The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1845-05-29
MoRMoNIsM IN PITTSBURGH.

Since Sidney Rigdon, the real master-spirit
of the old Mormon fanaticisH, was expell-
ed by the Nauvoo folks for claiming ihesae-
cessorship TO Joe Smith, he has established
himself at pittsburgh as the leader and the
prophet of the faithful, He has had, says
the Courier aud Enquirer, a great number of
"new revelations" whichhaye rallied around
him a good many followers, and they have
established Mormon paper, called the Mes
senger and Advocate, in that city. A soon
ference of the Church of Christ" as il is
called, was recently held, Of which the pro-
ceedings are reported in that paper. At
one OF these meetings Rigdon made the fol-
lowing statement Of a revelation he had hadat
a meeting in the morning:
'tDarfng the time of prayer there appear
ed over our heads a ray of Light, fornaisg q
hollow square, in side of (which stood a COM
|pany of heavenly messengers, each with d
banner in his hand, with their eyes looking
downward upon us, their countenances ex-
~pressive of the deep interest," they feIt In
what was then passing on the earth, there
also appeared heavenly messengers on horse
back, with crowns upon their heads, and
pluaes floating in the ali. dressed IN glorious
attire, until, like Elisha, we cried in our hearts
"the chariots of Israel, and the horsemen
thereof;' even my little SON, of fouReen
years of age, saw the vision and gazed with
great astonishment, saying that he thought
his imagination WINS running away with hiaH,
after which we arose and lifted our hands to-
Heaven in holy convocaiion to God, at which
time it was shown an angel in Heaven regis
Itering the acceptance of our work. and the
decree of the Great God, that the kingdom
is ours, and shall prevail; my anxieties, there
fore, in relation TO our work in organizing
the kingdom, and the acceptance of that or
ganization by-our Heavenly Father, are now
forever at rest"
Rigdon afterwards gives an account of the
great fire which broke out during one oftheir
meetings. He states that, at The close of the
meeting, he prayed that the progress of the
flames might be stopped, and adds:
"During this prayer, an escort OF heavenly
messengers, that had lowered around US du~
ring the time of this conference, were seen
leaving the room; the course ofthe wind was
Instantly changed, and the violence eff the
flames were stayed, and Jul city saved from
an entire overthrow.a
At fhe close of the meeting it was osdain-
ed that Rigdon should receive Fifty cents fox
each blessing he delivered, and By votes OF
the meeting the book of Mormon was receIv-
ed as the work ofGod, as was also the book
ofdoctrines and covenants.
Rigdou was formerly a Baptist preacher
at Pittsburgh, and is a man of far more tai
ent than Smith. He was as thorough a
scoundrel as he, and far better able to carry
his v~illanies into effect. 1t was almost entirely
through his efforts that Mormonism first
gained a foothold; and it seems that he has
now started another church, for his own ex-
elusive benefit.
Smith, two or three years before bis death
made a deliberate and pertinacieus effort TO
seduce Rigdon's daughter and make heroine
Iol his spiritual wives" and we presume
that Rigdon, who, in spite of that atrocity,
continued to worship Smith as a prophet and
now claims TO be a "Holy Joe" himself, will
make similar attempts upon the daughters Of
the elders.