The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-04-02
POPULAR oSERE1GNTY IN UTAH.
Destroying the Records of the United States

Destroying the Records Of the United States
Courts.
A corresponds 1t of the San Francisco Herald
writes from Salt lake City as follows:
In March last William A. Hickman, Alexan-
der McKea, Tb inaas J. johnson, and others,
broke open the DOR of the district clerks Office
in Salt Lake Cit', on Saturday night, before the
sitting of the die riot court, and took therefrom
the papers, rece tds, and documents, belonging
to the court; al after Judge Kinney instruct
ed the Grand Jtsy it was their duty to inquire
into the offence. and bring the offenders to JUS
tice, this man Y lung instructed the Grand Jury
that it was ,Dsile court, and, as such, the
Saints of God FAD nothing to do with the mat.
ter; and that if the ID Gentiles had bust
ness to settle, hey must do it in some other
place than in Jiah Territory. Nothing was
done with the 80 nders. Again A man by
the name of Bsstr Ia Mormon) was tried for
numbering duisI. boy, in Judge Drummond's
court, at Fillmore City; and, although the proof
showed one of f'hs most aggravated cases Of
murder, the Gra,,d Jury (all Mormons, of course)
brought in a vttdict of murder in the second
degree; this was on Wednesday, and although
the sentence ws- pronounced on Baker, and he
started towards sha penitentiary. vet before the
sixth Sabbath b had a full aud complete par
don from Cove nor Young, and really never
! went as far as the penitentiary, but, on the
other hand, acc inpanied Governor Young to
church on the saabath next after his trial and
conviction Tn reason assigned for his pardon
was, that he wa q Saint, and ID Gentle
Judge should D.>t ha re the pleasure of seeing
one of the Sain of God put in prison for the
murder of SO uefesa q being as dumb boy !;
that, if people we're so unfortunate as to have
children that CT u&d not speak, they were inca
pable of becoming Saints, and it was blessing
| 70 = II Al A. IL
OF bringing then up; and that God required a
human being to Talk before he could pray.
Again, havu TO chronicle one of the most
daring and insulting national crimes ever COM
mitted In the Ukited States, and that, too, under
the direct carr and CONTROL and under the
Immediate ordS- and direction, of this man
Young. Early an January, and just in advance
of the meeting Of the Supreme Court, party
of the Mormon III high standing in the church,
and under thu advice of Brigham Young,
repaired to the s6ice of the Hon. G.. P. Stiles,
one of the Uni ed States District Judges, the
law Office of T. .. Williams, Esq, and the Office
of the Clerk f'tie Supreme Court, and took
therefrom all Il papers belonging to the Su-
preme Court, Insisting of records, dockets,
opinions, filed way, together with nine hun
dred volumes # the laws, furnished by the
Federal Govern nsnt for the use of the Terrific
ry of Utah. III e reason given for this treason
GUS act was that Congress would not admit them
as State, and that they would not allow the
Federal officer to remain in the Territory
and that what Ulcers were now in the Terrific
ry must leave a. soon as grass grows, or he
will send them 20 hell across lots.
1t seems nov, to be a settled fact that the
laws of Congr.,s cannot be carried out or put
in force in thin Territory-the only law known
or obeyed is tie law of the church, and that is
the will of Brisoa Young, who most clearly
is the most brutal tyrant now on earth, and in
point of treasotlous designs without an equal.
Often have the courts decided against the enact
ments of the Utah statutes, but all in vain. The
Mormons go OF after their own order of bust
ness, wholly dissegarding and setting at defiance
the opinions and decisions of the Supreme
Court of the Territory, and openly declare that
they will not obey nor be governed by any one
unless he is Mormon, and that any one who
thinks otherwise can lose his life by trying the
experiment, which most emphatically will be
the case unlessa stropg military aid is given
by the United States government. In vain may
one try for justice, wbere the mandate of one
man is the supreme law Of the land, when you
have Mormou Jurors, witnesses, officers, &C.,
all bound by Secret oath of hostility, not only
to all the laws sof Congress, but toward all the
officers of the limited States Government, from
President down to that of Marshal of the Ter
ritory of Utah.
Letter fro, o. s. Justice Drummond.
| SIN FRANCIsCo, Feb. Is, 1857.
In your pape of this date, l notice an article
over the signature of Amicus Curie, relative
to affairs in Ut III Territory and among other
things your cor espondept speaks of the books,
records, &C., hi wing been taken from the Office
of the Clerk o. the Supreme Court from the
office of JudgA Stiles, &C., but does not say
what became o. the books, records, and other
things, belonging to the Office of the Clerk of
the Supreme Court. The facts, sir, are, that
they were buried up liz the City of Great Salt
Lake, and no notice taken of the outrage by
any one in authority at that place. While the
matter is being made public, it is just as we'll
to tell what wa done with the records, &C., of
the Supreme Court and the library furnished
by the United States for the benefit of the
Federal officers of that Territory.
| w. w. DRUMMoND.