Missouri Persecutions: 1833 (3)

Mormon History 1830-1844

Missouri Persecutions: 1833 (3)


Zion high council meetings, August 1833. F. G. Williams & Co. to print the Star and Messenger and Advocate. Edward Partridge the head of the church of Zion. Petition of redress to Missouri governor. Mob accusations refuted.

		HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH. [Continued.]		TS 6, no. 6 (Apr. 1, 1845): 850–854. John Taylor, editor. [Continued.] is in the original.
August 21, 1833 Zion High council, ordination	¶	August 21st. At a council of high priests in Zion, Elder Christian Whitmer was ordained to the high priesthood:		Minutes of August 21, 1833
August 28, 1833 Zion High council, ordinations require council approval		and on the 28th, the council resolved, that no high priest, elder or priest, shall ordain any priest, elder or high priest in the land of Zion, without the consent of a conference of high priests.		Minutes of August 28, 1833
Two messengers sent to Missouri with advice	¶	Soon after the arrival of Oliver Cowdery at Kirtland arrangements were made to dispatch Elders Orson Hyde and John Gould to Jackson county, Missouri, with advice to the saints in their unfortunate situation through the late outrage of the mob.
September 11 Kirtland meeting F. G. Williams & Co. printing	¶	On the 11th of September, the following members, residing in Kirtland, viz: F. G. Williams, Sidney Rigdon, N. K. Whitney, with myself, and Oliver Cowdery, delegate to represent the residue of the members in Independence, Missouri, met in council to consider the expediency of establishing a printing press in Kirtland, when it was resolved, unanimously, that a press be established, and conducted under the firm of F. G. Williams & Co.
Start Messenger and Advocate in Kirtland	¶	Resolved, that the above firm publish a paper, as soon as arrangements can be made, entitled the "LATTER-DAY SAINTS MESSENGER AND ADVOCATE."
Print Evening and Morning Star in Kirtland	¶	Resolved, also, that the Star, formerly published in Jackson county, Missouri, by the firm of W. W. Phelps & Co., be printed in this place by the firm of F. G. Williams & Co.; and to be conducted by Oliver Cowdery, one of the members of the firm, until it is transferred to its former location.		Star: EMS
Edward Partridge head of the church of Zion	¶	The same day, Bishop Partridge was acknowledged by the council in Zion, to be the head of the church, of Zion, at that time; and, by virtue of his office, was acknowledged the moderator or president of the council or conferences.		Minutes of September 11, 1833
Ten branches in Zion	¶	Ten high priests were appointed to watch over the ten branches of the church in Zion.
Phelps sings in tongues	¶	A hymn, concerning the travels, toils, troubles, and tribulations of the Nephites, was sung in tongues by Elder W. W. Phelps; interpreted by Elder Lyman Wight.
September 26, 1833 Zion High council, ordinations	¶	September 26th. The council again assembled in Zion, and ordained Jesse Hitchcock, Elias Higbee and Isaac Higbee, high priests.		Minutes of September 26, 1833
Move to Kirtland rather than Zion	¶	Brother John Tanner sent his two sons to Kirtland to learn the will of the Lord, whether he should remove to Zion or Kirtland, and it was decided by the unanimous voice of the council on the 28th of September, that it was the will of the Lord for all, who were able and willing, to build up and strengthen the stake in Kirtland; and Brother Tanner was counselled accordingly.		Minutes of September 28, 1833
Phelps and Hyde deliver petition	¶	About this time, Elders Hyde and Gould arrived at Zion, and the church having made the necessary preparations, Elders W. W. Phelps and Orson Hyde were dispatched to the Gov[851]ernor of Missouri, residing at Jefferson City, with the following petition:
To Governor Dunklin	¶	"To His Excellency Daniel Dunklin, Governor of the State of Missouri.
Vulgarly called Mormons Religious, peaceable	¶	We, the undersigned, citizens of the republic of the United States of America, inhabitants of the State of Missouri, and residents of Jackson county, members of the Church of Christ, (vulgarly called Mormons.) believing in God, and worshipping him according to his revealed will contained in the Holy Bible, and the fulness of the gospel contained in the Book of Mormon, and the revelations and commandments of God through Jesus Christ, respectfully show:—
Purchased lands, suffered:	¶	That, we your petitioners, having purchased lands of the United States, and of the State of Missouri, and of the inhabitants of said State, for the purpose of improving the same and peaceably enjoying our rights, privileges, immunities and religion, according to the constitution and laws of the state and national governments, have suffered unjustly and unlawfully in property, in person, and in reputation, as follows:
Spring 1833 Homes vandalized Meet to drive us out, but only threaten	¶	First, in the spring of 1832, some persons, in the deadly hours of the night, commenced stoning or brick batting some of our houses and breaking in our windows, disturbing ourselves, our wives and our children, and also, some few days after, they called a county meeting to consult measures to remove us, but after some confusion among themselves, they dispersed with doing no more than threatening, on that day.		1832 [sic]: 1833
Fall 1833 Burn hay, shoot at houses		In the fall of the same year, they or some one, burned a large quantity of hay in the stack; and soon after commenced shooting into some of our houses, and at many times insulting with abusive language.
July 1833 Vandalize houses	¶	Secondly, about the middle of July last, yea, in fact, previous, they commenced brick-batting our houses again, and breaking in our windows. At this time, July 18th, the following document was in circulation:
July 18, 1833 document Civil law won't remove Mormons We must to protect ourselves against sect's evils Law of nature and self protection justify	¶		We, the undersigned, citizens of Jackson county, believing that an important crisis is at hand, as regards our civil society, in consequence of a pretended religious sect of people, that have settled and are still settling in our county, styling themselves Mormons, and intending, as we do to rid our society, peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must, and believing as we do, that the arm of the civil law does not afford us a guarantee, or at least a sufficient one against the evils which are now inflicted upon us and seem to be increasing by the said religious sect, deem it expedient, and of the highest importance to form ourselves into a company for the better and easier accomplishment of our purpose, a purpose which we deem it almost superfluous to say, is justified as well by the law of nature, as by the law of self preservation,
Mormons began to arrive two years ago Pretend to talk to God, heal sick, work miracles	¶		It is more than two years since the first of these fanatics, or knaves, (for one or the other they undoubtedly are) made their first appearance amongst us, and pretending as they did, and now do, to hold personal communication and converse face to face with the Most High God, to receive communications and revelations direct from heaven; to heal the sick by laying on hands, and in short, to perform all the wonder working miracles wrought by the inspired apostles and prophets of old.
Increasing in numbers daily Dregs of society, lazy, idle, vicious	¶		We believed them deluded fanatics or weak designing knaves, and that they and their pretentions would soon pass away; but in this we were deceived. The arts of a few designing leaders amongst them have thus far succeeded in holding them together as a society, and since the arrival of the first of them they have been daily increasing in numbers, and if they had been respectable citizens in society, and thus deluded, they would have been entitled to our pity rather than to our contempt and hatred; but from their appearance, from their manners, and from their conduct, since their coming among us, we have every reason to fear, that with but very few exceptions, they were of the very dregs of that society from which they came, lazy, idle and vicious.
Poor, suspect criminals			This we conceive is not idle assertion, but a fact susceptible of proof, for with these few exceptions above named, they brought into our county little or no property with them, and left less behind them, and we infer, that those only yoked themselves to the Mormon car, who had nothing earthly or heavenly, to lose by the change; and we fear that if some of the leaders amongst them, had paid the forfeit due to crime, instead of being chosen ambassadors of the Most High, they would have been inmates of solitary cells. But their conduct here stamps their characters in their true colors.
Meddling with our slaves Evening and Morning Star encourages free slaves to immigrate			More than a year since, it was ascertained that they had been tampering with our slaves, and endeavoring to sow dissentions and rase seditions amongst them. Of this their Mormon leaders were informed, and they said they would deal with any of their members who should again, in like case offend, but how specious are appearances, in a late number of the Star, published in Independence by the leaders of the sect, there is an article inviting free negroes and mulattoes from other States to become Mormons and remove and settle among us, this exhibits them in still more odious colors. It manifests a desire on the part of their society, to inflict on our society an injury that they know would be to us entirely insupportable, and one of the surest means of driving us from the county; for it would require none of the supernatural gifts that they pretend to, to see that the introduction of such a cast amongst us, would corrupt our blacks and instigate them to bloodshed.	Free People of Color
Blaspheme God	¶		They openly blaspheme the most high God, and cast contempt on his holy religion, by pretending to receive revelations direct from heaven, by pretending to speak unknown tongues, by direct inspiration, and by diverse pretences derogatory of God and religion, and to the utter subversion of human reason:
Declare God has given them this land	¶		They declare openly that their God hath given them this county of land, and that sooner or later they must and will have the possession of our lands for an inheritance, and in fine they have conducted themselves on many other occasions in such a manner, that we believe it a duty we owe ourselves, to our wives and children, to the cause of public morals, to remove them from among us, as we are not prepared to give up our pleasant places, and goodly possessions to them, or to receive into the bosom of our families, as fit companions for our wives and daughters, the degraded and corrupted free negroes and mulattoes, that are now invited to settle among us.
They will make this an undesirable land	¶		Under such a state of things even our beautiful county would cease to be a desirable residence, and our situation intolerable!
We offer compensation If they won't move, we will eject them			We, therefore, agree, that after timely warning, and receiving an adequate compensation for what little property they cannot take with them, they refuse to leave us in peace, as they found us, we agree to use such means as may be sufficient to remove them, and to that end we each pledge to each other our bodily powers, our lives, fortunes, and sacred honors.
Meet July 20, 1833	¶		We will meet at the court house at the town of Independence, on Saturday, next, 20th inst. to consult ulterior movements.
List of signers	¶	Among the hundreds of names attached to the above document were:
	¶	Lewis Franklin, jailor; Samuel C. Owens, county clerk; Russel Hicks, deputy clerk; R. W. Cummins, Indian agent; Jones H. Flournoy, Post Master; S. D. Colonel and Judge of the court; Henry Chiles, Attorney at Law; N. K. Olmstead, M. D.; John Smith, J. P.; Samuel Weston, J. P.; William Brown, Constable; Abner F. Staples, Captain; Thomas Pitcher, deputy Constable; Moses G. Wilson, and Thomas Wilson, merchants.
Meeting of July 20, 1833 400–500 present Demand close Evening and Morning Star, move immediately	¶	On Saturday the 20th of July last, according to the foregoing document, there assembled suddenly in the town of Independence at the court house, between four and five hundred persons, who sent Robert Johnson, James Campbell, Moses Wilson, Joel F. Childs, Richard Fristoe, Abner F. Staples, Gan Johnson, Lewis Franklin, Russel Hicks, S. D. Lucas, Thomas Wilson, James M. Hunter, and Richard Simpson, to some of your petitioners, namely, Edward Partridge A. S. Gilbert, John Corrill, Isaac Morley, John Whitmer, and W. W. Phelps, and demanded that we should immediately stop the publication of the Evening and Morning Star, and close printing in Jackson county, and that we, as elders of said church, should agree to remove out of the county forthwith.
Refuse to grant three months or ten days		We asked for three months, for consideration They would not grant it—We asked for ten days—They would not grant it, but said fifteen minutes was the longest, and refused to hear any reasons: of course the conversation broke up.
Mob demolishes printing office, home	¶	The four or five hundred persons, as a (Mob), then proceeded to demolish or raze to the ground, the printing office and dwelling house of W. W. Phelps & Co. Mrs. Phelps, with a sick infant child and the rest of her children, together with the furniture in the house, were thrown out doors: the press was broken, the type pied—the book work, furniture, apparatus, property, &c., of the office were principally destroyed and the office thrown down, whereby seven hands were thrown out of employment and three families, left destitute of the means of subsistence.
Press value $6,000	¶	The loss of the whole office, including the stoppage of the Evening and Morning Star, a monthly paper, was about six thousand dollars, without the damages, which must result in consequence of their suspension.
Destroy Gilbert and Whitney store	¶	The mob then proceeded to demolish the store house and destroy the goods of Gilbert, Whitney & Co.; but Mr. Gilbert assuring them that the goods should be packed by the 23rd inst: they then stopped the destruction of property and proceeded to do personal violence.
Tar and feather Bishop Partridge and Mr. Allen		They took Edward Partridge; the bishop of the church from his dwelling house by force, and a Mr. Allen, and stripping them of their coats, vests and hats, or caused them to do it themselves, tarred and feathered them in the presence of the mob before the court house.
Others escape		They caught other members of the church to serve them in like manner, but they made their escape. With horrid yells and the most blasphemous epithets, they sought for other leading elders, but found them not. It being late, they adjourned until the 23rd inst.
July 23, 1833 Armed mob of 500 ride through Independence, capture some leaders	¶	On the 23rd inst., early in the day, the mob again assembled to the number of about five [853] hundred, many of them armed with rifles, dirks, pistols, clubs and whips; one or two companies riding into town bearing the red flag, raising again the (horrid yell). They proceeded to take some of the leading elders by force, declaring it to be their intention to whip them from fifty to five hundred lashes apiece, to demolish their dwelling houses, and let their negroes loose to go through our plantations and lay open our fields for the destruction of our crops.
John Corrill, John Whitmer, W. W. Phelps, A. S. Gilbert, Edward Partridge, and Isaac Morley offered themselves a ransom	¶	Whereupon, John Corrill, John Whitmer, W. W. Phelps, A. S. Gilbert, Edward Partridge, and Isaac Morley, made no resistance, but offered themselves a ransom for the church, willing to be scourged or die, if that would appease their anger toward the church, but being assured by the mob, that every man, woman, and child would be whipped or scourged until they were driven out of the county, as the mob declared that they or the Mormons must leave the county, or they, or the Mormons must die.
New mob committee Treaty	¶	The mob then chose a new committee, consisting of Samuel C. Owens, Leonidas Oldham, G. W. Simpson, M. L. Irwin, John Harris, Henry Chiles, Harvey H. Younger, Hugh L. Breazeal, N. K. Olmstead, James C. Sadler, William Bowers, Benjamin Majors, Zachariah Waller, Harman Gregg, Aaron Overton and Samuel Weston, who, with Edward Partridge, Isaac Morley, John Corrill, W. W. Phelps, A. S. Gilbert, and John Whitmer, entered into the following stipulation:
Memorandum of agreement	¶		Memorandum of agreement between the undersigned of the Mormon society, in Jackson county, Missouri, and a committee appointed by a public meeting of the citizens of said county, made the 23rd day of July, 1833.
	¶		It is understood that the undersigned members of the society, do give their solemn pledge each for himself, as follows, to wit:
Leaders agree to move by January 1, 1834 and encourage others to move—all by April 1, 1834	¶		That Oliver Cowdery, W. W. Phelps, William E. McLellin, Edward Partridge, Lyman Wight, Simeon Carter, Peter and John Whitmer, and Harvey Whitlock, shall remove with their families out of this county, on or before the first day of January next, and that they as well as the two hereinafter named, use all their influence to induce all the brethren now here, to remove as soon as possible one half, say, by the first of January next, and all by the first day of April next. To advise and try all means in their power, to stop any more of their sect from moving to this county; and as to those now on the road, they will use their influence to prevent their settling permanently in the county, but that they shall only make arrangements for temporary shelter, till a new location is agreed on for the society.
John Corrill and Sidney Gilbert may stay to wind up business			John Corrill and Algernon S. Gilbert, are allowed to remain as general agents to wind up the business of the society, so long as necessity shall require; and said Gilbert may sell out his merchandise now on hand, but is to make no new importations.
Evening and Morning Star to cease	¶		The 'Star' is not again to be published, not a press set up by any of the society in this county.
	¶		If the said Edward Partridge and W. W. Phelps move their families by the first day of January, as aforesaid, that they themselves will be allowed to go and come in order to transact and wind up their business.
Committee pledges non-violence as long as Mormons comply	¶		The committee pledge themselves to use all their influence to prevent any violence being used so long as a compliance with the foregoing terms is observed by the parties concerned.'
	¶	To which agreement is subscribed the names of the above named committee, as also those of the Mormon brethren named in the report as having been present.
Damage incalculable	¶	The damages, which your petitioners have sustained in consequence of this outrage and stipulation are, at present, incalculable. A great number of industrious inhabitants who were dependant on their labors for support, have been thrown out of employment and are kept so by the threatenings of those who compose the mob. [See their resolutions as published in the Western Monitor, number 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.]		Bracketed text original.
		In estimating the damages which have resulted from the beginning to this time from those illegal and inhuman proceedings against your poor and persecuted petitioners, were they to name many thousand of dollars, it would be short of a remuneration. Most of the mechanic's shops have been closed, two pair of blacksmith's bellows have been cut in pieces. Our merchant, as you will see by the foregoing stipulation, has been forbidden to import or bring into the country any more goods, by which his business has been ruined.
Van Buren county refused to accept refugees		Soon after the above stipulation was made, some of your petitioners proceeded to make a new location in Van Buren county on the south but the settlers in that country drew up an agreement among themselves to drive us from that country after we had commenced laboring there; they threatened to shoot our cattle and destroy our labor, and in fact, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but we have not where to lay our heads." We were obliged to return.
Homes attacked	¶	Since the stipulation was entered into some of our houses have been broken open and the inmates threatened to be shot if they stirred, [854] and also some of our houses have been stoned or brick batted.
Leaders threaten to kill any who seek redress	¶	Also, that since some publications have appeared in the Western Monitor and other papers, censuring the conduct of the mob the leaders have begun to threaten life, declaring that if any of the Mormons attempted to seek redress by law or otherwise, for character, person or property, they would die!
Charges, except poverty, not true	¶	Now therefore, for ourselves, as members of the church, we declare, with the exception of poverty, which has not yet become a crime, by the laws of the land, that the crimes charged against us, (so far as we are acquainted,) contained in the documents above written, and those in the proceedings of the mob, as published in the Western Monitor of August 2nd, are not true.
People of color		In relation to inviting free people of color to emigrate to this section of country and other matters relative to our society, see the 109th, 10th, and 11th pages of the Evening and Morning Star, and the Extra accompanying the same, dated July 16th—which are annexed to this petition.		Free People of Color
Situation critical		Our situation is a critical one, we are located upon the western limits of the state, and of the United States—where desperadoes can commit outrages and even murder, and escape, in a few minutes, beyond the reach of process—where the most abandoned of all classes from almost every state may too often pass to the Mexican states, or to the more remote regions of the Rocky Mountains to escape the grasp of justice—where numerous tribes of Indians, located by the general government amid the corrupting influence of mid-day mobs, might massacre our defenceless women and children, with impunity.
Have gone the extra mile	¶	Influenced by the precepts of our beloved Savior, when we have been smitten on the one cheek, we have turned the other also, when we have been sued at the law, and our coat been taken, we have given them our cloak also, when they have compelled us to go with them a mile, we have gone with them twain, we have borne the above outrages without murmuring:—
Can bear no more Ask for assistance		But we cannot patiently bear them any longer: According to the laws of God and man, we have borne enough. Believing, with all honorable men, that whenever that fatal hour shall arrive that the poorest citizen's person, property, or rights and privileges, shall be trampled upon by a lawless mob with impunity, that moment a dagger is plunged into the heart of the constitution and the union must tremble! Assuring ourselves that no republican will suffer the liberty of the press; the freedom of speech, and the liberty of conscience, to be silenced by a mob, without raising a helping hand, to save this country from disgrace. We solicit assistance, to obtain our rights; holding ourselves amenable to the laws of our country whenever we transgress them.
Defenseless Appeal for troops to protect	¶	Knowing, as we do, that the threats of this mob, in most cases, have been put into execution, and knowing also, that every officer, civil and military, with a very few exceptions, has pledged his life and honor, to force us from the county, dead or alive; and believing that civil process cannot be served without the aid of the Executive; and not wishing to have the blood of our defenseless women and children to stain the land which has once been stained by the blood of our fathers to purchase our liberty; we appeal to the Governor for aid; asking him by express proclamation, or otherwise, to raise a sufficient number of troops, who, with us, may be empowered to defend our rights, that we may sue for damages in the loss of property for abuse—for defamation, as to ourselves; and if advisable try for treason against the government;—that the law of the land may not be defied, nor nullified, but peace restored to our country:—And we will ever pray."
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