Chapter XV: Recent Events.--Conclusion

Personal Appearance and Character of Brigham Young.--His
Aims and Purposes.--Solution of the Mormon Question.--New
Complications.--Military Reviews of Mormons.--Governor Durkee.
--Counteracting Influences.--The Mines and Miners.--Rev.
Norman McLeod.--The "Salt Lake Vedette."--Administration of
General Connor.--Murder of Brassfield.--Order of Young for the
Expulsion of the Gentiles.--Order for the Murder of Eighty
Men.--Difficulties concerning the Public Lands.--Murder of Dr.
Robinson.--The Gentiles flee in Terror.--The Government fails
to protect its Officers and Citizens.--The Hero of Three Wars
of the Republic hunted through the Territory.--Rev. Mr. McLeod
warned not to return to Utah.--The Reign of Terror commenced.
--The Gentiles call for Help.

Brigham Young is a man of medium height, compact frame, with a manner deliberate and impressive. There is less of ostentation, however, in his bearing toward strangers than might be expected in a religious pretender. His hair is sandy, and inclined to curl; features regular, and expressive of great determination.

In conversation he is pleasant and affable, but is restive under the slightest contradiction or opposition. Strangers are favorably impressed with the first visit to his office. They go to see and hear, and Brigham looks well and is a good talker. He has talent, and is not destitute of genius; when, therefore, he is master of the field, and has the choice of topics, he never fails to make himself interesting, if so disposed. Indeed, is it not in itself interesting to see and hear the Mohammed of America?

His early education was very limited, and his sermons are illiterate. But in that most important of all fields of education, a knowledge of mankind and of human nature, he is proficient. It is true, that even here he sometimes grossly errs in his estimate of men. This is because his experience is mostly confined to certain phases of human nature. In those phases he is an adept. Outside of them, he brings to bear a strong judgment, upon a limited range of facts, and if he misses the conclusion, he has the tact to retrieve his error as speedily as possible. He has no pride of consistency, which conflicts in the slightest degree with the accomplishment of his purposes. If necessary to attain his ends, he is one thing to-day, and another to-morrow, and all in the name of the Lord!

Much has been said as to his sincerity in his religious professions and belief. In his younger days he may have been sincere; doubtless was. The character of his religion, and the degree of his sincerity, at the present time, may be inferred from the following incident.

A physician at Salt Lake was urged by Brigham to join the church. He had lived in the city several years, and was doing a good business, and it was pressed upon him as a reciprocal duty. The Doctor, like too many of his profession, was tainted with infidelity. "I wouldn't mind joining your church," said he, "but I don't believe in your religion. In fact," he added, with emphasis, "I don't believe in _any_ religion." "Oh," replied Brigham, "that don't make any difference. Come and be baptized, and it will all be right!"

The Doctor _was_ baptized, and became a good enough Mormon. He received as his reward, from the hand of Brigham, a beautiful young lady as a "second wife."

Young's talent is all of a practical character,--his shrewdness is ever ready to extricate him from any difficulty or emergency. As a financial and political leader, he is far superior to Joseph Smith. As a religious leader, he is much his inferior. Smith was brave; Young is cowardly. Smith was enthusiastic and impetuous, while Young is cool and calculating.

Brigham is a good speaker. Oratory, however, he uses as a means to accomplish certain ends; and he seldom, even when most excited, says anything that has not its object. His manner in the pulpit is impressive and authoritative; and he sometimes rises to a high degree of eloquence. His illustrations are apt, his sentences frequently pungent and sarcastic.

He is lamentably deficient in moral sense. No falsehood staggers him, no blasphemy shocks him. Why, then, should he hesitate at the perpetration of any crime which will conduce to the accomplishment of his life-purpose. Even the traveller Burton, his admirer and panegyrist, thus frankly expresses his doubts as to this phase of his character: "I cannot pronounce about his scrupulousness; all the world over, the sincerest religious belief, and the practice of devotion, are sometimes compatible not only with the most disorderly life, but with the most terrible crimes; for mankind mostly believes that '_Il est avec le ceil des accomodements_.' He has been called hypocrite, swindler, forger, murderer. No one looks it less." This is, perhaps, true; but therein lies his hypocrisy.

We have already shown that polygamy originated in the passions and lusts of himself and followers, and was afterward reduced to a system and promulgated as part of the Mormon religion. So with other phases of the system. The Celestial Kingdom, the Grand Archee, the Prophet, the Seer, the Revelator,--all tend to self and self-aggrandizement. Everything must yield and become subservient to the purposes of his unholy ambition. Principles, conscience, the moral sense, Christianity, the divine brotherhood of man, human liberty and republican institutions, the sacred associations of the home-fireside and of the family altar, all the thrilling sentiment and ennobling effect of love, the purity and fidelity of the marriage relation, all the rights of property and life, all the relations of man to God,--yea, God himself, with all the machinery of Heaven and the spiritual world, including angels, spirits, and demons,--are brought under contribution to this one man, and made to revolve about him,--a confused constellation of chaotic elements from the mental, and moral world. Neither social nor political restraint does he recognize. Setting himself above all law, human and divine, he becomes a law to himself and his deluded followers.

How long this state of things is to last, how big this God-defying creature is yet to swell ere he is checked in his tyrannical and blasphemous career, how long this theocratic monarchy is to stand in the centre of the Republic, remains to be seen.

But the question will be asked, "Is there any remedy other than by the strong hand? And would not that increase rather than diminish the number of his followers?" Whether there can be any peaceful solution of the question is doubtful. Inflamed by power, blinded by ambition, he will not tamely submit to the laws and the constituted authorities, so long as he has thousands of obedient followers around him, ready to move as a single man at his word of command.

The only hope of a peaceful result lies in the gradual assimilation of the "gentile" with the Mormon element. A wonderful change is already in progress in this respect, caused by the presence of United States volunteers, the influx of miners, and the preaching of true religion. This is seen by Young, who already trembles, as he turns his thoughts into the future.

Fearful that the migration of miners into the Territory would tend to lessen his power, and desirous of removing the government troops from Camp Douglas, he spent several months in the spring of 1864, in inducing the farmers to unite in raising the price of their produce, and enlisting the people generally in favor of a combination against the gentiles. To the same end he has been laboring for years.

On Monday, the 8th of August, 1864, a Convention of Delegates from the several Wards in the Territory assembled, in accordance with this scheme and by direction of the "President," at the Tabernacle, in Great Salt Lake City, to adopt measures for the establishment of the prices of produce _upon a gold basis_.

The scheme signally failed. Temporarily, supplies for the troops were brought across the Plains, and were purchased as they could be had. But General Connor more than hinted that if this plan should be persisted in, what supplies he could not purchase at a fair price with the currency of the country, he would _take_. This had the desired effect, and after some further spasmodic efforts, this attempt to lay an embargo upon the traffic of the people with the Government, was abandoned.

This meeting, like every other in Utah, merely gave expression to the preconceived views and preconcerted measures of the leaders. No steps were taken to raise the wages of the mechanic or laborer. Brigham denounced the mechanics bitterly, because they were opposed to raising the price of produce, calling them a parcel of thieves and rascals. He indulged in a tirade of abuse and vulgar language, unfit for publication.

This may be cited as one of the instances in which he misjudged human nature. By espousing the interests of one class against those of the other, instead of attempting to reconcile them, he introduced a new element of discord into his already inharmonious kingdom. Two of the delegates at the meeting had sufficient manly dignity and moral courage to plead the cause of the mechanic and laborer; also of the poorer class generally; showing the amount of misery and suffering that would be entailed upon them by the adoption of the proposed measures. To which Young replied, in a tone of sarcasm and contempt, that even if he were to build houses for the poor, and provide them with all the necessaries and comforts of life, they would not be satisfied unless they had free admission to his house and the privilege of listening to his daughters playing on the piano.

The fact that leading Mormons were found to vindicate the people, notwithstanding the degraded condition which such language implies, and openly to oppose Young's measures in a public meeting, is a hopeful one, and of deep significance.

In pursuance of the same policy of segregation of the faithful, and preparatory to the accomplishment of his ambitious schemes, Young has established a system of militia training and reviews, confined exclusively to Mormons. This system he sedulously fosters and maintains, commanding the Mormon militia as _Governor of the State of Deseret_.

On the 2d of November, 1865, such a review was held on the plains of Salt Lake Valley, near the Jordan River. On that occasion Governor Durkee, who had lately arrived in the Territory as the successor of the lamented Doty, visited the Mormon troops and marched in a procession headed by Brigham Young. The Organic Act of Utah makes the Governor the Commander-in-Chief of the Militia, and it would seem to have been more consonant with the spirit of that provision, and more conservative of the dignity of his position, to have headed the procession, or if not permitted to do so, to have dispersed it as an illegal assemblage.

General Connor, who has lately returned to Salt Lake from a brilliant Indian campaign, is the military commander of the Department of Utah. He does not look with favor upon the marshalling of military forces composed exclusively of Mormons, and considers such gatherings but little better than displays of rebels in arms. The progress of events will soon determine whether the military organization of the Mormon militia is conducive to loyalty and good order, or to anarchy and rebellion.

Notwithstanding these attempts to organize and nationalize his followers, there are, within the dominions of Brigham Young, and among the masses of his adherents, various conflicting elements, furnishing hopeful indications to the statesman and the lover of his country. It may reasonably be expected that Young will soon appear to the deluded people in his true character; not as a branch of the Divinity, but as a selfish, corrupt, ambitious, and very dangerous man.

To this end, every attempt to enlighten and disabuse them, should be encouraged, and such changes in the Organic Act should be made as may be necessary to protect the rights of gentiles resident in the Territory. The extraordinary jurisdiction now exercised by the Probate Courts should be taken away and limited to the District Courts. The Governor should not only be authorized, but _required_ to take the leadership and control of the militia of the Territory. The laws of Congress against polygamy should be rigidly enforced. Mormon postmasters and other Mormon federal officers should be removed. These and kindred measures should be adopted and enforced, until the authority of the Federal Government shall be fully vindicated and acknowledged.

Among the agencies already at work to accomplish this desirable end, and to redeem Utah from her enthralment, may be mentioned the discovery of mines of precious metals, and the large influx of miners,--the preaching not only of a purer Mormon faith, under the auspices of Joseph Smith Jr., but the promulgation of the Gospel itself, and of the principles of Christianity in their purity, by Rev. Norman McLeod, a Congregational minister of great boldness and talent, who is now firmly established in the Territory,--the extended and controlling influence of the "Union Vedette," a daily and weekly paper published at Salt Lake City, and edited with an ability which is but a synonym for immense moral, intellectual, and political power,--and above all, the military administration of General Connor, who, by the discreet but firm hand with which he has held a check upon the movements of unprincipled church leaders, by the establishment and support of the journal just mentioned, and by the encouragement given to gentiles and disaffected Mormons, has done more to undermine and overthrow the whole system of Mormonism than all other influences combined!

Much is to be expected from the discovery of valuable mines of gold, silver, and copper, in various localities in Utah. Already mining camps have been established, mining companies formed, and villages and settlements of miners are springing up in different directions. In Rush Valley, west of the Oquirrh, or West Mountain, about forty miles southwest from Salt Lake City, is a flourishing mining town called Stockton, which has been built entirely since the winter of 1863-4. The mines in this valley are good, and are attracting much attention abroad. Over fifty ledges have been discovered, which prospect well in gold and silver. In Cottonwood Canyon copper mines have been discovered yielding 75 per cent. of pure ore. Extensive arrangements have been made for bringing on machinery, building mills, &c.

It has steadily been the policy of Brigham to discourage prospecting, and to prevent, if possible, the opening of these mines to the gentile public. It has long been known that such mines existed, not only from the whisperings and traditions of dissatisfied saints, but by the boastings of Young himself, whose vanity would not permit him to be entirely silent upon a subject so well calculated to magnify his own importance. On one occasion he said to Bishop Simpson, "I can stand in my door and see plenty of gold and silver."

These hidden riches, thank God, have been brought to light. Miners are flocking in by thousands, and their rights will be protected, if necessary, by the strong arm of a strong government.

Mormonism must soon give way before the advancing tide of American civilization.

Brigham Young, with his band of desperadoes, may not much longer despise and trample upon our laws, and outrage the rights of our people. If he is to be permitted to continue his system of heathen polygamy, he will be obliged to leave the Republic he has discarded and would have overthrown, and fleeing from the scenes of his impieties and his crimes, set up his kingdom in some new refuge,--perchance in the Sandwich Islands, which have long been one of the stakes of Zion.

The events of the last two years have not been of a character to inspire confidence either in Young and his associates, or in the policy, or rather want of policy, of the government, in connection with the affairs of that Territory. The same spirit of lawlessness and violence which has marked the entire history of the Territory still prevails. Partially repressed for a few years, and kept in check by the determination and known bravery of General Connor and his officers, it has now, since their retirement from the service and the withdrawal of nearly all the military stationed at Camp Douglas, broken out more fiercely than ever.

The disbanding of the volunteers was immediately followed by denunciations of the gentiles, and threats and warnings of every description. A letter containing the representation of a bloody hand was sent to the "Vedette" office.

Anonymous communications were frequently received by leading gentile citizens. Fiery and vehement declamation was indulged in from the rostrum; and the prophecy was frequently made that in a few months not a gentile would be left in the Territory. Yet that class of proscribed citizens kept on in the even tenor of their way; the "Vedette" appeared as usual, always bold and determined in its opposition to the wrong and injustice prevailing around it. There was danger that the prophets would be brought into disrepute and contempt.

At this juncture, it having been determined "in council" that a blow should be struck, the community was startled by the announcement of one of the most atrocious murders recorded in history.

On the evening of the second of April, 1865, Squire Newton Brassfield, a resident of Austin, Nevada, temporarily residing in Salt Lake, was shot down in the streets while in the company of the United States Marshal, and under his protection. The particulars, as well as the pretext for this bloody murder, are fully given in the following editorials taken from the "Salt Lake Vedette," of April 4th, 1865:--

"We are called upon this morning to chronicle one of the most
cold-blooded and inhuman murders that has ever fallen under
our notice--unparalleled even in the bloody record of Utah's
foulest crimes. The victim of this last exhibition of the
hellish doctrine of 'blood atonement,' promulgated by these
fiends of hell from the rostrum of their Tabernacle, is Squire
Newton Brassfield, late a resident of Austin, Nevada, by
business a freighter, and aged about thirty years. The
circumstances which led to his murder are briefly as
follows:--

"On the evening of the 27th ult. Mr. Brassfield was married by
Judge McCurdy, of the Supreme Court, to Mary, _second_ wife of
A. N. Hill, a Mormon missionary now in Europe. A short time
after the marriage, Brassfield went with his wife to her late
residence to get her clothes and household goods which had
been packed up ready for removal. While there he was arrested
by the city police, charged _with resisting an officer_, and
lodged all night in the county jail. The next morning he was
taken before the Probate Court to answer the charge, and bound
over in the sum of five hundred dollars to await the action of
the Grand Jury. The next day two indictments were brought
against him, one on the charge above named, and the other for
larceny,--for being present and assisting in taking away his
wife's goods and clothing. He gave bail in the sum of one
thousand dollars. On Monday last his counsel, Major C. H.
Hempstead, quashed the indictment for resisting an officer,
and proceeded to trial on the charge of larceny. The trial was
not concluded when the court adjourned on Monday, and was to
have been continued on the following day.

"The wife had two children, one nine and the other five years
of age. About these children a contest was evident--Mrs.
Brassfield claiming them, and the friends of Hill being
determined to keep them from her. The mother obtained a writ
of _habeas corpus_ from Judge McCurdy, and the Hill party from
the Probate Court, each claiming the right to the custody of
the children. The writ of Judge McCurdy was first executed,
and a hearing held by him last Saturday night. Major Hempstead
argued the case for the petitioner, and claimed that as Hill
had a wife living at the time of his alleged marriage with
Mrs. Brassfield, it was illegal and void, and that, as there
was no legal father, the mother was entitled to the custody of
the minor children. Thus the legality of polygamous marriages
was made a direct issue in the case. Judge Snow appeared
against the petitioner and in the capacity of Deputy
Attorney-General of the Territory, and desired further time to
prepare the case of the defendant, and the hearing was
continued until Monday evening at seven o'clock.

"At that hour the house was crowded, the friends of both
parties being present in large numbers. After a few
preliminary remarks and the filing of some papers by Judge
Snow, the hearing was again adjourned until Wednesday morning
at ten o'clock. The children in the mean time had been
committed to the custody of the United States Marshal, Hosmer,
until further orders of the court, and on Monday the writ from
the Probate Court was served on him, when he appeared before
Judge Smith and stated that he held the children by order of
Judge McCurdy, and declined to produce them in that court,
when he was threatened with an attachment for contempt, and
warned that unless he produced the children _he would be
imprisoned in the county jail_! The Probate Court of Salt
Lake, imprisoning a United States Marshal, for obeying an
order of the Supreme Court! Our readers can make their own
comments.

"Thus stood the several phases of the case at the adjournment
of Judge McCurdy's court on Monday evening. The court
adjourned at about half-past eight o'clock, and on his way
home, and while in company with the United States Marshal,
Hosmer, Mr. Brassfield was shot and killed; adding another to
the long list of victims of Mormon 'law' and Mormon
'justice.'"

"STATEMENT OF MARSHAL HOSMER.

"About half-past eight o'clock on Monday evening, the second
instant, I was accompanying Mr. Brassfield home to the
National Hotel from Independence Hall. As we turned the corner
by the small building west of the hotel, a man who stood
between the bay-window and door of that building advanced one
step from the corner and fired at Mr. Brassfield, the shot
taking effect in his arm and side; four buck-shot entered the
arm, one striking the elbow joint and breaking the arm. The
fifth shot, which was much larger than the others, entered his
right side. When the gun was fired Mr. Brassfield fell, and
said, 'O my God! I am shot!' He was carried into the
International Hotel, where he lingered in agony about
forty-five minutes and then expired. The assassin, after
firing, ran across the street, and turning the corner by the
theatre, continued in a northerly direction. As he passed the
St. Charles Restaurant, he was fired at twice by a policeman.
I lost sight of him as he turned the corner of the theatre."

"THE FEELING AMONG THE PEOPLE.

"It would be useless to deny the fact that in the opinion of
the gentile community of this city, the killing of Mr.
Brassfield was a deliberately planned scheme, concocted and
advised by men high in authority in the Mormon Church. It is a
reminder of the days that were, and a foretaste of what will
be again 'when the troops are removed.' The community is
struck dumb at the appalling audacity of the affair. Men say
but little, but the lowering brows and compressed lips
everywhere visible, bespeak a rising storm, which, when it
bursts, will be very hard to control."

"THE SPIRIT OF ASSASSINATION.

"From time to time during the past nineteen years, the people
have been almost palsied with the announcement of dark and
fearful crimes committed within the limits of this
Territory--crimes of the greatest magnitude and of the
blackest character have been perpetrated, and in no known
instance have the guilty parties been brought to the tribunal
of justice.

"The Mountain Meadow massacre, the Parish, Potter, and Forbes
murders, the assassination of Sergeant Pike on the main street
of Salt Lake City, in broad daylight, were all committed with
an impunity and immunity from punishment having no parallel
elsewhere in the country.

"Last Monday evening the community was astounded with the
intelligence of another foul assassination committed on
Theatre Street, only a few steps east of Main Street.

"The man who was assassinated was known throughout Nevada, and
more particularly at Austin and Reese River, as one of the
best and most reliable citizens of that State, and was engaged
in the freighting business between this place and Reese River.
His conduct, while here, was that of a good, quiet, peaceable
citizen, violating no law of the land, interfering in no way
with the legitimate business of any person, and honored and
respected by all who knew him."

This high-handed outrage was immediately followed by a fulmination from Brigham Young, warning the gentiles to leave the Territory, and throwing out various dark hints of the consequences in case the warning should be disregarded.

The serious character of this order was well understood in that community, and had the effect to cause many citizens to quietly take themselves out of harm's way.

For the information of those who may doubt whether anything criminal was intended by this edict, or whether Young would scruple in the use of means in carrying out his plan of getting rid of the gentiles, we refer them to the Order of Brigham issued in 1858, for the murder of eighty men by his Danite followers. The following is a copy of the Order:--

"SALT LAKE CITY, _April 9, 1858_.

"SPECIAL ORDER.

"The officer in command of escort is hereby ordered to see
that every man is well prepared with ammunition and have it
ready at the time you see those teamsters a hundred miles from
the settlements. President Young advises that they should be
all killed to prevent them from returning to Bridger to join
our enemies. Every precaution should be taken and see that not
one escapes. Secrecy is required.

"By order of Genl. DANL. H. WELLS.
JAMES FERGUSON, _Asst. Adjt. Genl._"

The teamsters alluded to were eighty in number, discharged from Johnson's command when at Fort Bridger, and were _en route_ to California. Maloney, who commanded the escort, is and has been for four years employed at Camp Douglas. He was too humane to execute the order. He however preserved it, and it is now in the possession of Hon. John Titus, Chief Justice of the Territory. The signature of Ferguson is authenticated under oath, by two prominent Mormons of Salt Lake. The Mormons have on several occasions attempted to take the life of Maloney, and only a short time since destroyed a house of his near Camp Douglas.

About this time a new source of difficulty arose in the settlement of the public lands. The entire body of land in the Territory belongs to the United States Government, subject to the claims of Indian tribes roving through the country. The land has never been open to market. But very little of it, indeed, has ever been surveyed.

The Mormons claim to own the valley of the Salt Lake, and all the adjacent country; not only that which they have reduced to possession, but the square miles of adjoining land untouched by human being.

But the gentiles were not disposed to concede the rightfulness of these claims. In the summers of 1865-66, various settlements were made upon the public lands in Utah, under the National Homestead Act, by anti-Mormon or gentile citizens.

The Mormons affected to consider this an infringement of their rights, and from denunciations and threats proceeded to open violence to prevent these intrusions.

Some account of these outrages is given in the following extracts from a letter written by Captain S. E. Jocelyn, and published in the "Chicago Republican," of January 4, 1867.

As the writer is fully posted in relation to the recent history of the Territory, I have given other quotations also, from the same letter:--

"CHICAGO, _Dec. 28, 1866_.

"It has been my fortune to reside in Utah Territory during the
last four years, whence I have recently arrived in your city.
While _en route_, and since my arrival in 'America'--for so
the gentiles are accustomed to call the Eastern States--I have
observed a great and universal interest existing on all hands
concerning affairs among the Mormons.

"As early as last spring threats were made by the Mormon
authorities toward certain parties, not Mormons, then doing
business of one kind or another in Salt Lake City, looking to
the forcible entry of their premises and the destruction of
property without due process of law. These threats were of a
general character, and it was believed that, under cover of
breaking up certain places where disreputable business was
carried on, it was the intention to destroy other
establishments of a different character, but interfering with
certain monopolies of the city and church patriarchs. To
prevent this, the local military commander, under constructive
orders from Gen. Sherman, called upon Brigham Young to exact a
promise that no violence should be done to private property
without due process of law, which, after some hesitation, was
obtained. Matters progressed smoothly until the adjournment of
Congress, for, fearing the effect on that body of any violent
measures inaugurated against gentiles, Brigham kept his
promise strictly. But no sooner did the telegraph flash across
the continent the announcement of the adjournment of Congress,
than his pent-up wrath broke forth, and he openly urged the
policy of violence toward the gentiles. With regard to the
public lands, he said repeatedly that he owned land, and
plenty of it, and any man who attempted to 'jump' the same
should have 'a preëmption title which would last till the
resurrection.' This was called forth by the fact that a number
of locations had already been made by discharged soldiers and
others upon unoccupied land lying along the west bank of the
Jordan River, contiguous to Salt Lake City, and there was
considerable talk of many others following in the same course,
induced by the prospective coming of the Pacific Railroad, and
a desire to obtain as eligible situations for homes convenient
thereto as possible. But the idea of allowing gentiles to
settle in any considerable numbers in the vicinity of Mormon
communities is totally at variance with the well-understood
policy of the leaders, and must, therefore, be prevented by
every possible means--else, what would become of polygamy?
Hence the hostility of Brigham Young to any such scheme as
they contemplated, for in it he scented danger to his favorite
institution, and hence, too, his threat of death to 'land
jumpers.'

"Now the fact is that there has never been, to my knowledge,
one foot of land '_jumped_' in Utah; in other words, no
locations whatever have been made or attempted by gentiles
except upon totally unoccupied lands. But, in violation of the
Territorial organic act, the Legislative Assembly of Utah has,
from time to time, granted away to Brigham Young, and others,
certain valuable timber and tracts of arable lands for a
nominal consideration, and it is to protect these from gentile
intrusion, as well as for reasons already stated, that a reign
of terror has been inaugurated.

"As early as last August, the writer of this article called
attention, in the columns of the 'Salt Lake Vedette,' to the
threats being made by the Mormon Head Centre to inflame the
passions of his followers, predicting the result which has
already been reached, and putting his language on record, that
it might be known who should be held responsible when the
event transpired.

"On the night of September 24th occurred the Jordan outrage,
in which a number of land preëmptors were attacked about
midnight by a gang of some forty or fifty ruffians, disguised
and armed, and flagrantly abused, their houses destroyed,
themselves thrown into the river, and their lives only saved
by a promise to leave the Territory within forty-eight hours.
One in attempting to get away, was fired upon and wounded, but
effected his escape--very fortunately for the entire party
beyond a doubt, for there can be little question that the
original purpose was to put them all out of the way, which
would certainly have been accomplished had any of the forty or
fifty shots fired at the fugitive taken fatal effect. The
better nature of some of the party prevailed over the
malignant influence of the master whom they served, and they
probably hoped to reach the result he desired--terror to
gentiles--by less sanguinary means than those he contemplated.
The result proved them wrong, for the parties warned did not
leave the Territory, though any further attempts to secure
homesteads were abandoned. Then followed the demolition of a
portion of Dr. Robinson's premises, three of the city police,
including the chief, being identified as accomplices, and held
to answer therefor. Then the abduction of Mr. Weston, of the
'Vedette,' to a remote part of the city, where he was
subjected to the most shameful indignities at the hands of a
half score of miscreants, some of whom, at least, he
recognized as belonging to the city police."

These outrages were closely followed by another atrocious murder, only equalled in ferocity and cold-blooded cruelty by that of Brassfield.

On the 22d day of October, 1866, Dr. J. K. Robinson, a prominent and influential citizen of Salt Lake City, who had recently had some difficulty with the city authorities, was shot in the streets, but a few steps from his own door. He had retired for the evening, when he was called up and requested to go a short distance to attend upon a neighbor, who, it was alleged, had broken his leg.

He quickly obeyed the call, followed his summoners a few rods from the house, when he was brutally assassinated by those who had him in charge. The following allusion to this murder is from the letter of Captain Jocelyn already quoted from:--

"I do not hesitate to state my most earnest conviction that
Brigham Young is the author of Dr. Robinson's assassination,
and in this I do not go one iota beyond the public opinion of
all gentiles in Salt Lake City, and, I have no doubt, of the
Mormons as well, could their secret thoughts be known. He
signified his consent, which was the victim's death warrant;
some of his satellites--probably Daniel H. Wells--made the
detail for the execution; and not the least hideous feature of
the whole affair is, that, in all probability, the
perpetrators of that most atrocious crime feel no guilt for
this deed, have no visitations of remorse or compunctions of
conscience in consequence, but consider that they have only
done their duty and proved their faith in thus obeying the
behests of their Prophet. I will trace the chain of evidence
leading to the foregoing conclusion; Brigham Young is the
Mormon Church, since therein his word is law. It is the
deliberate policy of the church to isolate Mormonism from the
intrusion of persons averse to the peculiar faith it teaches.
That such is the burden of the discourses of its leaders
throughout the Territory, and has been for years, will not be
seriously disputed by any sensible Mormon. Hence their
strenuous efforts to settle up the valleys, or the more
desirable portions, by gathering the saints together from all
parts of the world, and concentrating their force in Utah. In
Missouri they controlled one county by this means; they now
control, and will, if possible perpetuate their authority over
an entire Territory which, they hope may become a State, under
the absolute dominion of Brigham Young. To effect this,
gentiles cannot be permitted to mingle with Mormons unopposed,
nor to settle in their vicinity, on account of the dangerous
influence they would thus exert. The control of the church
authorities over personal actions extends to every possible
circumstance. When the headquarters of the District of Utah
were established in Salt Lake City by order one year ago, his
authority was exercised to prevent the lease of any buildings
for that or any other public purpose, and the person from whom
they were finally obtained was afterward 'cut off' from the
church for disregard of 'counsel' in that particular, and has
since been subjected to all manner of petty persecution in
consequence. Dr. Robinson had leased certain city property,
which he managed without regard to the wishes of the Mormon
magnates. Formerly the property of an elder in the church, it
was now the place where the 'Vedette' newspaper found refuge,
when driven from every other covert. Moreover, Dr. Robinson
was foremost in encouraging the idea that gentiles, as well as
Mormons, had rights in Utah, and among them a right to a
portion of the public domain, whereon to build themselves
homes. Acting upon this unorthodox theory, he, with others,
had procured the survey of certain lands near the city,
including the famous Warm Sulphur Springs, and had taken all
the necessary steps to perfect a title, according to act of
Congress regulating the location of cities on the public
domain.

"The buildings in process of erection thereon were demolished,
and there the matter rested for more than a year, when it was
formally revived by Dr. Robinson, who brought the case before
the United States Third District Court, praying to be put in
possession of his property, from which he was unlawfully
restrained.

"About the same time other parties began locating on vacant
land near the city, as already stated. No objection was made
by any person, however, until Brigham Young began his
inflammatory harangues, giving the key-note of assassination.
Early in October the semi-annual conference convened in Salt
Lake City, and it was attended beyond all precedent. To the
thousands there assembled he repeated all his violent
language,--and no man knows better how to inspire his hearers
with his own purposes,--concluding by taking a vote, in
effect, whether the policy thus strenuously urged should be
adopted and at once inaugurated.

"What more was necessary for him to do? Not to strike the
blow, surely, for there were hundreds ready to do that; all
they wanted was to be told _who_, _where_, and _when_. The
event was predicted by the writer in a communication to the
'New York Tribune,' dated ten days previous to Dr. Robinson's
assassination. None knew, indeed, on whom the blow would
descend, but all felt sure it was impending. To my personal
knowledge many of those who believed or knew themselves under
ban took extraordinary precautions to meet the threatened
danger.

"On Saturday, October 20th, Dr. Robinson, acting under legal
advice, called on Daniel H. Wells, Mayor of the city,
'Lieutenant-General' of the Utah militia, and only second to
Brigham Young in the church, to demand payment of the city for
damages done to his premises by police acting under Wells's
orders without due process of law. Wells no sooner learned
that he was the person contesting the Warm Springs case, than
he ordered him from his house, with every circumstance of
gross insult. On the night of Monday following Dr. Robinson
was murdered. The full moon made the night almost as light as
day. There were at least seven of the assassins. They did the
deed, knowing that within twenty steps a witness was observing
them. They did not rifle the pockets of their victim. The
deduction is irresistible. No mere murderers would commit so
heinous a crime under such circumstances, unless certain of
adequate backing and sure protection. He had no personal
enemies. Who desired his death? Who could protect his
murderers? I leave the answer to public opinion, which, I
trust, may soon compel our timid lawgivers to do their duty.
For myself, I have no doubt on the point. I know as well as I
ever hope to know who caused the murder of Dr. Robinson. I
feel and write warmly on the subject, for the victim was my
intimate friend. Not three days before his foul murder, he
expressed to me a sense of the danger he felt himself exposed
to in attempting, single-handed, to fight the Mormon
authorities of Salt Lake City. The event very soon proved how
prophetic were those fears. I was by his side only a few
minutes after he was stricken down--held his hand and felt the
last faint pulse that flitted from his heart when he died. Who
could look upon such a sight--a strong man basely stricken
down in his early prime by assassin hands, his family crushed
with the awful weight of such a sorrow--and not feel it a duty
to use every means which honor allows to bring the
perpetrators to punishment. During my residence in Utah I have
carefully studied the Mormon system, and confidently assert it
to be dangerous to the commonweal. I have traced the
connection between public utterances of the leaders and crimes
wherewith they have been charged, and entertain no doubt of
their guilt from evidences found in their own record.

"Well, Dr. Robinson sleeps in the cemetery at Camp Douglas,
the second victim of Mormon hatred to gentiles, within the
year, whose ashes repose therein. They sleep as do the
Parishes, the innocents slaughtered at the Mountain Meadows,
and the hundreds of other victims who have perished to appease
the insatiate demon of blood-atonement--the tutelary deity by
whose fell assistance Brigham Young maintains his power, and
hopes to accomplish his evil purposes."

The following comments upon the same affair, together with the closing portion of the eloquent speech of Governor Weller before the Coroner's Jury, are taken from the "San Francisco Bulletin" of November 16th, 1866:--

"SAN FRANCISCO, _Nov._ 16th.

"The gentiles of Salt Lake may find very great attractions in
a business way in that city, but they do not dwell in very
secure habitations. Now and then one of their number is taken
off as stealthily as when a wolf pounces down upon the fold.
Bassfield made himself obnoxious by a marriage, and his days
were numbered. The manner of his taking off was well known,
but it availed nothing to trace the crime to its perpetrators.
Mormon vengeance selects a shining mark even though it lets
its bolts fly in the dark, and there is always a Mormon moral
to the tragedy.

"The recent assassination of Dr. J. K. Robinson, in Salt Lake
City, does not differ in its diabolical features from others
which preceded it. He was a representative man, and as such,
the murder may have peculiar significance.

"Robinson in 1864 was Assistant Surgeon of United States
Volunteers, and soon after took charge of the hospital at Camp
Douglas, near Salt Lake City, and sometime after, being
mustered out of the service, he settled down in that city as a
regular practitioner of medicine, which pursuit he followed
with success, and was a leading man, at least among the
gentiles. Indeed, it was said that no man stood higher,
socially or morally. It seems that Robinson was at the time
contesting a claim known as the Warm Springs, before the
United States Territorial Court, and with good prospect of
ultimate success. His opponents were, of course, Mormons, and
may have chosen a more expeditious way of quieting title by
quieting the claimant at the same time. But certainly a Mormon
jury could have settled the claim without blood; only there
might not have been such an impressive and saintly moral for
the benefit of the gentiles.

"But there were other reasons why Robinson's permanent absence
was deemed far more desirable than his presence. He had been
very active in educational and religious enterprises, not
altogether after the pattern prescribed by the saints. Nearly
two years ago Rev. Norman McLeod, a Congregational minister,
commenced preaching at Camp Douglas, and finding so much
encouragement from Gen. Connor and the whole gentile
community, he established a preaching station in the city, and
finally organized a church. An intelligent congregation was
gathered every Sunday to hear a gentile preacher in the city
of the saints. Money was liberally subscribed, and a church
edifice, we believe, was in process of erection. A
Sunday-school was organized, and considerable assistance was
sent from this city. Dr. Robinson was the Superintendent of
the Sunday-school, and was very effective in all matters
connected with the new religious society. Some time in March
last, Rev. Mr. McLeod was summoned to Washington by a
Congressional Committee to state the results of his
observations concerning the attitude of the Mormons toward the
Federal Government, and such other knowledge concerning the
workings of Mormonism as he possessed. There being no
alternative, he obeyed the summons. But previous to his
departure Dr. Robinson, his intimate friend and room-mate, was
united by him in marriage with the daughter of the late Dr.
Kay, a lady identified also with the new religious enterprise.
Six months or more afterwards, and before McLeod's return,
Robinson was called up in the night on pretense that he was
wanted professionally, waylaid and murdered.

"A fact of some significance comes out at this juncture. Gen.
Connor, who had taken a warm interest in the religious
society, and was the fast friend of Robinson and McLeod,
telegraphed to the latter, who is still at the East, advising
him not to return as his life was in danger. Thus, the leading
layman in the society was assassinated, and the pastor warned
by his best friend that it is not safe to return. It may be
said that the gentile society had, from the beginning, exerted
a quiet but powerful influence against polygamy, and already
much of doubt and skepticism on this point had begun to
pervade the Mormon community. In New Zealand and some other
places, the natives sometimes roasted and ate a missionary. In
Salt Lake they assassinate him and throw him to the dogs. At
the coroner's inquest, ex-Governor John B. Weller being
present as counsel on behalf of the friends of the murdered
man, addressed the jury and submitted the following suggestive
propositions:--

"'And upon this evidence I have a few plain questions to
propound, which I will leave you and others to answer. I do
not propose to discuss them, simply because I could not do so
without increasing the excitement which already exists, and
producing an exasperated state of feeling, which could not at
the present time result in any public good.

"'1. If my associate, Judge Stout, the City Attorney, had been
murdered under the circumstances Dr. Robinson was, would the
police have exhibited a greater degree of vigilance and
energy?

"'2. Would the attention of the 4000 people who assembled at
the 'Tabernacle' (where secular affairs are often discussed)
on the succeeding Sabbath have been called to the crime and
exhorted to use every effort to ferret out the assassins?

"'3. Could any prominent Mormon be murdered under the same
circumstances and no clew whatever found to the murderer?

"'4. Would any portion of the five hundred special police have
been called into requisition or ordered on duty?

"'5. Would any of the numerous witnesses who saw the assassins
fleeing from their bloody work, have been able to recognize
and name them?

"'6. Have we not utterly failed to prove, after full
investigation, that Dr. Robinson had a personal enemy in the
world, and have we not proved that he had had difficulties
with none except the city authorities?

"'7. Is there any evidence that he had done anything to make
personal enemies, unless it was having the Chief of Police and
two others bound over to answer a charge of riot?

"'8. Would he have been murdered if he had not by his land
claim raised a question as to the validity of the city
charter?

"'9. Would the ten-pin alley have been destroyed if it had not
been his property, and that he had a suit pending against the
city?

"'10. Would the Mayor of the city have ordered him out of his
house two days before he was murdered, if he had not
understood that he claimed damages from the city for the
wanton destruction of his property?

"'11. Is it not remarkable that a gang of men could go to a
bowling alley, nearly surrounded by houses, within sixty steps
of the most public street in the city, between the hours of
eleven and twelve o'clock at night, demolish the windows and
break up with axes and sledges the alley, and no witnesses
found to identify the men or who knew anything whatever about
the perpetrators of the act?

"'12. Are not the jury satisfied that some witnesses have
withheld evidence calculated to fasten guilt upon certain
parties, because they feared personal violence?

"'13. Is there not an organized influence here which prevents
the detection and punishment of men who commit acts of
violence upon the persons or property of gentiles?

"'14. If a Mormon of good standing had been murdered, would
the Mayor, to whom the Chief of Police reports, have been
informed of the act before ten o'clock the next day?

"'15. Would the Chief of Police have gone to bed as soon as he
heard of the crime, and waited three days before he visited
the scene of the murder?

"'16. Was the murder committed for the purpose of striking
terror into the gentiles and preventing them from settling in
this Territory?

"'17. Is it the settled policy of the authorities here to
prevent citizens of the United States, not Mormons, from
asserting their claims to a portion of the public domain in
the regularly organized judicial tribunals of the country?

"'18. Are all legal questions which may arise in this city
between Mormons and gentiles to be settled by brute force?

"'19. Do the public teachings of the Tabernacle lead the
people to respect and obey the laws of the country, or do they
lead to violence and bloodshed?'

"He then referred to the practices and teachings of the
Mormons and the natural results that flowed from them:--

"'Whilst following the practices of some of the patriarchs of
old they have also adopted the creed, "An eye for an eye, and
a tooth for a tooth." What has been the result of these
teachings upon society here? There are a number of respectable
men in this city, some of whom have families, who dare not go
upon your streets at night! Nor are they men who are afraid of
shadows. They have shown their courage upon the field of
battle in defence of the honor of the country, and would not
shrink from meeting any of them single-handed in the light of
day. But they do not choose to meet an organized band of
assassins at midnight. They dare not go to your theatre or
other public places of amusement. Is it not hard that here, in
an American Territory, supposed to be under the protection of
our national flag, citizens who have perilled their lives to
sustain the supremacy of our laws and the integrity of the
government, are compelled to remain in their houses at night
to escape the hands of murderers? men who have violated no
law, trespassed upon the right of no one, but have simply
incurred the displeasure of the dominant party? Can this state
of things be tolerated on American soil? A government which
habitually fails to give protection to its people must soon
cease to command their confidence or respect. But I do not
choose to pursue this subject further.

"'In this connection, however, I feel called upon to notice
the extraordinary efforts which have been made and are still
being made at the Tabernacle, as well as by the press, to
destroy the confidence of the people in the courts established
by the Federal Government in this Territory. Judges selected
by the government, because of their legal attainments and
sterling integrity, have been sent out here to administer the
laws and preserve the peace and order of society. If, in the
faithful discharge of their duties under the oath they have
taken, they make a decision in conflict with the interests or
the opinions of the dominant party, they are bitterly
denounced and every effort made to impair their power and
lessen their influence. To effect this, slander and ridicule
are generally employed. If a Federal Judge will decide every
question which arises between a Mormon and gentile in favor of
the former, he can have an easy and quiet time. He can have as
much fulsome praise as he deserves. But if he decides in favor
of the latter, "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown".'"

The murder of Dr. Robinson, following so closely upon that of Brassfield, and the outrages upon Williamson and his companions, quite unsettled the nerves of those gentiles who had had the hardihood to remain, and they now fled in terror from before the face of the infuriated fanatics, to whose tender mercies they had been turned over by that government which should have afforded them the fullest protection.

The garrison stationed at Camp Douglas, instead of being strengthened as it should have been, had been disbanded and withdrawn, till scarcely a corporal's guard remained; not enough to inspire the least respect for the government or its representatives. General Connor, whose name had been a terror to the offender for three years, now found himself an outcast and a refugee, in the land which had so lately been under his control. Finding his life constantly in danger in Salt Lake City, he removed with his family, a few months after the assassination of Robinson, to Stockton, in Rush Valley, forty miles west of Salt Lake, where he now resides. He is engaged in mining operations, and having considerable capital invested in developing the silver mines in that locality, cannot well leave without much financial sacrifice. His life is in constant danger, as well as that of every anti-Mormon resident of the Territory.

The following extract from a letter of General Connor, dated Salt Lake, December 26, 1866, written just before his removal to Stockton, will give some idea of the condition of the Territory at that time:--

"Matters are getting worse here. You will see by the 'Vedette,'
that the merchants have addressed a card to Brigham Young, in
reference to his action in not permitting the people to trade
with gentile merchants. Several gentiles established themselves
in business in the outer settlements. Some of them have been
ordered to close their stores, and are doing so, and are glad
to get away with their lives.

"Of the hundreds who came here to spend the winter, all or
nearly all have left, and many of the old gentile inhabitants
are leaving, or preparing to do so in the spring, if nothing
is done for us by Congress or the Administration."

The Rev. Mr. McLeod who, previous to the murder of Robinson, had made a visit to the States, was cautioned by his friends, by telegraph, not to return, as his life was in danger.[297:A]

Many fled the Territory. But a small number remained. And from that Spartan band the cry now comes up for aid and protection.

Will that cry be heeded by the government of their country? Or will that same masterly inactivity which has hitherto characterized the course of the Federal Government on this subject, still prevail?

This is a question which now demands the serious attention of Congress and of the country.

If the Mormons are to remain in the country, it would seem to be time that some system were adopted to enforce the execution of the laws among them. I am aware that the subject is one of some difficulty, but one would suppose that among all those who have been grappling with the great questions of Southern reconstruction, enough statesmanship might be found to devise some efficient mode of protecting life and property in Utah.

Let us at least hope the attempt will be made.

THE END.

FOOTNOTES:

[297:A] Rev. William Roberts, also one of the ablest ministers on the Pacific coast, was deputed, at the last annual Methodist Conference of Oregon, to act as a missionary at Salt Lake. He proceeded to execute the mission, but after a short stay, returned to his former charge in Idaho, there to remain till such time as American citizens in Utah should be protected in their lives and property.

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:

The following corrections have been make to the text:

Page ix: Description of the Harem.[original has a comma]

Page ix: THE ENDOWMENT.[original has a comma]

Page 5: Here new difficulties arose.[period missing in
original]

Page 12: following boundaries, to wit:"[quotation mark missing
in original]

Page 20: Brochus and Zerubbabel Snow, Associate
Justices;[semi-colon missing in original]

Page 21: spirits of the audience, he[original has "be"] turned
to the Judge

Page 29: It is not our purpose to detract from the merits of
any one.[period missing in original]

Page 57: taking with them their household goods[original has
"gods"], and provisions

Page 130: and the interpretation[original has
"intrepretation"] of tongues

Page 133: Each has another[original has "an" and "other" on
two separate lines--the hyphen is missing] part

Page 155: _Thirdly_[original has "Thirdy"], They must be
baptized

Page 158: The passage was: '[quotation mark missing in
original]To us there is but one God

Page 163: this small remnant[original has "remant"] of the
tribe

Page 228: then editor of the "Star,"[original has single
quote]

Page 233: that which God had[original has "aad"] joined
together

Page 255: "O, when shall we see Jesus," &c.[original has
extraneous comma]

Page 256: the prophets, even Joseph Smith.[original has
extraneous quotation mark]

Page 259: upon the faithful in Israel. Amen."[quotation mark
missing in original]

Page 276: diminish the number of his followers?"[quotation
mark missing in original]

Page 282: after the marriage, Brassfield[original has
"Brassfied"] went

Page 287: a preëmption[original has "pre/emption" split across
a line break] title which would last

On pages 294 and 295, in the original, all of the numbered
paragraphs are missing an opening single quote inside the
opening double quote. The single quote has been added.

Page 296: "'[single quote missing in the original]In this
connection, however

Page 296: "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown"[quotation
mark missing in original]

End of Project Gutenberg's The Mormon Prophet and His Harem, by C.V. Waite