Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-10-11
THE ourRAGEs IN ILLINOIS.
CARrHAeE, HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS,
SErrEMRER u. 1916.

deplorabe condition of this county.
is generally known that this the gathering place of
those deluded people called Mormons Laer-ay Saints
Six years ago, having been driven for their from Mis-
sour, they permitted settle at Nauvoo in this
N and have ever since been collecting their prosees here
from oil parts of the United States from Canada, and from
Europe At the me of their first settlement among us the
population of the county about thousand, and
pdy increasing 1t of the best and prosperous
counties in the State Since that time all emigration it.
except of Mormos has and the numbers of the old
citizens the early settlers usually termed by way Of
distinction have constantly diminished There about
four thousand Of them in the county, and twelve fifteen
thousand Mormons About thousand of the latter live
Nauvoo the scattered about in little villages and
settlements through the county.
The Mormons have from the first directed their chief
ZION to military organization and preparations and have at
this time not less than three thousand drilled soldiers horse
and foot armed each with his rifle pistols, and bowie knife
The rifles and pistols many Of them revolver The knives
Of their manufacture, with blades from twelve f
inches long, and weighing about Three pounds They
carry their always about them Whether at home,
walking in the Streets travelling upon the public roads,
pistols may be sticking in their pockets and the bowie
knife in their bosoms, strapped to the waist They
attend the of the county and their meetings upon the
Sabbath armed in the same
peculiar avores Of Heaven that all religion but theirs is
mockey and that all those who do unite with them
to be exermnated through their agency Most of them firm
believe that they shall in few years be strong enough
the earth, and destroy all dsbeevers Mormonsm,
and that it will then become their duty do The
quence of this deluson that they look upon occupy
ing the earth in the time without warrant rights and
that wrong the sight of God to plumber and steal
from Their depedatons therefore, have become noer
able and utterly without remedy When stolen pro-
perry traced to Nauvoo, neither the officers
the law it, Those who go in pursuit often
robbed of their horses and driven with insults from the city
Small parties have instances gone to the residences Of
farmers through the county, armed to the teeth and taken
their horses from the stables and driven off their cattle before
their eyes, is appeal the law for redress The
law and its officers defiance and courts through
perjury Mormon witnesses and jurymen, made but
mockery of justice.
Harassed and worn out by such continual annoyances
many Of our citizens could have within the three
years removed from the county The remainder would have
gone long ago but that their all consists in their farms and inn
which they SELL but would be obliged
abandon to the Mormons, and go away beggars.
given the above sketch in order the better under
standing of the account which follows
In the southwest part Of the county, about twenty miles
from this place. there settlement of Momons called the
Morley Settlement composed of something like hundred
families scattered about piece of tmbered land They
were of them squaers upon the SOIL living in mis-
cradle cabins huts, which built of stolen TIMBER and
not WORTH upon the average than ten fifteen dollars
each This settlement was little else than of thieves
living upon what they could pfr and plumber from the old
settlers that vicinity The latter annoyed till they could
endure longer, held meeting the evening of the
10th instant consult upon to protect themselves
against such depredaons The house they occupying
fired upon by persons who fled and seen,
but who supposed to be Momens Provoked by this
outrage they resolved TO drive the Mormons from their
neghbohood and going to the cabins of of the most
notorious villains ordered them to take their families and goods
and leave the place The cabins burnt after every thing
was removed from hem to prevent their occupants from
next a fa number y s on an
the three following days. burnt out the remainder Of the
Element in the the Mormons fast they
turned of their cabins removing with their house
hold stuff Nauvoo The party Of burners having in the
time become exasperated by the murder of Of
valuable citizens who waylad and shot at midday
by gang of Momons, the road between this and
Warsaw, then proceeded to another similar settlement about
miles from the first and commenced removing the fam
lies and burning their huts in the same way.
Late in the evening of the l5h twelve of this party
into Carthage which is the county and calling
the house Of j. b. Backensos, sheriff of the county and
Mormon, notified him from the county. They gave
similar notice to two three other individuals, who with
Backenstos had become obnoxious the old citizens by
ing spies for the Mormons, and secretly aiding and
aging them in their encroachments and oppression Backen
stos then Nauvoo and putting himself the head
about five hundred Mormon troops proceeded to the disturbed
district and fired upon small party of the burners before his
approach was perceived by them Two wounded
by the shot, All made their escape, however, except Of
those wounded by the Of McBraan who fell from his
horse and while sitting upon the ground begging for his @
twice through with bayonet his throat cut and
otherwise horribly manged Backenstos then returned with
his forces Nauvoo, leaving the body Of the murdered
upon the ground and issued proclamation, Boosting of his
exploits giving fagany false account of the conduct of the
old citizens of the county, and vaunngy threatening what he
and about four hundred infantry to the nsghbohood
and finding nobody there to attack ef the infantry encamp
ed, and with the troops TO Carthage.
We had anticipated from the time the troops first left Maui
voo that they would the county, and many had has
ty fed through fear that outragcs would be committed by
them. When Backenstos and his troops Carthage
than half of its citizens gone They entered town
Friday the 9th, little after sunset, at the full speed of
their horses Their approach known till they
entering into the town, when many Of the inhabitants
fled in CONSERVATION to the prairie and to the fields They
pursued however, and brought back, and guard
stationed around the prevent any person from
ing Parties sent out TO the nearest surrounding settle
ments and the taken from their terrified families and
driven into at the point Of the bayonet Orders
then passed round to bring the prisoners TO headquarters
when all driven the courthouse in such haste that
who were standing without their hats not permit
ted to get them, and strong guard left ut houses with
ruan-ke display Of bowe-knives, swords, and pistols in
sight of families There detained than
hour hudded together and surrounded by five times
be who bandshed with menacng gestures their instruments
Of human butchery Backensos at length in, and,
after making raning Speech which he auded the bravery
Of his tried soldiers, said he rnkng the county for
great number Of scoundre, whom he would pursue till he
caught them, without limits to time space he
round and discharged most Of by and sent