Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1896-11-27
In Brief Session at which all Living
Members of the Council of Twelve
Were Present, the Offending
Brother was Reduced TO the low
est Rank I'm the Churah.

yesterday summarily deprived of all hi
official authority by the Council O
Twelve Apostles, and retired to tn
|. ranks of the small number of men II
S the church who are not elders.
+ The Apostles met at 10 o'clock in tn,
S Historians office. President Snow anC
: nine others were present, the full mem
, bership of the Council, excepting Mr.
: Thatcher, there being one vacancy, thai
of Abraham II. Cannon. The accused
Apostle did not appear. He had been
notified that his trial would occur, but
the notice did not invite him to be
present. So he did not attend. 1t is
probable that he would not have ap-
his request for public hearing was de-
nied
The Apostles sitting as an ecclesias-
teal court, proceeded to consider the
case before them. But little time was
required to reach a conclusion. No
evidence was presented. The official
announcement of the proceedings
states that each Apostle expressed him
but 1t was undoubtedly In line with
the remarks made by members of the
Council at the October conference.
when Mr.. Thatcher was stated to be
out of fellowship with his quorum. The
opinion was unanimous that as he was
out of harmony with his fellow Apos-
ties, and had refused TO act In accord
with them, he must be deposed. The
order was accordingly made that the
offending Apostle be stripped of all his |
clerical functions.
President Snow and other Apostles, |
after the action was taken, went across
the street to the church offices and
informed the First Presidency that the
had happened. The following
brief statement of the proceedings was
drawn up and signed by President
Snow and as notice to all Mormons
was printed last evening in the Deseret
News, the official organ of the church:
To the Officers and Members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter.Day
:-"This is to II form you that at
meeting of the Council of Apostles held
his day Thursday, November 10, 1867 ,
here being present Lorenzo Snow,
franklin ID. Richards, Brigham Young, ,
Francis M. Lyman. John Henry Smith,
George Teasdale, Heber J. Grant, John
". Taylor, Mariner w. Merrill and An
hon H. Lund. which meeting was called :,
or the purpose considering and taking !,
ction on the case of Elder Moses
of which meeting and
is object he has been duly notified :.
fter full consideration of all the cir
umstances of the case and after each
apostle present had expressed himself
pom the subject, 1t was unanimously &
ecided that Moses Thatcher be serv-
red from the council of the Twelve
apostles, and that he be deprived of his !,
.postleship and other offices in the :,
riesthood." :,
LORENZO SNOW. :.
resident Council of Twelve Apostles l.
The offices of which Mr.. Thatcher is to
eprived are those of apostle, president to
the Cache stake, high priest, seventy c,
nd elder. He was made an elder in B
So. when he was but IS years of age. VI
{ became a seventy in 1850, to which fa
lice he was ordained by Brigham ar
Dung. In 1877 he was made president No
the Cache stake, and was ordained tr,
gh priest. He became an apostle dur ha
G the session of the April conference af
1870, and has therefore been a menu III
II OF the council that deposed him of
for nearly eighteen years.
lille Mr.. Thatceer is still member of ro
e church, he is disqualified from doing no
y church work. He could not even A,
a missionary without being again No
iained. ~,
The apostles who passed sentence on DO
. Thatcher decided not to give out
y statement on the subject in addition
the notice given above, and those ,
n last evening were uncommunica-
e. ave have nothing to add to the he
ice that appeared In the News" said bo,
III Henry Smith. "Matters simply enc
ne to head and we decided whether oat
ses Thatcher or the majority was to At
troll" ful.
lr. Thatcher bears up bravely under and
blow he has received. He deeply resi-
cts the seve renee of his official re- err t