Show 1 ana aa ANSWER R toa ToJ SEvERAL QUESTIONS ls 11 IN ur LATION RELATION TO THE HISTORY AND DOCTRINE OF or tue rue ITHE THE LATTER latten DAY dy SAINTS annd and THE SETTLEMENT AND PROGRESS OF UTAH f TERRITORY tn in the spring of 1844 joseph smith president of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints who was then living at Nati hancock county II 11 ligols selected a company of men to explore the rocky mountains with a view to find a place where the saints could locate and enjoy an immunity from that religious persecution which had followed the church in the states of new york ohio missouri and illinois president smith at that time expressed his determination to explore the mountain valleys and prophesied that within five years the saints should be located in the rocky mountains beyond the influence of mobs requesting it to be recorded that when it came dame to pass it should be remembered while this company were making t preparations tied pa for their journey a mob assembled at carthage the county seat of hancock to menace the saints disappointed political demagogues writhing under the sting eting of defeat and apostates who had been expelled the church because of their iniquity combined at this juncture to fan the flame of excitement and persecution insomuch that the governor ot of the state thomas thomasf ford ord deemed it advisable advis ablo abio to visit hancock county when joseph smith the prophet learned that the governor had called out the militia of carthage who composed the mob previously collected there and had ma made ge e a requisition for additional forces form from warsaw where resided many of the most bitter enemies of the faints he was apprehensive that it was their intention to murder instead of try him h having already been ab about out fifty times before judicial tribunals and invariably acquitted be he hesitated to 6 answer the process of law until the governor pledged the faith of the state that he should be protected and have a fair trial this Gover norFord aidana then joseph with his brother hyrum proceeded to carthage where they surrendered themselves prisoners to the constable co ns table tabie who held the writ for thein theto they voluntarily lun iun taril y entered into before the justice of the peace pace for their appearance at court to answer the charge whereupon a new writ was is sued against them on the affidavit of two dissolute men charging them with reason treason and they were immediately thrust into jail elders willard richards and john taylor being permitted to accompany them governor ford then disbanded all his troops except the tho carthage greys who were known to possess the most violent feelings of hatred against joseph and hyrum smith and after holding a private council on the subject he left them to their fate MASSACRE OF JOSEPH AND HYRUM SMITH on the of june 1844 about men with their faces blackened blackened surrounded the prison and deliberately murdered joseph and hyrum smith leaving elder john taylor severely wounded with four balls elder willard richards elch Eich ards who was in the same room escaped e unhurt at the fall term of court bills of indictment for murder in tho the first degree we were re found against the principal leaders in the massacre but they were allowed to go at large on bail and to become each ot others herlis security the bum eum required bei bel being ng only one thousand dollars in may imo igo they had a sham trial and were ac quitted acquitted although the most of the members of the court bar jury and witnesses knew know them to bo be guilty of the murder the twelve apostles being the first quorum remaining in the church immediately med lately returned from their migs mias missions abroad and by the unanimous voice volee of the saints took their position at the head of affairs in nauvoo brigham young president of the twelve apostles presiding A revelation had been given through joseph smith in 1841 commanding the saints to build a temple in which to administer the ordinances of the tho gosp gospel el also to build a house to tobe be called the nauvoo house for the entertainment of strangers and a sufficient time was granted ranted for the completion of this work which would be acceptable only in the day of their poverty in order that they might prove th themselves em seles faithful in all things that they were commanded nevertheless the lord said verily verily I 1 say bay sa unto you that when I 1 give a comman commandment to any of th the esons sons of men to do a work unto my name and those sons of j men go with all the their 1 ir might and with all they have to perform that work and cease not their diligence and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work behold it me to require that wor won work k no more at the hands of those choso sons of men but to accept of their offerings 3 and the iniquity and transgression transgress iop lop of my holy laws and commandments I 1 will visit upon the heads of those who hindered my iny work unto the third and fourth generation so sd long as they repent not and ind hate me the lord god therefore for this cause havel have haye J accepted the offie offerings rings of those whom I 1 commanded to build up a city and a house unto my name in jackson co missouri and were hindered by their enemies edth s ath the lord your godano I 1 will ansec c r judgment wrath an and d indignation and anguish and gnashing of teeth upon their heads unto the third and fourth generation BO so loaft lone as they repent not and hate ae me bait balt saith baith the lord your god and thia I 1 make an example unto you for your consolation concerning all those who have been commanded fo to do a work and have been hindered by the hands of their enemies and by ob oppression sai sat balth eaith th the lord your god for I 1 am the lord your god and wilf will save all those of your brethren who have been puro pure in heart and have been slain in the land of Mirao misouri url uri saith the lord in view of fulfilling this revelation the twelve pushed fo forward rivard the building of the temple which at the time of the prophets death was about one half story above the basement this magnificent work was vigorously prosecuted to its completion in the face of relentless persecution and amid obstacles of the th most difficult and trying kind A seventies hall a music hall HZ 11 and an arsenal were also built and the house was recommenced and the brick work of the first story completed when the mob coming to the conclusion that the murder of the prophets had not destroyed destroy edthe the progress of the work of the lord commenced on the of september 1845 burning houses in the south west portion of hancock county whereupon the sheriff issued the following proclamation proclamation td THE CITIZENS or OF HANCOCK COUNTY coulty whereas a mob of from arom one to two hundred wen aen men ben under arms have gathered themselves together in the boath west part of hancock county and are at this time destroying the dwellings and other buildings stacks of grain and other property of a portion of ax our citizens in the most inhuman manner compelling de fenceless children and women to leave their sick beds and exposing them to the rays of the parching sun I 1 there to lay and suffer without the aid or assistance of a friendly hand to minister to their wants in their suffering in condition the he rioters spare not the widow npr cpr orphan and while I 1 am writing this proclamation the smoke is rising to the clouds and the flames are devouring four buildings which have just been set on fire by the rioters thousands of dollars worth of property has already been consumed an entire settlement of about sixty or seventy famille families laid waste the inhabitants thereof are fired upon narrowly escaping with their lives emd and forced to fleo flee before the ravages of thie mob by the revised laws of our state under the criminal code sixth divis divisions pia pla 68 58 section page the crime of arson argon is defined as follows every person who shall wilfully and malici maliciously 0 usi burn or cause to be burned any d dwelling wele well house kitchen office shop barr bars stable store house ac ae shall be deemed guilty of arson and upon conviction vic tion thereof shall be punished lff iff imprisonment in in the penitentiary mtr a teim term not less than one year non nor I 1 more than ten years and should wills llo life ilfe or lives of any person be lost in cati consequence sequence of any such offense offence aforesaid such offender shall be guilty of murder and ishall shall be indicted and punished accordingly and whereas the laws of this state make it my duty as a peace officer of this county to suppress all riots routs ac ac and all other crimes therefore I 1 J B backenstos sheriff of the county of hancock and state of illinois in the name of the people of said state and by the authority vested in me by virtue of my office hereby solemnly command chessid the said sald rioters and other peace breakers to desist forthwith disperse and go to their homes under the penalty of the tho laws jaws and I 1 hereby chereb T call upon the law abiding citizens as a posse comitatus eoma coma tatus lattis of hancock county to wite their united aid in suppressing the sive give rooters oters and maintain the supremacy of the law J B BAKENSTOS sherlf Sherif Sheriff of hancock county illinois P S it is a part of my policy that the citizens of nauvoo remain quiet and not a man from that city leave as a posse entil until antil it be made manifest that the law and order citizens without the city will not have force sufficient to suppress the rioters of this disgraceful ou outrage but that 2000 effective men hold themselves in readiness to march at a moments warning to any point in hancock county J B B Sheri sheriff fr green plains ancock hancock II county ills sept 1845 to this proclamation no attention whatever was paid except by the mob who used it as a justification for trying 0 to kill hill the sheriff although he was not a V mormon and was only acting in the discharge of his official duty in the attempt however to kill hill the cherif sheriff I 1 one of the mob was killed subsequently another proclamation was issued calling upon the mormon people of the county as well as all other law lav abiding abidin citizens to arm themselves and be in i readiness to act at a moments notice in the defence of the lives and property of peaceful citizens citizens and to suppress Y mob nob violence throughout the county the tho leaders of the mob then ged hed ohp county to avoid upon which soy boy tho thomas mas yord ford ord sent gen john J har ding with militia to nauvoo who dismissed tho the sheriffs posse osse but made no attempt to arrest the rouse gouse house burners gen harding informed the latter day saints in hancock county that the state could not protect them the mob were determined to drive them from the state and they must therefore go previous to this a council of the authorities of the church had passed a resolution which as a matter of policy was kept private to send one thousand thousand five hundred men as pioneers to make a settlement in the valley of the great salt lake being determined in accordance with the design and policy of joseph smith the pr prophet het to leave illinois meantime Ve meantime antime a proposition was made to the mob the state authorities saying they were powerless I 1 to cease vexatious lawsuits law suits stop burning ng and plundering and aid the he IMO mormon rmon people by purchasing their property on fair terms term allowing them a treasonable time and they would remove from thes the state tate this proposition was accepted and in accordance therewith companies were wera immediately med lately formed the construction of several thousand wagons was commenced and during the winter Vinter of IM 16 46 ani ana and the ensuing spring they were built principal principally Jy of green timber which was wag boiled in bri brine ne to facilitate its seasoning all the iron that could be procured was used in their construction and the was made up with raw hides hickory nearly all wagons in the surround mg lag country were purchased and all poe possible sible sibie preparations were made by many for an early start in the spring int tnt the persecution being renewed in violation of the before named pledge one thousand families commenced their journey in the month of february 1 1846 some crossing the mississippi on the ice thinking by so doing to allay the excitement cit ement against those who remained JP rest young and the leaders of the church with a scanty outfit pursued their journey westward having to make the road for about three hundred miles through an unsettled country bridging numerous streams and encountering nearly every vicissitude of weather snaking a settlement caller garden grove on the east fork and one called pisgah on the west fork of grand river in the state of iowa lowa br breaking a in and planting a thousand acres acre s 0 of prairie 1 p lan ian land for the benefit of those w who 0 we were no not able to go farther as well as tho those who wre were coming t lifter BATTALION BATTA lios LIoy the advanced companies arrived at council bluffs in july where they were vere met by capt james alien allen of the U S army who called upon them in behalf of the war dep department artmont art ment forgive for five nive hundred men to assist in the war with mexico prest youngs reply to this requisition was you shall have your battalion if fit it has to be composed of our elders the required battalion was hoon soon made raade up and on the way leaving their families in the omaha country on the west side of the missouri river in wagons dagons without protect protectors or adequate means of subsistence thus was this body of volunteers enlisted from the camp of the latter day saints just after their expulsion from 1111 iiii illinois nois there were about two thousand wagons encamped in western iowa between the east fork of grand river and the missouri river a distance of about one hundred and thirty miles but the main body of the camp was in the omaha country on the west side of the misouri the five companies of volunteers assembled at council bluffs and were mustered into service on the loth of july 1816 they numbered upwards of five hundred men they marched to fort leavenworth where they received their muskets and other accoutrements of U S infantry on the of august they started for california via santa fe each soldier carrying his musket his blanket knapsack ammunition and canteen col alien allen who remained behind the battalion at fort leavenworth to complete his outfit died suddenly his ills loss was deeply mourned by the battalion who were sincerely attached to him on their march they suffered much for want of water and provisions in one instance they traveled sixty miles without water they arrived at santa fe sept loth where col P st george cook who had been appointed by gen kearney took command of the battalion in the place of cal alien allen deceased de eased cased and who before mar marching ebing for Cali call california forhia selected out all ali th mhd laundresses s it and arld those who on a ri rigid d e examination ur ion lon I 1 were V er X supposed to be u unable nj to 0 co continue neue the mareb march and pla pia plated ed them under the command of cal cai canal james brown who started on the with orders to make a post at pueblo on on the arkansas river which was accordingly done col cook with the battalion proceeded to california to avoid the snows of the rock nock rocky mountains the tho battalion followed the he rio elo del norte south for three hundred aundre d miles then turning west passed through the fortified town of gueson after which their guides were unacquainted with the route and it had to be sought out like men traveling in the dark on leavin leaving santa fe they |