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Show SUIT Hill llll. TIMIIK 1II0CK n HISMIUIII. A vniv lnlereetlng and Important examination hat been In progress In this city during n wetk t aat, coming to a termination on WcdncaJay evening. U hat lcn conducted at rooms In the lemiktonbolel, before an Kxamlner aolnlid by (he UnlledHutia Circuit Court for the U esteru Dlvlnlon of tho UtaloofMlaaourl. The c-o It a suit brought by tho Ileorganlzod Church, commonly called "Joiephltce, "against the Church of Christ, commonly cnlled "Hcdrlckttoa," to obtain poises-slon poises-slon nndlltloton pleco of land In Independence, In-dependence, Missouri, known as the Timilellleck. About four years ago a notice was sere.l on Mr. Itlchard Hill, who was then resident of tho"lledrlcklU," but la now (heir Illthop, that if tho land Wat not vacated and poseeasloll given to the Josephllcs, suit woul 1 be brought to claim It. The Joscphllee lioughta rlece of ground acroaa the strtet facing the Temple lllock, and It was given out among their peole at n distance) that they held tltlo to the Temple lllock Itself. When It waa discovered that this tt as not correct,a rcaauru tvaa I rought to Uar to "removu the cloud to the title" n title Ibat hail no exlat-ence, exlat-ence, and instructions were glren at the "Josephlte" Confirencvof Apt), 1891, to Itiahop Kelley, to commetHO 1 roctidlugs fur Iho j uriose. 'In thu following Heptembcr, suit wat enlertd by the Reorganised Church, aa n corporation In Iowa havlug Ita headquarters at l.amonl. Thegroundt for the suit were a quit claim deed from Maria I,oii lae Jolui4on,a surviving descendant of Oliver Comlery whom threo children, now dead, were alleged to have received a deed to the land from Udward Tnrtrldge, ltishopof the original Church founded by the l'roj het Joseph Hnilth, who purchaacd tho i roperty In hit own name. The lie-organization lie-organization alao claim a title In equity to thla land aa successor to (ho original Church of Jiaua Christ of Ijitter-day HalnU. The"(edrlckllet" liste held os-session os-session of tbo property, or part of It, for twent) years aud part of It for fifteen ytars. (Irauvtllelledrlck ttasa member mem-ber of the Churchln Its early da) s. A(terlhedtalhot the Pro hit Joie h ho formed a church which ho btllevod to bo ettir the first pattern, colled It the Church of Christ," mejved the Hook of Mormon uud revclatlans up to 1514 aa gtnulne, and rtiudlaUtlall after that date which he consldtred conflicted wlththtm. At llloomlng ton, Illinois, In 18lll, he redlctrd Ibat the wn would open up for lilt follow-tratoKoto follow-tratoKoto Indipindenco In 1817. In that cnr they went, numbering nluut llfty snuls,and rommonced to get title to the land now In question. Their ilalin is that Kdttard Tart-rldgo Tart-rldgo jurchaicd the laud lu hit own name In 1832. Ills wife and time daughtereixccultda quit claim deed to Jamta Tool, which wat duly recorded. re-corded. Thla covered n tract of (II acre", which wat convejed In inrnJa to dllltrent parties The land Ucani" dlvldtd Into lolaof S2JxUfectiach, nnd tho lledrlckltea (urchastd from time to tlmo and obtained tltlo I y warrant) dtedt to eight of thoui,whlch they hate turroundol with a fiuce union which the) have a small mitt lughoufc, Thu defendant orgaulzitlou Mod an unstterlu thirty (Inja after suit ttat cnlired. After (hit the UIMII!i m ide an ameiidml complalnt,havlug to I ay tho coati of thtt and the new an ewer ot diftndauts which wus duly Tiled, and Ilmlly an Lxamlner was npiotntid, merel) to take tistlmoo) In thocasubut not with powers as ncoiut. stl ulatlon betttien Iheinrtlct was mado to this eir.ct In Januar) of tin prisent )ear, and in Kibrunry testl monyttss commenced to le given at Iudeeiidtnre, MWsoutl. If thu i quit) lalmofthe Joapphttea should be i slabllshi-d,!! woull place III opardy thowholuof theO acris purchased pur-chased I y l.dttard I'nrtrlilge, on which buuiti havo bteu built uuduccupKd for many jearx - tho Temple lots only being vacant and also about 1C00 acre south of Kunsat ( Ity, which llithop 1 dward I'arlrldgo enteral when he went to Missouri for the Church In ISM Thst "equity claim" Involve! the question of which la tho Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Balntr. Tho Jochl!et claim tl at theirs Istho sue cesMrtolhat Church, thai It Ucame disorganized at thedeath tf thci'roi het Joreih Hnilth, and that the Church of Jerut Christ of l,ttler-day Balntt In Utah la apostate, teaching and practising prac-tising ,olyganiy an I other doctrines list taught by the Prophot Jiseph and contrary to tho tinett of the original Church. Un this question testimony was taken tak-en In Indeeiidonce, Mo , lii Kel ruary, the wllnetsca I elng Jamet Whitehead, William li.Smltb.JntcphHmllh.W W. lllalr, ll.A.Htebblns, John lliackeu-bury lliackeu-bury and others of the lleorganlzed Church; Mr. Tuaver, of KansasCity, and 1'. 1 ICilley, of the "Jorephltce," appearing for that body, and Mr. U. A. Hall, 1 resident of the Hcdrtckllet and Mr. J N.Bothrrn for the defentr. The examination here commeuced on Monday, March lUh, lllsliop 1'.. U Kelley and Attorney 1", 1 Kelley for the "Joser lilies," Messrs. C. A. Hall nud Jamea A Hcdrlck for the defense, assisted by Attorney It. II. Calull, of (hit city. I ( hat U en very clearly ctlab. llibrd that the l'ro bet Josel h and his brother Hyrum taught and pncllsed plural marriage; that Wm. II. Bmllli did the same; that It wat taught to the Twelve aud others In Nauvoo; that the secret spiritual wife tystem of John C,lleunett,whlch wat donounced by a number of jersons over their slguaturet anl published In the Time (jrid Reasons, was eeseutlally dlflercut, from the system of celestial Including plural marriage (aught by Joseph Bmllli; that the endowments given lu Nauvou were the eanie at those given In Utah,anUthnt rovela. tlont to the Church wernglveu at different dif-ferent times which were not mado publlotlll afterwards. Messrs. Hall and Hedrlck.wlth (heir attorney, have conducted themselves llku gentlemm, anil have had the good wlshca of all with whom they have met during their ttay. The Kelleyt havo acted like pettifoggers, pettifog-gers, exhibiting neither a Chris tlan spirit nor (hat courlery (hat It usual among civilized people. They have Insulted and browbeaten aged and Infirm lalies aud gentlemen, and exhibited Ibat bearing that might beexiected from persons engaged In a scheme to obtain the property of others. In law and In reason (ho land In dispute belongs to the jo le who have bought and poueised It so long, and w ho hold It sacred for tho urposo designed de-signed sutject to the voice of thu I.erd unto them as to lit final disposition. If there It an equitable title to It anywhere else, by virtue of n trust to Ill-hop I'dward Partridge, then It vests lu thla Church of Jesus Christ of letter day tialnta, which has never been disorganized, but has con-tlouid con-tlouid from April 0, 1630, to the present pres-ent day, and which will never seek to steal that which It cannot obtain by lawful and j roper methods. |