The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1907-04-25

Mormon leaders were arrested, their
families driven from their homes ut
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 were 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 Mormous
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 Keokuk and Montrose,
but the larger number crossed over
into Illinois, erecting temporary shell
ter for the winter. Across the Mis-
sissippi from MontroSe was the little
town of Commerce. started by New
York spectators this the Mormon
refugees purchased, changing its name
TO Nauvoo. 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
a storm of Indignation in the sur
rounding settlements. 1t became
bruited about, moreover, that the Nor
mons We're harboring criminals and
violating State and federal laws.
Clashes ana riots followed and the
situation quickly became rs bad in
Illinois as it had been in Missouri.
Finally. GOV. Ford. of Illinois. or
dcred out the State militia and also
sent a force of ten men to Nauyoo to
arrest Smith and his leading follow.
ers, assuring them they would be Civ
en- speedy ana impartial trial. Pro
lection from violence also was guar
antCed.
Joseph Smith ana his council sur
rendered ana were taken to the Han
cock Jail, at Carthage June 23, 1914.
Smith is said to have had promo
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 Nauyoo. The
slight guard over the Carthage Jail de-
cided the most reckless opponents Of
MormOnism to make an attack About
100 blackened their faces ana assem-
blcd at Carthage about p. m. on June
y, 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, A few minutes later Joseph, the
prophet, fired his reyolvers 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 futilty
Of trying to remain where they were
was borne in on the Mormons In the
fall of 1915 they began to dispose of
their property and prepared 10 emf
CRATE westward into Iowa.