AN IMPORTANT YEAR—APOSTATES—AGITATION OF THE MORMON QUESTION—THE NAUVOO "EXPOSITOR"—ITS SUPPRESSION—EFFECT OF SUPPRESSION—GOVERNOR FORD'S ORDER—NAUVOO UNDER MARTIAL LAW.
We have now reached the eventful year of 1844, the year of the great tragedy, the martyrdom of the Prophets Joseph and Hyrum Smith—a martyrdom which Elder Taylor shared.
The situation of the Saints at that time was, to say the least, remarkable. Besides the arch fiend Bennett, the Church had warmed within her bosom a number of other snakes that turned and stung her. Among these was William Law, Counselor to the Prophet Joseph, and yet his most bitter maligner and enemy. A smooth, dissembling villain! The kind that can look like the innocent flower and yet be the serpent under it. Not only was he guilty of the grossest immorality, but he conspired with assassins from Missouri, to take the life of the Prophet; and even conducted them himself to the house of Joseph. They were only prevented from accomplishing the foul murder that was in their hearts, by the faithfulness of two guards, Josiah Arnold and David Garn, who refused to admit them to the Prophet's presence.
Second to him in treachery and villainy was his natural brother, Wilson Law, a general in the Nauvoo Legion. Dr. R. D. Foster, a man not only inclined to profligacy, but one who had the means to indulge his inclination to the top of his bent, as he was wealthy. Besides these men there were the two Higbees, Francis and Chauncy, the latter a young lawyer. They were both sons of Judge Elias Higbee, a man highly respected by the Church for his upright life and sterling integrity. All the above named apostates were excommunicated from the Church for their wickedness, chiefly for seduction and adultery; and so abandoned and shameful were their crimes that the High Council which tried them had to sit with closed doors. Besides these leaders in wickedness there were a large number of apostates in Nauvoo and vicinity that had been expelled from the Church. They were recreant to every principle of righteousness, and full of bitterness. Fitful anger rankled in their breasts. They seemed to have lost the power to repent, and even the desire for forgiveness. They were possessed wholly with a fierce determination to destroy the structure—the Church—where in the days of their righteousness they were wont to find spiritual repose.
In addition to these enemies, the sectarian religionists, maddened to frenzy because unable to cope successfully with Mormonism, stood ready to persecute to the death those whom they could not convert. Then there were the two political parties, Whigs and Democrats, so equally balanced that whichever party the Saints voted with gained the victory. It often happened that candidates for office made an issue of the Mormon question—promising to exterminate them, or lend their influence to that end if elected. As often as this was done the Saints were compelled in self-defense to vote against them, and their opponents were generally defeated. But whichever party the Saints voted with the other was sure to be offended, and would heap unstinted abuse on their uncovered heads, filling their press with accounts of "the enormities of Nauvoo, and of the awful wickedness of a party which would consent to receive the support of such miscreants."
There was also another class of people that did no end of mischief to the character of the Saints at Nauvoo. They were counterfeiters, horse-thieves, cut-throats and all-round scoundrels, which not only infested Nauvoo and vicinity, but the whole western country. "In some districts", says Elder Taylor, "their influence was so great as to control important state and county offices." Of these Governor Ford bears witness, saying—
"Then again, the northern part of the state was not destitute of its organized bands of rogues, engaged in murders, robberies, horse-stealing, and in making and passing counterfeit money. These rogues were scattered all over the north, but most of them were located in the counties of Ogle, Winnebago, Lee and DeKalb."[[1]]
They extended into other counties, however, and even judges, sheriffs, constables, jailors and professional men were privy to their deeds and sharers in the fruits of their robberies. "Their object in persecuting the Mormons," says Elder Taylor—and these characters did persecute them—"was in part to cover their own rascality, and in part to prevent the people of Nauvoo from exposing and prosecuting them; but the principal reason was plunder, believing if the Saints could be removed or driven they would be made fat on Mormon spoils, besides having in the deserted city a good asylum for the prosecution of their diabolical pursuits."
All these elements found it convenient to combine against the Church for its destruction, the overthrow of the Prophet and those who stood near him. A regular system of agitation was began, having for its avowed object the extermination of the Saints from the city founded by their industry. Meetings were held in various parts of Hancock and surrounding counties, at which speeches the most intemperate, resolutions the most inflammatory, and accusations the most vile and false were fulminated against Nauvoo and her inhabitants. The press supported the actions of these meetings, publishing their proceedings, and encouraging them by commendatory comments. Especially was this the case with the Warsaw Signal, edited by one Thomas Sharp, whom Elder Taylor alludes to as "a violent, unprincipled man, who shrunk not at any enormity."
Such were the elements that combined against the peace of Nauvoo and the destruction of her leading citizens. Seeing mischief afoot and an ever growing popular sentiment against the Mormons and in favor of the reckless, not to say lawless, course of the anti-Mormon agitators, the apostates in Nauvoo ventured to publish the most infamous sheet ever issued from the press—the Nauvoo Expositor. Its mendacious slanders were aimed at the most prominent and virtuous of Nauvoo's citizens. No sooner did it appear than a storm of indignation passed through the city; and the people threatened to annihilate it. Wishing to avoid any unlawful procedure, the city council was convened to consider what steps should be taken to suppress the unclean and untruthful thing.