The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-01-10
BY HISE & OSMAN.
Report Of & ov. Ford la relation to the Nor
mon Disturbances.

The special report in reference to the disturb
ances in Hancock county during the past year,
promised by Gov. Ford in his message at the
opening of the present session Of the legislature,
was laid before the two houses on tue 23l ult. and
has been printed. 1t is very long, and gives mi
mute and, we have no doubt, substantially correct
history Of all the material circumstances Of the
so-called "Mormon War;" from its beginning
down to 'thc latest news" Many Of the facts
contained in it, however, were laid before our
readers at the time they transpired, and for this
reason, the report being SO lengthy, we have not
deemed it necessary to publish it entire, and shall
only give what we have considered the most inn
portant parts, not emitting the rest entirely, but
condenslng it, so as to preserve unbroken the
chain of the narrative.
The Gov. commences by stating that, on the
17th of June last he had been waited upon by a
committee from Carthage, with a request that the
militia might be called out to assist in executing
process in Nauvoo. From the aiiidavits tina! were
laid before him, he judged that case had arisen
of considerable difficulty, and he determined to
thage on the morning Of June 2lst and found
there an armed force assembled, and hourly in
creasing, and another force had assembled at War
saw. The first thing he did was to place the mi
Etia assembled under the command of their pro-
per officers and next he despatched a messenger
TO Nauvoo informing the authorities there Of the
nature of the complaint made against them, and
requesting that persons might be sent to lay be-
fore him their side Of the question. A committee
was accordingly sent, from whose admissions he
had no difficulty in concluding as to the truth of
the alleged violent destruction of the press and ma
torals Of the "Nauvoo Expostor," with all its
attendant circumstances Of outrage After stating
the facts of the case. the Gov. thus comments
The whole proceedings of the mayor,
the common council, and the municipal
court, were irregular and illegal, and not
TO be endured in free country; though
perhaps some apology might be made for
the court, as it had been repeatedly as
sured by some of the best lawyers in the
state, who had been candidates for Office,
before that people, that il had full and
competent power TO issue writs of habeas
corpus in all cases whatever. The COM
mon council violated the law in assuming
the exercise of judicial power; in pro-
ceeding expare without notice to the
owners of the property; in proceeding
against the property in rem; in not call
ing jury; in not swearing all the wit
nesses in not giving the owners Of the
property accused of being nuisance, in
consequence of being libeous, an oppor-
tunity of giving the truth in evidence /;
and in fact by not proceeding by civil suit
or indictment, as in other cases of libel.
The mayor violated the law in ordering
this erroneous and absurd judgment of the
common council TO be executed. And the
municipal court erred in dlscharging them
from arrest.
The destruction ofthis press under the crcum
stances, necessarily produced great excitemert.
The fact that the Mormons were new religious
sect, warning on old habits and opinions, tended
to swell the excitement. But in addition to these
causes, there were great many reports in crcu-
lation in reference TO the Mormons, that had
still greater influence in swelling the excitement,
and the Gov. mentions them on this account,
and not because he had any evidence Of their
truth. They are as follows:
1t was asserted that Joseph Smith, the
founder and head of the Mormon church,
had caused himself to be crowned and
anointed King of the Mormons that he
had embodied a band of his followers,
called Dantes, who were sworn 10 obey
him as God, and to do his commands,
murder and treason not excepted that
he had instituted an order in the church,
whereby those who composed it were
pretended TO be sealed up to eternal life,
against all crimes, save the shedding of
innocent blood or conserving thereto.
That this order was instructed that no
blood was innocent blood, except that of
the members of the church and that
these two orders were made the ministers
Of his vengeance, and the instruments of
an intolerable tyranny, which he had es.
tablished over his people, and which he
was abou, to extend over the neighboring
country. The people affected to believe,
that with THE power in the hands Of an
INSCRIPTIONS leader, there was no safety
for the lives or property of any one who
should oppose him. They affected like
wise, 10 believe, that Smith inculeated
the legality ct perjury, or any other crime,
in defence, or to advance the interests of
the true believers and that himself had
set them the example, by swearing to a
false accusation against certain person,
for the crime of murder. 1t was likewise