The Rocky Mountain Saints/Chapter 15

After the dispersion of the mob, Joseph returned to Far West in hopes of finding rest; but there was none for him. Troubles were gathering thickly around him, but still he was confident that "the Lord was on his side." When he saw Far West literally crowded with refugees, he remembered that "the word of the Lord" had commanded the Saints to gather into the cities some months before, but they had been slow to obey.^[1] He did not relish the hasty fulfilment of the commandment, but even in the midst of discomforts and sufferings it was something to know that "the Lord" had willed it.

Affidavits of the most inflammatory kind were now made by the leading mobocrats. Upper Missouri was on fire, and nothing but the utter expulsion of the Saints from the State would satisfy their enemies. At this very moment of trial, when fidelity was but a common virtue, some of the leading Mormons deserted Joseph, and made affidavit against him. It is claimed that Thomas B. Marsh, the first President of the Twelve Apostles, and Orson Hyde, another of the apostles who made these affidavits against him, were in peril of their ​lives when they signed the document, and this was probably true, for it was a very unsafe time; but there is no evidence to show that either Marsh or Hyde was in any more jeopardy than the rest of the Mormons, and could not have been spared as well as any of the brethren who bravely faced death rather than deny their faith.

As a page of history, the affidavits are interesting:

AFFIDAVIT OF THOMAS B. MARSH.

"They have among them a company, considered true Mormons, called the Danites, who have taken an oath to support the heads of the Church in all things that they say or do, whether right or wrong. Many, however, of this band are much dissatisfied with this oath, as being against moral and religious principles. On Saturday last, I am informed by the Mormons, that they had a meeting at Far West at which they appointed a company of twelve, by the name of the Destruction Company, for the purpose of burning and destroying, and that if the people of Buncombe came to do mischief upon the people of Caldwell, and committed depredations upon the Mormons, they were to burn Buncombe; and if the people of Clay and Ray made any movement against them, this destroying company were to burn Liberty and Richmond.

"The plan of said Smith, the Prophet, is to take this State; and he professes to his people to intend taking the United States, and ultimately the whole world. This is the belief of the Church, and my own opinion of the Prophet's plans and intentions. The Prophet inculcates the notion, and it is believed by every true Mormon, that Smith's prophecies are superior to the laws of the land. I have heard the Prophet say that he would yet tread down his enemies, and walk over their dead bodies; that if he was not let alone he would be a second Mohammed to this generation,^[2] and that he would make it one gore of blood from the Rocky ​Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean; that like Mohammed, whose motto in treating for peace was 'the Alcoran or the Sword,' so should it be eventually with us, 'Joseph Smith or the Sword.' These last statements were made during the last summer. The number of armed men at Adam-Ondi-Ahman was between three and four hundred.

Thomas B. Marsh.

"Sworn to and subscribed before me, the day herein written.

"Henry Jacobs,
"J. P., Ray County, Missouri.

"Richmond, Missouri, October 24, 1888."

AFFIDAVIT OF ORSON HYDE.

"The most of the statements in the foregoing disclosure I know to be true; the remainder I believe to be true.

Orson Hyde.

"Richmond, October 24, 1888.

"Sworn to and subscribed before me, on the day above written.

"Henry Jacobs, J. P."

To these affidavits is appended a "certificate" of seven persons, a "committee on the part of the citizens of Ray county," who assure the world that Marsh was President of the Twelve Apostles, that Hyde was one of the Twelve, that they had left the Church, "and abandoned the faith of the Mormons from a conviction of their immorality and impiety."

It mattered little whether there were a word of truth or not in these affidavits, they served the purpose of inflaming the Missourians, and they furnish the reader with the actual thoughts of the people about the purposes and programme of the modern Prophet. There is much in the first part of the document that sounds like truth; for it would be very strange if the Mormons had not organized some means for making reprisals. Whatever might have been the commencement of the war in Missouri, at that date the Mormons had only the option of self-defence, butchery, or banishment. With mobocracy that had neither respected the virtue of women, the innocence of children, nor the helplessness of age, the Mormons would ​have been despicable if they had done less. The rest of the document is such extravagant nonsense that sober people could well have afforded to laugh at it; but, to the excited populace who received it as true, it was considered to be a full justification of and incitement to the annihilation of the Saints.

Much has been written about the existence of a Danite Band among the Mormons. It is said to be composed of reliable men who are ever ready to "take off" inimical persons, and plunder or destroy the property of the offenders. Marsh makes affidavit to the fact of its existence in Missouri, but Joseph denies that the Church had any such organization. He says that at one time a certain Dr. Sampson Avard did plan the formation of such a band, and for the purposes stated by Marsh, but "when a knowledge of Avard's rascality came to the Presidency of the Church, he was cut off."

At or about the time of Marsh's statement, Dr. Avard was in full fellowship with Joseph. He was with the Prophet at the house of Adam Black, the Justice of the Peace, and introduced him to that dignitary. He was unquestionably believed by the Mormons to be in the confidence of "the heads of the Church." He organized the brethren into companies of tens and fifties, appointed captains over each company, gave "signs" and "grips" by which they should know each other by day or by night, binding themselves by the most sacred oaths to preserve in secrecy their works of darkness.

Every Mormon who realizes, as indeed nearly all of them must, the strict surveillance which "the authorities" exercise over the actions of individuals, will have difficulty in believing that Dr. Avard was alone in the organization of the Danite Band. It is very improbable that he or any other individual could impose upon the Saints to such an extent as to introduce the organizations that are admitted to have existed without some show of authoritative recognition. The historian again charges "Satan" with being in this way "busy in striving to stir up mischief in the camp of the Saints," but Dr. Avard was more direct and avers that "he had received his authority from Sidney Rigdon;" and as Avard's projects and Sidney's Declaration of Independence have a strong family resemblance, there is no question that the Doctor thought that he was acting ​harmoniously in doing as he did, even if it be denied that he was instructed to that effect.

After addressing the Danite companies about the coming glories of the kingdom, the Doctor is reported to have said:

"My brethren, as you have been chosen to be our leading men, our captains to rule over this last Kingdom of Jesus Christ, who have been organized after the ancient order, I have called upon you here to-day to teach you and instruct you in the things that pertain to your duty, and to show you what your privileges are, and what they soon will be. Know ye not, brethren, that it soon will be your privilege to take your respective companies and go out on a scout on the borders of the settlements and take to yourself spoils of the ungodly Gentiles? For it is written, 'The riches of the Gentiles shall be consecrated to my people, the house of Israel;' and thus waste away the Gentiles by robbing and plundering them of their property; and in this way we will build up the Kingdom of God, and roll forth the little stone that Daniel saw cut out of the mountain without hands until it shall fill the whole earth. For this is the very way that God destines to build up his Kingdom in the last days. If any of us should be recognized, who can harm us? For we will stand by each other and defend one another in all things. If our enemies swear against us, we can swear also. [The captains were confounded at this, but Avard continued.]^[3] Why do you startle at this, brethren? As 'the Lord' liveth, I would swear a lie to clear any of you; and if this would not do, I would put them or him under the sand as Moses did the Egyptian, and in this way we will consecrate much unto the Lord,' and build up his Kingdom; and who can stand against us? And if any of us transgress we will deal with him amongst ourselves. And if any of this Danite Society reveals any of these things, I will put him where the dogs cannot bite him."

Joseph's explanation of the possibility of such language being addressed to his brethren, even though he says they rejected it, is plausible, but not altogether satisfactory to any one conversant with the history of those times. He charges the Doctor with being ambitious to "become the leader of the people, and aspiring to rise a mighty conqueror at the expense of the overthrow of the Church," and who "watched the opportunity with the brethren at a time when mobs oppressed, robbed, whipped, burned, plundered, and slew, till forbearance seemed no longer a virtue, and nothing but the grace of God without measure could support men under such trials."

​The intelligent Mormon knows to-day that though there may be no bona fide organization called the Danites, there have been in church fellowship, from the days of Avard up to the present, men who have done the deeds charged to the Danites, ready to execute the dirtiest and most diabolical plans that ever human or demoniac vindictiveness could conceive.

Elder John Hyde, in his work upon Mormonism,^[4] published fifteen years ago, believing in the existence of the Danite Band, gives the following suggestion as to the origin of its name:

"When the citizens of Carroll and Davies counties, Mo., began to threaten the Mormons with expulsion in 1838, a 'death society' was organized under the direction of Sidney Rigdon, and with the sanction of Smith. Its first captain was Captain 'Fearnaught,' alias David Patten, an apostle. Its object was the punishment of the obnoxious. Some time elapsed before finding a suitable name. They desired one that should seem to combine spiritual authority with a suitable sound. Micah iv. 13 furnished the first name: 'Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion; for I will make thy horn iron and thy hoofs brass; and thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord of the whole earth.' This furnished them with a pretext; it accurately described their intentions, and they called themselves the 'Daughters of Zion.' Some ridicule was made at these bearded and bloody 'Daughters,' and the name did not sit easily. 'Destroying Angels' came next; the 'Big fan of the thresher that should thoroughly purge the floor' was tried and dropped. Genesis xlix. 17 furnished the name that they finally assumed. The verse is quite significant: "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an 'adder in the path that biteth the horse's heels so that his rider shall fall backward.' The 'Sons of Dan' was the style they adopted, and many have been the times that they have been adders in the path, and many a man has fallen backward and has been seen no more."

Joseph and the Church withdrew fellowship from Avard, his Danite organizations were broken up, his teachings were disavowed; he shook hands with the mob, and asserted that Danitism in the Church was a fact. That such an organization exists to-day is believed by many, and that such sentiments have been entertained by the fanatical, and have been in some degree executed by the desperate, there are many reasons for believing. Brigham himself contributes the following confirmation:

"If men come here and do not behave themselves, they will not only find the Danites, whom they talk so much about, biting the horses' heels, but the scoundrels will find something biting their heels. In my plain remarks I merely call things by their own names."^[5]

With the documents of such men as. Marsh, Hyde, and others in their possession, the people in Missouri were prepared to believe every report against the Mormons, and the mob leaders were not slow to supply sensational rumours. The following is a fair specimen of the means used to rally the people:

Carrollton, Missouri, October 24th, 1838.

"Sir—We were informed last night by an express from Ray county that Captain Bogart and all his company, amounting to between fifty and sixty men, were massacred by the Mormons at Buncombe, twelve miles north of Richmond, except three. This statement you may rely on as being true, and last night they expected Richmond to be laid in ashes this morning. We could distinctly hear cannon, and we know the Mormons had one in their possession. Richmond is about twenty-five miles west of this place on a straight line. We know not the hour or minute we will be laid in ashes—our country is ruined—for God's sake give us assistance as quick as possible.

"Yours, etc.,Sarshel Woods.
Joseph Dickson."

Nothing of this kind occurred, nor anything out of which to fabricate such a report. Up to the date of that communication, Captain Bogart and the Mormons had not met in hostility.

Captain Bogart with a militia company were "ranging" the northern part of Ray county for the purpose of preventing any invasion of that county by armed men. He had taken three Mormon prisoners that morning, together with all the horses and arms he could reach. News of this was brought to Far West, and the Mormon county Judge—Higbee—ordered Colonel Hinkle to send out a company of men to retake the prisoners and disperse the mob. Captain David W. Patten, the Mormon apostle, who had earned the title of "Captain Fear"naught," with seventy-five volunteers, left Far West at midnight and reached the camp of Bogart on Crooked River before daylight. As a portion of his company advanced, the ​picket fired and killed a Mormon. It was yet dark, but the Bogart company had the advantage of position, and the first rays of the rising sun were in their favour. Their fire was well directed, while the Mormons could only see indistinctly westward. Several of the Mormons fell; but Captain Patten rushed forward with the cry of "God and Liberty!" The enemy was routed, but at that instant one of the mob wheeled and shot Patten, who fell, mortally wounded. Three of the Mormons were killed, nine wounded. Captain Bogart lost one man only.

The news of the fight spread like wildfire and with the grossest exaggerations. One of the men under Bogart's command rushed into Lexington with the news that ten of his comrades were killed and the rest taken prisoners, and that Richmond was to be burned that night.^[6] The women and children fled from Richmond, and the fighting men immediately rushed to arms. Runners were dispatched in every direction for men, and an express was forwarded urgently requesting assistance. The Mormons were now represented as "infuriated fanatics," and they were to be "exterminated or expelled the State en masse."