The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1869-12-02


spect to himself, was really anxious to
bring the perpetrators to justice Bills of
Indictment were found at the October term
of court against Levi Williams, Mark AL
drich, Jacob G. Davis, William n Grover,
Thomas G. Sharp, John Willis, William
VOORHEES,, William Gallagher, and ore AL
len. They were based on the testimony
of two idle youths, named Brackenbury
and Daniels, who had accompanied the
expedition from Warsaw to Carthage on
the 9th of June, and had seen the whole
affair. Having natural Discrimination to
work, they lived as long as they could
by exploiting this rare experience. Their
| evidence being worse than useless in War
saw, they went to Nauvoo, professed
Mormonism, and had their board paid by
| the faithful, to secure their attendance at the
| trial. Brackenbury formed an alliance with
| sign painter, who executed in the highest
| style OF Nauvoo art panorama of the
prophets Death and Ascension, which
| they exhibited to the great edification of
the MOrmons and to such profit that the
artist soon died Of the trembling madness,
and Brackenbury fell heir to the canvas
and the fees. Daniels elaborated with
scribbler named Littlefield, most remark.
able pamphlet on the same subject, stuffed
| full of miracles and inventions more stupid
than the truth.
The next May all the defendants APP
peered, according to agreement, to stand
their trial. They began by filing their
affidavit that the county commissioners
who selected the array of Jurors for the
week were prejudiced against them; that
the sheriff and his deputies were untitled
| by prejudice to select the talesman that
might be required. They therefore en-
tered motion to quash the array of jurors,
to set aside the sheriff and his deputies,
and to appoint elisors to select Jury for
| the case. After argument, this was done.
The elisors presented ninety-six men, be-
fore twelve were found ignorant enough
and indifferent enough to act as jurors.
A large number of witnesses were ex-
amined, but nothing was elected against
the accused from any except Brack-
enbury, Daniels, and girl named Eliza
Jane Graham. The two first had been
professionally, the one in his PAM
phlet, the other in his raree-show.
that they had utterly forgotten where
they started from, and so embroidered
their original facts with more recent
fictions, that their evidence went for
nothing.
The evidence of Miss Graham, delivered
with the impetuosity of her sex, was all
that could be deSired-and more too. She
had assisted in feeding the hungry mob at
the Warsaw House as they came strag-
Cling in from Carthage, and she could re
member where every man sat, and what
he said, and how he said it. Unfortunate
ly she remembered too much No ore ac-
cused her of willful perjury. But her
nervous and sensitive character had been
powerfully impressed by the influence of
Smith, and, brooding constantly upon his
death, she came at last to regard her own
fancleS and suspicious as positive occur
| renceS.
The case was closed. There was not a
man on the jury, in the court, in the
county, that did not know the defendants
had done the murder But it was not
proven, and the verdict of Not Guilty
was right in law.
And you cannot find in this generation
an original inhabitant of Hancock county
who will not stoutly sustain that verdict.
There was very little excitement about
the matter. The MOrmons were not Wig
orous IN the prosecution. Their leaders
were already involved in the squabbles
and lntrigues of the succession. The
prophets brother, William Smith, was an
aSplrant. But he was weak, indOlent,
good-natured sensualist, and was readily
bought off and suppressed. He carried on
for some time a furnishing trade in
"pa.riarchal blessings" He had probably
never heard of Tetzel, and yet the old
Dominican himself could scarcely have
systematized his traffic better He adver-
tses in the NeighbOr i: Common blessings
80 cents; Extraordinary blessings, 81 90
Children, halfprice; women, gratis" Rig
don made desperate stand for the
prophets mantle. But he was defeated
also, and, being recalcitrant, was sOlemnly
, given over to be buffeted of the Evil
One for thousand years" The coolest
and most unbelieving of them all sue
s ceeded to the autocracy. Brigham Young
whether guided by instinct or reason l dc
not know, avoided the fatal mistake Of
Smith, who turned back from Missouri
, to Illinois, and the crazy fantasy of Rig
, don, who would have gone from Illinois
to Pennsylvania. Tribes and religions
| cannot travel against the sun. Young
| during the troubled year that followed, ex
| erted himself to gather all the reins o.
g government into his own hands; and
t there was not in all the slaYiSh East DIES
pot more absolute than he when at last ht
started, with his wives and his servant,
/ and his cattle, to lead his people into tn,
g vast tolerant wilderness.
|