The Life of John Taylor. B. H. Roberts

kind of officers they had. I had heretofore looked upon gospel ministers as messengers of peace; here they came not only in a war-like capacity, but as the leaders of an armed mob—a gang of marauders and free-booters, with the avowed object of driving peaceful citizens—men, women and children—from their homes."

      It would appear that while Elder Taylor did not believe in fighting for slight infringements of his rights, he did believe to the fullest extent in self-defense; and the ease with which he adapted himself to the new circumstances in which he was placed, exhibited the character of the man. "I had no arms," he continues in his account of this affair at DeWitt, "and heretofore considered that I needed none in a Christian civilized land; but I found I had been laboring under a mistake. The civilization here was of a very low order, and the Christianity of a very questionable character. I therefore threw off the sling and bandages from my lame arm, suppressed my repugnance to fighting, borrowed a gun, bought a brace of pistols, and prepared myself at least for defensive measures."

      There were twenty four of the brethren, and about one hundred and fifty of the mob. The little band, nothing daunted at the superior forces of the enemy, organized under a captain and prepared for the onset. "These reverend gentlemen," says Elder Taylor's narrative, "concluded that it was best to have a parley, and by a little strategy throw us off our guard. Having captured a stray Saint, they sent by him a message informing us that they would like three or four of our leaders to come and treat with them. To this we returned answer that they had come in the capacity of banditti, to interfere with our rights when in the peaceful prosecution of our daily avocations; that we could have no confidence in men occupying so questionable a position; that their ruse to divide us would not work; and though inferior to them in numbers, if they attempted to molest us, we should protect ourselves as best we could."

      After some further parleying, the mob gave the Saints ten days in which to leave, threatening that if they were not gone in that time, they would return with increased forces, kill every man, woman and child, and throw their goods into the Missouri.

      This affair having ended for the time being, Elder Taylor continued his journey, and finally reached Far West, where he met the Prophet Joseph, several of the Twelve and other leading brethren. The mob did not return in ten days upon the people of De Witt, but they did return early in October and the Saints at last had to abandon their homes there, although they had purchased their lands from the general government.

      The history of the prominent men in the Church is so closely interwoven with that of the Church, that it is difficult to write the one without also writing the other; and in order to understand the scenes which the subject of this writing was now in the midst of, it will be necessary to relate as briefly as may be, the events which befell the Saints in the state of Missouri up to the time that Elder Taylor joined them, in the autumn of 1838.

      From the Book of Mormon,^[1] the Saints learned that upon the continent of America the people of God, in the last days, are to build a holy city, the "New Jerusalem," or "Zion." In July, 1831, the Lord revealed the place where the city should be located and a temple built. That place was Independence, near the western boundary of Missouri; and there the Saints were commanded to gather, purchase the land and dedicate it unto the Lord. This commandment they began to fulfill, whereupon the jealous rage of the old settlers was aroused against them. It was the meeting of two elements that had little or no affinity with each other.

      The old settlers were from the slaves states of the south, the Saints were from the free states of the north, and many of them from New England. The former were idle, indifferent to their surroundings, and the development of their lands; the latter were industrious, frugal, eager to make good homes, develop, build up and beautify the country—in short, make it the Zion of God in very deed. The Missourians were habitual Sabbath breakers; horse racing, cock-fighting and gambling being the "pleasures" they indulged in on that day, attended with the drunkenness and blasphemy which usually go hand in hand with such sports. Of course the Saints could not engage with them in this kind of life, their early training, no less than their religion, forebade it. The result was a coolness between the Saints and the old settlers, followed by suspicion on the part of the latter that they would be supplanted by the new comers. From that conviction to a resolution to prevent it was a short step, and they made haste to take it.

      Although some of the Saints were, doubtless, unwise in much of their talk, they were guilty of no overt act against the peace and good order of the community in which they settled; nor did they in any way interfere with the old settlers, further, perhaps, than to remonstrate with them on their manner of life, and surely that was no act that called for violence.

      But if there was no real cause for violence, it was easy to create an imaginary one, and this was done. All manner of false accusations were brought against the Saints. They were accused of tampering with the negro slaves, with a view to creating a servile insurrection; and of having a design to possess themselves of the land by force.

      But it was their religion that was made the chief rock of offense. It was denounced as blasphemy—"derogatory of God and religion, and subversive of human reason;" and this because the Saints claimed and enjoyed, to some extent at least, the power and blessings which attended the gospel of Christ in ancient days. For these reasons(?) the old settlers determined to rid themselves of the Saints, "peaceably if they could, forcibly if they must;" and to the performance of this unlawful action, they pledged their "bodily power, their lives, fortunes and sacred honors." They organized mobs; and, finally, with acts of cruelty and violence that would bring the blush of shame to the cheek of a savage, they drove the Saints from Jackson County; stole or destroyed their goods, burned their houses and appropriated to their own use the lands the Saints had purchased. There were some twelve hundred Saints, men, women and children thus expelled by violence from Jackson County.

      This first driving took place in December, 1833.

      The exiles found a temporary resting place in Clay County, and while there petitioned the governor of the state to reinstate them in their lands, and give them protection when so reinstated. The governor replied that he could call out the militia and escort them back to their homes; but he considered that he had no authority to detail any force for their protection after he had thus reinstated them. As to go back under those circumstances would be exposing themselves to more violence from their enemies, they could not avail themselves of the governor's proffered assistance to return.

      The Saints remained scattered through Clay and the surrounding counties until 1836, when, at the request of the citizens of Clay County, who had kindly received them in their affliction, they moved northward and petitioned for the forming of a new county. The new county was called Caldwell, and the county seat, Far West.

      The rapidity with which the new county increased in population and prosperity, aroused the jealousy of the people in surrounding counties; and as the inhabitants of Jackson had despoiled the Saints with impunity, it encouraged others that were like-minded to attempt the same thing. Especially was this the case when they saw those who had taken a prominent part in expelling the Saints from Jackson County, holding high positions in the state.

      The fact that the religion of the Saints was different from that professed by their neighbors was of itself sufficient to arouse the hatred and jealousy of the sectarian ministers, who throughout all the Missouri troubles took not only an active but a leading part. A leading part in what? In murdering, plundering, driving, imprisoning, whipping and turning out of their homes their fellow men! A fine occupation for ministers of the gospel truly! And for what? Because the Saints bore witness that God had restored to the earth the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness; that the Priesthood to administer in its ordinances was again conferred on men; and they announced it as their intention to beautify the earth and prepare a portion of it for the coming of the Son of God. For this they were hated by the Missourians, and considered the legitimate prey of the despoiler.

      Another circumstance that increased the hatred and jealousy of the Missourians against the Saints was the growing political power of the latter; and it was at a political election in Gallatin, Daviess County—a county joining Caldwell on the north—that the troubles in the autumn of 1838 began.

      A number of the Saints had settled in Daviess County, and being citizens