| Show THE bloodcurdling BLOOD CURDLING TALES DISHED UP death the result tacy but they live by way of giving conr readers an idea of the base falsehoods uttered in judge Ando rons court regard ing tho mormon church in th naturalization of cormons mormons Mor mons we tho following testimony given by apostates subpoenaed by the liberal element for the purpose of preventing the naturalization of those who believe in the doctrines taught by the mormon church andrew cahoon testified I 1 came to utah in 1848 joined tho church in 1833 in kirtland was a member till 1871 I 1 way a bishop 18 years was one when I 1 left the church I 1 im eiven endowments acl years ago and am familiar with the core mony so far as my memory goes never officiated got my endowments in 1845 or 1816 I 1 took obligations there everyone has to there are oaths administered there they relate to obeying the priesthood and to avenge the blood of the prophets this was understood to mean joseph and hyrum the blood was to be avenged on any who were guilty of shedding the blood or consented to it there was also a covenant to yield implicit obedience at all times to the priesthood the penalty was death for repealing any of the secrets I 1 did not understand how the penalty was to be inflicted the understanding der standing was that if a man apos and divulged the secrets he should meet the death penalty there was something about the throat being cut and being disemboweled disembowel ed the right band was also forfeited one of the penalties was for disobedience to tho priesthood the highest allegiance ras to the mormon church or the kingdom of god there was nothing said of obedience to the law of the government they were instructed that polygamy was a command of god that all must endorse it or be damned it was biot practiced there is no age set for a person to go through the endowments it was expected that all members would avail themselves of the privilege of going through A man cannot be legally married except there as the church does not recognize any other marriage A civil or legal marriage is considered good as long aa parties live they regard it as legal in the eyes of the law bat not legal as pertaining to the priesthood this is taught in tho endowment ceremony to mr young in the obligations to avenge the blood of the prophets the idea conveyed was the blood of all the prophets and especially of jaseph and hyram on all connected with their death or who consented to it there was an instruction of allegiance to the church there was no instruction to brealy the laws of the land but we were to obey the priesthood we were not taught to be immoral we taught to be good men and not to break any law of morality only the doctrines of the church were considered consi dared highe aj I 1 considered the general teaching of was in law 0 the land wherein it advised obedience to the priesthood I 1 know instances bat cannot name one I 1 never heard it taught directly that we were to take from our foes I 1 never taught it because I 1 did not be leave it some did but I 1 cannot name who except lyman wight at adam A dam ondi ahman I 1 did not see it but I 1 did the results lyman wight apos more than forty years ago the of taking from our enemies was not taught publicly the caboon family were not trusted with secrets I 1 was told it would be no harm to put a man out of the way I 1 dont know that any man was put out of abo way I 1 dont remember any mancho was referred to it was some man who had bebenin some mischief bever jever heartha hear dha was put out of the way J was not connected with any of the wor kand dont know directly thas men were put out of the caybut it is out of my power to name one almon W babbitt was killed I 1 bont know who did it or wh ordered it I 1 donic know that it was ordered but he was killed and it was reported that i was done by indians J dont know bat what bill hickman done the job indians may have killed him 1 I was never advised to break the law of the land but that was implied in the teaching to ob eythe priesthood it was understood wo should obey the priesthood I 1 never taught any one to disobey the law of the land and was never aspect to disobey it for to tell anyone to disobey it that is a part of the instruction in the endowments the cormons mormons regard the civil marriage as unauthorized they do not say the offspring are illegitimate they regard marriages outside of the authority of the priesthood as of no force in eternity they taught a legal marriage under the law of the land did not go into the other world they married for time and eternity they regarded the marriage ceremony of the world as good while the parties lived to mr baskin if a man not married by the priesthood died he have no wife in the nest to mr young joseph smith and the leaders of the cormons mormons professed loyalty but taught that the government would be overthrown and the kingdom of bcd would be established they taught that the conati cution was inspired but it would bo bettered by the priesthood that has off from time to time in the endowment house they were careful not to mention the government of the united states to mr baskin it was taught that the kingdom of god would be established and all other governments would bo overthrown and the united state would be the first to mr young I 1 did not enter into any covenant to overthrow the government ern ment but to sustain the kingdom of god against all others it was understood that we had to establish the kingdom of god against all other powers no government was mentioned but it was implied when we said we would sustain the kingdom that we would go any way to the kingdom of god this was to be accomplished by every means persuasion and force it necessary that was the teaching but I 1 do not remember what was said I 1 cant remember the ceremony but it was that wo would sustain the all other powers the government of the united states was not mentioned were careful not to do so they did not need to to mr baskin when I 1 was bishop I 1 was taught generally that I 1 had to endorse or embrace polygamy or be damned dont know of a case of a man being found with his throat cut I 1 heard that ike potter was so found mr moyle I 1 protest against such proceedings in the name of justice because I 1 amow it ia the court said it should ba known if there was an implied fealing of hostility to the government if this was one of the penalties inflicted for revealing the secrets of the endowment house I 1 think these instances should be chown if it can be established that members took an oath of hostility to the government and these penalties were executed the nature of the ceremonies should be known mr moyle doea tho court mean to say that every murder committed in this territory is to be charged the church court if they can show instances of where this is enforced that is proper mr baskin I 1 propose to specify cases that the witness could not tell mr young of mr moyle these witnesses are full of hostility to the church in everyday every way and their understanding is not proper we dont object to the truth but we do to those hostile ideas court let the witness answer witness 1 heard of ike potters death mr buskin have you ever heard of any others who had their throats cut objected to as hearsay was not evidence if the witness knew of anything they have no objection objection overruled mr baskin wo have proven that oaths are taken under penalties of death if we can show that there have been mysterious crimes committed in this territory that should have a bearing on ibis matter and connects them with the church court that might bo an inference mr baskin we can prove these penalties have been inflicted by elders and members of the church and potter s case is one court if a man enters into adueh an obligation that is sufficient witness I 1 dont know anything about toms assassination it waa understood that it was right for a man who had violated any of his oaths a man would be saved if the penalty was inflicted that doctrine has been taught in public I 1 dont remember the wording of these oaths after being in the church forty years I 1 came to the conclusion that a man nofe bo a good citizen and a faithful member of the church to mr youir potter was a noted outlaw I 1 dont know that he ever was a mormon he was in custody when killed aa to tom he never went through the endowment house I 1 never was a freemason I 1 paid the initiation fee but backed out I 1 heard a man who waa a freemason say the endowment ceremony was very similar to that of the masons the penalties of the endowment were to bea literal the kingdom of god was to be literal affair to mr young I 1 know of men who have apostatized it took some courage years ago to do it now most of the apostates are in the church I 1 knew a man named mills at this point recess was taken until 2 pm on wednesday afternoon james mcguffie was the first witness called he testified I 1 live at E seventh south street have been in salt lake fifteen years lived in carowan parowan six came to utah in 1850 and went to iron county with george A smith and others established and remained till 1874 carowan parowan is near the scene of the mountain meadow massacre the would not let those people pass through the town and would not let us deal with them the emigrants had to go outside of the town colonel W L dame and bishop lewis would not let them come in I 1 joined the church in april 1840 in liverpool went through the endowment house november 10 1856 brigham Young Hober 0 kim balfany samuel W eichardt Eich ards were there I 1 went through only once that was enough for me there was a party of tea to fourteen came up from carowan parowan Pa rowan after our washings and an we presented our tithing receipts they then required ua t take an oath and to children our childrens children to do all we i could to uproot the american govern ment because they had not punished the murderers of joseph smith we took an oath chak we would obey the priesthood in all thing we were citizens of tha kingdom of god and 1 were to be enemies of the government of the they did not avenge the blood of joseph and bynun the penalties were to have conr throats cut and our hearts and bowels torn out the penalty was death that was told to us believed it would be done I 1 was acquainted quain ted with porter cocknell bill Hicko aan and lot huntington they vere the leaders of three gangs of murderers the blood ato ners the danitis and the avenging aye nging angels they executed the commands of brigham young who was god on earth I 1 knew john D lee W H dame and others john D leo was a member of the legislature and married two wives after the mountain meadow massacre he was on good terms with brigham young isaac haight was with lee in 1857 there were no other penalties except as I 1 have mentioned and these for disobedience to the priesthood and revealing tho secrets of the endowment wm laney entertained ona of the members of the company killed at the mountain meadows the young macj aided for some onions and laney gave them to him dame sent barnoy carter a destroying angola and he bit labey with a picket and he has never been of sound mind sinca to mr hoylo I 1 was not present when the young man was at landys laneys La but laney told me all I 1 know about it in the endowment house I 1 covenanted that I 1 would have my throat cut and my bowels cut out if I 1 rebelled against the priesthood or revealed the secrets there that was if I 1 broke the covenants to do all I 1 could to break up abo government of the united states this was not said to me personally but it was instructions given to us it was do as you are told and ahk no questions one thing is a law one day and another another day the authorities make the law ive as good a head as any man in this country john D lee told me he aras only a tool and he said he had been made a scapegoat the people all turned against him and he was treated as an outcast by all the brethren and sisters in carowan parowan Pa rowan except me and my wife wo were his only friends after the mountain meadows affair all the other people shunned him fifteen years ago I 1 was at edward canisters house I 1 dont remember telling these things there my wife did not tell me that I 1 was lying I 1 call that aslander on my character I 1 did not confess that I 1 lied tha mormon people respect me and I 1 hava no enmity towards them I 1 believe the heads of the church are the greatest scoundrels that ever lived I 1 dont feel vindictive to any one but angus M cannon I 1 dont hate the head of the church 1 am friendly to them thoy never injured me I 1 have no malice towards them I 1 thial they are under a areat delusion and I 1 pity them have friendly feelings toward them but if I 1 wanted a favor I 1 would not go to them I 1 regard thorn as know there were bands of murderers because it was in mouth I 1 only know what I 1 was told about it every body knew it just as I 1 do I 1 know as much all saints in these days there were no sinners then brigham was god on earth heber said ho was god to this people as moses was god to israel he was my god he ras every saints god that was the doctrine of the church and 1 preached it all the leading elders of ane church preached it all dead but me and woodruff I 1 dont know any man living but myself who preached this barry carter was damas destroying angel because he sent him after me barney afterwards told me that he was appointed to murder ha got tired of mormonism and went to san dino he is living there now to mr dickison Dic Tison I 1 have no animosity to M cannon because he owes IRS for wheat I 1 know the leaders of the church led me astray it was in 1868 and 1869 when none of the people would fellowship john dibee bishop dame treated lee and haight as outcasts dame was not there at the time of the massacre masa acre but came next day and when he saw the baad daad beddes he cried like a child he said he would send word to brigham young I 1 was not there but somebody told me my wife is living and went through the endowment house with me she is not a of the church |
