1. 1844 January, p. 32—Drowning by Immersion
2. 1844 April, pp. 116–17—Response to Drowning by Immersion
3. 1844 November, pp. 339–40—Fraud of the Book of Mormon
4. 1846 March, pp. 79–81—Joseph Smith—General only
5. 1847 December, pp. 365–66—The Mormons—General—by Eta Delta, Ty Wynne
6. 1848 October, pp. 289–91—Letter—Benjamin Job Davies to Thomas Job.
7. 1850 April, p. 120—A Verse to the Mormons—4 lines of poetry by Owain Aran
8. 1850 June, p. 191—The “Saints” Fighting—women threw a shoe at a preacher
9. 1850 September, p. 287—Mormon Women—now wearing pantaloons
10. 1851 February, pp. 59–60—six lines about a Mormon who stole another man’s wife
11. 1851 November, pp. 341–42—Liars and Deceivers of the Latter Days
12. 1852 April, p. 119—Impromptu Verses to the Mormons—32 lines of poetry
13. 1855 November, p. 404—Mormons suffering in Salt Lake City
14. 1856 November, p. 442—a few lines about Mormons starving in Salt Lake City
15. 1857 March, pp. 105–10—Editor’s intro to segments from Female Life among the Mormons
16. 1857 April, pp. 139–43—second segment from Female Life among the Mormons
17. 1857 May, pp. 185–87—third segment from Female Life among the Mormons
18. 1857 June, pp. 223–25—fourth segment from Female Life among the Mormons
19. 1857 July, p. 279—The Mormons—contention in San Bernardino
20. 1857 August, p. 319—The death of a Mormon—probably Parley P. Pratt
21. 1857 October, p. 399—about 400 Mormons arrive in Peoria and decide to stay
22. 1858 Feb, p. [2]—seven lines about the Utah War
23. 1858 August, p. 324—The Widow of Joe Smith
24. 1858 December, pp. 465–68—Mormonism—overall summary of history
25. 1859 January, pp. 27–30—Mormonism—continuation of history
26. 1859 February, pp. 58–61—Mormonism—continuation of history
27. 1859 March, p. 124—Mormon Invitation—Thomas Rees
28. 1859 April, pp. 146–50—Mormonism—continuation of history
29. 1859 June, pp. 217–20—Mormonism—erroneous teachings of M
30. 1859 July, pp. 270–72—Mormonism—escape of Loba & wife
31. 1859 September, pp. 337–39—Mormonism—mention of John Parry

Instructor, January 1844, p. 32

https://journals.library.wales/view/2267394/2430142/30#?xywh=464%2C55%2C1767%2C1460

Drowning by Immersion. Near Crewe are some of the sect that is called the Mormonites, or the “Latter-day Saints.” Its high priest is one Cartwright, the neighborhood blacksmith; and there is another zealot by the name of Pugmire that belongs to them. This sect has a strange belief in immersing people, especially in running water. The latter married a respectable woman, about thirty years old, who had borne for him three children, and she was about three months from giving birth again. There was no use in living or dying unless the creatures were immersed by the madmen. Her husband practically drove her insane with his insistence and tormenting that she needed to “obey;” a very frequent word in the vocabulary of the immersers according to all the locals. He told her that unless she obeyed, “she would never have peace with him.” Upon understanding that, the poor thing “obeyed,” and went with her husband and the pontifical blacksmith, below the works, and everything except her petticoat was taken off her. And since the current was strong, and the high priest’s grasp on her was weak, the poor thing was swept away by the current, and she drowned. Her husband went home quite happy, and he said that it was her lack of faith that caused the misfortune, but that he was content now because she had gone to her glory. The two scoundrels were taken up and delivered to the Chester jail under the charge of manslaughter.

Instructor, April 1844, pp. 116–17

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"Remarkable Superstition"

Mr. Editor. Under the heading “Remarkable Superstition,” there is an article in the Star of Gomer for last January, page 31, which reports the same account as was reported in the INSTRUCTOR for the same month, namely the account of the Mormons immersing the woman who drowned (see page 32 of the INSTRUCTOR for January). Upon thinking that the immersers were so cruel about immersing men, and upon seeing Harris, the old bright Star, after lately becoming so watery, I was unable to discern what the writer was thinking when he called this Remarkable Superstition. Immersing is what the Mormons were doing, and immersing is what the Baptists, or the Immersers, do; what, therefore, is any more superstitious in the one than in the other? This woman was obeying, as it is said that their disciples do. It is said that she was a bit reluctant at first, as is the case with many; but that she was persuaded to obey. Why, therefore, is the matter called Remarkable Superstition? Is this, in fact, really the opinion of the Immersers about immersing, after all the condemnation, the fuss they have created and their chatter in favor of immersing? One could think, after hearing several of them speaking along the river, that nothing else was required for man to be saved except going into the water; but it is a surprise that they view such an action as none other than Remarkable Superstition after all!

I know of nothing regarding the circumstances of the woman who was baptized that differed in any way from the manner that immersion is commonly done, except what they have concluded from it! If immersing is to be done, should they not conclude from this that all ought to be immersed? for if they have clothes on, it is not they that are baptized, rather the clothes; how can that be obeying? Since there is opposition to immersing men stark naked, it is no worse to immerse their clothes than to go to the trouble to immerse the man while in his clothes. Before one can properly obey, everyone should be naked. As a baby is baptized the water is not put on its clothes, rather it is put on its forehead; in the opinion of all reasonable men, which is best? To wet a man’s clothes by immersing them, or wetting a man through his clothes, or to put the bare drops on the bare forehead? It makes no difference that the woman was taken in the night to be immersed; for the hour of the day is not recorded in the definite commandment (?) that exists for immersing. Was it not at night that the keeper of the jail was also baptized? and since immersion and sprinkling constitute baptism, it matters not whether it is done at night or during the day if things are convenient.

I would not have sent these observations to you, had I not seen so much ado being made by the Immersers about their baptism. Many of them are so arrogant as to think that it is contrary to their judgment that everyone sprinkles babies. They are obviously such fools! They are far more similar to those who act contrary to their own opinion, since the thing they create such a fuss about, namely the Alpha and Omega of their religion, they call Remarkable Superstition.

As far as I am concerned, I am quite happy for them to cherish whatever opinion they wish; but I would like to see more of the spirit of the gospel prevailing among those who suppose themselves to be more godly than any one of their neighbors; and I wish to come to know, in what thing do they excel over their neighbors, as citizens and believers, after all the commotion they have stirred up about obeying?

A BAPTIZER, BUT NOT AN IMMERSER.

Instructor, November 1844, pp. 339–40

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Fraud of the Book of Mormon

Mr. Editor. Perhaps the history of this heretical sect which adheres to the “Book of Mormon,” is unknown to many of your readers; and because of that I thought it would be helpful to set before them a little of the history of the beginning of this sect, together with the deceitful manner that their priests use in order to deceive the ignorant and entice from them their possessions, etc. Their priests say that their leader, Joseph Smith, was warned in a vision from an angel that Jesus Christ would come to reign on the earth for a thousand years, and that the place he would descend would be the broad plain that is along the Mississippi River in America. All who are outside this plain will be burned in the destruction of the world; but all who are within the boundaries of the plain will be saved and will dwell with Jesus for a thousand years. From this vision they call themselves the Latter-day Saints. They have sent missionaries from America to various parts of England, and they have been successful in persuading many respectable farmers in the counties of York and Lancaster to sell their possessions and follow them to America to establish the association on the plain of the Mississippi to prepare them to be ready to receive Jesus when he descends. I shall set before the reader a few examples in order to show the great deceit that is being falsely believed and preached by the Mormon priests.

Calling of Smith to the prophetic office. Joseph Smith, the apostle of the Mormons, has said upon contemplating the various religious denominations in the Christian world he was directed by the Spirit to a grove of trees a short distance from the house of his father, and there he pleaded for divine guidance to show him which of these denominations was the true church. While he was pouring out his soul (as the story published by the Mormon church says) hopeful for an answer from God, at last he perceived a bright light in the sky above, which at first appeared to be far from him. He continued to pray as the light descended gradually toward him, and as it drew nearer it increased in size and brightness; when it arrived at the tops of the trees all the forest around him was filled with light in a radiant and glorious manner. Smith was taken into the cloud where he met with two angelic beings and he was informed by them that all his sins were forgiven that that all the religious denominations believed erroneous principles, and, consequently, none of them was considered by God to be his church, and the fulness of the gospel would be made known to him at some future time. This was the first vision. He received the second vision in his bedroom on the 21^st of September, 1823. This time it was a single personage that appeared at his bedside; and even though his appearance was like lightning, he was pleasant, harmless, and glorious; he was so much so that all fear was removed, and his soul was filled with peace. The size of the personage was a little larger than that of a common man; his garment was perfectly white and appeared to be seamless. The heavenly personage told Smith that the American Indians were a remnant of a tribe of Israel, that prophets were in their midst, and that some of their records, through a commandment of God to one of their last prophets had been kept in a secret place safe from the hands of wicked men who tried to destroy them.

Finding the gold plates. In the third vision which Smith received the following morning he was told where these plates were hidden. They were on the eastern side of the mail road from Palmyra, Wayne County, to Canandaigua, Ontario County, in the State of New York, about four miles from Palmyra and within one mile from the small town called Manchester. In this place Smith found a stone chest containing plates similar to gold, about seven by eight inches in length and width, no thicker than common tin. Upon opening the stone chest the devil appeared, to what purpose the story is not clear. The angel did not permit Smith to take the gold plates until he was familiar with the Egyptian language, for the engravings on the plates were in that language. On the 22^nd of September 1827, the angel gave the records to Smith. And during the course of the following year he gave to his translation of the contents of the records the name “Book of Mormon,” which contain as much reading as the Old Testament. The work was not published until the year 1830.

Instructor, March 1846, pp. 79–81

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Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith was the founder and prophet of the sect of the Mormons, or Latter-day Saints, as they are known. Because of the spread of the Mormon deceit in America, and even in Great Britain, together with the effort, we believe, that is being made in Wales to spread it, we believe that it would not be unsatisfactory to our readers to receive a little of the history and of the beginnings of its author.

When he was a young man, Joseph Smith followed the calling of Money-digger in the United States of America. It is commonly believed in some parts of the United States that huge sums of money were buried in the earth in ages gone by. Many evil and deceitful men would pretend to discover these treasures through the use of sorcery. And it is said that Joseph Smith distinguished himself in this line. While following the aforementioned tasks and their like, he said that he himself had received several visions from heaven with respect to the different religious sects of the day. The first time he was privileged in this manner, he had gone to a grove of trees, and there he prayed for help to be shown which of all the religious denominations he should follow and revere as the true one, when there appeared, he says, a bright light overhead; he was received into the middle of it: and there he saw two angelic persons, who indicated to him that his sins were forgiven, that the whole world was in error, and that the truth would be revealed to him at an appropriate time. In the second vision, it was shown to him that the American Indians were the remnants of the children of Israel, that prophets and inspired men had once been in their midst, by whom the holy records were kept in a safe place out of the hands of the barbarians. In the third vision, which Smith received on the morning of the 22^nd of September 1823, it was revealed to him where they were hidden. Following the vision Smith went to search for them, and he said he found a stone chest that contained plates similar to gold that was not as thick as common tin, and about seven to eight inches wide and long. On the plates or the metal dishes was the engraved book or the Mormon Bible, which was called that from the name given to the group which wrote them and hid them. But permission was not given to Smith to take the golden plates away until after he had learned the language of Egypt, in which language, or a later dialect of it, the book was composed. In September 1827, he was judged suitable to receive the records; he provided a translation of them, which was published in 1830. The work made a profound impression on the lowest classes in the United States, and a sect was soon formed; the adepts called themselves “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” But from their guide book they were more commonly called Mormons. Smith was assisted in carrying forward and disseminating his revelations by his father, and by persons named Rigdon, Harris, and others. When it was perceived that the imposture was working its way forward, upsetting the belief and practices of a large part of the people, the respectable inhabitants of Palmyra and a town by the name of Manchester, felt it their duty to reveal the true nature of Smith, for that is where he lived with his family previously. Consequently, an affidavit was prepared by about fifty of the reputable citizens who belonged to various religious denominations, dated Palmyra, Dec. 4, 1833, containing observations on the character of the Smith family, when they lived near that place, to the effect that they were destitute of that moral character that entitled them to the confidence of society—that Joseph Smith, Sr., together with his son Joseph, especially were considered totally destitute of moral character, and followed wicked practices, and that those who embraced Mormonism in those parts were nothing but a superstitious people, the majority of whom were lacking virtues and influence in the area.

The Book of Mormon, on which the teachings of the deceivers are founded, is, for the most part, something similar to the Old Testament, and contains two separate stories. The account of the Nephites, part of the tribe of Joseph, who are supposed to have left from Jerusalem, under a prophet by the name of Nephi, and were led miraculously to America, is the first part of it. The account says that it was the Nephites who were the forebears of the Indians, and that the color of their skin was changed as a punishment for their sins. And many years after they had settled in America it is said that they discovered the records of the Jaredites, a nation which had become extinct and which had come to America some time after the Tower of Babel had been built. The revelations of various prophets of these Jaredites and Nephites, together with the divine predictions pertaining “to his servant Joseph Smith,” the apostle of the present days, make up the contents of the Book of Mormon.

Two different classes of the church orders pertain to Mormonism—1. The MELCHIZEDEK, or higher priesthood, containing high priests and elders. 2. The AARONIC, or the lesser priesthood, containing bishops, priests, teachers and deacons. The first named are to watch over the spiritual matters of the church; the last administer its ordinances, and rule over temporal matters. Three of the Melchizedek or the High Priests are appointed as Presidents, and they are called by the First Presidency. Mormonism puts Joseph Smith as the leader above all else in this new church, inasmuch as the aforenoted offices are filled by individuals who are subject to his wish, and partakers of the plunder of his deceitful disciples.

Upon examining them, it appears that the assertions on which Mormonism is based are extremely shameful and ungodly. The Book of Mormon from beginning to end is full of evidences of pretenses and deceit. The appropriate style of the Scriptures is borrowed throughout. Its author shows that he knows too much to have lived in the earliest ages. He reveals his deceit. It is said by the prophet Nephi with reference to the commotion that took place on the voyage to America, “And it came to pass after they had loosed me, behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I desired it.” The compass was not invented until many centuries after the time that it referred to here. Further on the composer of the Book of Mormon falls into confusion with respect to the word “Christ.” It is found therein that every succeeding prophet predicts the coming of Christ; everyone know that Christ is not a name, rather a Greek title signifying “the Anointed one,” and that it is a translation from the Hebrew word “Messiah.” With reference to this the Atheneum says, “Now the use of a Greek word, in an age in which that language had not yet formed, and since people are not likely to have been acquainted with Greek, a language which was of such a peculiar composition that it was not subject to any kind of mixture, is an indication so obvious and definitive of fabrication, that long before now it should have exposed the deceit.”

The same authority we have referenced above also produces a hint as to the likely origin of the Book of Mormon. A minister by the name of Solomon Spaulding gave up his ministry, and went into business in Cherry Vale, New York, where it failed in 1809. He thought he could free himself from his troubles by composing a novel. Since he intended to title his work, “Manuscript found,” he wrote it in the old style of the Hebrew compositions. In 1812 the work was taken to a printer by the name of Lambdin, who lived in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; but before it was published its author died. Lambdin also died in 1820. He first loaned the manuscript to a person by the name of Sidney Rigdon, who it appears, together with his friend Joseph Smith, contrived to present it to the world as new revelation. This was the beginning of the Book of Mormon, as confirmed by witnesses, relatives, and friends of Spaulding, who had listened to parts of the manuscript being read. The deceivers had an easy time of making such changes as would serve their purposes. Sidney Rigdon would serve as scribe to the “prophet.” He, along with a few others, had the privilege of seeing the golden plates! In a booklet published by Mr. Caswall, it says that he visited Nauvoo, city of the Mormons, in 1842, and had the honor of meeting with the prophet, when he (Mr. C.) handed him a book, requesting that he clarify its contents. He said that he believed it to be the Psalms in Greek, but that he wished to hear his opinion. To this the prophet replied that it was a dictionary of Egyptian hieroglyphs, and he said that its letters were similar to those engraved on the golden plates. The mistake of identifying the Psalms in Greek as an example of Egyptian hieroglyphs shatters into pieces the claims of Joseph Smith’s being an interpreter of mysteries.

It is said that Joseph Smith was killed by a lawless mob, which event took place on June 27, 1844, in Carthage, state of Illinois. It is not likely that this event will make any more than a small difference in preventing Mormon deceit.

Instructor, December 1847, pp. 365–66

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The Mormons, or the Latter-day Saints

Mr. Editor—Perhaps a few lines about this strange people would be beneficial and acceptable. With respect to their foundational topics, it appears that they are contained in the following things:

1. About the gospel, “They believe that its Author is truthful, crucified and resurrected.”
2. The duty of man is to “covenant with God, obeying his commandments the first opportunity he has, and striving to refuse evil, and to please him.”
3. “Going directly with one of the preachers of the Latter-day Saints to the water as soon as possible, and being baptized in it for the remission of sins.”
4. “Receiving the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands of the elders of the church, just as in the days of the apostles. Anyone who does all these things, based on the correct principle will become children of God, or saints, through the gospel of Jesus Christ; and if they continue in the confines of this sound doctrine, they will reign with their Savior Jesus Christ on the restored earth in joy, and never die again.” Then they ask, almost mockingly, “Will the worst sinner be able to obey all these conditions before they are understood without the Spirit of God? Certainly, otherwise he will live forever without obeying them; for God did not promise his Spirit to help the sinner to believe that Jesus is the Christ, or to repent, or to walk to the water, because he gave testimony through his servants and reason to judge the first, natural ability for the second, and feet to obey the third.” * [*Prophet of the Jubilee, or Star of the Saints, for the month of March 1847.]
5. “Believe in, and pray to be able to enjoy the spiritual gifts, and the beneficial blessings that were enjoyed by those who were obedient to this heavenly organization in the premortal world, such as the expression of wisdom, the expression of knowledge, miraculous faith, the gift of healings, and receiving health by anointing with consecrated oil in the name of the Lord, the prayer of faith, and the laying on of hands. Also, striving to have the gift of prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking with tongues, the interpretation of tongues, receiving revelations from God, the ministering of angels, the communion with beneficial spirits from the eternal world in visions,” etc.
6. “Everyone who professes this system should live saintly and just lives, praying with all kinds of prayers, so the Spirit will give them utterance.”
7. “Those who come into the bonds of this new covenant, and the fulness of the gospel, should watch and pray so they do not enter into temptation.” * * * * Then they shall say, “And all things that are contrary to this, cometh from evil.” * * * To refrain from saying, “God is bound by him.” They speak a lot about “golden plates,” which were hidden in the earth in America, etc.

It is too great a task to portray the order of those who are disorderly, and the principles of those who have no principles. To the extreme of my understanding and knowledge about their faith and their character, I will say about them—

1. That they have a very narrow, low, and erroneous view of the entire Bible.
2. They understand next to nothing about spirituality and the precision of the moral law—about the damnatory and lost condition of man by nature—and they do not have a correct view of a single branch of the doctrine which is according to godliness, namely justification through faith, etc.
3. That the Book of Mormon, visions, dreams, imaginings, and the golden plates of Joseph Smith, the wretch who was killed for causing confusion in America—yes, that they have more concern about the above man and his contemptible opinions than they do about Christ and the Bible!
4. They say that the souls of men exist somewhere before coming to the bodies of infants!
5. They say that the pagans, and the people of our own country, because they do not have the true gospel, will have a second chance to have eternal life, in the middle condition —that Christ, Joseph Smith, and others have preached, and are now preaching to the spirits in prison! and that no one will have everlasting hell except for those who refuse them and the true doctrine!!
6. Despite all the debating and insisting that they have the gift of miracles, as well as all who join them; yet, according to everything I have found out, they cannot show or prove that they have ever fulfilled, or worked so much as one true miracle!! Although they say that the Spirit of God is with them to teach them to understand the order of God, and know his mind; yet it appears that they are full of madness when dealing with things about salvation, but they are quite sensible people when dealing with other things.
7. In short, it appears that they are well known for insisting, challenging, arguing, maligning, and rebuking everyone who differs from them as they explain the Bible. They scorn education and scholars, and all books except their own.

They say they are having notable success in Merthyr Tydfil, Dowlais, Nantyglo, Tredegar, Penycae, Sirhowy, Coed-duon, Abersychan, Cwmbach, Llwyni, Rhymney, Cardiff, etc. Is this true? Are the people in South Wales so ready to reject the Bible, and accept the Book of Mormon, and the dreams of the late Joseph Smith from America? I do not think so ill of them.

ETA DELTA, Ty Wynne.

July 7, 1847

Instructor, 1848 October, pp. 289–91

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2475450/0#?xywh=-47%2C-1%2C2357%2C3605&cv=0

The Mormons

THE STORY OF JOSEPH SMITH, IN A LETTER FROM AMERICA

“MY DEAR BROTHER, THOMAS JOB,—

I am pleased to have an opportunity, and to be able to answer your questions, which I shall do as accurately as I can, namely to give the story of Joseph Smith, and his followers, in America. I am very familiar with them, and I knew Joseph Smith quite well. In fact, without deception, Joseph Smith was the son of a poor man, and poor himself with regard to his circumstances, and too lazy to work for himself; but he went from place to place wherever he thought he would get a bite to eat. People in general did not consider him sensible, because of his spiritless and lifeless appearance. He was a great lout and very fat, about six feet four in height; but despite that, he paid careful attention to everyone and everything—quite cunning in his way; and as he increased in years, he also increased in deceit and cunning.

“There was in that community, that is Ohio, a very rich man, a good and sensible scholar, who had set everything aside, devoting himself to study; and he was writing a book, but no one knew its contents. His friends tried to find out what he was studying; but he did not tell anyone; and he had no book but the Bible. This man died before finishing the book, and his widow was not willing to show his library to anyone; but, after a time, his widow married another man, and that man got hold of the first husband’s library, and he read the new book he had studied, which was Additions to the scriptures, and revelations of several wonders of divine origin, signs of the thousand years, together with a way to perform miracles to make his book divine, etc. But this man could not see how to put the book into circulation; but he knew of Joseph Smith that he was cunning, and he sent for him. Joseph came, and another man with him, in secret to see the book. The book was bound magnificently in gold, and Joseph and his friend judged that it was better to hide it in the ground, and for Joseph to take it 500 miles to bury it in a deserted place. After Joseph returned, he and the man he had, agreed to stay in Ohio, and that the other should go hundreds of miles away from him, and that each should prophesy and dream about a book of divine origin, etc. Then Joseph started to prophesy and dream; and after a time, behold another was prophesying and dreaming nearly the same things, until everyone was talking about the men, and their story in the newspapers, and how certain things were about to come to pass -- that men were prophesying, and saying that the end of the world was at hand, etc.

“But after prophesying for a while, Joseph announced that he had had a revelation in a supernatural form, from the Spirit of the Lord, about addictions to his will and his word; and that a book had come from God, and that it was a golden book, set it the earth in a remote place; that he should send a man to seek it, and that the Spirit of God would serve to instruct him how to find the book in the wilderness. So, Joseph sent his partner to go and look for it, because he knew where Joseph and himself had placed it; and that man, and other people with him, went to look for the book, and it was found. (Joseph was a Baptist.) Then, after finding the book, no one was worthy to open it, nor untie its seals, except Joseph Smith. After Joseph got the book, he went to preach; and whoever believed the doctrine of Joseph, and the book, was baptized. And Joseph and all his followers said that they could perform miracles, like Christ and the apostles (Mark 16: 17, 18); that they could cast out devils in his name, and speak every tongue; that they could lift up serpents, drink poison without sustaining harm, etc.; and in order to prove the truth of his doctrine, Joseph said the Holy Ghost, when his disciples were baptizing, would come in the form of a dove on the water, and that everyone could see it. Thousands gathered to his baptism, in order to see the Holy Ghost; and suddenly a big white dove, almost as big as a horse, came slowly to the spot, standing by the water, and laying down its wings (for the dove was walking). There was immediately a host of witnesses there, and they asked the dove, ‘How do you do?’ But the dove made no answer. After investigation, Joseph Smith himself had dressed up in a costume like a dove,—and Joseph was the dove.

“Another day, Joseph went to walk on the water: he crossed a hundred-yard wide lake on foot without sinking. But within three days it was found out that he had planks under the water out of sight; and by the second time, the middle plank was taken away, and Joseph went in over his head, and nearly drowned.

“After that, Joseph started to say that the land was too sinful; and he prophesied about the holy city, and the promised land; he said that it was in the State of Illinois, on the bank of the Mississippi river. He and his followers went there; and a temple has been erected there, with the twelve oxen, and the molten sea, and the ark, and the sanctuary, and the cherubs, and the holy of holies, etc.; and it is at present a large town, with about thirty thousand inhabitants. I am a two-day journey by steam boat from this city, namely the ‘heavenly Jerusalem.’ Finally, Joseph Smith began to say he was immortal, that he would live for a thousand years, and that he was the king of the holy city, and that he was reigning for Christ for a thousand years, and that none of his true followers would die; but the people were dying from day to day. Then a rebellion arose against Joseph Smith, and they threatened to shoot him for his trickery. Joseph said that there was not a bullet that could touch him, and that neither poison nor anything could harm him; but a hail of bullets was fired at him all at once, in a second, until he was like a cabbage net, full of holes like a lantern! And this was the end of Joseph Smith, in fact, my dear brother Thomas.

“BENJAMIN JOB DAVIES.”

Formerly of Pantteg, near Carmarthen.

The following was taken out of the Mormons’ own monthly publication.

The Mormons say that God the Father has a body, as do men; because, they say, that man was created in the image and likeness of God! So they are idol worshippers!

One sees from the above that the Bible in their sight is very weak—they say clearly that believing in God is not enough! They say they have continual revelation, and that they can converse with God, and the angels! It is just a matter of obeying them, and being immersed in water, and they will have all authority to do miracles, etc.

They say that all who die without hearing them, will have a second chance in some prison where they are held (according to 1 Peter 3:19). But if they disbelieve their gospel, they will be in an irretrievable hell, or eternal fire! Their preaching, for the most part, consists of the scorn and persecution of others—they claim that there has not been a true gospel or a true religion in the world from the time of the apostles until the calling of Joseph Smith, and that these are contained in the Book of Mormon!

One would expect that the Welsh are too enlightened in the Word, and respectful of the gospel, to believe and espouse such blasphemous nonsense as is declared by ignorant idlers who call themselves Apostles, Prophets, Saints, etc. But, Oh, they are succeeding in Wales! They are assisting Satan, the flesh, and the world to mock the armies of the living God—with such pagan-like deceit and half-witted insanity they are being immersed in a kind of fright—some who have not gone to chapel but infrequently.

In a way very similar manner to the above letter, Joseph Smith is described in Chambers’ Miscellany—all that are gathered from the Welsh and the English, from America and this kingdom, shows powerfully and unanimously that the Mormons, or the Smithites, are nothing but shameless and impudent deceivers; many of them more dangerous and poisonous than professed atheists.

In Palmyra, America, December 4, 1833, an oath or affidavit was made against them to warn the public, showing that neither J. Smith, his family, or his followers deserved any kind of respect or confidence—that he was not a man of sound mind, or of decent and faultless character, but to the contrary. And certainly, those in this country who have embraced their views are completely dark, unprincipled, and weak-minded people.

Instructor, April 1850, p. 120

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2717881/23

Verse to the Mormons

Wolves and wanderers full of faults—fools,
Failing to work miracles;
There’s no sense in the false guides,
Nor truth in their words.

OWAIN ARAN

Instructor, June 1850, p. 191

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2717947/29#?xywh=2320%2C653%2C2225%2C2468

The “Saints” Fighting—Lately the “Latter-day Saints” held their meeting in a tavern in Penybontarogwr; and there was a woman listening who thought the preacher had become too personal in his instructions; and to avenge herself she took the shoe from off her foot and threw it at his head and broke his nose. Down went the priest from off the bench, and she began to strike him and thrash him mercilessly.

Instructor, September 1850, p. 287

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2718046/30#?xywh=-699%2C101%2C3318%2C2742

Mormon Women

The Mormon women have started to wear trousers (pantaloons). It is not said that the men wear corresponding clothes in exchange. Burritt’s Christian Citizen.

Instructor, February 1851, pp. 59–60

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2718216/26#?xywh=-1275%2C7%2C4778%2C3950

Mormons

A Mormon preacher was taken up, recently, in Stanway, for stealing sheets, blankets, and other things. He had also charmed the wife of another man; and since the man got his wife back, he allowed the Mormon to go away unpunished.

Instructor, November 1851, pp. 341–42

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2718513/20#?xywh=2051%2C776%2C2205%2C3371

Liars and Deceivers of the Latter Days

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” —CHRIST. John 8:44.

They call themselves “Saints”—but who else calls them that? There is nothing noteworthy to say about this Sect, except that it is founded on a lie, and all the superstructure is lies. It appears that the head liar is the most famous preacher, the highest officer, and the most enlightened professor!

Joseph Smith, the Founder, was an evil, lazy, and lying man. He rose to prominence in America in about 1823; he was a wanderer, a dreamer, and a searcher of silver and treasures in the earth. Some old manuscripts of a half-crazy man were put in the hands of Joe Smith; and Smith, together with someone by the name of Harris, plotted together to hide the manuscripts in a secret place in the earth, and that the two of them dreamed on the same evening, the same thing, about a strange book in the earth—or writings on plates, they said. This is one o the first lies. The writing, or the above writings, appeared on the book called, “BOOK OF MORMON,” their Bible, in about 1830. This book is nothing but a mixture of lies and contradictions—Judaism, Paganism and a bit of Christianity, to charm the ignorant.

Pratt, “One of the Twelve Apostles,” says in a book he calls “The divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon,” that there are many more proofs and witnesses of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, than there are about the truth of the Bible! There are many more witnesses of the truth of the Book of Mormon than there are witnesses of the truth of the Bible, he says! Throughout his book he does not establish very well his point, but he tries with all his might to debase and to disparage the Word of God. He says as well that it is the word of men—that perhaps the best things were lost, and bad things were inserted. He says that no trust can be placed in the Bible, that at best it is pertinent to other ages; thus, it is out of date now. He says that there are no correct and authoritative revelations anywhere in the world but with them. All of the will of God was lost, for two hundred and fifteen years, they say—i.e., from the apostolic age until the call of Joe Smith! [I may need to add a note explaining that the translation, if not the dates, is accurate.]

They say that God reveals strange and new things to them continually—that their prophets have the spirit of prophecy, to predict and proclaim secret things, and that they are still receiving new things, similar to the Book of Mormon! They come up with every scheme, distortion, and lie; and they ascribe and attribute it all to God; and they claim to be completely infallible.

They take upon themselves great names and titles, such as Apostles, Prophets, High Priests, Priests, Elders, etc. In their lying and blasphemous manner of preaching, they proclaim everyone else to be heretics and deceivers—there have been no authorized ecclesiastical officers for two hundred and fifteen years, except for them only!

They say and assert boldly and shamelessly that they have the gift of miracles, like this—“And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues, etc., Mark 16:17. A woman pretends to go into some kind of a hysteric fit; then she will go into contortions and speak in tongues; then someone else steps forward to interpret, etc. They pretend to raise the dead, and to heal the sick, by putting “holy oil” on him—anointing the sick—getting oil from the Druggist, etc. We are bound to co-testify boldly that it is all lies and deceit. Neither they, nor anyone else, can prove, beyond doubt, that they have ever performed as much as a single public miracle; and they have never had proof, in this entire area, that God answers them, and gives remarkable signs through them, as in the apostolic age.

They consider BAPTISM BY IMMERSION as being essential and necessary; not as a sign, to set out the order of God, but as substance; as if one were reborn in the water—that the Holy Ghost is given, as if in connection with man’s obedience to the water baptism—as if depending more on their own obedience than on obedience to the death of Christ!

They say that Christ reigns on the earth, at present, in California, for a thousand years, in a temple that will be built to him there; that Christ is an earthly and a spiritual king; and that they, the Mormons, only, will be with him; for everyone will be destroyed but them. That is what they still preach. But instead of destruction on others, a sign of judgment and wrath of God is clearly seen on them already—the impostors of preachers, from South Wales, are idle, eating the food of the poor, promising to repay them by working miracles; but there is not a single miracle to increase the loaf, nor oil to pay the debt for food in the shops—all of it a lie!

Hundreds of Welsh have gone to California already. Some have died on the way; others have been disappointed, and persecuted from place to place, like unprincipled and perilous lunatics.

Their books contain language similar to the language of the Bible—God speaks in visions to Joe Smith and others. In reflecting, it is difficult to determine whether they are imitating the Bible, to deceive, or to scorn, like pagans. It is pointless to go on, by quoting from their books; that would offend the tender minds of our readers; for their language is so strange, presumptuous, shameful, and completely blasphemous—for example, “Thus the Lord speaks to his servant Joseph Smith—to his handmaiden Emma Smith—to O. Cowdery—to J. Murdock,” etc., etc. They use the solemn manner of the Bible. It is God who speaks to them constantly in REVELATIONS, they say—in their books there is not much of an attempt to enlighten and indoctrinate the unlearned; and if it is said that they err, they attribute everything to God, his revelations to them; and thus everything is completely INFALLIBLE! Their books, for the most part, are in the English language, their FOREMOST Book, the “Mormon Book,” etc. Thus, those who are enticed and deceived to go to them, understand but little of their principles, if it can be said that they have any kind of principles.

It is intensely lamentable that our Nation is so blind, unconcerned about the truth, and religiously unfeeling. It is said that our Magistrates grant licenses to them to preach the gospel, as if they were proper Christians! Rooms are rented to them, and houses are given to them to convert to Chapels, with a kind of Christian chapel-goers, quite destitute of feelings and godly zeal for the glory of God.

Since they themselves, call themselves “Latter-day Saints,” it is taken for granted, without examining their principles, that they are a religious denomination, like other denominations!!

It appears that hundreds or thousands of the Welsh have converted to them, and to the Catholics, somewhat lately. No one can boast that our Nation has enlightened them and rooted them in scriptural knowledge about the way of salvation.

If there are those who wish to have more information about them, and about the truthfulness and correctness of the foregoing remarks, let them inquire of respectable and recognized men in the areas where they have been congregating for years.

“Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.” It is for certain that the kingdom of Satan stands on this lie—or that Satan has hung his kingdom on this lie until today, as the late Christmas Evans used to say. Thus, it is for certain that Mormonism is hanging on the lies of Joe Smith and his friends in every country and land, from 1823 until this very day!

“The Smithites say nothing that is true,

They do not acknowledge the One who made sea and land;

They eat and drink unperturbed,

Without thinking of the judgment that comes.”

ETA DELTA

See “The Book of Mormon;” “Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, by Orson Pratt;” Doctrines and Covenants;” “The Revelations of God, by Joseph Smith, President;” “The Star;” etc., etc.

Instructor, April 1852, p. 119

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2389457/22

Impromptu Verses to the Mormons

This I have to say without delay—
A plaintive and serious task—
A pity we have to cross
Anyone of our own kind.

Behold ungifted black magicians—all
Wanting to trick each soul,
And some dark hideous swarm—lowly minstrels,
The old Mormons we wish they were dead.

They utter without mercy—lies
Shamefully strange,
With a distracted, ravenous air
They claim great vengeance.

They promise truly,—as a joke,
That they can work miracles;
But a brittle selfish boast
Comes empty from their mouths.

Disrespectful, distrustful dragons,—furthermore,
Shockingly irrational,
Therefore, what contentious throng
But these are the chaff.

Pushed, without a second threat,—they were
Before apologetic talk;
And their retreat was orderly
Clearly every soul from our land.

All after being thoroughly chased,—a weak troop,
From England and Wales,
Roughly they go despite plague troublesome
And fierce to California.

Now after their vigor,—imprudent course,
And their deserved disappointment,
Dully the great wonder
What worse they will do next.

Instructor, October 1855, p. 404

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2334701/43#?xywh=-1101%2C112%2C4183%2C3680

The Mormons—The Mormons in Salt Lake City are afflicted greatly by locusts, crickets, and a kind of destructive fleas. This is the third year that the locusts have destroyed their crops. At present the land of promise is not before the Mormons, rather they must starve or flee for their lives. Can it be that the senseless and deceitful wretches will come to see their error when the famine comes upon them? Until now they have scorned reason and the Gospel; but it is likely that the locusts will bring the wisest of them to their senses.

Instructor, 1856, p. 442

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2335339/41#?xywh=60%2C722%2C1772%2C1965

The Mormons—The Mormons in the large city of Great Salt Lake are threatened with a famine. The crops have been devastated by drought, locusts, and crickets.

The Instructor, March 1857, pp. 105–10

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2335487/28 The Mormons—The Mormon Emigration, under Jo Smith’s Leadership, toward the Salt Lake.

We do not intend to say anything at present about the religious disease of the human mind, of which Mormonism is the lowest and most corrupt form, except insofar as it is essential in order to throw light on something so irresponsible, that such an unclean and odious form of religion should have been accepted by anyone on whom the slightest ray of general knowledge has shone. But, Mormonism remains a fact in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, and counts its disciples in the thousands! Some maintain that God, in a judgment, has allowed men to fall into firm error, to believe lies, to give credence to heretical spirits, to deceive, and to be deceived.

But, although we believe that that is something quite consistent under the dispensation of the gospel, as well as a natural product of long and stubborn disobedience to the promptings of God’s word; even so, that is not the only reason, nor, perhaps the main reason. Men of deformed minds are to be found, as well as of deformed bodies, who do not see, or hear, or feel like other men. Everything appears opposite to them. The sweet is bitter, the good bad, and the light darkness. They would turn the world upside down if it were in their power, and they would change its summer, its winter, and its spring, as well as the position of every star on the face or the heavens. They do not find anything to be in its proper place, except that which is out of place; nor anything out of place, except that which is in its place. There are many to be found for whom nothing but carnal religions will do; and many for whom nothing but earthly religion will do; and many for whom nothing but a religion or miracles will do; and many for whom nothing but irreligious religion will do. Poor, ignorant, little people, only one step above the animal which is destroyed—for whom their Mormonism is more of a misfortune than a sin, and they themselves objects more to be pitied than condemned. Mormonism always takes hold of one or the other of these classes, making their end worse than their beginning. Since it blasphemously lays claim to miracles—promises earthly paradise—freedom for all prostitution—direct revelation from heaven—and that it is the only ark within which there is safety to be had, it tempted the weak, and the innocent, and the knave, to join it. Many a husband escaped from his wife, and many a wife from her husband—parents from their children, and children from their parents, until finally it had become, through its corruption and its theft and its ill temper, a plague too intolerable for its neighbors to suffer. The locals rose up as one man to persecute them away, root and branch, out of their boundaries. And before we fault them for their deed, let us read the following stories, from many that could be written.

Among the new converts to Mormonism was a Mrs. Clarke, who had become accidentally acquainted with Smith and his tenets. Her husband was a very vine man, in good circumstances; and herself the mother of three beautiful children. She came, in company with Smith, to the residence of Mrs. Bradish, and he introduced her to that lady as a well-beloved daughter of the church, who was ready to forsake all for the love of truth. They conversed together for some time, and it was decided that Mrs. Clarke should reside with her spiritual sister. I learned from Mrs. Bradish that her husband was ignorant of her destination or her attachment to the Mormons. He succeeded in discovering it, however; for, in about a week, he came for her. At first she refused to see him; but as he threatened to call in the officers of the law, Mrs. Bradish advised her to comply.

“You know, dear,” she said, “that he cannot compel you to return with him, unless you wish to.”

“I must not, I cannot go back,” she answered; “I have taken a fearful oath that I will not, I.” ——

“You regard your professions in a very serious light,” said Mrs. Bradish, interrupting her.

“I think anyone would. My oaths” ——

“Oh well, dear, you are agitated now, and your husband is coming in.”

Mr. Clarke came in. He looked pale, sad, and disconsolate; and it even seemed that his eyes bore traces of recent tears. He advanced towards his wife, who averted her face.

“Look at me, Laura,” he said; “in what have I offended?”

“You are the serpent that would tempt me from my duty,” she replied.

“Say rather to your duty. You have a family, it is your duty to care for it.”

“It is not.”

“Woman, are you crazy? Is it not a mother’s duty to care for her babes?”

“That depends on circumstances.”

“To what fiend’s teaching have you been listening?” Then changing his tones to those of entreaty, he said, extending his hand, “Oh! come, Laura, come, go home with me. Poor little Willie cries every day for mamma, while Caddy and Sarah were nearly frantic with joy when I told them that I had heard where you were, and was going to bring you home. Oh! Laura, Laura, I cannot go back without you, to witness the sorrow and disappointment of the poor children; indeed, I cannot;” and the strong man, overcome by his emotions, sunk on his knees. Mrs. Bradish looked stern and solemn; Mrs. Clarke covered her face and trembled; for myself, I sobbed aloud. “You will go, won’t you?” he said, at length, rising and advancing towards her.

“Urge me no further; for I cannot go with you.”

“Is this your last resolve?” he said, somewhat sternly.

“It is.”

“Then you have no regard for me, no pity for your children, no respect for the solemn ties of marriage. For a heartless, wandering vagabond, who is beneath the dogs of the kennel, you abandon your family, your home, and your friends. Have I not always treated you well, provided for you in health, watched over you in sickness; have I not kept and preserved you as the apple of my eye?”

“You have, you have,” she almost shrieked; “but why torture me now?”

“It is your conscience that tortures you,” he said, solemnly. “Heaven grant that it be not the foretaste of the quenchless flame and the deathless worm; and mark my words” ——

“Don’t curse me, don’t curse me,” she cried, imploringly; “you must not curse me.”

“I curse you? you have cursed yourself; as you have forsaken me, you shall be forsaken; as you have deserted your children, you shall be deserted; as you have abandoned your friends, you shall be abandoned. You will not pity our distress, neither shall any eye pity you. And, now, weak, sinful, erring creature, stay with your vagabond companion till he loathes and hates your presence; stay with him till he thrusts you out in the tempest at midnight, and takes to his bosom a younger and fairer bride; but let it strike like the knell of death to your soul, ‘that whatsoever measure ye mete shall be measured to you a gain,’” and turning, he strode from the room. Mrs. Clarke gave one long agonizing shriek, and fell senseless to the floor.

We hastened to her assistance.

“Poor child!” said Mrs. Bradish, “she has had a hard struggle with her duty, but the truth triumphed, and she has overcome temptation; and the glorious prize awaits her in this world, but one even greater in the next.”

“Mrs. Bradish, this is all nonsense and humbug,” I said, at length, rather impetuously. “It was this woman’s duty to go with her husband: ‘What God hath joined together let no man put asunder.’ ‘Let no the woman forsake her husband.’ You cannot pretend to believe that a woman’s duty ever calls her to abandon her helpless, innocent offspring, or her loving husband; you cannot believe that duty ever compels her to plunge her friends and relatives in deep distress. Here is something palpable and read; there is mere shadow, opinion. If she wishes to believe in the faith of Mormon, let her do so; but, at the same time, let her perform the relative and conjugal duties, which she assumed voluntarily. Let her comfort and cherish her husband, and bring up her children to virtue; and in that path only can a wife and mother discharge her duty.”

Mrs. Clarke soon exhibited signs of returning consciousness. She opened her eyes wildly. “Where am I?” she said, “I though my husband was here, and that he cursed me.”

“Oh! no,” said Mrs. Bradish soothingly; “you have been dreaming, carling.”

“Is no one here?”

“Mrs. Ward and myself only.”

“But there has been; my husband has been; my husband no longer. Oh, heaven! that I should live to say it.”

“Compose yourself, love,” said Mrs. Bradish. “Go to sleep, and you will feel better soon.”

Mrs. Clarke endeavored to obey, but it was clearly evident that she was suffering a violent mental conflict. When Mr. Ward was informed of the circumstances, he called her a heroine and martyr, and joined with Mrs. Bradish in trying to establish her wavering conviction, that she had chosen wisely. Oh! how I longed to persuade her to go back to the friends she had abandoned; but I feared to displease my husband, and so remained silent.

Subsequently, Mrs. Clarke informed me how she first became acquainted with Smith. He visited her neighborhood, and held meetings, to which she was induced to go through curiosity, but with the knowledge of her husband. And here, methought, was the first wrong step. He should have been her confidant and her companion. Half the evils of married life would be averted if wives would confide in their husbands more, and their strength less. Doubtless, she would have smiled, or considered herself insulted, had anyone at that time given her this friendly warning. Under the pretense of visiting a sick relative, she left her home and her babes, and night after night listened to the teachings of Smith, witnessed his miraculous powers, and finally became a convert to his doctrines. He narrowly observed her, read in her countenance the operations of her mind, sought and obtained an interview. What then and there passed, heaven only knows, but she declared herself to be bound to him for time and eternity. And thus an error led directly to a heinous crime.

One day, a gentleman, Brother Norris, came to the house of Mrs. Bradish. He did not look happy, and I mentioned it.

“He can scarcely be sorrowing for his wife,” said the lady.

“Sorrowing for his wife?” I repeated, “Is he then a widower?”

“Not exactly, his wife is only dead to him.”

“I hardly understand you.”

“In plain terms, he left his wife to become one of us.”

“And that family is broken up.”

“She went back to her father. They say that she is in a decline, and cannot live long; if, indeed, she is not already dead.”

“How cruel in him to leave her, whom he had sworn to cherish and protect.”

“Such things must be. She would not yield to his wishes, and embrace our doctrines. He could not sacrifice his soul, and so they parted. They say that she was governed in her decision by the advice of her pastor.”

“And are such things common?” I said to Mrs. Bradish.

“Not very common, yet there have been several such instances,” she answered. “Brother Weatherby left his wife and ten children. Of course, some of them were able to take care of themselves. Others, however, were not, and one was an idiot.”

“What became of them?”

“They were put out, I believe, some to one place and some to another. The idiot went to the poor-house, and the youngest, Mrs. Weatherby supports, washing by the week.”

“Have they no property?”

“Some—principally in money; but that belonged to him. Indeed it must have been a judgment upon her for refusing to receive the truth.”

“And a judgment will fall upon him, I fear for deserting her.”

“But he was commanded to do it.”

“By whom?”

“God.”

“And how by God?”

“Through Brother Smith.”

“Oh, Mrs. Bradish! Can” –

“I see, Mrs. Ward,” said the lady, interrupting me, “I see that you are yet ignorant of the most essential doctrines of Mormonism. Brother Smith stands in precisely the same relation to us that Moses did to the children of Israel. In both cases God speaks through the mouth of his servants. Moses was empowered to work wonders, and do miracles, and lead the chosen people to the promised inheritance. Were not the Israelites commanded to spoil the Egyptians? Suppose that some of the Jews had heathen wives, or that some of the Jewish woman were united to Egyptian men. What would that have been the command of God in this case? Why, that the believers should abandon their heathen companions, and go forth with the children of God.”

“But we are not Jews, neither are the others Egyptians.”

“That makes no difference, as the circumstances are exactly parallel.”

“I do not see them so.”

“Then you are one of those, who, having eyes, see not. The same as Moses and Elijah, Brother Smith is gifted with the faculty and power of Revelation. Is anyone doubtful what course to pursue, he can always explain to them the will of God in the matter.”

“Does he then profess to have interviews with the Divine Being?”

“He sees Him as Moses saw Him in the bush; understands His will by dreams and visions, and then interprets them in the language of men.”

Mr. Ward now came in.

“I am trying to instruct Mrs. Ward in the principles and beauties of Mormonism, and she does not prove a very apt learner,” said Mrs. Bradish, half reproachfully.

Mr. Ward looked as if he considered it a matter of perfect indifference, and other company coming in, the conversation became general, but all relating to Mormon matters of local import; what diseased persons had been healed, what heathen converted, and what happiness would result to the faithful from their establishment in the Promised Land.

I had recently seen but little of Ellen, yet the poor girl seemed suffering acutely, and no one pitied her.

“How it is possible for Ellen to be so in love with that outcast, is incomprehensible to me!” said Mrs. Bradish.

“An outcast! I thought he was a very respectable man.”

“Oh, he is respectable in the eyes of the world, but an outcast from the Saints. If her heart was where it should be, on spiritual things, she would cease grieving for him.”

“But all, my good friend, have not your mental stamina, and strength of purpose.”

“Neither do they try to have, but sit down and grieve over the first affliction. That is no way of doing.”

“I cannot help pitying her,” I said; “she seems so artless, gentle, and innocent; so bowed down by sorrow. Could not your elders relax for once the stern discipline of their creed in her favor? Indeed it would make me happy to see her united to her lover.”

“I am astonished, Mrs. Ward, at your dullness of comprehension; if, indeed, it is not, as I half suspect, assumed; our elders are not the originators of our creed, neither can they change the expressed purposes of heaven. Women can only be saved through their husbands. The husband is saved by faith—the wife is saved by the husband; therefore, you see that she could not be saved if united to an unbelieving husband.”

“And if they have no husbands?”

“They must be the spiritual wives of some brother.”

The foregoing things speak sufficiently for themselves. There are plenty of intelligent men among them who have stood up to perceive the eternal abomination of Mormonism, and this is the reason they have been driven from the state of New York to go to curse mankind with their evil filth in some place in the far west. We shall now follow Mrs. Ward in her account of their migration.

Spring came, soft, warm and balmy; came as it will come when we have returned to dust. The Mormons had made every preparation for removal. They numbered fourteen families, besides several others who had been separated from their families, or who had none. Smith was the life and soul of the party. He directed everything, and governed everyone. In all cases of difference, he urged a special revelation, and that settled the question. He was king, prophet, and High Priest; consulted like an oracle, and obeyed like a god. A certain proportion of the property had been placed in the hands of Smith, for his disposal, while the remainder was retained in possession of the original proprietors. In order to avoid all contact with the heathen, it was decided to remove in wagons; to take a large store of all necessary provisions; and only to purchase such articles as were absolutely indispensable, and could not be otherwise obtained. They wished to go off secretly in the night, and unknown to their enemies, especially as it was currently reported that a mob had been organized, and that the principal bridges in the neighborhood were closely watched. Mrs. Bradish armed herself with knives and pistols, and looked a very heroine of romance. She had a pet palfrey that she determined to take along, in order to alternate the long journey between riding in the wagon, and on horseback, no one presumed to interfere with her arrangements, and thus it was settled.

Mrs. Bradish was to go in our wagon, which contained Mr. Ward, myself, and the two children beside. Another wagon was particularly appropriated to Mrs. Clarke, Ellen, and two other women, whom I had not seen before; other wagons were entirely laden with goods, and the teams driven by men without families; those having such incumbrances rode with them in other wagons. The order of march being decided upon, the cavalcade started about midnight. The heavens were perfectly dark with clouds, not a star, not a moonbeam, not a sound, but the heavy tramp of the horses, the roll of the wagon wheels, the snorting and running of the cows and oxen that were driven loose to furnish food by the way; now and then a word of command, as it passed in whispers along the line. There were several men on horseback, and the whole party was completely armed. We had gone some distance, and I began to hope that no danger was to be apprehended, when one of the horsemen rode up to our wagon, drew the curtains, and whispered something to Mr. Ward. He instantly resigned the reins to the custody of Mrs. Bradish, who was accustomed to drive, dismounted without saying a word, and disappeared.

“I wonder what can be the matter,” said I.

“We shall know soon enough, probably,” she answered.

We moved on slowly; then a long low cry, like that of some night bird echoed through the air. It was a preconcerted signal, and every wagon came to a half. Five minutes probably elapsed; five minutes of breathless suspense, when the curtains of our wagon were suddenly lifted, and a woman thrust in; I could not see her face, but heard the rustle of her dress, and the sound of her weeping. The curtains were pulled down again; she found a seat somehow in the obscurity, and Mrs. Bradish addressed her by inquiring why she was weeping, but in a whisper so low and suppressed, that it scarcely seemed articulate.

“My husband is coming after me,” said the woman, “and I am afraid of him. They brought me to this wagon as a place of greater safety. They have taken Irene to another. Oh, dear!”

“And who is Irene?” I was a very Eve in curiosity.

“Irene is a young woman from our neighborhood. Her father was exceedingly angry when he found out that she had joined you, and actually threatened to shoot her, if he ever laid eyes on her again.”

Excited by conversation, the stranger had forgotten to weep.

“I wonder what they are doing anyhow,” said Mrs. Bradish, impatiently. “I’ve a great mind to go and see. Who wants to stand here all night? Pshaw! I’d go on, and when an enemy appeared, I’d fight him. How absurd to be waiting here.”

Presently there was a movement among the wagons beyond ours, and the next minute the horses were taken by the head, softly spoken to, and turned off in another direction.

“It’s really too bad, that Mr. Ward don’t come to tell us what it all means,” said the lady. “Positively I’ll never forgive him, as long as I live.”

“I can tell you what it means,” said the woman.

“What is it then?” said Mrs. Bradish, angrily.

“Why the bridge down yonder, has been taken possession of by the mob, and they are turning off to go through the woods, and ford the creek higher up. I heard them say that they should have to do so.”

“Heard who say so?”

“The brethren,” said the woman.

I though Mrs. Bradish was dissatisfied, because something had been undertaken without her advice and concurrence. We moved on through the woods, but silence was impossible. The wagons would creak, the cattle run and snort, the brushwood crackle, and the boys halloo. Yet we passed on without being attacked, and finally came to the ford. This was got over without difficulty, but when we had journeyed two or three hundred yards farther, Mr. Ward came to the side of the wagon, and informed us that our enemies were collected, apparently in considerable numbers, at the Cross Roads, about half a mile distant; “Mr. Gable,” he continued, “and Harley Cook, appear to be the leaders. We have had a parley, and they demand that Irene Gable and Mrs. Cook shall be immediately restored to their husband and father. If we accept these conditions, they will leave us to pursue our journey unmolested; if not, they will take the women by force.”

“That is, if they can get them,” said Mrs. Bradish, “but what answer did you return?”

“That we knew nothing of such women; and, of course, we shall not give up the ladies, if they decide to stay with us.”

“I should prefer to stay. I am afraid of my husband; he threatened to shoot me; and yet, to avoid involving you in difficulties, and prevent violence and bloodshed, perhaps, I had better go back.”

“Not on that account; you shall not, Mrs. Cook. We can muster twenty men, well-armed.”

“Count me two,” said Mrs. Bradish.

“Well, twenty-two, then,” resumed Mr. Ward. “But the greatest fear is, that the country will rise, and that we shall be pursued and harassed a great distance.”

Mrs. Cook was sobbing again.

“Dry your tears, woman,” said Mrs. Bradish sternly. “This is the time for action. Mr. Ward, I have thought of a plan that will, I think, work well.”

“Let’s have it, quick.”

“I will take Mrs. Cook behind me on Bounding Bet (this was the name of the palfrey); let some other courageous woman take Irene on another horse. We can strike out in an easterly direction along that dark, unfrequented road through the Maple Woods, and which intersects the turnpike two or three miles beyond the Corner, where the heathen are gathered.”

“Well, what then?”

“Go forward and tell the men that the women they are in pursuit of are not in the company.”

“We have told them so already, but they would not believe us.”

“Invite them to come and search for themselves.”

“They swear that they will tar and feather Smith if they find him.”

“They had better say if they knew him.”

“I think so, too. He is so well disguised that his mother wouldn’t know him.”

“He looks like a man a hundred and eighty years old,” said Mrs. Bradish. “But come, I am in a hurry to be off.”

“Well, I must communicate your scheme, and see how the others like it. To me it looks feasible. But have you no fears?”

“Anna Bradish afraid?” she said, contemptuously.

“I know you are made of sterner stuff than any other woman I ever beheld.”

“Yes! Yes! I know all that too, but be off now, and let me know how about it soon.”

Mr. Ward obeyed. He returned in a few minutes, with the information that the plan was approved of, and that Mrs. Stone volunteered to go with Irene.

“She is an excellent horsewoman,” said Mrs. Bradish, “and Roan is almost equal to Bounding Bet.”

The palfrey had been fastened behind the wagon. She was now brought round, and the two women quickly mounted. Another moment, and they were joined by Mr. Stone and her charge.

“Now give me a long rope,” said Mrs. Bradish.”

“What can you want with that?” I inquired.

“Here, fasten this end to the pommel of my saddle. Now, give the other end to Mrs. Stone. We cannot possibly see each in the dark woods, yet we must keep in company. I will put Bet in a steady easy canter. She goes like a cat. You do the same by Roan. And now, Mr. Ward, you know where the road that we are to follow intersects the other. Whichever party arrives there first must wait for the other. This shall be the signal,” and she set up a cry exactly like some bird of night.

“It shall be as you say,” he answered, “and may Providence protect you.”

“Amen!” they all responded fervently.

There was the sound of a low word, the easy shuffling of ambling feet, and the women were off.

“I declare,” said Mr. Ward, “the heroism of that woman makes me ashamed of myself. But now for the remainder of the drama.” He then left the wagon.

It is scarcely necessary for me to say that I felt not a particle of that heroic spirit which animated Mrs. Bradish, or that I have implored him to stay with me, had not shame restrained such an expression of fear. But he soon came back, saying that a delegation had been sent to the enemy, with an invitation for them to search the wagons for themselves.

“But is there no danger of violence from them?” I inquired.

“I think not,” he answered. “They are not the class that mobs are usually composed of, but several respectable and influential men are among them. Brother Smith’s female converts occasion us a good deal of trouble. These men care nothing about our faith as Mormons, but they say that we are carrying off their wives and daughters, and that they will not endure it. When they ascertain that the women are not here, they will probably disperse quietly.”

The wagons moved on slowly, and we were soon met by the Committee of Search, who were headed by Cook and Gable. Lights were speedily produced, every curtain raised, and every wagon thoroughly searched, but neither wife nor daughter could be found. The searchers could not be satisfied. Again and again, they looked, examined, hunted, retracing the same places over and over. At last Mr. Gable spoke.

“Gentlemen,” he said, addressing his comrades, “we are altogether at fault. It is certain that the persons we are looking for are not here. We have been led on a false scent, and now I think that we owe these gentlemen our apologies, for the unnecessary delay and trouble we have put them to.”

Mr. ward expressed great gratification that they were satisfied, and after the exchange of mutual good wishes, we were permitted to move on peacefully, and the others dispersed to their homes.

“And now,” said I, “where are we to meet Mrs. Bradish?”

“About three miles ahead.”

“It was hardly right to deceive them so.”

“Perfectly,” he answered. “As the Israelites deceived and spoiled the Egyptians, we, as saints, may deceive and spoil the heathen.”

I was silenced, but not convinced, by this kind of argument. Mr. Ward indulged himself in laughing heartily at the expense of those who had been cheated, and deceived, as he quoted it, by a woman’s wit.

The clouds had partially broken, and now and then a little twinkling star peeped timidly through the firmament. Indeed, the darkness, to my great relief, was much less intense. My apprehensions, however, had been less for myself than Mrs. Bradish and her companions. My thoughts constantly referred to the long, dark woods, and the lonely midnight ride.

“Are there no wild animals in the Maple Woods?” I inquired.

“There are,” he answered, “or at least I suppose so.”

“Is Mrs. Bradish in no danger, then?”

“She is in danger, doubtless. It is only a short time since a man was pursued by a pack of wolves. Nothing but the fleetness of his horse saved him; but Providence will protect her.”

“Providence protects those who take care of themselves,” I answered. “But is there no danger of her taking the wrong road?”

“Not much, I guess,” he replied. “To be sure, there are many different paths, but she knows the direction.’

“However, it seems to me that we shall never see her again.”

We traveled on in silence. At length the wagons came to a full stop. We had arrived at the intersection of the roads. The signal agreed upon was given. All listened breathlessly. It was not answered, but after a few minutes a dull sound was heard. It came nearer and nearer, settling at last in the long steady gallop of horses. Again the signal was given; and this time answered. They soon came up. Mrs. Bradish and Mrs. Cook took places in our wagon; Mrs. Stone and Irene in theirs.

“Thank heaven,” I said, grasping the hand of the first lady, “thank heaven you are safe.”

“Safe, child; did you dream that there was danger?”

“Certainly; was not a man pursued through these very woods by a pack of wolves?”

“To be sure, there was, but the wolves didn’t pursue me. But how did you get along with the enemy?”

“First rate; when they found that those they sought for were not among us, they even offered to apologize.”

“Oh, it is too good,” said Mrs. Bradish, bursting into a laugh. At this time Mrs. Bradish received the congratulations of the whole company; and her shrewdness was more than a match for Smith’s inspiration.

Instructor, April 1857, pp. 139–43

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2335536/22

The Mormons—The Migration of the Mormons, under the Leadership of Jo Smith, to the Salt Lake

Continued from page 110.

We traveled the remainder of the night, and halted in a pleasant valley the next morning about sunrise. As it has been decided to have no dealings with the heathen, we prepared to take breakfast on the green sward. The wagons were drawn up in a line, the teams unharnessed, turned loose, and fed; the men, women, and children gathered into groups, preparing or partaking of their food. Smith still retained his disguise, and I observed that his attentions were divided between Mrs. Clarke and Mrs. Cook. Ellen seemed neglected by everyone. She sat apart from the rest, and looked so sad and disconsolate, that one’s heart ached to behold her. Even her own mother rarely looked towards her, or spoke to her. I observed the same to Mrs. Bradish. She smiled, and said it was nothing.

We rested for two hours, and then the teams were again harnessed, the passengers mounted in the wagons, and we set off.

Mrs. Cook was no longer in our company, but had returned to the wagon in which she had first ridden, and in which Smith also rode.

There is very little romance in a journey out West. The dull monotony of the route; the long interminable winding roads, through valleys, over hills, and beside water courses; the straggling villages, looking so near like each other that one would think that he was turning in circles instead of going forward. In many places the inhabitants turned out en masse to behold us. Groups would be stationed on the hills, the women holding aloft their infants to have a look at us. But Smith was certainly the greatest curiosity, particularly with the woman. The moment our encampment was made at night, we were thronged with visitors. Fat ladies came, sometimes bringing small presents, oftener with their pipes and snuff boxes. Beautiful girls, with and without protectors—men from their work, saturated with the fumes of tobacco and whisky, etc. I believe that we should have got along very well, had not Smith, as usual, been possessed with the mania of making converts, still from among the young girls. One warm, beautiful evening, two sisters came to visit us in company with their parents. I had wandered off by myself to the woods and sat in a place where I could see all that was going on without being seen. The parents were in deep conversation with the elders, when Irene laughingly approached the sisters, and asked them how they would like to be Mormons.

“I think I should like it,” said Hannah, a gay, sprightly creature; and she glanced inadvertently towards a group of young men who had come in from the village, and in which I suppose she had a lover.

“Well, then,” said Irene, “you had better go with us.”

“Wonder if I hadn’t though?” she said playfully.

Smith was in disguise; but I knew him. He soon approached Hannah.

“My daughter,” he said, in a voice modulated exactly like that of an aged man, “sit down here, and converse with an aged grandfather, who is a Mormon, but who once had a beautiful daughter, exactly like yourself.”

“Had you?” she said.

“Indeed, I had.”

“What became of her?”

“She died.”

“Died, dreadful!”

“Dying is not dreadful to the good; but sit here beside me, and I will tell you about it.”

She sat down beside him. Irene drew the sister’s arm within hers, and they took a short stroll together. What he said to her no other ear heard, what arts he employed upon her it is impossible to tell. It was something, however, of no ordinary character, as the result will show.

Meanwhile a light gust of clouds swept over the sky; it became quite dark, and the parents wished to go home, but Hannah was not to be found. Inquiries being made, Irene said that Hannah had gone with another young lady, her cousin, and would not return till the next day.

“That is very strange to me,” said her mother. “Why did she not speak to me about it?”

“I know nothing about that,” returned Irene, coldly.

“Well, we shall have to go without her tonight,” said her parents, and they walked off.

And where was Smith during this conversation?

He stood by like some quaint, antiquated grandfather.

That night a special revelation from heaven directed that he should have a wagon especially appropriated to his own use; and consequently, the ladies who had occupied it formerly, were distributed here and there. Ellen came to us, and I was glad of it, as it would give me an opportunity to have some conversation with her. Mrs. Bradish had gone to give some medicine to a sick child, and so we had the wagon to ourselves, except for the children.

“Hannah’s mother did not seem too pleased at her daughter’s going off so unceremoniously,” I said.

“Going off! She didn’t go anywhere,” answered Ellen quietly.

“Where is she then?”

“In yonder wagon.”

“Which one?”

“Our wagon, and that is the one where Smith is.”

“Ellen, are you sure of what you say?”

“Sure, certainly, didn’t I see him lift her in; didn’t I hear him tell Irene to forge that lie. Oh! Mrs. Ward, I could tell you things of that man which would make you shudder.”

“Tell me, Ellen, do,” I said, soothingly. “I have long known that some dreadful burden was on your mind. I am your friend, confide in me as in a sister.”

“Oh, I dare not; he would kill me.”

“Who would kill you, my poor child?”

“I am afraid to speak it; it seems to me that he can read my thoughts, and I fear to look at him. My mother is angry with me, because she says I have no faith in him; how can I have faith in a man whom I know to be so desperately wicked?”

“I believe,” she said after a time, “I believe that I can confide in you. You are not one of them. You have not experienced the power of that dreadful man as I have.”

“No; I am not a Mormon in belief, and yet I know that Smith at least possesses power, with which men generally are not endowed.”

“Yes,” said Ellen; “and it is that which frightens me.”

“I have longed wished to ascertain what were your sensations on that eventful night of the Mormon meeting. Excuse me, Ellen, but were you really dead?”

“I know not.”

“Had you been sick?”

“Be patient, and I will relate the whole. Smith had frequently given out that under peculiar circumstances, he could raise the dead. Two or three times some mother, agonizing over the loss of her offspring, had implored him to try, but a special revelation would always come to forbid it. At length some of the brothers gave him to understand that they must see an exhibition of his work, or hear no more about it. He engaged to resurrect the first believer who fell beneath the power of the enemy, and there the matter rested. Smith came to our house on the day in question. I was entirely alone, and sat sewing by the window. His deportment was very grave, and something unusual seemed to weigh on his mind. I had a presentiment that it related to me, and whenever was a presentiment at fault? At length he spoke, and his voice sent a thrill of horror through my heart.

“‘Ellen,’ he said, ‘you are about to die.’”

“‘How—when?’ I answered, frightened.”

“Now, immediately. I had a special revelation of it; and, knowing that you were alone, came in to aid and comfort you. But fear not, child; the presence of God is with you—look at me.”

“His words struck me with inexpressible dread. To die—to leave the beautiful earth, and all I loved; the though was horrible! yet I doubted not of its fulfillment, and looked towards him, as he bade me. I was fascinated by his gaze, so deep, earnest and steady. A strange sensation of drowsiness overpowered my senses. I wished, but could not struggle against it. The consciousness that I was dying came over me; and yet how different from all that I had imagined of death. No pain, no torture, no agonizing convulsions, but all calm, sedate, and tranquil. A gradual suspension of feeling and perception, a blending of indistinct images, like objects in a dream, that mingle and then melt to nothingness. Yet I knew that a warm hand closed my eyes; that the same hand moved gently down toward my feet; and that was the last.”

“And did Smith call your parents?”

“He did. He told them that Providence sent him to me to soothe my dying moments; and that it had been revealed likewise that I should rise from the dead.”

“It is very strange,” I said involuntarily.

“I once read,” said Ellen, slowly, and with awful emphasis, “I once read of a man who had sold his soul to the devil, so that he could do all sorts of tricks while he was alive. And it seems to me that it was so with J. Smith. That the power had been given from heaven, as he claimed, I do not believe.”

“But are you a believer in him?”

“Once I was, but now”—

“But now, what?”

“He must be a wicked man. It cannot be otherwise. I could tell you things about that man”—

“What is it, Ellen?”

“When I first saw Joseph Smith, I was pure and happy. I was betrothed to an amiable young man, whom I loved, and who loved me. Smith, by his hellish arts, succeeded in making my parents believe that, to ensure my salvation, the marriage must be broken off, unless my lover could be converted to Mormonism. That, they well knew, was impossible; and so we were forbidden to see or speak to each other. It is true that, hearing continually the praises of Smith, and witnessing the exhibitions of his power, astonished and filled me with awe and veneration. He exerted a mystical magical influence over me—a sort of sorcery that deprived me o the unrestricted exercise of free will. It never entered into my brain that he could cherish impure motives; that one professing such sainted holiness could seek the gratification of lawless passions. No friendly voice was near to warn me, and I fell”—

“Oh! Ellen, you frighten me.”

“And it frightened me; but hear me out. I became a mother!”

“Worse and worse.”

“Indeed, you may well say that; for the worst is yet to come.”

“What became of your child?”

“I know not. I was taken to the house of Mrs. Bradish. And there my sickness occurred. I well knew the fierce pangs that seized me, and I sunk into unconsciousness. When I awoke from this state, I asked for my child, but they laughed at me, telling me that I was beside myself, and they threatened to send me to the lunatic asylum if I ever mentioned such a thing again. I had heard the feeble wail of an infant, and Mrs. Bradish go stealthily to the closet door, and someone telling her quietly that it had died. Mrs. Bradish tried to get me to take something to sleep, but I didn’t want it, for fear that they would bury it before I awoke. Mrs. Bradish scolded me severely for not taking the medicine; and she went out indignantly, calling for someone else to watch me. They whispered something among one another; but as much as I heard (for I was falling asleep) was, ‘Sometime near morning, when she falls asleep—.’ I do not know who the woman was who was with me; but I was completely quiet, and I encouraged her to sleep, telling her that I would call her if I needed something. Before long, I heard her breathing heavily; and I knew that she was fast asleep. Some irresistible desire came over me to go the aforementioned cupboard; and though I was still very weak, yet, by strong determination, some supernatural strength came to me. I arose, and dragged myself quietly there. And I beheld my baby, bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh, wrapped in linens, and a piece of brown paper tightly over its mouth. I gave a shriek throughout the house, and fell limp on the floor. When I recovered, I was in the bed, and Mrs. Bradish was sitting beside me and asked if I was better. I dared not look her in the face. “Oh,” she said, “you are too weak to speak.” And she compelled me to take a glass of wine despite my effort to refuse it. This and much more took place took place while I was in the same house. When I recovered, Smith agreed to receive me as his spiritual wife for a time, the same as he had received Irene, and the other foolish women who have abandoned their homes for him. How Hannah will be added to the number. And when he tires of her, she will be cast off, or given to someone else.”

“Perhaps her relatives will reclaim her?”

“No hopes of it. Once in his hands, there is no rescue or remedy. Oh! it is horrible!”

And what a was this to me—me, so closely connected with the principal aiders and abettors in such deeds of crime. But after a violent struggle with my feelings, I concluded that silence and apparent ignorance would be the bet policy, since the confidence of Ellen could not be betrayed, and I had no other proof.

The next morning the encampment was broken up, and the cavalcade under way two hours earlier than usual. I had a shrewd suspicion of the reason. Mrs. Bradish, however, said that they wished to travel in the cool of the morning, in order to have a longer time for rest in the heat of the day. The words of Ellen had awakened my suspicions, and I determined to watch that woman. I soon discovered that something unusual was going on, and was not long in conjecturing the cause. Bounding Bet was brought forward, saddled and bridled for a ride.

“I think a gallop this morning will be decidedly pleasant and exhilarating,” said Mrs. Bradish.

“Do you ride alone?” I inquired.

“I have hardly decided,” she answered. “Some of the girls can ride with me if they choose.”

Then she mounted, and rode around in the direction of the leading wagons. I could not see at the time whether she took off any of the girls or not, but soon perceived her galloping off in a circular direction, with a woman, in whom I recognized Hannah, mounted behind her.

We journeyed on probably four or five miles, when we heard the sound of an approaching company, and presently eight or ten young men, armed and mounted, came up. One, a little ahead of the others, ordered the wagons to halt, and demanded his sister.

“Your sister? What have we to do with your sister?” said Smith, affecting utter indifference to the subject.

“You know very well who I mean,” said the young man, unable to restrain his rising passion. “And if you don’t tell me where she is, by G—d, I’ll blow your brains out! that I will.!

Mr. Ward advanced to the young fellow, and said, in a conciliating manner, Indeed, sir, how can we tell you where your sister is, when we don’t know ourselves?”

“But you do know. She came last night; that’s certain. When mother wanted to go home, some of you told her that Hannah had gone off with her cousin. It was a lie, the whole of it. Jacob Ware told me that he saw her get into one of your wagons.”

“Well, you can search the wagons.”

“And we will search them.”

A thought struck me. I had been considered good at sketching; could I not communicate to him a knowledge of his sister in that way? Pencil and paper were handy, no one was with me but the children, and I began. In a few minutes I had formed a tolerable picture of a horse, with two women on his back, flying over the hills. When it came the turn of our wagon to be searched, I contrived to slip it unperceived into his hand, and by a gesture enjoined silence. He thrust the paper into his pocket, and a moment after retired beyond observation. Rejoining the others, he gazed earnestly and steadfastly at me, when I pointed the direction they had taken.

“Are you now satisfied?” inquired Mr. Ward, when the wagons were all searched.

“I am not,” answered the young man; “your company are not all here.”

“Are not? and who is missing, pray?”

“That tall, elegant woman, with such a dignified aspect and carriage, and that ambling pony, for which I offered two hundred dollars last night. That pony would carry double finely;” and giving a significant whistle, his party mounted almost in a second, and set off at full speed.

The Mormons appeared actually paralyzed.

“Someone must have given him a hint,” he said, soliloquizing.

“A hint of what?”

“Nothing,” he answered, suddenly recalled to consideration. “Nothing, at least that concerns you.”

The cavalcade now moved on, but it was very evident that unusual apprehensions were entertained by the saints. Every countenance wore a look of anxiety, and every eye was occasionally strained far off in the distance, as if to discover if possible some traces of the fugitives. At least two hours elapsed, when we caught the sound of firearms, discharged apparently in a neighboring wood. Then loud voices, two or three screams, and all became silent.

“I think,” said Mr. Ward, “that we must send some of our men off to see what is going on.”

Three of the horsemen were accordingly directed to ride off into the woods; they soon returned, bringing Mrs. Bradish severely wounded, and almost suffocated with rage.

I was seriously alarmed, as the blood was flowing freshly from a deep wound in her arm. Her hair was disheveled, her bonnet was gone, her clothes torn, and in the wildest disorder. The whole party crowded round her, asking a thousand questions in a breath. “How had it all happened?” “Where was Hannah?” “Where was Bounding Bet?”

Mr. Ward thrust them aside, and kindly interrogated her as to the cause and extent of her misfortunes.

“Oh, the wretches!” she shrieked, “that I should live to tell it—that Anna Bradish should be beaten by a parcel of boys.”

“Never mind that,” he said, “but tell us how it happened.”

“We rode pretty smart at first,” she commenced, “but—oh, Mrs. Ward, you hurt my arm dreadfully. What are you doing?”

I am trying to dress the wound, but I fear the bone is broken, or the joint injured, or both,” I answered.

“Well, like enough; the ball went right through it.”

“Let me see,” said Mr. Ward.

He examined the wound, and having some general knowledge of surgical affairs, soon decided that the bone was severely shattered. One of the party was instantly dispatched to a neighboring village for a surgeon, and an encampment made on the border of the wood to wait his arrival. Mrs. Bradish refused to lie down, but sat in an armchair to rehearse her adventure.

“Where is Smith?” she said. “I don’t see him.”

“Round yonder, behind the wagons,” said someone.

“Oh, I see,” she said sarcastically. “He is ashamed of himself. I don’t wonder—these new converts of his are always getting us into trouble.”

“Mrs. Bradish, you forget yourself,” said Mr. Ward.

“At any rate I want him to hear just how I have been outraged and insulted on his account.”

“On account of the truth,” suggested Mr. Ward.

Smith soon came up to the lady, and condoled her with her misfortunes, and said that he had been detained by a vision which assured him that she would speedily recover, and that great honors and rewards would recompense her in the next world for all she suffered in this. Some of the more zealous wished him to exert his miraculous powers, and restore her arm at once. He said that it was forbidden on account of their want of faith, that he believed there was an Achan in the camp, and that the accursed thing must be found out and expunged.

The countenance of Mrs. Bradish expressed anything but satisfaction at this harangue. At length she said,

“Brother Smith, my advice is that you attempt no more conversions among these heathen women. Trouble always comes of it. Now Bounding Bet is killed, and I am wounded, for that silly thing, Hannah.”

“Bounding Bet killed?” cried Irene, who had come up, and stood listening to the conversation.

“To be sure she is. The wretches shot her as they would a hill sheep dog.”

Smith, who probably feared that his sacredness in her eyes might suffer by the remarks of Mrs. Bradish, commanded her to retire. She obeyed with evident reluctance, as her curiosity was unsatisfied. According to the account of Mrs. Bradish, she had been pursued, and suddenly overtaken, while pausing to rest in the wood. Depending on the speed of her palfrey, she started off on a sharp gallop. The boys seeing the game so near, gave a loud halloo, and took after her. Bounding Bet, however, was distancing them finely, when someone fired a ball at her with deadly effect. It was followed by another and another. The palfrey fell. Hannah screamed, and Mrs. Bradish with great difficulty extricated herself from the fallen horse, only to be seized and maltreated by her enemies.

Instructor, May 1857, pp. 185–87

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2335536/22

Continued from p. 143

The Mormons—The Mormon Emigration, under Jo Smith’s Leadership, toward the Salt Lake.

“And Hannah?”

“The wretches took her with them; her brother positively swearing that he would give her a horsewhipping when he got home.”

“Well, she deserves it; that I know, miserable, silly dupe,” I remarked.

The countenance of Ellen glowed with an expression I could not fathom. It seemed a mixture of joy, sorrow, astonishment, and gratification. She stood near me when the surgeon came. He examined the wound, expressed his opinion of its severity, and his fears that an amputation would be necessary.

This she steadfastly refused. Her body, she said, came into the world without any deficiency, it should go to the grave in the same condition. In vain we reasoned and argued. She would trust in Providence, and we were constrained to yield. He declared, however, that traveling was out of the question, and so it was decided to remain in the encampment two or three days.

“This seems a very remarkable wound to have been made in the manner you describe,” said the surgeon, when he came the next day. “I thought so, yesterday; it is still more apparent today. If I understood you aright, you were thrown from your horse?”

“I was thrown from my horse,” said the lady briefly.

“And yet here is every evidence of a pistol-shot wound.”

“Mr. Surgeon,” said Mrs. Bradish, “I understand your curiosity. Your village, the same as all others, has its gossip without any doubt. We, as Mormons, are despised and persecuted. Falsehoods are circulated, vile rumors raised and reported purposely to draw on us the contempt of the community. What you may have heard I cannot tell. The facts are these: I had a beautiful palfrey that I rode when weary and tired of jostling in the wagon. Yesterday morning I fancied it would be exceedingly pleasant to gallop through the woods. There I was waylaid, my horse shot under me, and myself wounded as you see.”

The surgeon, on hearing this, wondered what the country was coming to; said it was hardly safe for a man to ride alone, much less a woman; supposed that the rascals might be apprehended, as they certainly deserved to be; and even offered to bring a lawyer to consult with them on them on the subject. Mrs. Bradish did not consider it desirable. For her part, she looked for justice to a Higher Power. The saints could not expect peace and happiness in this world, but their reward in the next was certain.

“Great consolation in that,” said the surgeon.

I caught his eye that moment, when he turned away to conceal his laughter. He evidently understood the game.

He subsequently informed me that the adventure of Mrs. Bradish had created a great sensation through the country. Indeed, how could it be otherwise?

“You were very popular,” said the little man—“very popular before this happened; everybody wanted to make you a visit. Your Prophet here was the principal talk of the women.”

“And yet very few of them knew anything about him, or, if they had visited us, ascertained his identity,” said I.

“Likely enough. I think, however, I have heard at least a dozen descriptions of him,” returned the surgeon. “Some said he was a handsome man, tall and elegant in demeanor, that his hair and eyes were black, and that he wore magnificent whiskers. Another asserted quite as positively that he was a small man, with light hair, blue eyes and red whiskers; and yet another asserted that he wore no whiskers at all.”

“They were all deceived,” I answered. “The fact is, he wishes to travel without being known. When people have visited the encampment and requested to see him some one of the Mormons has been pointed out to them, and they have gone away in the belief that they had seen and spoken to the great Mormon Prophet. This accounts for the discrepancies.”

“It does, indeed,” he said laughing; “but since that unfortunate adventure all the old women in the neighborhood regard you as a band of kidnappers, and not a few are confident in their assertions that Smith is in league with the Old One himself. Old Mrs. Pettigree said she couldn’t sleep at night for thinking of it; all the girls are kept closely housed after dark, and very few men venture abroad. Some of them are even concerned about me, but I tell them that a physician can defy the devil!”

“At any rate, such as belong to our company. Smith is possessed with a mania to make converts,” said I.

“And his greatest success is among the women. Excuse me, madam, but that is always the case. Fanatics of every class and character find their devotees in that class of the community. It matters not how great the absurdity, how ridiculous and contrary to common sense the doctrine, women will be smitten with it, and many are weak enough to abandon comfortable homes and situations, in order to follow some mad fanatic, or be the dupe of some knavish impostor.”

The third morning after the disaster, the surgeon called again, examined his patient, expressed his gratification that the symptoms were so favorable, and concluded by giving us a friendly warning to move.

“And that we will readily do,” said Mr. Ward, “if this lady can be removed with safety.”

“The danger will be greater, perhaps, if she stays, than if she goes. The fact is, the country is getting too hot to hold you.”

“What’s the matter?” said Mrs. Bradish, who, from her litter could only catch a word or two of the conversation.

“I’m telling these people that the country is getting too hot to hold you,” said the surgeon.

“I wish to the Lord we were out of it,” she answered.

“And the best thing you can do will be to get out this day.”

“What new mine has been sprung?” asked Mr. Ward.

“Well, that Hannah of your acquaintance.”

“Not mine,” said Mr. Ward.

“Your Prophet’s then, has made certain disclosures to her mother that set them all on fire—touched them off just like a powder magazine. There was a meeting about it last night, and it was settled that if you stayed another night in this locality, something should be done.”

“And what might the something be?”

“Various ugly and dirty tricks which it would be a disgrace to any community to have perpetrated in its midst, and by its members. But you know it’s quite as difficult to disgrace some kinds of people as it is to spoil some kinds of meat,” and the little surgeon laughed at his own wit.

Thanking the surgeon for his friendly information, Mr. Ward at once proceeded to make immediate preparations for our departure. Mrs. Bradish was placed in a bed, on one of the wagons, the goods packed away, the cattle collected, and before an hour had passed, the company had taken up its line of march.

The surgeon, whose course lay for a short distance in the same direction, rode by the side of our wagon. When the place came to separate, we again thanked him, and Mrs. Bradish did not forget to remunerate him amply.

“And now,” he said, “as you confess that I have done you some little kindness, I have a favor to ask.”

“Name it, and if it is anything within the bounds of reason, you shall be gratified.”

“I wish to know which one of these men is the Prophet—not a spurious article, but the veritable man, himself.”

“You will betray his disguise while we are in the country?” said Mr. Ward, inquiringly.

“Indeed I would not.”

“He is that man, yonder, in the wagon with those women.”

“What, that very old-looking man?”

“Yes; that’s the one.”

“Why, I suspected that he was young, not over middle-aged, certainly.”

“Have I not told you that he is in disguise?”

“Oh, I forgot; yes, yes.”

The little surgeon, having looked and gazed at Smith till entirely satisfied, bade us farewell, and went on his way.

There was a man in the company named Peter Short, who, to excessive boorishness of manner united a most repulsive countenance and forbidding disposition. He was extremely ignorant, having not even mastered the first rudiments of education. But, as might be expected, he was a great devotee, a firm believer in all the visions and miracles of the Prophet, and the firm adherent of all his doctrines. Peter, though already possessing a wife and ten children, seemed to have been struck with the pensive grace and beauty of Ellen. He seemed never to weary of gazing at her, or talking to her, though it was equally perceptible that she loathed and hated him. She rarely looked towards him, answered his questions only by monosyllables, and otherwise manifested every symptom of dislike to him, and his society. I had frequent opportunities for observing this, and it seemed to me, from the first, that some difficulty would grow out of it. I was walking a little apart from the others, when Ellen came to me, pale as death, and trembling with agitation.

“Oh, Mrs. Ward!” she said, “I have come to you as the only person on earth in whom I can confide. What shall I do? Can’t you save me from this dreadful fate?”

“What is it, Ellen?” I said, soothingly; “what new trouble has happened to you?”

“Oh, that horrible Peter Short! They certainly wish to kill me, or they would save me from him.”

“My dear,” said I, “compose yourself, and let me know the whole affair.”

“And the whole affair can be summed up in a few words. Peter Short has asked me of Smith for his spiritual wife. Smith has consented, and now commands me to accept him as my husband in the faith—him I loathe, and hate, and despise, as I never hated man before.” “Where is your mother? Can she not save you from this fate?”

“My mother has been blinded, and is biased. She says I must obey the commands of the prophet, and that anything he commands cannot be wrong. But that cannot be so. He has not agreed to murder, to deceit, and all sorts of evil? Has he not harmed me already, body and soul? Has he not made me an object of pity, to be backed away from by all who are pure? But now he causes my cup to run over. I could bear the rest, and hide my shame and my tribulation, and find peace and comfort in the end. But to be transferred from one villain to the other is awful—dreadful!”

“What do they mean by spiritual wife?”

“You know that Smith teaches that women can only be saved through their husbands, and that everyone who is without a husband is excluded from heaven. Consequently, that every woman must have a spiritual husband. It was in that way that I, and Mrs. Cook, and Mrs. Clarke, and Irene, were wives to Smith. And now, he is tired of me; and soon, he will be tired of them. Oh how wretched!”

But much as I pitied the poor girl, it was impossible for me, under such circumstances, to give her any advice; and after I had assured her that I sympathized with her, and that I would be her friend, and urged her to put off the evil day as long as possible, as it was not known what might happen to prevent the evil, I left her.

The next morning Ellen was missing; and when they went to look for her, her body was found at the bottom of a lake which was no distance from the camp. After she had been placed on the grassy land nearby, one after the other came to look at her loving face, and to touch her pale hand. Smith came there among others, and so did Peter Short. But from her livid lips came not one cry for vengeance on them; and her eyes were darkened, so that they no longer had to turn from their impure presence. She had fallen fast asleep—too fast to wake again.

“Here is real death,” I said, “beyond argument and doubt: will Smith try to bring her back to life—she is a spiritual wife—she is a daughter of the church—she is one of the travelers toward the promised land.”

Mrs. Bradish was strong in the faith.

“My daughter,” she said, with the greatest confidence, “will be resurrected again.”

“Not before the resurrection on the last day,” said Smith, who happened to hear her. “Suicides are damned.”

At this her mother gave a feeble cry.

“Yes,” said Smith, with the most monstrous insensitivity to her feelings, “an angel cannot restore the life of one who has left it willingly,” said Smith.

“But you do not know that that was how it was—she may have fallen into it,” said her mother.

“No one could drown in the place where she was, unless the act was a deliberate one,” said Smith.

“And why was such an act deliberate?” I said, drawing near to the place where they were standing, and looking keenly into his face. “To whose cruelty and corrupt mind can it be attributed that one so young and pure should have come so soon to tire of her life? Whose impure passions blasted the hopes of such a pure spirit, and put an obstacle in her way to love and truth, and turned the sweetness of her life into gall and wormwood? Suicides damned, indeed! Say rather that those vile and godless men who have made death the last resort for the weak against violence and oppression, are damned.”

“Who says that that was how it was with Ellen?” asked Smith.

“I say so. With her own lips she told me of her tribulation and her oppression, and your vicious evil. Yes, Joseph smith, prophet and priest, as you claim to be, of your filthy evil, and your dirty tricks and your deceit! But now she is dead—you cannot trouble her anymore.”

Smith walked away muttering imprecations. Mrs. Bradish was alarmed at my boldness; but I could only look at her with contempt.

Ellen was buried in a shady green glad near the woods. Smith would not come to her burial, and not one prayer or verse was heard there. Was the wretch angry because his prey had escaped from him I wonder? Was he angry with me for questioning his authority and his inspiration I wonder? Probably both.—To be continued.

The Instructor, June 1857, pp. 223–25

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2335634/25#?xywh=1156%2C640%2C3235%2C3588

The Mormons—The Mormon Emigration, under Jo Smith’s Leadership, toward the Salt Lake.

Continued from p. 187

When we reached the Mormon Establishment in Illinois, Mrs. Bradish was better. A strong constitution, and a determined will, had brought this about independently of miraculous gifts. She was as active as ever, going hither and thither, to counsel one, command the other, and reprimand the third; and all in one breath.

“How do you like the promised land?” said Mr. Ward one day, when she had been endeavoring for a long time to try to render more flexible the stubbornness of some of the friends.

“I would like it very well, if I could get these children to do as I ask; but they are like the unbelievers. Everyone must have his own way.”

To me, however, things appeared anything but favorable. The Mormon Village comprised about fifty houses; and in each house were two or three families. They were of every shape, size, and style, from the log cabins, down to the poorest huts. Many of them were without floors or chimneys; and as many without doors or windows. The people in general were poor in everything except children. These were almost without number; and seemed more like the offspring of savages than the offspring of the Faithful. Their faces were dirty, and their hair uncombed, and their feet had been bare for so long, that anyone would take them, in color and size, for two frogs [toads] any day of the week. The girls were not a bit better. Thorns were often used instead of pins; and there was but one needle in the whole village; and that one had plenty of rest, as there was only a little thread available. The coarsest and cheapest calico was considered a rarity; so were cups, dishes, and wooden plates. We had, it is true, as we had just come there bringing provisions with us, many more comforts. But we were constantly being bothered by people coming to borrow from us. One wanted to borrow a pan, and another wanted to borrow a pot, and another wanted to borrow a tea-kettle; and something all the time. Seeing things this way, the elders, with Smith, decided to open a shop; but the goods were so dreadfully poor, and the price so dreadfully expensive, that the comforts were no more abundant after all. Dirty old things were bought for next to nothing for the shop, and the people were forced to buy them from them for such an inflated price, that it made the whole business nothing but a den of thieves. And to complete their swindling, they built a bank too; and although they forbade their members to have anything to do with the unbelievers; yet they wanted to show the latter that they were in a good situation. And when the building was ready, they asked one of the gentiles to help them move the money into its vaults. The money was in small barrels of a sort; but surprisingly heavy. They took care to take the cover off some of them, so that he could see the gold that was underneath; but they took care enough not to move the gold at all, lest he see the lead that was underneath that.

I had in the village a kind friend who had come there from New York the previous season. She had been used to all the comforts money could buy; but she adapted to the great change that she had encountered with particular courage. Her house, although rural like the others, was remarkably neat and clean. The benches and tables were always remarkably white and shining; and the children very clean and tidy. I soon found out that they were far from satisfied with the dirty habits of the Mormons. She and her husband were among the first converts to the Mormon faith. They were tricked by Smith’s jugglery, and his empty claim of performing miracles. And as they were open-hearted and did not think ill of people, they embraced his cause with zeal, putting their property into the venture. But they saw when it was too late that there was more pretense than truth, and more sound than substance, in the whole thing. Her husband was applying to be a deacon and elder, and imagined he was the recipient of divine revelations.

“Oh Mr. Murray,” she said to him one day, when he was expressing his revelations, “It seems to me that you are deceiving yourself.”

“No I am not,” he said bitterly; “what does a woman know of such things?”

Mrs. Murray was too haughty to take any notice of the insult.

“Mr. Murray speaks rather contemptuously of the women,” I said.

“That is the way he has taken recently,” she said. “I fear my happiest days have gone; but it may all be to the good.”

“Good can come out of bad of course,” I said.

“I often think,” she said, “about what my respectable old minister told me. He carried me in his arms thousands of times, I suppose; and he baptized me and my husband on the same day. We sat under his ministry, and we partook of the holy communion with him for years. He wept from his heart when he heard of our action in going to the Mormons; and when he came to bid us farewell, he said, -- ‘For the sake of your soul, Mary, my lost girl, consider the thing properly; and especially for the sake of your husband: who, having fallen amidst such forsaken dregs, will be open to temptations which you cannot even imagine. Oh, if only there were a way to persuade you to stay among the friends of your youth; for I fear that this day is the beginning of grief for you.’ That is what my old minister said; and in fact, that was how it was. My husband is not what he was to me now. He is tired of me, and dissatisfied with me—he is often out of the house, for two or three nights in succession.”

A frightful thought struck me.

“Mrs. Murray,” I said, “does your husband believe the doctrine about the spiritual wives?”

“Indeed, Mrs. Ward I do not know; but I fear he does.”

“You have thought about this, then?”

“Yes; but I have no way of knowing for sure; and I cannot say that I would be glad of such knowledge. How could I think of being second in my husband’s affections? It seems to me that the doctrine is of the devil.”

“So are all the Mormons’ doctrines to my mind.”

“I once,” said Mrs. Murray, “attributed divine power to Smith; but the scales have fallen from my eyes; and in my view now, he is a cheat of the most despicable character.”

“Would it be safe to speak clearly of him in public?”

“No.”

“Well, would one be excommunicated?”

“Yes, worse than that.”

I thought immediately of Ellen’s child, and I asked,—

“What can that be, Mrs. Murray?”

“They go missing; but how, no one knows.”

“Are you sure of that?”

“Sure!—listen, and I will tell you. There was a young man here recently by the name of Harrison. He had been deceived by the apparent godliness of the Saints; and I could understand that quite well. And one day, he came here with his face pale because he was so upset. I asked him how he like the Mormons?”

“I do not like them at all, Mrs. Murray,” he said. “I have decided to leave them, and to expose them to the world. There was quite a dispute between me and Smith yesterday; and I told him that I had found him out to be a fool, a knave, a liar, and a cheat.”

“What did he say?”

“Oh, he laughed. You can laugh, I said: but I shall expose your tricks to the world; and I shall tell how you treat people.”

“You will wait until an opportunity arises, won’t you?” said Smith.

“An opportunity will arise,” I said. “And Smith went away; mumbling something to himself.”

“Well, Harrison,” I said; “where do you intend to go?”

“Home to my father,” he replied.

“You had better take care not to anger Smith, and to be careless about yourself.”

Anyway, he set out the next day for his father’s house. “And now,” said Mrs. Murray, “read this,” taking a piece of newspaper out of her pocket, —

“FOUND DEAD. The day before yesterday, by the name of Harrison, dead in the woods. It appears, from all indications, that he was murdered. We have no idea who the murderers might be.”

Instructor, August 1857, p. 319

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The Death of a Mormon.

The Mormons have lost one of their great luminaries, about whom it can be said, “He is gone at present, leaving behind him seven inconsolable widows, and several children, four of which are under the age of eight, to mourn their irretrievable loss.”

Instructor, July 1857, p. 279

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2335683/42#?xywh=30%2C295%2C2184%2C1921

A great disagreement has broken out between the Mormons in San Bernardino and Salt Lake.

Instructor, October 1857, p. 399

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2335830/42#?xywh=-92%2C2205%2C1374%2C1209

The Mormons

There is a group of Mormons that numbers about 400, who arrived in Peoria, Illinois, who have become disgusted with the story they hear from Salt Lake, and they are likely to disperse and settle wherever they can purchase homes.

The Instructor, 1858 February, p. [2]

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2336027/1#?xywh=123%2C1179%2C2194%2C1930

The Mormons

The President of the United States has indicated in his latest proclamation that he is determined to put down the war that has been started by the Mormons in Utah: “This is the first war,” he said, “that has begun in our midst, and mankind itself is asking us to put it down in such a manner that it will be the last. To take it lightly would be to encourage it and make it disastrous. We should go there with such great force as to convince this misled people that opposition would be vain, and by so doing to prevent the spilling of blood.”

Y Dysgedydd, August 1858, p. 324

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2336313/43#?xywh=960%2C2821%2C1240%2C1090

The Widow of Joe Smith

The widow of Joe Smith the Mormon continues to reside in Nauvoo, but she does not value anything in the “Saints.” And she has married a tavern keeper, who considers every prophet as humbug. Joe the younger, who should rightfully be the head of the Mormons, is a strong twenty-two-year-old lout who hates Brigham Young and curses the Salt Lakers. Nauvoo was at one time the residence of 20,000 inhabitants, but is presently in ruins. Washington Union.

Instructor, December 1858, pp. 465–68

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2336509/24#?xywh=-901%2C0%2C4080%2C3588

Mormonism

History is what I have foremost in my mind in writing this article, and history will be foremost in my mind as I write the articles I intend to publish thereafter. I do not intend to reason for or reason against. Mormonism, as a system of doctrine, is beneath our wasting time with such tasks. It deserves nothing but scorn and disgust. But as a demonstration of untamed religion in belief, and a composition of deceitful government in practice, it has a kind of majesty which calls for the attention of the statesman and the philosopher, the philanthropist and Christians.

It was in America where this contemptible heresy arose. There are some kinds of teaching, philosophy, and splendor that pertain to many heresies, so that they deserve to be listed among the arch-heresies; but there are others so destitute, not only of genius, but of common sense, so that they must be listed with the contemptible heresies. Mormonism is in the latter category. The old serpent, who is the devil, is cunning, and adapts heresies to different levels of understanding and taste. We shall call the attention of our readers to this matter again before finishing this series of articles. America is remarkable for very many inventions. She herself is one of the chief miracles of the age. When her independence was established, she contained but twelve or thirteen states; now she contains as many as that plus twenty. She had but three million inhabitants at that time—the same size as present-day Scotland—but now her population is twenty-five mission! If she continues to increase at this same rate (and why will she not?) her population within another quarter of a century will be sixty million! We do not wish to praise Jonathan, or to disparage him. He is too big to disparage, and too evil to praise him. We are happy for him and wish him peace and success; but dearer to us after all is John Bull. We do not have the patience to listen to the foolish talk of the rise of America at the expense of discrediting Britain. We loathe the babble. Both countries have their advantages and disadvantages. Those who are tired of Britain, let them go to America, and let them stay there. What is the itching that men have—the consuming seething in their breasts, but proof that their thoughts are unhealthy? Perhaps a sea voyage would be a cure for them, and they would have less commotion afterwards. In the “distant country” the prodigal came “to himself.”

But to return to Mormonism. The name originates from a book that is called by them the Book of Mormon. The “Golden Bible” is what it was called at first. The word “Mormon” does not belong to any language in the world, living or dead. It is complete imagination. Its believers are also called, or rather they call themselves, “Latter-day Saints.” There is unintentional propriety in the last name, since no matter how similar they are to the saints of the latter days, it is for certain that they are quite dissimilar to the saints of the former days. Joseph Smith says that the word “Mormon” is Egyptian—were he to say that it is from the language of the Gypsies, he would be more likely to be correct—and that the “mon,” signifies good. He says also that the English word “more” has been shortened to “Mor,” and that the two words constitute “more good.” Such teaching from the mouth of the great prophet of the sect is remarkably important. Parley P. Pratt says that Mormon was the name of an Indian prophet, who, in the fourth or fifth century A. D., assembled the book, and presented it to the care of his son Moroni; and that he, in order to safely preserve it, buried it in the earth where it lay for fourteen hundred year, when Joseph Smith received a revelation from heaven showing him the place where it lay, and was commanded to retrieve it! We leave these two oracles without deciding which one of them is correct, or whether the two of them are correct, or else whether either of them is correct.

Before beginning the account of the rise and progress of Mormonism, perhaps it might be useful for us to review its situation in the latest months, when everything indicated that it was coming into direct conflict with the government. The Mormons supposed that they could do whatever they wanted in their own paradise, that their authority there was above all other authority, and that they could not be brought down to pay tribute of conformity with the general authority; but the general government of the states supposed differently, and decided to bring them within the boundaries of submission. It sent an army to back its endeavor; and the word is out that the “Saints” are escaping from the City of the Salt Valley to the mountains, about one hundred and fifty miles from there. But it yet remains to be seen before the story ends, whether once they resolved to do that, they would carry out their intent. Were they to execute their plan, it would not answer the purpose. What the government wanted was not to get them to change their dwelling place, rather to subject them to their authority.

The history of this sect in its relationship with the Government of the United States is remarkably strange, and if its disciples were to radiate more in virtues and morals, they would have the right to claim our sympathy. They were driven from the state of New York, after that from the state of Missouri, and after that from the state of Illinois, shortly after that were in the midst of the persecution of the mob; and in 1844, fourteen years ago, and fourteen years after the first appearance of the new religion, they were forced to search for refuge in the wilderness. After traveling two thousand miles across the dreadful desert, under circumstances of need and trials, for which there is nothing to compare in recent times, they established their home in the Valley of the Salt Lake, which was at that time in the territory of Mexico. They supposed that now they had been delivered out of the clutches of the Government of the United States, and that the weakness and disorder of Mexico would enable them to deal with their affairs. They were located far from the seat of Government of Mexico, in a remote area that was away from attention and beyond reach, and they supposed that at last they could do as they wishes; but unfortunately for them, while rejoicing about these notions, peace took place between Mexico and the United States, and in the agreement the former extended all the regions inhabited by the “Saints” to the latter, and in this manner here they are again in the clutches of their old enemies, and within the circle of common rights and laws. The Government seized upon its task, organized the territory officially, appointed Brigham Young as governor, and sent their judges and officials there. These were received with an appearance of respect; but their courts were scorned, and their decisions were laughed at. These returned back seeing that their service was pointless; others were sent in their place, and they had entirely the same reception, and the same treatment. Brigham Young and the Saints decided to maintain everything in their own way, without bowing to the authority of anyone. Group after group of judges and officials were sent to them; but they soon returned back after failing to administer in their positions. This was defiance to the Government, and were it to bend before it, its status and its influence would have been discredited. It made its preparations, it resolutely stated its intent, it sent its soldiers, and we shall see what was the result. After all the bluster of Brigham about his determination, his immovability, he bowed his head under the storm, and he shouted, “Pardon.” The mountain gave birth to mice.

While the Mormons stood in a threatening and recalcitrant manner, great concern was felt about the consequence, and various opinions were formed about the propriety of the demand for their bowing down to military power. It is true that they were being attacked not as religionists, but as a group disobedient to the common laws of the Government. It was thought by many that it would be better to leave them alone, that their fanaticism would die down on its own, that the migration there of other states before long would constitute the majority of those hostile to Mormonism, and after that that Brigham Young and his officials would inevitably lose their authority and their influence. Others judged that the status of the Government would undoubtedly require it to defend the authority of the law, and since the sect would not submit by reason, it would be necessary to bring it down by force.

In the year 1857, the government sent a military official, who, under orders, traveled over the Rocky Mountains, informed that he would find the Mormons determined to resist; and since the trail from the state of Missouri to the Salt Valley was difficult, rough, and narrow for fifty miles, he calculated that they would be able to successfully stand against the strong army for many years. It was also said that Brigham Young had started out from the city of Salt Lake with a number of militia men, with the intention of meeting the army of the States in a narrow pass in the mountains, and that in all likelihood he would be able to destroy the arms sent to subdue him. It was also said that should he not succeed in doing so that he would retreat with his followers to an area of the territory of Russia in America. But after all that none of this proved to be correct.

In an address to the Congress, December 1857, the president said that there was a call for affirmative action against the Mormons. “This,” he said, “is the first rebellion to break out in our territories, and humanitarianism itself requires us to put it down in such a way that it will also be the last rebellion.”

In October 1857 the posture of the Mormons was remarkably inimical and threatening. Addresses were delivered by Brigham Young in the hearing of numerous congregations of the “Saints” showing his determination to destroy food and pasture, and leaving the valley desolate rather than bow to the authority of the Government. He warned the faint-hearted “Saints” to leave under the danger of death, if they tried to stand in the way of the instructions of their leaders. It also appeared to be quite clear that Brigham’s plan had the support of the other leaders.

On the ninth of September 1857, a “sermon” was delivered by Brigham Young, which contains the following phrases: “I shall treat every army and every armed force that tries to come here as terrorists. (Amen, said the people.) It would be just as accurate for you to tell me that you could make hell into a heap of powder, as it would be for you to tell me that you can bring down an army here and achieve peace; and I intend to tell them this, and show them, if they do not keep away.” Then, addressing the crowd, he said, “I commented to you, that if the people love their religion everything will be all right; and I declared to you, that if any man or woman is unwilling to destroy anything, and everything that could be of use to the enemy, if it is kept from being destroyed, that I wish for such to go out of the territory; and I say that a second time today, for when the time comes to burn and devastate our labor, if any man takes it upon himself to save his possessions ‘I shall set judgment in weight, and justice in measure,’ and I shall cut him off. Let the cowardly leave in peace. Before I suffer again what I have suffered, I shall not leave building or tree, nor branch or blade of grass without destroy them, if they can burn, before I will fall into the grasp of the enemies. If I am driven to the extreme, I swear in the name of the God of Israel that all will be laid waste.” A speech of this kind is sufficient to raise doubt in the mind of the reader about the sobriety or the senses of the orator, and especially when it is remembered, after all these oaths and threats, none of which were ever fulfilled. When the day of reckoning came, submission was quite tame without battle or devastation.

Contention between the Mormons and the army could have been long and bloody. The entrance to Salt Lake City is through a narrow pass, and this narrow pass was in the hands of determined men with cannons and arms of every kind, constituting huge, if not insuperable obstacles. It was a matter of serious and immediate consultation in the American army, whether another way should be taken to the City, adding another mile, but containing many fewer difficulties with respect to size and number. The Government of the United States at this time was in a serious quandary. The Mormons—people born and bred in the States—had thrown an arrogant challenge in its face, in a bold and determined voice. It had to accept the challenge, or then confess its weakness before the world. The battle could be an unmerciful one; but one cannot doubt for a minute that the Government would be more powerful in the end, and that Brigham Young and his polygamous disciples would meet with just retribution. It was not possible for the government of the United States, more than for any other civilized society, to tolerate a group of its members gathered in its territory to practice rites totally contrary to the principles of its creation, for true morality and true religion, and for the foundation of every good government. It is the duty of every government and every nation, to see that these essential elements are protected in their exactness and their purity. To reach these desirable objectives, it was necessary for the Government of the United States to put down the Mormons, insist on respect and submission to its laws, and abolish everything that might arise to obstruct moral and societal improvement. They welcomed their religion such as it was; but the Government insisted that they submit to the common laws of the States; and one cannot fault them, rather praise them for that.

Whatever virtues may pertain to the Mormons, it appears that truthfulness and humility are not among them; and whatever they may lack, it cannot be said that they are lacking in effrontery. They sent a petition to the President of the States, and to the Congress, presenting themselves and their views for observation—not their religious views, rather their views on the measures of the government. This petition has some oddities. Its style and its grammar shows it to be product of illiterate and unlearned men, its words are superfluous, and its assertions are untrue. It begins by declaring that had the authorities counseled with Brigham Young as the high priest of the sect, and with the elders that belong to it, with respect to the attributes and the qualifications of the officials sent from Washington, no misunderstanding would have occurred. Now, this is as good as saying to the President, “Offer the persons, and we will put our seal of approval on the offer.” With just as much reason the inhabitants of Canada could send a petition to Queen Victoria, with a petition to the Senate, and argue with the Government of England to send out a President to them, without counseling with them further, to give them the opportunity to refuse or accept the appointment. Such a thing is not only foolish, but impudence perfected. In this petition the Mormons harshly attack the officials that were sent to them to administer the temporal government of the territory. They call those gentlemen corrupt babblers, a disgrace to the Government, and some who spent their time creating contention between the Government and the Mormons. The previous history of the territory, and the previous behavior of the Mormons, give the lie to these assertions. Their case was heard and re-heard in the Congress, and nothing showed any proof that there was the slightest basis for such accusations.

Having taken a general review like this of the concerns, and before going any further to relate the history of the beginning of this ungodly heresy, allow us to declare herein our sincere conviction, that these people are so far removed from Christianity that they are only in a half pagan condition. They refuse the true God, and receive the falsehood of men. We can do no less than feel genuine concern in the matter, since so many of our compatriots, yes, sons and daughters of Wales, have been beguiled by rascals, left the country of their birth, and have settled in a territory where God is dishonored, the Savior is blasphemed, and the principles of kindness, morality, and religion are shamefully scorned.

Instructor, January 1859, pp. 27–30

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2336568/26#?xywh=-728%2C1579%2C1895%2C1429

Mormonism

Joseph Smith was born in the town of Sharon, Windsor, Vermont, in the United States, in December 1805. When he was ten years old, he moved with his parents to Palmyra, New York. He had but little education: he could read rather fluently, write quite awkwardly; and his knowledge of arithmetic was very imperfect. He said that he received a vision when he was twenty years old. A person in white clothing appeared to him, and he shone as does the sun in its glory. This person told him that the time was nigh to prepare for the second coming of the Messiah, that this task had been entrusted chiefly to him, and that many happenings of the will of God were hidden, and thus lost; but the hiding place was made known to him, and thus he was the instrument to bring them to light and knowledge. He said that the angel appeared to him the second time and specified the place and where these revelations lay hidden. He went to this place, after that, and found there several copper sheets with engravings in Egyptian characters. There was also an instrument with them called “The Urim and Thummim,” by which he was enabled to translate the engravings. These copper sheets had been hidden there for fourteen hundred years in order to preserve them.

But in this place, it is appropriate for us to present the account which his father-in-law, Isaac Hale, gives about him. He became acquainted with him at the end of the year 1825. At that time Joseph was following the host of money diggers—namely men who dug in the ground for buried treasure. He pretended that he had the gift of discovering hidden treasures by looking at some kind of stone he had in his hat. At that time he appeared to be a careless and unlearned young man, and he behaved rather ignorantly toward his father. His miraculous gift did not answer the purpose of locating the desired treasures in the places where it told him they were to be found, and his associates dispersed in disappointment. In the meantime, Joseph was frequenting the house of Isaac Hale, and finally he asked for his daughter, Emma, to be his wife. His request was refused by Hale; and the result was that Joseph spirited off the girl and married her in the absence of the father. Joseph returned some time later, and among other things he asserted, he said that he had a box that contained a wondrous book written on copper sheets. He showed the box to Hale who said that it seemed similar to the common boxes that were used to put glass in—that is common window glass.* [Footnote: If so, it was a wooden box. But Oliver Cowdery says that it was a stone box.] Isaac Hale gives the story in considerable detail, and he ends by expressing his decided belief that the whole thing was deceit and a lie, invented for the purpose of beguiling weak minds and to make money from them. Isaac Hale testified these things seriously before a Justice of the Peace.

Some contradictions in Joseph’s story arise in the inmost being of every thoughtful man. Why bury the copper sheets? The holy scriptures were in a thousand dangers, but no one ever saw the need to bury them in order to preserve them. It is said that these copper sheets were not together, rather it was a volume about six inches in thickness. But the translation of them make up a printed volume close to six hundred pages. The Egyptian language requires much more space for the same total of matter than either English or Welsh requires, and the copper sheets were closer to twenty than to six. Why was the Egyptian language used? The learned could readily expose the deceit if it were professed to be the revelation in any other language; but any symbols could be used and called “reformed Egyptian.” A few of the characters were copied by Joseph Smith himself; the copy was shown to Professor Anthon, and he said directly that it was a hodge-podge, that there no such language in the world, old or more recent. No one ever saw the copper sheets except for eleven persons. Five of these have the last name “Whitmer.” To this day it is not known who they were, or what they came from. There are three others with the last name of “Smith,” namely Joseph’s father and two of his brothers. There is one other by the name of “Oliver Cowdery” whom Joseph testifies after that to be a “creature unworthy of trust or belief.” One other, named “Martin Harris,” when pressed to give a clear answer to a clear question, Did he see the copper sheets with the natural eyes of his body? He answered that he saw them with the eyes of his faith—they were covered with a sheet. This is plenty of evidence to enable us to judge the worth of their testimony.

But it is natural to ask, who composed the Book of Mormon? It is clear that Joseph Smith could not have composed it. He did not posses the education and the corresponding gift for the task. Even though it is an absurd mixture, yet it is a mixture beyond Joseph’s abilities. Here we now come to the secret of the lie, and we shall strive to expose it as succinctly as we can. It provides us with a pitiful scene of the deceit of a corrupt heart. It opens before us the cells of evil, and it shows us just how far the effrontery of unprincipled men can lead them.

Around the year 1809 there was a man by the name of Solomon Spaulding, one who had been a Presbyterian minister, living in a place called Cherry Vale, in the state of New York. At that time there was a widespread assumption, that had stirred up debate, that the descendants of the ten tribes of Israel, who were lost, were the Indians of North America. Spaulding was a man of a literary bent, and it came into his head that this assumption provided an excellent basis for writing a history, or a story, or a fictitious religious tale. He was at the task for three years, and in 1812 he put the manuscript into the hands of one Paterson, a printer in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. But the author died before it was published, and the manuscript remained unnoticed in the possession of Paterson. In 1826, Paterson died; but he had previously loaned the manuscript to one Sidney Rigdon, a typesetter who worked for him, who was also a preacher with some kind of Baptists. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon somehow became acquainted; but it is not known to the mind of which one came first the idea of cobbling a new bible from the tale of Spaulding; but thus it was made, by mixing some religious ideas, here and there, in the tale. There is nothing that links Spaulding, a Presbyterian, with the point of doctrine “Baptism for the remission of sins;” but it was brought forth by Rigdon as an old Baptist. After this Rigdon was Joseph Smith’s righthand man. He was no doubt the chief worker in the composition of the deceit. He became quite bold in dealing with Joseph, and he acted as if he were as much a man as he in the Mormon camp. And Joseph was reluctant to reprimand him sharply for a long time, because he knew way too much about the beginning of the lie.

That the Spaulding tale and the Book of Mormon are the same is beyond doubt. Spaulding’s brother and several of his friends testified of the truth of this without the least hesitation. The brother took an oath that he had read the Book of Mormon, and to his great surprise he discovered that it was none other than the writing of his brother with a few additions. In 1839 the widow of Samuel [sic] Spaulding proclaimed to the world, by means of a newspaper, that the Book of Mormon was nothing but the printing of the imaginary tale composed by her husband for his entertainment, with no idea that it such a terrible use of it would ever be made. Sidney Rigdon wrote a letter in answer, trying to deny the accusation, in a mean spirit, and in crude language. But the evidence against him is too strong, and too complete for anyone to be convinced by it that the accusation is baseless.

Another book was published by Joseph Smith and his friends which is called “Doctrine and Covenants,” claiming that it contains revelations from heaven concerning the temporal government of their church, support for the poor, tithing or tax of their members, establishment of cities and temples, division of the lands, emigrating of the “saints,” education for the people, collections of money, and several other matters. The composition is very clumsy, full of grammatical errors, and of arrogant assertions. If this book were to be believed, it would be necessary for us to believe that the Infinite One spoke with Joseph on practically every circumstance; and if it was expedient for Joseph to restrain, support, scold, or to punish someone or something, having a revelation from heaven was perfectly suited for the task.

But we must return to the story—a story of success and of adversity. By this time, things had become ripe for putting them into operation. Joseph had invented a religion with old and new things in it. There were sufficient old things in it to win minds that would have been frightened by completely new things; and there were sufficient new things in it to win minds that were tired of old things. On the first of June, 1830, he first gathered his disciples together as a conference, in a place called Fayette, the place the “prophet” had, for some time, selected as his residence. They were thirty in number, including the Smith family. Even at this time they encountered several obstacles, and they jointly decided to leave Palmyra for Kirtland in Ohio. They were very fond of this place in the beginning of their settlement there, and the “prophet” published several revelations from heaven, which contained the appointment of officials, the nature of their tasks, and the ordering of their actions. Here there was some discord among them; but Joseph received a “revelation” to settle them and subdue them. Persecuting ferocity arose in the soul of the people against them, and Joseph and his disciples were treated in a way that cannot be excused. It is true that the “saints” had themselves been the means of attracting misfortune on themselves. The topic of slavery, their boastful talk and their claims, their discord, their assertions that they would soon own the country, tales about their public immorality, that not only their possessions, but also the wives of each one would be in common, and a host of similar things, caused rage to increase in the spirit of the populace. In the midst of all this, Joseph had established a bank, which collapsed and caused great losses to many. Something came to the mind of Joseph (from whence came this revelation we shall not say), that it would be wisdom to make use of his legs. He took Irish leave (as it is said) between two days, that is, during the night. The anger of the inhabitants had ignited beyond all bounds. The militia was called, and several lives were lost. The rabble had decided to drive them out of the boundaries of the state, or to complete exterminate them from off the face of the earth.

The next place we find them is in Illinois. By this time they were fifteen thousand in number, since a large number from other states had gathered with them, some who had not been with them in Missouri. There they found a village named Commerce. They decided to turn the village into a town, and after that they decided to turn the town into a city. The name given to it was Nauvoo, or Beautiful, a word used once in the Book of Mormon. Within eighteen months they had built around two thousand houses there, this in addition to the houses at the service of the public, and they called the place the “Holy City.” Joseph was the Head there in everything, temporal and spiritual. He was the prophet, the president, the mayor, and the general; in short, it appears that at this time he had climbed to the highest step on the ladder of his ambition, and there was no way for him to seek, or wish for any more than he had already achieved.

The number of his disciples was still increasing. In 1837 it is said that two of his missionaries to Britain had baptized over two thousand persons, especially in Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, and South Wales. Within six years after this, the number, in England and Wales, had increased to ten thousand, that is, if credence can be given to their own testimony. Our knowledge about the scarcity of truth on the part of some of them causes us to doubt everything that is asserted by all of them.

In the year 1841, Joseph issued a commandment (through supernatural revelation of course) about building a majestic temple in the “Holy City,” and for the saints to gather together there from every country with all their wealth of every kind. This was begun without delay, and according to the picture we have seen of it, it appears to be a beautiful building. It was forty-six rods in length by twenty-seven rods in width. It had a tower close to sixty rods in height. It cost many scores of thousands of pounds. It had many areas and secret rooms; and it is said by the apostates that ceremonies were performed in them that are not proper to name. If what these have testified to be true, the rites were terrible, and contrary to sense, morals, and decency.

The treatment the prophet and his followers received in Missouri was a lesson to them for quite a while. They were not as arrogant and boastful in their dealings with the “gentiles.” They appeared to be amiable and humble. But the lessons learned in adversity were forgotten before long in prosperity. They began a second time to become proud and blustering. This is the time also that Sidney Rigdon brought forth the new doctrine of “spiritual wifery.” A number of witnesses swore an oath that Joseph had as much a disposition toward multiple wives, as Muhammed ever had. There were quarrels in their midst also, and bitter disputes. Sidney Rigdon himself was dealing in “revelations,” and raising opposition to Joseph. Sidney insisted that his revelations were fully as heavenly as those of Joseph—and so they were.

They also began to quarrel with the state authorities. A state official was shot at through the window, and he strongly affirmed his belief that Joseph Smith was an accomplice in the attempt to murder him. In the meantime, the number of “saints” had increased through immigration from Liverpool, and from other places. Finally, they became so bold as to propose Joseph for President and Sidney Rigdon for Vice President of the United States! The two knew full well that they did not have a chance, but they were accomplishing their purpose, namely of having their names before the public, and having plenty of talk about them. Some of this kind are to be had in every age, and in every country. They thirsted after notoriety, and they did not hesitate to play every prank to get it. They are crazy blockheads who like to see their dear names and their huge exploits attracting the attention of the entire “moral system,” and causing a stir among all the “intelligent beings.”

But it happened that tiresome troubles befell the “prophet.” He was being pursued by the law because of happenings in Missouri; his disciples were unruly and ungovernable, and he was accused of an unlawful endeavor with the wife of Dr. Foster, in the absence of the husband who was away. A copy of the oaths of sixteen women testifying that Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon had tried to defile them by pretending they had received a special mission from heaven for that purpose. The disciples of Joseph rose up in anger, and they destroyed the printing press where the oaths were published. Dr. Foster obtained a warrant to arrest Joseph for this destruction; but he armed his disciples to defend him. Word was sent to Joseph that it would be better for him to give himself up, that the populace of Missouri and Illinois were enormously angry at him, and that the militia had sworn that they intended to destroy him and the city. As a consequence to this Joseph gave himself up, and he was sent (for his safety, as it is supposed) to the jail in Carthage. But at about six o’clock on the afternoon of June 27, 1844, armed men rushed the jail, and Joseph and his brother Hyrum were shot on the very spot. They fell dead after each one received four bullets. In this manner Joseph came to the end of his life, without having completed forty years of age.

Such a deed is a horrible atrocity, contrary to every law, and destructive to every human right. It gave the opportunity to the followers of the impostor to appeal to the sympathy of the world, but they failed to seize the opportunity. They were right to place the crown of martyr on the head of the impostor.

With respect to his body, it appears that Joseph Smith was a rather handsome man, quite tall, about six feet in height. We have seen pictures of him when he was young, and one could say that he was a good-looking man. The pictures of him after he had increased in age, show him as having put on considerable weight, and showing him as one of a cunning demeanor, with strong and sensual passions. The form of his countenance does not impress on our mind that he was a man of great mental ability, or of worthiness to be the object of trust: to the contrary, ungoverned passions, and duplicity without wisdom, which appears to us to be the nature of his countenance. Perhaps this impression is created in our mind from the knowledge we have of him, and our prejudice against him; but nonetheless, it is an impression from which we cannot free ourselves.

Instructor, February 1859, pp. 58–61

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2336617/17#?xywh=-526%2C242%2C3400%2C2990

Mormonism

After we have arrived at the death of the founder of the deceit, it is appropriate for us to stand for a moment to ask: What was his moral character? Upon inquiring into this matter, it is no wonder that the testimonies are very different and hostile. His disciples hold him up as a paragon of perfection, and perceive in him a host of virtues after he died that were not ever perceived in him while he was alive. They insist that he excels in every virtue as well as in every gift. They have him as an inspired teacher, an infallible prophet, an unerring president and leader; in short, he is equal to Jesus Christ, but only because he has yet to be deified by them. On the other hand, his adversaries hold him up as a drunken, foul-mouthed, vengeful, lazy, avaricious, and lascivious man, one who supports secret killings and theft, together with almost every evil that can be though of; and the proofs that are brought forth by them are as solid, and the witnesses so numerous, that it is difficult for anyone to oppose them. There are many boys and girls, men and women, who have testified under oath in earnest that he was an evil man. It is said of his family that they were lazy idlers, who hated to work, dreaming of treasures in the earth, and sustained themselves by persuading others to join them in speculative ventures.

One of the lessons of the Mormon teachers is that character is of hardly any importance and that belief is everything. Christ taught differently. His lessons are, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” “Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit.” “Be ye holy,” etc. But Joseph is higher than Christ in their minds, and his doctrine excels over the doctrine of the holy scriptures.

But what do his neighbors say about Joseph? These were in an advantageous position to know about him, and their testimonies are of great importance. They had nothing in the world to gain by swearing falsely against him, and there could not be any motive for them to expose to the world what kind of a person he was other than a love for the truth. The following oath was taken by fifty-one persons of different stations and offices, and from various religious denominations. They were all respectable citizens in Palmyra and Manchester, the state of New York:

“December 4, 1833. We, the undersigned, have been acquainted with the Smith family for a number of years, while they resided near this place (Palmyra), and we have no hesitation in saying, that we consider them destitute of that moral character, which ought to entitle them to the confidence of any community. They were particularly famous for visionary projects, spent much of their time in digging for any money which they pretended was hid in the earth; and to this day, large excavations may be seen in the earth, not far from their residence, where they used to spend their time in digging for hidden treasures. Joseph Smith, Senior, and his son Joseph, were in particular, considered entirely destitute of moral character, and addicted to vicious habits. Martin Harris was a man who had acquired a handsome property, and in matters of business his word was considered good; but on moral and religious subjects, he was perfectly visionary—sometimes advocating one sentiment, and sometimes another. And in reference to all with whom we were acquainted, that have embraced Mormonism from this neighborhood, we are compelled to say, were very visionary, and most of them destitute of moral character, and without influence in this community; and this may account why they were permitted to go on with their impositions undisturbed. It was not supposed that any of them were possessed of sufficient character or influence to make anyone believe their book or their sentiments, and we know not of a single individual in this vicinity that puts the least confidence in their pretended revelations.”

Here the names of fifty-one persons follow, neighbors know to and by the Smith family, responsible men in their various circles, and who possess reputations that can be lost. We do not know that anyone of the Mormons has ever taken notice of this testimony, or have made any attempt to counteract it. Perhaps that was the wisest path for them to follow. Here is a man who claims that an angel had appeared to him many times, that he had received a revelation from heaven, that he had divine authority to form a new church on the earth, and yet there is his father-in-law publishing his belief that the whole thing was a vicious lie, and here are more than fifty people testifying that Joseph Smith was a man unworthy of belief!

In the Salem Advertiser (Massachusetts), a lecturer by the name of Newall published an account of his visit to Nauvoo in 1843. He portrays the temple as an exceedingly majestic building, with nothing like it (as far as the plan) in ancient or modern history. He also says that the regiment of militia of “General” Smith was a handsome body of young, healthy, and strong men. He was present when Joseph himself conducted a review of the regiment, along with “six ladies on horseback, dressed in black velvet, and white feathers waving on their heads, riding up and down in front of the line of battle.” He portrays Joseph as a man who was “sociable, easy-going, cheerful, good-natured, and hospitable; in short, he was a jolly man, and the kind of one of the last who would ever be supposed to have been raised up by God to be either a prophet or a priest.”

The Christian Reflector says of him:

“It has been only a few weeks since the death of Joe Smith was published. His body now sleeps, and his spirit has gone on to its reward. The opinions of men about this remarkable person vary; but how ever anyone views him with respect to his principles, his purposes, or his moral character, all must confess that he was one of the most extraordinary men of the age. Fifteen years ago, he assembled a company of six persons, in Palmyra, New York, of which he himself was the guiding spirit. These six were almost all of the Smith family. They were notorious for breaking agreements, and disavowing their just debts. They were all of an evil inclination. They made their living, not by honest and respectable labor, rather by deceiving their neighbors with tales of buried treasures in the earth. Despite their low beginning, their poverty, and their immorality, that half dozen deceitful players have increased their number, until there are now one hundred thousand disciples of the Mormon prophet; and they never increased so quickly as they did during the time of his death. Having been born in the lowest station of life, raised in poverty, taught in evil, without any right even to common knowledge, rough and crude in manners, Smith succeeded in establishing a religious creed, the teachings of which are believed across the length and breadth of America. The excellencies of the prophet have been proclaimed in Europe; missionaries from Nauvoo have been welcomed even in Asia, and Africa has listened to the lessons of the prophet from Palmyra. The banner of the Saints has been hoisted in these latter days on the banks of the Nile, and the Holy Land also has been trodden by missionaries of this evil deceiver.

“He established a city in one of the most beautiful locations in the world (Nauvoo), in a beautiful bend of the ‘father of waters,’ and it is not one of the least healthy, with a population of twenty-five thousand, gathered from all parts of the earth. He designed the form and size of a splendid temple, he built its walls close to fifty feet in height; and when it is finished it will be one of the most beautiful, most costly, and most excellent buildings in America.

“The deeds of his life are as inconsistent as they are remarkable. If we believe his own words, and the testimony of eye-witnesses, he was at the same time a missionary of God, and a tavern-keeper—a prophet of Jehovah, and a free-thinker—a peaceful religious minister, and a military general—president of tens of thousands, and a servant to his own uncontrollable appetites—a preacher of justice, and a blasphemous curser—a worshipper of Bacchus, the mayor of a city, and a tavern fiddler—a judge on the bench, and a transgressor of all state, societal, and moral concerns; and despite all these things, there are thousands who are ready to risk the eternal salvation of their souls on his truthfulness! For all we know, time and distance will adorn his life with virtues his most intimate friends failed to perceive in him while he was living.

“Reasoning from cause and effect, we must conclude that Joseph Smith was not an ordinary man: few men would be able to carry out such deception, and to such an extent. And in the history of his success, we perceive the clearest proofs of the credulity of a large part of the human family. What could possibly persuade men to believe?”

In connection with the foregoing portrayal of him, another writer says:

“Whether knave or lunatic, whether a liar or a true man, it cannot be denied that he was one of the most extraordinary persons of his time, a man of rude genius, who accomplished a much greater work than he knew, and whose name, whatever he may have been whilst living, will take its place among the notabilities of the world.”

But this is not all. Indeed, time would run out for us to collect everything that is said about Joseph. We will have to be content with a few bits.

A man by the name of Henry Harris testifies about him, that “American jurors, of which he was one, have refused the testimony of the prophet, although he offered it under oath:” and he says further on, after a long acquaintance with Joseph, that “he himself could not give credence to him under his oath.”

Dr. Thomas, a doctor, and a man who lived in Nauvoo for four years, and thus had had a more than normal opportunity to know something about the prophet and his followers, published a history of Joseph and the beginnings of Mormonism. The history which he gives of Joseph, and Sidney Rigdon, and Solomon Spaulding, and the Book of Mormon, is similar to that which we have already given in another part of our articles. He says of the personal character of Joseph, “that he was a creature who possessed but few qualifications, rather he was a spineless or half-witted person, and by nature a very fitting target for more able and clever knaves to manipulate.”

A man by the name of Peter Ingersoll swore under oath before a judge, testifying about Joseph, “that he was a liar and dishonest;” and a host of others bore witness of his drunkenness, his immorality, and his blasphemies. We could put together a volume of such testimonies.

But his supporters say,

“And admit that Joseph Smith, at some point in his life, had been guilty of transgressions, but that does not prove that he was not completely reformed after he had received his conversion. Paul was once a blasphemer and tyrannical.”

But the bad part is that the testimonies tell of him after his “conversion,” and when he was the head of a denomination, and the prophet of a sect. With regard to Paul, he lost everything for his religion: but Joseph won everything. Paul had the prospect of a beautiful world before him when he was a Jew; but he sacrificed it all for Christ. Joseph had no such prospect before him; but he climbed to fame and pre-eminence by his courage. Paul never sought to place himself as a state ruler, a military official, and a lord over the faith of the saints. Paul’s spirituality attracted on him all the ferocity of his enemies; the worldliness of Joseph caused all his afflictions.

Another very natural question is, Did Joseph himself believe all the things that were said about him and his religion? That he began in vile and intentional deceit is obvious. Peter Ingersoll said the following about him:

“One day he came and greeted me with a joyful countenance. Upon asking the cause of his unusual happiness, he replied in the following words: “As I was passing yesterday across the woods after a heavy shower of rain, I found in a hollow some beautiful white sand that had been washed up by the water. I took off my frock and tied up several quarts of it, and then went home. On my entering the house I found the family at dinner, who were all anxious to know the contents of my frock. At that moment I happened to think of what I had heard about a history, found in Canada, called ‘The Golden Bible.’ So I very gravely told them it was the Golden Bible: to my surprise they were credulous enough to believe what I said. Accordingly, I told them that I had received a command to let no man see it, for says I, no man can see it with the naked eye and live. However, I offered to take out the book and show it to them, but they refused to see it and left the room. Now, said Joe, I have got the damned fools fixed, and will carry out the fun.”

Remember that the man who testified the foregoing was a neighbor to Joseph, and a friend of his. It is reasonable for his deceived followers to argue that he believed sincerely all his own assertions, and maintained that he was a great prophet, and an inspired teacher. It is no wonder to hear them claiming that his character was undefiled, his teaching was inspired, and his miracles were godly. But countless testimonies show consistently, solidly, and directly, that he was a weak-headed impostor, but like many fools he possessed an abundance of cleverness, and an endless store of shamelessness. Our readers know that many men of little sense are huge in their cunning. The New Testament gives an explanation of this in the words of 2 Thessalonians 2:9–11, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” It is possible for a man to become so accustomed to a lie that he ends up believing it. It is very likely that such was the case for Joseph. He began by deceiving others, and ended up by deceiving himself.

Instructor, March 1859, p. 124

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2336666/43#?xywh=-45%2C762%2C2065%2C1817

Mormon Invitation

A man by the name of Thomas Rees, who left his wife and children about five years ago to go to Salt Lake, sent a letter to Derby as follows asking his wife to come to him: “I have another wife at present, and a daughter and a son; her name is Jane Elizabeth, and the name of the boy is Thomas Robey Read. The little girl is very much like my little Jane, and the little boy is very much like my Thomas William, and I am not ashamed of them. Jane and I talk often of you and wish that you all could be here, if you can make yourself comfortable with another woman, or more, as the case may be, and humble yourself to the law of Christ.” The woman who was sent for was saved the trouble by her death.

Instructor, April 1859, pp. 146–50

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2336715/25#?xywh=-597%2C244%2C3400%2C2990

Mormonism

Finally, here are the “Saints” without a prophet—the system without a leader. Joseph was buried in the midst of intense mourning, and he was followed to his grave by a large crowd of around ten thousand persons. Sermons were delivered, and letters were published counseling the “Saints” to be peaceful, and to avoid creating commotion in any way in the world. The civil authorities made every preparation to put down any disturbance that might arise among the “Saints,” and to make safe lives and possessions. But there was no need for that. The “Saints” behaved quietly and peacefully in the circumstances. This is a surprise when we consider what kind of men the multitude was; and it is an honor to them when we consider the great numbers of tribulations that had beset them. It was wisdom for them to be peaceful; their safety depended on that. They understood that, and perhaps this is why they were inclined to be so tranquil.

But after Joseph had been moved, it was necessary to have someone else to take hold of the reins of leadership. Sidney Rigdon supposed that there was no one else in the camp more suited for this than he himself. This assumption had lain hidden in his breast even during Joseph’s life; but he judged it wisest for him to avoid revealing himself. Joseph was always suspicious of him, but he strived to keep things calm between them. He knew all too well the secrets of the deceit, and for that reason it was dangerous to provoke him. This is the reason why Joseph was so sensitive to him. But finally, after getting Joseph out of the way, Rigdon judged that it was time for him to come out into the open.

A little while after this, Sidney Rigdon pretended to have received a “revelation” commanding the “Saints” to flee from their enemies, leave Nauvoo, and settle in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In these circumstances, the abilities and qualifications of Brigham Young came to recognition. Sidney’s “revelation” was contrary to Joseph’s “revelation,” for he had appointed another place to be the home of the “Saints.” Here was prophet against prophet, revelation against revelation, and who was to be believed? Sidney was called to appear before the “twelve apostles” because of his error, within ten weeks after Joseph’s death; he refused to comply with the call, feigning illness, and the trial went forward in his absence. The witnesses against him were remarkably rare; but, nevertheless, Sidney was delivered, poor thing, into the hands of Satan.

We have already presented the hand we judge to have been played by Sidney Rigdon in the composition of the “Book of Mormon,” from the manuscript of Solomon Spaulding, and its publication to the world as divine revelation. That this account was true is confirmed by the address delivered by Brigham Young in the current circumstance:

“Brother Sidney says that he will tell all of our secrets, but I would say, oh don’t Brother Sidney! Don’t tell our secrets, oh don’t! But if he tells of our secrets, we will tell of his. Tit for tat. Oh, don’t, Brother Sidney, don’t tell of our secrets, don’t publish our iniquity! If he knew of all our iniquity, why did he not publish it sooner? If there is so much iniquity in the Church, Elder Rigdon, and you have known of it so long, you are a black-hearted wretch not to have published it sooner.”

This is the way poor Sidney was treated, and he was thrown without mercy out through the door. He never tried again to be allowed back in. All the first leaders of the deceit, namely, Orson Hyde, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and others, turned out to be deserters and traitors. But Sidney withdrew in silence, and he tried to establish a business on his own base by forming a church with a small number of his faithful. Two things have been remarkably fortunate for the “Saints,” namely the silence of Sidney Rigdon about the beginning of their deceit, and the choice of Brigham Young as their leader. They would have soon been destroyed in their going forward had they chosen Sidney Rigdon.

For a year following the death of Joseph, the city of Nauvoo—the “holy city,” “the city of Joseph,” as it was called by the most zealous of the “Saints”—had tranquility and prosperity. The persecution had caused their numbers to grow, and their numbers were enlarged greatly from the other States. After throwing out Sidney Rigdon, Brigham Young reigned without a single competitor. He went forward with great vivacity to build the “temple,” thus fulfilling Joseph’s prophecy, and giving proof to the world of his faithfulness, his steadfastness, and the wealth of his disciples.

But despite this apparent calm, the storm was gathering, black clouds amassed together, and the roar of the distant thunder could be heard. After finishing the “temple,” the jubilation of the “Saints” burst out to the ends of the earth, and they began to boast that the entire country was their property, and that soon the prophecy would be fulfilled, when no one but the “Saints” would be allowed to dwell in all the land. The old wounds had not completely healed, and no wonder that things like this would start up again. The contention, the battles, the loss of lives, and the rekindling of the wrath of their antagonists became huge. The representatives of nine of the counties near Nauvoo decided that there would be no peace for the state of Illinois while the Mormons were within their boundaries. They agreed to drive them out of their confines by force, if they did not leave peacefully. Despite all the efforts of state authorities to defend their lives and their properties, the anger of the people was such that their lives were sacrificed, and their belongings were burned continually. The Mormons saw that the storm was too frightful for them to withstand; and on the 20^th of January, 1846, they announced their decision to emigrate once more, and seek a home beyond the Rocky Mountains. This decision was signed by the “twelve apostles,” and they gave a portrayal of their tribulations, and they declared their grievances, boasting considerable of their patience and their long-suffering.

The first companies of Mormons began crossing the Mississippi on the 3^rd of February, 1846, in less than a month after the above declaration. They were one hundred and fifteen in number, including women and children. They looked toward California, a frontier which at that time was largely unknown, and which had never been populated by people of English ancestry. The Americans at that time were at war with Mexico; and in order to put their faithfulness to the test, the government requested that they raise five hundred soldiers to support the cause of their country. They readily responded to their country, and they send five hundred of their best men. The Mormons say that one of these men, after finishing his service as a soldier, went to work in a mill and was the first to discover the gold dust of California. It is said that the “Saints” gathered enormous treasures from that discovery before making the matter known to the “gentiles.”

The inhabitants of Illinois had made an agreement with the Mormons, that if they would leave quietly, they would have a reasonable time to sell their possessions and to make the necessary preparations for such a distant and perilous journey. But that agreement was not kept; the people became enraged, and in September 1846 they attacked the city; its beauty was destroyed, its temple was burned, it was turned into a rubble, and those who remained behind were driven out by fire and by the sword! They attacked it for three days, and they devastated it completely. It is presently but a poor town, having but few inhabitants. It was made known by the newspapers some time ago that the widow and son of Joseph Smith still live there, keeping a tavern, and cursing the entire Mormon deceit.

It is impossible for us to follow the Mormons along their journey until they arrived at the Salt Valley, the land of their choice. The journey was distant, the way was largely inaccessible, the dangerous were extreme, and the sufferings were severe. They had to face the barren desert, the frightful quicksand, the deep rivers, the wild Indians, and the cruel beasts. After the first company reached the end of the journey, they began immediately to prepare for their own needs, and for the needs of the other companies who were following them. They traveled according to the rules of the strictest discipline while on their way there. They had guards at night to warn them promptly of any danger that might appear. They arranged the necessary means to keep the animals safe. Every group of ten wagons were under the supervision of a captain, and the captain of ten was under the supervision of the captain of fifty, and the captain of fifty was under the supervision of the captain of one hundred—or the centurion. The centurions were members of that which they called the “high council of the church.” These were chosen as men of courage and determination. By the use of precise rules such as these, and the undeviating conformity of the travelers, they were kept safe from scattering away from each other, and from being attacked by the uncivilized Indians who kept an eye on them now and again wondering who and what they were, and where they were going.

It appears quite remarkable that we do not have an account of one miracle performed during the entire journey, since the “Saints” were so zealous about performing miracles. They traveled, wearied, and got sick, and suffered, and died, like other men. Their clothes wore out, their food was consumed, and their bodies weakened. While it is true that they suffered everything with self-denial worthy of a better cause, but the heavens did not intervene for their deliverance. Manna did not come down on them, the waters were not parted before them, and no water gushed forth from the rock for them. If they had the spiritual gifts, is it not a surprise that they did not use them in such circumstances they encountered on this journey? After arriving at the end of the journey, settling in the area, preparing the ground to produce bread, when the crop emerged giving great hope, a heavy tax was placed on the credulity of the “Saints” by the following: The land was visited by numberless swarms of crickets, or a kind of locusts, which threatened complete destruction of all the crops of the land. But soon here were flocks of seagulls making their appearance, and preventing the devastation by consuming the locusts before them. This was seized upon immediately by the leaders of the “Saints,” and the thing was put forth as direct intervention of heaven on their behalf. It was asserted that no one had ever seen seagulls in that part of the country before; and the conclusion they insisted on drawing was that the seagulls were created especially for that purpose. But that assertion was entirely untrue, since very reliable witnesses showed that the seagulls had customarily visited that land before the “Saints” ever set foot on it. The minute one deviates from truth and honesty, there is nothing too wild to assert, or anything too foolish to believe.

After settling in the area, the “Saints” began to work hard. They built a famous city—“Salt Lake City”—and they brought the wasteland under cultivation. Very soon they changed the aspect of the entire country, and they made a paradise of the wilderness. The “twelve apostles” they published a letter as a greeting to all “Saints,” encouraging them to gather there as soon as they could from every place. Their number was greatly added to by immigrants from other countries, and they again began to show the same boastful spirit that attracted adversity on them in Nauvoo. When they were migrating to the Salt Lake Valley, they supposed they were leaping outside the boundaries of the government of the United States; but, as we mentioned in our first article, the valley was presented to the United States by the government of Mexico, and here they were again in the clutches of their old enemies. The land was formed into a “territory” by the government; and in order to satisfy the population, Brigham Young was appointed as governor. Pride and boldness filled their hearts, and the government had to use a heavy hand to subdue them. According to the laws of the United States, it appears, whenever a “territory” has sixty thousand inhabitants, it has the right to be formed into a “state,” and to be received into the union of the states. All the measures of Brigham Young address this purpose, by making every effort to populate the territory, and thus to be elevated to statehood.

The following is a history of Salt Lake City which was published a short time ago:

“The “City of the Saints” is fortified with a wall of mud twelve feet high, with a broad deep ditch in front of it, and semi-bastions at half musket-range. Entering through a gate of the wall, the city is divided into blocks, often of ten acres each, intersected by streets from one hundred and twenty or one hundred and forty feet wide, and in wet weather almost impassable. The houses in the suburbs are scattered, and consist mostly of mud hovels, with dirt roofs. The center of the city is more attractive and more thickly settled. The number of inhabitants is about fifteen thousand, mostly English and Scotch, few Americans, and many Welsh. [My note—the Welsh are not mentioned in the original.]

“The Americans, although composing less than a third part of the population, possess all power and fill all the offices, civil and ecclesiastical, and receive all the emoluments. Almost without exception, they are polygamists, bitter in their hatred of the’ Gentiles,’ and full of zeal for their miserable faith. Starting at the center of the city there are many stores; here also are the residences of the principal dignitaries. These houses are generally comfortable, though with slight pretensions to elegance.

“Look at the corner before you, where brother Benson lives with his four wives.* [FN—A rather small number! But we must remember that this account was written quite some time ago, and it is quite likely that this brother, together with the other brothers noted, has increased the number of his wives by now.] Cast your glance to the east, and you will see a very pretty house where brother Grant resides with his five wives. More to the west, in a more ascetic style of house, Parley P. Pratt lives with his nine wives. In the long, dirty house, half hidden by a beautiful orchard and garden, Dr. Richards lives with his eleven wives. Look towards the north, and you will see a square covered with houses, barns, gardens, and orchards. Here, in serene domestic bliss, resides the great apostle, H. C. Kimball, with his eighteen or twenty wives.† [FN—It is said that he has thirty at present.] Turn your eyes to the other place, and you will see a pompous edifice, with the figure of a lion sculptured in stone lying on its front. Breath slowly and quietly, as you are standing near the residence of Brigham Young. This is the place where he lives with his seventeen wives, Ϯ [FN—It is said that he has over fifty at present.] and watches over the welfare of his disciples. The building of this house cost more than £30,000, in addition to the work performed for free by all the carpenters in the city at the command of Brigham, ‘by the authority of the holy priesthood.’ The most splendid building is inhabited by the senior wife of the patriarch and her family. It cost over 65,000 dollars. Orchards and gardens lie behind it and surround it.

Nearby is the Social Hall, or the Playhouse, a place of singing and dancing. Dancing is an important ordinance with the Mormons, and Brigham himself does not disdain to initiate the unenlightened in the art of dancing. He is an accomplished dancing master. Their tabernacle is a spacious building with seats for over two thousand persons. Their meetings commence with singing and prayer; after that discourses are delivered on clothes-washing, house-cleaning, ditch-digging, and similar instructive topics; and winding up with announcements of letters in the post office, arrangements of work, and plans for amusement.”

Now we must finish this article. In the following article, we shall have a look at the religion and morals of the “Saints.” They are an example to the world for beholding the corruption and foolishness of human nature, and just how far corrupt fools can sink to arrogance and effrontery.

Instructor, June 1859, pp. 217–20

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The instructor June 1859, pp. 217–20

MORMONISM. We are taking a look at a moral system that has been established in the depths of the desert- a system that denies our laws, our rites, our literature, and our God. A totally new invention, founded on new opinions, completely opposite to our beliefs, and perfectly contrary to all our family feelings. It is a system that is a mixture of Judaism, Catholicism, Mohamedism, Paganism and Socialism.

We said previously that we did not intend to take part in the work of disproving their beliefs; we consider this an insult to the common sense of our readers. This article is intended to describe their beliefs and to review their morals.

We think that the chief principles are contained in the following seven articles:

1. That there is one God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost—that he consists of substance—that he lives in a place—that he moves from place to place. [The reader sees that this is a denial of his Spirituality and of his Omnipresence.]
2. That Joseph Smith is a great Prophet, and a spiritual Apostle, having received revelations directly from heaven, and that the “Book of Mormon” and “The Book of Doctrine and Covenants” are spiritual compositions—as spiritual and infallible as are the Old and New Testaments.
3. That God continues to give revelation from his mind to his people from time to time.
4. That “baptism for the forgiveness of sins” is to be administered by immersion, and that “the laying on of hands” is to be part of the ordinance.
5. That the Officers of the Church consist of apostles, prophets, bishops, pastors, teachers and evangelists, with two kinds of priesthood, namely the “Aaronic” and the “Melchizedek.”
6. That miraculous gifts continue in the church, namely the discerning of spirits, prophecy, revelation, visions, speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of tongues, healing the sick. etc.
7. That literal gathering of Israel, and the restoration of the ten tribes, that Zion will be established on the western continent, and that Christ will reign personally on the earth for a thousand years.

These are the chief parts of their creed. They also have several lesser beliefs which are not worth our time to consider. To prove their claims they do not hesitate to appeal to the New Testament, twisting the verses from their proper meanings to support their points of view. The spiritual and the temporal converge in their society. They imitate state religious establishments in the powers and privileges of their society. This is a troublesome factor for them in a country like America where state religious organizations are completely forbidden and principles of force or compulsion are prohibited for use by any religious authority. When a crime is committed by a Mormon he is judged by the bishop in his religious office; but when a “gentile” commits a crime he is judged by the bishop in his role as a civil judge. The connection of the church and the government is to the most perfect degrees. The taxes that are collected by one are used for the service of the other. This shows that there must be in Utah a serious revolt before long unless the Mormons are able to maintain a great majority in the land. The Americans do not allow themselves to be taxed for the support of a religion they believe in, and much less to be taxed for the support of a religion they do not believe in.* [FN—When these observations were written, the government had not yet brought the “Saints” under their authority.]

We have already indicated that Sidney Rigdon was an old Baptist and that he was the chief architect of the deceit. Joseph Smith was nothing but a tool in his hand. Being an old Baptist, immersion was naturally in his mind, and bringing baptism by immersion into the circle of Mormonism was his work. It was he also who introduced the practice of “spiritual wifery,” which poses a greater danger than all the rest put together for the endurance of Mormonism. For a time there were many of them who attempted to deny or hide this practice; but at present the veil has been rent, and the spectacle is completely exposed. We have mentioned before the number of wives of the high officials. A gentleman by the name of Captain Stansbury, who was appointed by the government of the United States in 1848 to make a survey of Utah and who lived for a year among the Mormons, says the following: “I heard the president of the church himself (Brigham Young) say that he had the right to take a thousand wives if he chose to do so.” The laws, rites, morals, and feelings of the inhabitants of all the other States are so opposed to such a thing as this that tribulation and pain will be the inevitable result. They view the practice as a disgrace to the country, and they will use every means to abolish it completely from the land.

Time fails us to discuss what they claim about miracles. One does not really know how to feel upon hearing their stories, whether to laugh, to weep, or to wonder—laugh at the humor, weep at the deceit, or wonder at the impudence of the assertors and the stupidity of the believers. The prison doors were not opened for Joseph Smith, manna from heaven did not rain down on them from heaven, nor did the rivers part before them, and yet they assert that they have miraculous gifts in their midst! In fact, the most remarkable miracle is the existence of such creatures.

One cannot get them to specify clearly and closely their miracles. In this country their miracles performed by them in America are proclaimed, and in America their miracles performed by them in this country are proclaimed. All the accounts of their work in quarreling with and casting out devils are loathsome to our readers, and they answer the same purpose except to prove that they are either vile deceivers or pitiful lunatics, and those who pretend to believe them are no better than their teachers.

Someone by the name of Thomas Smith writes, bearing a date from Leamington Spa, as follows—after speaking about a brother by the name of Currell, who was ordained to be a priest in their midst, and who was possessed by a devil at the time of his ordination, the devil was cast out, and a policeman was brought in, who took them all up together except for the devil—Smith writes: “When the devil was cast out of Brother Currell, it went into a sister, and continued to come in for several hours. After casting out one pack, another pack would come in. At one time we counted twenty-seven devils that came out of her. * * * * * They told us that some of them had been sent by Cain, some by Kite, Judas, Kilo, Kalmonia, and Lucifer, and some of them told us they had been presidents of seventy in hell. We cast some of them out thirty times, and one was cast out thirty-five times, except for one of the devils, etc. * * * ”

We do not have the patience to quote any more of such nonsense. The end of the story is that there was a great deal of confusion around the room, and that a policeman came in and led them away to safe custody. It appears to us quite obvious that the policeman was the only intelligent one among them, and it was only he who cast out the devils at that time.

One of the most remarkable miracles ever worked was the one related by Mr. Tucker, which is as follows:

“In one of the states, at the end of a lovely summer day, a respectable looking man came to a farm house and requested lodgings for the night, which was granted. At supper the farmer was happy and cheerful; but the traveler appeared to be upset, and he went to bed soon, complaining that he was tired and sick. In the middle of the night he began to groan frightfully, causing fear to the entire family of the house, and to the sorrow of them all he died within a few hours. Soon after that behold two other travelers came to the door asking to be received. The farmer told of the circumstance, apologizing because of it; and the travelers requested to have a look at the body. They looked at it and said that they were elders from the church of the Latter-day Saints and that they could work miracles, and that they had no doubt but what they could raise the dead man to life. The farmer was a bit surprised at hearing this, and he expressed a bit of disbelief in their power, but he consented to call the neighbors to be witnesses of the miracle.

“The farmer was an observant and clever man, and a man more likely than thousands to be above any tricks. While the elders proved the strength of their lungs in prayers, or rather shouts, the farmer asked them if they would permit him to ask them a few questions. Permission was granted, and he asked –

“‘Are you completely certain that you can bring this dead man to life again?’

“‘We are certain.’

“‘How do you know that you can do so?’

“‘We have just received a revelation from the Lord telling us that.’

“‘Does your power to bring this man to life again depend on the special nature of his sickness, or can you bring any dead person back to life?’

“‘It makes no difference to us—any dead person is like the other.’

“‘Could you restore this man to life even if his head were cut from his body?’

“‘No doubt we could.’

“‘Then,’ said the old farmer with a pleasant smile on his face, ‘I do not doubt what is said by holy and truthful men; but I wish for all my neighbors to be convinced by having a miracle worked in the most complete manner possible, and since it makes no difference, with your permission, I shall now chop off his head from his body.’

“‘Then he took hold of a sharp ax that he had by his side, pretending to swing it with force at the throat of the dead man; but behold! here is the dead man jumping up, swearing that he would not allow his throat to be cut for anything. The people rushed to the elders and forced them to confess that the dead man was also a Mormon elder, and that they had conspired with one another to send him there for that purpose, that he would die there at a particular hour according to the plan, that they would come by as if by accident, and they would work a miracle and distinguish themselves in the sight of all the inhabitants of that part of the country.”

About ten years ago Captain Dan Jones wrote a letter to the Millennial Star, dated in Merthyr Tydfil, giving an account of a miracle performed in that neighborhood. “Dan” is his full name—it is not an abbreviation of Daniel. He has never a “captain” over soldiers, sailors, or over miners; only a captain over a number of the “Saints.” He is a native of Caerwys, Flintshire. His father was a deacon with a denomination of the believers. He moved from Caerwys to Rhosesmor, and from Rhosesmor to the area of Wrexham. He had a brother by the name of John, who came from another denomination to the Independents in Rhosllanerchrugog. He distinguished himself greatly in a public debate with one of the Baptists on the subject of baptism. Not inappropriately, that debate was called the “Rhymney fair.” Perhaps it gave some silence for a time to the vociferous shouts of the proponents of baptism by immersion; but we doubt that it had a beneficent effect on pure and solid religion. John was a bold man, dauntless, ready, possessing quite a genius, but it was a genius without restraint. He emigrated to America a few years ago, and it was there that he died. The word spread that he had joined with the Mormons in that country; but we are happy to use this occasion to deny the truth of the claim.

But to return to Dan. About twenty years ago this man appeared in the Temperance meetings from one place to another, and he cut quite a figure as “Captain Jones.” That time was a remarkable time. There were many believers in Wales who were as if they had lost their reason and their senses to make their way to a far country. Only a man who was sufficiently arrogant and witty to tell humorous stories about himself, and to pour calumny on others, could receive support and acceptance without measure. The objective of the temperance movement was good—to eliminate drunkenness. The means that drove it were fair—the refusal of intoxicating drinks. But it brought about the rise and support of such men—men on whom reason would call to accept the blessing without public fanfare—at least to avoid taking the reins of the movement; this caused, we say, men of discretion and character to withdraw, fearfully imagining what would be the end result of these things. Dead flies fell into the pharmacist’s ointment, and they made it stink.

Now about the letter. “Captain Dan Jones” writes the following:

“On the afternoon of the 31^st of December, 1848, the power of God and the power of darkness showed a marvelous contrast.” Dan goes on to tell how it happened that the devils caused commotion while he was speaking—he aimed at them the artilleries of heaven—they all fled except for three—he sent elders to them to rebuke them—some were old blaggards and asked, “Old Captain, have you come to trouble us? Damned old Captain, we will hold you a battle,” etc. They also swore that they would not leave “unless Brigham Young himself came to cast them out.” The names of some of the devils were Borona, Menta, Philo, etc. The letter is too long for us to relate in its entirety, and its lies are too hideous. It would be painful for us to write it and for our subscribers to read it. No doubt this scoundrel laughs up his sleeve on thinking that his impudent blasphemies would be read and believed by a host of charmed souls.

While on the topic of “miracles” we shall mention the following. The word was spread by the “Saints” here and there that they had completely healed a woman near Cefn Bychan, Denbighshire, who had been greatly suffering with a dreadful and dangerous pain around her throat. All medical treatment had failed, but the miraculous gift of the “Saints” had succeeded. In the area where this tale had spread there were two respectable men, who if named would receive the belief of all who knew them. As they journeyed past Cefn Bychan these two men desired to know the truth and decided to launch an investigation into the matter, and they determined that the entire matter was a lie of huge proportions. The “Saints” had tried with their prayers and their anointings but all in vain. The woman had received a nose made of a clever medical device and was not indebted to the “Saints” for anything. The pain remained with her to a large extent; but the deformity of her face was improved.

Everyone knows that nature herself, if given fair play, and if she has sufficient strength remaining, will be certain to work herself out of almost every affliction. One does not need drugs—only to assist nature. All the drugs poured down the throat will generally just make the afflicted worse. When the medicine is thrown away nature begins to perform and most likely will win the day. Thus it is also with wounds. Keeping them clean is of the greatest importance. The dog licks his wound to keep it clean and by so doing is healed. The “Saints” need to take time to wash and clean the wounds and make their prayers and anointings appropriate for that which is necessary to wash and clean. Christ and his apostles did not work miracles gradually, rather they did so directly and immediately.

Instructor, July 1859, pp. 270–72

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2336862/29#?xywh=-884%2C0%2C4080%2C3588

[New York Times, 1 May 1858—Loba’s statement]

Mormonism

When the “Saints” were under persecutions, before settling in the valley of the Salt Lake, in order to defend themselves they formed an armed group under the name of the Danite Band, or, as they were sometimes called, “The Destroying Angels.” On the 24^th of October, 1838, a man by the name of Marsh took an oath before the Justice of the Peace, and another man by the name of Orson Hyde took his oath also. The first had occupied some kind of office in the church of the “Saints,” and the other one had been an “Apostle.” The content of these oaths was that all who were considered true Mormons had formed an armed group, called the Danites, and had taken an oath to support the leaders of the “Saints” in everything they did or said, whether it was good or evil—that the “Saints” professed the intent of taking possession of the entire world—that the prophecies of Joseph Smith were above the authority or the laws of the land—that they had decided to follow the example of Muhammed—like the shout of old, “Muhammed, or the sword;” so they shouted, “Joseph Smith, or the sword,” etc. There are seven highly respected citizens of Ray County who bear their witness of their belief in the truth of these oaths, and that Marsh and Hyde have withdrawn from Mormonism on account of the immorality and ungodliness of its disciples. If half of what is said about the “Danite Band,” no more wicked men have ever breathed the air of our earth. Now and again a Mormon vanishes, if it is thought that he has been unfaithful—someone sets off from among the “Saints,” having tired of them, intending to return back to the other states, but he is never heard from again; he set of from the Mormons, and he never reached the end of his journey, and that is all that is known about his fate. Companies of travelers are overtaken by the Indians, and they are murdered and robbed. But it is said that the Mormons who have dressed and painted their skin to look like Indians are the true murderers and thieves. In short, dreadful things are testified about them.

The following is the oath that is taken by each one of the “Danite Band” or the “Destroying Angels:”— “In the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, I do covenant and agree to support the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in all things, right or wrong; I will faithfully guard them, and report to them the acts of all men, as far as in my power lies; I will assist in executing all the decrees of the First President, Patriarch or President of the Twelve; and that I will cause all who speak evil of the Presidency, or Heads of the Church, to die the death of dissenters and apostates, unless they speedily confess and repent; for pestilence, persecution, and death, shall follow the enemies of Zion. I will be a swift herald of salvation, and messenger of peace to the Saints, and I will never make known the secret purposes of this society, called the Destroying Angels, my life being the forfeiture in a fire of burning tar and brimstone. So help me God.” — Bennett, page 271

A man by the name of Frederic Loba, a Swiss by birth, published his history in Utah, and his “trials as a repentant Mormon sinner.” Sufficient proof of his gullibility is that he believed sincerely all the testimonies of the Mormon teachers, that the “Valley” (or Utah) was the appointed place for gathering the pure and honest of every nation, that all the blessings of heaven would be an inheritance for them, that peace and plenty would reign there, and that no affliction or evil existed in this earthly paradise! In this manner he was deceived, he was baptized into the faith, he and his entire family. He arrived in St. Louis (on his way to the “Blessed valley”) in December 1853, and he was appointed for a season to preside in a Mormon chapel. Evil tricks and cunning shook somewhat his faith; but, despite it all, he hoped to have in Brigham Young all the “characteristics of a man of God.” He persevered in this hope, even though he was robbed at every opportunity by his Mormon leaders on his way to Salt Lake City. Mr. Loba says:

“Immediately after I reached the Valley, the prophet (Brigham Young) took me out in one of his wagons, and showed me some of his houses and other possessions. Nevertheless, I was greatly disappointed when I found out that all that was told me in Switzerland about the beauty of the country was very far from being the truth, and that it was anything but fertile and fruitful. Soon after this I was made a ‘High Priest,’ and I became aware of their intrigues and their proceedings. This opened my eyes at once, and I saw the terrible situation I had put myself in. I found myself in the midst of wicked and vulgar people, enclosed in the middle of the mountains, with a numerous and weak family, and completely deprived of any means of salvation. My mind was convinced that Brigham Young was at the bottom of all the secret murders, robberies of travelers, stealing from the mail coaches, and the awful villainy committed by his followers. I also saw that the system of polygamy was conducive to everything but peace and family happiness, and that it was fit for destroying all that is tender, pure, and excellent in the female characteristics, and in reducing them, in fact, to be merchandise. I saw two sisters sold by their own father to Horace Eldridge. I saw men who married a mother and daughter at the same time. I saw a man living in incest with his own sister. A man by the name of W. C. Stains sought permission from Brigham Young to take a third wife in addition to the two others he already had. This man was one of the ‘Destroying Angels’ of the prophet, and he easily obtained permission from him. The next night the man came with his third intended wife to pay a visit to Brigham. She was a very pretty girl, and the patriarch felt attracted to her and changed the arrangement by taking her for his own wife, and the poor man received this disappointment as a ‘trial from the Lord.’ Evils of every level were committed without any punishment; and if anyone dared whisper a disparaging remark about the ‘head of the church,’ he was soon lost from sight abruptly and secretly—or, in other words, he was secretly murdered. Woe to those who were caught in an attempt to escape from the Valley.”

Loba decided to escape with only his wife, leaving eight children in the care of his wife’s mother and brother; and after many hardships on the mountains, and dangers on land and water, they reached some Indians, and had a loving reception. Brigham Young had sent more than thirty men on horseback after him to catch him, but they had to return empty handed. At last Loba reached a safe place, where he lay ill over a long period of time. His children and his relatives managed to escape after that and join with him. Reading the experience of this man is enough to create fright in every contemplative mind, and to put all on their watch against the corruption and destruction that are associated with life among the “Saints.”

Once in my life I had the chance to be present in their worship service, and we would not wish to ever again be a witness of such a sight. We were in London at the time. We were in the chapel of the Rev. T. Binney in the morning, and we received a feast to our understanding and to our feelings. We intended to listen to the venerable Dr. Liefchild in Craven Chapel in the afternoon; but when we directed our steps there, we were notified that the Dr. himself was not at home, and that someone else was occupying his pulpit that time. Upon returning disappointed (a friend was with us) we heard the sound of singing in a rather unsightly building, and we supposed it to be the location of the City Mission, or some charitable organization of the like: but after we went in, it was not long before we understood that it was a gathering of the “Saints” there. The room was a rather spacious one, benches across the floor, a rostrum at the far end, on which the officers sat, and around fifty or sixty in the congregation. We do not think that our presence added much to the happiness of the officers, for they peered at us now and then as if they suspected us to be spies. It happened to be their communion at the time, and O! what a communion! The speakers were utterly wretched, the prayers were arrogant and blasphemous, and the whole thing appeared to us nothing more than vain games with the most important things of the sacred. We and our friend trembled at the sight. We were sorry to perceive some rather respectable young men and women in the congregation, but the majority of them appeared to be some of the kind we would not like to associate with. Our hearts were heavy as we returned from there, after being witnesses of such callousness on the part of the teachers, and such mildness on the part of the disciples. Of all creatures, man is the poorest and the most wretched when he is allowed to follow the corruption and the imaginings of his own heart. Effrontery and madness are the inevitable consequences.

Our readers can now judge for themselves, from the testimonies we have set before them, concerning the religion and morals of the Mormons. The task of writing their history has not brought any joy to our feelings, other than the joy that comes from the understanding that what we have written may be of benefit to the minds of those who wished to know about them—their history, their belief, their customs, and their morals. Also, our labor may answer the intent of putting the faithful on their watch, and to help them to hinder the enticements of the deceivers on weak minds. It appears to us that they have long but empty names. They have Priests without an offering, Prophets without inspiration, Apostles without authority, Faith without truth, Religion without morals, and a Temple without God. “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

Instructor, September 1859, pp. 337–39

https://journals.library.wales/view/2325605/2336960/16#?xywh=63%2C78%2C2488%2C2188

The history given shows clearly the nonsense, the evil, and the arrogance of the Mormon family, and the lamentable surprise is that so many have fallen prey to it. In the latest statistics of this kingdom, their number in England and Wales is counted at thirty thousand. The Mormons themselves say that around four thousand of these are Welsh by birth and language. What explanation can be given for this? Some laugh at the efforts of the Pope to return the wandering sheep of Wales to his fold, as something futile and unsuccessful; but can one be certain of that? Is there any danger to the enemy to sow tares while the watchmen sleep? If men the likes of Mormons—men without learning, or gift, or character—can entice so many to follow them, what can be feared from men who possess every natural qualification to reach their objective, men who are backed by wealth, tradition, and large numbers? We do not doubt for a second the eventual triumph of the truth, but its supporters must be watchful to perceive the danger, and faithful to give warning promptly before the wolves devour the flock.

There are so many different characters among men, and such a variety of mental compositions, that nearly every kind of madness is sure of gathering adepts. The most numerous class is the ambitious class—those who suppose that the world should have knowledge that such men revere our earth and their existence. It would be an eternal loss (in their opinion) were the world not to know of them. They stand with their feet up in order to attract attention, instead of with their feet down like other men. They play every trick in order to have their names recognized. We think this is the case with Sidney Rigdon. It is quite likely that he did not have the leadership he wished to have among the Baptists, and he supposed to achieve leadership in another way. He investigated Mormonism, and thought he could get Joseph Smith to be his lap boy; but Joseph turned out to be too wily to allow that to happen. Rigdon yearned in silence for a long time to sit in the chair of the presidency, but Joseph was too clever for him. The result, as we mentioned before, was to depart and try to raise a Mormon church unto himself. We do not know to what extent he succeeded, but he succeeded in the manner of the world. After Brigham Young rose to power, Sidney Rigdon was forced to withdraw from sight, burdened with the maledictions of the “Saints.” There are many of his kind yet living. We do not condemn every kind and every level of ambition. When one longs for an environment in which to do good, and when this longing is kept within the bounds of wisdom and virtue, one can work for benefit and success. But when this yearning for notoriety turns out to be the chief and only motivator behind the action, the inevitable result is grief and distress. How much commotion has been caused in the world and in the church by men of this breed? They are the plague of every society; a deadly disease to comfort and peace will follow them every time.

There is a large number of men also who are under the guidance of their animalistic tendencies. “Men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth.” Their minds and their practices are unclean. Their carnal desires burn within them, and they yearn for complete release. Under the leadership of these tendencies they retreat to a place where they suppose there is no civil law to restrain them, or the condemnation of society to shame them. Mormonism was a perfectly suited offer to the taste of these men, and it is no wonder that they rushed to embrace it. To receive nourishment for their passions and a religion to save them also was something too valuable to disregard. They did not believe the truth of God, for it was too pure for them; but they believed a lie of men, for it suffered their evils.

Another class that exists in our county is that of the excommunicated from every denomination: men of intractable behavior, who are not tolerated within the circle of the religious societies of our land, but who are expelled as unworthy to share the privileges of the church of the living God. Mormonism has been the cesspit for this filth in all the religious countries. Having been expelled from the circle of every other society, the only sanctuary city before them was Mormonism; and in a spirit of revenge, they ran there for protection and deliverance. Perhaps Mormonism in this respect has unintentionally assumed the role of being of service to the world and to the church. It has gathered the scattered bits together, who separately corrupted every circle they were part of, and has thrown them completely together out of the circles they had been contaminating.

When the unclean spirit goes out to search for a place to rest, he is elated to come across a man who is unstable in his thoughts, uneven in his ways, and unsettled in all the principles of his belief. In some of these the spirit of Mormonism first found a place to rest. We think that Sidney Rigdon had been with one or more kinds of Baptists before forming a partnership with Joseph Smith. Martin Harris was with two or three different kinds of Presbyterians before professing Mormonism; and, like Sidney Rigdon, he renounced Mormonism in the end. We do not know where he went after that.

In North Wales one of the foremost in their midst was John Parry, stonemason, Newmarket, Flintshire. John had a wife, and grown children; and since he changed his creed, he also changed his wife and children. Their consciences are somehow cut from the same cloth, and are changed with the same winds. John Parry was a man of limited understanding, restricted knowledge, and quite a lot of cunning. The baptism of the Baptists was once his infallible position, but somehow in a very short space of time that baptism lost its acceptation, and his next infallible position was the Sandemanian baptism. But, great pity! that baptism also lost its infallible position, and John took hold of the infallibility of the Campbellite baptism. Ouch, Ouch, this infallibility wore itself out, and John leaped to meet the Mormon infallibility, and in the strength of this infallibility he emigrated to Salt Lake City. This kind of man pushed himself to be a teacher to others!

Among the sons of Adam there is a great host of those who are quite lacking in common sense. And these are open to be shaped by everything with which they come in contact. We are not disparaging weak souls: a SOUL is some kind of entity that is too dignified to be disparaged. But all too common is the class of people who first fall prey to heresy—men of little sense, but of great conceit. They are shaken by that conceit to attempt to distinguish themselves, and their sense is not sufficiently strong to govern their conceit.

Years ago there arose a female impostor by the name of Johannah Southcotte asserting the most ridiculous and blasphemous things, and she had many disciples. In their midst were priests and doctors.

Eighty years ago a woman became notorious in the areas of Harlech, Meirionethshire, who was called “Mary of the White Mantle,” because she always wore a mantel of that color. She claimed to be the bride of the Lamb, and she won quite a number of disciples who followed her; and after she died, they watched her grave for three days and three nights awaiting her resurrection! There is no doubt but what this woman was insane; but, as is the case with this kind, she had a great deal of cunning.

Many who are still alive will remember a man in Canterbury who claimed to be someone of great importance. He was called Sir William Courtenay, and he was so arrogant as to offer himself as a candidate to represent the city in the Senate. He was known by the public as “Mad Tom of Canterbury.” He was an old gentleman with a considerable number of followers, and in a disturbance they caused, the soldiers shot at them, and several lost their lives. Instead of leading a sect, this man should have been placed safely in a lunatic asylum long before he was shot.

Later than that that a priest by the name of Prince appeared in Newport, Monmouthshire, claiming great things about himself. There is no doubt that this moron was crazy, but he succeeded in winning a number of disciples, some of them having considerable wealth. There is no education or wealth that makes up for a lack of sense. A large house was built by them, called “Abode of Love,” and there was quite a lot of talk about their frolics, and some discussion because of them in the courts of law.

These facts show that there is nothing too ridiculous or too foolish but what it will be received, if there is sufficient importunity in its claim, and sufficient lack of awareness to support it. It is true that there are men of different degrees and compositions of thought, and not the same thing attracts their attention or affects their feeling. A contemptible heresy such as Mormonism would not be an appropriate offer to a mind that is inclined to philosophy; and a heresy of philosophical composition would not be an appropriate offer to a class of minds as the Mormons have. The devil prepares a bait appropriate for every taste and ability. Mormonism is so vile as a system that there is no use trying to analyze it. That would only be spending time analyzing filth. Some things are so extremely unreasonable that it is difficult to contradict them. It is very difficult to reason with men who have no abilities to present their own argument, or abilities to comprehend the argument of anyone else.

Before finishing we ought to mention another class of men, namely the delusionary ones, those who fill themselves with delusions—their imagination being stronger than their sense, more abundant than their knowledge, and more diligent than their perception or their vigilance. They are troubled with many things in this country; they imagine that they are under daily persecution; and they dream of deliverance and plentitude and prosperity in the paradise of Salt Lake. Such dreamers are a great harm to themselves, and they cause great harm to others by deceiving them and confusing them with their dreams.

History shows that Mormonism is a kind of American import, and not a plant that is native to this country. We have received many imports from America—some of them quite good, some of them of a very doubtful quality, and some of them extremely unreasonable and harmful. We do not disparage America; but, as we said when we began the present history, neither do we overly praise it. It is true that Britain has many failings, but she also has many excellent qualities. It is true that America has many excellent qualities, but it also has many failings. We have no fear that if the two countries were placed in a fair contrast, the verdict would be in favor of the former. We can express our ideas loud and clear in this country with no fear of being tarred and feathered. The most ghastly ugliness in our country, perhaps, is the state establishment of religion, although the greater part of the population has retreated from it. But even though the crown, the aristocracy, the nobility, and the pseudo-nobility are partial to that establishment, we can hold public meetings to express our feelings and our ideas without fearing either prison or deportation as a consequence. Fair play to old John Bull. We do not raise up Jonathan in order to dishonor him. There is sufficient to make a man’s heart sick on noting the nonsense about the former as if nothing but evil could be said about it; and with regard to the latter, as if nothing but good could be said about it.

Did not Jonathan create the great Sea monster, which did not favor anyone with his presence except for Jonathan only? Are not the Spirit-rappers and the Table-turners Jonathan’s creations, as well as a host of similar remarkable things? Is not Joseph Smith the creature who was raised by Jonathan, and is not Jonathan’s country the chosen paradise of his posterity? Is it not Jonathan who maintains the dreadful market in the flesh and souls of men, and is so zealous about it that his adversaries must be as silent as mute dogs? O, Jonathan, Jonathan! You are a disgrace to democracy! You have the shadow of freedom; but without its substance. You have its image; but without its life. You have its appearance; but without its spirit, or its truth, or its action. Great is your bluster, but small is your success. Small is your accomplishment, but dreadful is your wickedness. The commotion that John Bull has shown angers us, and we heartily detest the enthusiasm that Jonathan has shown. There is much in the two countries to be praised, but there is also much to improve; and there is fully as much, if not a little more, in America than there is in Britain. There are two sides of the page to be read before a correct opinion can be formed or before justice can be done to the one country or the other. We would like for our compatriots to ponder carefully before being charmed to emigrate, and by doing so “jumping from the frying pan into the fire.”