The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1857-04-17
AFFAIRS IN UTAH.

JuoBe DTuinmonu, Cnlei JuStlce OF the ". /
8. Court in Utah, has returned to the States,
and published his resignation of his Office in
the New Orleans papers, at which port he
landed few days since. having, as we sup.
pose, returned by the way Of California.
In his letter to the Attorney General, CONF
municating his resignation, he gives his reas-
ons for his determination; and they are
"1st. That Brigham Young, the Governor Of
Utah Territory. is the acknowledged head OF
the "Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day
Saints" commonly called Mormons and as
such head, the Mormons look to him, and to
him alone, for the la,c by which they are to be
governed; therefore no law Of Congress is by
them considered binding in any manner.
ID. know that there is q secret oath.bound
! Organization among all the male members Of
the church, to acknowledge no law save the
law of the "Holy Priesthood" which comes to
the people through Brigham Young. direct
from God, he (Young) being the vicegerent Of
) God and prophetic successor Of Joseph Smith,
!, who was the founder Of this blind and treason
able organization.
Sd. am fully aware that there is a set Of
men set apart, by special order of the church,
to take both the lives and property Of persons
who may question the authority Of the church
(the names of whom I will promptly make
known at future time).
4th. That the records papers, &c, Of the
Supreme Court have been destroyed by order
!, Of the church, with direct knowledge and ap-
f probation Of Gov. b. Young, and the federal
officers grossly insultcd for presuming to raise
single question about the reasonable act.
9th. That the federal officers of the terrific
q ry are constantly insulted, harassed and an.
4 noyed by the Mormons, and for thos5 insults
there is no redress.
. 6th That the federal officers arc daily COM
e PEELED to hear the form Of the American gov
J, eminent traduced, the chief executives OF the
10 nation, both living and dead, slandered and
). Iabused by the masses, Us well as from all the
~ leading members of the church, in the most
re Vulgar, loathsome and wicked manner that the
lcvl passions of man can possibly conceive.
Again: That after MoToni Green had been
10 convicted in the District Court, before my COL
he league, Judge Kinney, Of an assault with in
- tent to commit murder ; and afterwards on
4 appeal to the Supreme Court, the Judgment
being affirmed and the said Green sentenced
D. to the penitentiarv Brigham Young gave full
IL pardon to the said Green before he reached
ne the pententiary: also, that the said Governor
- Young pardoned n man by the name of Baker
who had been tried and sentenced to ten years
u Imprisonment in the penitentary. for the muir
d. der OF dumb boy by the name Of Whitchouse
u. the proof showing one Of the most aggravated
=. cases Of murder that ever knew being tried
> and, to insult the court and government Off
nc Gals, this man Young took this pardonet
u criminal with him, in proper person, to church
IT. on the next SabbAth after his conviction, Ba
- ker in the meantime having received full
~ pardon from Gov. Young These two mel
>" were Mormops.
n On the other hand, charge the Mormons
Ike and Gov. Young in particular, with imprson
N ing fiv. or six young men from Missouri anC
Iowa, who are now in the penitentiary of Utah
vs. without those men having violated any crimi
ne nal law in America; but they were anti-Mor
he mons; poor. uneducatcd young men, on thei
90 way to California; but because they emgra
= ted from Illinois. Iowa or Missouri, and pass
IL ed by Great Salt Lake City, they were indict
,ir ed by Probate Court, and most brutality anc
rs inhumanly dealt with, in addition to bein,
:. summarily incarcerated in the sanity prison
Nv of the territory Of Utah. also charge Gov
Ter Young with constantly interfering with thu
m federal courts, directing the Grand J ury whom
DIV to indict and whom not; and, after the Judg
:. les charge the Grand Juries as to their duties
that this man Young invariably has some mem
Der Of the Grand Jury advised in advance n
to his will in relation to their labors and tina
lP- his charge, thus given, is the only charg
Use known, obeyed, or received by all the Gran,
Ia. Jures Of the federal courts Of Utah territory
ofI Again, sir, after careful and mature investi
CATION, have been compelled to come to tn
Tic conclusion, heart -rendlng and sickening as
EN- may he, that Capt. John w. Gunnison, an,
nd his party OF eight others, were murdered b,
no the Indians in 1853, under the order, advice
:: and directions of the Mormons; that my illus
j" trious and distinguished predecessor, Hon
es; Leon,das Shaver came to his death by drink
Dr. ing poisonous liquors, given to him under tn
Tor order of the leading men of the Mormon
80. Church in Great Salt Lake City; that the lat
:" Secretary of the territory, A. w. Babbitt wa
'n- murdered on the Plains by band Of Mormon
bly, marauders, under the particular and specia
order Of Brigham Young, Heber c. Kembal
and j. NJ Grant, and not by the Indians, a
J., reported by the Mormons themselves; an
N. that they were sent from Salt Lake City 70
W. ef the DANTE Band, they were bound to do tn
nat will of B. Young, as the head Of the Church
let or forfeit their own lives.
or. These reasons, with many others that
I'D might give, which would be too heart end
ing to insert in this communication, have in
IN duccd me to resign the office Of Justice Of tn
ATS Territory Of Utah, and again return to m.
adopted State Of Illinois. My reason, sir, 70
IRIS making this communication thus public is
-. that the Democratic party, with which hav
." always strictly adhered. is the party nov
no in power and therefore is the party tina
lat should ,or be held responsible for the treason
tut able and dissracefu state Of affairs that nov
aa exists in Utah Territory. could sir,.i nee
"a essary, refer to cloud Of witnesses to attes
III the reasons have given. and the charges
he bold as they are, against those despots VIII,
rule with an iron hand their hundred thous
and souls in Utah, and their two hundred
.er thousand souls out Of that notable territory
he but shall not do so for the reason that thu