Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-06-19

The Detroit Daily Advertiser publishes
certain Documents ola official charac
ter, which, tito be relied upon, dcvclopc at
once an impudcnt and prepostcrous con
splracy against the government Of the u
nited States, and a scoundrcl confederation
for private villainy and crime. Its char
actcr and some of its deeds are given as
follows in the Philadelphia Bulletin -
| Beaver Island in the Northern part of Lake Mi
chigan, at the Western extremity of the Straits Of
Mackinaw is the only locality within the limits Of
the present STATES Of Union where the disciples
of Joe Smith have n settlement the bulk of that cx-
raordinary sect having into the distant terrific
| ries. The Beaver Island branch, however. is lust
now in open rebellion against the United States
Government. Led on by one james J. Srrang these
deluded men have openly insuted the government
of the United States l'y setting up an independent
"kincdom" of their own.
| The madmnn Strang hns gone through the ccrc-
mony If arraying himself in roynl robes, placing
sccI trc in his hand aud crown on his head and =
| sumrg the title of .lmncrul Primntc and actual
Sovereign King on Earth" With nag of strange
devices he ventures to defy the Government of
Uncle Sam and all other powers, and cxacts from the
inhabitants Of the Island oath of allegiance more
stringent in its terms tlnn any VIC have ever heard
of. But this is not ALL On thc7lh Of June, fifty
or sixty Nor cruelty murdered citizen Of Boa
vcr Island numcd Thos Bennett, simply because he
had on the previous day asserted that he would not
| recognise the Mormon law
After the murder of Thomas Bennett say. de-.
patch in the Bullcttin) the Mormons pursued hi.
brother Samuel, who to his wife returned to hi.
house and rcccteda shot Just he passed the tlr
hold Of his door The hcnds took the dead body oi
Thomas by the hair of the head and threw it iuro
a boat. and compelled the wounded brother to fil-
low and set down by it. They then drove his dis.
tractcd wife into the boat and proceeded to the hnr-
Dor distance Of five miles, where they had a jury
OF Mormons, who brought in n verdict that Bennett
came to his death while resisting the law.
These outrageous proceedings bad produced the
greatest excitement the Island, and tic fisher
mon and Indians, at last accoduts, were collecting
at Alnckinlgy's Point, preparatory m ntnck upon
the Mormohs, who were also mastering their forces
in anticipation Of this fight"
1t is scarcely credible that, in the lat
ter half of the nineteenth century-ina gov
ernmcnt whose citizens are as intelligent
and enlightened, and should be as conten-
tedand orderly, as any upon earth, 50 in
sane and wicked scheme Of lawlcssncss
and crime, should find human being bold
and bad enough to attcmptit; and yet we
are told, in one Of the documents referred
to- that upon the occasion Of Strang's self
coronation, there were two hundred per-
sons present. The creed held by these
outlaws is-'that it is morally right to
steal from the "Gcntilcs," burn their houses
and even take their lives, if it can be done
without being found out"
Another one of the documents states
that Ills Highness, King James J. Strang,
the Mormon prophet, has issued his or
ders, and has organized several bands Of
his people to go out through the nation to
burn The cities and villages, to steal and
plumber every thing they can lay hands on.
and especially to plumber all and as many
guns and as much ammunition as they
possibly can /; that they are all armed to
the teeth with revovers and bowie knives,
and with ordcrsfrom said Strang to kill and
STAY every person that may come in their
way that they arc all loaded down with
counterfeit moncy--as one man said he
had fourteen hundred dollars IN the roll he
had in his hands; that they had made and
dug cave on said island, where they have
been making the past winter and season.
counterfeit coins Of the United States, and |
! at they have large quantities on hand
ready for use. They say in their paper
that the United States Congress, or the
Legislature Of this State, lMiehigan,) has
no control over that place, and call S,rang
their King, dcfying all laws. both Of this
State and the United States, and call the
Sheriff. when acting in his Office, mob,
md threatening his life if he attempts to
serve any process on any Of their people"
Strang exacts of all his followers an
path, called the covenant Of. the lllumi-
,aii." lis taken with the right hand on
he cross-the cross on the blble,a and is thus
described in the deposition Of one g. +.
Adams.
The following paragraph dcponcn, quotes, word