MURDERED MORRISITES.

NZ Truth, Issue 97, 27 April 1907, Page 7

MURDERED MORRISITES.

SLAIN, BY THE SAINTS.

A Most Maleficent Mormon Massacre.

Brigham Young's Rival

Shockingly Sanguinary Slaughter.

Mrs T. B. H. Stenhouse, of Salt i Lake City, the capital and headquarters of the Mormon State of Utah, after being for more than 25 years the wife of a. Mormon missionary and elder, apostatized from | the original system of licentiousness masquerading m the .guise < v i relipon. Mrs Stenhousc was. originally a Wesleyan, but fell m love with and married a Mormon missionary m Southampton (Eng.)', m 1850, first makn^ him promise that he would i abjure polygaruic teachings. . Some j years later, however, on visiting tlje. Zion Oity-of the Mormons, or Salt Lake City, her husband broke faith with her and married another. This was the first step towards making her disgusted with the fanatics and their dupes. The Mormons have several churches m New Zealand, and also m Austra- j lia, and it would be interesting . to know how the preachers manage to explain away the many, bloodthirsty crimes laid, to the charge of tjhe pioneers of the cult m America. The following was written by Mrs Stenhouse :— ■Thirty-five miles north of Salt Lake City-^a^ short distance from where the Union Faoific Railway bebouches from" Weber Canyon— a Welshman named Joseph Morris had found eager listeners ■ : TO NEW REVELATIONS. In 18&2 the Mormon bishop of Klington Fort, Richard Cook, formerly a niissionary m Manchester, England, and a nuihber of men and women, received gladly tfche new prophet who had been raised up by "the Lord" to "'deliver Israel from bondage." Numerous believ.ers m a very short time 'gathered from various parts of the territory, and K.ington Fort,, on, the Weber, became an important place. Morris abounded with revelations. His' "gifts" exceeded m profusion those of all who had ever gone before him. The founder of Mormonism, Josepft Smith; was nothing m comparison with the disciple j from Wales. The adherents of the new prophet were perfectly overjoyed' at the abundance of light that now shone upon their path, and some intelligent men gathered t» the Weber. .Three English and three Danish clerks were daily employed m writing the heavenly • communications from the mouth- of the new prophet. Brigfoam Young had been barrenMorris was overflowing. The new disciples "consecrated" all they possessed to a common fund. Christ was. to descend among them, arid their wants would only be of short duration. As "the Lord" tarried, the enthusiasm of some of the con--Vjerts cooled, and here 'began the difficulty with the new prophet. It'became a question how much of their property they could reclaim. It had all been, "consecrated,',' - % The. leading men of the-.- sect .(decided* to , let them retire ; but it was expeoted that they would honestly meet their accrued share of the obligations of the little colony. . Some of them ' PROVED DISHONEST, and attempted to take away better cattle than they had bought, and they\ refused to make allowance for : 'the support they had derived from •the property of others. A feud arose; - •the dissenters applied to tiie Mormon Courts, and the latter were pleased with the opportunity afforded. Writs were issued, served • and repulsed. ,^Phe dissenters waited for the chance of seizing the movable property of

i the colony, and as wheat was sent Jto mill they pounced upon it, and teams and waggons as well. Op one occasion the 'Morrisites arose early m the morning, and spread themselves over the country, keeping within view of the advancing teams. As the dissenters and two others pounced upon the convoy the second time. ! up sprang the Morrisites from places of concealment, and took them prisj oners. They were taken: to Kington ! Fort and imprisoned. The friends of 'the captured men sought their release ineffectually, for the Sheriff m that country could do nothing. One or two of the . WIVES OF THE PRISONERS went to Brigham, but he refused to interfere. v He was too shrewd to meddle directly m the affair. Justice Kfriney was next visited. As judge of that judicial district a petition was filed before him, setting forth that these ; men were kept m close confinement and heavily ironed jby order of Joseph Morris, John Banks, and Richard Cook. On the ,24th of May, 1862, a writ of habeas corpus was ■ issued' to the Territorial Marshal, and. by his deputy served, but no attention/ was paid to it. On the 11th of June a second writ was issued and was disregarded. Kinney was intensely indignant, and insisted upon the militia ■beims: called out as a posse comitatus to accompany the Territorial Marshal. Acting Governor Fuller issued the necessary order. : The Morrisites had been warned by the "Lord" that the "Brigdiamites" were plotting their destruction, and accordingly purchased all the rifles awl ammunition possible. Early on the morning of the 13th of June AN ARMED POSSE were seen on the South Mountain overlooking the Morrisite community, and the following proclamation was sent to the Morrisites by one of their herd-boys : Head-quarters, Marshal's. Posse, . Weber River, June 13, 1862. To Joseph Morris, John Banke, Richard Cook, John Parsons, and Peter Klemigard : "Whereas you have heretofore disregarded and- defied the judicial officers and. laws of; the Territory of Utah ; and whereas certain writs have been issued for you from the Third. Judicial, District Court of said Territory; and a sufficient force furnished by the executive of the same to enforce the laws. This is therefore to notify you to accept peacefully and quietly surrender yourselves and the prisoners m your custody forthwith! An answer is required > m 30 m'inuftes aften tbe receipt of this document'; if not, forcible measures will be taken for your arrest. Should you •disregard' this proposition and place your lives m jeopardy, you are hereby ■ required to remove your women a-nd ' children ; and all persons peaceably disposed are hereby notified to forthwith leave your encampment, and are informed that they can find protection with ilvis posse." \ H. W. LAWRENCE. Territorial Marshal. Per R. T- Burton and Theodore McKean, deputies." / One who was then m the Morrisites 1 camp has furnished the author with the following statemeoii? :— Morris, a firm believer m the ' REVELATIONS HE RECEIVED, remarked, m answer to the inquiry,

"What shall be done?" that he would "so and inquire of the Lord." He was soon heard m solemn and earnest prayer. In the meantime word was sent round the camp for the people to at. once assemble m meeting and consult on the question. Women and children came together hurriedly, yet there was no excitement, and soon the Bowery was well filled. Morris \yas seen to come out from his dwelling with a paper m his hand. This paper proved to be a written! revelation. His council were awaiting him. The revelation was read to the counoil, and a peculiar document ifc was. It purported to be from God, who was represented as being pleased with His faithful people there, and as having brought the posse against them . to show His own power m the complete destruction of their enemies. . It also promised that now the triumph of his people should conic. Their enemiies should be smitten before them, . but that not one of his faithful people should fee destroyed— that '-not a hair of their heads should be harmed." The council at once stepped out into the Bowery, close to which lived some of the leading men, and, to save time, siiisiiie; was omitted, and the meeting was opened briefly by prayer. John Parsons (previously A NOTED MORMON PREACHER m London 1 ), m his clear, sonorous voice, then read the revelation. RCook arose to consult with the people as to which should be obeyed— the proclamation demanding the surrender of the people held m custody of Peter Klemgard, and four of the leading men 'of the . Church, or the revelation forbidding the surrender of these mon. Before the people had a chance to speak or vote, or do anything at all m the matter, the ibooming ,sound of a can-non was heard, and! screams arose from the. third seat from- the' stand in^ the Bowery,, and instantly ; two women were seen dead in' the congregation, and the lower jaw, hanging only by a small' strip of skin, was shot off a young girl of from twelve to fifteen years of 'age. It was the fearful and heartrending screams- of this girl that stopped the meeting. The people' arose m utter confusion. Cook, still ■ on his feet, suggested to all to go at once to their homes, and that eaclv man should take care of his own family as best he could. Never was a revelation - MORE IMMEDIATELY FALSI- . FIED, for scarcely had the promise of absolute safety been made than sudden destruction came. Panic-stricken men and women rushed hither and thither, some seeking safety m celars, some m potato pits ; m short, anywhere or m any place m which security could be reasonably, or unreasonably hoped for. The first shot was m a few minutes follow «d by another and still another, and the attack was continued. The posse drew nearer and nearer, and the firing was kept up incessantly, . both with cannon and musketry. Had Burton or McKean had the pluck of a common constable, they would have gone safety into the fort, served the summons/ arid saved all effusion of blood. There was not a Morrisite m the fort that was armed, or thought of arming. They met to consider tho question, and to pray over it. About an hour and a half after the, firing commenced they got their arms and effected an organisation, a-nd a regular-defence was made. After fighting three days they raised the white flag, and ceased firing. Cautiously, Burton and his aids, with a mum/bet of mien, entered into the' camp, and then transpired A BLOODY SCEtfE, concerning which the following affidavit has been made : United' States of America; Territory of Utah, S.S. Alexander Dow/ of said territory, being duly sworn, says: "In the spring of 1861 I. joined the Morrisites, and was present when Joseph Morris was. killed. The Morrisites had surrendered, a white flag was flying, and the arms were all grounded and guarded by a large number of the posse. Robert T. Burton and Judson L. Stoddart rode m among the Morrisites. Burton was excited. He said, "Where is the man ? I don't know hftn." Stoddard< replied, "•That's him," pointing to Morris. Burton rode his horse upon Morris, ,amid commanded him to give himself up m the name of tbe Lord. Morris replied, "No, Never, never !•" Morris said he wanted to speak to the people. Burton said, v ße d-^— d quick about it." Morris said, ''Brethren, "I've taught, you true principles." He had scarcely got the words out of his mouth before Burton .fined his, revolver. The ball passed m his neck or shoulder. Burton exclaimed^ " There's, your 1 .He/ fired again, saying, " "What do , you. think of your prophet now?" He then turned suddenly and' shdt .Banks, who] was standing, five or, six" p&ces ' distant . Banks fell . Mrs . Bowman , wife of James Bowman, came running up crying, " Oh, YOU BLOOD-THIRSTY WRETCH!" Burton said,' '.'No one shall tell me that and live," and shot hel* dead. A Danish woman then came running up to Morris; crying,: and Burton shot her dead also.. Burton could easily have taken Morris and Banks prisoners, " if., he had tried. • 1 was standing but a few' feet from Burton all this time. And further saith not. . . • ". ; : : ■C Alexander dow. this 18th ; day of :Apfil, A.D., 1863. Subscribed iand ' sworn before me, CHARLES 3. WATTE. . Associate Justice,, U.T. In the fight two of the Marshal's posse were killed', and six of the Morrisites, and three of the latter were wounded. Only one of the Morrisite camp was killed by rifle-«ball. It was the cannon at long range that did the damage. The first shot killed two women as before stated, and wounded a girl ; another cannon-ball killed a woman and her child m the"wickiup." The , mother-in-law ofthe new prophet WAS ALSO KILLED m her "wickiup." A little infant had two narrow escapes. The first . shot killed its mother., Mrs. Marsh, while it was m her arms, and it was m Ihe arms of Mrs. Bowman when she was shot down. After the surrender all the prisoners were marched to Salt Lake on the 17th, and on the 18th they were examined before Judee Kinney m chambers, and placed under bonds, to appear at ' the next regular term 'of ..Court. In urg- i ins rueas;u:es ao-.a'ns.t the Morrisites. Kinney claimed to be satisfied that

he did only Iris duty. It is difficult to' .see. how he could long be passive when the order of his Court was disregarded. Burton committed the atrocity of which be is accused most undoubtedly, and it was the work of a devoted fanatic, who, seeking to please the Propheil Bringiham, did not hesitate to do so by ridding him of a troublesome rival. That John Banks was foully dealt with there seems little room to doubt. He WAS WOUNDED at the time of Morris's, death, but not fatally. The manned of his "tak-ing-oS" only is obscure. In the evening he was well enough to sit 1 up and enjoy his pipe. Suddenly, he died. Was be' poisoned,, shot, or "knifed" ? is the only query. It is generally believed that Dr. Clinton ■'knifed him." >Banks was among the first to receive 'Mormonism m Preston, La-ncashir-e, England. He was soon ordained- a high priest, and 'during many years of labor among the Saints he had presided over the larggest conferences m Britain, and at one time was one of the Presidency over the whole Church there. He was the most eloquent preacher that was ever m the Mormon Church. Aa his faith waned m Mormonism he was painfully grieved, and at times beca-rue intemperate.. Before he was a Mormon he had been a Chartist; and the "despotism" of the ruling priesthood was irksome to him. Years after he left England for Zion he silently mourned- over the one-man power. His best life had been ;. • .'....: : !(., \ SPENT FOR MORMONISM, /.<■■• and he was then too far advanced in' years to begin a new life, and he emigrated to iZion when ordered, hoping that his fears might be removed by better experience. Br'i'gham Young was personally kind to him after hs arrived at Salt Lake, and sought to help him over his material troubles; but there was m the 'heart of John Banks more, than be could tell the Prophet. When he heard Morris, it was the opening of a fresh career. to him, and he eagerly embraced the new faith. . ' f Before the regular session of the Third Judicial District Court, at which the Mcvnons were to be tried, , an element was imported into Utah that was . destined to trouble the' happiness of the Prophet. A new Governor m the person of Stephen S. Har-dine, of Indiana., was appointed to. succeed Dawson ; and T/homas J. Drake, of Mltehigan, and Charles B. Waite, ;pf Illinois, were appointed Associated . Justices. At the samp, time a body of Claifornian volunteers, under the command of Coir onel Connor were sent on the overland route,, to protect that and the telegraph line across the Plains, but the Commander had also instructions to establish posits near Salt Lake City. At the March session of the Third Judicial, District Court the MORRISITES WERE TRIED. Ten of "them were indicted for killing two of the posse during; the fight, seven of these were convicted, one wa "nolled," and two were acquitted. Sixty-six others were fined lOOdol. each for resisting the posse. Of the seven convicted of "murder m the second degree," one was sentenced to--15 years' imprisonmeD/t; one to 12 years, and five to 10 years each. Governor Handlang regarding ,the prisoners as deserving of clemency, pardoned them all. Most of those who bad professed the Morrisite faith, and who did not immediately leave the territory, ■ fdund employment and refuge at Camp Douglas.; A month later Colonel Connor took 250 of them and a company of the Calif ornian volunteers to Soda Springs, where he established a post m Idalno, immediately beyond the nor then territorial limits of Utah, and the Morrisites have, there LOST THEIR PECULIARITIES among a more humane population After the "Morrisite war" Burton enjoyed the respeot of the Community and . the 'honors of the Church. Offitoes and appointments were showered upon him,* and wives multiplied m his household. If Brigham was horrified at the murder of Morris, Banks, and the two women, he was unfeflicitoils m its '■ expression. Burton was, through his influence, made United States Assessor of Internal Revenue, was made a Bishop of the Church, and spew from Colonel Bur-' ton to Brigadier and Major-Geiteral. He was made a member of the City Government and Sheriff of the coiintv of Great Salt: Lake. ' His wealth increased with his honor, and he was associated with Brigham m ■ nearly all Of his enterprises. About 1875 a move was made against him by the grand jury for the murders on the Weber, and be managed to conpsal himself for about a';year, and was sent on a mission "to preach the gospel" m England with ihe ' .-.. ; . INDICTMENT FOR MURDER hanging over' him. There he was further elevated, and when he returnr ed to "Zion" he was again honored by being appointed the second counsellor to the chief bishop of the whole Mormon Church. For the last eighteen months htj has enjoyed tfei> feet freedom, and has attended to his numerous; affairs with the utmost assurance that nothing could he done with him, and m that he is probably correct, for nothing has ever been done against a prominent Mormon Mke Burton when a jury had the disposal of the business. On the 6th March, 1879, with ail this evidence, and' the testimony of living eye-witnesses before them. Major-General Burton was acquitted, by a jury m Salt Lake City, of the murder of Mrs, Bowman ! ,