Mormonism; its rise, progress, and present condition; embracing the narrative of Mrs. M. E. V. Smith of her residence ... of fifteen years with the Mormons ... with other startling facts and statements ... by N. W. Green

Front matter

MOBMOOTBM : ITS RISE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT CONDITION. EMBRACING THE NARRATIVE OF MRS. MART ETTIE V. SMITH, OF HER RESIDENCE AND EXPERIENCE OF FIFTEEN YEARS WITH THE MORMONS; CONTAINING A FULL AND AUTHENTIC ACCOUNT OF THEIR SOCIAL CONDITION-THEIR RELIGIOUS DOCTRINES, AND POLITICAL GOVERNMENT. Mas. Smith was a sister of One of the Mormon High Priests, and was long in the confidence of " Prophet " Brigham Young, and was personally acquainted with most of the Mormon Leaders. WITH OTHER STARTLING PACTS AND STATEMENTS, BEING A FULL DISCLOSURE OF THE RITES, CEREMONIES, AND MYSTERIES OF POLYGAMY, Together with the Speech recently delivered before the "Elders," in Utah, by Vice President Schuyler Colfax, and the answer of John Taylor. By IsT. W. GREEN. HAETFORD: BELKNAP & BLISS. 1870. Entered according to Act of "Congress, in the year 1870, by 3ST. W. G-REEN, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the District of Connecticut.

TO THE READER. Mormonism is a bold, bald, aggressive, religious fraud ; dealing largely in deceptions, intended to mislead its opponents in one direction, and its dupes in another : and to this end it inclines to a conflict of statement : and having been unfairly administered upon by mobs, and by State authorities, it has cunningly exaggerated these wrongs and turned them to an excellent account, by an audacious use of them, which has been its chief capital. Guilty of great crimes — for which its leaders should have been held to trial, it has been crowned by martyrdoms instead, by impatient intolerance. But the time has come to illustrate the fact, that, while unjust judgments, and irregular tribunals are in the interest of crime and fraud ; the removal of social warts, and moral fungi, — always by lawful and reasonable means, — are clearly among the highest functions of State guardi anship.

But the " State " is nothing, except as it represents the people : and the singular confusion as to the facts of Mor monism among the masses, indicates a serious need in this connection, when opinions like the following can find a patient hearing : — " It is plain we cannot, and shall not persecute a huud- To the Reader. IV red thousand people ; " and that " we shall not make war upon their homes." And why not ? if there is that in Mormon homes, which the old-time morality of the nation must uproot, or be up rooted by it ? It were different with less than " a hundred thousand ! " There is divinity in numbers. But, is it so clear, that the execution of the laws is persecution ? If it is so, the time has come to declare it, and among the motives for this renewed effort to circulate — in the interest of humanity — reliable information upon these topics, is the desire to bring this question to an intelligent hearing. N. W. G. Amherst, Mass., March, 1870.

Preface

. Tkb hnman mind is peculiarly open to the approach of reli gious delusion. Man is naturally religious, but prone perhaps to mix with the pure gospels of a pure system, something of a grosser sort, and is inclined to bring the latter down, and to square it with his own poor humanity, when unable to raise himself to the level of an exalted faith. Hence we find the suc cess of these pretenders to new revelations, to be due less to the merit of what they teach, than to the wealiness of their victims. No delusion of this character has for many centuries met with half the success, or achieved a position so threatening and formidable as has the Mormonism of our own day. And no Prophet among the class to which we refer, has entertained the ambitious and aggressive views of Brigham Young, since the advent of Mahomet, whose armed followers overran the fairest portions of the East with the irresistible argument of the " Koran or the sword."

And it is perhaps not without reason that the public mind has been suddenly moved to inquire whether the known aims of the successor of Joseph Smith may not poiut to a similar destiny for this continent. For it is with some concern that we are reminded that in the early years of the hegira, the power and the pretensions of the Prophet of Medina, were much less in fact, than are those of the aspirant to divine honors at Salt Lake to-day. And while there can be but little doubt as to the result of a conflict, should it come to that, as between the people of the United States and the Saints in Utah, with all the advantages claimed for the latter, from their isolated position, unity of purpose and action, known enterprise, and other admitted elements VI Preface. of strength which would tell in such a contest, yet the question is not entirely devoid of difficulty, with reference to the line of policy the Government at Washington is likely to adopt, in con trast with that which it is believed should be adopted.

This Government, ranking among the first Christian powers of the earth, owes something to civilization and the world as touching the solution of this Mormon question. The assump tions and errors of these " latter day Saints," are too monstrous and radical to pass with a mere rebuke. They should be crushed in the bud, if indeed they have not already passed into a dangerous maturity. They should be torn up root and branch, especially now, when the alternative is held out by the " Pro phet " himself, of, " fight or fly." These men, who have not only set at defiance those acknowledged principles of moral ethics, which for many generations have bound Christendom to a common faith, and worked out for it a high order of civilization, but have repudiated the common instincts of humanity, and the common law also, should not be allowed, even as a compromise, to withdraw from the territory of the United States unpunished.

They should be made to feel the heavy, and resistless arm of the public law. The iron they have meted to others, their defenceless victims, in disregard of law, should be made to enter their own souls, under the sanction of law. But under our peculiar form of government, undoubtedly the best in the world, a serious difficulty still suggests itself. The outrages in Utah call for an immediate remedy. Humanity, racked to its uttermost of endurance, cannot afford to wait the slow process of ordinary governmental action. We have already seen within a few months, an army put in motion, and a Governor appointed for this duty, and the advance of both in the end stayed, for some reason, another year. When we remember the high character of the present Chief Magistrate of the nation, there can be but little doubt that finally, effective and well judged measures will be taken in the premises; but still the question recurs, why can this not be done now ?

Is it only tho voice of popular majorities that can move the Preface, VII Government to action ? And is the voice of suffering, though armed with the right, not to be heard, unless it is also armed with might. Must it bear the fearful, and uncertain wand of a balance of power, before it can reach the ear of the politician ? Has our nationality come at last, to be but the e:q>onent of a party only, and has it nothing left of a sympathy which it should hold in common with all Americans and Christians ? It is not possible that politicians are so lost in schemes of party plunder, as to be blind to the necessity of preserving the Government. But what need have we for delay in this matter ? Is it not time the question were submitted in some form to the serious consideration of the American people, if submitted it must be, before action can be had ?

Can there be the differential of a doubt, as to what will be the result of such a submission ? In deed is it not already a question of public safety ? Can this model system of government survive the shock of so many elements foreign to the aims and scope of its original incep tion ? Can this people, always liberal and generous, quite up to the verge of safety, escape demoralization while thus trifling with abstractions, which involve the validity of the fondamen tal law ? Does that " largest liberty," over which we hear the National pride so justly exalt itself, mean the liberty to sweep away the old landmarks of Christendom, and the glorious old common law of our fathers? Is our Bible, and the free institutions which have come down with, and grown up beside it, to be sacrificed to an extreme application of the well approved prin ciples of State Eights, and popular sovereignty ?

In the splen did machinery of Government which has resulted from the Bevoution, and the exalted line of state policy which has grown up under it, did not our fathers bethink them of a sufficient balance wheel equal to the duty of guarding us against the obstructions which bad men and fanatics may choose to interpose to its con tinued, equal, steady, and general working. It cannot be supposed, that in the advance made by the framers of our American institutions, it was had in contempla- Preface. tion to retrograde in morals, or in Christian propriety, or to throw away what civilization had already gained for us. But the Mormon practice of polygamy, is a retrograde, and hence if our Constitution does not afford a remedy against these evils, and if, from its flexibility, it does not verify the fair promise of its early days, the friends of free institutions may well entertain apprehensions for the future of this country.

But when we look the difficulty fearlessly in the face, the Gordian knot is at once unloosed, for we have in Utah a verifi cation of the truth, that there is in the affairs of men, a certain tendency to a compensation in favor of the right, and against the wrong-doer, which cannot be defeated. Hence, admitting for the sake of the argument, that under our liberal system of Government, the practice of polygamy, is among the topics of mere local interest, and subject to the unquestioned decision of the state and local legislature, yet the crimes and scandals, that always must, and as it appears have followed in Utah the violation of those wholesome limitations by which the Christian marriage have been surrounded by a Wise Hand, are not exempt from the interference of the law officers of the General Govern ment.

But such interference will annihilate both Mormonism and polygamy, since it will hang all the leaders of any note con cerned in these outrages. And thus we find this question easy of solution, requiring only a firm purpose, and an unrelentiug application of justice, on the part of the administrators of pub lio affairs, in carrying out, in a legal ni3anner, acknowledged principles of jurisprudence. But space will not admit of a full discussion of this important subject here. Trusting these pages may in some measure con tribute to a timely and efficient adjustment of the Mormon difficulties, they are now submitted to that umpirage to which an American is always proud to appeal, when questions of great and national interest are under discussion— to the American people. N. W. Geekn. INTEODU CTION About the first of March last, the writer of this Narrative was first introduced to the subject of it, by a mutual friend ; and listened with astonishment to her extraordinary story.

Subsequently much time was spent in weighing, sifting and com paring her statements. Convinced by this investigation of its entire truthfulness, and recognizing the claim she had upon the public ear, and the claim to be heard in this behalf by the thousands of her sex still in Mormon land, the following pages have been written, and are now offered without apology ; albeit but little time has been taken to prepare for the press. The appearance and general state of mind of Mrs. Smith, at this time, was very peculiar : and not without interest as afford ing evidence of her good faith. At times timid as the antelope of the mountains among which she has suffered so much, and but partially freed from the thraldom of her Mormon habits of life, she stood braced against all " Gentile " approaoh, and al though she had in theory abandoned her Mormon faith, she had adopted no other in its place.

The dread of falling into some new error, rendered her almost inaccessible to truth. On one occasion, when the Mormon belief in a plurality of gods was under discussion, the fact was stated, that there was but one God over all the universe ; she replied with unfeigned wonder, as if the idea was altogether new to her : " What ? Do you believe there is but one God ?" In giving to the world the following narrative, the author fully appreciates the importance of the fact, that its success, and the benefit he deems he has a right to expect may accrue from it to suffering humanity in Utah, will be greatly dependent upon the credence extended to it by the public. The first questions the honest reader has a right to ask, are these: Is it true? Are these disclosures and revelations made in good faith ?

Are they really the actual experiences of a woman yet under twenty-nine years z£ age ? A woman edu cated from childhood in the Mormon faith ; familiar with all its details? One who has been a victim to its cruel hardships, and to its practical workings ? Has she disclosed to the world what X

Introduction

. she has actually seen, and felt, and suffered ; and nothing more ? Is it true, that she has been held a prisoner, in common with many others of her sex, for years in Utah, and that by a sin gular good fortune, when hope had nearly gone out within her, she effected an escape ? And is it trne, that to-day she exists as an actuality, courting investigation, and fearing nothing but Mormon intrigue and Mormon assassination? There is in simple truth an agreement and consistency, upon which the mind intuitively fastens, and upon which it bases its convictions never found in the creations of the imagination. It is with confidence, therefore, that we refer to the internal evidence which this narrative itself affords of its own truth. The circumstance that real names are given throughout the book, of persons who are still living and who will be likely to make themselves heard, if they have been misrepresented, should furnish another argument in favor of its reliability.

Nothing in the following pages has been written with the design of feeding a morbid curiosity ; and whatever has been admitted of fact or form of egression, which possibly may have that effect, has been from necessity, and as growing out of the nature of the subject, and not from any want of respect for that delicate and even fastidious public taste which has ever characterized the people of this country. An earnest desire to subserve the public good, as regards the exposure of these enormities, has been the governing consideration. In fact, many things have been omitted, from a wish to avoid offence in this particular. We give, in addition, an extract from an affidavit forwarded to the Government at Washington in answer to a communication from the State Department relating to affairs in Utah, as further evidence of good faith on the part of Mrs. Smith : (Copt.)

Affidavit qf Mrs. Mary Ettie V. Smith, relating to certain matters in the Territory of Utah. <■'- State of New York, ) Livingston County. ( " Mary Ettie V. Smith, late of Great Salt Lake city, in the territory of Utah; and now of Stuben county, in the State of Introduction. XI New York, being duly sworn deposes and says : That she has been a resident of said Territory for about five years; and has been a member of the community of Mormons for fifteen years : That she is at present twenty eight years of age ; that she was a believer in good faith in Mormonism, until she discovered, after going to Utah, the principal business of the Prophet Brigham Young, and the other heads of the Mormon Church to be the commission of crimes of the most atrocious character ; among which may be included robbery, murder, and treason to the General Government, and a large number of lesser crimes : and that she was held a prisoner there for a long time, against her wish and consent, after she had expressed a desire to return to the U. S. ; and that a large number of persons, particularly women, have been, and are, as she verily believes, so held and restrained, and debarred of the exercise of their personal liberty ; and that many of these persons, were they to be assured of the protection of the Government, could and would give such evidence before a legal tribunal, as would, if such tribunal were unawed, and uncontrolled by the Mormons or their influence, lead to the conviction of Brigham Young, and many, and probably most of the heads of the Church, of such crimes as are punishable by death.

" And this deponent further says that as an illustration of the above, she will state, that in the year 1853, she was present when Brigham Young, General Wells, and John and Wiley Norton, discussed and adopted a plan for the murder of Wal lace Alonzo Clarke Bowman, an American citizen, at the time engaged in the Mexican trade, and in the quiet and legal pursuit of his lawful business : and that said Bowman was so murdered by direction of said Krigham Young; and after the manner determined upon as aforesaid. That she saw and recognized his body after his death ; and that she cut a lock of said Bowman's hair after his death, and gave the same to Dr Hurt, at the time Indian agent of the Territory. " That John Norton and James Furguson, now believed to be living at Salt Lake, told this deponent in the presence of vari ous other persons, to wit : Jane Furguson, (wife No. 2 of said Furgusun) and others, that they, the said Norton and Furguson shot the said Bowman, in Salt Creek canon : that a large Introduction. amount of property was taken from said Bowman, by the said Mormons : and that at this time, said Brigham Young, ivas gov ernor of the said Territory of Utah.

" That the facts above stated, with reference to the imprisonment, robbery and final murder of said Bowman, can be proved by a large number of reliable witnesses now in Utah ; and one besides herself now in the state of New York. That the account given of the same in her Narrative, now about to be published, is substantially true : and that among many others, the follow ing persons would swear to these facts, if properly approached, and well assured of protection against the assassination of the "Danites," to wit: : and the two wives of and the mother of ; ( ) and , wife of ; wife No. 2 of ■ — ; , and his wife, ; and others ; all living at Great Salt Lake City. " This Deponent further says, that she was present at another time, in the year 1851 ; when the said Brigham Young, governor of the Territory of Utah, ' counseled,' and directed the robbery of a Dr. Roberts ; and that afterwards she was pre sent, when the said Dr. Roberts was robbed, at night, on the public highway, in pursuance of the said instructions of the said Prophet and Gov.

Young; that said robbery was com mitted by Captain James Brown, now living at Ogden city, in said Territory, and Hiram Clauson, of Great Salt Lake city; and in presence of Ellen, the wife of said Clauson, and in presence of this deponent ; and that she has good reason to fear the said Roberts was afterward murdered by said Brown and Clau son : that she can furnish proof of many similar crimes ; an ac count of which she deems it unnecessary to give in detail at this time ; and further this deponent saith not." (Signed) Mary Ettie V. Smith. Subscribed and sworn this 21st day of Augast, 1867, bofoie me. Charles R. Kern, Justice of the Peace. CONTENTS

Continuation of the Narrative, 389

CHAPTER XXXVIIL

Rise, Progress, and Present Condition of Mormonism, . .

Chapter I. My Birth Asd Parentage

Mr father, Silas Coray, was one of the four sons of John and Phebe Coray of Providence township, Luzern county, Pennsylvania. My grandfather, John Coray, was accidentally shot by one of his neighbors, and a few years after, my grand mother married James Abbott, and moved to Allegany county, New York, near Arkport. It was but a short time after this event that my father married Mary Stephens, the daughter of Uriah Stephens, a revolutionary pensioner, and one of the six original proprietors of the township of Canisteo, now a part of Steuben county. My parents lived here until after the birth of their first two children, and then moved to Penn sylvania, to occupy the farm my grandfather had left them ; out soon returned to New York. His three brothers, John,* David, and Ira, occupied in common the balance of my grandfather's land in Pennsylvania, and by their solicitation, • One of these brothers, my uncle John, is now livii.g with a numerous and respectable family in the town of Burns, Allegany my father, about this time, purchased the whole property of them, and moved his family onto the old homestead ; where had he lived contentedly, he world have saved his family from being scattered, and falling victims to a most fatal and cruel delusion.

It was at this place, Providence, Luzern county, Pennsylvania, I was born, January 31, 1829. My father at this time owned over seven hundred acres of coal land, which has since proved to be very valua ble. When I was ten years of age he sold this fine property and removed with his family to Perry, Pike county, Illinois ; where he bought a large tract of land, and soon after, while in the height of his various objects of enterprise, was killed accidentally while drawing a log to a saw-mill ; leaving his business in a very unsettled condition, aud my mother with nine children then living, two of whom were younger than myself, named as follows : Aurilla, Sarah Ann, Phebe, Howard, George, William, Mary Ettie V., Uriah, and Harriet Elizabeth. At the death of my father, began that terrible series of misfortunes, a history of which will form the subject-matter of the following pages My father's death occurred in Janu ary, 1841. county, New York.

Many members of my mother's family, tne Stephens, are yet living in Canisteo, and other parts of St;uben county, New York ; and I have many cousins in Pennsylvania, now living. Col. John R. Stephens, my mother's brother, lives upon his estate near Hornellsville, New York ; and is well known in that section of the country. Mt Bieth and Parentage. 19 About this time a Mormon Elder, who had been holding meetings in this neighborhood, called upon my mother, and among other things, told her that the Latter Day Saints claimed to be able to heal the sick, and that if she would consent to be baptized, the deafness with which she was afflicted, and which had become a great annoyance to her, would in a very short time be removed ; and she would hear again. Willing at least to try the experiment, she was baptized.

The water was very cold, and immediately after her hearing was improved, and soon, it was entirely restored. I feel it my duty to do my mother the justice of stating this very remarkable circumstance, which was the real foundation of her conversion to Mormonism, and of her implicit faith in Joseph Smith, as a Prophet of God ; a faith that was never shaken until, years after, she found herself shut up in Utah, a prisoner, and an unwilling witness of abominations which in the States had been disguised. My mother, who is still living, now understands, that per haps this apparent miracle, was the effect of cold water, or of some other natural though unexplained cause ; but at that time, it had with her all the force of a real miracle. It was the voice of God through His Prophet, which she dare not disregard ; and accordingly she removed at once to Nauvoo, where the Mormons had just laid the foundation for the Temple, taking seven of her children ; two of my sisters, having husbands, did not accompany her.

Her entire property, and all papers relating to my father's business, were placed in the hands of Stephen Abbott, a half- Fifteen Tears among the Mormons. 20 brother of my father who had been previously converted to Mormonism. This was the last trace, or account, or benefit my mother, or any one of our family, ever received of this valuable pro perty, except a small amount of our personal effects, taken with us at the time, which probably went into the hands of Joseph Smith, and was absorbed in the common stock. It was probably a part of the large sum afterwards expended upon the Temple at Nauvoo. It may appear strange, that my mother so readily gave up her property into the hands of her new friends ; but we have already seen that they had, by a pretended miracle, restored her to hearing ; and thus, in a double sense, they had ol tained a "hearing," and she readily received as infallible, the doc trine of the " immediate second coming of Christ ;" and hence, it looked reasonable to her, wien they said she would no longer need her property.

She had, however, been at Nauvoo but a few months, before she saw the absurdity of this summary disposal of her worldly goods, and returned to Pike county to look after it ; but found it sold and occu pied by strangers, and out of her reach. She returned to Nauvoo, to make the best of her new religion. I recollect that I was baptized into the new faith, as were all my brothers and sisters, except my two married sisters, who did not accompany us, and Howard, my second brother, who was a ready penman, soon became a great favo rite with Joseph Smith, the Prophet ; with whom he spent most of his time as his clerk, and so continued until his death, and afterwards wrote for Brigham Young, and is thus employed now for tho latter, at Great Salt Lake City Howard is the author of an history of the Smith family, unfinished at the death of the Prophet, but since published I had been baptized by the direction of Joseph Smith, at eleven years of age ; and my mother left me temporarily with my brother Howard, through whom all our family were con trolled by the Prophet.

It was by the advice of the latter that Howard hao>been married to Martha Jane Knowlton. Some of our neighbors, about this time, began to say that I was old enough to be married. I was but thirteen years of age, and this greatly frightened me, as I verily believed there would be no escape from the will of the Prophet, if he should direct me to marry — a thing not unlikely to happen, for he was in the habit of doing thus with others, when he found they were at the age of puberty ; and to refuse would be at the sacri fice of my own salvation, unless I could afterwards obtain his pardon. Every effort was made by the Mormons, apparently with out the knowledge of the Prophet, to induce my brother to effect a marriage for me, by the offer to him of various pre sents and other inducements tendered by those who wished to marry me.

But he paid but little attention to them, as ho had hoped to win higher honors through my marriage. He had conceived the idea of marrying me to one of the Twelve Apostles, as soon as I was old enough to be a mother. I believed in Mormonism, for I knew no other religion, but I preferred not to marry an old man, but chose to have a husband of my own age, and of my own choice, if I must have one. The Prophet. Smith, had not yet " counselled " Mormons. me to get married, and I concluded, if an opportunity offered I should surely take the advantage of " Brother Joseph," and run the risk of being forgiven by him. My sister Sarah had married a Mr. Griffin, and was then living at Nauvoo, both herself and husband having been con verted to Mormonism by the apparent miracle of the cure of my mother's deafness.

My sister, who knew what efforts had been made to effect my marriage, became uneasy, and sent for me to come to her house; and I accordingly went, and told her how matters stood ; and, among other things, a brother Gully had strongly pressed his matrimonial claims upon my attention. I cried that night till I was quite sick. My sister told me, if I would not betray her to the Church, she would undertake to find a husband for me, suitable to my age, when I was old enough ; but that I was too young now, and that no man should have me for a wife yet, if she could prevent it ; that I must go down and ask Howard if I could come and stay at her house until her husband returned, who was at the time absent in Iowa with his brother Henry The latter, who now lives at Scranton, Pennsylvania, knew and must recollect most of the facts I am now relating To this Howard consented after some delay, and raising various objections ; and much elated at my success in escaping for the time the annoyance of old men looking for young wives, I went to her house, where I remained for several weeks.