, 1857-07-17


an abused and highly-aggravatcd husband,
he was shot and is now dead. tits well
we are pleased to see that such men, not
men, demons, pursuing such Il course, can
not with impunity come into our midst in
Arkansas, and advocate their unholy, dia-
bolical doctrine, and so away unpunished.
We know, but we care not, that we
will be cenSured by some for rejoicing over
the untimely death Of human being who
has been launched, unpreparcd, into the
the presence Of his God but we hold it to
be much better that this Mormon elder
should be thus launched, than that he
should be spared to cause the ruin of hun
dreds and perhaps thousands OF his fellow
beings by leading them astray and getting
them under the clutches Of Mormonism,
there to practice crime in its every shape
there to forget and even abandon and dis
respect the God that made them, and by
whom they live and move-there to wor-
ship and do homage TO demon in human
form and to obey his dictates, even to the
killing of broiher-we say it is Of vastly
more Importance that the lives of all such
men as Pratt should, AT ONCE, be put an
end to, than that he should be instrumental
in damning thousands of others with him.
1--WE do not wish to he understood as
advocating the open, willful aud deliberate
violation of law, in shooting and taking
away life but there are cases where crime
is known to have been committed-where
licentions, open, wanton and brutal practi-
ccs are pursued-where men deserve pun
ishment and where the law is too lame aud
cannot reach them, and where the aggriev-
cd party can have no redress or satsfac
ton by law and the case before US is one
of that kind, and very aggravated one,
too"
In addition to the foregoing, we have
been placed in possession Of some of the
letters from Elder Pratt to his victim after
she had returned from Salt Lake, in order
to get the children from their custody i6-I
New Orleans. She had succeeded in sol
doing, and fed to Texas. The letter is
addressed Mrs. Lucy r. Parker, by I.
Parker Pratt, from near Fort Gibson,
Cherokee Nation"-dated April IA, 1857.
DEAR ELANOR - Mclean is in ST.
Louis he has offered a reward for your
discovery, or your children, or me. The
apOstateS have betrayed me and you. II
had to get away on foot, and leave all to
save myself If you come to Fort Gibson
yon can hire q messenger and send him to
Riley Perryman's mill on the Arkansas
river, twenty-five miles from Fort Gibson,
and let him inquire for Washington n
n. Cook, Mormon missionary, and when
he has found him he will soon tell where
Observation-Disclosures is. Do not let your
children or any friend know that | am in
this region, or anywhere else on the earth;
except it is an elder from Texas who is in
your confidence, and even him under the
strictest charge of keep you IL.
If you send messenger to Perrymans
mill for elder Cook in order to find me,
send note addressed to Washington n.
Cook Everybody knows the place. He
may live few miles distant, bat the folks
at Riley Prettyman's mill know where he
is And if they can be made sensible that
it requires immediate action, some Of them
eau go and end him. Your messenger can
leave the note at Riley Perryman's, or with
Elder George Burgess there, and return,
but you must state in the note where you
can be found, and Elder Cook will prob
ably call on you before he can have time
to see me, as may be some days journey
away, for l don't much expect you at Fort
Gibson, as I don't 6eiieue yOW rsosired my
last letter., mailed al 81. Louis, March 4,
and addressed as usual to the usual place
Elder Cook knows all, and you can trust
him with all necessary information. When
| know that you and the children are safe,
and your circumstances, will know what
to do.
Be sure not to let the Texas company
know anything, for all the frontiers are
watched, and some Of them may betray
you there. must hide you or pass you
some other way.
Pray mnch. Be still and wise l
have made use of some of the late altera.
tons in the alphabet l am well,
And your own - -"