The Anaconda standard., 1899-02-01
A WALLED MORMON CITY.
Correctionvl11e, the Home of the Prophe


Correctionvilie' the Home of the Prophe
Thompson.
From the New York Sun.
ut was in 1857 that, in companv with
a friend, / visited the town Of Correc.
tionville, in Iowa arriving there after
a long days ride northwesterly from
Sioux City" said Gen. James A. Fair
play, whose youth was passed in the
region west of the Mississippi river
The country had been surveyed by the
government at the time, and the town
had received it's queer name because
it was situated al correction line in
the surveys. u was Mormon settle
ment. one OF the little communities of
Latter Day SAINTS who had not fol-
lowed Bfigham Young and his people
across the aTlu pillns 10 years before,
put had mace tnelr colonies in the fer
tie prairie N me region of rainfall.
lHe toWH was pult IN manner un-
usual II .houeih 'oLstTucture, Delns
s1aD a,se,. TIE n,ni,ia h;,i,.i oiii ~ @ IIiiies
,,,;tL tha h;e,h o,ass ,e ',1iss niitnMnis sreeii
oo,,id go tha u.11o5 a;+,. ~ ~,
of b,,man occunation i, III IT,, 's ,;sis,,. sis
above the main lita a snene t,.a,rlataG .Iats
from the HOLY Land As wa na,,,a
nearer the corn and eroin falas Iaid
out in rectangles. the eardens and or
chards without the wallis co,,Id he sean
and the people. at the hour of sunset
driving their live stock within the
gates, which were closed at night
against Gentiles and nrowlinp m
dians.
"The walls and the houses within
were built of sun dried brick, made of
CLAW mixed with prairie grass ar .straw
"a material not so good as the New
Mexican adobe bricks. which endure
for centuries, but sufficient for the nlr
pose. The walls were higher than a
man could scale except with a ladder
and thick enough to have stood con-
siderable bombardment from artillery.
and upon the top was the beginning of
a coping of split sandstone, As we
came near the gate at the edge of dusk
sentinel hailed us from the wall ard
demanded our errand. We asked to
see the prophet, Thompson, the spir-
itual and temporal head of the colony,
and, after some delay he appeared on
the wall.
There was short parlev and .har
our business being with him and sat
isfactory, the gates were thrown open
for us to drive through. Within the
town the houses were built in a circle
against the wall. all facing the COM
mon Enclosure in the center where the
live stock was gathered at night The
fiat roofs of the houses were about
four feet lower than the wall. making
a good standing ground behind the mar
apet in case the town had to be defend
ed against an enemy With some diff
ficulty we made way for orr team
among the horses. mules. cattle. sheen
and pigs standing and living thicklv to-
gether to the door of the proD,et's
house. Our coming attracted little at
tention among the people of the rown
Here and there a man or child gazed
stolidly at us from a house door, or a
woman lifted her ewes from her work
to look. but no one came near us as
we embarrassed and fed our team,
."At the PROPHETS house the evening
meal was spread of corn bread. stawed
beans and lettuce, with salt for season,
.ng There was no meat or hutter on
the table Thomson being after the
stricter practice of the Mormons a
veaetarian Eor the guests q ,,itcbar rf
n1iIl, was nrocnred fro1, anotbar hoi,sa
b,t none Of the nronhet's housah ,ld
nartool- Of II Dnring and aftar tha
meal Thomnson tall,ad with nc sraaIv
ava ,,i+h ~ ,y,n,ra,,t ro-,,,a IT. ,,a
= t.,I sr,aro ,,,ar ,,,han, T tooi- to Ia
abont % ,anns of ona ,oI;ta ~ "a w
s,,,oath Saro " ,,itS,..l 80 ,'
49, 30; 'i,,l ~ 20 ~. - W 1850.
.,'ss sse',,ins it, iiaihiiess ~ spete az e
tnis. tn,ptesssu J ine ne, VIII d ieeilns on Gis
-. - 20. LIS lea, .ilai ao.ei vas ies eaieu
~ ms eyes anu NOUN wnlch inalcateo
cunning, dailils anu utter uhscrupui-
BUSINESS; Nlth the thousht OF peihs
oerenseless IN ms strohshold' IN whlch
every man. woman ana chlld would
unquestlonaply 40 MS oldoing, ana IN
Whlch the fopplng or even kilIlnS "t
Gehtlle would ne, regarded by many OF
them as pralseWorthy and pleasing
performance, | felt none TOO easy; ard
when bedtime came L would cheerfully
have swapped the shelter of the proph-
cts roof for blanket on the prairie
at good distance away.
Here. in this little community
Thompson governed absolutely accord
ing to the tenets of the Mormon faith
and the revelations that he proclaimed
from time to time. He was prophet, gov
ernor, treasurer, merchant everything
that implied power or profit-a Pooh
Bah and Mikado in one and high priest
into the bargain. He published news
paper for the faithful and l was per-
mitted to glance through the latest