From the very beginning of Utah’s history, President Young taught the people the necessity of establishing home industries and becoming self supporting. In these various ventures, he invariably took the lead. In the very earliest times, he advocated the cultivation of cotton in the “Dixie” land; the building of mills and factories; the harnessing of the mountain streams for power; and the development of the natural resources of the country which would be of material benefit to the people. His discourses were not confined to spiritual themes, but were ofttimes devoted to the building of roads and fences, the cultivation of the soil, the planting of vineyards and orchards, the raising of sheep and cattle, and all other useful things which would tend to encourage the members of the Church in obtaining temporal blessings, that they might live in comfort and prosperity. Had the people always followed his advice, it would have been better for them.
Plotters Against the Peace
Due to the malicious activities of many territorial officials, and the constant desire on the part of others not of the Church who came to Utah, to “civilize” and “reform” the Latter-day Saints, feelings of unfriendliness existed between members of the Church and “outsiders.” The continued attacks made by General Connor and Captain Hempstead, the editor of the Union Vedette, upon the Church and its authorities, had a tendency to increase this feeling. During, and after the close of the Civil War, Utah was infested with a set of characters who seemed determined to make trouble. The “Gentile” population at that time was about three hundred, the majority of whom were honorable citizens, but among them were to be found many bitter enemies of the Church, bent upon its destruction. Some of the latter had gone into business hoping to receive the patronage of the Latter-day Saints, but at the same time they were plotting against the Church, which they bitterly hated.
The Killing of Brassfield
To add to the unfortunate condition which divided the people, there occurred in Salt Lake City, in 1866, two shocking murders. The first of these was the killing of S. Newton Brassfield, a freighter, who came to Utah from Nevada. He induced a plural wife to forsake her husband while the husband was in the mission field. Brassfield then married the woman, the ceremony being performed by Judge Solomon P. McCurdy of the Supreme Court of Utah. It was stated on good authority that Brassfield had deserted his wife and family before he came to Utah. This charge was denied by some of his defenders but strongly affirmed by individuals who claimed to speak from personal knowledge. One evening in April, as he was entering his boarding house, he was shot and killed by some person who made his escape in the dark and was never discovered.
The Robinson Murder
The second killing was that of Dr. J. King Robinson who was decoyed from his home, one night in October, under the pretext that his professional services were needed. A short distance from his home he was set upon by a band of ruffians and severely beaten and then killed. The motive for the crime remains a mystery. Dr. Robinson had been in controversy with the city corporation over property, but the matter had been settled by the supreme court of Utah in favor of the city and could not have been the basis for the murder. It is presumed by some that his assailants did not intend to take his life, but merely administer to him a severe beating for some personal or fancied wrong; but being recognized, they determined on killing him for their protection.
According to the custom of the times, the attempt was made to fasten the responsibility for these murders upon the authorities of the Church. Such accusations were openly made by prominent attorneys at the investigation of the Robinson murder. Naturally President Young was indignant, and challenged his traducers to produce their proof. He was ready to go to court, be examined, and have the most thorough investigation made that the country could furnish. He denounced the crime as on a par with the killing of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the Haun’s Mill massacre and the tragedy at Mountain Meadows. Rewards were offered for the arrest, by the city, the county, and by private subscription, amounting to the sum of nine thousand dollars. President Young headed the list with five hundred dollars. When the effort failed to connect the authorities of the Church with the crime, the ardor of some who had been most insistent that the guilty parties be punished, cooled considerably and they lost interest in the case.
General Sherman to Brigham Young
Following the Brassfield killing, reports were sent out through the country blaming the homicide on the “Mormon” people. General William T. Sherman, then stationed at St. Louis, wired President Brigham Young stating that “responsible officers” had informed him that four “Gentiles” had been murdered by “Mormons.” As Utah was under his military jurisdiction, he declared that he was bound to give protection to all citizens and murders must be punished and wrongs avenged, if “committed against any American citizens even in remote Utah.”