The record-union., 1895-01-31
MORMON TEMPLE AT NAUVOO.
The Manner of Its Destruction Dis
closed at Last.

The Manner of Its Destruction Dis
closed at Last.
The corner stone of the Mormon tenn
pie at Nauvoo was laid April 6. 1911. In
lSf6 When the Mormon exodus took place
the temple had become, from it's fine site
rather than any grandeur in the building
Itself, an imposing structure. Its length
was l2O feet, width 50, hight 90. sur
rounded by domed steeple whose sum-
NIT was 100 feet above ground. The tenn
pie stood until the night of October 9,
loto, When the people We're awakened by
the beltry blazing as shaft OF flames
ana In few hours the temple was a
Dlackened ruin. Until within the past
lew weeks no authentic statement of the
burning OF the structure was ever made.
Recently George II. Rudsill, formerly of
Lee County, Iowa, now of Bowling
Green, Fla, gave an account of the affair,
told him by }. b. Agnew, of Pontoosuc,
Hancock County, Ill, in confidence, and
only 10 be published when Agnew, the
iaIe Juuge Sharp OF Carthage and Squire
McCauley OF Hancock County, who
planned and carried out the destruction,
should all be dead. This being the case
now Mr.. RudsiIl publishes MIR. Agnew's
statement.
There were continuous rumors that the
Mormons, repenting their Immigration
westward, would return to Nauvoo and
SHSAA bSIIlp4Ss W WHICH, lu0lE duGCtlOIS anu
prophetic hopes turned as Israe's to the
temple at Jerusalem. After some pre-
Illnlnary conferences Judge Sharp, Nc
Cauley and Agnew met on the prairie
lew miles from Nauvoo on the afternoon
OF october 9, 1913, and pledged themselves
to destroy the temple. Hiding their horses
ABOUT mile from town, they walked in,
ABOUT O'Clock III the afternoon. Agnew
nau put on as an undercoat a corn sack
lined with cOmbustible materials. About
dusk they Went to the temple and got the
steward to show them the building, on
the plea that they were strangers passing
through and would have no other chance
to inspect 1t. Agnew slipped the key of
the outer door into his pocket, After
looking through they had to return with
out any chance TO start the fire they had
Planned. Alter the janitOr lett them
Sharp and McCauley stood watch while
Agnew ran back and kindled a blaze
where he felt sure it would do its work
without being seen until he and his as
socIates had time to get out OF town.
Aguew said that he got lost in trying to
get out OF the temple and finally hau TO
run through the room now atiame where
the chief flre was, in order 10 escape, get
ting pretty badly sCorched in doing so.
Sharp and McCauley were waiting tor
MIN IN growing anxiety and alarm at his
absence. Now they scattered, Sharp to
Carthage, sixteen miles away, McCauIey
10 AppanOosa, ten miles away, Agnew to
Pontoosuc, twelve miles distant. The
latter had not gone more than half mile
when he saw tlickering glow in the bel
fry: few minutes later it burst forth
into mass of fire. He put his horse
into run Tor the Mississippi River tim
Der, where he hid, and shortly men
began to dash along the roads riding
swiftly to Nauvoo, for the confiagration
could now be seen for twenty miles
around. Agnew found himself so badly
burned that he could not go home and ne
rode TO McCauley's cabin, reaching it
just before day, where it was a week be-
fore he was able TO GO about. Sharp
spent the night and the next day in the
woods OF Rock Creek, and went into Car
thage the night OF the l0th.-heokuk Gate
CITY,