Salt Lake Telegram | 1926-01-22 | Page 11 | As I Remember

Y It was in the year 1862 that another war but on a small scale broke out in Utah and this like the Echo Canyon war was a a. revolt against the authority of the terri terri- tory it was known as the Morris Morris- Ite He affair It was of ot short duration duration dura dura- tion but during the time is was waged wag a number of persons were Mere killed The war was at Kington Fort Foit a settlement which lay immediately Immediately immediately im Im- mediately west of Weber canyon and it contained a population of ot about The inhabitants be belonged belonged be- be longed to a peculiar religious sect and its leader was a man named Morris They recalled the tho Echo Canyon war and how the government was resisted and its leader deluded that he might show opposition to the territorial courts which were federal federal fed fed- eral courts The settlement had a kind of government of its own and among the various rules In vogue was that debts must be paid Three men from the fort desired to leave but in so doing did not make settlement settlement set set- of certain claims and the result Instead of leaving the fort they were imprisoned TREATED WITH CONTEMPT A writ of habeas corpus was sued out before Chief Justice John 1 F. F Kinney of the territorial supreme court and in an endeavor to serve the papers and bring the prisoners p before him s several o of the Mor- Mor treated the writ with con- con The late Henry W W. Lawrence Lawrence Lawrence Law Law- rence was then the territorial marshal marshal marshal mar mar- and the writ was was given him to serve lie He directed his deputy Judson L. L Stoddard to serve it which was done the writ bearing the date May 22 1862 The leaders of the Joseph Morris John Bans Richard Cook John Parsons and Peter paid no attention to the writ treating it with contempt Almost Almost Almost Al Al- most three weeks elapsed after service service service ser ser- vice of the writ and during the tho periled one of the men held prisoner prisoner pris pris- oner in the fort managed to elude the vigilance of the guards and got away while John Jensen and William Wil Wil- liam Jones were kept In captivity in close confinement although no charge was alleged against them other than their failure to meet certain debts and they had no warrant of law to hold them The territorial officers did n not t desire to have trouble hence they delayed proceeding further In ad addition addition ad- ad d- d dillon the were well wen armed and were perfectly drilled They were fanatical and were de determined determined determined de- de to resist to the end However ceased to tobe tobe tobe be a virtue for only so long and andIn andin In lit response to the pleadings of the f of ot the imprisoned men on June 10 10 Judge Kinney Issued an another another another an- an other writ this time directing the then n marshal arshat to arrest the leaders of the revolt and bring them before him when they would bu b dealt with according to law TWO CHARGES MADE Two charges were made against the fanatical people one unlawful Imprisonment of the two members who had repudiated and seceded from their sect and the other for contempt of court In refusing to release the m men n when so commanded command command- ed by the territorial officers Then General Dan Dani l H H. Wells who w was was s the head of the state militia was appealed to and re requested requested requested re- re quested to furnish Ji s. posse sufficiently sufficiently large to compel submission to the law Colonel Robert T or Burton was chief deputy United States marshal The marshal Henry W. W Lawrence was absent from the territory hence the work of ot enforcing the order of the court devolved upon Colonel Burton It was on Juno 13 when wen the posse posS consisting of men marched to Fort Port Kington There was no dela delay after the posse had been posted about the fort and this done a demand was sent to the l leader and his force they surrender surrender surrender sur sur- render within thirty minutes In conne connection tIon with the demand demard for surrender was another demand that if persisted in the women and children w were re to be removed at once to a place where they would woud be out of danger and that all peaceably disposed persons in the for would find protection with the posse Dosse