Beginning Of Active Hostilities

Smith had shown his dominating spirit as soon as he arrived at
Far West. In April, 1838, he announced a "revelation" (Sec. 115),
commanding the building of a house of worship there, the work to
begin on July 4, the speedy building up of that city, and the
establishment of Stakes in the regions round about. This last
requirement showed once more Smith's lack of judgment, and it
became a source of irritation to the non-Mormons, as it was
thought to foreshadow a design to control the neighboring
counties. Hyde says that Smith and Rigdon deliberately planned
the scattering of the Saints beyond the borders of Clay County
with a view to political power.*

* Hyde's "Mormonism," p. 203.


In accordance with this scheme, a "revelation" of May 19 (Sec.
116), directed the founding of a town on Grand River in Daviess
County, twenty-five miles northwest of Far West. This settlement
was to be called "Adam-ondi-Ahman," "because it is the place
where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days
shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the Prophet." The "revelation"
further explains that, three years before his death, Adamcalled a
number of high priests and all of his posterity who were
righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there blessed
them. Lee (who, following the common pronunciation, writes the
name "Adam-on-Diamond") expresses the belief, which Smith
instilled into his followers, that it "was at the point where
Adam came and settled and blessed his posterity, after being
driven from the Garden of Eden. There Adam and Eve tarried for
several years, and engaged in tilling the soil." By order of the
Presidency, another town was started in Carroll County, where the
Saints had been living in peace. Immediately the new settlement
was looked upon as a possible rival of Gallatin, the county seat,
and the non-Mormons made known their objections.

* "Mormonism Unveiled," p. 91.


With Smith and Rigdon on the ground, if these men had had any
tact, or any purpose except to enforce Mormon supremacy in
whatever part of Missouri they chose to call Zion, the troubles
now foreshadowed might easily have been prevented. Every step
they took, however, was in the nature of a defiance. The sermons
preached to the Mormons that summer taught them that they would
be able to withstand, not only the opposition of the Missourians,
but of the United States, if this should be put to the test.*

* Corrill's "Brief History of the Church," p. 29.


The flock in and around Far West were under the influence of such
advice when they met on July 4 to lay the corner-stone of the
third Temple, whose building Smith had revealed, and to celebrate
the day. There was a procession, with a flagpole raising, and
Smith embraced the occasion to make public announcement of the
tithing "revelation" (although it bears a later date).

The chief feature of the day, and the one that had most influence
on the fortunes of the church, was a sermon by Sidney Rigdon,
known ever since as the "salt sermon," from the text Matt. v. 13:
"If the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted?
It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be
trodden under foot of men." He first applied these words to the
men who had made trouble in the church, declaring that they ought
to be trodden under foot until their bowels gushed out, citing as
a precedent that "the apostles threw Judas Iscariot down and
trampled out his bowels, and that Peter stabbed Ananias and
Sapphira." It was what followed, however, which made the serious
trouble, a defiance to their Missouri opponents in these words:
"It is not because we cannot, if we were so disposed, enjoy both
the honors and flatteries of the world, but we have voluntarily
offered them in sacrifice, and the riches of the world also, for
a more durable substance. Our God has promised a reward of
eternal inheritance, and we have believed his promise, and,
though we wade through great tribulations, we are in nothing
discouraged, for we know he that has promised is faithful. The
promise is sure, and the reward is certain. It is because of this
that we have taken the spoiling of our goods. Our cheeks have
been given to the smiters, and our heads to those who have
plucked off the hair. We have not only, when smitten on one
cheek, turned the other, but we have done it again and again,
until we are weary of being smitten, and tired of being trampled
upon. We have proved the world with kindness; we have suffered
their abuse, without cause, with patience, and have endured
without resentment, until this day, and still their persecution
and violence does not cease. But from this day and this hour, we
will suffer it no more.

"We take God and all the holy angels to witness this day, that we
warn all men, in the name of Jesus Christ, to come on us no more
for ever, for, from this hour, we will bear it no more. Our
rights shall no more be trampled on with impunity. The man, or
set of men, who attempt it, DOES IT AT THE EXPENSE OF THEIR
LIVES. And that mob that comes on us to disturb us, it shall be
between us and them A WAR OF EXTERMINATION, FOR WE WILL FOLLOW
THEM TO THE LAST DROP OF THEIR BLOOD IS SPILLED, OR ELSE THEY
WILL HAVE TO EXTERMINATE US; for we will carry the seat of war to
their own houses, and their own families, and one party or the
other SHALL BE UTTERLY DESTROYED. Remember it then, all men.

"We will never be aggressors; we will infringe on rights of no
people; but shall stand for our own until death. We claim our own
rights, and are willing that all shall enjoy theirs.

"No man shall be at liberty to come in our streets, to threaten
us with mobs, for if he does, he shall atone for it before he
leaves the place; neither shall he be at liberty to vilify or
slander any of us, for suffer it we will not in this place.

"We therefore take all men to record this day, as did our
fathers. And we pledge this day to one another, our fortunes, our
lives, and our sacred honors, to be delivered from the
persecutions which we have had to endure for the last nine years,
or nearly that. Neither will we indulge any man, or set of men,
in instituting vexatious lawsuits against us to cheat us out of
our just rights. If they attempt it we say, woe be unto them. We
this day then proclaim ourselves free, with a purpose and a
determination that never can be broken, no never, NO NEVER, NO
NEVER."

Ebenezer Robinson in The Return (Vol I, p. 170) says:--

"Let it be distinctly understood that President Rigdon was not
alone responsible for the sentiment expressed in his oration, as
that was a carefully prepared document previously written, and
well understood by the First Presidency; but Elder Rigdon was the
mouthpiece to deliver it, as he was a natural orator, and his
delivery was powerful and effective.

"Several Missouri gentlemen of note, from other counties, were
present on the speaker's stand at its delivery, with Joseph
Smith, Jr., President, and Hyrum Smith, Vice President of the
day; and at the conclusion of the oration, when the president of
the day led off with a shout of 'Hosannah, Hosannah, Hosannah,'
and joined in the shout by the vast multitude, these Missouri
gentlemen began to shout 'hurrah,' but they soon saw that did not
time with the other, and they ceased shouting. A copy of the
oration was furnished the editor, and printed in the Far West, a
weekly newspaper printed in Liberty, the county seat of Clay
county. It was also printed in pamphlet form, by the writer of
this, in the printing office of the Elders' Journal, in the city
of Far West, a copy of which we have preserved.

"This oration, and the stand taken by the church in endorsing it,
and its publication, undoubtedly exerted a powerful influence in
arousing the people of the whole upper Missouri country."

At the trial of Rigdon, when he was cast out at Nauvoo, Young and
others held him alone responsible for this sermon, and declared
that it was principally instrumental in stirring up the
hostilities that ensued.

A state election was to be held in Missouri early in August, and
there was a good deal of political feeling. Daviess County was
pretty equally divided between Whigs and Democrats, and the vote
of the Mormons was sought by the leaders of both parties. In
Caldwell County the Saints were classed as almost solidly
Democratic. When election day came, the Danites in the latter
county distributed tickets on which the Presidency had agreed,
but this resulted in nothing more serious than some criticism of
this interference of the church in politics. But in Daviess
County trouble occurred.

The Mormons there were warned by the Democrats that the Whigs
would attempt to prevent their voting at Gallatin. Of the ten
houses in that town at the time, three were saloons, and the
material for an election-day row was at hand. It began with an
attack on a Mormon preacher, and ended in a general fight, in
which there were many broken heads, but no loss of life; after
which, says Lee, who took part in it, "the Mormons all voted."*

* Smith's autobiography says, "Very few of the brethren voted."


Exaggerated reports of this melee reached Far West, and Dr.
Avard, collecting a force of 150 volunteers, and accompanied by
Smith and Rigdon, started for Daviess County for the support of
their brethren. They came across no mob, but they made a tactical
mistake. Instead of disbanding and returning to their homes,
they, the next morning (following Smith's own account)* "rode out
to view the situation." Their ride took them to the house of a
justice of the peace, named Adam Black, who had joined a band
whose object was the expulsion of the Mormons. Smith could not
neglect the opportunity to remind the justice of his violation of
his oath, and to require of him some satisfaction, "so that we
might know whether he was our friend or enemy." With this view
they compelled him to sign what they called "an agreement of
peace," which the justice drew up in this shape:--

* Millennial Star, Vol. XVI, p. 229.

"I, Adam Black, A Justice of the Peace of Davies County, do
hereby Sertify to the people called Mormin that he is bound to
suport the constitution of this state and of the United States,
and he is not attached to any mob, nor will not attach himself to
any such people, and so long as they will not molest me I will
not molest them. This the 8th day of August, 1838.

"ADAM BLACK, J.P"

When the Mormon force returned to Far West, the Daviess people
secured warrants for the arrest of Smith, L. Wight, and others,
charging them with violating the law by entering another county
armed, and compelling a justice of the peace to obey their
mandate, Black having made an affidavit that he was compelled to
sign the paper in order to save his life. Wight threatened to
resist arrest, and this caused such a gathering of Missourians
that Smith became alarmed and sent for two lawyers, General D. R.
Atchison and General Doniphan, to come to Far West as his legal
advisers.* Acting on their advice, the accused surrendered
themselves, and were bound over to court in $500 bail for a
hearing on September 7.

* General Atchison was the major general in command of that
division of the state militia. His early reports to the governor
must be read in the light of his association with Smith as
counsel. General Douiphan afterward won fame at Chihuahua in the
Mexican War.


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