The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1907-05-03
HISTORIC sutKTHoa ~ Doomed


sssFT house 81 il@asFsrA zs8GEa. fhs
ssllsast and nsoss historical sn Contra
btignusa. IL rot ia ghr @assgw sasfe
due to the gfesNmse ~ he MaFmossi
and the tragic ssants shas led =
sssvsr flighs ~ usah. II "a De TORI
asswn
TIE quaint aud picturesque nle
structure waN erected atsoas isip
sa6 IN "a fsa replaced ~ 8 atws3srF
bnlssilas To cssss 1850 COS. she plaza
prepared By Jtssph Y Milsa ~ ne
sfoit. having iaAs been accepted
isgas sill be opened on April - by
the board ~ supervisors aIsseiai
weasion having beeu eaiied The Dc
rlsson 10 raFe this historic pile recalls
thrilling stoey ri The early dave Ia
Illinois
The founding Of the village IT
Nanyuo ia 1910 by the Nufmonss
whn came here when driven by par-
s.scutlon from Missouri. hFouRhs
Hancock county prominently eafoF"
The people of the United States, For
a lime IL was q hotted NJ excitement.
intensified by the presence 81 state
militia.
Following the creation Of NanEoo
and the beautiful temple Of the Lat
Ter Dav salnts came conflicts With
ti,s Genttles. or ''unbclieyers. ms
ta.y we're termed
jeseph Smith became supreme tn
military. civil and religious matters.
pfcperiy belonging to the anti~Mor-
mons was appropriated. while the
doctrine of plural marriages was
The climax came when
the press OF the Nauvoo Exposition,
whtel, was anti Mormon. was seized
one night and thrown into the Mis-
is sippi river.
I he feeling then became Intense,
and prosecutions of the Mormons
from both inside and outside the city
became bitter. Warrants We're sworn
out for the arrest of eighteen OF The
Mormon leaders, including Joseph
and Hiram Smith,
They were placed in the county
iail. which is also an old time struc-
ture. located but short distance
from the old time court house. Gov
eruor Ford assured the eighteen pris-
oners fair aud impartial trial ana
secured the release on bail or all ex-
cept the Smith brothers,
The trial commenced at the old
court ouse on June 90. 1S4a, but
was ncstpCred for some reason 10
June 20 The delay exasperated the
populace and it was openly charged
that II the law failed to reach the
two leaders that powder and balls
would
About 6 O'Clock on the evening oil
.,une 81 the guard at the jail "a'
s,trrrised by the arrival OF an aflhee
lob Of 200 men, disguised III biaek
|rrd. and yellow paint. The jail was
forced and q shower of bullets flred
st the helpless prisoners.
Both Joseph and Hiram Smith
were killed and their bodies used as
targets for the guns of the mob The
feeling grew in intensity following
this tragedy. and it was believed that
the Mormons would attempt revenge
by means of the military body oil
5000 members of the Nauvoo legion
which had been organized and com
manded by Joseph Smith.
The Mormons were passive, how
ever, and emboldened by the lack OF
retaliation, the prosecutions were
renewed by the anti-Mormon ele-
ment. This resulted in the decision
TO abandon beautiful Nauvoo. anc
in 1913, with the destruction OF the
great temple by fire, the place was
deserted.
The floor of the old Jail still bears
the stains made by the blood of the
two Smiths Their graves have beer
neglected since the tragedy, but re
Gently members of the Mormon
church in Utah came here and order
I'd a handsome monument, suitapN
engraved The wife of Joseph Smitl
/ was Emma Hale of New York cry
/ The horror of his murder caused he
| death shortly afterward.