman,' she must be silenced at all hazards. The plan devised then and there, was that, as she was 'kind o' kind to the church/ the church would make her a present of a piece of land and a house on it which they owned ' over the river.' The next night they would take her ' over the river' and land her safely ' on the other side.' All present consented, and the evening being dark and propitious to carry out the plan, a few of those consenting met at the boat at the river-side to execute 'the will of the Lord concerning her."
"It was a dark night. Darkness on the city and on the great stream, rolling peacefully but a few rods distant. Profound silence in the low part of the city. But hark! a wild shriek is heard by a trembling listener in the little orifice of the ' Mansion,' coming as from a throat gurgling with water; it was only a moment, and again silence; but hark! another shriek from the same quarter, from the same voice, a piercing shriek as from some one struggling for dear life; and again silence. Then a final shriek, much fainter, telling the breathless listener that the end had come. All is now hushed as death. The cry is heard no more, the old soul is silenced now, the baptism is complete without the usual religious formula, and the lifeless body floats in the broad arms of the Father of the Waters, no more to vex the souls of these pitiless conspirators, until the great day of account, when "the sea shall give up its dead. "
"In less than five minutes after the ceasing of the screams from the drowning victim, the prophet, O. P. Rockwell and two others rushed wildly into the hotel. The prophet was dripping wet. He was loudly expostulating with ' Port ' and the others: * You should not have drowned her; she couldn't have done us much harm.'
Joseph Walks on the Water.
49
'We had to do it,' was the response, 'for your safety and our own, as well as for the good of the church. She can't harm us now.' 'I am very sorry;' said the prophet, ' if I had thought of it a few minutes sooner, you wouldn't have drowned Sister.' It appears that although the prophet consented the night previous to her murder, under the impulse of the misrepresentation and fears of her accusers, he relented on reflection and expected to appear with the murderers at the river's edge in time to prevent them from putting their purpose into effect. He was too late, and in his effort to save her then he was wet through and through, being baffled by the combined strength of his followers. The prophet was impulsive and fitful, and in his better moments, no doubt, thought the poor old soul should not be ' blood-atoned,' and really tried to save her. But what a state of society, that made it possible to drown an innocent, defenceless, confiding old woman!" (Richard Rushton heard the shrieks of the victim while sitting in the office of the "Mansion.")
There must have been strong rumors current about the secret crimes committed in Nauvoo at that time, since the church organ called Times and Seasons, while advocating Joseph Smith's election as President of the United States, found it necessary to issue the following characteristic denial to those floating rumors:
"Gentlemen, we are not going either to murder ex-Governor Boggs, nor a 'Mormon in this State ' for not giving us his money;' nor are we going to ' walk on the water,' * nor 'drown a woman,' nor defraud the poor of their property,' nor ' marry spiritual wives,' etc.
Now I assert that the Mormon leaders did commit the crimes and abominations charged to them by public rumor in 1844
and denied impudently in the church organ. I have proved the attempted assassination of Governor
__________
* I am informed that Mr. Deming, of Painesville, Ohio, is prepared to prove in his book that old story of Joseph's
having "walked on the water" in Kirtland to imitate one of the best known miracles of the Savior. There were, it
seems, planks put some inches below the surface of the water, and Smith walked (in perfect security) over the deep &
But a wag having contrived to remove one of the planks, the modern miracle-worker took a dip that nearly cost him his
interesting life.
50
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
Boggs and the drowning of the old woman; the truth of the remaining charges admits of no doubt in the light of proofs furnished on all sides for similar and worse offenses. Was not polygamy confessed officially in 1852, after having been denied most solemnly by the church organ and leaders up to that time, and by John Taylor in a public discussion in 1850, in Boulogne, France? "We are not going to marry spiritual wives." How does this read, I ask thee, O righteously indignant Mormon doubter, in the glaring light of historic truth emblazoning polygamy since the time that Lieutenant General Joseph Smith was posing as presidential candidate?
STEALING IN NAUVOO.
______
Ridiculous "Gentile" Notions -- John Taylor very Solemn -- Abel, the Colored Priest -- Stealing Cattle and Healing
the Sick.
To understand this chapter fully, you have to get rid of your Gentile notions and prejudices first, gentle reader. To kill a fellow in some canyon, because he is an apostate, is not murder in Mormonism, but saving the poor fellow's soul. Taking from the Gentiles is not stealing, but consecrating to the Lord what rightfully belongs to him. This is a "higher law," too. For is not "the earth the Lord's and the fullness thereof, and the cattle on a thousand hills?" Now just stick to this, reader, and don't forget that it is more than an official test of Mormon faith; it is a part of the life blood of the elders of the school of Joseph and Brigham. Nobody ever expressed this axiom better than John Taylor did once in New York, A Mormon lady told him that her servant girl used to bring home bits of silverware and like articles whenever she had been visiting Gentile friends. "What shall I do, Brother Taylor?" said the lady. "Dear Sister H," said the
They Steal as the Lord's Agents.
51
man of God, with that ghostly unction of his, "you CANNOT steal from Gentiles!"
No, you cannot. Taylor is right, and his answer was a masterpiece of strict logic. Can it be stealing, if you take from your enemies, whom God will destroy very soon for not accepting the gospel of Joseph Smith? What the wicked Gentiles possess is stolen from the Lord; so bring it back, brethren, to the Lord, that obliging "pard" of Joseph's, who hands the trash over to Joseph, of course.
But hear another of the Lord's choice "revelations" and you will understand fully that the "founder" of Mormonisrn authorized his followers directly to appropriate "whatsoever HE needeth:"
"Behold, it is said in my laws, or forbidden to get in debt to thine enemies (the Gentiles); but, behold, it is not said, at any time, that the Lord should not take when he please and zzz/#y as seemeth him good'; wherefore, as ye are agents, and ye are on the Lord's errand, and whatsoever ye do according to the will of the Lord is the Lord’s business, and he has sent you to provide for his Saints…"
Here's richness. This is from the "Book of Doctrine and Covenants," a book, remember, as sacred in the eyes of a fanatic Mormon as the New Testament is to any zealous Christian. Hear now our brave old witnesses:
Mr. W: "Abel was the name of a colored man in Nauvoo who had received the Priesthood from Joseph. This was an exception to the rule, colored people not being entitled to the blessings of Mormon priesthood (but Joseph and Co. fixed it). Abel, the black priest, at Joseph's command, stole a quantity of lumber, which was needed for coffins, at one time there being great mortality in Nauvoo on account of malaria. A little later Joseph ordered Abel to steal a whole raft of lumber. Abel had scruples about this second order. The first one he had considered all right, since the lumber served to bury the dead. But he was a good Saint, the black priest, and stole the raft all the same. He told me the story himself.
"One day I was ordered to go and lay hands on the sick, in a place up the river some miles from Nauvoo. Elder M. R., now a bishop in Salt Lake, went with me.
52
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
We laid our hands on the sick and it seemed to have good effect: they felt better. Not long ago I met Bishop M. R. in the street. Says he, ( Do you remember how we cured the sick near Nauvoo? I cannot understand how we could succeed, since I had been the very same day driving in forty-five head of cattle which the brethren had stolen on the plains.' W. answered: 'Well, I had not been stealing) and that, perhaps, explains our success."
Mrs. Pa.: "Vilate Kimball, the apostle's first wife, an honest woman, told many things to her intimate friends. She used to say that her house in Nauvoo was a regular deposit of the 'spoils of the Gentiles.' It was a favorite sport with the Mormons to rob the stores of their enemies, and to ' consecrate' all the goods to the Lord. Mrs. Kimball had in her house innumerable pieces of calico, muslin, etc., generally of the length of fifty yards. ' I know it to be a fact that our people used to go out nights for the purpose of stealing the wash from the lines of the Gentiles in a circuit of twenty miles around Nauvoo,' sister Vilate used to say."
W. W. Phelps, a prominent saint in olden times, "Joseph's Speckled Bird," and for many years "Devil" in the Endowment House, said to an old friend of his in Salt Lake: "If the Mormons had behaved like other people, they would never have been driven from Illinois and Missouri; but they stole, robbed and plundered from all their neighbors, and all the time." (The daughter of Phelps' friend told this little confession to the author.)
Mr. Sh.: "When I came to the church at Nauvoo my first experience was this: The priesthood wanted me to be captain of a band whose task it was to stampede the cattle of the apostates, and to kill them if they offered any resistance. I had given the church all I had $23,000 and I declined the honor of being captain of such a band."
Mr. W.: "Bogus Brigham, alias Bishop Miller (of Prove), was a big, fleshy, stupid fellow. He had a flatboat on the Mississippi. He went down the river and stole from a mill a whole boat-full of flour. He has told me this himself."
Joseph, Lee, and Brigham.
53
THE DON JUAN OF NAUVOO.
______
Don Juan in Seville and in Nauvoo -- A Well-Counted Hecatomb of Victims -- Celestial Assignation Houses -- The
Little Oil Bottle -- The Innocent Girl at the Keyhole -- Eliza R.; first Spy and then Mistress -- Orgies in Nauvoo
-- Abortion and Infanticide.
Yes, "Don Juan"; that's a good name. I remember to have heard that glorious opera of Mozart at least thirty times. I remember how I used to be overcome with two powerful sensations whenever I left the Vienna Opera-house: one was a strong emotion in my breast, such as a decent fellow must always feel after having witnessed the punishment of an unscrupulous libertine; and second, any amount of smell of burnt gunpowder in my nostrils, proceeding from the fireworks which represented pretty well a middle-sized, old-fashioned, fire-and-brirnstone hell to burn the great sinner in.
Now, Joseph's career and fearful end are, to my heart and nose, exactly the same over again; same emotion, same smell, coming now from the smoking rifles of those treacherous "Carthage Grays." So let us say "Don Juan," and introduce Joseph's amorous history as such.
It is now a well established historical fact that the origin of Mormon polygamy, or "celestial marriage," was nothing but the unbounded and ungoverned passion of the prophet for the other sex. "Joseph and John D. Lee were the most libidinous men I ever knew" says my friend Webb, who knew the prophet for eleven years. "Joseph was the most licentious and Brigham Young the most bloodthirsty of men" says Mrs. Sarah Pratt, who has known all these Mormon leaders during almost their whole career in the church.
In one of my many interviews with the aged, life-long martyr of polygamy, I said once to her: "I have seen
54
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
a statement in a book that Joseph had eighty wives at the time of his death. Is that true?" Mrs. Pratt smiled and said: "He had many more, my dear sir; at least he had seduced many more, and those with whom he had lived without their being sealed to him, were sealed to him after his death, to be among the number of his "queens "in the other world. All those women were divided among his friends after his tragic death, so that they might be "proxy-husbands" to them on earth; while in the celestial kingdom they would, with their offspring, belong to Brother Joseph, the Christ of this dispensation."
Notwithstanding that I had lost, while pursuing my study of Mormon history, a good deal of my original faculty of becoming surprised, it astonished me a little to hear of five scores of ladies entitled to the high distinction of being called "wife of the prophet." But, comparing notes, which I have collected from many witnesses, I cannot but come to the conclusion that Mrs. Pratt has not exaggerated: that Brother Joseph, as a wholesale sealer "for time, and all eternity," was the greatest Don Juan of this or any other dispensation.
Mrs. P.: "Everybody knew in Nauvoo that the Partridge girls lived with Joseph a long time before he got his celebrated revelation about celestial marriage, dated July 12, 1843. The Partridge girls were very good-natured. After Joseph's death one was sealed to Brigham and the other to Apostle Amasa Lyman. Joseph's taste was of very large dimensions, he loved them old and young, pretty and homely. He sometimes seduced mothers to keep them quiet about his connection with their daughters. There was an old woman called Durfee. She knew a good deal about the prophet's amorous adventures and, to keep her quiet, he admitted her to the secret blessings of celestial bliss. I don't think that she was ever sealed to him, though it may have been the case after Joseph's death, when the temple was finished. At all events, she boasted here in Salt Lake of having been one of Joseph's wives. Heber C. Kimball and Brigham Young took the lion's share at
The Little Oil Bottle.
55
the division of Joseph's wives after his death. Joseph had a number of lady friends, sealed or not sealed, who permitted him to use their houses as a kind of assignation houses for rendezvous with other women."
Mr. Jo.: "You remember that passage in the Revelations about celestial marriage, where 'the Lord ' says to Joseph: 'and if she be with another man, and I have not appointed unto her by the holy anointing, she hath committed adultery.' Well, an old Mormon, who had been very intimate with Joseph in Nauvoo, assured me that the prophet always carried a small bottle with holy oil about his person, so that he might ' anoint ' at a moment's notice any woman to be a queen in Heaven. A curious little anecdote was told me by a gentleman who had it direct from that pure man of God, Heber C. Kimball. Brigham's alter ego said as follows: 'I sat once with Joseph in his office in the Mansion House. He looked out of the window and saw weeding in a garden a young married woman whom we both knew. He told me to go to her and request her to come to him, and he would have her sealed to himself this very moment. I went and told the woman to come to Brother Joseph. She ran to the house to comb her hair and 'fix up' generally, and then followed me to the prophet. I performed the sealing ceremony, and retired."
Mr. J. W. C.: i( Joseph knew himself well. He said to one of his intimate friends, ' If the Lord had not taken me in hand, I would have become the greatest
w of the world.' And to another friend, he said:
' Whenever I see a pretty woman, I have to pray for grace.'
Mrs. P.: "Joseph did not content himself with his spiritual brides, who surrendered themselves to him 'for Christ's sake.' There lived on the Mississippi, near the steamboat landing, a certain young woman, a Mrs. White, very pretty and always very fashionably dressed. She was in the habit of being very hospitable to the captains of the steamboats . . . Joseph was one of her customers and used to contribute to the expenses of her establishment."
Mr. Wa.: "I used to employ a poor Mormon woman for domestic sewing. She had been a fanatic Mormon in
56
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
her time, but had cooled down considerably in consequence of her experience in the direction of celestial marriage. Her husband had taken < another woman ' and entirely neglected her, and that is what made her shaky in the faith. She once felt very dull, and in this mood she told me the following little story. ' When in Nauvoo, I was a very young girl, and there I happened to be witness of an event that gave me the first doubt about Joseph the prophet. I was servant in the house of a Mr. Ford, a merchant who had a store in Nauvoo. He was wont to go by steamer to St. Louis, to make purchases. Whenever Mr. Ford was absent from his house, the prophet used to call on Mrs. Ford.* He would come, chat with her awhile, and then, they would retire to the lady's chamber. For a while I saw nothing in this, being a very young, innocent girl, and very strong in the faith. But some way or other suspicion arose in my mind. So when Joseph called again Mr. Ford had gone to St. Louis the day before I could not master my curiosity any more. I followed the pair
stealthily, and putting my eye to the keyhole I saw
. ' Here the poor woman gave me a description of
a scene which was surely calculated to shake even the most fanatic faith. But this is not all. She said: ' Whenever Mr. Ford came home from St. Louis, he used to complain about business: 'I cannot understand it,' he used to say, ' when I am here money comes in all the time, and when I am away not a red cent gets into the house.' Now the explanation is very simple. Whenever Joseph had prayed with Mrs. Ford, she used to give him all the money in the till, to the last cent. Since that time I do ask myself sometimes, whether Joseph was really the right kind of a prophet."*
The women in Nauvoo considered it a high honor to receive their celestial blessings from Joseph himself. He was prophet, seer and revelator, lieutenant general, mayor; he was not only the Lord's mouthpiece, but might be President of the United States. At any rate, he was,
__________
* This story has been told the author by a perfectly reliable gentleman, a business man of high and long standing
in Salt Lake.
He Seals Them All.
57
without having the title, the autocrat, the emperor of the rapidly growing Mormon empire. Is it any wonder that those poor souls should feel greatly elated whenever the anointed of the Lord deigned to accept their all?
Mr. W.; "Joseph's dissolute life began already in the first times of the* church, in Kirtland. lie was sealed there secretly to Fanny Alger. Emma was furious, and drove the girl, who was unable to conceal the consequences of her celestial relation with the prophet, out of her house."
Mrs. D.: "A Mrs. Granger proved a very reliable and useful friend to the prophet. He was once at her house, in bed, and not alone. The bed had old-fashioned curtains. All at once Sister Emma, the prophet's wife, came in, and said excitedly to Mrs. Granger: ' Is Brother Joseph here?' * No,' said Mrs. Granger, ' he has jusr been in, but went out again,' getting Sister Emma out of the house as hurriedly as possible. Joseph used to tell his intimate friends how dreadfully he had felt in that bed, expecting every moment that his wife might look behind the curtains."
Mrs.J.: "Eliza Partridge, one of the many girls sealed to the prophet, used to sew in Emma's room. Once, while Joseph was absent, Emma got to fighting with Eliza and threw her down the stairs. i That finished my sewing there,' Eliza used to say."
"In Kirtland, Joseph was once caught in a house
with one of the sisters. This house might be called the
humble birthplace of the revelation on celestial marriage."
Mr. W.: "Joseph kept eight girls in his house, calling them his 'daughters.' Emma threatened that she would leave the house, and Joseph told her, ' All right, you can go.' She went, but when Joseph reflected that such a scandal would hurt his prophetic dignity, he followed his wife and brought, her back. But the eight 'daughters' had to leave the house."
"Miss" Eliza R. Snow, one of the most curious figures in the history of Mormondom, played an important part in the events relating to celestial hymenology. She is the great poetess (and such a poetess!), and is a
58
Mormon Portraits. -- I. Joseph Smith.
sort of high priestess generally of Mormonism. She used to anoint the sisters in the Endowment house and to play the part of Eve in the celestial drama enacted there. She is now over eighty years old, yet doing the same thing in the Logan temple in Utah. * Sister Eliza became the church's "elect lady" when "the Lord" became thoroughly incensed with Sister Emma for her contumacy. She is the very prototype of what is called "female roosters" in Zion, always ready to enslave and drag men and women into polygamy. She was one of the first (willing) victims of Joseph in Nauvoo. She used to be much at the prophet's house and "Sister Emma" treated her as a confidential friend. Very much interested about Joseph's errands, Emma used to send Eliza after him as a spy. Joseph found it out and, to win over the gifted (!) young poetess, he made her one of his celestial brides. There is scarcely a Mormon unacquainted with the fact that Sister Emma, on the other side, soon found out the little compromise arranged between Joseph and Eliza. Feeling outraged as a wife and betrayed as a friend, Emma is currently reported as having had recourse to a vulgar broomstick as an instrument of revenge; and the harsh treatment received at Emma's hands is said to have destroyed Eliza's hopes of becoming the mother of a prophet's son. So far one of my best informed witnesses. Her story becomes corroborated by another reliable source. Elder Bullock, who was church historian at that time, used to tell the following little tale: "Joseph said on the morning of the first parade of the Nauvoo Legion ' This is the proudest day of my life.' Many people believed that this outburst of pride was entirely of a military character. But I and some other intimate friends of the prophet knew very well that he was proud of another thing, not of a parade, but of a conquest, the conquest of Eliza."
Mr. W.: "There were many small rooms, with beds, in the temple in Nauvoo. They turned the house of the Lord into a house of prostitution. The wife of Amasa Lyman, apostle and apostate, used to say that they had many little bedrooms in the temple, and that the
High Jinks in Nauvoo.
59
newly-sealed couples used to retire to those rooms with provisions for two or three days."
Mr. S.: "Amasa Lyman, the apostle, who later became a 'vile apostate,' told me that Joseph, Brigham Yo |
