The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-05-07
From, the Boston alias.
MISSOURI AND THE MORMONS.

MIoSOUhI AND If1E MOhmONS.
Letter from Gentleman at the Vest to his friend
IN Boston.
Dear Sir You ask me for information con-
corning the Mormon trouble in Missouri. In
giving it, I shall be compelled to state particued
!ars that will stagger your belief; and shall
a betrayed into warmth Of expression, which
may be construed into the signs of partizan Bit
terness, but hich win be in truth only the lam
guage OF honest indignation. The series of
wrongs and outrages perpetrated on the Nor
mons, aud the closing acts of injustice, by which
those wrongs and outrages were suffered to es-
4 cape, moi only unpublished but triumphant, form
the elements of PERSECUTION, which in vain
seeks parallel in the history of our county,
| For examples OF similar outrages on the rights
of justice and humanity, am compelled to re-
sort to barbarous nations and dark ages, which
alone furnish precedents 10 excuse the cunducr
of the people of Missouri ,
The Mormons were in truth moral, orde rly
and sober population. They were industrious
farmers, and ingenious mechanics. They were
busy about their own affairs, and never inter-
rneddled in the concerns of their neighbors.-
They were exceedingly peaceful and averse to
strife, quarrels and violence. They had estab-
llshed schools, they encouraged education and
they all had the rudiments of learning, taught
under our school system at the East. They had
began to open fine farms, and put their lands in
high state OF improvement. Many of them
| We're surrounded by numerous comforts, and
some with even the elegancies of life. 80
In all these respects their condition presented q
broad contrast TO that Of their neighbors. Of these
neighbors, many had been thete for years much
longer in fact that the Mormons-and had made
few advances upon the Indians they had dis
placed. Mud hoves--a struck patch''-hunt-
ing and buck-skin breaches were their highest
aspirations.
The .4nti- Mo,mons flor / must distinguish
this horde OF emisavages) are exceedingly in
tolerant. They are refuse Kentuckians and Ten
nesseeans, lntermixed with Virginians of the
same caste, in whom the vice of sectional pride,
which marks these people, and prejudice "a
gainst all others, especially those belonging to
the free States, whom they indscrimiuately
brand as Yankees-is exaggerated to the highest
pitch.
The worst error, committed by the otherwise
cunning Smith and his coadJutors, was that of
transplanting his followers to such n soil. A
pacific rather ,imid, and thrifty people, differing
as the Mormons did from the out.skirt Missouri
rams IN manners, sentiments and modes of life,
Just served to stimulate the worst passions ofthe
latter, end held our the prospect of an easy
They were sagacious enough TO know that
their acts should have ssshow of virtue,' and
Mormons were "mighty mean people. Tney
They were "great fools" They "tampered with
the negroes" which we KNOWN all slave States
excites the most intense odiun against the &C
cused without, in the nature of things, possible
ty of repeling the accusation, for a slaves evi-
dence is worthless. Finally, fellow burnt his
own corn crib and charged it on the Mormops.
Bad men hate those whom they have injured
There is, therefore, plenty of reason why the
Anti Mormons should have hated their rivals
Moreover the land sales were approaching, and
1t was expedient that they should be driven out IS
before they could establish their rights to pre-
emPtion.
rung through Chrstendom. body of men
commanded by Senator from Charlton county,
went down to that mill and there fell upon their
victims, precisely as the pirates OF the Caribbean
fell upon theirs. The poor Mormons took refuge
in blacksnths shop, and were there murdered
in detail. The attacking party leisurely and de-
liberaely thrust their rifles between the logs OF
the building, and there as the Mormons were
pent UP like sheep in told butchered them = /.
lutionarv solder--begged for his life. II was
denied him and he was put to death with the
most savage violence. A mere chIld-only nine
years old-was chased ,supplicatng his pursuerss;
exclaiming 81 am an .an.erican boy" But all
would not answer. He was hunted to his place
of refuge under the large bellows or the shop
and his head blown into fragments by means OF
rifle deliberately aimed at it 1t is said TOO,
that some of the more desperate and abandoned
of the prohigae villains, who joined IN TINS ior-
ay, returned the next day, and danced over the
well in which their victims had been entombed! p
Certain It is that they plundered those whom
they had killed. And be it remembered that
this party of assailants had no authority Whatev-
err even for mastering and marching; an.i,there-
fore, in the eye Of law, are mere brgands, rob-
bers and murderers. ste
You ask, il this can be true tell you.
yes. 1t is true-awful, ntrocious and abomina-
bic as il is it is true. Yes, it is true-rue IN the
nineteeth century-true in republican, in Chris.
tan America !; true, while your good people OF
Boston--a part of the same people thar COM
mitted these horrors, ore sending the gospel OF
truth and love to far away India and the isles OF
the ocean.
And how do you think the great Senator-civ-
ilian, who led this onslaught, justifies il? "Why
said he, 1--WE were in state Of AGAR! 1t was op'
en- ,oar Which party fired first, | don't know:
hey hey got ' whipped Thirty MOrmons killed out
rigR, or ,ieaI Of their wounds and not hair of
head touched on The other side fair light
Very likely Men pent up 70 p,a cM nras
sbon and butchered like cattle An OLD grey