The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-10
THE "MARTYRDoM" CRIMINALS.

THE "MARTYRDOM" CRIMINALS.
While it has been the object Of the
Deseret News and every pulpiteer of
the Mormon church TO attempt to show
that "outsiders were responsible for
the killing of Joseph and Hyrum Smith
at Carthage, Illinois, on June %, lS41,
The Tribune has truthfully contended
that Mormons brought about the "mar-
tyrdom, AS with the proposal (vol-
unfairly made and never carried out
by the church organ) to investigate
and make a showing concerning the
old Mormon church DANTE gang, it
appears to be the duty of The Tribune
TO give the truth that is withheld by
the Deseret News.
Lucy Smith, the mother of the al
legged prophet who founded the Nor
mon church, has written n history of
her son. Even as carefully revised
and censored by George A. Smith and
| Elias Smith, the book vindicates this
papers position upon the martyr
| dom. We observe that in the an
nouncement made upon the title page
of the work from which we get our
| information, there is no mention made
Of the fact that Joseph F. Smith had
any hand in the revision; but that
does not alter the fact, because Pres
| ident Smith was probably one of the
most persistent and interested censors,
On page 274 Of the "History of the
Prophet joseph we find that Lucy
Smith says that Joseph, in organizing
the city police of Nnuvoo, declared
that 'fwere it not for enemies within
the city, there would be no danger
from foes without At that time it
was practically impossible for any but
Mormons to live in Nauvoo. For con-
trmation of this statement this paper
will take the liberty of referring to
any member of the Nauvoo Legion now
living. Conscious guilt of crime com
mitted is usually expositive of the
crime itself. Had Joseph been simply
a disciple of the Christ, there would have
been no necessity for the Nauvoo lie.
gion. nor would it have been part
of his religious economy TO surround
himself with an additional body of
thugs under the guise of police force.
Out of the history of Joseph Smith we
find that he had the Danites, the Nan
VOC Legion, the Nauvoo police force,
Ca member of which was John d. Lee,
who was also Dauite.) in order to
81 Y;,y;t
is no decent man, speaking of one who
observes and keeps the law iDviolate,
who would need any such armed protec~
tIou. The "cnemies within the city,
were those who opposed the criminal
Joseph Smith-men who saw that he
and the other ringleaders In his i'm
moral cult were dragging women into
the snare of their lechery in the pre-.
tended name of God.
According to Lucy Smith, her son
suspected that when he said "If it
were not for a Brutus + might live
as long as Caesar might have lived"
Joseph had some reference TO William
Law, once counselor to Joseph Smith.
So strenuous was the action of that
| day that Joseph became alarmed, sur.
rounded though he was by his Dauites,
the Nauvoo Legion and the Nsuvoo
police force, and he sent for William
Law. At the meeting every effort was
| made to snow William that Joseph
had no evil intent against him. Wit
nesses were brought in from all over
the city in the effort of the conscience
smitten and thoroughly frightened Jo-
seph to convince William Law that he
was not the 'fBrutus'' of the bogus
prophet s creation. It was Law, the
wronged man, who compelled Joseph,
the fendish attempted destroyer Of the
Law family virtue. to can together his
armed gangs to have an understand
ing concerning their enmty, And
from that moment the feud grew more
vindictive. 1t was at that time that
the secret meetings were held in Will
liam Law Is house, and Of which Bishop
Denison l., Harris has told In church
publication here. At the last of these
meetings there were about three hun
dred Mormon attendants. They all took
an oath to destroy Joseph Smith, the
oath being subscribed to with the ex-
press understanding that it was given
and taken in the presence Of ''these
your brethren, by whom you are sur
! rounded - Within a month Joseph and