Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-27
SHE DEFlED THE DANITES.
A Heroine of The Mormon Days and
Some of Her Thrilling Experiences.

Some of Her Thrilling Experiences.
Mrs. Amanda Benton Smith, wife Of
General Robert T. Smith, of Hamilton,
H., was laid to rest in Oakwood ceme-
terry yesterday. AS the coffin was low
cred there stood around the grave the
venerable husband and twelve of the
fourteen living children, of whom six
are men and six are women.
Mrs. Smith was pioneer heroine.
She was born in Philadelphia June 8,
1916, and her maiden name of Amanda
Benton was changed to Mrs. r. T. Smith
June 10, 1884. In November of the same
year the husband and his young bride
came to Hancock county, then wilder
ness, and settled near the place now oc-
cupied by the town of Hamilton.
Early in the forties Mr.. and Mrs.
Smith moved to Carthage and General
Smith took an active interest in Mormon
affairs and became identified with all
the stirring events of those stormy days
She shared with him the dangers and
the notable experiences through which
he passed. General Smith organized the
Carthage Grays and commanded the
company, detail of which was on
guard at the old stone Jail in Carthage
on the afternoon of June 81, 1874, when
mob shot to death Joseph and Hiram
Smith, the Mormon prophets.
Terror spread through the little vii
lage, and General Smith with his COM.
mand was called upon to go elsewhere
to prevent, if possible, an outbreak from
the outraged Mormons. Mrs. Smith, as
did hundreds of others in the village,
fed from their homes The dauntless
mother gathered her six children about
her and fled out upon the prairies.
Coming to swollen stream she carried
her children across one by one, keeping
them from the water. Her exposure to
the waves made her ill, and when she
had reached deserted cabin few miles
distant she was almost in delirium of
fever.
During the night a band of half starved
refugees-cowardly men who had desert
ed their families-came to the hut and
demanded food There was nothing in
the house save a handful of cornmeal.
which the brave woman cooked into
bread. The men devoured the morseY
like hungry wolves and left Mrs. Smith
alone in the cabin with her terror strick-
en- children. A party of rescuers found
the brave woman and her little ones anu
returned them to their home.
Not long after this incident, while Gen
eral Smith was still living in Carthage,
a band of Danites came on a raiding trip
to the town, and at midnight sought adj
mission to General Smiths home. The
general was absent, or one or more of the
raiders would haye bit the dust They
demanded admission, swearing that if
they found General Smith they would
not leave an ounce of flesh on his bones.
Mrs. Smith refused to allow the raiders
to enter her home and warned them to
commit no violence. Something in the
pioneer wOman's voice and demeanor
awed the miscreants, for they soon left.
Another trying experience through
which this lady passed was during the
Mormon war, when her husband was
brought home shot through the neck by
Mormon bullet. She nursed him back
to life and health. General and Mrs
Smith removed again to Hamilton in
1917 and were living there when the civil
war broke out. When called upon to
give up her husband and three sons
she murmured not. In the words of
General Smith, ''she was as brave a
soldier as the rest of u.s." During the
war she with her daughters was
active in sanitary and relief corps work,
and by their words of encouragement
sustained the hearts of her loved ones at
the front. When General Smith was i'll
two months at Nashville she undertook
the task of visiting him and succeeded in
reaching his headquarters after expert
encing no little danger in passing the
lnes.-Cor. st. Louis Republic
Hotel Arcadia, Santa M nnica.
I BE sure and visit this beauti ul seaside re-