Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-08-30

&C., wherewith the general ear has recently
been shocked? No. l do not Some of
these may have been fabricated by Gentle
maIice-others are doubtless exaggerated
but there is some basis of truth for the current
Gentle conviction that MormonS hare robbed,
MANNED, and eren killed persons in this Territory,
under circumstances Chich should subject tie perpe-
traitors to condign punishment, but that Mormon
citaesseS, grand jurors petit jurors and magis-
trates determinedly screen the guilty. / deeply re-
gret the necessity Of believing this but the
facts are incontestabe. That large party of
emigrauts-nOt less than eighty-from Arkan-
sas to California, were foully massacred at
Mountain Meadows in September, 1857 more
Immediately by Indians, but under the
direct inspiration and direction of the Mormon
settlers in that vicinity-to whom, and not to
the savages the emigrants had surrendered,
after a siege, on the strength of assurances
that their lives at least should be spared-is
established by evidence that cannot Il think
be invalidated-the evidence of conscience
smitten partakers in the crime, both Indian
and exMormon, and of children of the slaugh-
tered emigrants, who were spared as too young
to be dangerous even as witnesses, and of
whom the great majority have been sent down
to the States as unable to give testimony but
two boys are retained here as witnesses who
distinctly remember that their parents surren-
dered to white men, and that these white men
at best did not attempt to prevent their per-
fidious massacre. These children, moreover,
were all found in the possession of Mormons-
not one of them in the hands of the Indians
and, though the Mormons say they ransomed
them from the hands of the Indians, the child.
rem deny it, saying that they never lived with
nor were in the keeping of savages; and the
Indians bear concurrent testimony. So in the
Parish case: The family had been Mormons,
but had apostatized, and undertook to return
to the States; they were warned that they
would be killed if they persisted in that reso-
luton: they did persist and were killed. Of
course, nobody will ever be convicted of their
murder; but those who warned them of the
fate on which they were rushing know why
they were killed, and could discover if they
would, who killed them.
The vital fact in the case is Just this The
great mass of these people, as a body, mean to
be honest just, and humane but they are,
before and above all things else, Latter-day
Saints or Mormons They devoutly believe
that they are Gods peculiar and especial peo-
pie, doing His work, up-building His king
dom, and basking in the sunshine of His Pc
Guitar favor. Whoever obstructs or impedes
them in this work. then, is Gods enemy, who
must be made to get out of the way Of the es-
adjustment of Christ's kingdom on earth
made to do SO by lawful and peaceful means if
possible, but by any means that may ultimate
L
apostles; had they been allowed to pursue
their journey to the States, they would have
met many saints coming up the road, whose
minds they would have troubled if not poison
ed and they would have told stories after
reaching their destination which would have
deepened the general prejudice against the
saints-so the up-building and well-being of
Christ's kingdom required that they should
die. The Arkansas emigrants had in some
way abused the saints, or interposed OBJ
stacles to the progress of Gods work, and
they were consequently given over to destruc-
ton. Far be it from me to hint that onefifth,
one-tenth, one twentieth, of the Mormons ever
bore any part in these bloody Deeds or even
know to this day that they were perpetrated
The great body of the Saints undoubtingly be-
lieve all the current imputations of Mormon
homicide and outrage to be abominable calum-
MES. Many of the highest dignitaries of the
church may be included in this number. But
there are men in the church who know that
they are not calumnes--who know that Gen
tiles and apostates have been killed for the
church's and for Christs sake, and who firmly
believe that they ought to have been. | grieve
to say it, but | hold these more consistent and
logical Mormons than their innocent and un,
suspicious brethren. For if | were a Latter
Day Saint, undoubtingly believing all oppos-
ers of the Mormon church to be Gods enc
powerfully obstructing the rescue of souls from
eternal perdition and torture, l should be
strongly impelled to help put those opposcrs of
Gods purposes out Of the way Of sending more
immortal souls to everlasting fire. l should
feel it my duty SO to act, as a lover of God
and man. And | confidently predict that not
one Mormon who has killed Gentle or apos-
tate under a like view of his duty will ever be
fairly convicted in this territory No jury can
a. lie, e
the territorial laws, which is not mainly COM
posed of Mormons and no such jury will con-
vict Mormon of crime for any act done in be-
half Of Gods kingdom-that is, of the Mormon
church.
ask, then, the advocates of popular sover-
eighty" in the territories to say what they pro-
pose to do in the premises. How do they in
tend to adapt their principle to the existing
state of facts They have superseded Brig
ham Young, with full knowledge that at
least nine tenths of the people of Utah earnest
ly desired his retention as Governor They
have sent hither a batch of judges, who would
like to earn their salaries; but the Mormon
Legislature devotes its sessions principally to
the work of Gripping and lettering these
Judges so that they shall remain here as mere
dummies or be driven into resignation. Their
juries are all drawn for them by Mormon OIL
Gals, under regulations which virtually; eH
clude all but Mormons il frog a6 to cite in ar r.
ff1eft before any judge or jury here the de-
clslons OF any court-even the Supreme
Court of the United States-but the courts of
Utah; so that even the bred Scott decision
could not lawfully be cited here in fugitive
slave case; in short, the federal judiciary, the
federal executive, and the federal army, as
now existing in Utah, are three transparent
shams-three egregious farces they are cost.
ing the treasury very large sums to no pur-
pose; and the sooner the Governor Marshal,
Judges, &C., resign, and the army is with
drawn, the better for all but handful of con-
tractors. Popular sovereignty" has such
full swing here that Brigham Young carries
the territory in his breeches pocket without a
shadow of opposition; he governs without re-
sponsibility to either law or public opinion;
for there is no real power here but that of 'the
church," and he is practically the church.
The church is rich, and is hourly increasing in
wealth the church settles all civil controver-
sizes which elsewhere cause lawsuits the
church spends little or nothing, yet rules eve
rything; while the federal government
though spending two or three millions per an
mum here, and keeping up fussy parade of
authority, is powerless and despised. If, then,
we are to have popular sovereignty" in the
territories, let us have it pure and without
shams. Let Brigham be re-appointed Govern
or; withdraw the present federal officehold-
ers and army, open shorter and better roads to
California through the country north of Bridg-
er, and notify the emigrants that, if they
choose to pass through Utah, they will do so
at their own risk. Let the Mormons have
the territory to themselves-it is worth very