Mormons are fond of retelling their selectively-constructed faith-promoting fable of how the "Gentile" governor of Missouri, Lilburn Boggs, supposedly unilaterally and indefensibly issued the notorious "extermination order" against the Mormons.
A more accurate and contextual reading of history reveals that it was the Mormons, not the "Gentiles," who initially and directly threatened the non-Mormons with extermination.
Historian D. Michael Quinn writes that, in vying for political power in Caldwell County, Missouri, in August 1838, the Mormon Church hierarchy had its secretive organization of lawless enforcers–-otherwise known as the Danite Band--produce a ballot of candidates for whom faithful Mormons were expected to vote in upcoming county elections. Mormon voters subsequently elected to inform the U.S. postmaster general that LDS Church First Presidency Counselor Sidney Rigdon was "the person of our choice to fill the place of W.W. Phelps, as postmaster of this city." This notice came on the heels of a warning from the First Presidency to area non-Mormons that had , as Quinn writes, "virtually dared the Missourians to try to stop Mormons from exercising their civil liberties," warning that if the Gentiles attempted to do so, "[i]t shall be between us and them A WAR OF EXTERMINATION." (emphasis added)
Truth be told, it was Rigdon himself who, in this brazen display of bellicosity, had first coined the "extermination" phrase when he threatened the Gentiles with death and extermination at the hands of the Mormons, declaring on July 4th of that year in a fiery speech which came to be known as the "Salt Sermon" that Mormon violence would be visited upon non-compliant non-Mormons of Missouri: "[C]ome on to us no more forever . . . . [W]e will bear it no more. The man, or the set of men, who attempt it, does it at the expense of their lives."
Writer Richard Abanes describes what Rigdon said next as "an announcement that surrounding communities took as nothing less than a declaration of war":
"[T]hat mob that comes on us to disturb us, it shall be between us and them A WAR OF EXTERMINATION, for we will follow them til 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 homes and their own families and one party or the other shall be utterly destroyed. . . . 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." (emphasis added)
Abanes notes that Rigdon's threatening words sounded "the beginning of the end of the Mormon community in Missouri. Word quickly spread that Rigdon had directly challenged the authority of law and order in the territory. A letter printed in the Liberty, Missouri, 'Western Star' reported that the inflammatory speech contained "the essence of, if not treason itself." . . . It all seemed to be making sense now to the Missourians--the Mormons had intended to take over all along."
Adding fuel to the fire, Mormon Church "prophet" and fellow Danite, Joseph Smith. endorsed Rigdon's "Salt Sermon." As historian Richard S. Van Wagoner notes, Rigdon's tirade was delivered in his capacity "as official spokesman for the First Presidency. From Smith came the concept, from Rigdon the words and from the people the power." Van Wagoner further observes that Rigdon was, in fact, formally "[d]esignated [as] spokesman unto the Lord . . . all the days of his life,'" as declared "in a 13 December 1833 blessing by the prophet. Rigdon was acting in that capacity on 17 June 1838 when he made public 'The Political Motto oF The Church of Latter-day Saints' [eventually dubbed the 'Salt Sermon'], formulated by Smith and others on 14 March 1838." Van Wagoner addes that "Smith [followed Rigdon's sermon by] deliver[ing] a short speech sanctioning Rigdon's address." As Quinn confirms, Smith gave his official blessing to Rigdon's wild death threat against Missouri's non-Mormons by "publish[ing] . . . [it] as a pamphlet, advertis[ing] it in the Church periodical and explain[ing] that Rigdon's sermon expressed 'the fixed determinations of the Saints, in relation to the persecutors . . . for to be mob[b]ed any more without taking vengeance we will not."
In actuality, it was a band of Mormon Danite thugs, under the direction of Smith and Rigdon, who were waging war against non-Mormons in the name of God's law--and in violation of both federal and state law.
Writes author Arza Evans:
"Danites were told by Smith and Rigdon that the Kingdom spoken of by the prophet Daniel (thus the name 'Danites') that was to crush all other kingdoms had been set up by the Lord in these latter days in preparation for the imminent return of Jesus Christ. Since the Kingdom of God takes precedence over the government of men, the Lord's prophet and his followers were above the laws of Missouri, any other state or even the government of the United States.
"This 'above-the-law' attitude soon caused Smith and his partners in crime serious trouble. While in Missouri, Smith, Rigdon, [Parley P.] Pratt and other Church leaders were arrested for a large number of crimes, including treason against the state of Missouri, murder, burglary, arson, robbery and larceny. While being transferred from Liberty Jail to another location, they escaped and fled to Commerce (Nauvoo), Illinois. But these old Missouri charges would haunt these fugitives from the law for many years to come."
Rigdon went so far as to openly boast that Missouri state law did not apply to the Mormons, after originally making the less-than-persuasive claim that the Mormons were simply the innocent victims of religious persecution. Smith, in endorsing Rigdon's vigilante views, slyly added, "Though I don't want the brethren to act unlawfully, . . . I will tell them one thing: Judas was a traitor and, instead of hanging himself, was hung by Peter." No wonder Missouri renegade Mormons faced the wrath of Missouri's alarmed non-Mormons. As Evans writes, Rigdon eventually confessed "that the main reason Mormons had so much trouble in Missouri was that they would not obey the laws of the land. He [Rigdon] said, 'We did not break them; we were above them.'“
Evans continues:
“Rigdon also spoke candidly about the attitude that he, Smith and other Church leaders began to assume: '. . . [W]e began to talk about the kingdom of God as if we had the world at our command. We talked with great confidence and talked big things. . . . We began to talk like men in authority and power. We looked upon the men of the Earth as grasshoppers.' Smith agreed with Rigdon's outlaw mentality when he said, 'I am above the kingdoms of the world, for I have no laws.'"
Quinn notes that increasing numbers of non-Mormons Missourians were becoming increasingly convinced that Mormons (as demonstrated by harsh LDS treatment of dissenters in their own ranks) "were inimical to law and order." In this regard, Evans writes how Mormons dissenters--including such prominent leaders as Lyman Johnson, David Whitmer, John Whitmer and several others--were ordered out of western Missouri on short notice by the LDS high command. Clearly, non-Mormon Missourians had good reason to fear this Mormon “either-you’re-with-us-or-you’re-against-us” approach, given, as Evans reports, what Rigdon said in June 1838 after arriving in the state: "When men embrace the Gospel and afterward lose their faith, it is the duty of the Saints to trample them under their feet."
Convinced that the Mormons were intent on taking over their state by illegal means, Missourians in overwhelming numbers voted and otherwise attempted to get the Mormons to leave DeWitt County. Abanes writes that the Mormons responded "with a firm no," adding that "[i]n fact, Mormon leader George Hinckle threatened [a Missouri citizens] committee.” The result was predictable, with Abanes writing that “about 100 non-Mormons later responded by riding into DeWitt, shooting up the place and threatening the area which, in turn, created additional animosity."
Fearful that the arrogant and clannish Mormons had tipped the scales of political power in Daviess County, efforts were made by apprehensive Missourians to prevent them from voting in upcoming state and county elections. Abanes observes that a local judge attempted to warn the Mormons that "there would probably be trouble at the polls"--identifying the county seat of Gallatin as a particularly dangerous spot--but the Mormons scoffed it off. On election day, fighting broke out around the Gallatin polls when a drunken local resident accused a member of the Mormon faithful of being a liar and Joseph Smith of being an imposter. Fists started to fly and a cry of distress was issued for Danite intervention--resulting in a melee which led to serious injuries on both sides.
In what Abanes describes as subsequent "displays of aggression," Smith "rode through the countryside with at least 100 Danites who intimidated several Missourians into signing statements opposing all persecution of the Saints. In response, the settlers from Daviess County traveled to surrounding counties and gave authorities exaggerated accounts about armed Mormons threatening to murder various citizens."
Serious hostilities eventually erupted between the Mormon and non-Mormon sides--known as "the Missouri War of 1838"--with atrocities being committed by each. Vigilante-driven Missourians began launching raids on isolated raids LDS farms, including in one instance, as described by Abanes, where they drove a Mormon man from his home, taking his ill wife and children hostage in the process. One of the children died during the incident and was buried by the Missourians. Two more of the children later died from lack of medical care after being rescued by the Mormons. Hostilities against the Mormons continued and, under threat of death from roving Missouri gangs, the Mormons eventually left DeWitt County.
Not to be outdone, however, the Mormons retaliated by invading towns in Daviess County, where they torched buildings--including the U.S. post office and county treasurer's office. Abanes reports that Gallatin was plundered of “all its merchandise;” Millport was “looted;” and "raiding parties [were dispatched] that scoured the countryside for vigilantes, all along the way ransacking and torching any non-Mormon cabins they happened to find, in a show of “no mercy, even to Missourians who had never been part of the vigilante forces." Non-Mormons, including pregnant women, were forced to flee their homes in bare feet with only the clothes on their backs and with only what they could carry.
Quinn makes note of further reports that Mormon marauders may have also committed one or more murders in their attacks, adding that when president of the Quorum of the Twelve, Thomas B. Marsh, drafted a formal affidavit of complaint against these violent acts committed by fellow Church members, he was excommunicated and branded an apostate. Quinn also writes that a devout Mormon, James Bracken, later admitted that during these Mormon-led hostilities "some of the brethren did things they should not have done, such as appropriating to their own use things that did not belong to them." Indeed, Quinn quotes a Danite named Justus Morse who stated that he had personally heard Smith order the Danites to "suck the milk of the Gentiles." Even Mormon Church historians have belatedly acknowledged that "Danite depredations, both real and imagined, intensified hostilities" with the Missourians. Some of those Mormon "depredations" included orders from Mormon commanders to "rake down" their Missouri enemies, with the understanding "[t]hat God would damn them and give us power to kill them."
Abanes writes that Missouri’s non-Mormons reacted quickly in an organized effort in Livingston County to bedevil Mormon settlers, including looting and burning their homes, seizing their property and, in the process, driving almost all Mormons away.
Quinn records that Mormon atrocities at the Battle of Crooked River sparked further blood-letting, with non-Mormon Missourians ruthlessly massacring 18 men and two boys, as well as wounding several fleeing women and children, at the Mormon settlement of Haun's Mill. The carnage was gruesome. One of the boys had his head blown off at close range with a rifle shot as he hid under the bellows in the blacksmith's shop; others were murdered at point-blank range while huddling in their homes, while marauding Missourians mutilated a still-alive Mormon man with his body "literally mangled from head to foot" via a scythe.
Abanes adds that after the massacre, the surviving Mormons--not knowing when and if the attackers would return--hastily collected the bodies of the dead and dumped them into a well, which they then covered with dirt. “To add insult to injury,” Abanes writes, “before all of the Mormon women departed, the Missourians returned and built a latrine over the make-shift grave, which they used to desecrate the remains of those who had been buried there."
The Haun's Mill action--as atrocious as it was--nonetheless was precipitated by earlier Mormon action at the afore-mentioned Battle of Crooked River, where Mormons attacked encamped elements of the Missouri state militia, raising fears among local non-Mormons that they were doomed for slaughter. There appeared to be ample justification for that fear. Mormon apostle Parley P. Pratt was himself eventually charged with murder in the sniper-style killing of one Missourian and with attempted murder in the severe wounding of another--the latter whom Danites mutilated in the Battle of Crooked River by ramming their swords into his mouth, cutting out his bottom teeth, slicing off his cheeks, breaking his jaw, delivering a "terrible gash in the skull through which his brain was plainly visible" and leaving him for dead.
Abanes describes the reaction of non-Mormon Missourians to the Mormon attack on their state militia:
"When residents throughout the various counties heard that Mormons actually had attacked state troops, panic gripped the entire region. Hundreds of men enlisted in newly-formed militia units, weapons were primed and readied for action, letters were sent to state military personnel and Governor Lilburn Boggs was notified of the Crooked River skirmish by a number of individuals."
Quinn further explains the connection between the Mormon brutalities committed at the Battle of Crooked River and the ensuing "extermination order" issued by Governor Boggs:
"A generally unacknowledged dimension of both the extermination order and the Haun's Mill massacre . . . is that it resulted from Mormon actions in the Battle of Crooked River. Knowingly or not, Mormons had attacked state troops and this had a cascade effect. Local residents feared annihilation: 'We know not the hour or minute we will be laid in ashes,' a local minister and country clerk wrote the day after the battle. 'For God's sake give us assistance as quick as possible.' Correspondingly, the attack on state tropps weakened the position of Mormon friends in Missouri's militia and government.
"Finally, upon receiving news of the injuries and death of state troops at Crooked River, Governor Boggs immediately drafted his extermination order on 27 October 1838 because the Mormons 'have made war upon the people of this State.' Worse, the killing of one Missourian and mutilation of another while he was defenseless at Crooked River led to the mad-dog revenge by Missourians in the slaughter at Haun's Mill."
While reports that reached Governor Boggs were in some respects exaggerated, it was, in fact, the Mormon attack on state troops at Crooked River that prompted Governor Boggs to finally issue his “extermination order." The order read as follows:
"Headquarters of the Militia City of Jefferson, Oct. 27, 1838
"[To] Gen. John B. Clark
"I have received . . . information of the most appalling character, which entirely changes the face of things and places the Mormons in the attitude of an open and avowed defiance of the laws and of having made war upon the people of this State. . . . Your orders are, therefore, to hasten your operations with all possible speed. The Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace--their outrages are beyond all description."
Even pro-Mormon historians James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard grudgingly acknowledge (while still essentially blaming non-Mormon Missourians) that the Mormons' well-earned, Danite-driven reputation for violence against non-Mormons precipitated an understandable reaction from Missouri's governor:
"Highly exaggerated reports of those atrocities . . . reached Governor Boggs, and it appeared to him that the Mormons were burning towns, driving old settlers from their homes and generally undermining civil authority. The known proclivities of the Danites for vengeance did not help the Mormon cause. Finally, on October 27, 1838, heedless of any information he may have had about the Mormon viewpoint, Boggs issued his infamous 'Order of Extermination.' 'The Mormons,' he wrote to Colonel John B. Clark of the state militia, 'must be treated as enemies and MUST BE EXTERMINATED or driven from the state, if necessary fr the public good. Their outrages are beyond all description.' Clark was ordered to immediately carry out his instructions." (emphasis added by authors)
The Mormons subsequently fled to Far West, Missouri, where they were pursued by a Missouri state army of more than 2,500 men determined to crush the Mormon rebellion. A publicly-blustering Smith privately ordered his emissaries to "beg like a dog for peace" and negotiate for a treaty "on any terms short of a battle." Given only one hour to comply, the Mormons agreed to surrender on the following four terms, as outlined by Abanes:
"1. Turn over Mormon leaders Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, Lyman Wight and George W. Robinson to be tried and punished for their crimes.
"2. Financially compensate non-Mormons state citizens for all damages to them or their property; the payments for which should be taken from those who took up arms to commit the damage.
"3. Leave the state.
"4. Give up all arms and weapons of every description."
Taken into custody, Smith and his co-conspirators were presented in a preliminary hearing with the charges against them which, as Abanes notes, "clearly revealed that Joseph had directed most, if not all, of the illegal activities in which the Saints had engaged.” The case against Smith was compelling, as Abanes explains:
“The prosecution's witnesses included not only long-time accusers such as John Whitmer and W. W. Phelps . . . , but also several more recently-added individuals to the growing list of dissenters [including] . . . Sampson Avard, supposedly the most loyal follower of them all. He spilled his proverbial guts, exposing to a Gentile court of law every Danite secret. He even produced a list of Danite officers, which included a Secretary of War. The judge, it seemed, was seeking specific information proving Smith's plans to establish a kingdom within the U.S.--a treasonous offense."
Following six months of imprisonment in Liberty Jail, Smith and his cohorts were transferred to Boone County, Missouri, to stand trial against evidence so compelling that Abanes describes it as "doom[ing] [them] to a life of imprisonment." As fleeting fate would have it, however, Smith and his band of crooks, cronies and conmen managed to escape after Joseph and his brother Hyrum bribed the sheriff "with a jug of whiskey and $800.00.”
A few years later, Joseph and Hyrum--not Governor Boggs and his fellow Missourians--were exterminated in a jailhouse shootout in Carthage, Illinois.
So much for Sidney Rigdon’s “extermination order.”
Aided by historical hindsight, researcher and writer, H. Michael Marquardt, adds perspective to the vicious Mormon-vs.-Gentile blood-spilling that was the end result of Sidney Rigdon's insane, seed-sowing "Salt Sermon" screed:
"What occurred in Missouri during those trying times was a sad state of affairs. There was no restoration of homes and property for either the Mormons or the Missourians. The insurrection surely assisted Governor Boggs to help the early settlers in their efforts to get rid of the Mormons. Petitions for help from the local citizens resulted in the extreme measure of Executive Order #45 issued by Boggs on October 27, 1838. It took another executive order, issued 137 years later in 1976 by Missouri Governor Christopher S. Bond, to heal the wounds made in 1838."
**********
Sources:
Abanes, Richard, “One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church" (New York, New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 2002), pp. 155-61, 164-68
Allen, James B., and Leonard, Glen M., "The Story of the Latter-day Saints" (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 1976, "Published in Collaboration with the Historical Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"), p. 127
Evans, Arza, "The Keystone of Mormonism" (St. George, Utah: Keystone Books, Inc., 2003), pp. 157-58
Marquardt, H. Michael, "The Rise of Mormonism: 1816-1844" (Longwood, Florida: Xulon Press, 2005), p. 489
Quinn, D. Michael, "The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power" (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 1994), pp. 96-100
Van Wagoner, Richard S., "Sidney Rigdon: A Portrait of Religious Excess" (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 1994), pp. 217-18
(see also related thread, "Important Points from a Non-Censored Version of the Extermination Order?," posted by "rainwater," on "Recovery from Mormonism" discussion board, 25 August 2013, at:
http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1001357,1001357#msg-1001357)
*****
Some Telling Accounts of Armed Mormon Hostilities Against "Gentiles"
As usual, the actual facts do not square with Mormon Church fable, as amply demonstrated below.
--Historical Examination #1: Exterminating Mormon Lies about the Battle of Crooked River
"Faithful Mormons, following the instructions of their prophet Joseph and the Council of 50, burned to the ground the small town of Galeton, Missouri. Before setting the town on fire they looted all the homes and stores of anything "of worth". Many people failed to escape and were burned in their homes. Then the Battle of Crooked River was carried out by the Danites on Oct 25,1838. Upon receiving news of the injuries and death of state troops at Crooked River, Gov. Boggs drafted the extermination order on Oct 27, 1838. The Mormons had declared War on the Missourians well before the extermination order was issued. Haun's Mill was a terrible slaughter, but it occured after the events of destruction by the Mormons. The LDS know all about the Bogg's order and the Haun's Mill story, but nothing about the proceeding events at the hands of the JS followers.
"The TBM's will no doubt not believe these facts of history. If they will listen, tell them to do a Google. . . . LDS History/Battle of Crooked River.
"I read Stephan Le Sueur's book 'The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri.' As I recall, it the people in Galletin saw the Mormons coming and ran for it. Both sides were burning cabins and nobody knows how many people may have died homeless in the cold.
"]At][t]he Battle of Crooked River, the Mormons didn't realize the guys [who] dug in next to a river were Militiamen. They made a pre-dawn frontal attack. Naturally in that kind of military scenario the advantage is with the dug in defenders. Three Mormons were killed and one militiamen drowned as they tried to retreat across the river. Reports of casualties were exaggerated by the panicked militiamen and it convince any Missourians who may have been sitting on the fence that the Mormons were in full scale revolt.
"When the Mormons surrendered at Far West, one of the terms of surrender was they were given a full night so they could pile all the loot they'd stolen in the town square where nobody could identify which individual Mormon had stolen it. As far as I'm concerned, my personal opinion is the greatest tragedy of the Mormon war is that Joseph Smith was not shot for Treason."
("The Battle Of Crooked River," by "Anonymouse," RfM, 20 May 2005)
_____
--Historical Examination #2: Exposing the Mormon B.S. about Boggs
"Bogg's 'extermination order' was typical of thousands of outmoded edicts that have remained on the books of cities and states across the country, for the simple reason that they no longer applied, and nobody bothered to remove them. The only reason the 'extermination order' was officially rescinded in 1976 was because Church leaders knew the move would make good PR press. Boggs' 'extermination order' N-E-V-E-R made it 'legal to kill Mormons.' Boggs issued the order to address a specific circumstance, at a specific time:
"24 hours after the Crooked River fight, Boggs, armed with the affidavits of Marsh and Hyde plus complaints from frightened settlers describing a wholesale Mormon rebellion, ordered two thousand militiamen from five divisions into the field. . . . Then, Boggs received a message confirming an earlier report of Bogart's defeat but compounding the rumors of a massacre...this report prompted Boggs to issue his infamous 'Extermination Order' of October 27 to General John B. Clark. In effect, the order challenged Sidney Rigdon's Fourth of July address in which he defied the Gentiles and threatened a 'war of extermination.' It was more than coincidence that Boggs chose that particular word in his instruction to General Clark." ("Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God, Son of Thunder," Harold Schindler, pp. 56-58.)
"The fact that Boggs did not intend for the Mormons to be murdered en masse is made obvious by the fact that only those Mormons who were identified as leaders of the insurrection and mobbing were arrested, and the remainder were given until the following spring to leave the state. However, I *DO* acknowledge that if Smith had not surrendered his 800 or so men at Far West, then Boggs' order gave General Clark the military authority to attack them---the Mormon men, that is---but not women or children. Clark had the legal authority to have Smith and his top leaders shot under martial law, but Alexander Doniphan (Smith's lawyer) persuaded him not to do so.
"Bottom line: Boggs' order did not call for the 'extermination' of every living Mormon in Missouri. Boggs only used that terminology to counter Rigdon's threat of a 'war of extermination,' and to show the Mormons that he meant business. It ONLY applied to the Mormon militia (a.k.a. Danites) who had looted and burned non-Mormon towns and atakced the Missouri militia at Crooked River. NOT A SINGLE MORMON WAS KILLED because of Boggs' order. Even the Haun's Mill massacre was committed by an unauthorized band of militiamen who were acting as vigilantes, avenging the Danites' looting and burning of Millport, Gallatin, and Grinders' Fork; Boggs' order did not even reach Missouri militiamen until AFTER the Haun's Mill tragedy, so Boggs' order cannot be blamed for it.
"Nobody in Missouri could have used Boggs' specific-need order to wantonly kill Mormons at any time before 1976. Mormons have traveled through, and lived in Missouri ever since the 1838 trouble.
"If you want to gain a good "perspective" of what happened in Missouri, I'd suggest you read the following historical sources, for starters:
"Senate Document 189 (under construction)
"Bishop John Corrill's 'A Brief History of the Church'
"Benjamin Johnson's 'My Life's Review'
"The 'Reed Peck Manuscript]
"Ebenezer Robinson's 'The Return'
"David Whitmer's 'Address To All Believers in Christ'
"David Whitmer's 1887 letter to Joseph Smith lll
John Whitmer's 'History of the Church'
"The Church as an institution taught concepts and enacted practices that were the root causes of their troubles in Missouri. In that light, Mormon leaders "asked for" troubles which caused their followers harm.
"I have posted numerous citations from historical sources that lay out the situation, beginning with Joseph Smith's 1832 "revelation" calling for the "consecration" of the property of the "Gentiles unto those who are of the House of Israel." (Book of Commandments 44:32.) I have provided accounts of such Mormons as David Whitmer, John Whitmer, John Corrill, John Cleminson, Thomas B. Marsh, George M. Hinkle,Reed Peck, and W. W. Phelps, as well as respected, legitimate historians who have pointed to this "revelation" of Smith's as being the root of the Missouri troubles.
"The slavery issue is 'left out of this whole discussion' because it is nothing more than a smokescreen created by Mormon apologists to hide the real reasons for the Mormon troubles in Missouri. Missouri became a state in 1821--10 years before the first Mormon even settled there. Mormonism had only come into existence in 1830. Missouri was admitted as a "slave state" under the 'Missouri Compromise,' wherein every other new state was admitted to the union as a slave state.
"Slavery was an issue between Mormons and Missourians for only a few weeks in 1833, when W. W. Phelps, acting on his own, wrote an editorial in his "Evening and Morning Star" which stated:
"'Slaves are real estate in this and other states, and wisdom would dictate great care among the branches of the Church of Christ on this subject. So long as we have no special rule in the Church as to people of color, let prudence guide; and while they, as well as we, are in the hands of a merciful god, we say: shun every appearance of evil.'
"Some Missourians mistook Phelps' editorial to be an endorsement of the entry of 'free people of color' into the State, which they thought might lead to an insurrection (similar to the Nat Turner rebellion in Virginia that same year, wherein slaves rose up and killed 51 whites.)
"The misunderstanding forced Phelps to issue an immediate clarification in his next issue:
"'Our intention was not only to stop free people of color from emigrating to this state, but to prevent them from being admitted as members of the Church. Great care should be taken on this point. The saints must shun every appearance of evil. As to slaves we have nothing to say. In connection with the wonderful events of this age, much is doing towards abolishing slavery, and colonizing the blacks in Africa.
"'We often lament the situation of our sister states in the south, and we fear, lest, as has been the case, the blacks should rise and spill innocent blood: for they are ignorant, and a little may lead them to disturb the peace of society. To be short, we are opposed to have free people of color admitted into the state; and we say, that none will be admitted into the Church, for we are determined to obey the laws and constitutions of our country. . . . '
"Mormon apologists have carefully cultivated the 'slavery' angle of the Missouri period in order to make those Mormons appear as noble abolitionists, as though that was the major cause of tensions with the Missourians. That image is refuted by the following facts:
"*Phelps' original comment was his own, and not sanctioned by Church leaders
"*Phelps quickly retracted his misunderstood statement in his next edition
"*Joseph Smith himself stated "We do not believe in setting the Negroes free" and "We are not abolitionists"
"*Joseph Smith produced the "Book of Moses" and the "Book of Abraham," which have been used as the basis for discrimination against Negroes by Mormons into modern times; Negroes were not actively proselyted nor encouraged to join the LDS Church until 1978
"*Several Mormons owned slaves, including Apostle Charles C. Rich
"*The Utah Territory was slated to become the next slave state, to counter California's admittance as a free state; the Mormons' rebelliousness and refusal to end polygamy prevented Utah's admittance as a state until 1896.
"To repeat: The TRUE cause of the Mormons' troubles in Missouri was their arrogance, their anti-social behavior, and their leaders' propagation of teachings and policies which brought the wrath of the state down upon them. To repeat from a previous post on this subject:
"'The Mormons were partly responsible for causing, or at least reinforcing, the suspicions and prejudice against them. Their claims about establishing the Kingdom of God in Jackson County, that they would 'literally tread upon the ashes of the wicked after they are destroyed from off the face of the earth,' excited fears that the Mormons intended to obtain their "inheritance" by force. According to Thomas Thorp, a Clay County resident, the Mormons told local settlers that 'this country was theirs [the Mormons] by the gift of the Lord, and it was folly for them [the Missourians] to improve their lands, they would not enjoy the fruits of their labor; that it would finally fall into the hands of the saints.' In July 1832, a Mormon journal in Independence published a Joseph Smith revelation in which the Lord declared that "I will consecrate the riches of the Gentiles [non-Mormons], unto my people which are of the house of Israel."
"'The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri,' Stephen LeSueur, p. 18.)"
("Boggs' Extermination Order Never Made It Legal To Kill Mormons," RfM. by Randy Jordan 8 August 2006)
RfM poster "JoD3:360" also provides the following more reliable version of events, in "The Truth About Milk Strippings and Thomas Marsh":
"In April of 1838, Church President Joseph Smith and his first counselor Sidney Rigdon moved to Far West, which became the new Church headquarters. Although disfellowshipped, David and John Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, W.W. Phelps and other former leaders (who were known as the 'dissenters') continued to live in the County. By early June, some of the more zealous Mormons, led by Sampson Avard, formed a society which came to be known as the 'Danites.' According to Marsh, these men swore oaths to 'support the heads of the Church in all things that they say or do, whether right or wrong.' ('Document,' p. 57)
"According to Reed Peck, two of these Dacites--Jared Carter and Dimick B. Huntington--proposed at a meeting that the society should kill the dissenters. Marsh and fellow moderate, John Corrill, spoke vigorously against the motion (Peck, pp. 22-23). On the following Sunday, however, Sidney Rigdon issued his 'Salt Sermon' in which he likened the dissenters to salt that had lost its savor and was 'good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.' (Van Wagoner, p. 218). Within a week the dissenters had fled the county.
"Although he may have been concerned about these events, Marsh remained in the church until late October. According to his sworn testimony, Marsh claimed that a Mormon invasion of Daviess County and the subsequent looting and burning of non-Mormon settlements, including Gallatin, the county seat, were the acts that caused him to leave.
"Marsh stated: 'A company of about 80 of the Mormons, commanded by a man fictitiously named Captain Fearnot [David W. Patten], marched to Gallatin. They returned and said they had run off from Gallatin 20 or 30 men and had taken Gallatin, had taken one prisoner and another had joined the company. I afterwards learned from the Mormons that they had burned Gallatin, and that it was done by the aforesaid company that marched there. The Mormons informed me that they had hauled away all the goods from the store in Gallatin, and deposited them at the Bishop’s storehouses at Adam-on-diahmon' ('Document,' p. 57).
"On October 19, 1838, the day after Gallatin was burned, Thomas B. Marsh and fellow apostle Orson Hyde left the association of the Church. Marsh drafted and signed a legal affidavit against Joseph Smith on October 24, 1838, which Hyde also signed. In addition to reporting on the organization of the Danites and on the events in Daviess County, Marsh reported rumors that the Danites had set up a 'destroying company' and that 'if the people of Clay & Ray made any movement against them, this destroying company was to burn Liberty and Richmond.' He further stated his belief that Joseph Smith planned 'to take the State, and he professes to his people to intend taking the U.S. and ultimately the whole world.' ('Document,' p. 57). Marsh’s testimony added to the panic in northwestern Missouri and contributed to subsequent events in the Mormon War.
"Because a Mormon attack was believed imminent, a unit of the state militia from Ray County was dispatched to patrol the border between Ray and Mormon Caldwell County to the north. On October 25, 1838, reports reached Mormons in Far West that this state militia unit was a 'mob' and had kidnapped several Mormons. The Mormons formed an armed rescue party and attacked the militia in what became known as the Battle of Crooked River. Although only one Missourian was killed, initial reports held that half the unit had been wiped out. This attack on the state militia, coupled with the earlier expulsion of non-Mormons from Daviess County led Missouri’s governor Lilburn W. Boggs to respond with force. On 27 October he called out 2,500 state militia to put down what he perceived as a Mormon rebellion and signed what became known as the 'Extermination Order.' (Baugh, pp. 108–09)
"Marsh was excommunicated from the Church in absentia on March 17, 1839 in Quincy, Illinois. After Marsh moved to Utah and rejoined the Latter-day Saints, he looked back at his decision to leave the Church with regret. Concerning his actions in Missouri, he wrote: 'About this time I got a beam in my eye and thought I could discover a mote in Joseph’s eye, though it was nothing but a beam in my eye; I was so completely darkened that I did not think on the Savior’s injunction: ‘Thou hypocrite, why beholdest thou the mote which is in thy brother’s eye, when a beam is in thine own eye; first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, then thou shalt see clearly to get the mote out of thy brother’s eye.’
"Years later, in 1864, George A. Smith claimed in a sermon that Marsh had left the Church because of a dispute between his wife and other Mormon women over a milk cow. Although this tale has made its way into Mormon folklore, Smith’s statements are not supported by any contemporary evidence."
_____
--Historical Examination #3: Stripping Away the False Cover Story of the "Milk Strippings" Fable
"I'm no lawyer, but seeing as how Boggs was never prosecuted for issuing an illegal order, it was probably legal. As you know, Church leaders and apologists only tell the side of the story which favors the Church. The fact is that after hostilities ended and Smith, Rigdon, and several other Mormon/Danite leaders were arrested, legal depositions were taken from numerous eyewitnesses to determine guilt. You can read those depositions at
"While awaiting trial in Liberty Jail, Smith and friends bribed the jailer with $600 and a jug of whiskey to let them escape to Illinois, where they joined their followers at Nauvoo. Shortly thereafter, Smith and Rigdon traveled to Washington to plead with President Martin van Buren to grant the Mormons financial reparations for their losses in Missouri. The Church's "faith-promoting" version of that event is that van Buren told Smith "Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you." What actually happened was that van Buren reviewed the official state report of the Missouri conflict, where he learned that the Mormons had instigated the difficulties, and he refused to grant any reimbursements.
"As other posters touched on: During those few months in 1838, the population of Mormons in the area swelled from about 1,200 to 15,000. Some 400-800 Mormon men had been initiated into the secret paramilitary group known as the 'Danites.' Boggs and his government had no way of differentiating between those fanatical, militant Mormons who had sworn unquestioning obedience to Joseph Smith, and passive, non-threatening ones.
"It was the Crooked River skirmish, in which Mormon Danites attempted to free three of their brethren who had been arrested by state militiamen for burning and looting non-Mormon properties, that made Boggs fear that the Mormons' presence in the state would soon lead to all-out civil war, with hundreds or more deaths on both sides. It was that, and the affidavits of non-militant Mormon apostles Thomas Marsh and Orson Hyde, which specifically spurred Boggs to issue his extermination order.
"Seeing as how Smith had vowed to 'wage a war of blood and gore from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic,' and to 'take this state [Missouri], then the United States, then the whole world' to rule over by force, Boggs had little choice other than to order the removal of the Mormons as a group. Of course, many pacifist Mormons apostatized and stayed in Missouri, and their lives weren't threatened by Boggs' order at all.
"As for Dallin Oaks' assertion that the 'Expositor' destruction wasn't illegal--when Oaks co-authored 'Carthage Conspiracy' with Marvin Hill, he wrote that there was no legal justification for the destruction of the press. It was after he was made an apostle--which obligates one to take the Church's side in all matters--that Oaks reversed himself.
"On the Marsh incident, Gordon B. Hinckley offered the following comments in the April 1984 General Conference:
"'According to the account given by George A. Smith, while the Saints were in Far West, Missouri, 'the wife of Thomas B. Marsh, who was then President of the Twelve Apostles, and Sister Harris concluded they would exchange milk, in order to make a little larger cheese than they otherwise could. To be sure to have justice done, it was agreed that they should not save the strippings (to themselves), but that the milk and strippings should go all together. . . . Mrs. Harris, it appeared, was faithful to the agreement and carried to Mrs. Marsh the milk and strippings, but Mrs. Marsh, wishing to make some extra good cheese, saved a pint of strippings from each cow and sent Mrs. Harris the milk without the strippings. A quarrel arose, and the matter was referred to the home teachers. They found Mrs. Marsh guilty of failure to keep her agreement. She and her husband were upset and, 'an appeal was taken from the teacher to the bishop, and a regular Church trial was held. President Marsh did not consider that the bishop had done him and his lady justice for they (that is, the bishop's court) decided that the strippings were wrongfully saved, and that the woman had violated her covenant.
"'Marsh immediately took an appeal to the High Council, who investigated the question with much patience, and, "says George A. Smith, .. ."Marsh.....made a desperate defence, but the High Council finally confirmed the bishop's decision. . . . This little affair," Brother Smith continues, "kicked up a considerable breeze, and Thomas B. Marsh then declared that he would sustain the character of his wife even if he had to go to hell for it. The then President of the Twelve Apostles, the man who should have been the first to do justice and cause reparation to be made for wrong. . . . went before a magistrate and swore that the 'Mormons' were hostile towards the state of MIssouri. That affidavit brought from the government of Missouri an exterminating order, which drove some 15,000 Saints from their homes and habitations. . . . What a very small and trivial thing--a little cream over which two women quarreled. But it led to, or at least was a factor in, Governor Boggs' cruel exterminating order which drove the Saints from the state of Missouri." ("Ensign" Magazine, May 1984, p. 83.)
"Note how Hinckley asserts that the 'milk strippings' incident (if it even occurred at all) was a major factor in Marsh's defection, and the resulting Extermination Order. But were Hinckley's remarks (via George A. Smith) anywhere close to the truth? Let's compare Hinckley's assertions to the documented facts of history:
"A 'revelation' Smith produced, and published in his 1833 'Book of Commandments,' read as follows:
"'For it shall come to pass, that which I spake by the mouths of my prophets shall be fulfilled; for I will consecrate the riches of the Gentiles, unto my people which are of the house of Israel.' ("Book of Commandments," 44:32)
"In Smith's 1835 revision of the BOC, re-titled the 'Doctrine and Covenants," Smith altered this verse to read:
"'For I will consecrate of the riches of those who embrace my gospel among the Gentiles unto the poor of my people who are of the house of Israel.' (D&C 42:39.)
"David Whitmer explained why the original version of this 'revelation' had enraged Missourians against the Mormon immigrants in 1833:
"'In the spring of 1832, in Hiram, Ohio, Brothers Joseph and Sidney, and others, concluded that the revelations should be printed in a book. A few of the brethren--including myself --objected to it seriously. We told them that if the revelations were published, the world would get the books, and it would not do; that it was not the will of the Lord that the revelations should be published. But Brothers Joseph and Sidney would not listen to us, and said they were going to send them to Independence to be published. I objected to it and withstood Brothers Joseph and Sidney to the face. Brother Joseph said as follows: "Any man who objects to having these revelations published, shall have his part taken out of the Tree of Life and out of the Holy City." The Spirit of God came upon me and I prophesied to them in the name of the Lord: "That if they sent those revelations to Independence to be published in a book, the people would come upon them and tear down the printing press, and the Church would be driven out of Jackson county." Brothers Joseph and Sidney laughed at me. Early in the spring of 1833, at Independence, Mo., the revelations were printed in the Book of Commandments. Many of the books were finished and distributed among the members of the Church, and through some of the unwise brethren, the world got hold of some of them. From that time the ill-feeling toward us began to increase; and in the summer of 1833 the mob came upon us, tore down the printing press, and drove the Church out of Jackson county.' ("An Address to all Believers in Christ")
"It's obvious that Smith altered the verse which called for the 'consecration of the riches of the Gentiles unto the house of Israel' because the publication of such a policy had gotten the Mormons booted out of Jackson County. Nonetheless, he and Rigdon secretly continued their advocacy of 'consecrating the personal property of non-Mormons, as well as those of Mormon dissenters, into his 'kingdom,' and that was the ultimate cause of the Mormons' final expulsion from Missouri in 1838.
"To today's Mormons, 'consecration' means giving of their money or goods to the Church. In 1838, upon the failure of their Kirtland Bank and 'United Order,' Smith and Rigdon went to Missouri and again tried to institute an economic commune. The Missouri Mormons, who had been expelled from Jackson County in 1834, were living in relative (albeit temporary) peace in Clay County, buying land and starting farms. But the arrival of Smith and Rigdon in the spring of 1838 brought an influx of thousands more Mormons from Kirtland as well, spilling them over into 'Gentile' areas, causing new tensions. Mormon population increased from 1,200 to 15,000 in just a few months. Having been stung by the Kirtland failure, Smith and Rigdon implemented new policies that they hoped would make the new commune succeed. The policy mandated that all Mormons sign their lands over to the Church, and then the Church would lease the land back to them as 'stewardships.' The Mormons who had bought and developed their lands and farms balked at the idea---among them being Cowdery, the Whitmers, Phelps, Lyman Johnson, etc. They correctly perceived that the new 'consecration' policy was nothing more than Smith and Rigdon's latest scheme to fleece the flock. Their refusal to sign lands over to the Church prompted Rigdon's "Salt Sermon" (which was heartily endorsed by Smith), and Rigdon's resulting letter informing the dissenters that they must "depart before a more fatal calamity" befell them. While the dissenters had gone to procure legal aid to prevent Smith and Rigdon from taking their land (or their lives), the 'Danites' invaded and plundered their homes and property. So, for those Mormons, "consecration" meant having their goods taken away by force, upon the order of Church leaders.
"'A proposition was made and supported by some as being the best policy to kill these men that they would not be capable of injuring the Church. All their measures were strenuously opposed by John Corrill and T. B. Marsh one of the twelve apostles of the Church and in consequence nothing could be effected until the matter was taken up publicly BY THE PRESIDENCY the following (June 17th) in a large congregation. . . .' ("Reed Peck Manuscript")
"Thus, according to Peck, Marsh was already opposing Smith's and Rigdon's heinous policies as early as June 17--four months before Marsh swore his affidavit. That fact alone destroys the 'milk strippings' business.
"As many witnesses (including Thomas B. Marsh) testified in court, Smith's intention was to 'take this State, . . . the United States and ultimately the whole world' for his theocratic empire. The swelling Mormon population disturbed the non-Mormons, who had heard that the 'Gentiles' were to be evicted and the land become the Mormons' 'New Jerusalem.' One Missourian, William Peniston, remarked in August that the Mormons "are a set of horse thieves, liars, and counterfeiters. They'll swear a false oath on any occasion to save another Mormon. . . . [N]o property is safe in Daviess County if they continue to pour into this area." Tensions soon erupted into violence, with beatings, lootings and burnings being committed on both sides. By October, believing that they had enough manpower to 'take the state.' Smith and Rigdon then sent their 'Danite' forces to begin 'consecrating' from the 'Gentiles' as well as the dissident 'Saints,' with the loot going to support their war effort. Church historian John Whitmer reported that the Mormon leaders claimed the stealing was justified because they were the 'chosen people':
"'After they had driven us and our families, they commenced a difficulty in Daviess County, adjoining this county, in which they began to rob and burn houses, etc. etc., took honey which they, (the Mormons) call sweet oil, and hogs which they call bear, and cattle which they called buffalo. Thus they would justify themselves by saying, "We are the people of God, and all things are God's; therefore, they are ours.' (John Whitmer's "History of the Church")
"John Whitmer's remarks revealed Smith's and Rigdon's true attitude: they viewed their organization as the literal 'House of Israel,' and 'the Kingdom of God on Earth': They taught the imminent return and millenial reign of Christ, wherein all the 'enemies' of the 'true Church' would be defeated. Since, in the 'Millenium,' all things on earth would be theirs, they haughtily taught their subordinates to appropriate the property of the 'Gentiles.'
"Mormon historian Leland Gentry admits to Mormon thefts:
"'The Danites were taught to take from the Gentiles and consecrate to the Church. Nearly every person who testified at the trial against the Mormon leaders made mention of this fact. John Clemenson stated that 'it was frequently observed among the troops at Diahman that the time had come when the riches of the Gentiles should be consecrated to the Saints.' Jeremiah Myers testified that 'the consecrated property . . . was dealt out to those in need' by Bishop Vinson Knight.' ("A History of the Latter-Day Saints in Northern Missouri," pp. 385-87)
"'Danites struck at Gallatin and two other towns, Millport and Grinding Fork. The three onslaughts occurred simultaneously and had a crushing impact on the Missourians who were unaccustomed to Mormon resistance. When Captains Lyman Wight, David W. Patten, and Seymour Brunson rode into Far West at the head of their companies, the sight of wagonloads of plunder was offensive to a number of less aggressively inclined Saints. That night they gathered their families together and abandoned the settlement. Among the defectors were two of Joseph's most trusted followers, Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde, both members of the Council of Twelve Apostles. The two men fled to nearby Richmond and blurted out everything they knew." ("Orrin Porter Rockwell,' Harold Schindler, p. 54.)
"'The Mormons were two hundred and fifty men by the time they reached Daviess County. . . . The bulk of the forces went out in search of the gentile opposition. They marched through three settlements, including Gallatin, repaying the Missourians in kind, looting and firing stores, homes, and barns, before their anger spent itself. . . . When they returned with their loot, many of their own people were appalled and frightened. Thomas B. Marsh, Brigham Young's superior as President of the Twelve, let it be known that he did not approve such retaliation, and he left the Church.' ("Kingdom of the Saints", Ray B. West, p. 86.)
"'There was much mysterious conversation in camps, as to plundering, and house-burning; so much so, that I had my own notions about it; and, on one occasion, I spoke to Mr. Smith, Jr., in the house, and told him that this course of burning houses and plundering, by the Mormon troops, would ruin us; that it could not be kept hid, and would bring the force of the state upon us; that houses would be searched, and stolen property found. Smith replied to me, in a pretty rough manner, to keep still; that I should say nothing about it; that it would discourage the men. . . . I saw a great deal of plunder and bee-steads brought into camp; and I saw many persons, for many days, taking the honey out of them; I understood this property and plunder were placed into the hands of the bishop at Diahmon. . . . The general teachings of the Presidency were, that the kingdom they were setting up was a temporal kingdom, . . . that the time had come when this kingdom was to be set up by forcible means, if necessary. It was taught, that the time had come when the riches of the Gentiles were to be consecrated to the true Israel.' ("Testimony of George M. Hinkle," in "Senate Document 189".)
"'Smith replied, the time had come when he should resist all law. . . . I heard J. Smith remark, there was a store at Gallatin, and a grocery at Millport; and in the morning after the conversation between Smith and Wight about resisting the law, a plan of operations was agreed on, which was: that Captain Fearnaught, who was present, should take a company of 100 men, or more, and go to Gallatin, and take it that day; to take the goods out of Gallatin, bring them to Diahmon, and burn the store. . . . On the same day, in the evening, I saw both these companies return; the foot company had some plunder . . . '("Testimony of WW Phelps, in "Senate Document 189").
"From Marsh's own sworn legal affidavit of October 24, 1838:
"'At the request of citizens of Ray County, I make the following statement. . . . Joseph Smith, the prophet, had preached a sermon in which he said that all the Mormons who refused to take up arms, if necessary, in the difficulties with the citizens, should be shot or otherwise put to death; and as I was there with my family, I thought it most prudent to go and did go with my wagon as the driver. We marched to Adam-ondi-Ahman and found no troops or mob in Davies County . . . a company of about eighty Mormons, commanded by a man fictitiously named Captain Fearnaught [apostle and Danite David Patten], marched to Gallatin. . . . I afterwards learned from the Mormons that they had burnt Gallatin and that it was done by the aforesaid company that marched there. The Mormons informed me that they had hauled away all the goods from the store in Gallatin and deposited them at the Bishop's storehouse at Diahmon. On the same day, [apostle and Danite] Lyman Wight marched about eighty horsemen for Millport...The same evening a number of footmen came up from the direction of Millport laden with property which I was informed consisted of beds, clocks, and other household furniture. . . . During the same time, a company called the Fur Company were sent out to bring in fat hogs and cattle, calling the hogs 'bears', and the cattle "buffaloes." They have among them a company consisting of all that are considered true Mormons, called the Danites, who have taken an oath to support the heads of the Church in all things that they say or do, whether right or wrong.....The plan of said Smith, the prophet, is to take this State, and he professed to his people to intend taking the United States, and ultimately the whole world. This is the belief of the Church, and my own opinion of the prophet's plans and intentions. . . . The prophet inculcates the notion, and it is believed by every true Mormon, that Smith's prophecies are superior to the law of the land. I have heard the prophet say that he should yet tread down his enemies and walk over their dead bodies; that if he was not let alone he would be a second Mahomet to this generation, and that he would make it one gore of blood from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. . . . '
"I don't find anything about 'milk strippings' in Marsh's, or any other eyewitnesses' testimony of those events; and I have failed to find even one mention of the alleged "milk strippings" incident in any history on the subject by any reputable scholar. To the contrary, they all concur that the reason the Mormons were booted out of Missouri was because of Smith and Rigdon's haughty, belligerent attitudes and teachings; their calls for violence, their "revelations" that "justified" their followers stealing from their neighbors; and their boasts that their organization had a 'divine right' to take the state of Missouri for themselves, by any means necessary, including force.
"Late LDS author Harold Schindler recounted the series of events that caused Governor Boggs to issue his 'Extermination Order,' which came the day after the skirmish between Missouri militiamen and Mormon "Danites" at Crooked River:
"'24 hours after the Crooked River fight, Boggs, armed with the affidavits of Marsh and Hyde plus complaints from frightened settlers describing a wholesale Mormon rebellion, ordered two thousand militiamen from five divisions into the field...Then Boggs received a message confirming an earlier report of Bogart's defeat but compounding the rumors of a massacre...this report prompted Boggs to issue his infamous 'Extermination Order' of October 27 to General John B. Clark. In effect, the order challenged Sidney Rigdon's Fourth of July address in which he defied the Gentiles and threatened a 'war of extermination.' It was more than coincidence that Boggs chose that particular word in his instruction to General Clark.' ("Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God, Son of Thunder," Harold Schindler, pp. 56-58.)
"Thus we see that the major incident which spurred Boggs to issue his 'Extermination Order' was the Crooked River skirmish, wherein several men on both sides were killed. That event made Boggs realize that the Mormons would not peacefully cohabit the state with non-Mormons, and since many Mormons had taken a secret oath to obey Smith's every order, even those which called on them to commit crimes, Boggs was forced to evict all of the Mormons from the state.
"So, in view of the documented facts, can anyone honestly believe that Thomas B. Marsh's "real gripe" was a fight between two women over 'milk strippings'? And, was Gordon B. Hinckley being 'honest with his fellow man' by using George A. Smith's 'faith-promoting' version of events, rather than objectively relating the numerous testimonies of first-hand eyewitnesses and participants? Of course he wasn't. Hinckley, as well as most other LDS leaders and apologists, are not interested in relating the actual history of Mormonism; their agenda is to spin 'faith-promoting' tales that attempt to "teach a lesson," while simultaneously obfuscating the actual facts. The average rank-and-file Mormon, upon learning that the first president of the Q12 had 'apostatized,' would naturally inquire as to the reasons for his "apostasy"; and the 'milk strippings' story is propagated to conceal the actual reasons, and to provide an "object lesson" for Mormons sitting in Sunday School class.
"So, when you say that 'logic tells me that people have left the Church for more legitimate concerns' than misspelled names and 'milk strippings,' you're right; Simonds Ryder's and Thomas B. Marsh's true 'concerns' were a thousand times greater than the trivial 'faith-promoting' smokescreens dispensed by LDS Inc."
(Source: "Tom Marsh and the Milk Strippings," Randy J to Xan Du, under "Redux on Randy, Google Groups, posted 3 September 2001)
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2017 11:36PM by steve benson.