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The Treasury (Chester)
- 1842 October, pp. 310–11—Possibly earliest Welsh anti-Mormon article—in form of Q/
A - 1847 May, p. 160—Mormon apostle preached in Mold—refused to drink the arsenic
- 1847 December, p. 391—woman’s speech Newmarket—husband attacks a woman
- 1849 March, p. 96—M women take clothes of deceased husbands to Utah
- 1849December, pp. 397–98—Mormon “happenings” quoted from New York Tribune, Millennial Star, the Principality, and Shrewsbury Journal
- 1851 March, p. 104—M in Llanddoget—person baptized asked if had seen Holy G
- 1852 April, p. 140—from Yr Amserau—Evan Howells’s bad experience in St. Louis
- 1852 December, pp. 416–17—Review of Thomas Hughes’s publication Darlithiau ar Dwyll Mormoniaeth. Darlith I.
- 1855 August, p. 284—nine lines about Brigham Young’s wives.
- 1855 September, pp. 319–20—woman’s letter from SLC living among horrible people
- 1857 February, pp. 58–59—Mormons’ efforts to gain statehood
- 1858 May, p. 176—The Mormons in Utah—tenacity of the “lecherous” Mormons
Treasury (Chester), October 1842, pp. 310–11
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Esteemed Editor—Inasmuch as that faction of believers who are called, or rather who call themselves, “Latter-day Saints,” are trying to spread themselves to every corner of this country, I would be glad to know, through means of the Treasury, as soon as possible, what their religious tenets are. I wish to know if they are erroneous in order for me and others of my fellow teachers in the Sabbath School to warn our scholars not to swallow their deadly poison.
I am, yours, etc.,
W. Morgan
Talgarth
ANSWER
I am very sorry that our friend’s area is being tormented by these deceitful rascals—such people fully answer in every way the description given about them in 2 Peter 3:3, 1 Timothy 1:3–6, and 1 Timothy 4:1–2. And I am very ready to give to all of our readers the old and valuable counsel of Paul to Timothy: “from such turn away.”
The history of the “Latter-day Saints” is interwoven with everything that is loathsome, odious, and barbaric. And to give a detailed account of them would not be of any edification or benefit, but rather to the contrary.
Among other repugnant things, they believe that not all divine revelation is contained in the Bible, and that the book they call the Book of Mormon is inspired and divine. This Book of Mormon, with respect to its beginning, was written by a godly preacher as a kind of novel to entertain himself with no thought of ever publishing it. But after his death, his widow happened to loan it to a friend, and in some way or another it fell into the hands of the founders of this sect and some others of similar evil intentions who rewrote it and changed it to conform to their own deceitful designs. And that in short is the beginning and origin of the Book of Mormon, the Bible of the Latter-day Saints.
The founder of this sect also claims that he received revelation directly from heaven and that engraved, golden plates were delivered to him by the angel, or rather God himself. He encourages all his followers to come to him, to the ends of distant America, to build the new Jerusalem, since complete destruction is to come on the world, and there will be no safety anywhere except for this place, and to cast all their belongings into one treasury so that all things will be in common among everyone. And it is lamentable to report that some scores of men have already moved, themselves and their families, to be under the influence of some religious fanatics, or rather irreligious, at the mercy of men who are now deceiving and have already deceived multitudes.
It has been only a short time since they proclaimed to the world their stratagem to charm men away from the land of their birth to the ends of the earth: namely, that they have purchased an extensive piece of desolate and rocky land, full of ridges, and that they have taken religion as a ruse to attract men to come to search for the other divine revelations which are on golden plates in the earth; and by so doing they will clear the land without money or wages, rather with that which they have suffered from disappointment in their own bosoms. And it is expected that the end result of this will be that the leaders, after the land is cleared, put up for sale—and after receiving the money—will leave the deceived wretches to fend for themselves the best they can in the midst of strangers in distant and remote lands.
To every sensible man the speeches and sermons of these self-inspired apostles are nothing but a heap of foolish and senseless concoctions, although, true enough, sometimes filled with sufficient craftiness to hide and disguise their false doctrines with a series of ideas on baptism, etc. These things I speak through personal knowledge, since I have heard some of them myself.
Recently I read that some of the newspapers in America are giving the account of a dispute that took place between the head of this sect and one of his apostles, and that in their writings they are accusing one another of the most heinous deeds, which has made their names contemptuous in the neighboring states.
I have presented more of their nonsense than I had intended at first; and now I recall having read some observations about the “Saints” (?) in the interesting publication called “The Instructor” a few months ago, to which I direct my friends and all who wish to know more about them.
J. Ph.
[The question mark is in the original.]
Treasury (Chester), May 1847, p. 160
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Latter-day Saints
Lately the town of Mold was visited by one of the Welsh Mormons, who said he was an Apostle with the “Latter-day Saints.” He went into several houses to explain and recommend his organization. He was a fluent and gifted speaker and appeared to be well versed in the Scriptures. But an abrupt ending was put on his arguments in the house of one of the Calvinistic Methodists. The “Apostle” came to the house, and he said that he wanted to converse with the man about the other world. Then he began to set out his creed, asserting that he and his brethren were the only followers of the ancient Apostles of Christ in these days, since only they had the miraculous gifts as the proof of their apostleship. During the conversation he quoted this verse: “They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” “Do you have those gifts,” asked the man of the house. “Yes,” said the man who called himself an apostle. “All right,” said the other, “I shall put you to the test.” A penny’s worth of arsenic was sent for, and it was put in a glass of water; and another man was called in as a witness of the scene. “Behold,” said the man of the house, “this is deadly; but you say that it will not do you any harm; go ahead and drink it.” But the “saint” did not dare to reach out to take it. “Take it and drink it,” said the man in a strong and determined voice. “You must drink it; otherwise, you reveal at once that your doctrine and your religion is worthless. Come on, drink this, or do not tell your lies ever again.” The apostle turned a pale-blue, and without uttering a word he was off as soon as he could, showing by the haste of his departure that he was glad to see the door. There is no need to say that the ministry of the false apostle has come to an end in Mold in this visit with our friend, as he was never heard from again.
Treasury (Chester), December 1847, p. 391
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Latter-day Saints
One Monday night last month, a woman professed the principles of the “Latter-day Saints,” and delivered a worthless speech on the street in Newmarket, Flintshire. Her husband was following her from place to place. Late the following day, a young maidservant was on the road, about a mile-and-a-half from Newmarket, a man suddenly came out of the hedge and attacked her. She made a strenuous attempt to escape, but he threatened to take her life away if she continued to oppose him. While she was struggling in this manner, some people providentially happened to come that way, and the man got away. However, he was pursued and caught in a tavern in the town. He was taken before the justice of the peace the following day, and he was delivered to the Flint jail. It was determined that he was the husband of the aforementioned woman. He is now awaiting his trial for the attack; and there is no kind of “miracle” around here that the “Saints” have that can save him from receiving his deserved punishment.
Treasury (Chester), March 1849, p. 96
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Latter-day Saints
There are scores, if not hundreds of this sect who have left the town and neighborhood of Merthyr at the beginning of this week to go toward the distant and famous shore of California. Some widowed women who have buried their husbands here have taken with them the clothes of their buried husbands, expecting to meet them in that country. Is it true that we are living in the 19th century?—The Principality, February 16.
Treasury (Chester), December 1849, pp. 397–98
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Latter-day Saints
Those deceitful or deceived creatures, the Mormons, or the Latter-day Saints, continue to make a considerable clamor about themselves. What would our readers think about the following, taken from a publication which is given out by the “Saints” in America, namely the New York Tribunal (sic), October 17: “Good news from England. The work of the Lord is going forward quickly in England and Wales. Since Captain Jones left Wales over eight hundred have been healed by the power of faith, and many believe. From the Millennial Star we understand that the cholera has been treated, the mute have been brought to speak, the deaf to hear, the blind to see, devils are being cast out, diseases have been rebuked, the lepers have been healed, and many of them after the doctors failed to heal them; and these things were brought about almost immediately by the laying on of hands and the power of faith.” No doubt there was no one on this side of the Atlantic who imagined in any way that such powerful wonders were being accomplished in “the old country.” Behold, that is what the “Saints” are saying about themselves: what do others say about the “Saints?”
The Principality for November 16, gives an account of a “happy evening” held by the brotherhood in the house of one Mr. Thomas Lewis, Blaendar, near Pontypool, one of the dear brethren and preachers of the denomination. President Henshaw and Ashman, the “treasure of heaven, which professes that the keys of the heavenly dwellings are secured to his belt,” and several others of the brothers and sisters were present; and they were welcomed to supper, says the newspaper, “with more than a reasonable sufficiency of beer.” And further on it says, “We understand that Sir John Heidden during the evening had become a great friend of the greater part of the company. There were several dances and reels, and the bagpipes added much to the harmony of the music. The president oversaw all of the strange event, and he did not break up the company until the break of day, when the greatest part of the members, men and women, had considerable difficulty making their way home.” This is an example of the saintliness of the “Saints.”
The Shrewsbury Journal gives an account of the following disaster: “Last Saturday night (November 10) a woman by the name of Ann Griffiths, from Castle Foregate, was going to be received into the society of the deceitful Mormons; and for that purpose she was taken down to the river near the March-fad, Underdale. There were but four or five persons present. One of the “elders,” by the name of Thomas Lloyd, took the woman to the river to immerse her, and after he had completed the ceremony, and on returning with her to the bank, his feet slipped, and the two of them sank into about six feet of water. One of the persons on the bank, by the name of James Bishop, succeeded in saving the woman; but the man drowned, and his body has not yet been found.” This Thomas Lloyd, poor fellow, is not the first who has fallen as a victim to the deceit of the Mormons.
Treasury (Chester), March 1851, p. 104
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Latter-day Saints
The Millennial Star, the monthly publication of the Mormons, says that as many as 30,747 are registered among the “Saints” in the United Kingdom; among those are 4,937 in Wales, 3,257 in Scotland, and 90 in Ireland. Is it possible for this to be true?—that there are nearly five thousand of these deceived ones in Wales? For the honor of our nation, we trust that this estimation is baseless. A correspondent by the name of Trebor ap Dafydd provides an account that eight or nine of the “Saints” are in a parish called Llanddoged, near Llanrwst, but that there is no one in Llanrwst that is foolish enough to be deceived by the un-“saintly” deceivers. He says that one of the converts in Llanddoged was led one night, about midnight, by one of the leaders of the sect, or of the “angels of the church,” or of the apostles, to the river Conwy, to be immersed. After the two had gone into the water, the one administering the immersion took hold of the shoulder of the man, and put it over his head. As soon as the immersed got his head out of the water, the apostle asked him, whether “he had seen the Holy Ghost?” “No,” said the man; and down with him a second time. He asked him again whether he had seen the Spirit; “no,” said he; and there was his immersion into the water the third time, says our correspondent. By then, the poor creature, half dead, said that he had seen something but that he did not quite know what it was; and then the Rev. Mr. Deceiver assumed that he had witnessed the correct scene, and he went away. On another evening, they were preaching in the same area; and before the crowd had gathered together to the holy room, the deceivers had taken some sawdust, and had suspended it by a string, with a towel covering it. After finishing the sermon, the preacher went to pray for the coming of “the Spirit;” and in order to receive it, it was necessary to extinguish the candles; for even the shining of the candles of Llanddoged was too bright for the “Spirit” of the saints to appear—for it was sawdust! Actually, it was just that these asses of people were being ridden by these kinds of shameless rogues. An ounce of common sense, not to mention anything further, is sufficient security against the influence of such evil tricks.
Treasury (Chester), April 1852, p. 140
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The Latter-day Saints in their New Jerusalem
In a recent number of the Times, there is a letter from St. Louis, Missouri, from a Welshman by the name of Evan Howells, who was charmed by Mormonism to leave his country, in order to achieve happiness in the “Jerusalem” of the Saints. The original letter can be seen by contacting Mr. J. Lewis, Mineral Agent, Victoria Iron Works. Among other things in the letter, he says, “I wish for you to employ every effort in your power to persuade my friends and all people to stay where they are, instead of being hoodwinked by Mormonism, which is nothing but complete humbug, which I have been able to prove to my pain and sorrow. It is a pity that people could not perceive the deceit before leaving. All kinds of blessings are promised, but when they come here their foolishness is laughed at. It would be better for men never to have been born than to come here as Mormons. They take all your home belongings, and after you come here, they starve you if they have the chance. They take the women of the arrivals, leaving their own. Brigham Young has 24 wives, and 19 of those currently have babies on their breasts; and the lower officials have a number corresponding to their positions—some 14, some 7, and others with different numbers. The Mormons here are extremely unkind; I had to dig the grave for my own wife! She was given a suitable burial, but the Mormons did not lend a single helping hand to me at the time. The more wealthy who give a lot of money there, are also the ones who receive many promises that they will receive a lot of land and other things when they come here. Such, I say, are left to die in the workhouse, and among them are Howell Williams, William Rees, and many others. I can tell you also that there is no more respect here for the Sabbath than for any other day. All kinds of amusements go on during the Sabbath such as horse racing, bowling, card playing, drinking, dancing, and swearing, and everything else which is beyond decency; and the leaders participate in such activities to a great extent.” We have seen such notices in the newspapers from several others who were deceived by these unholy “Saints.” This, no doubt, is sufficient to place eternal condemnation on the evil deceit of Mormonism.
Treasury (Chester), December 1852, pp. 416–17
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Lectures on the Deceit of Mormonism. Lecture I. On the Deceit of the Beginning of Mormonism: Delivered in the Ruthin Town Hall, by Thomas Hughes.
Ruthin: I. Clarke
In the neighborhoods which are troubled by the visits of the creatures who call themselves “Latter-day Saints,” much benefit can be derived by distributing this lecture on the Deceit of Mormonism. The irrefutable facts herein prove that Joe Smith and his co-workers in the founding of Mormonism were unprincipled and fraudulent persons, and that the “Book of Mormon” is nothing but the fruit of cunning thievery interspersed with lies. Those who believe Mormonism must have turned their backs on common sense, if ever they had any sense at all; for on the scheme from start to finish there are nothing but the fingerprints of impudence and knavery.
Treasury (Chester, August 1855, p. 284
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Latter-day Saints
Brigham Young, the leader of the Mormons, is building two great and splendid houses next to the one he currently lives in, in Salt Lake City, to have space for his growing family. He is now rejoicing in the possession of from fifty to sixty wives, and from forty to fifty children. Elder Kimball, one of the Mormon apostles, has between sixty and seventy wives.
Treasury (Chester), September 1855, pp. 319–20
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Heinousness of Mormonism
The Cambridge Chronicle has published a despondent letter from Salt Lake City from a woman who had embraced Mormon deceit and had gone to the abode of Mormonism in America. Among other things, the letter says, “Mormonism here, and Mormonism in the old country, are two completely different systems. I would dare old Nicholas himself to reign with more oppressive authority than is used on this people; you dare not speak your mind; you are surrounded by spies who carry every word that may resemble dissatisfaction; you do not know whom you can trust; in short, you distrust everyone, and everyone distrusts you. A human life is of no worth here; cutting throats is spoken of with as little concern as cutting fingernails; truly, if it is thought that you are separating yourself from their principles, it is considered a kindness to kill you, so that your soul will be saved. I believe that this is the most deplorable cave in all of creation. A man is set against his wife; efforts are made for a man to have many wives; and the hearts of women are broken mercilessly, as if they were totally worthless. Divorces are easily obtained for five or ten dollars; and I believe that there are no women on the face of the earth more wretched than the ones here. There is a rumor that the United States are going to send an army of men soon, on their way through here to California as a pretense, but in fact to search into the bloody atrocities that are committed in this frightful place. Here I have become so fearful that I cannot take pleasure in anything; in the midst of all the wickedness and evil that are here, my every wish is for life to cease. Think of me, and pray for me.”
Treasury (Chester), February 1857, pp. 58–59
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The Present Situation of Mormonism
If you look on a recent map of the United States, you will see the territory of Utah far beyond the Mississippi, and more than halfway to the Pacific Ocean. The goal of the Mormons in going to Utah, no doubt, was to establish an independent government; but it was not long after they moved there before the American Government gained possession of California; and now the Mormons are being squeezed by the growing population of America from the East and from the West. Their region is one of the American “territories,” the name given to large parts of the country before becoming States. If they were to seek to form an independent state, they would be crushed immediately; and if they were to seek acceptance into the Union, with their current family and social institutions, they would decidedly be refused. But that which I have to say about them now is that we have reasons to hope concerning them. Those who leave them with loathing give deplorable accounts of their morals; and those who remain with them are beginning to see the need for a reform. Their representative in Washington backs every effort to send the Bible to them; and a governor has gone to their home in the desert to distribute the pure Word of God in their midst; and his arrival is eagerly expected by the people. We are expecting much from this agitation, since the opening of the words of the Lord create light and provide understanding. There is a kind of pressure from within and from without on this fanatical, deceived, and unrefined people, which is certain to end in their reform soon. Such a black mark on the civilization of our age, which is so greatly boasted about, is that it is possible to gather such people even from the dregs and remnants of Christian countries.
News of the Churches
Treasury (Chester), May 1858, p. 176
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The Mormons in Utah
The lecherous Mormons are clinging to their profession of faith and have decided not to submit to the laws of the Union, even if it forces them to lose their country or lose their lives in the battle for the Mormon faith. Lately a Mormon wrote to his brother in New York as follows: “We suffered great hardships in traveling across the wilderness for months to come to the valley of the Salt Lake; we found it with no one but the red man roaming around it. At present it is a lovely settlement, through diligence and skillful labor, but this excellent and blessed settlement will be sacrificed on the altar of our religion if we are driven from here. Perhaps someone will ask, ‘Why are you so willing to sacrifice your cherished possessions?’ Because we believe that Mormonism is the gospel of Jesus Christ, which shows the way to eternal life; and no matter how much it has been trampled and persecuted, it is more powerful and glorious than ever.”
The Friend of the Old Country
