Chapter XXVII

Official Denunciation of Thieves at Nauvoo--The Moral Law of the Church--Abandonment of Ramus as a Stake of Zion--Baptism for the Dead, an Epistle.

_Wednesday, 24_.--Elder Joseph Fielding, who sailed from Liverpool, on the _Tyrean_, with 204 Saints, arrived at Warsaw with his company; and Elders Willard Richards and John Taylor went to meet them and to give such counsel as their situation required.

_Friday, 26_.

_Affidavit of Hyrum Smith--Denouncing Theft_.

Whereas it hath been intimated to me by persons of credibility
that there are persons in the surrounding country, who profess to
be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
who have been using their influence and endeavors to instil into
the minds of good and worthy citizens in the state of Illinois,
and the adjoining states, that the First Presidency, and others
in authority and high standing in said Church, do sanction and
approbate the members of said Church in stealing property from
those persons who do not belong to said Church, and thereby to
induce persons to aid and abet them in the act of stealing, and
other evil practices; I therefore, hereby disavow any sanction
or approbation by me, of the crime of theft, or any other evil
practice, in any person or persons whatever, whereby either the
lives or property of our fellow men may be unlawfully taken or
molested; neither are such things sanctioned or approbated by
the First Presidency, or any other person in authority or good
standing in said Church, but such acts are altogether in violation
of the rules, order, and regulations of the Church, contrary to
the teachings given in said Church, and the laws of both God and
man. I caution the unwary, who belong to the aforesaid Church,
and all other persons, against being duped or led into any act or
scheme which may endanger their character, lives, or property, or
bring reproach upon the Church; and I certify that I hold my person
{461} and property ready to support the laws of the land, in the
detection of any person or persons who may commit any breach of the
same. To which I subscribe my name, and testify, this 26th day of
November, 1841.

Hyrum Smith.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 26th day of November, 1841.

Ebenezer Robinson, J. P.

I attended city council and presented a bill for "an ordinance in relation to Hawkers, Pedlars, Public Shows, and Exhibitions, in order to prevent any immoral or obscene exhibition," which passed the council by unanimous vote.

[Sidenote: The Prophet's Estimate of the Book of Mormon.]

_Sunday, 28_.--I spent the day in the council with the Twelve Apostles at the house of President Young, conversing with them upon a variety of subjects. Brother Joseph Fielding was present, having been absent four years on a mission to England. I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.

_Monday, 29_.--I gave the following affidavit, and published it in the _Times and Seasons_.

_The Prophet's Denunciation of Thieves_.

City Of Nauvoo, Illinois, November 29, A. D. 1841.

To The Public.

The occurrence of recent events makes it criminal for me to remain
longer silent. The tongue of the vile yet speaks, and sends forth
the poison of asps, the ears of the spoiler yet hear, and he
puts forth his hands to iniquity. It has been proclaimed upon
the house top and in the secret chamber, in the public walks and
private circle, throughout the length and breadth of this vast
continent, that stealing by the Latter-day Saints has received
my approval; nay, that I have taught the doctrine, encouraged
them in plunder, and led on the van--than which nothing is more
foreign from my heart. I disfellowship the perpetrators of all such
abominations--they are devils and not Saints, totally unfit for the
society of Christians or men. It is true that some {462} professing
to be Latter-day Saints have taught such vile heresies, but all
are not Israel that are of Israel; and I wish it to be distinctly
understood in all coming time, that the Church, over which I have
the honor of presiding, will ever set its brows like brass, and
its face like steel, against all such abominable acts of villainy
and crime; and to this end I append my affidavit of disavowal,
taken this day before General Bennet, that there may be no mistake
hereafter as to my real sentiments, or those of the leaders of the
Church, in relation to this important matter.

State Of Illinois, Hancock County.

Before me, John C. Bennett, Mayor of the City of Nauvoo, personally
came Joseph Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church), who being
duly sworn according to law, deposeth and saith, that he has never
directly or indirectly encouraged the purloining of property,
or taught the doctrine of stealing, or any other evil practice,
and that all such vile and unlawful acts will ever receive his
unreserved and unqualified disapproval, and the most vigorous
opposition of the Church over which he presides; and further this
deponent saith not.

Joseph Smith,

President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sworn to and subscribed before me, at my office, in the city of
Nauvoo, this 29th day of November, A. D. 1841.

John C. Bennett,

L. S. Mayor of the City of Nauvoo.

Now it is to be hoped that none will hereafter be so reckless
as to state that I, or the Church to which I belong, approve of
thieving--but that all the friends of law and order will join in
ferreting out thieves wherever and whenever they may be found,
and assist in bringing them to that condign punishment which such
infamous crimes so richly merit.

Joseph Smith,

President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

[Sidenote: Conference in New York.]

A conference was held in New York City, Elder John E. Page presiding; in which were represented New York City, 17 Elders, 2 Priests, 1 Teacher, 2 Deacons, 179 members. Five branches were {463} represented, including 5 Elders, 6 Priests, 3 Teachers, 3 Deacons, 149 members. 3 Elders, 2 Priests, 1 Teacher, were ordained. There were present at the conference, 1 Apostle, 6 High Priests, 16 Elders, 3 Priests, 2 Teachers, 2 Deacons.

_Tuesday, 30_.--Attended a council of the Twelve Apostles at President Brigham Young's home. President Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Orson Pratt, Lyman Wight, John Taylor, and Wilford Woodruff were present.

It was voted that Ebenezer Robinson be solicited to give up the department of printing the _Times and Seasons_ to Elder Willard Richards.

Voted, that if Brother Robinson does not comply with this solicitation, Elder Richards be instructed to procure a press and type, and publish a paper for the Church.

Moved by Elder Young, and seconded by Elder Woodruff, that Lyman Wight and John Taylor present these resolutions to Brother Robinson.

_Wednesday, December 1_.--In view of the proceedings of the meeting of the Church at Ramus, on the 18th November, when certain individuals were cut off from the Church for stealing, the Twelve issued the following epistle:

_Warning of the Twelve Apostles Against Thieves_.

We are glad that the perpetrators of the above crime have been
caught in their iniquitous practices; and we are only sorry that
anybody should be found who would bail them out of prison, for such
individuals, if the charges are true, ought to be made an example
of, and not be suffered to run at large.

We have been informed that some of them have been talking of
moving into this place, but we would here inform them that persons
whose conduct has exposed them to the just censure of an indignant
public, can have no fellowship amongst us, as we cannot, and will
not countenance rogues, thieves, and scoundrels knowingly; and,
we hereby warn them that the law will be as rigorously enforced
against them in {464} this place as in any other, as we consider
such characters a curse to society, whose pestilential breath
withers the morals, and blasts the fame and reputation of any
people among whom they may sojourn. There is no person that is,
and ought to be despised more than the thief, by any respectable
community; yet more especially ought such persons to be abhorred
who have taken upon them the name of Christ, and thus with the
pretext of religion, and garb of sanctity, cloak their nefarious
practices.

We have been told that some individual or individuals have, under
false pretenses, been wishing to palm their wicked and devilish
principles upon the authorities of the Church, stating that it was
part and parcel of the Gospel which God had revealed, and that it
is one of the mysteries which the initiated only are acquainted
with. We know not how to express our abhorrence at such an idea,
and can only say that it is engendered in hell, founded in
falsehood, and is the offspring of the devil; and it is at variance
with every principle of righteousness and truth, and will damn all
that are connected with it, for all mysteries are only such to the
ignorant, and vanish as soon as men have sufficient intelligence
to comprehend them; and there are no mysteries connected with
godliness and our holy religion, but what are pure, innocent,
virtuous, just, and righteous. If this [the foregoing practice of
thieving] is a mystery, it is the "mystery of iniquity." We are
at a loss to know who could be vile enough to propagate such base
and unfounded statements, and we would say to the Church, beware
of such men! Set them down as the worst of scoundrels, and reject
their foul insinuations with the indignation and disgust that such
unhallowed and vile insinuations deserve; for such men are either
avowed apostates, or on the eve of apostasy, or have only taken
the name of religion to cloak their hypocrisy; we fear the latter,
in some instances is the case, and that Mississippi scoundrels [1]
palm themselves upon us to cover their guilt. We {465} further
call upon the Church to bring all such characters before the
authorities, that they may be tried, and dealt with according to
the law of God, and delivered up unto the laws of the land.

It is scarcely possible that any virtuous man could be made to
believe any such statements, however ignorant; yet lest through
false pretenses the innocent might be drawn into a snare, we would
quote the following from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants,
section 42, paragraph 84, 85, "And if any man or woman shall rob,
he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of the land. And if
he or she shall steal, he or she shall be delivered up unto the
law of the land." Again, section 42, paragraph 20, [2] "Thou shalt
not steal, and he that stealeth and will not repent shall be cast
out." The broad law of God is, "Thou shalt not steal," and thieves,
together with "liars and whoremongers," will eventually be found
without the city, with dogs and sorcerers. We need only say that
if we find such characters engaged in their nefarious practices,
whether in or out of the Church, we shall take them up, and deal
with them according to the law of God and man; and we wish the
Church to inform us of such delinquents, or the sin will lie at
their own door.

As there are gangs of robbers up and down this river, from whom
we have suffered much, having had many horses, cattle and other
property stolen, we purpose instituting a police for the protection
of our property, and the rigorous enforcement of the laws of our
country; and should any, who call themselves Latter-day Saints, be
found in their midst, they will be cut off from the Church, and
handed over to the law of the land.

We hope that what we have written may suffice, and take
this opportunity of expressing our decided and unqualified
disapprobation of anything like theft in all its bearings, as being
calculated to destroy the peace of society, to injure the Church
of Jesus Christ, to wound the character of the people of God, and
to stamp with eternal infamy all {466} who follow such diabolical
practices; to blast their character on earth, and to consign them
to eternal perdition.

Brigham Young,

Heber C. Kimball,

Parley P. Pratt,

Orson Hyde,

William Smith,

Orson Pratt,

John E. Page,

Willard Richards,

Lyman Wight,

Wilford Woodruff,

John Taylor,

George A. Smith.

Nauvoo, Illinois, December 1, 1841. [3]

{467} _Thursday, 2_.--I received the following revelation to Nancy Marinda Hyde--

_Revelation_.

Verily thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that
inasmuch as you have called upon me to know my will concerning my
handmaid Nancy Marinda Hyde--behold it is my will that she should
have a better place prepared for her, than that in which she now
lives, in order that her life may be spared unto her; therefore
go and say unto my servant, Ebenezer Robinson, and to my handmaid
his wife--Let them open their doors and take her and her children
into their house and take care of them faithfully and kindly until
my servant Orson Hyde returns from his mission, or until some
other provision can be made for her welfare and safety. Let them
do these things and spare not, and I the Lord will bless them and
heal them if they do it not grudgingly, saith the Lord God; and she
shall be a blessing unto them; and let my handmaid Nancy Marinda
Hyde hearken to the counsel of my servant Joseph in all things
whatsoever he shall teach unto her, and it shall be a blessing upon
her and upon her children after her, unto her justification, saith
the Lord.

_Saturday, 4_.--I attended the city council, and spoke in defense of the marshal, in his not serving a warrant, when his life would have been endangered.

[Sidenote: Conference at Ramus.]

A conference was held at Ramus on the 4th and 5th of December, 1841, over which the Patriarch of the Church, Hyrum Smith, presided; Joseph Johnson acted as clerk; Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards and John Taylor, of the {468} quorum of the Twelve Apostles were present. It was unanimously resolved by the conference that the organization of the Church at Ramus as a Stake be discontinued and that John Lawson be presiding Elder over the branch at Ramus, and Joseph Johnson, clerk; and that William Wightman, the Bishop, transfer all the Church property in Ramus to the sole Trustee in Trust, Joseph Smith, President of the whole Church.

[Sidenote: Prophet Proof Reads Book of Mormon.]

_Sunday, 5_.--I commenced to proof read the Book of Mormon, previous to its being stereotyped; read sixty pages.

In the evening Brother Wilford Woodruff and wife visited me. We conversed about the Missouri troubles, and the death of David W. Patten; also his last request. [4]

_Tuesday, 7_.--The following is a copy of a letter to Lawyers Bushnell and Browning of Quincy:

_Letter of the Prophet to Esquires Browning and Bushnell--Payment
of Notes_.

_Esquires Browning and Bushnell_:

Gentlemen:--Your letter of the 23rd ultimo, concerning two notes
placed in your hands by Messrs. Halsted, Haines and Co., against
myself and thirty-one others, for collection, was duly received.
In reply, I must inform you, that I am not in possession of means,
belonging to me individually to liquidate those notes at present;
the reason is apparent to every one; I need not relate to you
the persecution I have suffered, and the loss and confiscation
of all my effects at various times as a reason of my inability;
you know it all, and so do the gentlemen whose notes you hold for
collection. But I wish you to say to them that if they will give
me my time (and no more than I must necessarily have), they shall
have their pay in some way or other. I have the means at command
in the East, which, with a sufficient indulgence, will enable me
to pay them every whit, but unless this is granted me, it will be
impossible for me to do so. All I ask of those gentlemen and this
generation is that they should not tie up my hands, nor thwart me
in my operations. If this is granted me, I pledge my word, yea,
my sacred honor, that all that can in fairness be demanded at my
hands, either now or at any time shall ultimately be adjusted to
the satisfaction of all concerned. This is all that I can say at
this time, or do, {469} hoping that you will communicate to Messrs.
Holsted, Haines and Co. the contents, or at all events the purport
of this letter, together with my sincere regard for their welfare,
and as regards you, gentlemen,

I remain very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

Joseph Smith.

_Wednesday, 8_.--The Twelve who attended the Ramus conference on the 4th instant returned with nearly a thousand dollars worth of property, consisting of horses, wagons, provisions, clothing, etc., for the Temple, which had been donated by the Saints at Ramus.

_Friday 10_.--I wrote to Horace R. Hotchkiss, Esq.

_The Prophet's Letter to Mr. Hotchkiss--Commerce Lands_.

Dear Sir:--Your letters, dated October, 11th and November 9th,
1841, have both been received, and that of the 9th of November is
now before me. I am glad that you are pleased with the proceedings
of our last conference relative to "Mr. Hotchkiss purchase,"
concerning which there had been some unpleasant feeling which had
originated partly from a misunderstanding between us, and partly
through the inefficiency, neglect or sickness of Dr. Galland. I
wrote a letter to your friend and partner, Esquire Tuttle, some
time since, which no doubt you have seen before now, and with which
I hope you are also satisfied. I have handed your request to the
editor of the _Times and Seasons_, who will forward you the desired
papers. I am glad that James Ivins settled with you the $2,500
note, but sorry that you suffered yourself to lose in the sale of
the land you had of him. As regards the Cook's Mill Tavern stand,
and the one hundred and thirty-seven acres of pine land, which you
propose to allow the Church three thousand dollars for, I have to
say in reply, that I have consulted, not only my own feelings as
sole Trustee in Trust for the Church; but also the feelings of
those of the Church whose opinions I can always rely upon in such
matters, and the conclusion is that thirty-two hundred dollars is
the least the property ought to be sold for. You can, therefore,
have it for three thousand two hundred, which is considerably less
than it cost the Church; we are willing to make a partial sacrifice
in the property, but under the circumstances, think that you can
afford to give us two hundred dollars more than you proposed. The
health of our place is at this time pretty good, and we hope it may
continue to improve, with the improvements of the city.

I remain very respectfully yours, &c.,

Joseph Smith.

{470} _Saturday, 11_.--Late this evening, while sitting in council with the Twelve in my new store on Water street, I directed Brigham Young, President of the Twelve Apostles, to go immediately and instruct the building committee in their duty, and forbid them receiving any more property for the building of the Temple, until they received it from the Trustee in Trust, and if the committee did not give heed to the instruction, and attend to their duty, to put them in the way so to do.

Elder Willard Richards has left Warsaw for Nauvoo, it being considered unnecessary for him to tarry there any longer.

[Sidenote: The Prophet's Difficulties in Writing the Annals of the Church.]

Since I have been engaged in laying the foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have been prevented in various ways from continuing my journal and history in a manner satisfactory to myself or in justice to the cause. Long imprisonments, vexatious and long-continued law-suits, the treachery of some of my clerks, the death of others, and the poverty of myself and brethren from continued plunder and driving, have prevented my handing down to posterity a connected memorandum of events desirable to all lovers of truth; yet I have continued to keep up a journal in the best manner my circumstances would allow, and dictate for my history from time to time, as I have had opportunity so that the labors and suffering of the first Elders and Saints of this last kingdom might not wholly be lost to the world.

_Sunday, 12_.--I preached in the morning at Snyder's Hotel.

In the evening, the Twelve met in council at Brother Heber C. Kimball's.

_Monday, 13_.--I appointed Willard Richards recorder for the Temple, and my private Secretary and general Clerk, and he commenced his labors in my new office in the brick store.

[Sidenote: Anti Mormonism at Warsaw.]

Some time in the fall of 1839, Daniel S. Witter, of the {471} steam mill at Warsaw, solicited the First Presidency of the Church to make a settlement on the school section No. 16, one mile south of Warsaw, and the solicitations were continued by Daniel S. Witter, Mark Aldrich and others, from time to time, till the spring or summer of 1841, when articles of agreement were entered into between Calvin A. Warren, Esq., Witter, Aldrich and others, owners of the school section and the First Presidency, giving the Saints the privilege of settling on the school section, which had been surveyed and laid out in town lots, and called _Warren_, on certain conditions, and Willard Richards went to Warsaw on the 8th of September, and spent several weeks to prepare for the reception of immigrants. In the meantime the inhabitants of Warsaw attempted to form an anti-Mormon society, and were much enraged because Esquire Davis (who had spoken favorably of the Saints) was appointed clerk of the county by Judge Stephen A. Douglas.

In November two hundred and four Saints arrived at Warsaw, from England, led by Joseph Fielding, and were visited on the 24th of November by Elders Willard Richards, and John Taylor of the Twelve, and counseled to tarry at Warsaw according to the instruction of the First Presidency.

[Sidenote: Further Trouble at Warsaw.]

_December 13_.--Isaac Decker, presiding Elder at Warsaw, stated to the Presidency of Nauvoo, that Mr. Witter had raised one dollar per barrel on flour, and sold the sweepings of his mill to the Saints at $2.25 per hundred; and that Witter and Aldrich had forbidden the brethren the privilege of getting the old wood on the school section, which they had full liberty to get; that the price of wood on the wharf had fallen twenty-five cents per cord since the arrival of the Saints; that the citizens had raised their rent, &c.; and the First Presidency decided that the Saints should remove from {472} Warsaw to Nauvoo immediately; and that the proceedings at Warsaw be published in the _Times and Seasons_.

This morning President Young delivered the message I gave him on Saturday evening to Reynolds Cahoon and Elias Higbee, the Temple Committee, in presence of Elders Kimball, Woodruff, and Richards.

Elder Richards by letter instructed the Saints at Warsaw to remove to Nauvoo.

Baptism For The Dead.

_An Epistle of the Twelve Apostles to the Saints of the Last Days_.

The building of the Temple of the Lord in the city of Nauvoo, is
occupying the first place in the exertions and prayers of many of
the Saints at the present time, knowing, as they do, that if this
building is not completed speedily, "we shall be rejected as a
Church with our dead;" for the Lord our God hath spoken it.

But while many are thus engaged in laboring and watching and
praying for this all important object, there are many, very
many more, who do not thus come up to their privilege and their
duty in this thing, and in many instances we are confident that
their neglect arises from a want of proper understanding of the
principles upon which this building is founded, and by which it
must be completed.

The children of Israel were commanded to build a house in the
land of promise; and so are the Saints of the last days, as you
will see in the Revelation given to Joseph the Seer, January 19,
1841, wherein those ordinances may be revealed which have been hid
for ages, even their anointings and washings, and baptisms for
the dead; wherein they may meet in solemn assemblies for their
memorials, sacrifices, and oracles in their most holy places; and
wherein they may receive conversations and statutes, and judgments,
for the beginning of the revelations and foundations of Zion, and
the glory and honor and adornment of all her municipals through the
medium which God has ordained.

In the same revelation the command is to "all the Saints from afar"
as well as those already gathered to this place: to arise with one
consent and build the Temple; to prepare a place where the Most
High may manifest Himself to His people. No one is excepted who
hath aught in his possession, for what have ye that ye have not
received? And I will require mine own with usury, saith the Lord;
so that those {473} who live thousands of miles from this place,
come under the same law, and are entitled to the same blessings and
privileges as those who have already gathered. But some may say,
how can this be, I am not there, therefore I cannot meet in the
Temple, cannot be baptized in the font? The command of heaven is
to you, to all, gather; and when you arrive here, if it is found
that you have previously sent of your gold, or your silver, or
your substance, the tithing and consecrations which are required
of you for this building, you will find your names, tithings and
consecrations written in the Book of the Law of the Lord, to be
kept in the Temple, as a witness in your favor, showing that you
are a proprietor in that building, and are entitled to your share
of the privileges thereunto belonging.

One of those privileges which is particularly attracting the notice
of the Saints at the present moment, is baptism for the dead, in
the font which is so far completed as to be dedicated, and several
have already attended to this ordinance by which the sick have
been made whole, and the prisoner set free; but while we have been
called to administer this ordinance, we have been led to inquire
into the propriety of baptizing those who have not been obedient,
and assisted to build the place for baptism; and it seems to us
unreasonable to expect that the Great Jehovah will approbate
such administration; for if the Church must be brought under
condemnation, and rejected with her dead, if she fail to build the
house and its appurtenances, why should not individuals of the
Church, who thus neglect, come under the same condemnation? For
if they are to be rejected, they may as well be rejected without
baptism as with it; for their baptism can be of no avail before
God, and the time to baptize them may be appropriated to building
the walls of the house, and this is according to the understanding
which we have received from him who is our spokesman.

Let it not be supposed that the sick and the destitute are to be
denied the blessings of the Lord's house; God forbid; His eye is
ever over them for good. He that hath not, and cannot obtain, but
saith in his heart, if I had, I would give freely, is accepted
as freely as he that gives of his abundance. The Temple is to be
built by tithing and consecration, and every one is at liberty to
consecrate all they find in their hearts so to do; but the tithings
required, is one-tenth of all anyone possessed at the commencement
of the building, and one-tenth part of all his increase from that
time until the completion of the same, whether it be money, or
whatever he may be blessed with.

Many in this place are laboring every tenth day for the house,
and this is the tithing of their income, for they have nothing
else; others would labor the same, but they are sick, therefore
excusable; when they get well, let them begin; while there are
others who appear to {474} think their own business of more
importance than the Lord's. Of such we would ask, who gave you your
time, health, strength, and put you into business? And will you not
begin quickly to return with usury that which you have received?
Our God will not wait always.

We would remind some two or three hundred Elders, who offered to go
on missions, some six months, others one year, and some two years,
and had their missions assigned them at the general conference to
labor on the Temple, that most of their names are still with us,
and we wish them to call and take their names away, and give them
up to the building committee.

Brethren, you have as great an interest at stake in this thing as
we have, but as our Master, even the Master-builder of the Temple,
whose throne is on high, has seen fit to constitute us stewards in
some parts of His household; we feel it important for us to see
to it that our Master is not defrauded, and especially by those
who have pledged their word, their time, their talents, to His
services; and we hope this gentle hint will suffice, that we may
not be compelled to publish the names of those referred to.

Probably some may think they could have gone on a mission, but
cannot labor, as they have no means of boarding themselves, but
let such remember that several score of brethren and sisters in
this city, offered at the general conference, to board one or more
laborers on the Temple till the same should be completed, and but
few of those as yet have had the opportunity of boarding any one.
To all such we would say, you are not forgotten, we have your names
also, and we expect soon to send someone to your table, therefore
put your houses in order and never be ready to refuse the first
offer of a guest.

Large stores of provisions will be required to complete the work,
and now is the time for securing it, while meat is plenty and can
be had for one half the value that it can at other seasons of the
year, and the weather is cool and suitable for packing. Let the
brethren for two hundred miles around drive their fat cattle and
hogs to this place, where they may be preserved, and there will be
a supply till another favorable season rolls around, or till the
end of the labor.

Now is the time to secure food, now is the time that the trustee
is ready to receive your droves. Not the maimed, the lean, the
halt, and the blind, and such that you cannot use; it is for the
Lord, and He wants no such offering; but if you want His blessing,
give Him the best, give Him as good as He has given you. Beds and
bedding, socks, mittens, shoes, clothing of every description,
and store goods are needed for the comfort of the laborers this
winter; journeymen, stone cutters, quarrymen, teams and teamsters
for drawing stone and all kinds of provision for men and beast, are
needed in abundance.

{475} There are individuals who have given nothing as yet, either
as tithing or consecration, thinking that they shall be able to do
a great deal some time hence if they continue their present income
to their own use, but this is a mistaken idea. Suppose that all
should act upon this principle, no one would do ought at present,
consequently the building must cease, and this generation remain
without a house, and the Church be rejected; then suppose the next
generation labor upon the same principle, and the same in all
succeeding generations, the Son of God would never have a place on
the earth to lay His head.

Let every individual remember that their tithings and consecrations
are required from what they have, and not what they expect to
have some time hence, and are wanted for immediate use. All money
and other property designed for tithing and consecrations to the
building of the Temple must hereafter be presented to the Trustee
in Trust, President Joseph Smith, and entered at the recorder's
office, in the book before referred to; and all receipts now holden
by individuals, which they have received of the building committee
for property delivered to them, must also be forwarded to the
recorder's office for entry, to secure the appropriation of said
property according to the original design.

The Elders everywhere will instruct the brethren both in public
and in private, in the principles and doctrines set forth in this
Epistle, so that every individual in the Church may have a perfect
understanding of his duty and privileges.

Brigham Young,

Heber C. Kimball,

Orson Pratt,

William Smith,

Lyman Wight,

Wilford Woodruff,

John Taylor,

Geo. A. Smith,

Willard Richards.

Nauvoo, Illinois, December 13, 1841.

Footnotes:

1. This has reference to the blacklegs that infested the upper Mississippi region, and who plied their trade in disposing of counterfeit money and stolen goods along the river. The character of the old inhabitants in Northern Illinois at this time, (1840-44), Governor Ford describes in his "_History of Illinois_" as follows: "Then, again, the northern part of the State was not destitute of its organized bands of rogues, engaged in murders, robberies, horse-stealing, and in making and passing counterfeit money. These rogues were scattered all over the north; but the most of them were located in the counties of Ogle, Winnebago, Lee, and DeKalb. In the county of Ogle, they were so numerous, strong, and well-organized, that they could not be convicted for their crimes. By getting some of their numbers on the juries, by producing hosts of witnesses to sustain their defense by perjured evidence, and by changing the venue from one county to another, and by continuances from term to term, and by the inability of witnesses to attend from time to time at a distant and foreign county, they most generally managed to be acquitted."

2. The above references are published to correspond in current editions of the Doctrine and Covenants. The revelation quoted was given as a law to the Church, February 9, 1831. It was given in the presence of twelve Elders, at Kirtland, in fulfillment of the promise that the Lord made to the church while yet located in New York, in a revelation commanding them to move from the eastern countries to the Ohio; "And there," said the Lord, "I will give unto you my law, and there you shall be endowed with power from on high." (Doctrine and Covenants, section 38: 32.) As introductory to the revelation the Prophet said under date of February 9: "According to the promise heretofore made, the Lord gave the following revelation embracing the Law of the Church;" and indeed, it is appropriately so called, for it embraces well nigh every moral law of the Gospel, and is a most valuable chapter of divine instructions to the Church.

3. About this time there were gangs of robbers operating up and down the Mississippi River, from which the Saints suffered, as many of their horses and cattle were stolen, but more serious injury arose from the fact that the acts of these robbers were attributed to the Saints themselves, and did much to prejudice the minds of the public against them. Governor Ford in his "History of Illinois," from 1814 to 1847 in referring to these charges against the Saints, and speaking of events taking place about this time in Nauvoo, said: "It was a fact also, that some larcenies and robberies had been committed, and that Mormons had been convicted of the crimes, and that other larcenies had been committed by persons unknown, but suspected to be Mormons. Justice, however, requires me here to say, that upon such investigation as I then could make, the charge of promiscuous stealing appeared to be exaggerated." (History of Illinois, Ford, p. 329.)

The practice of charging these robberies upon members of the Church continued through the next three or four years. Speaking of the time somewhat later than the period with which our annals above deal, the Governor said: "On my late visit to Hancock county, I was informed by some of their violent enemies, that the larcenies of the Mormons had become unusually numerous and insufferable. They indeed admitted that but little had been done in this way in their immediate vicinity. But they insisted that sixteen horses had been stolen by the Mormons in one night, near Lima in the county of Adams. At the close of the expedition, I called at this same town of Lima, and upon inquiry was told that no horses had been stolen in that neighborhood, but that sixteen horses had been stolen in one night in Hancock county. This last informant being told of the Hancock story, again changed the venue to another distant settlement in the northern edge of Adams." (History of Illinois, p. 331.)

And thus sensational reports of "Mormon stealings" were made the shuttle-cock between the battle-doors of various neighborhoods.

In addition to the very emphatic utterances of the Prophet Joseph, his brother Hyrum, and the Twelve, the _Times and Seasons_ editorially said:

"THIEVES.

"We are highly pleased to see the very energetic measures taken by our citizens to suppress thieving. It has been a source of grief unto us that there were any in our midst who would wilfully take property from any person which did not belong to them, knowing that if any person, who does, or ever did belong to this Church, should steal, the whole Church would have to bear the stigma, and the sound goes abroad that the Mormons are a set of thieves and robbers, a charge which we unequivocally deny, and pronounce a falsehood of the basest kind. That there are some amongst us base enough to commit such acts we do not pretend to deny, but whether they are all members of this Church or not, we do not know; but some who are have been caught in their iniquity, and one was among the missing after a warrant was out for him; circumstantial proof is so strong against him, that his guilt is established without a doubt. We have heard that some of those characters have said that such things are sanctioned by the authorities of the Church, this is the most base of all lies: and we would here warn all well disposed persons, to be aware of such characters, and if any such thing is ever intimated to them, to heed it not, unless it be to report such persons to the proper authorities so that they can be brought to condign punishment; for know assuredly that if you listen to them, they will prove an adder in your path, and eventually lead you down to destruction."--_Times and Seasons_, p. 615.

4. See Vol. III., p. 171.

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