The republic., 1851-06-16
Particulars or tho Beaver Island Outrage.
Fforn The Detroit -Aduertiser, june l2.


The miscreants who have gathered themselves
together upon Beaver island, under the title of
Mormons, are making rapid and sure progress in
| the degrees Of crime which lead from adultery,
theft, arson, robbery, 20 deliberate murder.
Ii will be recollcctcd by our readers that we pub
lished, during the past winter several communica-
tons from the island, among which was giving
the particulars of the burning of the dwelling
houses of two named Bennett These Ne
netts are not Mormons have they ever been;
they happened to be residents Of the island and to
be owners OF properly there, and were men OF good
character and department. Strang, who has been
in Detroit Jail and is under various indictments,
has long sought the ruin of these men, as well as
that OF other "Gentiles," as he styles them, and
his threats "to drive them from the island, dead
alive" had been SO often repeated to excite no
apprehension until the burning of their houses.
during the past winter, by him; since which event
the inhabitants of the island, not Mormons, have
kept close and constant watch upon their houses
and property.
The conditions upon which Strang offered i'm
munity to these persons was, that they should be-
come Mormons, and yield themselves up to be
governed by Mormon laws. Not seeing fit to COM
ply with this revolving alternative, these "Gen-
tiles" have been constantly and particularly pur-
sued in various ways, at times by mock litigation,
and at other times by nroads upon their rights and
property, without color Of law until the last week
when they assembled together to the number of
fifty or more, and proceeded to the dwelling house
Of Thomas Bennett, armed with rifles, pistols
knives, &C., and bearing, as they said, Mormon
T.
take his property. Upon their approaou Bennett
closed his doors against them, telling them not to
enter, upon which they fired some forty shots into
the house, the effect of which was to drive r. Ben.
nett forth to seek safety in flight, but when he had
gained few rods he fell Dead pierced by five rifle
balls and forty buckshot
Thy next pursued the other Bennett, who fred
nstinctively, but after going few rods remem-
bered the condition of his poor wife, (who was
alone in the house,) and returned to receive their
shot just as he crossed the threshold His hand
cut in two by the shot, and the wound may not be
mortal. The fiends then took the dead body of
Thomas Bennett, and dragging it by the hair of
the head to the boat, threw it in, and compelled
Samuel Bennett, the wounded man, to follow and
sit down by it they then drove the distracted
woman after them into the boat, and took them a
distance of five miles to the harbor, where they
held post mortem examination upon the body Of
Thomas Bennett, with a jury composed OF Mormons,
with the exception of three persons, who were
" "Gentiles;' at which it was proposed by the Nor
mon jurors to bring in verdict that Bennett came
to his death ,chils resisting the ia,o!! while the per-
sons who were not Mormons decided that Bennett
was deliberately murdered! fearful excitement
prevailed towards the miscreant Mormons among
the Indians on the island, who hate and fear them,
as well as among the white population DO are not
Mormons and they were restrained from execut-
ing summary vengeance upon the murdcrers, only
through the urgent advice Of Messrs. Mckinley,
Bowers, Moore, and Dinsmore, who had persuaded
them TO await the execution Of the laws of Michi-
gan upon the wretches.
1t seems to us about time that this gang of wolves
was broken up; they have been permitted openly
to trample upon the rights, 10 burn the dwellings,
and pillage the property of citizens of Michigan
who have never belonged to their adulterous and
heathcnish organization, and whose peaceful avo-
cations made them inhabitants of the island long
before the unholy curse of Mormonism ever sought
its shores, and who, if there is virtue in law and
strength in man, should be made TO feel that they
may safely enjoy that which their own money has
bought and their own hands reared. We look to
see the authorities of Michigan address themselves
at once to their dutes and we trust to see no moro
pandfring to the base passions of vile men ON the
partof the public press. any further attempts to
shield heaven daring crime upon the ecore OF re-
ligious faith or supcrstitous delusions.
p. M Mckinley, from whom we gather the fore
going revolving particulars, is business man of
character and integrity, and Deputy United States
Marshal-far above the reach Of dispersion from
Strang and his minions. He has been himself per-
secuted by that man, but has never complained,
but has rather sought by kindness to overcome
their hostility. He was resident Of the island
long before the Mormons went there, and has in
vested large amount of money there in buildings.
fishing apparatus, &c, &c.
We hope to see efficient measures taken by the
ministers of the laws of Michigan to vindicate it's
authority by the arrest of the actual murderers of
Thomas Bennett, and by the indictment Of the
mIscreant Strang as an accessory before the fact.