The St. Johns herald., 1885-04-30
THE ORIGINAL MORMONS.

Joseph Smith IT,, who was intel
 viewed in St. Louis recently, mad
 the following statementin in regard
 the original Mormon church, tn
 difference between the severa
 branches, and what the reorganize,
 church believe in:
 q am the eldest son of Josepl
 Smith, the founder of our church
 I have been in attendance at tn,
 conference of our church at Inde
 pendence, Mo-, and am now on my
 way to Alton, III. My home is il
 Lamont, To-, where our paper, The
 Saints Herald, is published. Oul church numbers between 5000 anC 10000 members and over 400 regu.
 lar congregations scattered all over
 from Maine to New Mexico and
 from Florida to Alaska. We have
 members in all parts of the world. In the Society Islands, Australia, England, Wales and so on, all es- tablished by apostles or elders. We have 500 or 1 ,O00 in Utah, who are in charge of Elder J. R. Antho- ny. We have large missionary force at work always"
 On being further questioned in regard to the establishment of the church and the difference in the two branches he said:
 ''In the year 1927 my father had his visitation. An angel revealed to him the theory of our doctrine and our church. All that is a mat ter of history, and has been repeat ed so often that it is hardly neces- sary for me to say anything of it. On the 9th of April, 1880, the church was organized by Joseph Smith and six elders, at Amherst, Ohio. The first conference was held ill June of that year. The members of that conference went forth into the world and preached the word. In the course of time they made converts and then they gathered together and built temple. This was at Kirk and, Ohio. About this same time hey settled in Missouri, in the town of Independence. They prospered n both places until, in the year 1884, a local feeling arose against 1 hem in Kirkland. resulting finally | n their expulsion from that place. They concentrated at Independence To-, after that, but encountered the anne opposition in Missouri that hey met in Ohio, and in 1888 they were banished from that State. They then emmigrated to Illinois, ettling in Hancock County, at Sauvoo. This was in 1889. In S44 my father was killed at Car haze. The church then numbered 50,000 souls, 25,000 of whom were n Hancock County, Illinois. After ny fathers death, or in 1846, the mass of the church went west to Utah. A large number, however, emained behind. It was then that he schism in the church began. 1y mother, myself and my brothers id not go. In 1852 we reorganized he church, the branch of which I m now President originating then. he difference between the two ranches of the Mormon church is imply this. We do not believe in The church, as first rganized, was not a polygamic ody. It was only later that it be- f ame so.
 The death of my father caused reat excitement. He had been rested by an excited body of cit ems. He could have taken ad- I antage of an opportunity given $ i'm to bail himself out, but chose f , remain in prison, where he was I laced on the debtors side of the f til. John Taylor and my uncle l [iram were+.with him. A furious I lob attacked the jail, overpowered i nd butchered the guard, and shot l " father to death. They put four [ ullets into Uncle Hiram, Aho, { owever, did not die. John Taylor { scaped unharmed, and afterwards ( d the church to Utah.