Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1845-10-24


one OF he D"st and most prosperous coun-
ties in the Stsi". Since that time all emi.
gratton toih except Of Mor,nons, has ceas-
ed; aud numbers OI the MD citizens, AZ lhe
early settlers are usually termed, 6y way
et distinction. have constantly diminished.
! There are now about four thousand Of them
, IN thp county, and twelve or fifteen thou
sand moruoDs- About ten thousand OF
the latter live Ia Na1yoo; the rest alesca.-
tered about in attIe villages and settle
mcnts through Jte county.
| The Aorm9ns aave from the first direct
ted theIr cblei attention to military orgaui-
eaton and preparations; and have at tli,
time not less than three thousand dGlrd
soldiers, horse and / ot armed e2ch wish
his rife, pistols, and bowie-knfe. The r.
Hes and p-tOIo are many OF them revoivers.
1hr knives are ot their own mauuiacturc,
wIIh blades lrcm Twelve tp fifteen inches
long, and weighing about three pOunds.-
They carry Their srms aiways about thrlu.
Whelker at home, or waking in he streets,
or travelling uPen the public roads, pistols
may beseen sticking ia their pockets aud
the bo"iekaIic N their IO@ons, or strap
ped to their waist. They even attend the
courts OF the county and their meetings up
: on the sabbath armed in the Same mahner.
They have been deIuded into the Lelief
that they are the peculiar iavoriles Of ca-
reni that all reigDOn but theirs is a mockc-
ry, and that all those who do not unite wllh
them are to lie eXtermnated through their
agency, Most Of them firmly believe that
taey shal'n a few years be strong enough
to overrWn the earth, and destroy al. ds.
believers in Moruonsm, and that it vii.
then becoue their duty 80 to do. The con-
sequence Of this delu,iUn is. thatthe look
upon us as occupying the earth in the mean
tine without warrant Or rights, and that il
Is no wrong in the sight OF God to pluHder
and seal from us, Their depredations.
therefore, have become intoerahIe; and We
are Vttory without remedy, When stolen
property is traced to Nauv0o, neither the
owner nor officers Of the law can recover
! it, Those who go in pursuit are often rob.
bed Of their horses and driven with insults
from the ci,y, Small parties have in some
instances gone to the residences Of farmers
through the county, armed to the teeth,
and taken their horses from the stables and
driven OF heir cattle beiore their eyes,
1t is vain to appeal 10 the law Tor redress.
The law aud rs ofices are set al defiance;
and our courts, through the perjury Of
Momon witnesses and jurymen, are made
but a n}ockpry Of justice.
HcrarsCd and worn ont by such coHtin-
aal anno, aAces, rs many Of our citizens as
could have within the last two or three
years removed from Tie county. The re-
maindcr would have gone long ago but that
their GU consists in their farms and im-
pravcmen,s, which they canno: SCH, u"t
would he obliged 10 abandon to tie Nor
mons, and GO away begqa7s.
| have given the atove sketch in order
to the better understanding of the accoun,
which follows.
Inthe southwest part of the county, a.
hoat y-live miles from this place, there
was 'ettIement OF Mormons called the
Morley Settlement composed Of some.
:hlg like hundred families, scattered a.
yout in piece Of timbered land. They
were most OF them mere squ&tlels upon
the soil, living in miserable cabins or luts,
which were butt out CT stolen timber, aud
not worth, upon the average, more than
tenor icpn dollars each. This settlement
was little else than nest Of thieves, Iiv-
ing up0n what they could piler and plum
der llom the old seHers in that vicinity
The latter, annoyed ill they couA endure
it no longer, held meeting or tie evening
Of the 10Th instant TO consult upon meas
ures to protect themselves against such de-
pwdaliOns. The house they were occupy
ing was fired upon fy come persons Who
iled and were not seen, but who were sup.
posed TO be NormOns. Provoked by this
outrage, they at once resolved 10 drive lhe
Mcrmons from thejrneighboLood; and 60
ing to TIC cabins Of some Of the most noto-
rious williams, ordered them to take their
tnniies and goods md leave the place.
The cabins were burHt, after every ,hIng
was removed iroM :hem, to prevent their
occupants from returning 10 them again.
This was done by ten persons only. Tie.
next day larger numJer assembled, and,
on that ana the three following days, burnt
out The renlainderoI the settlement in the
same mlnner The Aolmons, us fast as they
were turned out Of their cabins, removing
with their household stuff into Nauvoo,-
The party of burners having in the mean
time become eXasperuLed ty the murder Of
one Of our most vGunblp ciuzfn., who was
wayaid and shot at midday by gang of
6lormons, on the road between this town
pnd Warsaw, then proceeded to another
similar settlement about seven miles iiom
the first, and commencedremoving the fam
lilies and burning their huts in the esame way,
Late in the evening of the l5th, ten or
twelve of this party came into Carthage,
which is the county-seat, and, calling al
the house Of J. B. Hackenslos, sheriff of
the county and Mormon, notified him to
remove from the county, They gave SIM
liar notice 10 two or three other ndividu-
ais, who, with Backenstos, had become oh.
noxious to the old citizens by acting as
spies Tor the Mormons, and secretly aiding
and encouraging them in their enCroach-
ments and oppression. Backenstos then