Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-02-04
PRESIDENT WOODRUFFS LETTER.
--.a---.
lie Refutcs the ISLANDERS Of the New
York ILLUSTRATED American"
VIGOROUS DEFENSE.
SALT LAKE CITY,
January 9th, 1891.
VIGOROUS DEFENSE.

E,ikor Illustrated american,
My attention has been called 10 arti.
Giles In your magazine Of December 2Itb
aud January sri concerning the "Mor.
mon" Church. ] have neither the
time nor tho inclination 10 notice the
numerous misststements aud vile as.
PERSONS that frequently appear In the
public prints In reference 10 the "Mor-
mon.." They have been common for
more than half century, and the
later productions are chiefly mere
echoes Of the falsehoods rcfuted years
ago. There IA nothing new In the
articles that have been published In
the Nius,riiod dnsricaa except this:
The writer claims 10 be a Mormon
'thc Oldest Mormon In the Rocky
Mountalns," 10 have been connected
with tho mormon" Church for nearly
sixty years; to be a resident Of this city
now; TO relate true "Mormon" history
aud 10 express tho present vicws
and Intentions Of the mormon" pco-
pie. Thus the old untruths aud the
current misrepresentation In reference
TO our people are presented under
new gulsc, aud that which might pas
unnotlcei n Published In the ordinary
way or over the signature Of the com.
pller, is likclyt u attract attention aud
obtain crciencc because II purports to
be written by n "Mormon." This Il
why devote some attention TO these
articles.
That the person who has gathered
from various sources scraps Of purported
mormon" history, fragments Of sup.
posed "Mormon" doctrine aud ng
mcns Of imaginary "Mormon" scnti'
ment, Ia not and mover was mombcI
Of the "Mornion" Church, aud that hi
whole prctsusion Is false, N evident Il
every one familiar with the subjects oil
which lac attempts TO treat.
In protesting 10 relatc how NauvoC
was settled, he speaks OF show Joseph
Smith, our leader, became possessed o
large tract u land In Hancock Coun
| ty, Illinois," AMI says, "rhe ange
who revealed II TO him babe him cal
the city Nauvoo, which he said meant
The Beautiful"
When the place on which Nauvo'
was built was first occupied by Tia,
Enormous" Il was called Commerce
and at that time Joseph Smith, lnstca
Of becoming possessed this "larg
tract OF Iaud" was Suffering illegal i'm
prl.onment In the State Of Missouri. /
was never claim a that an angel 70
vcalcd the place TO him. Ii was oiiere'
tothe Saints who Hal 1cd from thoi
thurman prosecutors In Missouri, b.
tho owner, and was purchased and pal
fJt In an ordinary business mannel
No "Mormon" would make the mi.
take that Il here conspicuous.
lie states that he was In the jail 1
! Carthage with Joseph Smith aud hi
brother Hyrum when thcy were ASA
: sinsied. That lac put his head out oftl
window and watched 10 SEQ II thei
. were signs Of life In the man he love,
That he expected to DO shot the ne,
D moment, etc. II IN n matter Of undi
: nutcd history that when Joseph au
: Iiyrum Smith were murdered, onl
!. two other persons were present In N
i prison where tho attack was mad
I They were willard Richards, who die
= March II 1854, and John Taylor, VIII
4 died July 26, 1857. Their accounts
}. the tragedy have been Published man
= times since 1874, and the words US,
I by this pretended "Aformon" are u
y Identical language OF DIR. willai
:. Richards.
i This plagiarist bo,rays himself In a
: equally conspicuous manner In his n
y count Of tho exodus from Nauvoo an
n the enlistment Of the Mormon Ia
" talon at Winter Quarters. II IA stole
= bodily from the celebrated lecture
, Gen. Thos. l.. Kane before the III
I, torical Society OF Pennsylvania, whic
u has been In publication for forty year
He states that Col. Steptoe was
/" command OF troops ent to tho "Mo
y mon" capital at thu time Of the famo,
y so-called "Aiormon War;" In which
u by the by, not one drop Of human bio,
y was shed. NeAM)rmon" or persc
, acquainted Utah history eou