| Show MORMONS AND citizenship on the morning of november 18 the forces of the anti cormons mormons Mor mons were augmented by the addition ot of parley L williams the first witness called in the case was DR DB H J who te testified stifled 1 I have resided in salt lake city since 1848 have been beem a physician since 1871 have been a member of the church since I 1 was eight years old received my endowments dow ments in 1856 1 I made no covenant or oath to avenge the blood of the prophets against the government of the united states bothi nothing 1 of that character was presented I I 1 took no obligation to enter into into polygamy to 1 P li williams 1 I never officiated in the endowment house I 1 saw heber C kimball and br dr sprague I 1 do not know whether I 1 hold the priesthood or not this is because I 1 was notified that if I 1 did not join arin a quorum I 1 would be dropped from the priest priesthood bood I 1 did not go to the meeting I 1 am not a very active member of the church I 1 go to no meetings whatever my arm was wa anointed to avenge the blood ot of the prophets joseph and hyrum were not mentioned I 1 remember no obligation to obey the priesthood I 1 do not remember anything about polygamy being said when I 1 was married there was nothing in the ceremony about avenging the blood of the prophets obedience to the priesthood or polygamy I 1 have no recollection of any statement that plural marriage was not adultery I 1 promised not to state any of the obligations I 1 entered into there I 1 could not state them nor am I 1 willing to do so BO I 1 don dont donit it wish to reveal any of them I 1 decline to state what they are am to the court I 1 understood that joseph and hyrum smith were numbered among the prophets I 1 took no oath to avenge their blood V to legrand young 1 I did not understand the avenging of the th blood referred to 4 to the court I 1 did not understand that the avenging aks waa to be done under orders of the church or that y I 1 was to do it at all to le grand you young ng W when hen I 1 was married there was nothing said to me about adultery e was nothing said about the people or the government of the united states I 1 did nota coeel feel enjoined to go out and kill anybody never heard any such instruction in public or private I 1 did not understand that an apos 1 tate was to be killed never heard of any one being killed for this I 1 understood der stood that I 1 could offer my life as an atonement for certain sins to P L williams the idea of shedding the blood of apostates was f not in the minds of the mormon v people at that time it was a current belief in 1856 that a man might offer himself as an atonement for his sin but that his death need not necessarily follow that was not taught in the endowment house I 1 have heard talk about the f subject t never heard how the death penalty could be inflict ed never heard the teach such a doctrine have never heard that idea since the excitement of what was called the reformation in 1856 it was then the talk ot of people not of any authorities to dickson brigham youn young never preached the doctrine of blogg blood atonement that I 1 know of to baskin in this talk about a man offering his bis life it was not said that it was for a violation of the endowment covenants these theae may have been included there was no one authorized to inflict the death penalty I 1 never heard any one state how it should be done nor did I 1 ever hear bear any of the leading men say anything about it E L T HABBISON te testified stifled I 1 have resided in salt lake 27 years am 59 have bom been a member of the mormon church 1 was a member 20 years left the church in 1869 am an architect when I 1 was in the church I 1 went through the endowment house this was in 1862 or 1863 1 I have a clear remembrance of what took place there was no covenant to avenge the blood of the prophets against the government the government or the united states was not referred to there was nothing that could be construed into teaching a man not be a good citizen no reference was made to citizenship the teachings were of another nature I 1 don dont donit it remember polygamy being mentioned if it came up it had no prominence in taw th ceremony I 1 made no promise about it to P L williams I 1 never went through the endowment house more than once do not remember polygamy being mentioned there etwas it was publicly taught at the time f was severed from the church for opposing the doctrine of the church governing in temporal affairs at least that was my understanding 35 p my particular act was opposing the direction of the church in temporal or business matters we opposed the giving of counsel about this by the president it was wasa a dispute about finati financial cial matters one of the points was the development of the mines there was a church trial brigham young and george Q cannon were present I 1 was also tried by the high Co council uRcil because of my position I 1 was charged with disobeying the counsels of the head of the church we did not consider that the teachings were to obey the priesthood r lest hood but at that trw trial F it t was decided con controy to our views as I 1 understood it I 1 was in some apprehension for my personal safety for a year or two wm win 8 godbe and I 1 were tried a number of others left the church or were excommunicated for sympathizing path izing with us I 1 barricaded barricades barrica ded my rouse house because I 1 had apprehensions for my personal safety I 1 thought some violence might be done by over zealous mormons cormons Mor mons t there h ere were no teachings to cause that re sult suit but there were some violent men there was a penalty attached v for revealing certain mysteries of the endowment house I 1 know of no penalty for apostasy the penal ty of death was attached to reveal ing these masonic ceremonies I 1 have heard more of that in later times than I 1 did then a requisition was made that the food blood of the prophets should be avenged this was in instructions no special importance was attached to it the people covenanted to keep themselves holy and pure I 1 remember my washings and there was no importance or sacredness sacred ness attached to the avenging business the pen allies were applied to the signs passwords pass words etc to le grand young the reason for mv my excommunication was be to the direction of the church in temporal matters there was little talk about or interest in politics we started the mormon tribune which was changed to the challed salt lake tribune and I 1 was the first editor there was at our trial a charge that we believed in spiritualism or receiving revelations for the church but that was not the principal charge the special matter 4 was in what enterprises people should invest their money the movement we engaged in was called the new movement it afterwards drifted into a spiritualistic movement the people called us God beltes there was no charge about spirit revelation th though 0 uell we believed I 1 in U it I 1 was never personally molested after I 1 left the church my apprehensions hen were not from the church but I 1 feared some who were mor imor mons mono y I 1 once heard a mormon speak of me in away that led me to believe he thought I 1 ought to be assaulted to baskin he said there goes a scoundrel that ought to be shot to le grand young in the endowment house I 1 heard a reference to avenging the blood of the prophets and voted on it we were also required to live pure and holy lives no persons were mentioned as prophets nor was the government or the people of the government referred to so little explanation was made of the avenging and so little attention was attached to it that I 1 did not give special heed to it I 1 did not understand that I 1 was to do any avenging ave aging I 1 suppose every man interpreted it according to bis bin nature we claimed to receive revelations at the time of our excommunication ni an article which I 1 wrote on spiritual gifts was brought up as evidence of our being wrong communications with the dead which we considered true were called false doctrine brigham young charged me in public with receiving spiritual communications this was before our excommunication his charge was true I 1 dont think our spiritualistic communications were not antagonistic to the doctrines of the church we claimed that the church was right but that brigham young was arrogating that which did not belong to him I 1 understand that the church does not now approve the claim made by him I 1 think that no other man claimed it but him to P L williams I 1 think the tendency of the church is to the view that we took when we were excommunicated we were denounced publicly as apostates to mr moyle it has always been my understanding that the church except this claim of brigham young did not control I 1 in temporal affairs I 1 know nothing to the contrary except under bri brigham 9 young I 1 believe his views in regard to temporal affairs were not endorsed by the people to baskin I 1 was tried before the high council of the salt lake stake presided over by george B wallace the whole priesthood Prest hood at that date sustained brigham young to moyle I 1 understood that I 1 was held in great disfavor by the majority but I 1 had no knowledge that they sustained brigham youns Is claim we organized a movement that might have antagonized the mormons cormons Mor mons to us to the court the names of jo seph and hyrum smith were not mentioned in the Endowment House but I 1 understood they were included among the prophets brigham young gave no reason for opposing the opening of the mines we e surmised that he be did not want people opposed to the mormons cormons Mor mons to be brought inhere in here from FromI 1801 to 1869 the people felt that the united states had bad injured the people and had persecuted them I 1 remember of a charge that the court records were burned but that was not after I 1 came here the feeling I 1 have referred to was general it was considered that the officers of the united states who were here did not have good feelings towards the mormons cormons Mor mons some of this feeling related to polygamy the idea of the people was that the government officers did not do them justice the people thought the government was wrong iu in opposing plural marriage some individuals were very bitter against the representatives of the government in utah they held the idea that these representatives were hostile to the people to baskin the people regarded all efforts to oppose polygamy as au an act of hostility to the court when the act of 1862 was passed brigham young did not command all the male members of the church to enter polygamy ty they were not advised as a mass to practice it those who got special permission were allowed to do so it was taught ahlo th the doctrine was true and should be obeyed those who desired to obey it were riot not required to pay any money but to obtain permission of the authorities to P L williams I 1 only met in public meetings except prayer circles I 1 was never present on any occasion when it was proposed to put any one to death never heard a proposition or suggestion to that effect I 1 made no protest against such a thing because their was no occasion to le grand young I 1 would have remembered such a suggestion but there never was anything of the kind R W young offered in evidence a part of the record of the house of representatives the portion being the deposition of eli B kelsey before the house committee where t testimony was given that a liberal 11 meeting was prevented by c mormons cormons Mor mons filling the hall where some damage was done and that next day president youngs clerk thomas WEl lerbeck went to the and offered to pay it in the affel affi davit eli B kelsey states that there is no obligation taken in the endowment house that partakes in any way of disloyalty he also states that there is nothing that interferes with the duties of citizenship and that the people believe in and assume allegiance to the kingdom of god yet to come GEORGE WARDELL te testified stifled I 1 am the sor soc of martin D wardell he is in the court room I 1 came with him in 1862 in captain dames company I 1 am not a member of any chu church ach do do not believe in mormonism 9 remember crossing green river there was no man killed in our train father crossed the plains only once if there had been a man named green killed I 1 would have known it I 1 beard of nothing of the kind I 1 did not drive greens wagon nor hear bear of it I 1 only drove my father tu Is wagon the charch gave us the wagon at florence nebraska for up ua to come in and I 1 left the wagon in the tithing office never heard father relate this story before we came through late in the fall of 1862 do not remember billy williams or george snyder no man from our camp was killed never heard of any man being killed on the trip across the plains to mr Dic dickson lison I 1 was sixteen years old there was more than one hundred people in the train there were about thirty fa families millea we started from florence near omaha dame was in charge mark surridge barridge sargent dame and our own family are about all I 1 can remember I 1 never heard beard of a man named green there a man of that name might have disappeared without my knowing it father had no team of his own but had one from the church I 1 drove it aud and he did nothing except that he drove once in a while I 1 think our wagon was loaded with glass I 1 followed other wagons into the tithing yard our family were mormons cormons Mor mons then I 1 left the church three years ago busl I 1 was not cut off but quit the business I 1 work for myself in the canyon to moyle A murder might have been committed in the train without my knowledge but I 1 donit think it possible to dickson mr malin first spoke tome to me about this and I 1 told him I 1 knew of none I 1 asked him for my expenses he told me I 1 would get my witness fees I 1 have had my endowments but left the garments off bout three years ago court took recess till 2 pm BERGEN DE MOTT te testified stifled I 1 live at north point know charles gilmor his reputation for truth and veracity is very bad to mr dickson I 1 am a mormon I 1 am neither an enemy or a friend fried of gilmor have had some trouble with him he sued me for injuring his stock no truth in his statement the jury found in my favor am not hostile to gilmor because of his hostility to the I 1 mormon church never heard anyone in the neighborhood speak well of him to le grand young gil gilmor mor prosecuted me on a charge of in malicious all mischief and thea the jury ury brought in a verdict of not guilty GEORGE SARGENT testified I 1 reside at hoytsville summit county I 1 crossed the plains 9 0 o in wm H dames company i in n 1862 we had 66 wagons and left the missouri river in august martin wardelle War delPs dells team followed mine his son and himself drove his team never heard of any an man of our train being killed never heard of a man named green in our train never heard of green being killed there was a woman killed accidentally y by b being run over with a aagon tagon wagon there here t was no man killed nor was there any robbery in our train while we were crossing never saw or heard of any men dressed in buckskin there and I 1 was one of the guards and took turus turns to mr dickson our train was a goods train there were not many passengers probably with the teamsters mark surridge solomon edwards a man named bennett and others whom I 1 could name by thinking over the matter were there james sanders reuben mcbride and john B R young were there never heard of one named green one man died shortly y after we left the missouri river biver all but the woman who was killed and the man who died reached this city all right the train was not divided during the last part of the trip I 1 am a mormon to legrend young I 1 do not remember the name of |
