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The American Messenger
- 1844 August, p. 249—Joe Smith Has Been Killed
- 1846 Oct, p. 311—The Mormons in Nauvoo
- 1849 April, p. 120—New Temple of the Mormons
- 1849 July, p. 212—Verses [1st poem]—More Verses [2nd poem]
- 1849 July, p. 223—Mormon Miracle
- 1852 January p. 20–21, The Mormons—Letter from One who was an Eyewitness of their Superstitions—written by “Cymro o Missouri” to his brother
- 1852 May, p. 154—Effects of the Latest Rains
- 1852 August, p. 253—The Fall of the Anti-Christ—Long poem
- 1853 March, p. 91—The Mormons—letter from J. Price Jones, dated 19 January 1853, from Burlington, Iowa
- 1853 March, p. 91–92—The Mormon Territory in Iowa—description of Kanesville, Iowa, and the Mormons who live there and who have been ordered by Brigham Young to come to Utah.
- 1858 June, p. 236—About Thomas L. Kane
- 1858 July, p. 271—3 paragraphs about the Mormon war
American Messenger, August 1844, p. 249
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Joe Smith, the Mormon Prophet, Has Been Killed
This corrupt man, who deceived many by his evil tricks and lies, has now met with his death by murder. He had succeeded in winning many followers who had given up their possessions to be part of the common treasure. They had built a city (of log cabins for the most part) which is called Nauvoo on the banks of the Mississippi River in the State of Illinois—along with many lands being farmed in the neighborhood of the city. There had been contention lately between Joe Smith and those of his followers who were the most contemplative and conscientious, chiefly because of his wicked and immoral life, and many of them had completely withdrawn from his association despite not having renounced the Mormon creed. The inhabitants of Nauvoo had received a City Charter some time ago, and Joe Smith was the Mayor of their city. In this city there were laws that were incompatible with the laws of the state. Over 2,300 of their number were soldiers who bore arms and who were also members of the Mormon church. There was contention between them and the country round about, and various military campaigns had taken place; and now it appears very likely that they had staged attacks on the surrounding inhabitants or on the possessions of others around them which led to great destruction from every side. In the midst of these circumstances the Illinois government had taken the existing matter seriously in order to end the contention. The governor of the state had sent an order to them to give up their militia along with all their military weapons—and he demanded that Smith give himself up in order to stand trial before the court of law for treason, promising defense to his person against mob attacks while he was in prison and standing trial. Smith obeyed the order, the militia gave up their arms, and he gave himself up and was imprisoned along with his brother Hiram Smith and two or three others in Carthage, a town located a few miles down the Mississippi River from Nauvoo. The Governor placed soldiers to defend the jail, but within a few hours after Smith and his brother and their associates were put in jail in Carthage, a mob of rioters (enemies of the Mormons) arrived and overcame the guards and attacked the jail. Joe Smith tried to escape through the window of the jail, and while he was jumping down from the window he was immediately shot by many and fell dead. His brother Hiram was also shot and killed in the jail; but none of their associates was killed. That was the end of Joe Smith, the prophet of the Mormons. It was feared that the Mormons would gather in one body to take revenge on their opponents; but the latest news from the place indicates that peace and tranquility prevail until now.
American Messenger, October 1846, p. 311
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The Mormons in Nauvoo
Over three days, the 15th, 16th, and 17th of September, there were bloody battles between the Mormons and the Anti-Mormons in the area of Nauvoo. Some lives were lost on both sides, and many were wounded. A treaty was formed between them—the Mormons were forced to leave the city—their enemies went in—and on the 19th the battle was ended, and the Mormons for the most part have fled.
American Messenger, April 1849, p. 120
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New Temple of the Mormons
The new Mormon Temple near Salt Lake, in California, is to be six hundred feet high—so that it will be seen from over 80 miles away. It is intended to surround the Mormon cities, four in number, with a high wall—the land surrounded with this wall is to be about 17 miles long and 12 miles wide. It is said that a mountain of pure rock salt has been found near Salt Lake, and a gold mine about 150 miles to the south west from there.
American Messenger, July 1849, p. 212—Two poems
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Verses
Through the mirror, I shall examine the Saints,
The latest chaff of the scoundrel* *Joe Smith
Their contemptible beliefs I declare
To be a great darkness in our Lord’s world.
They boast and they shout in their bondage that it is men
With plentiful talents
That the revelations are now feeding,
They say, in the land of their upbringing.
I do not believe the mighty words,
They are false to my heart
The Saints are surely announcing them abroad
To foster dark practices.
That the miracles of the days of God for the second time alive
Are in good shape.
Was the Mormon and his miracles viewed
In America from Wales
Giving succor to scores
Of sick in a foul-weather summer?
No. Everyone confesses
That not one was cured of his fault.
A fool realizes it is witchcraft that bewitches
Our wretched Saints
And remember that it is being superior
That earns censure as a payment for its style.
The wretched of the world and the more wretched
Of the noble and pure church, are the trash;
And also from an unhealthy terrain
Of despicable drunkards is their lineage.
Carnal and magical works they employ
To create the government.
Wretched Satan has done
In great Eden a change.
A great surprise it is to me that the emigration
Of good, dear men, more’s the pity.
Are enticed to join the mobs;
On the weak, their influence will be worse.
See the good impression they give that they are the light-weight
Sons of Sceva* come again. *See Acts 19:14
To deceive them and to bear them away wounded
To a fine, enlightened country.
Reject them; the good, dear,
Genuine people of God are invaluable;
And the unbelievers, were they to survive
Would be beloved beauty without equal.
From my heart I desire—that you should not go
Dear ones, to join
The saints of sins, while there is
In you a soul uniting.
Minersville. EIDDIL.
More Verses
To the Latter-day Saints.
I sing, I offer to give advice—to the saints
To pause a while;
And my prayer today to God:
Open the eyes of the unbelievers.
Oh! Astonishment that is strange it is to mention—and to think
Of the prattle of the men.
Ah! Pointless their pondering,
He does not love heaven who does not love true.
They challenge but do not prove any facts—and pale
From our sight instantly;
Man, forget thy unbelief;
Ah! Hell will be a long-lasting furnace.
They say they can work miracles,—by means of their God,
They try sometimes;
With strange dialects—
Who will believe the false unbelievers.
Minersville.
DEWI MYNWY. [David from Monmouth.]
American Messenger, July 1849, p. 223
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Mormon Miracle
The first week of the month of May a child of one of the Mormon priests died in Ystradgynlais; and since they believed that all authority has been entrusted to them, they decided that they did not need to yield their plunder of one of their infant jewels to death, but that they would show the old kingdom that they could raise him to them. That night some of them came together to work a miracle by restoring the dead to life. They took him in their arms and shook him mightily, but there was no sign of life. They tried a second time when one of the children that were in the room shouted, “I just saw him move his finger.” After the shaking failed to restore him, he was anointed with oil, and an earnest prayer was given by one of the brethren to restore him. But no one heard him other than the worshipers of Baal. After failing in this way, water was heated, and the child was placed in it to warm his blood, etc., but all in vain. A miracle failed to be worked through grace and without grace. To the great disappointment of the simpletons they had to put the child in “the pre-appointed house of all men.”
American Messenger, January 1852, pp. 20–21
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The Mormons
Letter from One who was an Eye-witness of their Superstitions
Revered Editor—Inasmuch as I have been away from home for fifteen months and one day, and have returned home, and seen that you continue faithful in sending me the Messenger, my duty at present is to strive to be faithful in paying you for it; and together with the payment, I am sending to you the following lines, and if you find them worthy of a place in the Messenger, here they are at your service. I would have sent them earlier, but illness prohibited me from doing so.
On my journey to California I went past the city of the Mormons, near the Salt Lake. I stayed there fourteen days. Part of the land is good, and another part is unfruitful and worthless. They raise good crops, especially wheat. There is good water there, and a river close to the city which they call “The Jordan.”
The houses are scattered, built of bricks which are dried in the heat of the sun. There are several new storehouses being built, and a Council House. They have a large meeting house, which will hold over four thousand people. I was there one sabbath. The house was overflowing, with many outside. They had a band of music and the drum playing at the end of the meeting. I heard some say that they have a dance sometimes in their afternoon meeting—I don’t know anything about that, for I was not there. There were two preaching. The first did not take a topic, but he said, “Woe to Missouri and Illinois, and all the United States, those who participated in the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith,” etc. The other took the topic: “Everything belongs to you,” etc., namely the Saints, the only true church that God has on the earth!
Among those who arose to address the meeting was their President, the Head of the Church, as they call him—similar to the Pope from Rome, perhaps—he who Joe Smith ordained to take his place after his death. He said that he was in the pleasures of the world for thirty years, but he did not know what happiness was until he embraced Mormonism; and then, he was a happy man, said he.
Well, if women are what make a man happy, he is sure to be one of them. He has ninety of them, according to their own assertions; and I can assure you that the Mormons do not tell lies about their leader. Some of them have two or three wives, and their leaders have more than that. They are united in their creed that a man may have as many wives as he wants, if he is able to take care of them. Well, if the Creator wishes for a man to have more than one wife, why did he not make more than one for Adam in the Garden of Eden? The Scriptures say that a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and not unto his wives.
They say also that they are not going to stay long by the Salt Lake, but they at present have fled to the mountains from persecution. And in God’s time they will return again to their “Zion, with songs, and with everlasting joy in abundance,” in Jackson County, Missouri, where their prophet, they say, has laid down the cornerstone for the most excellent temple (when it shall be built) in the whole world. And if they cannot take possession of the land in a peaceful way, they will take it by the power of the sword. That is part of the doctrine that the second Mohammedans believe.
I saw there several Welshmen, who were very kind to me. Wonder! Wonder! Wonder! forever, that the fair Welsh, beautiful in their appearance, have become so foolish as to believe the doctrine of this second Mohammed! Some of them have followed the example of their leaders by taking more than one wife. Yes, and even worse, some of them have taken the wives of some others as wives for themselves! May the Lord have mercy on them; but those are nearly hopeless.
The Welsh in Wales complain that they are being oppressed by the tithes and taxes, etc.; but if they ever move to Salt Lake, they will be sure to be oppressed even more. There they must pay a tenth yearly of the fruit of the earth, and a tenth monthly of cheese and butter for the maintenance of the church. Beware, Welshman! lest you be caught in the snare. There are many Welsh who were wealthy when they went there, but now they are very poor. And there are scores there, yes, perhaps hundreds who have repented for the bad bargain they have made, and who wish to have the chance to escape from them—and especially the women.
Now, Mr. Editor, these things ought to be put before the Welsh, so they can understand and know what sort of accursed religion the Mormons have.
A Welshman from Missouri
American Messenger, May 1852, p. 154
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Effects of the Latest Rains
In the area called Mormon Island, where every estuary was dug extensively last summer, so that a man could get hardly an ounce per day, it is said that the gravel that was washed down by the waters was such that the miners are getting in the same places from two to three ounces per day. That is the effect of the floods, to a greater or lesser extent, in the various rivers.
Pacific News, March 1
American Messenger, August 1852, p. 253
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The Fall of the Anti-Christ
An array of wonders
At times filled my mind,
Upon perceiving the folly
And the emptiness in the world,
The angels are surprised
That men beneath the heaven
Refuse the true doctrine
Of the Man who was on the cross.
I perceive a throng of people
Who profess to be
Second to the apostles,
But far from accomplishing their objective,
They prefer to be known
As “saints” here and there,
But I know that they will not be known
As such in the days to come.
It is said that the Mormons
Are wicked and wild people
And that they can work miracles
As in the days of old,
Namely to cause the blind to see,
And the lame to walk freely,
And the mute to speak
If he has the faith.
The wicked Mormon says
That it is appropriate for man
To have a great number of wives
All to himself;
But reason and the scripture
Clearly forbids it,
For Adam had only
Eve in the garden.
The Holy Bible speaks
Truth to us that
No one will go to the heavenly kingdom
Unless he has accepted it,
It says, to the adulterer,
In a rather agitated voice,
That the fiery pit of the devil
Will be part of his cup.
I understand that several thousand
People are under heaven
Serving the beast
From now until they accomplish their objective,
Among which are seen
Evil heathens of their kind
Who dare to say that emptiness
Is all the book of God amounts to.
The deceit of Mormonism will end,
Catholicism will have the same fate,
Before the Archangel is heard
Above the world shouting
That all the kingdoms of the earth
Henceforth belong to our Lord,
At that time no one will believe
That which they assert.
The Pope will say boldly
To flawless men
That it is he who has authority
To forgive all sin,
We prefer to believe the scripture
Which clearly confirms
That it is to one who lives eternally
That the pardon of faults belongs.
The Pope will say again
In order to go to the pit of hell
He can make the transfer
From distress to happiness above,
Because he is a learned man
Like some wise ruler
He has the money
To take them from fiery purgatory.
The poor Catholics will come,
Those who reverence the wooden cross
More than the man who was on it
Suffering pain and agony,
To say in a special manner
There is beneath the heavens
Only Jesus Christ
Throughout the world to rule.
Although the uncivilized papist,
While on our earth,
Moved about in honor
And revered greatness and prestige,
I see that Catholicism,
Despite its ostentation and power,
According to the language of prophecy,
Is bound to come to nothing.
The Father himself presents
To the Son as a gift,
The furthest extremes of the earth
That is uncivilized mankind,
He shall have all the nations
As hosts to heal,
The truth will hunt out
And destroy every false religion.
May the lovely and blessed morning come,
According to the truthful promise,
May the stone that Daniel saw
Roll across the earth,
May it completely crush
The evil idol and its like,
And may the world come to reverence
The truth and the living God.
O Lord, strengthen thy servants
To yet deliver to the field
For the benefit of the damned soul
The everlasting wealth of grace,
And the waters of Salvation
To wash away its stain,
Until the whole world becomes completely
In possession of worthy Jesus.
William Watkins
Llewelyn, Pa., May 13, 1852
American Messenger, March 1853, p. 91
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The Mormons
Reverend Sir,
Perhaps not many readers of the Messenger know that over a thousand Welsh people have emigrated already to the Salt Lake Valley—all thorough Mormons—and hundreds more intend to emigrate there next spring. During my stay in St. Louis I saw several hundred Welsh people going through that city toward the valley and in their midst were scores of the fairest, most modest young women industrial Wales possessed. Poor innocents! Little did they know of the dreadful fate which awaited them—all to become despoiled slaves to the wanton passions of the loathsome Mormon leaders!
It is not long since I was reading a letter from a responsible Welshman from St. Louis, written in the Salt Lake Valley. That Welshman said that he had been in the house of the famous Dan Jones and had seen two of his wives—and there was every likelihood that both would present Dan with children fairly soon. The same Welshman said that he had also seen 16 of Brigham Young’s wives being driven by him in a long carriage—and almost every one of them had a baby in her arms.
The Mormons impudently denied for a long time that polygamy was a feature of their religion; but now they assert and defend the subject with the same impudence as they denied it before. The Detroit Press says that Brigham Young recently in a meeting of 2,500 saints proclaimed polygamy to be tenet of their religion and law of their territory. In the same meeting 100 Mormon missionaries were sent to different parts of the earth. They now have 300 missionaries preaching to the pagans of Europe, African, Asia, South Sea Islands—and the United States. Ten thousand were added to the inhabitants of the Valley last summer. Hundreds in Kanesville, Iowa, are preparing this winter to emigrate to the Valley next spring. It is said that the greatest number of Welsh people who emigrate to the valley are either members or listeners belonging to the Baptists. The reason for this is perhaps that the Mormons hold baptism through immersion as one of the elements of their religion. But we know very well that no one is more faithful than the Baptists is Wales in revealing the deceit of the Mormons.
Mormonism is probably one of the remarkable phenomena of this age in the speed of its growth. Lieut. Gunnison, in the work he published recently about Mormonism, says that the population increase and temporal success of the Valley are surprising. They are making a part of America’s most barren wilderness bloom like a rose. They have machines for sugar and leather works, brought directly from France together with many men from that country to operate them. They have many famous public works in their midst. Their harvest has been extremely abundant.
But what of that? There are elements of civil and social disturbance in their midst. Polygamy cannot but be an element which is sure to effect their downfall. They are “daylight plunderers.” So many scores of the female sex of our nation have already fallen prey to their teeth, when there was no savior for them! It is not choleric hatred but a necessity to shout over the whole Welsh world, through the medium of the Messenger—that Mormonism is a curse on mankind, loathsome in society, and a stench in the creation.
J. Price Jones
Burlington, Iowa
January 19, 1853.
American Messenger, March 1853, pp. 91–92
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The Mormon Territory in Iowa
One of the correspondents of the N. Y. Tribune writes from Kanesville, Iowa, and says:
This town lies in a narrow valley among the Missouri Bluffs, about four miles from the river, and it is quite busy even in the winter. The town is full; many will spend the winter here, to be ready to go toward California and Oregon in the spring. The Mormons make preparations to go to the Valley of the Salt Lake. They have received a specific commandment from their leaders to immigrate to the Salt Lake during the next season, if they can any way in the world arrive there. Missionaries here were sent from there to assist and encourage the people in their preparations for migrating, and it appears that there will be from five to six thousand going there in the spring.
The improvements made to the land by these Mormons will facilitate the settlement of this part of Iowa. They have cultivated a considerable amount of land, and some of that has been enclosed to a good extent; and they will sell it for what it has cost to plough the prairie and enclose it.
It is all still government land, but it will be brought to market in the spring. The current users will sell only that which they have improved with first rights of ownership. The surveyors are out now preparing to bring it to market. The houses are humble log cabins; there are no more than two or three frame houses in Kanesville; but there will no doubt be many more built next season. This is the most beautiful territory with the best access to water in the west; small but clear rivers with swift streams are plentiful here. There are no still-water rivers in this part of the state. Settlements now stretch from forty to fifty miles up from here on the Missouri River, and about forty miles down there is a successful settlement in the northern part of Ohio.
American Messenger, June 1858, p. 236
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From Utah
We have received the pleasing news from Utah that the Mormons have decided to put their weapons of rebellion down, and to bow to the authority of the government of the United States. The information is yet to some extent unclear, but it is certain that Governor Cumming, who was with the army at Fort Bridger, has been invited by the Mormons to Great Salt Lake City to take possession of his office and that he has already gone there, starting from Fort Bridger on the 7th of April and leaving the army in their camp. Blessed are the peacemakers. It appears that the peacemaker this time was General T. L. Kane, a brother to the Dr. Kane who was a leader in the expedition to the icy seas of the north, and who died recently. He himself went to Utah with letters of recommendation from President Buchanan in his pocket, and through his personal influence with the Mormons, having done favors for them over the years, he succeeded in persuading them to accept Cumming as their governor. It is said that some of the Mormons, including the highest leaders, have fled toward the borders of Mexico to the mountains called the White Mountains, and that they intend to establish a new colony in some part of Mexico, etc., but there is no verified information available about that.
American Messenger, July 1858, p. 271—three paragraphs
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The Mormon War at an End
It was suggested in our last number that this people had bowed to the authority of Governor Cumming. That notice has been completely verified, and before the adjournment of the Council, President Buchanan sent a message to the Council making known the foregoing information, and declaring that the companies of volunteers already authorized and being formed to carry forth with the war would not be needed.
Where Will They Go?
Every report from Utah says that the Mormons are retreating from Salt Lake City and the neighboring settlements and going toward the South by the thousands, taking their possessions with them. But no one knows where they are going. The New York Herald gives publicity to the notion that they are going to Sonora, Mexico, under the protection of the Colonial Society, formed in New York, but that they are receiving mediation from the men of the South. The plan in sight is to populate that country as soon as is possible, and make it into a slave state and bring it into the Union. It is said that there is likely some agreement drawn up for doing so between the leaders of the slave masters and the Mormon elders.
The Latest from Utah
According to the latest news from Utah it is likely that trade will soon be opened throughout the valley of the territory to supply the army. Many of the Mormons own more cattle than they can take with them and are desirous of selling them. The Mormon soldiers have completely moved from the entrances to the Salt Lake, although the people are threatening to return if the soldiers advance forward before they have time to reap and clear away the wheat harvest.
American Messenger, 1861, p. 315
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Deceased,
Feb, 17, 1861, in Salt Lake City, Utah territory, Mrs. JANE JONES, legal wife of Mr. Dan Jones (alias Captain Jones, Mormon Apostle), at the age of 42. She left two orphaned children. Mrs. Jones was from a respectable and responsible family. She was the daughter of the late Mr. John Melling, Denbigh, North Wales. She emigrated to this country several years ago, and she was forced by her husband to go to the above place, where she met with great disappointments and hardship. She lived alone with her children for a long time before her death.
June 2, 1861, in a fatal accident on the Railway, near Erie, Pa., MR. JAMES MELLING (only brother of the aforementioned Mrs. Jones) at the age of 48. He left a wife and four children, to deeply mourn a faithful husband and caring father. Mr. Melling and his family lived in Buffalo, N. Y. His work was as a Messenger for the American Express Company. On the Saturday in question, it happened through some carelessness that the train ran off its proper line to an adjacent line, which led to sand pits. In this horrifying time Mr. Melling jumped or fell from his carriage to the side of the road, and slipped back under the wheels of the train which all went over him, smashing him into tiny pieces. Everyone who knew him had a good word for him, as a cheerful friend and helpful neighbor. He was a church member with the Welsh Congregationalists while he was within reach of them, and it is hoped that he profited from death. His shattered remains were taken the following Monday to be buried in Oriskany, Oneida County, when the Rev. T. B. Jervis of the above place and the Rev. David Price, Utica officiated at the graveside.
