The Washington union., 1858-03-05
TERRORISM IN UTAH

We publish to- day letter from Dr. Hurt Indian
agent of the United States giving elaborate and
calm representation of the condition of affairs in
Utah. III addressed to Governor Cumming, is the
statement of officer of the federal government to
another. and is important for its seni-offcia char
cter, for the impress of truth and sincerity stamped
in every line of it, and for the shocking atrocities it
describes
1t establishes the fact of the existence of a con-
frmed political despotism III the Mormon commuui-
ty, which spreads sombre and gloomy terror over
all under its sway, and which is anomalous as il is
disgraccful to our age and to 1t has been
the opinion of our lattcrday statesmen that the reign
of despotsm and terror had passed away from among
the enlightened of Christendom, to return no
more; and that hencefort, in virtue of the general
spread of intelligence, and through the clearer I'M
dersandng of the relations between government and
people and the better ideas of popular freedom per-
vading all classes Of men, political despotsm would
be thing unknown forever But, as if to mock our
self-esteem and to rebnke vanity of self-govcrn
ment and popular freedom, despotism the most in
tense and arrogant has been engendered in the bosom
of model republic, and requires but few years
of that immunity and license which the American
Senate has just indicated an intention to allow il, to
mature into power and vigor which nothing but
time and the disease which is inherent in all cnorm
ties can undermine.
No read the graphic recital of Dr. Hurt
and fail to discover evidences of terrorism in Utah
recalling the worst days of Robespierre and Danon
From this letter, and from another which the last
mails have brought from Utah. we cut the following
| extracts
% During the reformation Gn 1850 proclamation
issued from the Lords Anoined announcing the sol
fact that the people had violated their covenants
with God and commanding them Unfortunately to
bow at the confessional and to repair to the streams
the mountains and be rchaptzcd forthwith Under the
execution of this mandate thousands in Utah will
not be surprised when say that / have and
women weeping in tho bittercst agony of soul and
when attempted to console them they would say that
they abhore the idea of being forced into confessional
but dared not refuse Others would say that they knew
not wherein they had snned, but that they dared not
dsobey the counsel Again those thousands will not
be surprised when say that have heard their teach
ers announce to them occasions in round
terms that If they refused to obey the mandate they
would get their id throats cut Poor creatures
Like flies in the spiders web they would struggle to be
free again, but after every effort sink down exhausted
about them. o
On the night of December "a 1856 a female who
had recently arrived in handcart train committed sui
eide in the eastern suburbs Of Great Salt Lake city, rather
than submit to polygamy. the existence of which had
been denied by her teachers in England Soon after her
arrival she had been told that shc must he scaled the
man in whose family she was then living and
fusng to do she was informed in q pcremptory tone
that she would be denied protection and the of
subsistence from any source, and denounced prost
tutc Such announcements brought her unfortunate
situation too plainly before her II was too much for the
tender cords which bound her spirit s mortal tene-
ment and the fatal razor was brought to its relief
u
al most atrocious murder was committed by William
A. Hickman, the chief Thug DANTE on a mountaineer
named Yates, in October Yates and Ely two mountain.
had small post Green river near Baptse Luo-
isons and lived by raising and trading cattle When
Col Aexandcrs command crossed the river last Septem
Der, Yates disposed to the of kegs of gun
powder which he keeping for sale ut his post He
also contracted to supply the commssary with some beef
cattle, and few days aferward drove them up TO the
camp on Hams Fork, and received in payment more
than ST. 900 On his return to Green river n party OF
Mormons captured him. and conveyed him TO Fort
Bllger From there he taken to Salt Lake city,
and after being confined for few days was allowed TO
start eastward, accompanied by Hickman Since the day
he started nothing has been heard of him EXCEPT
the report which is brought by Feldmann TINT he
was murdered and robbed by Hickman us being man
who had forfeited his life to the Mormon god for the sin
against the Church of the LAtterDay Saints of having
sold gunpowder to the United States army II is said
that Hickman acknowledges the murder, and has ex-
hbited articles which are known TO have been in the
dead man possession
true narrative of tho life Of such Thugs as Hck-
man. Porter Rockwell, aud Lot Smith, would beyond
question, make story that would become classical in
c'mhai Annals These men all live on small ropches
near SILT Lake city, where they Craze few cattle farm
ing ana stock raising being their ostcsblc employment
but their acna Subsistence being ON the sgos of the
Victims whom tcy sacrifice to the vengeance of their
church - ag
The worst despotisms that have ever existed on
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