Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-05-01

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 Keokuk and Montrose,
but the larger number crossed over
into Illinois, erecting temporary shell
ter for the winter. Across the Mis-
sisslppi 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 city, famous all
over America and in foreign lands.
EVIL Day. for Nauvoo.
An alleged revelation, in 1S43, per-
hitting plurality of wives, raised
a 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 force Of ten men to Nauyoo 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 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-
cided the most reckless opponents of
Mormonism to make an attack About
100 blackened their faces and assem-
bled at Carthage about p. m. on June
q, 1874. Here they learned that only
eight of the soldiers We're 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 revolvers and sue
ceeded In wounding four of the assail-
ants, but when he sought to escape
through 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 1915 they began to dispose of
their property and prepared to emil
crate westward into Iowa.
The trail of the Mormons across
Iowa could be followed for years by
the graves that marked the pathway
OF their journey through Van Buren,,
David. Appanoose, Decatur and Union
counties. More than 400 men, women
and children who died from the eff
fects of exposure and hardships Of the
exodus Of 1S4647 were buried in the
Mormon cemetery at Mount Pisgah, In
lSSS the Utah Mormons caused mon
llment to be erected here in memory
OF the dead, who. for the most part,
lie in unmarked graves
In 1S47 Brigham Young led an ex-
petition from Iowa over the plains to
Salt lake, where he selected n location
for the future home of the church. In
June. 1S4S. the second expedition, con-
sisting of 623 wagons and nearly 1000
persons. Joined the Salt lake colony.
In the fifty years that have passed
Mormons have been absent from their
old haunts in the Mississippi valley.
History will never repeat itself to the
extent of seeing once more Mormon oc-
ctlpatlon and persecution; but evidence
multiplies on every side showing that
the Mormons of Utah are looking long
ingly and peaceably on the spots
where their fathers founded the faith.
st. Louis Globe-Democrat.