The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-21
WHITMER ON THE DANITEs.

The Tribune feels that it has right
now to again admonish the Deseret
News with respect to the promise it
made in the latter part of last year
to thoroughly investigate the "Dan-
ite' matter and report its findings to
its readers.
Although that gang of thugs is well
known 10 have been organized, oper-
ated and controlled by the chiefs of
that they had nothing whatever to do
with 1t Having seen communica.
tlon printed in IA Pittsburc newspaper
on that subject, the church organ stated
that ii had sent out inquiries which
would result in getting at the facts.
1t announced that as soon as replies
to these inquiries had been received,
they should be given proper publicity
Soon It will be year since that prom
Use was made, but there has been moth.
ing from the News on the subject II
is more than likely that if any inves.
tigation at all was made, the results
were SO unsatisfactory that the church
paper did not dare to print them
We have pamphlet written by the
late David Whitmer, who was one of
1.-The three witnesses to the divinity
Of the Book of Mormon 1t is en-
titled can Address to All Believers
in Christ" On pages 81 and 2S Of
that pamphlet Mr.. Whtmer gives con-
siderable information upon the subject
of the "Danites. f'In June, 1882
he says. ''at Far West, Missouri, a Sc,
cret organization was formed, Doctor
Award being put in as the leader of
the band; certain oath was to be nd
mlnIstered to all the brethren to bind
them 10 support the heads of the church
IN everything they should teach. All
who refused to take the oath were con,
Sldered diSsentcrs from the church, ana
certain things were to be done con-
corning these dissenters, by Doctor
Award s secret band.' Mr.. Whitmer
declares that the evil acts of this rob.
bing and numbering outfit, organized
under the direction of Joseph Smith,
Hyrum Smith and Sidney Rigdon, be.
came so numerous and startling that
he personally protested against them
and beseeched the organization to dis
band. In that same June, 1888. and on
account of his opposition to the "Dan-
ties, y Whitmer was obliged to flee from
Far West to save his life. He says
that he was compelled to burriedly
leave the town on horseback IN order
to escape the punishment which the
gang intended to inflict upon him as
a "dissenter. From forcing obedi-
ence to the heads of the church, even
in matters admittedly wrong, the gang
went to making incendlary raids and
thieving expeditions among their Gen
tile neighbors. From that they went
to putting men away who were OBJ
iectionable to the Mormon leaders. Mr..
Whitmer declares that the outfit caused
so much trouble with the officers of the
law that even those who had caused it's
organization repented of their damn
able work, But the incendary and an
archistic spirit had by that time gained
such hold on the ''Danite'i gang
that they continued their work as n
matter of choice, leaving CORY trail
that extended far into the earlier days
Of Utah.
If the News went into that investi-
gaIion in sincerity, and with a desire to
have the truth known, why does it not
come forward with those promised re-
sultsl