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Brigham’s Destroying Angel

APPENDIX.

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G.

    Hickman’s account of Drown and Arnold differs very much from the popular account in Utah. Judge Cradlebaugh says that Drown has sued Hickman on a promissory note and obtained a judgment, which led to a quarrel. Nor did I ever hear the charge of horse-stealing before I saw Hickman’s manuscript.

    But according to the best testimony of the best men who were then members of the Mormon Church, it was not for stealing or any other crime these men were killed, but for apostasy and spiritualism! This may sound ridiculous, but it is a singular fact that there is no other form of apostasy the Mormon Priesthood so fear, hate, and curse, and no kind of mysticism to which apostate Mormons are so prone, as spiritualism. The whole body of the Church seems only to be kept therefrom by constantly hearing from the Priesthood that it is the “doings of the devil,” and nothing seems to interest a young and skeptical Mormon so quick as “circles,” seances, visions, shadowy hands, and conjurations with boxes, “pendulum oracles,” planchette, and every kind of forbidden and diabolical nonsense.

    Drown and Arnold were spiritualists, and were holding a “circle” - or seance - with one or two others, when the house was attacked - as testified to by a reliable man who was present.

H.

    Like the foregoing this case differs materially from the popular account in Utah. But the case was never fully investigated. The Mormon Legislature has, practically, provided for the shooting of any who attempt the virtue of a woman; and the Mormons boast loud and long that this “killing in defense of virtue” is the glory of their system. The idea that woman might be so elevated and educated as to be the best guardian of her own honor, never seems to have entered their heads. Theirs is simply the Asiatic idea modernized: woman belongs to man, and it is to punish any infringement on his property; if a man entice away another’s horse or cow, punish him according to its value, and as woman is of most value, if he persuade her away, shoot him.

I.

    Jason Lace was shot in pursuance of the sentence of law, in Salt Lake City, for the murder of a desperado from Montana. The circumstances were such that many people in Montana petitioned for Luce’s pardon. The other had threatened to kill him on sight, and when Luce was in Montana the preceding year, he had narrowly escaped being killed. But just at that time the Priesthood needed a victim, over whom to make a parade of their zeal in defense of visitors, and as Hickman has stated, Lace’s “fate was already sealed.”

K.

    In order to test Hickman’s reliability on these matters, I addressed a note of inquiry to Governor Harding - resident at Milan, Indiana-who was Governor of Utah from 1862 to 1864, without repeating any of Hickman’s statements, and received in reply the following interesting account:

Milan, Ind., December 23, 1871.

J. H. Beadle, Esq.:
    Dear Sir-Yours of the 16th instant reached me in due time. If I supposed that your object was merely to add to the notoriety of this man and his “Confession,” I certainly should decline your request; but in the hope that the whole truth may be elicited in the present legal proceedings in Utah, I willingly comply.

    It was late in 1852 that I first met Bill Hickman, at Gilbert’s store in Salt Lake City. I had often heard him, by the humbler class of the Mormon people, represented as a very bad man; but never remember hearing his character mentioned by any one “in authority.” This term applies to all, from a “ward teacher” to the “President” himself. The others spoke of Hickman always with bated breath. He was represented to me as one capable of taking a man by the hand, professing to be his friend, and stabbing him to the heart with the other hand. But I never heard any one charge him with being a thief, or liar, or coward. Naturally enough, I scrutinized him very closely, finding him coarse and rough, but very affable; and could not decide whether the animal or intellectual predominated in his looks.

    When introduced, Hickman gave my hand a grip which seemed to mean something; and he looked at me closely from head to foot, as if studying my person thoroughly. Not long after I delivered my message to the Utah Legislature, which has been extensively published in the country and become historical. This was the end of my social relations with Brigham Young.

    I think that Hickman called three or four times that winter, and took dinner with me. I found on closer acquaintance that I must modify my first views of him. This was caused by the sympathy he expressed for the miserable Morrisites, whose history has no parallel on this continent since the religious bigotry of the seventeenth century.

    The substance of their story is as follows, which may be relied on as correct. Joseph Morris had been a faithful follower of Brigham Young for many years, but at length concluded to turn prophet on his own account. He appears to have been a man of some remarkable gifts; at any rate he caused a schism in the Mormon Church, calling after him several bishops and elders, with the laymen, including five hundred rank and file. With him was one Joseph Banks, a Massachusetts man, I believe, well educated. He was the man who made the speech in Salt Lake City at the time of Greeley’s visit. There was no great difference in the doctrines of Morris and Brigham, except in one particular: Morris taught that he was the true prophet. “anointed of the lord,” and Brigham that he himself was “God’s Anointed.” Taking the testimony of both parties, it would be hard to settle the theological muddle, for both claimed to have the “gift of tongues,” the power of healing, and “laying on of hands,” of “casting out devils,” and so on to the end of the chapter. It was but the old story over again: “There is not room in the Roman Empire for two Cæsars.”

    Early in 1862 the Morrisites left the Mormon settlements and gathered in the name of the Lord on the banks of Weber River, some forty miles north of the city. They took all their movable property with them, including a large amount of grain. Various charges were made against them, and legal executions followed. Some men they had sent to a distant mill with grain were arrested and kept prisoners. Fines were assessed against them for refusing to drill the Utah militia; some of their cattle were seized on execution, and others stampeded and driven off. Some of them (there is good evidence) found their way to the church corral. This was carried so far, that the last cow of many a poor man was taken, on which they largely depended, and the little children, not able to appreciate the faith of their parents, often went crying and supperless to bed.

    This deliberate cruelty of course created great excitement in the camp of the new prophet. As might have been expected, he stepped over the commands of Jesus, and went back to Moses for guidance; and, in retaliation, ordered a raid upon the Mormon stock, and that their owners should be captured and held as hostages, as this, to say the least, seems to have been the primitive way in which such matters were settled. All this would seem food for laughter, if the ending had not been so tragical.

    There was one easy way to settle it: to stop the wrongs continually inflicted upon these poor and deluded people. But the “authorities” had other views. No railroad had then opened up the country to outside influence: twelve hundred miles separated Brigham's kingdom from the last belt of civilization, and he was monarch of all he surveyed. It was somewhat necessary for him to follow legal forms, and writs of habeas corpus and warrants were issued by Judge Kinney (Chief Justice), and placed in the hands of Sheriff Robert T. Burton. He called on the acting governor, Secretary Frank Fuller, for an armed posse; his request was granted, and he left the city with five hundred armed men and five pieces of artillery. On the way he received volunteers to the number of nearly five hundred more. Many of these joined Burton’s forces, as they expressed it. “to see the fun.”

    They marched to within half a mile of the Morrisite camp. which consisted of a few log-houses, and several others made of willows, interlaced like basket-work, and plastered inside-no more fit for a place of defense than it they had been made of cobwebs. The posse took possession of the Morrisite herd, and killed such as they needed for beef, while the boys in charge of it were sent in by Burton with a paper containing a notice to the commander of the besieged that if he did not surrender unconditionally within half at hour, firing would begin. This is the testimony of Burton himself, upon the trial. Burton had placed his cannon in such a position as to rake the camp with a cross-fire.

    Morris had called his people to the Bowery, their place of worship, to decide what they should do. He told them the Lord would reveal their duty, and the whole congregation raised a hymn of their own, hundreds of voices mingling with a wild charm, and producing a spirited effect upon the fanatical minds which can be imagined. Meantime Morris stood with imploring hands and eyes turned heavenward, and Banks stood by, believing the revelation would come In answer to their prayers. Morris encouraged his people, reminding them of the promises, “They who wait on the Lord shall not perish. One shall chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight.”

    But no “revelation” came, and as the last hallelujah died away, the sound of a cannon broke upon the melody, but the shot fell short of the camp (some of the Brighamite posse testify that it was a blank shot). The next instant another cannon was fired, the shot struck the Bowery, two women fell dead, horribly mangled, and a girl of twelve years had her chin shot away. One of the women who fell had a child in her arms, which, strange to say, was not injured. Unhappily the poor girl did not die. I saw her at my office afterwards, the most ghastly human face my eyes ever beheld.

    All this time the doomed prophet stood looking up to the heavens, as if he expected them to open, and troops of angels descend with flaming swords to deliver him and his people from the hands of the spoiler.

    The Morrisites had not more than ninety able-bodied men, all told, with over three hundred women and children. And now commenced assault and repulse, scouting and counterplotting, which continued all night and the next two days. Some ten persons were killed in the camp of the new prophet, and two of the Brighamites had fallen by their sharpshooters. The third day, the besieged being exhausted, a white flag was raised as a signal of surrender. The order was given by Burton for the women and children to separate from the men, which was done, and the latter stacked their arms. Burton rode into camp with one of his officers beside him, and holding his revolver in his hand. He said: “Show him to me.” Morris was pointed out, when Burton rode up to him and emptied one chamber of his revolver, the shot taking effect in the prophet’s neck. He sank to the earth, mortally wounded. Burton then shouted sneeringly: “There a your prophet-what do you think of him now?” He then turned and discharged a second shot at Joseph Banks, who fell dead. A woman named Bowman ran up and exclaimed: “Oh! you cruel murderer!” Burton fired his third shot, and she fell dead. Morris was meanwhile struggling in the agonies of death, when a Danish woman raised him to her arms, crying bitterly. Burton rode upon her and shot her through the heart, and the spirits of the two victims mingled in one company to that bourne “where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are forever at rest.”

    The posse at the same time came into camp, and robbed the houses of all valuables-watches, jewelry, and money-even tearing off the woman’s finger rings.

    The men were marched to the city, and the women taken to different Mormon settlements, after which they roamed about in utter destitution, “scattered and pealed,” mere Pariahs of the plains, fleeing from the face of their “brethren in the Lord.” and appealing to the Gentile traveler in the name of the merciful Jesus for the pittance of charity.

    I soon after arrived in the Territory, and many of these poor creatures came to me, with tears and half reproaches, as if I had permitted it. Many of them were from Denmark, and the poor souls imagined that a governor was a person with almost the prerogative and resources of a king in their fatherland.

    March 3d, 1861, was held, under Brigham’s management, the mass meeting which “requested” me and the two associate justices, Waite and Drake, to “leave the Territory forthwith.” On the evening of the 6th Bill Hickman came to my house and remained late in the night. He assured me that he utterly condemned the action of the meeting, and had many things to say, protesting that he was personally my friend.

    It cannot be supposed that I put much confidence in it then, as I knew Hickman was a Mormon in good standing, and I had never heard a word to his discredit by any one “in authority.” I am the more particular in reiterating this statement on account of the many charges the Brighamites are now making against him.

    He was particularly earnest about the cruelty done the Morrisites, and though pleased to see such humanity in one I had been led to consider so bad, I could not reconcile his previous life with his present conversation. He gave me a short sketch of his life, and did not seem very proud of his title as Danite Captain. On this subject, however, he was reticent. I asked him how he dared to express such opinions contrary to the wishes of Brigham Young. At the word dare his blood seemed to rise. He stopped me and stood up (I often think now of the man and his manner), and said: “Governor, do you ask how I dare do anything that don’t please Brigham Young? I know Brigham Young and his rabbit-tracks! Rabbit-tracks! I afraid o’ Brigham Young! Governor, Brigham Young has more reason to be afraid o’ Bill Hickman than Bill Hickman has to be afraid o’ Brigham Young.” I never looked on a face with more of a scowl of defiance.

    He ended by a cordial invitation for me to visit him at his ranch, assuring me that he would make me comfortable. I have no doubt he was sincere in this, though many around me thought differently. I remember one reason he was anxious for me to go was, that I had been a little hard on the personal appearance of some second wives I had seen. Hickman admitted that he would as soon be hanged as compelled to take care of and live with some that he knew; but he assured me he had made better selections. He said: I want you to see my wives, and see for yourself the kind of stock who are the mothers of my children. This small talk may be of interest from the fact that some correspondent, writing from Utah in the interests of those whom Hickman’s testimony might damage, says that his character was that of a wife-whipper, and for that reason one of them had fled from him to the Mexican, whom he lately killed.

    On another occasion I was sounding Hickman as to Brigham’s being a prophet, when he replied: “A prophet! No more a prophet than you or I. Rabbit-tracks! All rabbit-tracks!” Just what that expression means, I cannot say. I then asked: “If he is not a prophet, how is it that you, with more brains than he ever had, allowed such a man to get you in such a position, to the disgrace of yourself and family?” His face showed that he had never faced that question before, and he made no reply.

    I learned that he had some knowledge of criminal law, and invited him to attend the trial of the Morrisites before Chief Justice Kinney, to come off in a few days. Fifteen of them were indicted for murder, and sixty for resisting legal process. Each lot was tried in a lump; the first found guilty of the murder in the second degree, and sentenced to the penitentiary from six to fifteen years each, and the others mulcted in fine and costs to more than the value of all their property. They were committed to jail till the fines should be paid. Those condemned to the penitentiary were loaded with ball and chain and put to work on Brigham’s road, under the warden, Brigham’s brother-in-law. We had attended through the trial, which was nothing but a mockery. Burton admitted his shooting the prisoners, and offered as an excuse that he did not think it safe to let Banks and Morris live. Had I been on the bench I should have had him arrested on a bench-warrant: but it would have been useless. The jurors would all be Mormons, and recognize no law but the commands of “authority.” When I asked Hickman at the close what he thought of justice under such circumstances, he denounced in the strongest terms the injustice of the proceedings. In this we fully agreed.

    Petitions were gotten up for the unconditional pardon of the Morrisites, which were signed by all the Gentiles, including the two associate justices and the rest of the Federal officials, and all the officers at Camp Douglas. Not a Mormon signed them: but several called at my quarters, always after dark, and by the back way, to say they hoped mercy would be shown the poor creatures but they dared not let it be known they had taken any part in the matter. Scores of the wives and mothers of the condemned came and fell on their knees and begged with tears and sobs that I would show mercy to their sons and husbands. Many and angry threats were made on the other side in case I favored them, and one Bishop Woolley came to urge me against it, saying he could not answer for my safety in case I pardoned those men. Meanwhile the condemned, who were mulcted in fine and costs, remained in jail, and the others toiled by day on Brigham’s road, and came back at night to brief seasons of misery and troubled dreams in their allotted cells.

    The petitions came to me at last, too late to be acted on that night. I had sunk to sleep, when a voice was heard outside, calling for the Governor. My son, who slept below, with a six-shooter always in reach, inquired, “Who is there?” The reply came back, “Bill Hickman. Let me in; I have business with the Governor.” He was admitted, and spoke: “Governor, did you think Brigham had sent for you when you heard my voice, and was you afraid?” I replied with the slang phrase, “Not enough to do any hurt.” He grasped me by the hand, and said: “Governor, I’ll bet on you, and you may bet on me.” He then stated that he had lain awake that night, thinking about the petitions, and added: “I have been in bed awhile, got up, and rode fourteen miles to sign them. Has any Mormon signed?” I answered that they had not. He called for them, took up a pen, and wrote across both in letters as large as John Hancock signed to the Declaration, his name- “BILL HICKMAN.” Then shoving aside the paper, he said in a confident tone of satisfaction, “There; he can make the most of it. There’s one Mormon who does as he pleases for all of him.”

    The next day I issued the pardon, and soon the Morrisites were united to their now homeless families. Had it not been for the force under General Connor, it is more than probable they and the Governor would have had a hard time. But some mounted mortars at Camp Douglas, commanding the Bee-hive house and Lion House, made things tolerably smooth on the surface.

    Since then I have never seen Hickman. His troubles may be deserved. I would not shield him from the effects inevitable on the perpetration of crime. The rules well settled in criminal law, In relation to approvers, should be strictly applied to him; but it may be that he is able to give facts and data which place his testimony above suspicion. If it prove true that his implication of Brigham Young, Daniel H. Wells, and others, is well founded, and through him the horrid crimes committed in Utah by somebody, be brought home to the guilty, he will have done much to atone for his own share in them.

    Brigham Young is no fanatic; it is nonsense to say that a man of his coldness, executive ability, and acuteness, can be fooled by such stuff as makes his system. When they talk to me about a man like Brigham believing such fooleries, I can only adopt the saying of Bill Hickman, “All rabbit-tracks! All rabbit-tracks!”
Very respectfully,

STE. S. HARDING.

    The editor has many other accounts of the Morrisites, from members of the sect and of the Brighamite posse, agreeing substantially with the foregoing. For more complete particulars as to these and other recusant Mormons, see Life in Utah, pages 402-434 inclusive.

L.

“Killing men to save their souls.”

    This horrible and blasphemous doctrine of “blood-atonement” is not often alluded to now by the Mormon preachers, but is as clearly taught in their former works as any doctrine can be in language, and that it was often acted upon does not admit of a doubt. The theory is simply this: The spirit of the Lord warns the prophet that some men are in a “spirit or apostasy;” to kill them before they commit this sin will save their souls. Others have apostatized; to shed their blood will entitle them to a new probation in eternity. See Journal of Discourses, Vol. I., pp. 82, 83, 72, and 73; Vol. II., pp. 165-166; Vol. III., pp. 246, 247, 279, 337, 241, 236, 226, 225, and many others. Consider that these sermons were published by authority of the church, and are found in their recognized works, and you can appreciate the following, from a sermon by J. M. Grant, in the Tabernacle, March 12, 1854, and recorded in the Deseret News:

   “The Lord God commanded to not pity the person whom they killed, but to execute the law of God upon persons worthy of death. This should be done by the entire congregation, showing no pity. I wish we were in a situation to keep God’s law, without any contaminating influence of Gentile laws; that the people of God might lay the ax to the root of the tree, and hew down every tree that did not bring forth good fruit. * * * * Putting to death the transgressors would exhibit the law of God. * * * Do not traitors to earthly governments forfeit their life? But people will argue that we can try them on, but not for property or life. That makes the devil laugh, etc. See Life in Utah, pp. 410-412.

M.

    General Connor examined Hickman’s manuscript, and verifies all statements in regard to their relations with each other, but did not think it necessary to make a written statement. He resides in Utah, and his corroborative evidence can be had if desired.

N.

    Hickman is careful not to say he killed the Mexican. I suspect because he could not turn State’s evidence on that case. I have no doubt, however, from the evidence, that he was the perpetrator.

O.

    As these lines are preparing for the press, the telegraph brings the news that Brigham Young has returned to Salt Lake City, being formally arrested on the indictments for murder, and is now a prisoner in his own house. The public will soon be able, from a judicial examination, to judge more accurately of the truth of this book.

    I have in this Appendix submitted to the reader only the most important, and smallest part, of the corroborative evidence. As Utah affairs have been my study for years, a few may desire to know my opinion of Hickman’s work. It is briefly this: I am convinced that what he has told is substantially true; but he has not told all the truth. There is good evidence of his having been engaged in other matters of doubtful import, not alluded to in this work, particularly about Nauvoo and in the Mormon march through Iowa. But this evidence is not now at my command in such shape as to present it in convincing form. Many old residents in that section will remember in the work published by E. W. Bonney, of Montarose. Ia., and in old numbers of the Burlington Hawkeye, and Warsaw Signal, many allusions to Hickman. But the popular verdict will doubtless be that Hickman has confessed enough, in all conscience, and that if each of the other Danites has as much to tell, our worst opinions of Brigham Young have fallen far short of the bloody realty.

THE END.