Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-05-27
Pickings from the Deseret News.

Brigham 1oungs opinion OF the CnrlS
tian world can be gathered by an extract
from a sermon delivered by him FEBRUARY
Z, in which, in speaking of the Mormon
mission to the Sandwich Islands, he says
/ Take the people of the Sandwich and
Society Islands and the natives of these
mountains and of North and South Ameri
ca, or of any country where there are ma
tives in their idolatry-those whom we cal
ignorant, dark, benighted, lost, possessed
Of little or no knowledge-and let per
son understanding the Priesthood visit
them, and will venture to say that he
would find more and better traits of the
Priesthood of God among them than can
be found among the Christians. And
though it may appear surprising and a mat
ter hardly credible, yet even We are more
or less under the power of traditions similar
to those of the heather.
Yet Brigham would make short work Of
those Islanders, for in the same discourse
he says:
You heard br. Silas Smith say that il
the Elders should leave those Islands, in a
few years the natives who have embraced
the gospel would be as bad as they ever
were. If there is nothing more of them
than that, if they had no desire to do good,
no power in themselves to keep them from
giving way to the devil, unless there is an
Elder from Great Salt Lake to watch them,
the quicker they are damned the better; l
],
for the whole of them. If they do not
know enough, after what they have been
taught, to save themselves, thay will be
damned, and l will not ask another Elder
to were out his strength and waste his en-
ergies in so useless work.
In the histo' y of Brigham Young, which
is now being published in the News, we
find some "reminiscences of lawsuit in
Lake county, O., in 1854, when the Nor
mons were in strength at Kirkland. Brig
ham says:
In the fall of 1884, Dennis Lake insti-
tuted lawsuit before Justices Dowen and
Hanson, against bro. Joseph Smith, charg-
ing him $50 month for going up in
Zion's camp to Missouri, alleging that Jo-
seph had promised him lot Of land. l
was called up by the attorney for the pros
ecution, General Paine, and questioned. 1
was asked if l went up to Missouri with
the said camp. answered did. l was
asked what tools l took with ne. l repli-
ed, good gun bayonet, plenty of ammu-
milton, dirk, an ak, a saw, chisel, spade,
hoe and other necessary tools. I was ask
ed what I ment to do with my gun and
ammunition. l replied, meant to defend
my property, myself and my brethren from
thieves and robbers. l was asked how
much l understood lot of land to mean.
l told them in the burying yard it gen.
orally meant six feet. Joseph's attorney,
Mr.. Bissell, hearing me answer these and
similar questions SO readily and definitely,
punched the prosecuting attorney on the
shoulder, and asked him if be had any
more question to ask that aoitness. He said
no.
How Brigham was accustomed to deal
with "nuisances" in these days is related
thus:
A man named Hawley, while ploughing
his field in the State of New York, had
an impression rest upon his mind with
great weight that he must go to Kirkland
and tell Joseph Smith that the Lord had
rejected him as Prophet. He according
ly started right of, with his bare feet, and,
on arriving in Kirkland, told Joseph that
the Lord had rejected him for allowing
John Noah, Prophet of God, TO be cut
off from the church, and for allowing wo-
men to wear caps and the men to wear
cushions on their coat sleeves. He was
called up before the bishops conrt and dis
fellowshipped.
He went through the streets Of Kirkland
one morning, after midnight, and cried,
"Wo! wo! unto the inhabitants of this
place." I put my pants and shoes on, took
my cowhide, went out, and laying hold of
him, jerked him round, and assured him
that if he did not stop bis noise, and let
the people enjoy their sleep without inter-
ruption, would cowhide him on the spot,
for we had the Lords Prophet right here,
and did not want the devils prophet yell
ling round the streets. The nuisance was
forthwith abated.
From Brigham's history we get short
chapter of rebellion which broke out at
Kirkland among the Saints in 1886, as
follows:
At this time the spirit of speculation, dis
affection and apostacy imbibed by many
of the Twelve, and which ran through all
the quorums of the church, prevailed SO
extensively that it was difficult for any to
see clearly the path to pursue.
On a certain occasion several of the
Twelve, witnesses to the Book of Mormon,
and others of the authorities of the church,
held a council in the upper room of the
Temple. Tho question before them was
to ascertain how the Prophet Joseph could
be deposed, and David Whitmer appointed
President of the church. Father John
Smith, bro. Hebar G. Kimball and Others
were present, who were opposed to such
measures. rose up, and in a plain and
forcible manner told them that Joseph was
a Prophet, aud l knew it, and they might
rail and slander him as much rs they
pleased; they could not destroy the ap-
pointment of the Prophet of God, they
could only destroy their own authority, cut
the thread that bound them to the Prophet
and to God, and sink themselves in HE'LL
Many were highly enraged at my decided
opposition to their measures, and Jacob
Bumb ian old pugilist) was so exasperated
that be could not be still. Some breth-
ern near him put their hands on him, and
him to be quiet; but he wrilhed
and twisted his arms and body saving. |