| Show THE TENNESSEE MASSACRE judge T P 11 BATEMANS charan chanan TO THE GRAND JURY or av tue ane cincu IT COURT OP OF LEWIS COUNTY ON THE tilt SUB SUBJECT the fol foi following 1 lowin Is the the full text of the charge of judge bateman on this subject as it appeared in the ickman hickman II co 1 tenn pioneer judge T P bateman of our circuit cour court delivered the following I 1 charge to the grand jury on the mormon question gentlemen of the jury there has been a great dedi deal said sald about a mob of men meb in this county killing four mormons cormons Mor mons including two of their elders and of killing one onel of the men how the facts facts aleido not know neither doi know whether you will bo be called on or not to investigate the case let this thia be ns as it may it is my duty to give you proper instructions forvour action in case cage the matter Is I 1 brought before you in the first place the constitution of the united states and the constitution of tife tile state guarantee to every person the right to worship god according to t the 6 dictates of his own conscience this is the same whether be bea A christian hristian a adew jeu a mohammedan a mormon 6 a buddhist or any other sect and it is not left for you or me to io question the conscience or the motives motha of 0 f any one we can only look at the professions aes les sessions fes tes and leave the matter of conscience ice iee to them thein anai anil their theirA maker laker I 1 am perfectly satisfied with the situation for all religious sect sand creeds stant standon an equal footing with me and I 1 have no desire to change any one I 1 from rom his religious belief bellef to any other it if his religion ligion suits him its suits me but buit it appears from ane history of mankind from the earliest dates that the differences in religious belief have caused more bloodshed lie lle d torture sumner summer suffering ingan and d misery than au any other one thing that has agitated the human family and so far back as we have history it appears that one sect would beqo become re dissatisfied with the consciences of some other hect sect and would try to reform it to suit their thein heir own own liking 1 which would generally bring brin g about trouble and aud in latter iatter days the christians feeling it their dut duty send out missionaries to spread their their doctrines among other nat nations igns get ket them killed where the tho nations are with their own religion ign and do not desire a change so so it appears that the mor mons feeling some uneasiness about the f future of the Christ christians lans senn send out their missionaries narles among them thein to teach them their new nev doctrines doctrines and occasionally get then killed med and this hing thing of 61 murdering one adether fo voy vor differing ering in religious belief hat hal has been go ing ng on as far back as we hav have aby abr history ory and it boks as it if it would coni cout abue as lono long as as there remain two different religions and they can get hold of each athers missionaries and no civil tribunal 16 6 ih this day dax has dver ever been able to suppress y tats remedy to prevent the spread ot ol new doctrines among people aho sho vho have a religion that suits them has beep very has kept the great religious cellious reli reil ious lous divisions ot the world ifould confined principally where they could be protected by soldiers of their thein owai own faith so ao it Is i we seele see repeated liere here what whit has beell going on as far back as history reaches this practice of killing men for for tor attempting to introduce uce a nerae n in a c country that does 0 s nov not no t want vant it can caw hesel heyel never be sup suppressed presse by the civil tribunals and he who expects it will certainly be disappointed because at this time alme we find a part of the clergy a portion artion of the press and 0 a large I 1 num number I 1 ge er of tile lne people 1 justifying it and dereb encouraging coura cou raging mg its contino COUtIno continuation tion on he other othen hhand fiand a part of the hc clerry clergy a portion of the press and A large number of the people have acted nobly in condemning such acts abts anden and endeavoring egv edv oring to prevent a repetition of olt themo thero I 1 have said that thit the public may see how f futile utile it Is far a court to attempt to do anything in a case giase like the one before us and antt ihl ibl it i to remain this way ga sq long iong as is such a ils diseased lis eased sentiment among a part of the clergy a bort Port portion lohof of the press and many of of the people but gentlemen of the lur iury jureit yit t makes no difference the tre courts are in such cases they batist act and in cases I 1 like ike this thiis must generally fail to ti do anything uny tiny thing and must bear the thie consequences of one party parly for trying to do and the censures of the not deih doing what they cannot do 00 the law Is that auy aus person goine about the country oc or vis ois is guised is guilty of a misdemeanor if ther they make an assault upon apy abne one with mith a deadly weapon it is a L felony and it if they kill anyone it is murder and in such sueh cases cases oases it is the d duty aty of the grand I 1 jury ury ary to send for tor witnesses if they think they know who 0 can make P dut out ut the case seand cassand ca anc examine be witnesses touching the offense of going ollig 0 01 1 disguised and any adv offense off ense growing browin gr owin out gut ot it and abad tind lind bills bufis or not agthe as the proof ma may justify andia and if they nind find any they will JIT require the attorney general to draw up the proper bills or in lil case anyone wants to prosecute lie he will go to the attorney general who will dracup bills for him in proper form and puttee put the names of the I 1 witnesses and prose cubr bh tife tiie back and sign them and the prosecutor will take them gnand grand ury lury whose duty it is to exam examine ne the witnesses and find bills or not as the may justify so any one jhb may wish to krosec prosecute e will find both the court bourt and grand jury rodin robin room open to him it is the duty of the krand brand ury td give alve what aid they can tan ta anyone anyone who maydish may wish to prosecute those engaged in the mob or anyone any one who muo aided abetted or encouraged cou raged it it 11 is the poll poil cot the law to put a stop wt as far as possible to mob moly violence I 1 it sets all law at de defiance olance flance it ignores all individual rights jt it endangers the lives ilves of all citizens and foe dorany any one to excuse it I 1 is to encourage it and it is 19 a step towards extinguishing eVery right guaranteed abyo by our ur constitution |
