FROM

THE

MILLENNIAL HARBINGER.

NEW SERIES.

VOL. VII.	B E T H A N Y,   V A. APRIL, 1843.	NO. IV.

          Testimony of Sampson Avard:--

      Instruction was given by Joseph Smith, Jr., that if any of them [the Danite band] should get into difficulty, the rest should help him out, and that they should stand by each other, right or wrong. Cong. Doc. No. 189, p. 2.

          Testimony of John Corrill:--

      I took exceptions only to the teachings as to the duties of that [Danite] society, wherein it was said, if one brother got into difficulty, it was the duty of the rest to help him out, right or wrong. Ib. page 12.

          Testimony of John Cleminson:--

      I attended two or three Danite meetings, and it was thought there, as a part of the duty of the band, that they should support the presidency in all their designs, right or wrong. Ib. page 15.

          Testimony of Reed Peck:--

      George W. Robertson and Philo Dibble invited me to a Danite meeting. I went; and the only speaker was Dr. Avard, who [152] explained the object of the meeting, and said that we were to be governed by the presidency, and do whatever they required, and uphold them; that we were not to judge for ourselves, whether it were right or wrong; that God had raised up a prophet who would judge for us, and that it was proper we should stand by each other in all cases, and gave us an example:--"If we found one of the Danites in difficulty, in Ray or Clay for instance, we should rescue him, if we had to do with his adversary as Moses did with the Egyptian--put him in the sand. It made no difference whether the Danite was to blame or not; they would pack to Far West, and there be taken care of." Ib. p. 17.

      "---- Nevertheless, thine enemy is in thine hand, and if thou reward him according to his works, thou art justified; if he has sought thy life, and thy life is endangered by him, thine enemy is in thine hand, and thou art justified." Doc. and Cov. page 218.

          Testimony of Wyatt Cravens:--

      After getting into the prairie, Wright halted the company. He, Pratt, and four others, rode off a piece, and conferred together, and returned to the company, and called out some Captain, and ordered him to call out ten of his braves.------I then thought the man who had not returned, had been placed around the fence to kill me; but I was determined to do the best I could to make my escape. In passing on, I discovered my direction would lead me to where I thought the man was placed, and I took off to the right, and immediately I was ordered to stop, by some person, whom I recognized to be the man of the guard, who left with the Captain of the guard, and did not return. I fled, and turned my head to look, and saw the man with his gun in a shooting position; and shortly after, while running, I was shot by him; and I made my way to Ray county. Parley P. Pratt was in the battle. Cong. Doc., No. 189, page 11.

          Testimony of Reed Peck:--

      I think it was the last of June, or first of July last, that I heard Dr. Avard say, that he had just returned from a council with the presidency, in which council Jared Carter was broken of his office by Captain Gene, of the Danite Band, for having spoken against Sidney Rigdon, one of the presidency, it being a regulation of that society that no one should speak against them, or hear any one else do it with impunity. In that council Avard said an arrangement was made to dispose of dissenters, to wit: that all the head officers of the Danite Band should have a list of the dissenters, both here and in Kirtland; "and," said he, "I will tell you how I will do then. When I meet one damning the presidency, I can damn them as well as he; and if he wanted to drink, he would get a bowl of brandy, and get him half drunk, and, taking him by the arm, he would take him to the woods or brush, and," said he, "he would--[the language is not fit to be printed]--in a minute, and put them under the sod."

      And Mr. Rigdon said in the same sermon, that he would assist to erect a gallows on the square and hang them all. Joseph Smith, Jr., was present, and followed Mr. Rigdon, after he had made the above declaration, and said he did not wish to do any thing unlawful. He then spoke of the fate of Judas, and said that Peter had hung him, [153] [Judas,] and said that he approved of Mr. Rigdon's sermon, and called it a good sermon. Ib. 20 and 21.

      Benjamin Slade, a [Mormon] witness for the state, produced, sworn and examined, deposeth and saith:--

      "I was in a meeting in the school-house in Far West, while the Mormon troops were in Diahmon, in the last expedition. After the assembly had got into the house, a guard was placed round the door. Mr. Rigdon got up, and, in a speech, said that the time had now come in which every man must take his part in this war; and that they had been running away, and leaving Caldwell county, and that the last man had now left the county that would be allowed to do so. A formal vote, by way of resolution, or covenant, was put--that, if any man attempted to leave the county, any one of the company then present was to kill him, and say nothing about it, and throw him into the brush. When this was put to the vote, I heard no one vote against it. Rigdon then called for the negative vote, and said he wanted to see if any one dared to vote against it. There was no negative vote. I heard Mr. Rigdon say that 'yesterday a man had slipped his wind, and was thrown into the brush; and,' said he, 'the man that lisps it shall die.'" Ib. page 37.

          Testimony of W. W. Phelps:--

      Mr. Rigdon then commenced making covenants with uplifted hands. The first was, that if any man attempted to move out of the county, or pack their things for that purpose, that any man then in the house, seeing this, without saying any thing to any other person, should kill him and haul him into the brush, and that all the burial he should have should be in a turkey buzzard's ------, [not fit to be printed,] so that nothing of him should be left but his bones. That measure was carried in form of a covenant with uplifted hands. After the vote had passed, he said, 'Now see if any one dare vote against it,' and called for the negative vote, and there was none. The next covenant, that, if any persons from the surrounding country came into their town, walking about, no odds who he might be--any one of that meeting should kill him and throw him aside into the brush. The third covenant was, "Conceal all these things." Mr. Rigdon then observed that the kingdom of heaven had no secrets, that yesterday a man slipped his wind, and was dragged into the hazel brush; 'and,' said he, 'the man that lisps it shall die.' Ib. page 46.

      John Cleminson, a [Mormon] witness, produced, sworn, and examined, in behalf of the state, deposeth and saith:--

      Some time in June I attended two or three Danite meetings, and it was taught there, as a part of the duty of the Band, that they should support the presidency in all designs, right or wrong: that whatever they said was to be obeyed; and whoever opposed the presidency in what they said or desired done, should be expelled from the county, or have their lives taken. The three composing the presidency were at one of these meetings; and, to satisfy the people, Dr. Avard called on Joseph Smith, Jr., who gave them a pledge that if they led them into a difficulty he would give them his head for a foot-ball, and that it was the will of God these things should be so. The teacher and active agent of the society was Dr. Avard, and his teachings were approved of by the presidency. Dr. Avard taught, as a part of their [154] obligation, that if any one betrayed the secret designs of the society, they should be killed and laid aside, and nothing said about it. Ibid. page 15.

      Reed Peck, a witness, produced, sworn, and examined, on behalf of the state, deposeth and saith:--

      A short time after Cowdery and the Whitmars left Far West, (some time in June,) George W. Robertson and Philo Dibble invited me to a Danite meeting. I went, and the only speaker was Dr. Avard, who explained the object of the meeting, and said that its object was, that we might be perfectly organized to defend ourselves against mobs; that we were all to be governed by the presidency, and do whatever they required, and uphold them; that we were not to judge for ourselves whether it were right or wrong; that God had raised up a Prophet who would judge for us; and that it was proper we should stand by each other in all cases: and he gave us an example--If we found one of the Danites in difficulty, in Ray or Clay, for instance, we should rescue him if we had to do with his adversary as Moses did with the Egyptian--put him in the sand. It made no difference whether the Danite was to blame or not; they would pack to Far West, and be taken care of. Ib. page 17.

      I heard Avard on one occasion say, that the Danites were to consecrate their surplus property, and to come in by tens to do so: and if they lied about it, he said Peter killed Ananias and Sapphira, and that would be an example for us. Ib. page 15.

      And, in view of the foregoing testimony, let it be remembered, that these fanatics are now among the Indians of our western wilds, teaching them the bloody and treasonable doctrines already described; and their warlike movements are sufficient to show the dangerous tendency of this great delusion.

      It was proved on the trial of Joseph Smith for high treason, that he had repeatedly declared that he 'would become a second Mahomet' to the world! A western paper, published at Galena, says:--

      "From what we hear and read, we should judge that great excitement prevailed among the other inhabitants of Hancock county and vicinity in relation to this sect. We should exceedingly regret to see the exciting scenes of Missouri re-enacted in this state; but we consider such as not among the impossibilities. What appears to excite particular aversion or alarm, is the organization of what is called the Nauvoo Legion, who muster every few days, "all harnessed for war." Their neighbors, unskilled in the mysteries of the golden plates, fear they are to be driven out, as were the Hittites, Jebusites, &c. from the land of Canaan of old, and that Smith does not place as much faith in the efficiency of ram's horns, in tearing down the walls of the Gentiles, as in shooting-irons and ball-cartridges."

      Read the following from the Mormon paper, published at Nauvoo, Illinois, June 1, 1841:--

      "The 1st Company, (Riflemen,) 1st Battalion, 2d Regiment, 2d Cohort, will be attached to the escort contemplated in the general orders of the 4th instant, for the 3d of July next. [155]

      "In forming the Legion, the Adjutant will observe the rank of companies as follows, to wit:--

      "1st Cohort--the flying artillery first, the lancers next, the riflemen next, visiting companies of dragoons next, the lancers and cavalry next, the dragoons. 2d Cohort--the artillery first, the lancers next, the riflemen next, the light infantry next, and the infantry next--visiting companies in their appropriate places, on the right of the troops of their own grade; the ranking company of the 1st cohort will be formed on the right of said cohort, and the ranking company of the 2d cohort will be formed on the left of said cohort--the next on the left of the right, the next on the right of the left, and so on to the centre. The escort will be formed on the right of the forces.

JOSEPH SMITH, Lieutenant General.

JOHN C. BENNETT, Major General."

      Long before the Mormon war we confidently predicted that result, from the teachings of this sect; and we may feel and manifest as much contempt as we please against this rank delusion; it will cause more bloodshed in this country than it has yet been the occasion of. For, what will not religious fanaticism do, united with the sword, as in the case of Mahomet?

      The following extract is from a correspondent of the Boston Recorder, under date of April 6, 1841, giving an account of the laying of the corner stones of the great Mormon Temple in Nauvoo:--

      "After some show of reviewing, the presentation of a banner by some ladies, &c., the whole Nauvoo Legion advanced up the hill, accompanied by an immense procession. They were commanded by the Quarter Master General of Illinois, who, in his new capacity of a Mormon convert, doubtless considers it his highest military distinction to head this motley herd, even under the direction and authority of such a man as Smith. The latter presented the appearance of a Prophet, militant, being dressed in elegant military costume, riding a fine horse, and surrounded by quite a respectable staff, besides a life-guard of twelve men, mounted, dressed in white, and armed with rifles, pistols, and knives--a necessary retinue for a Prophet who is an outlaw, having been demanded by the Governor of Missouri, as a criminal; a demand which his guard have promised with an oath to resist, even unto blood. I obtained a position just outside of the line of sentries established around the consecrated enclosure, from which I could see and hear all that passed--and a most imposing scene it was, though with a touch of the ludicrous. Here, on a lone bluff in the wild West, were fifteen military companies, under an ecclesiastical organization, with an assembly of spectators variously estimated at from five thousand to eight thousand; and in the centre, surrounded by bayonets, was an ill-made, ill-bred man, decked in military garb--an indicted criminal under the laws of Missouri, honored and guarded, and swelling with ill-concealed pride as the inspired organ of the Divine commands, and the grand centre of all this strange pageant!--Alas for poor human nature! I had never before so well conceived the possibility of the Mahometan, Swedenborgian, or any other prophetic delusion. Certainly no false prophet or dreamer ever had shallower pretences to go upon, or a smaller capital in the trade of delusion, than this man; and yet he boasts of a train of dupes, amounting [156] to between fifty and a hundred thousand. Probably even the smaller number is much above the truth; but it is undeniable that some in Europe, as great numbers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and even New England, have been led captives in this triumph of stupid imposture. I say stupid, for so far as the ostensible leader is concerned, this epithet is not rendered inappropriate by whatever of low cunning he possesses. I am inclined to the opinion that Rigdon, who delivered the address on this occasion, is now in reality the master spirit of the humbug, and that he, rather than Smith, is the inspirer of the oracles which, for "purposes of state," the latter promulgates as the breathing of his own afflatus."

      We have now before us a pamphlet, written by Mr. W. Harris, a renouncing Mormon, we believe, which discloses deeds of darkness, of which Smith has been guilty, enough to stamp his character with the deepest infamy. Mr. Harris gives the names of a number who have not only renounced Mormonism, but, for doing so, have been denounced by Smith as 'beneath contempt.' Here are some of them:--

      "Warren Parrish was one of the first seventy elders of the Mormon church. Leonard Rich, and Sylvester Smith, were two of the seven presidents of the seventy elders. John F. Boynton and Luke Johnson were of the twelve apostles. Stephen Burnett was an elder. Zerah Cole was one of the seventy elders. Frederick Williams, one of the presidency of the church. Martin Harris, a high priest and a witness to the book of Mormon. Cyrus Smalling, one of the seventy elders, and Dr. Warren A. Cowdery, a presiding high priest. Here then, by Smith's own showing, a great number of the highest officers of the church, selected by himself, were a pack of scoundrels."--p. 43.

      We know of numbers who have renounced this wicked imposture. Mr. R. Shurragar, of this city, is one. Mr S. not only believes Mormonism to be a lie, but he knows that some who advocate it are deceiving the people with their eyes wide eyes wide open.

[The Millennial Harbinger, New Series, 7 (April 1843): 152-157.]