Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-03-11
MltistelIaug.
A Narrative of Mormon Atroci-
Ties. ,,i.

t1cSs
Dr.. Garland Hurt on request for and the
better information concerning the treat
meut experienced by the Gentiles in Salt
Lake City, last winter, has written letter
to Gov. Cumming, now with the troops
We find it among the correspondence Of
the New York Tribune just received from
Camp Scott, the present rendezvous of the
troops. DR.. Hurt has been in Utah three
years, laboring for the good of the masses,
held under sway of the Priest hood
He SAYS that in the autumn of 1856 there
was an evident disposition among the peo-
pie to assert their constitutional right and
o spirit of independence was abroad, but
the eye of the Priesthood was upon them,
and by one vast revolution of the subtle
machinery of priest-craft the voice of liber-
ty was hushed. The miraculous feat of in
terposition was conducted under the name
of "Religious Reformation" At this
Reformation or Revivals a proclamation
was issued by the "Lord's Amounted, " COM
nlanding the people to bow at the confes-
sional and repair to the streams to be re-
baptised. DIR. Hurt says:
sUnder the execution of this mandate l
have seen men and women weeping in the
bitterest agony of soul; and when at
tempted console them, they would say that
they abhorred the idea of being forced into
a confessional, but dare not refuse. l
heard their teachers announce to them on
numerous occasions, in round terms, that
if they refused to obey the mandate they
would "eat their d--d throats cut. y
That Congress shall make no law re-
specting an establishment of religion OF
prohibiting the free exercise thereof is a
clause of the constitution which the Nor
mons fein to cherish and observe, but those
in Utah, who have felt constrained to differ
from them conscientiously, can testify with
what imminent peril to their lives they
have been forced to abandon the exercise
of this sacred constitutional privilege. I'm
der this clause of the constitution the Nor
mons attempt to justify themselves IN
erecting system of theocratic aristocracy
which recognizes the shedding of human
gore for the remission of sins, and have
formed themselves into religious body po-
litic with municipal regulations, institutions
and practices which reflect dishonor and
insult upon the enlightened age in which
ye live. They have kept an organized po-
lice OF banditti whose business it is to
prowl about the domicil of the citizen, OF
couch in some nook upon the highway, in
in the dead hours of the night, for the pur-
pose Of exaeting under its sable curtains
the penalty Of their bloody ritual from
some unfortunate creature who may have
incurred the Indignation of ths Priest
hood.
Under this system of pseudo-religion,
the torch OF the incendiary, and the knife
OF the assassin, are the chosen instruments
of vengeance upon those who NAV have
dared to lift their voices against the a,,.
thority of the Church. 1t matters little
by what chicanery and falshood they NAV
have been inveigled INTO this society Q,
denominations, the only hope Of safety lies
in the servile scquiscence in the will O
those who have plotted their ruin"
We extract portions of DR.. Hurts lette
which refers TO various outrages:
"on the morning of December %, 1855
/ was informed that the office of the Clerl
OF the Supreme Court had been broker
open the night before and robbed of tht
docket official papers and library of tht
said Court To satisfy myself of the truth
OF this report, visited the Office rooms
where ! met G. E. Bolton, Deputy Clerk
sod also Judge Stiles and T. s. Williams
and 70 my sstcaishnent found nothing bu,