The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-09
THE KIRKLAND M0RM0NS
The Turning Point in Favor of a
Great DeIusion.
How Smith and Sidney Rigdon were Tarred
and Feathered-The Horrible Scenes
that Followed.


examined large history OF MormonlSm,
written in French, copy of which is to be
found in the library of Congress. This author,
who is quite a philosopher in his way, says
that the turning point in Mormonism was
the tarring and feathering of Joe Smith and
Rigdon at Hiram. Up to that time the new
doctrine had taken very little root, The con-
verts had been very few. But here was a case
of violence. 1t was the same old story OF
persecution over again. The Gentiles could
not stand argument, but must resort to ruff
fianism. 1t is said that this deed was in
reality the cause of two deaths. A pair of
twins in Smiths house, some eleven months
old, were suffering from the measles, and
being exposed by the crowd rushing in, they
took cold and died. Rigdon was very roughly
handled.
He was dragged by his heels, and his head
was terribly bruised ON the rough, frozen
ground. He was crazy for some time after,
and nearly died. The prophet and Rigdon,
so soon as they sufficiently recovered, began
to give exaggerated accounts of the affair,
and not only cemented the faith of their for
mer converts, but used it as a strong means
for gaining new ones. There are men still
living in and about Hiram who were once
tinctured to a certain extent with Mormon
ism, and there are others who helped to do
this tarring and feathering The following
is portion of one OF Smiths accounts of the
affair:
''The mob burst open the door and sur
rounded the bed in an instant, and the first [
knew l was going out of the door in the
han dc Of mfr riatn oh I do
perate struggle l was forced out to ex-
tricate myself, but only cleared one leg,
with which l made a pass at one man,
and he fell on the doorsteps. L was
Immediately confined again, and they
swore that they would kill me if [ did not
be still, which quieted me- As they passed
around the house with me, the fellow that l
kicked came to me and thrust his hand in
my face, all covered with blood (for hit him
on the nose, and with an exulting horse
laugh muttered, Gee gee, I'll fix We"
They then seized my throat and held on
gan to plead with them, saying, You will
have mercy and spare my life, | hope To
which they replied with oaths and impreca-
tons, which they were constantly in the
habit OF using when greatly excited. Call
on your God for mercy; We'll show YOU no
mercy. And the people began to show them
selves in every direction one coming from
the orchard, had a plank, and | expected
they would kill me and carry me off on the
plank. Finally they stopped, and one of
them asked, Amt you going to kill him?'
They finally left few to guard
let me get to the ground lest L should spring
upon them, and the others retired for con-
sultation. 1 could overhear occasionally
word, and knew they were deciding whether
they should kill me. They finally returned,
and found they had concluded not to kill
me, but pound and scratch me well, tear otf
my shirt and drawers and leave me naked. |
One cried: Where's the tar-bucket? Il don't
know, answered one, Ellis left it. They ran
back and fetched the bucket of tar, when one
exclaimed Let us tar his mouth and they
tried to force the tar paddle into my mouth.
| twisted my head around so they could not,
and they cried out: Hold up your head and
let us give We some tar They then tried to
force phial into my mouth, and broke it in
my teeth. All my clothes were torn off except
my shirt collar, and one man fell on me and
scratched my body with his nails like mad
cat. They then left me, and l attempted to
rise, but fell again; pulled the tar from my
lips, etc, so that l could breathe more freely, |
and after awhile l began to recover =
During the affray the sisters of the neighbour
hood had collected in my room. l called for
a blanket; they threw me one and shut the
door, l wrapped it around me and went in"
A new religion cannot be established on
anything like firm basis without persecu-
ton and martyrdom. The new religion inn
mediately began to boom" after the Hiram
violence was exercised upon its prophet, ana
the final martyrdom of the same individual
has done more to convince the faithful of
the truth of their cause than any amount of
preaching could have DONE
A part OF the great scheme had been to
transplant the Mormon church to northern
Ohio. Rigdon had been busly at work an
nouncing and preaching to the church at
Mentor and Kirkland that something new
and wonderful was about to come. This
took great root in the Kirkland church, but
was not so successful in Mentor. Pratt
Cowdery, Harris and Whitmer were the four
apostles to the Lamanites who first came to
Mentor and so readily converted Rigdon |
They filled his pulpit for him, and very soon
had created a considerable excitement in the
community. Those who were converted
were baptized again.
FRANTIC AND HORRIBLE FANATICIsM.
A writer who lived in Lake county at the
time thus describes what took place:
"Scenes OF the most wild, frantic and hor-
rble fanaticism ensued. They pretended
that the power of miracles was about to be
given to all who embraced the new faith, and
commenced communicating the Holy Spirit
by laying their hands on the heads of con-
yerts, which operation at first produced an
instantaneous prostraton of body and
mind. Many would fall upon
the floor, where they would lie for
long time, apparently lfeless The fits
usually came on during or after their prayer
meeting, which were held nearly every even
ing. The young men and women were par
ticularly subject to this delirium. They
would exhibit all the apish actions imagina-
BILE, making the most ridiculous grimaces,
creeping upon their hands and knees, rolling
upon the frozen ground going through all
the Indian modes of warfare, etc At other
times they would run through the fields, get
upon stumps, preach to imaginary congrega-
tions, enter the water and perform the cere-
mony of baptising. Many would have fits of
speaking in all the Indian dialects, which
none could understand. Again. at the dead