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Show r "THE PROPHET'S" MURDERERS. Not content with the showing made by The Tribune upon that subject, ihe Deseret News still asserts I hat this pa per "does not possess one iota of evidence evi-dence for its allegation that the murderers mur-derers of the prophet and patriarch were church members.' ' And yet it opens its article with the quotation from tho sermon of Apostlo George A. Smith, and which was printed in The Tribune's presentation, showing conclusively con-clusively thai, men who were, in Joseph's confidence, and who pro fessod to be his wannest friends, "were tho men, to treacherously shed his blood. ' ' It is difficult to imagine what could be plainer than this utterance by Apostle Smith; yet the Deseret News protends to find in it something thai it does not say. At this time the church organ is merely endeavoring to keep alive the old story that was originally orig-inally told for the purpose of implanting implant-ing in the Mormon breast a deep and aiiiding hatred of . tho Gentiles. But the fact is that Joseph Smith's personal per-sonal diary, extracts from which are printed in the History of ihe Church, which is being compiled by President Brigham II. Roberts, go to establish, the trui h of The Tribune's position in this matter. Joseph Smith often expressed the fear that, some of his brethren who were complaining of some of his actions would take his life. At one meeting in Nanvoo he went so far as lo publicly say that if he "re vealcd " to the saints some of t he strong doctriues that the Lord had "revealed" "re-vealed" to him, the saints would rise up then and there and slay him. At several meetings of the Nanvoo city council there wore charges made against members of the church b Mayor- Joseph Smith that they were conspiring against his life. The police were instructed repeatedly to keep a close -watch upon certain churchmen in order that they should not be permitted, per-mitted, to work personal injury lo the "prophet." There was perpetual w.v between the president of the church and one of his counselors, along with others who sided with ono or the other of these two men. Some of the most disgraceful stories were told as the bases for this sanguine antagonism. Finally a faction of men in the church established the Nauvoo Expositor, a newspaper, to oppose Smith and the Nauvoo Times and Seasons, the official organ of the' church and the "prophet." In the first (and :only) issue of that paper Joseph Smith was accused of gross immorality, and he became so enraged en-raged that he ordered the. city council to authorize him to destroy the printing print-ing plant of tho Expositor. This was done and' the paper was killed as soon as born. This is an indication oi the intousity of the enmity that existed between Joseph and his brethron, and doubtless was the immediate cause of the killing at Carthage. It does no good for the Deseret News to call these men apostates and Judnscs, because that does not, in the least alter the fact that they professed th'o faith of Mor-monism Mor-monism during all of the time that the trouble was .growing. The death of Joseph and Ilyruni Smith, together with the apostasy of his enemies, merely mere-ly marked the culmination of that strife. It may be that others assisted assist-ed in the tragedy, but there is no doubt whatever that the ringleaders and the moving spirits in the slaughter slaugh-ter 'were church members who fell themselves deeply injured by the ''prophet."' .The .Tribune does not enjoy en-joy making, referancc fo this particular part of tho subject, but it is known that in some instances the cause for the enmity in the hearts of somo of Joseph's close associates .was that the "prophet" had made wrong and indecent in-decent proposals to these men's, wives; and if there is anything on earth that will put murder into the heart of a man, it is that very thing. As beforo st a tod, the story was concocted con-cocted in. order to. instill hatred of tho Gentile in tho Mormon, people, just as tho story of Iho enlistment of the Mormon battalion was invented to cause hatred of the Government. And there is just as much truth in one as in the other. |