Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-04-09
Mormon Layout That Beats Bar
NUNS Circus
N DRAWING A GAPING CROWD
Discourses Delivered by Joe Smith, J. R
Lambert and Elroy W. Blair-Sketeh
Of the Early Church-Poyga-
my Sat Down On.

ont through curiosity to witness the per-
formance Of the saints. Large delegations
of Mormons arrived yesterday from the
West and South. Old men who left kirt-
land with the Mormons in 1885 were so
oyerjoyed at reaching the old village again
that they cried like children, and knelt
down in the mud in front OF the old church
where they first joined and where they
were baptized by Joseph Smith and sidney
Rigdon.
The morning sermon was preached by
Joseph Smith, Jr.-subject Reason LOT
Believing the Mormon Faith" In the al.
ternoon Rev. J. r. Lambert gave history
of the Mormon church from its first in
ception, and endeavored to prove that Jo-
seph Smith was not polygamist. Elroy
w. Blair preached the sermon to night,
and conference business will be resumed
tomorrow.
Young Joseph Smith, who arrived in
Kirkland few days ago, is proud OF his
famous sire, and is not 10th to speak OF
him or of his life, OF his father young
| Joseph SAYS that he was born in Sharon,
VI December l3, 1905 In 1916 he lived at
PALMYRA, n. Y, where he was proprietor OF
| a 0cake and beer shop" and by which he
was enabled to support his wife and chill
dren. On public holidays, such as the
| Fourth of July and military training days,
Mr.. Smith, Sr., did an enormous business
| in the sale OF such Yankee merchandise as
gingerbread, pies, boiled eggs and root
| beer. ,u
Smith occasionally hired himself out for
| a DAVIS work, and on one occasion, whlle
| digging a we'll for a neighbOr named Clsrk
Chase, in September 1919, found curious
stone. 1t was of peculiar shape and resem-
| bled a child's foot Smith cherished the
stone. talked about il and dreamed about
| il. He finally looked upon it as magic
stone, and claimed that he could see won
derful things by its aid. This idea was en-:
| lareed upon day by day, until he considered
himself revealer OF hidden treasures ana
q prophet. His seerstone became the talk
| of the country for miles around. Various
| miracles in the way of the finding OF hid
| den money treasures were performed by
| Smith. The newspapers throughout the
| country heralded and ridiculed them. A
| few wear later the wonderful Smith had
vision. He claimed that while at prayer
an angel OF the Lord visited him and
promised to reveal TO him at some
| future time the true gospel OF the
| Lord. Still later, in 1927, he discovered the
metallic book, or engraved plates, which he
| exhumed from the earth and which after
| ward was called the Book of Mormon. 1t
! was heralded abroad as the Golden Bible,
| or Book OF Mormon, and as the commence
ment of new gospel dispensation. Why
it was called the Book of Mormon is proba-
bly, owing to the fact that the word Nor.
mon" is synonymous with "mormo,"
which, according to the definition Webster
| gives it, signifies 'bugbear" or false
| terror" What followed the intense ex-
| element over the discovery is well known.
| Smith gathered a number of his friends
! and followers about him, and on April 6,
| S3O-fifty.three years ago Friday last the
| first Mormon church was established, and
| joseph Smith was installed as Patriarch
and President of the Church of Latter Day
| Saints
| The MOrmOns at Kirkland.
About this time man named Farley H.
| Pratt of Lorain county, Ohio, heard OF the
new religion, and while on his way to New
| York stopped OIL at Palmyra. He called at
! Smiths residence out of mere curiosity, but
before he departed he embraced the Nor
mon faith and joined the organization,
| Pratt was a member OF party OF anti.sec-
tarians who worshipped at Mentor, little
village four miles from Kirkland. These
dissenters took up the newly found faith
upon Pratts return to Ohio, and the Church
| Of the Latter Day Saints became such a
| strong organization in Mentor, Willoughby,
| Kirkland, Hiram and adjacent villages that
| Smith concluded to remove TO this local
| ity. The Mormon emigration TO Ohio
| occurrence in the summer OF 1880 and in
| he latter part OF the year the head centre
| of the church was located in this same lit
tie village OF Kirkland. Here a printing
| office was established and hundreds of the
new Mormon Bible were printed An
effort was made by Smith and his followers
| to establish their first house of worship at
| Hiram, small hamlet not many miles
| from Kirkland. The citizens of the place
| looked upon Smiths efforts as conspir.
| acy which was likely TO result in the pos
session by Smith of large share of the
real estate of the town and the building OF
| a temple on Hiram HILL
| The Trials of Joseph Smith.
On the night Of March 10, 1881, a band OF
thirty determined men from Hiram aud
| adjoining towns assembled at the home of
! the Mormon prophet when all the mem
bers Cf the family were asleep. The door
was broken in aud the stalwarts of the party
seized Smith and pitched him out OF the
door, where he was placed astride rail.
He was subjected to a coat OF tar aud
feathers and then allowed to return to his
home. This ended all endeavors 10 estab-
lish Church of Latter Day Saints at Hiram,
and Smith concluded TO confine his opera.
tionS to Kirkland.
Brigham Young was converted and
joined the Mormons in Kirkland in the
! spring of 1892. He was also a native of
Vermont Smith and Young were the
leaders in the church and made hundreds
of converts. Through their resistless
power contributions in money and labor
erected at a cost OF $4,000. The temple
was an immense structure of three stories
and looked like an old Roman cathedral
The massive stones used in its construction
are covered with inscriptions in Greek aud
Laun. The pulpitS of the temple are in
semicircles in tiers Of three, thirty in all,
and will accommodate about thirty persons
each. In the main auditorium of the tenn
pie are many high, straight, wooden pews,
with close shutting gates. The temple is
located in a beautiful spot on the
banks OF the Chsgrin river, a stream
called Shagreen by the Indians and
named by them. After the build
ing of the temple the people living in the
surrounding country took measures to
drive the Mormons from the locality, and
gnally the authorities OF the Church de-
ternired upon a voluntary change of head.
Quartes soon after the temple was COM
pleted. A large tract of land was purchased
in Missonri and town site was laid out, the
place being called Independence. By the
spring OF 1884 the maj jor portion OF the
Mormons OF Ohio had moved TO the West.
Smith, however, returned TO Kirkland and
embarked in mercantile and banking pur-
suits. Twice was he arrested for swindling,
IN connection with his worthless paper
bsnk and other fraudulent operations. and
On Tie 18th of January he was compelled
to fee with his companions 10 escape mob
violence. The facts Of his subsequent ca
reer and death are well known to the pub-
lie.
Still They Come.
Another large delegation of Ssints from
Salt Lake City will arrive on Monday. The
women who are present are, as rule in
| telligent and healthy looking. There is
nothing in their demeanor to indicate de-
prsyed tastes They are quiet, unobtru-
sive and apparently sincere. They appear
| to be treated with the utmost respect by
their husbands and male relatives. The
men are mostly smooth shsyen, dressed
plsinly after the style OF the Quakers, and
are quiet and orderly. 1t : true they are
not all as intelligent looking as other large
bodies Of churchmen, yet their purposes
seem to be earnest and they aPPear eager