Episodes

10.1—John Dunn Roberts answers the accusations of “H. L.”

10.2—Robert Perry (known as “Robyn Ddu Eryri”) spends one year and five weeks as a devout and supportive Latter-day Saint

10.3—An English source in Wales provides information about the Latter-day Saints in America

10.4—The Anglicans and Nonconformists blame each other regarding the Latter-day Saints

Salient Events

• 1 January 1853—This issue of Zion’s Trumpet is the first of fifty-three issues to be published during the year. At this point it had become a weekly periodical.
• 1 January 1853—The practice of plural marriage is publicly recognized in this issue of Zion’s Trumpet, which includes the Welsh translation of section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants. The practice had been publicly announced in Utah four months earlier on 29 August 1852.
• 3 January 1853—Dan Jones is called to be second counselor to President William Phillips in place of Thomas Pugh, who was released to emigrate after three years as counselor. Pugh sailed on the Ellen Maria two weeks later on 17 January 1853 and was excommunicated in absentia on 12 March 1853 for adultery.
• 12 March 1853—The first of a three-day special general counsel presided over by Samuel W. Richards, the president of the Church in Britain. Richards had come in order to deal with the hard feelings that had arisen among the Welsh leaders of the Church with respect to the transgressions of Thomas Pugh, the former second counselor in the presidency, who had emigrated a few weeks earlier. Some negative feelings that existed toward President William Phillips were also discussed. The return of Captain Dan Jones to Wales at the first of the year was extremely awkward for Phillips and John S. Davis, since Jones had been their leader for the three years preceding his departure in February 1849. Some of the other leaders had expected and even hoped that Jones would immediately replace Phillips as president and were disappointed that Jones instead became second counselor to Phillips. Pugh, the outgoing second counselor in the presidency, had previously made derogatory comments about Phillips, which made the situation even worse. Richards called for mutual forgiveness and unity, and the situation was resolved.
• 25 May 1853—The records of the Swansea Branch show that on this date a man by the name of Robert Parry was baptized. Parry was a well-known figure in the literary world of Wales at that time and often gave public lectures on temperance and other topics. During 1850 and 1851, he had been the editor of the periodical Y Wawr (The Dawn) and customarily used the nom de plume “Robyn Ddu Eryri,” translated as “Black Robin of Snowdonia.” He was forty-nine years old at the time of his conversion and was then hired by John S. Davis to assist in the publication of Zion’s Trumpet. When Dan Jones reassumed the editorship of Zion’s Trumpet in January 1854, Parry continued as a valuable employee and contributor to the periodical for about six months. Parry expressed his admiration for Jones in a 17 March 1854 letter to Thomas Jeremy: “Captain Jones, who is a kindred spirit with my heart, is not only a good man, rather I consider him to be one of the best men I have ever met.”[1] Then, after a full year of intense support of the Church as a dedicated convert, Robert Parry apparently abandoned his new religion. In mid-1854, Parry went to North Wales on a missionary assignment, and his name is never again mentioned in Zion’s Trumpet. In his memoir, published three years later, he describes his association with the Latter-day Saints as a “writing and translating job.”[2] See Episode 10.2.
• November 1853—A forty-four-page pamphlet, titled Exposure of Mormonism; Containing the History of Joseph Smith, Seven Degrees of the Temple, Spiritual Wifery, Together with the Ceremonies That Are Used on Acceptance into That Order, is published in Welsh in Swansea. The author clearly intended to defame the Latter-day Saints because of their belief in plural marriage and their acceptance of the temple ceremonies associated with this practice. The author refers to himself as “The Levite,” and he declares that the information for this “Exposure of Mormonism” has been gleaned from a variety of sources, including eyewitness accounts of very secret ceremonies by persons who had participated in them in the Nauvoo Temple. Unlike other similar attacks on the teachings and practices of the Latter-day Saints, this forty-four-page pamphlet prompted no response from any Latter-day Saint publications. More detail about this publication is contained further on in this chapter, and its facsimile translation is in the pamphlet section, Item #16.

Commentary

1853: 1 January, Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald, p. 3 (72 words).

A short report stating that about three hundred converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were at that time on their way from Copenhagen to Liverpool and then on to New Orleans.

1853: 8 January, Silurian, p. 4 (55 words). “The Mormons.”

Three hundred Mormons, from Norway and Denmark, arrived per Lion, from Hamburg, on Tuesday night, and were forwarded by Mr. R. J. Cortis, the agent, to Liverpool, en route for New Orleans and the Salt Lake. Two missionaries from America have converted 2,000 persons; the remaining 1,700 follow in the spring. Eastern Counties Herald.

1853: 15 January, Cardiffand Merthyr Guardian, p.4 (1,080 words). “Lectures on Mormonism.”

A report, written by “A Correspondent of the Birmingham Gazette, summarizing four lectures which A.B. Hepburn, an apostate from the Church, delivered “on the delusions of the Mormons or Latter-day Saints.” The writer describes Hepburn as follows:

Mr. Hepburn is a specimen of the native intelligence and shrewdness, and we might even say genius, so often found among those in the humbler walks of life. He was himself a Mormon for ten months; but having soon penetrated the flimsy veil of hypocrisy and pretension which deludes the votaries of the sect, he separated from them, and has since devoted himself to the refutation of the doctrines and exposure of the self-styled Saints.

1853: 28 January, Cambrian (140 words). “Llanelly Latter-day Saints.”

A notice that “about 20 members of this peculiar sect, residing in this neighborhood, departed [Wales] on Tuesday.” They joined about 120 others in Swansea to embark on the Troubadour, a steamer that would take them to Liverpool where a chartered vessel awaited them. The writer comments:

We believe that the poor deluded people who thus leave their native land and comfortable homes, would, when the time of departure had arrived, gladly wait behind, if the money they had deposited in their treasury was returned to them; and we shall not be surprised to hear of several preferring to remain at New Orleans or St. Louis, or some other of the American town[s], than proceed onwards; at all events this was the case with several who departed last spring.

1853: 28 January, Monmouthshire Merlin, p. 5, Item 1 (140 words).

On Tuesday, a large number of the followers of the Mormon creed, estimated at between 300 and 400, left this town, to commence their wearisome journey to the Salt Lake. Men, women, and children looked well and hearty, and appeared to look forward with anything but dread to the perils of their journey. It is understood they are a detachment only of those who are in course of the season to emigrate, under the care of Capt. Jones.

1853: 28 January, Monmouthshire Merlin, p. 5, Item 2 (1,330 words). “Newport Christian Young Men’s Society.”

A very detailed report of a debate that did not materialize between the challenger, J. Flanigan, and the one challenged, Elder Shirtcliffe. Flanigan had left the following note with “the good lady of the house” at 1 Dolphin Street, Newport, where Shirtcliffe resided:

Sir,—I have a serious charge to bring against you, this evening, at the meeting to be held in the Girls’ British School-room, Llanarth-street: the subject for discussion is thus:—“Was Mohammed or Joseph Smith the greatest impostor?”

Your attendance to rebut (if you can) my charge, is earnestly requested, and also to aid in explaining your views of Joseph Smith’s Prophetic office, which we brand with imposition and deceit.

Sir, I am yours, etc., J. Flanigan

Whether Shirtcliffe received the note or not, he did not appear that evening at the appointed place to answer Flanigan’s challenge. Initially there were some in attendance who favored the return of the threepence entrance fee for the debate. Others, however, prevailed in allowing the meeting to continue in hopes that “there might be something worth the entrance fee, after all.” Flanigan ended up being the final speaker of several who addressed the group about the evils of “Mormonism.” During his remarks, Flanigan made mention of “his desired communications with Mr. Shirtcliffe.”

Here the lady who was just now described as making an observation, rose, and emphatically intimated that Mr. Flanigan, unlike the generality of his countrymen, was no gentleman, for he did not tell the truth. When he came with the note to her house for the Elder—and here the truth burst on the meeting, that a female Mormon was present, and many stood up to gaze upon her—he had spoken very differently, and far more meekly, than he had done tonight.

The lady then said in Shirtcliffe’s defense that “he had gone to Cardiff on particular business.” But when Flanigan said “that the Elder had shifted ground often before when he was wanted in controversy,” the lady “walked out with undisguised contempt.” Flanigan brought the meeting to a close by expressing “a hope that the children of all present, might be brought up in detestation of the vicious principles of Mormonism.”

1853: January, Y Bedyddiwr (Baptist), p. 21 (65 words). “Ordination of a Minister in Aberaman near Aberdare.”

In April 1851, the Reverend David Bevan Jones (Dewi Elfed Jones) had presented this chapel to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following his baptism (see Episode 8.2). After much litigation, however, the courts ruled that it was still a Baptist chapel. Someone using the nom de plume “Lenox” gave great praise to the new minister, William Jones, and ended with the following triumphant reminder:

The reader will remember that this is the chapel that for a season was in the hands of the Saints. It is now very beautifully finished and has been secured for the Baptists, and we are confident, despite all the Satanists of the world, that the cause will yet blossom here for Jesus Christ.

1853: January, Y Methodist (Methodist), pp. 14–17 (1,095 words). “A Mormon Miracle.”

The Welsh translation of a story “told by a man by the name of Mr. Tucker, who was one of the printers who printed the Book of Mormon the first time.” The story had found its way into a book published in 1842 by John C. Bennett, who had served as a counselor to Joseph Smith for over a year before being excommunicated and removed from his position.[3] The story has to do with “a farmer in one of the States” who extended hospitality to “a respectable-looking man at his gate who requested permission to pass the night under his roof.” During the night, the man supposedly died, and the next morning two elders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appeared at the farmer’s door. When the elders learned of the “death” of the stranger, they told the farmer that they could raise the dead man to life, explaining that they had been commissioned by the Lord to work miracles “in order to prove the truth of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the inspiration of the books and doctrines revealed to him.” The farmer then sent for his neighbors, according to instructions from the elders, and also secretly hid a “well-sharpened broad axe” under his coat. When all were assembled, the farmer asked the elders if they could raise the dead man to life even if one of his arms or legs were missing from an accident. They assured him that they could. Then he asked them if they could perform their miracle even if the dead man’s head had been cut off. Again, they responded in the affirmative. The farmer then said, “So, by your leave, if it makes no difference whatever, I will proceed to cut off the head of this corpse.” The climax of the story follows:

Accordingly, he produced a huge and well-sharpened broad axe from beneath his coat, which he swung above his head, and was apparently about to bring it down upon the neck of the corpse, when, lo and behold! to the amazement of all present, the dead man started up in great agitation, and swore he would not have his head cut off for any consideration whatever![4]

The elders then confessed to having prearranged the whole incident. The story concludes as follows:

The farmer, after giving the impostors a severe chastisement, let them depart to practice their humbuggery in some other quarter.[5]

1853: February, Yr Haul (Sun), pp. 65–68 (2,745 words). “The Origin and Growth of Mormonism.”

Part one of a three-part article. All three parts consist simply of the Welsh translation of parts of Mormonism Unvailed [sic], the 1834 publication of Eber D. Howe.[6] Part two appears in the April 1853 issue of the periodical,[7] and part three appears in the June 1853 issue.[8] In order to discredit Joseph Smith’s account of how he had received the golden plates, Howe presents the testimonies of several individuals who had known Smith and his family. Peter Ingersoll, an acquaintance of Smith, gives in his testimony a brief account of what he says Smith had told him about the “golden Bible”:

“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 the table eating dinner. They 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 commandment to let no one 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 Jo, “I have got the damned fools fixed, and will carry out the fun.”[9]

Strangely, the final sentence of the above quote is omitted in the Welsh translation with an asterisk inserted in its place. The footnote at the bottom of the page explains the omission:

The part left out is the observation of Smith about the scene. It is considered inappropriate to be stated here because of its base corruption.[10]

One is left to wonder about the editor’s reason for omitting this part of Ingersoll’s account.

1853: 12 February, Silurian, p. 3 (70 words). “Extraordinary Delusion.”

Among the numerous party that has, within the last few days, left this neighborhood for the Mormon settlement, at the Salt Lake, is an old woman, 81 years of age, who is firmly impressed with the belief that she will not only reach the promised land in safety, but she will also become a young woman again. Her husband is a poor blind pauper, residing at Dyffryn, near St. Nicholas.

1853: 18 February, Monmouthshire Merlin, p. 4 (110 words). “Mormon Emigrants.”

About sixty Mormons (men, women, and children) lately living in Newport and Pontypool, having made up their minds to proceed to the land of promise, and join the camp in the precincts of the Salt Lake, this week left Newport per rail for Liverpool, there to embark for the territory hence forward to be their home. Among the party from this town, is a respectable widow, who has nearly run out the allotted span of human existence; and she has expressed a firm conviction, that her husband, though long since placed in a Cambrian grave, will be restored alive to her among the prophets and elders, to whom she is progressing.

1853: 26 February, Silurian, p. 2 (105 words). “The Mormons.”

Upwards of twenty of “the Latter-day Saints” or Mormons, from this town, and the mineral districts, left on Monday last, per South Wales Railway for Liverpool, there to embark for the Salt Lake. Amongst the number was an old man upwards of 60, (an agent in this port to an extensive coal proprietor,) who some years ago lost one of his legs by an accident; he has gone firm in the faith that when he arrives there he will no longer have any necessity for its wooden substitute, as the absent member will be restored to him in all its original vigor.

1853: 26 February, Silurian, p. 2 (110 words). “Mormon Emigrants.”

This is the same article carried by the Monmouthshire Merlin for 18 February 1853.

1853: March, Y Cenhadwr Americanaidd (American Messenger), p. 91, Item 1 (575 words). “The Mormons.”

In this letter to the editor, J. Price Jones of Burlington, Iowa, expresses alarm that “over a thousand Welsh people have emigrated already to the Salt Lake Valley.” He reports with sadness what he had seen during a recent stay in St. Louis:

I saw several hundred Welsh people going through that city toward the valley and in their midst were scores of the fairest, most modest young women industrial Wales possessed. Poor innocents! Little did they know of the dreadful fate which awaited them—all to become despoiled slaves to the wanton passions of the loathsome Mormon leaders!

Regarding polygamy, Jones writes:

The Mormons impudently denied for a long time that polygamy was a feature of their religion; but now they assert and defend the subject with the same impudence as they denied it before.

He refers to a book published by John W. Gunnison entitled The Mormons, or, Latter-day Saints, in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake:[11]

Mormonism is probably one of the remarkable phenomena of this age in the speed of its growth. Lieut. Gunnison, in the work he published recently about Mormonism, says that the population increase and temporal success of the Valley are surprising. They are making a part of America’s most barren wilderness bloom like a rose. They have machines for sugar and leather works, brought directly from France together with many men from that country to operate them. They have many famous public works in their midst. Their harvest has been extremely abundant.

Despite Gunnison’s praise of the Latter-day Saints, Jones concludes:

But what of that? There are elements of civil and social disturbance in their midst. Polygamy cannot but be an element which is sure to effect their downfall. They are “daylight plunderers.” So many scores of the female sex of our nation have already fallen prey to their teeth, when there was no savior for them! It is not choleric hatred but a necessity to shout over the whole Welsh world, through the medium of the Messenger—that Mormonism is a curse on mankind, loathsome in society, and a stench in the creation.

1853: March, Y Cenhadwr Americanaidd (American Messenger), pp. 91–92, Item 2 (340 words).

This article is from a correspondent of the New York Tribune writing from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He tells of the preparations being made for the immigrants to continue their trek to Salt Lake City:

Missionaries here were sent from there to assist and encourage the people in their preparations for migrating, and it appears that there will be from five to six thousand going there in the spring.[12]

The writer further comments about the land that the Latter-day Saints had cultivated:

The improvements made to the land by these Mormons will facilitate the settlement of this part of Iowa. They have cultivated a considerable amount of land, and some of that has been enclosed to a good extent; and they will sell it for what it has cost to plough the prairie and enclose it.[13]

1853: 4 March, North Wales Chronicle, p. 7 (58 words). “The West Indies.”

Four Mormons had arrived at Kingston from the territory of Utah, but were prevented from lecturing in that city by the mayor and attorney-general, through apprehensions of a riot. One of them, however, had lectured in Spanish Town by permission of the governor, but he was so quizzed by the wags that he could not complete his harangue.

Episode 10.1

Start: John Dunn Roberts answers the accusations of “H. L.”

1853: April, Y Bedyddiwr (Baptist), p. 119 (600 words). “Mormonism.”

The writer, “H. L.,” provides an account of some “young boys” in the Brecon area who had received baptism from the Latter-day Saints about a year earlier, one of whom, David Davies, was taken ill and died. According to H. L., Davies suffered from extreme guilt for having converted to the new religion and instructed his mother not to allow any of them to come near him. H. L. also added:

As much as half an hour before dying, he hit the bed intending to hit John Roberts, the one who baptized him, and he died in that way. His death has caused all the aforementioned boys to leave the Saints.

1853: 23 April, Udgorn Seion (Zion’s Trumpet), pp.270–73 (1,190 words). “Defense.”

A response to H.L. from John Dunn Roberts, the person who had baptized David Davies, the young boy who subsequently died. Regarding H.L.’s assertion that young Davies, at the onset of his illness, would not allow any of the Saints to come near him, Roberts declares:

Claiming that he did not allow any of the Saints to go near him is a baseless lie and a fabricated tale; for while he was able to go out after he was taken ill, he came most often to my house, and I went to his house; and the neighborhood where he lived are witnesses of that.[14]

As for Davies’s attempt to hit Roberts just before Davies died, Roberts writes:

Had he hit me, H. L. could call that a miracle, to be sure; for at the time the above brother died, I was about twenty miles from Brecon, which many know.[15]

In his article, Roberts also responds to H. L.’s statement that no scripture other than the Bible is necessary and that there is no further need for miracles.

End: John Dunn Roberts answers the accusations of “H. L.”

1853: April, Yr Eurgrawn Wesleyaidd (Wesleyan Treasury), pp. 128–29 (365 words).

An account by a shopkeeper in Newbury, England, concerning Richard Currell, a cobbler who had converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the spring of 1848, the shopkeeper was reading aloud from the Millennial Star to some young men about “the ordination of Richard Currell into the Mormon priesthood.” One of the young men observed that Currell was a cobbler who lived in the town and was known by the name of Dusty Currell. Later, in answer to the shopkeeper’s request, the young man identified Currell when Currell was looking in the window of the shop. The shopkeeper invited the cobbler into his shop and asked him if it was true that he had been arrested with others in Warwick and Leamington the previous year for raising a riot in the streets. After receiving an affirmative answer, the shopkeeper explained his motive for posing the question:

“My reason for questioning you like this is that I recently saw the magazine of the Latter-day Saints, entitled The Millennial Star, in which it is said that you were ordained a priest in Leamington, and that they cast many devils out of you, the number being mentioned, namely a hundred and forty, I think, or something around that; and that they saw them coming out of you, but that they went back again as fast as they came out, and a lot faster; and I wanted to ask you if you know about the matter?” “Ho!” said he, “a set of d----d fools! I heard they had put something about me in the paper; but they never let me see it!” And at that, he went out of the shop.[16]

The correspondent ended his account with this comment:

I hear that Dusty is again an official member of the religion of the Latter-day Saints and speaks in a foreign tongue in their public meetings.[17]

The account of the incident in the Millennial Star appears in the 1 August 1847 issue and was submitted by Thomas Smith, the President of the Leamington Spa Conference.[18] Smith indicates that Richard Currell “had been proposed at the council meeting at Stratford-on-Avon, to be ordained to the office of a priest.” Smith adds:

But as soon as he had expressed his willingness to take the office, some evil spirits (devils) entered him, and declared he should not be ordained, and if he went to the conference they would go too.[19]

Four days later, in the company of a Brother and Sister Freeman, Currell started on his twenty-mile walk to Coventry to attend a conference where he was to be ordained a priest. Smith reports:

On the road, the devils entered Brother C. several times, and four times while passing through the town of Warwick, and were as often rebuked by Elder Freeman, in the presence of many people, to whom he bore a faithful testimony. At length they arrived at Leamington Spa, in order to remain the night, but as soon as they entered the house, the devils began to rage and swear.[20]

Thomas Smith then tells of his own arrival in Leamington Spa:

I got to the house about nine o’clock in the evening. I had scarcely got in before they began to swear at me. I rebuked them, and they came out of him; but as fast as one lot went another came, declaring Currell should not go to Coventry, each party tearing him and trying to kill him. Thus, they continued until one o’clock, when we lay down until five, when another party came swearing that we should not take him to conference, and tried to choke him. We cast out several lots until eight o’clock, when five of us started to take him with us to Coventry, 10 miles distant.[21]

The attacks continued along the way to Coventry and after they arrived for the meeting. Smith continues his report as follows:

While we were preparing for dinner, some stronger devils took possession of Brother C. We expelled them, and in came two policemen, and took Brother Currell to the police station. I went with him, others following, amid the insults and hooting of the mob, to the station. The superintendent, on hearing the case, ordered Brother C. to be locked up for having a devil, and me for casting him out, and thus causing a disturbance.[22]

After two hours in “a filthy room along with two drunken men,” Smith and Currell were released. They went to the conference where Currell was ordained a priest. But during the ordination, Currell was again possessed. And they continued to be troubled by evil spirits during the remainder of the conference. Smith was philosophical about the situation:

Instead of these things doing us any harm it has done us good, and we feel to bless the name of God, to give him all the glory, and shout his praise among the people, and to preach the gospel with renewed energy among the sons of men.[23]

1853: 5 May, Y Gwron Cymreig (Welsh Hero), p. 4 (310 words). “Manners and Customs of the Mormon Preachers.”

Two things in this article are the cause for wonder: First, the title includes the phrase “Mormon Preachers,” neglecting to clarify that George Adams, the focus of the article, had been excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints several years earlier in 1845. Second, the opening phrase of the article is as follows: “The Boston Herald, upon publishing the death of Elder George Adams, a Mormon preacher.” The editor is obviously confusing two people by the name of George Adams, for the one associated with the Latter-day Saints did not die until 1880. The remainder of the article consists of a report of “Elder” George Adams and the thrashing he reportedly gave to the editor of the Boston Herald after the editor’s “rather harsh critique” of Adams’s portrayal of Richard III in the National Playhouse.

1853: 7 May, Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald, p. 6 (47 words).

These deluded people the Mormons, principally from Carmarthenshire, still continue to leave their native shore in large numbers for the land of promise—the Salt Lake. Last week, nearly one hundred persons, many of them highly-respectable yeomen, left Swansea for Liverpool in the Troubadour steamer for embarkation.

1853: June, Seren Gomer (Star of Gomer), p. 278 (125 words). “Verses to the Latter-day Saints.”

An insulting poem of four 4-line stanzas by “Iolo Gwyddolwern.” Here is the first stanza:

Latter-day Saints—there is a miracle,

If I follow true power,

I shall flee from the disgrace of lies,

To better men, if I find deceit.

1853: June, Yr Eurgrawn Wesleyaidd (Wesleyan Treasury), pp. 206–8 (1,160 words). “Review. Lectures on the Deceit of Mormonism.”

A review of the second pamphlet that resulted from the second lecture of Thomas Hughes given on 25 February 1853 at the Rhuthin town hall. See Episode 9.8.

1853: Mormoniaeth, neu Draethawd ar y Sect a Elwir “Seintiau y Dyddiau Diweddaf,” gan y Parch. F. B. Ashley (Mormonism, or a Treatise on the Sect Called “The Latter-day Saints,” by the Rev. F. B. Ashley), pamphlet, 34 pages.

For more particulars regarding this pamphlet, see the discussion below for Yr Haul (The Sun) for June 1853.

1853: June, Yr Haul (Sun), pp. 230–31 (890 words). “Mormonism, or a Treatise on the Sect Called ‘The Latter-day Saints,’ by the Rev. F. B. Ashley.”

A review of the Welsh translation of the pamphlet by this name. It is fitting that this thirty-four-page treatise was recommended by the editor of the Anglican periodical, the Sun, since the author, Francis B. Ashley, was an Anglican vicar in Wooburn Parish, Buckinghamshire. The English original was published in 1851 in London, and the Welsh translation, done by Rev. G. C. F. Harries, made its appearance in 1853 in Merthyr Tydfil. The writer of the review gives his name as “Hywel,” but his real identity is most likely David Owen, the one-time Baptist who had become an Anglican vicar and editor of the Sun. In his review, Hywel praises Harries for his work in providing this “inexpensive treatise on Mormonism in the Welsh language.” Hywell also recommends that Anglican vicars and “others who wish the good of their parishioners” purchase a few hundred copies of the treatise for distribution. He then warns:

The appearance of this treatise is timely; in a month or two from now, the Mormon tribe will begin to crawl out like snakes, and other poisonous vermin, from the coal pits and underground holes and cellars of Glamorgan, and they will appear on Sundays, and fine days, in swarms across the country, along the hedgerows, on bridges, and in villages, and in the houses of lascivious women; in a word they will be teeming like the frogs in Egypt. They will climb up and come into thine House, oh Welshman, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and upon the bed of thy wife, and thy daughter, and thy servant girl; and into the remains of thy food. Buy this treatise on Mormonism, and keep it in the house, and it will be enough of a spell to keep away the awful disease and plague.[24]

1853: 24 June, Monmouthshire Merlin, p. 5, Item 1 (90 words). “Mormonism.”

Mr. George Gaisford, of Ebbw Vale, has again addressed us on the subject of Mormonism—his principle object being to reply to statements made respecting him, in a letter recently published in the Merlin, at the request of Mr. John Flanegan, of Newport. Mr. Gaisford goes somewhat at length into matters brought forward in Mr. Flanegan’s letter, and gives a direct contradiction to many of his statements. As, however, the matter has now assumed a simply personal character, further correspondence upon it would be destitute of public interest.

1853: 24 June, Monmouthshire Merlin, p. 5, Item 2 (125 words). “The Latter-day Saints.”

Since our last notice of the Latter-day Saints, they have attempted with double vigor to persuade the inhabitants into an acceptance of their creed. On Sunday evening last, they held a meeting on the Castle Green, which was attended by a large congregation; but none of their own sect. At the conclusion of the addresses of Messrs. Owen and Gibbs, the congregation almost unanimously hooted them from Castle Green to Flannel Street, where the so-called Saints had recourse to the assistance of the police for protection, fearing violence from the mob. Mr. Owen has at length refused to give an answer to any question put to him in public; but says he is willing to explain the principles of Mormonism in private.

1853: 25 June, Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald, p. 6 (34 words).

A Mormon preacher, named O’Kelly, while preaching at Spurstow, on Sunday week, said the reason of the disease among cattle and potatoes, was on account of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet.

Episode 10.2

Start: Robert Perry (known as “Robyn Ddu Eryri”) spends one year and five weeks as a devout and supportive Latter-day Saint

The 1853 conversion of the poet and lecturer Robert Parry (often known by his nom de plume “Robyn Ddu Eryri”) to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints caused a reaction of bewilderment in the Nonconformist community. In the Latter-day Saint community, however, Parry’s conversion came as a pleasant surprise. And John S. Davis most likely viewed Parry’s conversion as a personal blessing—Davis recognized Parry’s literary talents and soon had him assisting with the preparation and publication of the weekly periodical Zion’s Trumpet.

1853: 11 June, Udgorn Seion (Zion’s Trumpet), p. 388 (34 words).

A brief note about Robert Parry’s baptism:

We are informed by a letter from Elder T. Jeremy, that the famous Mr. Robert Parry (Robyn Ddu) was baptized recently in Swansea, and that he has enlisted in the army of the Saints.

The Llanelli Branch records indicate that Parry was baptized on 25 May by William Thomas and confirmed on 29 May by Robert Evans, the branch president.

1853: 9 July, Udgorn Seion (Zion’s Trumpet), p. 6 (35 words). “The Poet to Himself.”

A four-line poem that Robert Parry wrote about his conversion:

I was baptized, let it be a promise—to live henceforth,

Without the urges of my faults;

Through fervent godly prayer,

From the deep pain, Robyn will come.

Robyn Ddu, Eryri.

1853: 24 September, Udgorn Seion (Zion’s Trumpet), p. 197 (5,000 words). “Definitive Proof That the Saints of the Most High Did Not Deceive nor Were They Deceived.”

Robert Parry places the following scriptural quotation at the top of this twelve-page testimony, which details his conviction of the truthfulness of the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. Acts 26:25.

Parry had no doubt experienced considerable bewilderment from his Nonconformist friends and associates when he made the sudden decision to align himself with the Latter-day Saints. The scripture he quoted was obviously to assure his friends that he had not lost his senses.

He then proceeds to describe in great detail the reasons for his conversion. Referring to himself in the third person, Parry writes:

Whatever opinion readers of the foregoing reasons form of their strength, perhaps some of them will think the following is quite weak; but to the writer, the following is the strongest of the lot: namely, that he, in his obedience to the Gospel, received testimony to and for himself; that he received his testimony through revelation; and that he knows that he was received into the community of the Saints, in the Church of Jesus Christ. There was scarcely any acquaintance between him and any people among the Saints, before he joined them, and not many of them are known to him to this day; nevertheless, he testifies that no money could buy him from his certain knowledge of the religion they profess: and he has seen more brotherly love between them in a few weeks than he saw in his whole life amongst other believers.[25]

Parry promises the readers of his testimony that

through their obedience to all the conditions of the Gospel, and having its sacraments administered to them by servants sent by God, with the Latter-day Saints, that they will receive testimony themselves.[26]

Two periodicals and four newspapers reported on and reacted to the baptism of Robert Parry (see the descriptions below).

1853: 24 September, North Wales Chronicle, p. 3 (130 words). “Mormonism.”

The writer first comments about the success of the Latter-day Saints in South Wales:

The adherents to the doctrines of Mormonism increase rather than diminish in those districts of South Wales where they have established themselves, and of late they have received an accession of strength in several persons of middle-class station. A well-known Welsh lecturer, named Robert Parry, better known by his appellation of “Robyn Ddu,” has recently joined the ranks of Mormonism.

The writer then reports on the large numbers of converts leaving Wales:

An extensive exodus has taken place during the summer, and numbers have found their way over to the waters of the Salt Lake. Large bodies of these people have left Glamorganshire, Carmarthenshire, and the hill country of Monmouth for America, and numbers will leave their native land next spring for their Elysium. Miracles are reputed to have been performed by the elders of the sect, all of which are faithfully believed.

1853: October, Yr Haul (Sun), p. 363 (220 words). “Robyn Ddu Eryri.”

The editor pokes fun at the Independents for their treatment of Robert Parry, who had recently converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During 1850 and 1851, Parry was the editor of the periodical Y Wawr (The Dawn) and was a well-known speaker on temperance in Wales. The writer points out:

When Robyn was a de facto member among the Independents, and lecturing in favor of temperance, many of the chapels of the Independents were closed against him. He was denied the use of the chapel of the Independents in Cardiff to preach or to lecture; but when Robyn was in Cardiff editing the Dawn, being neither member nor preacher, or even associated with the Independents or anyone else, he was invited by the Independents in Cardiff to deliver a lecture in their chapel in order to collect money to pay the debt of the chapel.

1853: 7 October, The Cambrian (75 words). “Cwmtwrch.”

A brief report on a sermon given by Robert Parry (Robyn Ddu Eryri) at the George the Fourth pub in Cwmtwrch, a village located about fifteen miles north of Swansea. At first the audience was just a few people, but it eventually increased to about thirty. The writer refers to Parry as “the great orator” and observes that the Latter-day Saints are “but very few in the neighborhood.”

1853: 15 October, Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald, p. 3 (40 words).

On Friday week last, the celebrated Robert Parry (Robin [sic] Ddu) delivered a sermon on Mormonism, in Swansea. From thirty to forty persons went to hear the great orator. The Latter-day Saints number but very few in the neighborhood.

1853: 15 October, Silurian, p. 2 (100 words).

Mormonism is increasing rather than diminishing in those districts of South Wales where it has established itself, and of late it has received an accession of strength in several persons of the middle class. A well-known Welsh lecturer, named Robert Parry, better known by his appellation of “Robin [sic] Ddu,” has recently joined the ranks, and is now holding forth to the deluded people. An exodus has taken place during the summer, and numbers have found their way over to the Salt Lake. Large bodies of these misguided people have left Glamorganshire, Carmarthenshire, and the hill country of Monmouth for America, and numbers will leave next spring.

1853: November, Y Cyfaill o’r Hen Wlad yn America (Friend of the Old Country in America), p. 445 (190 words). “Mormonism in Wales.”

Robert Parry’s name also appears in this Welsh-language publication in New York. The writer observes:

The well-known Welsh orator Robert Parry, or Robyn Ddu, has enlisted himself under the Mormon banner, and is now preaching zealously to the deceived people.

The writer expresses alarm at the large number of Welsh from South Wales who had become Latter-day Saints and ends his article with the following:

It is to the credit of the Americans that not many of them have swelled the armies of the Mormon Prophet, while the shame of Wales is greater through this their foolishness than anything the Blue Books could place on them.

The “Blue Books” refers to the 1847 reports of the English commissioners about the state of education in Wales. The Blue Books caused great resentment among the Welsh for the manner in which the Welsh were disparaged in the reports.

1854: 15 July, Udgorn Seion (Zion’s Trumpet), pp. 417–19 (125 words). “Letter from President Jeremy.”

In this 22 March 1854 letter to Dan Jones, Thomas Jeremy quotes from a 17 March 1854 letter he had received from Robert Parry:

I shall tell you a little secret: Captain Jones, who is a kindred spirit with my heart—is not only a good man, rather I consider him to be one of the best men I have ever met. If I considered him unworthy of the respect I have for him, I would have concluded these lines without mentioning his name, any more than to say that he sends you his regards. But as I told you, he is one of the best I have seen; it is not necessary to say that I am sincere in my statement—I can swear to you and prove that he is such, and with pleasure, trust, and Christian love I can put my name in writing by this statement.

Just two months later, Robert Parry sent a letter directly to Dan Jones from North Wales. In the letter, Parry expresses his love for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

1854: 8 July, Udgorn Seion (Zion’s Trumpet), pp. 402–3 (380 words). “Letter from Elder Robert Parry.”

This letter to Dan Jones is dated 20 May 1854, just a few days short of Parry’s one-year anniversary as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Parry was in North Wales when he wrote the letter, and he sends greetings from several faithful followers in that area. He adds:

I told them in response to some questions, that our church is superior to all others, not only in the various spiritual gifts, but also in the effects that are caused by them, such as godly men, unity, charity, and doing good with generosity, that I have seen more brotherly love in this church, during six months, than in the seventeen years I belonged to the Independents.

1854: 22 July, Udgorn Seion (Zion’s Trumpet), p. 433 (28 words). “East Glamorgan Conference.”

The minutes for this conference, held on 2 July 1854 in Merthyr Tydfil, contain the following entry:

Elder Robert Parry was permitted to go to North Wales to preach the gospel, according to his own desire. He was released from this Conference by unanimous vote.

The foregoing entry is the final mention of Robert Parry in Zion’s Trumpet.

After a full year of intense activity and support of the Church as a dedicated convert, Robert Parry apparently abandoned his new religion. Three years later, he published Teithiau a Barddoniaeth Robyn Ddu Eryri (Travels and Poetry of Robyn Ddu Eryri), in which he describes his association with the Latter-day Saints as a “writing and translating job.” He avoids mentioning that he was baptized by them and that he preached their doctrine as an ordained elder, nor does he mention the reason behind the falling out he obviously had with them.

In the Biographical Dictionary of Wales is the following assessment by Parry’s biographer:

[Robert Parry] failed to master any craft or trade and spent years of his life wandering from place to place in Wales and England; he once visited the United States, but did not stay long. He was at different times, a schoolmaster, a lawyer’s clerk, a preacher, a lecturer on temperance, an advocate of Mormonism, and, between 1850 and 1852, editor of Y Wawr [The Dawn], a periodical published in Cardiff. He was best known as a speaker on temperance; many doubted his sincerity, in view of his own conduct.[27]

End: Robert Perry (known as “Robyn Ddu Eryri”) spends one year and five weeks as a devout and supportive Latter-day Saint

1853: 2 July, Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald, p. 4 (145 words).

Another story of a “Mormon” rising from the dead—in this case, “200 of these disciples of Mormon had met in a school-room in order to witness the resurrection of a corpse.”

1853: 9 July, Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian, p. 2 (245 words).

Brigham Young addresses a congregation of saints and denounces the disobedient. Here is a sample of what he says:

Now, you nasty apostates, clear out, or judgment will be put to the line, and righteousness to the plummet. (Voices generally—“Go it, go it!”) If you say it is right, raise your hands. (All hands up.)

1853: 16 July, Monmouthshire Beacon, p. 8 (360 words). “Mormonism.”

The writer shows surprise about how gullible the converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are. He tells of an “aged widow” who expected to meet her dead husband in Salt Lake City “in perfect health.” He also writes of a man who claimed to have sufficient faith to remove a mountain in his neighborhood. And he describes the experience of a crippled man who was healed and convinced he could fly, but while the man was flying to Salt Lake City, he was shot out of the sky.

1853: 23 July, Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian, p. 3 (78 words).

Intelligence by the Overland Mail states that the Mormons are making a desperate effort just now for the conversion of India to the creed of Joe Smith. Thirteen “ministers” arrived from the city of the Salt Lake, via California, a month or six weeks ago, and their “high priest” has lately got one of the newspapers to publish his manifesto. They seem likely, however, to proceed with some difficulty, as their gift of tongues does not include Bengalee.

1853: August, Seren Gomer (Star of Gomer), p. 382 (215 words). “Dissention in the Mormon Camp.”

The writer reports on Brigham Young’s attempts to get the pioneers to continue their journey from Council Bluffs to the Salt Lake Valley. Also, “to the great discomfort of President Brigham Young,” there were among the pioneers who asked for “proof.” The writer counsels:

We think it would be wiser for them to ask for “proof” before leaving their homes. We hope, however, that this will be a warning to others. We understand that the gentleman, president, on the 27th of last June, addressed “the true Saints” with raging and ferocious eloquence, commanding the skeptics to get on their way to California; and he appealed to his listeners to drive away the dissenters by the power of arms—for which work he asked for divine help. Whether this law was put completely into action or not, we do not yet know.

1853: 6 August, Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian, p. 3 (360 words). “Mormonism.”

The same article as in the Monmouthshire Beacon for 16 July 1853.

1853: 13 August, Monmouthshire Beacon, p. 6 (265 words).

A murderous attack was made upon a body of Mormons in Beaver Island on the 13th of July.

For readers in Wales, the followers of James Strang continued to be confused with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

1853: 10 September, North Wales Chronicle, p. 2 (60 words). “Mormonism.”

One of the disciples of Joe Smith, the Mormon prophet, sporting the sobriquet of Captain Jones, or Rev. Capt. Jones, we are not certain as to his precise classification, delivered a lecture or sermon in support of the above delusion, in the Waterloo Rooms, in this city [Bangor], on Monday evening. The audience consisted of about twenty people of both sexes.

1853: 24 September, North Wales Chronicle, p. 3 (130 words). “Mormonism.”

The adherents to the doctrines of Mormonism increase rather than diminish in those districts of South Wales where they have established themselves, and of late they have received an accession of strength in several persons of middle-class station. A well-known Welsh lecturer, named Robert Parry, better known by his appellation of “Robyn Ddu,” has recently joined the ranks of Mormonism. An extensive exodus has taken place during the summer, and numbers have found their way over to the waters of the Salt Lake. Large bodies of these people have left Glamorganshire, Carmarthenshire, and the hill country of Monmouth for America, and numbers will leave their native land next spring for their Elysium. Miracles are reputed to have been performed by the elders of the sect, all of which are faithfully believed.

1853: 8 October, Udgorn Seion (Zion’s Trumpet), pp. 229–32 (1,270 words). “The Cause of the Various Sects.” John S. Davis inserted this article which had been printed nearly a decade earlier in the February 1844 issue of Star of Gomer. He offered no commentary or observations; rather, he allowed the article to speak for itself.

The author of the article identifies himself as “A Lame Welshman”; his objective is to show by scriptural evidence that there can be only one “Christian” religion. For, he explains, if a religion differs in any way, though the difference be minor, from the doctrine established by the Savior, it then ceases to be a Christian religion and must be called by some other name. Several denominations considered themselves to be Christian: the Baptists, the Methodists, the Congregationalists, and numerous other similar religions, despite their differences, referred to one another as Christian, for they all claimed to believe in Christ and follow His teachings. Also, they were all in agreement that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was heretical and undeserving of being called Christian. They took great offense whenever the Latter-day Saints referred to themselves as constituting the only true and authentic church established by the Savior according to his doctrine.

Davis’s apparent objective in printing the article is to demonstrate the contradiction of the various “Christian” religions, which assumed this title among themselves while at the same time asserting the existence of only one “true” church of Christ and vociferously claiming that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was definitely not that church.

1853: 15 October, Udgorn Seion (Zion’s Trumpet), pp. 250–53 (1,300 words). “Signs of the Last Days.”

As he had done only a week before, John S. Davis elected to insert an article from the Star of Gomer in this issue of his periodical. The article, which appeared in the January 1827 issue of the Star of Gomer, was written by “R. from the North” and focuses on the topic of signs of the last days. By including this article, Davis again shows that the Baptists had the right idea but that their interpretation of the scriptures was faulty. Davis quotes the following from R. from the North:

There is no scriptural basis for calling anyone Christian except those who profess the faith and willingly agree to keep everything commanded by Christ; and woe betide the world when men put light in place of darkness, and sweet for bitter; and shout that there is delight and peace, when destruction is near and at the doors.[28]

By using this quote without commentary, Davis implies that the term Christian can be applied to only The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—the only church that implements the teachings of the Savior in the way they were intended.

1853: 8 October, Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian, p. 2 (200 words).

An account of a priest who was administering the last rites to a dying woman. The priest said:

After I had finished prayer, one of her family (who is a Mormonite and also a preacher with them) seemed very desirous to argue with me, on the fitness of men to be priests, according to the order of Moses and Aaron, and such other views as they hold. But I said, “Sir, this is not a fitting place to have controversy. My duties are with the dying, and the only priesthood I can now talk of is after the order of Melchizedek, He, who is our great High Priest; and if you are a Christian man, you will be more anxious to pray to that great High Priest to hear our prayers, and save the soul of this poor dying woman.” This put an end to the wished-for controversy, and in a few moments after, the poor woman died.

1853: 26 November, North Wales Chronicle, p. 6 (60 words). “Amenities of Yankee Journalism.”

The New York Tribune, in an elaborate article on the Mormons, defends bigamy out-and-out. This is rather odd for a “reform paper.”—Lowell Journal and Courier. “The Lowell Journal and Courier, in an unelaborate article on progress, tells a lie out-and-out. This is not at all odd for a paper that needs reforming.”—New York Tribune.

Episode 10.3

Start: An English source in Wales provides information about the Latter-day Saints in America

1853: October, The Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Record, pp. 225–29, Item 1 (2,875 words). “Mormonism. The Parentage and More Private Life of Joe Smith.”

The following introduction precedes this first of three articles on the topic of Mormonism:

As the abettors of “the last and lowest” religious imposture are displaying renewed activity in various parts of Wales, we will lay before our readers in this and two or three succeeding numbers a few facts respecting the false prophet and his sect.

1853: December, The Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Record, pp. 269–74, Item 2 (2,960 words). “Mormonism. Alleged Discovery of the Book of Mormon.”

Here is a portion of the opening paragraph for this second article:

“Evil men and seducers,” wrote Paul to Timothy, “shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” A more impressive illustration of the truth contained in these words cannot be taken out of modern history than that supplied by the career of the impostor Joe Smith. Being a dissolute character, his idle habits led him to resort to the most unscrupulous shifts for the purpose of securing the means of sensual gratification. He therefore found it necessary to add lying to idleness and drunkenness.

1854: February, The Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Record, pp. 27–32, Item 3 (2,915 words). “Mormonism. Advance of the Sect up to the Death of Smith.”

Here is a portion of the opening paragraph for this third and final article:

In this portion of the history of the Mormons, we shall see the growth of the love of power in the mind of the false prophet, leading to the practice of deceit on a larger scale and with more audacity as well as more tact than ever.

All three articles in this Carmarthen-based, English-language periodical consist of quotations from various English-language sources; however, aside from the editor’s reflections as quoted above, these articles contain nothing pertinent to Wales or to the Welsh. Consequently, only the links to the online articles are provided in Appendix A.

End: An English source in Wales provides information about the Latter-day Saints in America

1853: November, Dynoethiad Mormoniaeth; yn cynwys Hanes Joseph Smith, Saith Graddy Deml, Gwreigiaeth Ysbrydol, yn nghyda’r Seremoniau a arferirar Dderbyniadi’r Urdd hono. O Enau Tystion Profedig. (Exposure of Mormonism; Containing the History of Joseph Smith, Seven Degrees of the Temple, Spiritual Wifery, Together with the Ceremonies That Are Used on Acceptance into That Order. From the Mouths of Proven Witnesses. Gathered by the Levite), pamphlet, 44 pages.

In his foreword, dated November 1853, “The Levite” gives his place of residence as Ystradgynlais (though no other identifying information) and describes his motive for producing this pamphlet:

The current situation of our compatriots in their relationship with Mormonism is sufficient reason for calling attention to the subject. No matter how stupid and foolish this religion is, how senseless its followers are, and how low and contemptuous are the one and the other in the opinion of the best men of the world, since there are souls being enticed by them, it is good to try to do something to head off the calamity. And we cannot think of anything better than to present an open description of the life and religion of the Mormons before our friends, from the mouths of credible witnesses, and allow them to judge for themselves. We have selected that which is seen on the following pages from several English-language books published in America, with a wide circulation—read by a host of Mormons, who dare not refute their veracity. We have made extensive use of a critical article in the British and Foreign Evangelical Review of one of the books referred to above.

The historical information about Joseph Smith contained in pages 5–17 appears to have been borrowed from the writings of Eber D. Howe and a variety of other sources. Publications by John Van Dusen, an excommunicated Latter-day Saint, are the source for pages 17–35. He and his wife had participated in the ceremonies performed in the Nauvoo Temple during its brief use in late 1845 and early 1846. They published their recollections, along with some possible embellishments of their experience, and sold them for a substantial amount of money in New York. The commentary in pages 35–41 is inserted to answer the question “What are the religious tenets of the Mormons?” Several passages from the Doctrine and Covenants are used to provide information about Latter-day Saint teachings. Pages 41–44 contain the oft-used tale of the missionary who pretended to be dead after spending the night at the home of a kind family. The next morning, two of his colleagues claimed they could raise him from the dead, at which point the head of the house raised the missionary from his bed by threatening to cut off the missionary’s head with a knife.

No response to this pamphlet is to be found in Zion’s Trumpet or in a separate publication. Nor has any commentary in religious or secular publications from other enemies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints been identified.

Episode 10.4

Start: The Anglicans and Nonconformists blame each other regarding the Latter-day Saints

1853: 12 November, The Silurian, p.4 (540 words about the Latter-day Saints).

A long and very sarcastic letter dated 25 October 1853 and written by David Rees, editor of the Congregationalist periodical The Revivalist. The letter,which was directed to the Anglican bishop of Llandaff, was written in answer to the bishop’s lecture given recently in the Cardiff town hall and entitled “What to do about the Nonconformists?” Neither the Baptists nor any of the other Nonconformists were in “conformity” with the Catholic beliefs or those of the Church of England. Nonconformity had largely supplanted the Church of England throughout Wales by the mid-eighteenth century, and the Welsh became a “chapel-going” people. Those who remained members of the Church of England went to “church.” Thus, the Anglican bishop of Llandaff posed the question as to what the Anglicans were to do with the Nonconformists. David Rees, a Congregationalist, answered the bishop’s question with one of his own:

Pray, what, my Lord, can there be in you, or in your creed, or in your sect, to fit you to take our places on the field of contest, in order to counteract the evils that are said to be now overwhelming, or are about to overspread the country? What particular adaptation is there in your social position, in your religious formulas, or in your general habits and arrangements, as a body corporate, to meet the exigency of the case, and to cast out those sturdy devils which are said to be about to defeat the united armies of Dissent?

Rees counseled the bishop:

Of a truth, my Lord, I would advise you to stand aloof, lest they should answer you as a similar tribe answered the sons of Sceva, “Jesus we know, and the Dissenters we know, but who are ye?” and prevail against you.

Rees pointedly asked the bishop, “What can you do to cast out Mormonism?” Then Rees went on to compare this new religion to the that of the Anglicans:

Are the Mormons not your offspring? Do they not bear your image? Have they not a baptismal regeneration like you? Do they not anoint the sick like you? Have they no confirmation like you? Have they no apostolical succession like you? Do they not claim the exclusive right of preaching like you? Can they not remit sins like you? Have they not holy orders like you? Have they not the right to confer the Holy Ghost like you? The common prayer book contains everything the Saints profess to receive from the book of Mormon. Is it supposable that these Satans can be cast out by Satans of precisely the same nature? Whom could you, my Lord, depute from your ranks to encounter that terrible heresy—the denial of the existence of the devil? Your chief instructor through the press is, I am told, an heretic on this point. You have not heard that any minister or editor of the orthodox sects is so presumptuous as to inculcate such a heresy; but, if I am misinformed, Brutus is not a fit person to be entrusted with the task of establishing the doctrine of the entity of his Satanic Majesty. It is no wonder if there are few on the Hills wicked enough to follow Brutus in this heresy.

The negative comments about “Brutus” are directed at David Owen, the editor of the Anglican periodical The Sun. David Owen had used his nom de plume, Brutus, since the time he was an ordained Baptist minister in his twenties and was responsible for four chapels in North Wales. But when he appealed for financial aid from the Unitarian Association, claiming that his congregations had accepted Unitarian beliefs, he was expelled from the Baptists and became an Independent. Then in 1835, at age forty, he was given the editorship of the Sun and became an Anglican.

In the December 1853 issue of his periodical, Owen presents a seven-page rebuttal to the attacks which David Rees had leveled against the bishop of Llandaff through the Revivalist.[29] Regarding Rees’s comparison of the Anglicans to the “Mormons,” Owen elected not to defend the Anglicans against such offensive charges; rather, he opted to counterattack the Nonconformists. To do so, he quoted from an article by “Eta Delta” (Evan Davies) in the June 1851 issue of the Revivalist:[30]

As Nonconformists and other Dissenters in Wales, we have cause to lament, to humble ourselves, and to repent, especially before God, for the apathetic and stagnant condition of the churches in our midst, and because of the darkness and ignorance of the country in general. We have no room to boast or take comfort; rather to be ashamed, to weep, and to fear greatly! Despite all the houses of worship, the schools, ministers, preachers, deacons, Sabbath School teachers, all the hundreds of manifold congregations, and thousands of religious communicants or those who profess religion—yet many are seen turning to Catholicism, yes, different kinds of Catholicism! And worse, and even more contemptible than the Catholics are the Mormons. . . . It is my understanding that there are hundreds of Welsh who have accepted Mormonism, to their worldly and eternal ruin![31]

Owen also quotes from another article by Eta Delta in the December 1851 issue of the Revivalist:[32]

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 [the Mormons] were proper Christians![33]

There is no evidence in John S. Davis’s published writings that he was even aware of this dispute between Brutus and David Rees. But there is also the possibility that he was, indeed, very much aware of the dispute and decided to enjoy the quarrel while ignoring it in his publications.

1853: 16 November, Yr Amserau (Times), p. 2 (540 words in the segments about the Latter-day Saints).

This article is a Welsh translation of David Rees’s letter published in the Silurian, 12 November 1853.

1853: November, Y Diwygiwr (Revivalist), pp. 350–54 (540 words in the segments about the Latter-day Saints).

This article is another Welsh version of David Rees’s letter that appears in the Silurian, 12 November 1853. Since David Rees was the editor of the Revivalist at the time, it is entirely possible that he wrote the English version to be printed in the Silurian, an English-language publication, as well as the Welsh version for his own Welsh-language publication.

End: The Anglicans and Nonconformists blame each other regarding the Latter-day Saints

1853: 7 December, Yr Amserau (Times), p. 3 (130 words).

A brief story taken from the Deseret News, the newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah. Here is the story:

A woman was walking along, and a man looked at her and followed her. The woman said, “Why are you following me?” “Because I have fallen in love with you,” was the response. The woman asked, “What is the reason you have fallen in love with me? My sister is much prettier than I. She is coming after me; go and love her.” The man turned back and saw a woman coming who was far uglier than the first. After being greatly disappointed, he went back again to the first and asked her why she had lied. The woman answered, “You also lied; for if you loved me, why did you go to the other woman?” The man was confused. It is easy for us to believe this.

Although this story does not specifically mention The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by inference the story depicts members of the Church negatively.

1853: 24 December, Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald, p. 10 (21 words).

The Mormons intend to surround Great Salt Lake City with a wall, to protect themselves from the attacks of the Indians.

1853: 31 December, Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald, p. 7(165 words).

An account of the massacre of Captain Gunnison and some of his exploring party by several Indians on Sevier River.

Notes

[1] Zion’s Trumpet, 15 July 1854, 418.

[2] Robyn Ddu Eryri, Teithiau a Barddoniaeth Robyn Ddu Eryri (Travels and Poetry of Robyn Ddu Eryri), 1857.

[3] John C. Bennett, History of the Saints: An Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism (Boston: Leland & Whiting, 1842), 176–79.

[4] Methodist, January 1853, 17.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Eber D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed [sic] (Painesville, Ohio: self-pub., 1834).

[7] Sun, April 1853, 142–45.

[8] Sun, June 1853, 207–9.

[9] Howe, Mormonism Unvailed [sic], 235–36; Sun, February 1853, 67 (translation).

[10] Sun, February 1853, 67.

[11] John W. Gunnison, The Mormons, or, Latter-day Saints, in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1852).

[12] American Messenger, March 1853, 91.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Zion’s Trumpet, 23 April 1853, 271.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Wesleyan Treasury, April 1853, 129.

[17] Ibid.

[18] Millennial Star, August 1847, 231–33.

[19] Ibid., 232.

[20] Ibid.

[21] Ibid.

[22] Ibid.

[23] Ibid.

[24] Sun, June 1853, 231.

[25] Zion’s Trumpet, 24 September 1853, 209.

[26] Ibid.

[27] Edward Morgan Humphreys, “Parry, Robert (Robyn Ddu Eryri; 1804–1892), poet,” in Dictionary of Welsh Biography, online.

[28] Zion’s Trumpet, 15 October 1853, 253.

[29] Sun, December 1853, 421–27.

[30] Revivalist, June 1851, 176–77.

[31] Ibid., 176.

[32] Revivalist, December 1851, 298–300.

[33] Ibid., 299.