Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-04-26

Mormon leaders were arrested, their
families driven from their homes at
the point of the bayonets and the en-
tire Independence colony hurriedly
sent destitute out upon the bleak
prairie, without even tents to protect
them from the driving storms. The
rivers and creeks were unbridged and
filled with floating ice; the snow was
deep, impeding progress. Many Of the
MormOns We're killed others desper-
ately wounded, families were separat-
ed, WOMEN and children sick and dying
for want Of food, shelter and proper
care. The oxen, which were the out
casts only teams, died of starvation.
Disease and death claimed daily vic
tins. This was in November, 1888.
The plight of the Mormon outcasts
was pitiable.
Quitting Ohio voluntarily and being
driven out of Missouri, the Mormons
struggled across the Mississippi river
and the Missouri boundary line into
Illinois and Iowa. Some of them set
tied in Lee County, Iowa, near the
present site of Keoluk and Montrose,
but the larger number crossed over
into Illinois, erecting temporary shell
ter for the winter. Across the Mis-
sissilpi from Montrose was the little
town Of Commerce, started by New
York spectators this the Mormon
refugees purchased, changing its name
to Nauyoo. Joseph Smith, their
prophet, came from imprisonment in
Missouri, and pronounced Nauvoo the
official seat of the church. Nauvoo
soon became quite a city, famous all
over America and in foreign lands
EVIL Days for NauvOo.
An alleged revelation, in 1913, per
hitting a plurality of wives, raised
4 storm of Indignation in the sur
rounding settlements. 1t became
bruited about moreover, that the Nor
mons were harboring criminals and
violating State and federal laws.
Clashes and riots followed and the
situation quickly became as bad in
Illinois as it had been in Missouri
Finally, Gov. Ford, of Illinois, or
dered out the State militia and also
sent a force of ten men to Nauvoo to
arrest Smith and his leading follow
ers. assuring them they would be civ
en- speedy and impartial trial. Pro
lection from violence also was guar
anteed.
Joseph Smith and his council sur
rendered and were taken to the Han
cock Jail, at Carthage. June %, 1914
Smith is said to have had a premo-
milton concerning his fate, predicting
that he would be murdered in cold
blood He and his brother were book
ed on charge of treason.
Following the incarceration of the
Mormon leaders, Gov Ford disbanded
all but three companies of the militia.
leaving one to guard the prisoners,
and sending the others to Nauvoo. The
slight guard over the Carthage Jail de-
clded the most reckless opponents of
MormOnism to make an attack. About
$50 blackened their faces and assem-
bled at Carthage about ) p. m. on June
p, 1914. Here they learned that only
eight of the soldiers were actually on
guard at the Jail. This little detach-
ment made no resistance when the Jail
was stOrmed. Hiram Smith was shot
dead few minutes later Joseph, the
prophet, fired his revolvers and sue
ceeded in wounding four of the assail-
ants, but when he sought to escape
through a window was killed by the
mob below.
These troublous times soon gave way
TO worse the conflicts between the Nor
mons and their opponents being al
most continual. Finally the futility
Of trying to remain where they were
was borne in on the Mormons. In the
fall of 1916 they began to dispose of
their property and prepared to emil
CRATE westward into Iowa.