The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-12

il was, together with Thomas b. Marsh,
who told Elder Reed Peck of the first
secret meeting that was TO be held at
Far West
| uyrum Smith was n DanItc, being
one Of the movers to bring about the
first meeting and form the organiza
tIon. He was not unlike his illustrious
son, though, in that he permitted the
other fellows to do the dirty work
while he reapcd the benefits,
Lyman Wight was a notorious
DANTE, and any Mormon Of middle
years has poor memory (provided he
had Mormon parcnts) who can not re.
call the fresidc tales Of the wonderful
Dick Turpin exploits of Brother Lyman
Wight. He was, TO utilize a common
expression, ga holy terror Blood
drlpped from his bowie and his musket
was never silent. Lyman Wight
died faithful. -
Alexander McRae was DANTE
and any saint who ever lived in the
Eleventh and Twelfth Mormon wards
of this city will have heard him brag
about it. He died n Mormon bishop,
and even in that capacity he betrayed
his DANTE tendencies The police court
records Will show that some of his
offspring "partook of the spirit' of
being no sucking doves.
Elder Charlie Baldwin was a DANTE.
They didn u do anything TO him, in the
way of ecclesiastical punishment, be.
cause of it; although he frequently en-
gagged in doing things to any neighbor
who happened to be n Gentle,
Elder George w. Robinson was
DANTE. He was among tho first
organizers of the gang, and personally
has testified many times that he exc
cuted several "nice little jobs for
Brother Joseph -
Elder Bill Hickman was n DANTE.
In his case he was retained in the en-
| ploy of the first presidency of the
Mormon church in that capacity up to
the day Of his death in Utah. He was
an especial favorite of Brigham Young.
Elder Seymour Brunson was Dan
| ite. Who is there that ever lived
in Fillmore, Millard county. and
doesn't know that to be true' Brother
Brunson wasn't a bad one, though, be.
cause, so far as The Tribune has been
able 10 learn, he never committed any
gross wrong. He was too honest, and
therefore Joseph and Hyrum Smith and
Sidney Rigdon couldn u trust him with
anything very particular We think
the worst thing he ever did in his Gu
pacity as a DANTE, was to hold the
horse while Elder Lyman Wight and
some others raided a few Gentle
houses in Missouri and carried off the
furniture. Meantime the looters set
fire TO little country store that the
pillaging might be expedited by its
light
Elder W. w. Phelps was a Danito.
He was of poetic turn of mind,
though; and it is probably bad enough
to say of him that his chief crime
was assaulting saints and sinners alike
with his alleged poetry.
There were Danites, and the Danites
belonged to the Mormon church, No
Gentle ever was 4 member of the
gang, any more than it would be pos
sible for a Gentle to practice new
polygamy without going TO Jail for it
where the other polygamists ought to
be. There never was DANTE that
didn Z hold the Melchisedek priesthood
and the Mormon church claims to
be the exclusive agency through which
that priesthood may be conferred
And finally, as to Apostle Orson
Hyde and his assertion that thero was
an organization Of Danites within
and approved and countenanced by
church authority. The News conyeys
the idea that in this matter Apostle
Orson Hyde was an untruthfuI man.
Mr. Hyde was not such--and we be-
lieve that, so far as honest expression
Of belief and sentiment is concerned,
there never was in the Mormon church
either more faithful or a more in
telhgent exponent, The Tribune does
not agree with his theories but it is
altogether wrong for the Deseret News
to impute TO him n vice that he did not
possess. Even in the presentation of
his most brutal beliefs, his language
was such ms to provoke the Jealous
comment of coarse men like Heber c..
Kimball. When Orson HYDE said there
was a DANTE gang in the church, he
told the truth; and if he ever revoked
that testimony, we have no doubt that
he was compelled to do so in order to
save himself and his dear ones to him
self-as who would not7
HIS PERSISTENT PoLYGAMIsM.