Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-03-16
The Fate Of Many Mobocrats.

Mr. Townsend. one oe the mobhars who
assaulted and forced IN the door oI
The Carthage jail june 81, lSli- TIC
| lived at that time near Fort Mhddls"n,
la. The pistol discharged by Joseph
4 smith at the time OF the martytdom
wounded him IN she ann near ihe
rh0uldcr. and the wound Continued To
rot without healing unlil ths arm Mas
hrnputated and evan then the wound
would nor heal. This man was after.
wards known to have said, "pknow 10
! sebh Smith was o. nrDphet OF God, and
on, that ! had stayed at horne and
minded my own business Then
would not have lost my life In being
tormonted with guilty conscience ana
/ this dreadful wound which none can
heal'' he died two or three montl
! afterwards having literally tottef
alive.
Elder Farley f. Pratt, while on mis-
| sion to California ia 1865, obtained some
Interesting Information In regard to
some OF the assassins connected With
thc nariyrdom OF Joseph Smith. One
OF tho mobbers on that occasion.
James Head of AIcCpmb III. was beard
by a certain Capt Lawn and others 20
boast OF the billing afterwards. But he
was always gloomy and troubled from
the time he helped to murder the
brothers. and frequently declared that
lie always saw the twc martyrs before
him
colonel OF the Missouri mob. Who
helped TO drive, plumber and drive the
Motmons, died IN a hospital In Sacra
mento IN 1919, where MIR. Beokwi1h
had the last care Of him. He was
eaten with Worms--a large black head
ed kind of maggot--whlch passed
throuh him by nyliads. seemingly half
a pint at a timel Before he died these
maggots were craNvlingo vi OF his mouth
and nose; he LITERALLY rCtted alive,
even the flesh ON his legs burst open
and fell from the bones, They gathered
up the rotten mass IN a blanket and
buried him without awaiting a coffin
Anothe Missouri mobber died In the
Same hospita about the same time and
under she care of the same Mr. Beck
With. His face and jaw on one side lit
orally rotted and half of his face liter:
ally fell off. One eye rotted out, ana
half OF his nose, mouth and saw fell
from the bones. The doctors scEaped
the bones, ana locked and took out his
Jaw from the joint around 10 the CEN
ter OF the chin. The rot and mageoIs
continued to eat until they ate through
the large and jngular vein Of his neck
and he bled 20 death
Scores OF other instances might be
mentioned where men, who have perse-
Saints, have met with the rstrlbution
OF God who says, Vengeance is mine, ]
will repay but my communication Is
already longer than 1 intended TO make
it; so 1 will conclude by merely men
tionIng Gov. Thomas Ford of Illinois
who in a treacherons manner brOl
his pledge IN regard TO protecting the
lives OF Joseph and Hyrnm smith while
they were incarcerated IN Carthage
jail, and who died as . pauper, few
years afterwards; and William w.
DrumInond, the ex-judge of Utah, who,
by his falsehood, Influenced the govern
ment OF the United States 10 send an
army against the saints In Utah, and
who died AS paupel'. drunkard and
ragabond In Chicago, Ill, having pre-
vipusly been arrested FOR stealing post
age stamps,
could write a lengthy chapter on
the fate Of the nnurderers of Elder 10.
sepa Standing In Georgia In 1879, and OF
those who killed Elders berry and
Gibbs IN Tennessee, In 1884. and include,
also. the fate of some OF the United
Sta ties deputy marshals who. during The
antl-polygamy crusade OF 1884 to 1890,
exceeded the legitimate authority OF
their Offices In prosecuting the perse-
cutting the brethren, who were sus pect-
ed az being criminals under the Ed
minds law but these details must be
given Some other time.
ANDREW JENsoN.