Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-24
THE 'STRANGITES."
AN OLD SAILOR TELLS A YARN
ABOUT THEIR EXPLOITS.

| The Schooner Willis Thought to Have
Been scuttled by the Mormons - The
Settlement on Beaver Group-Cleaned
Out with Fire and Sword.
The Strang phase of Mormonism had its
birth and came into prominence about the
time Of the Nauvoo settlement in this
state. Strang was diSsolute man; an I'M
scrupulous and ambitious one as we'll. He
was identified with the Young, Kimball,
Smith and other factions which were power
full when the church was in its infancy, and
was jealous of the strength which these men
possessed through their supposed association
with divine powers This led him also to re-
ceive a revelation" from above and set him
self up az a leader under spiritual guidance
His revelation was consistent with Smiths in
that it allowed man more than one wife,
and not a few Of the faithful enrolled them
selves under the hammer of the ''Strangites."
When Nauvoo was destroyed Strang gather
ed bis people around him, refused to follow
his former companions westward, and started
for the north.
The Beaver group OF islands, consisting OF
Big and Little Beaver, North and South Fox,
Gull, Garden, Bat, Hog and Squaw, located
at the mouth Of the straits, were at this
time, in 1886. peopled by shiftless lot of In
dians and half breeds, who gained precari-
Gus living by hunting, fishing and wrecking
These quasi settlers woke up one morning to
find their kingdom invaded and the best part
of Big Beaver pre-empted by Mormons The
forces Of Strang, about 200 strong, had come
in the night and "squatted" Most Of them
settled On the northern side of the island, on
the shore of the bay, at the place now known
Us ST. james, and there they remained for
ten years. They built houses from the cedar
with which the islands abound, and traded
for or stole from the original settlers what
game and fish they needed. Fishermen and
farmers began to come in, their numbers
steadily grew. and the settlement was in a
fair way to rival the one then springing upin
Utah
\ PETTY DESPOT.
Here Strang WAS supreme-the great / am.
He ruled his subjects with u rod o( iron, and
always TO further his own ends. He was a
dlSSolute and INSCRIPTIONS man, who at bot
tom had no respect for morality or religion,
and who increased his hareni AS fast as fancy
dictated, although somewhat successful in
managing TO cloak his real character under
religion and prcfessed divine sanction for his
acts But notwithstanding all MS care dis
content took root after a few years and
faction rose against him.
They were thieves and rascalS Of the worst
kind" SAYS Capt. Williams, las l know from
my own experience. Ii we went into port
there they would swarm over the vessel and
we had to watch them like cats One sum-
mer in the sos my iron cable broke and
dropped out OF sight In ST. James bay. As
had no time 10 fish it up then | marked the
place and proceeded on my way About
three months afterward | returned and made
al effort TO recover the cable but it was
gone. One Of those Mormons came on board
and asked what / would give for the cable.
can see through a milestone, and knew at
once they had pulled up the chain aud an
Choir aud had them concealed somewhere |
clustered and svyore and threatened, and
they laughed Finally | produced and 50
did they
THE FATE OF THE WILLIS
Among nsvigators, by 1850, the Beavers be
gan TO get decidedly bad name Three YES
seis during 1919 1850 and 1851, that had
cleared uiEh the intention of stopping at the
group, were never heard of again The repu-
-Jai rhi4.-xs-