Page:History of Utah.djvu/179



HAUN'S MILL TRAGEDY. 127

ings organizing his men into companies of tens and fifties, with captains. Then he called the officers together and told them that they were to go Ibrth and spoil the gentiles; but the}^ rejected the proposal, and Arvard was cut off from the church. All the present leaders of the Mormon church deny emphat- ically the existence of any such band or society as a part of or having anything to do with their organiza- tion."^

=^'It was intended to enable him,' Smith, 'more effectually to execute his clandestine purposes.' '"Milking the gentiles" is a kind of vernacular tci-in of the ]\Iormons, and signifies the obtaining of money or property from those who are not members of the Mormon church.' Id., 272-S. 'In an ex- amination before Judge King, Samuel (Samson?) Arvard testified that the first object of the Danite band was to drive from the county of Caldwell all those who dissented from the Mormon church, in which they succeeded admir- ably. . . The prophet Joseph Smith, Jr, together with his two counsellors Hyrum Smith and Sidney Rigdou, were considered the supreme head of the church, and the Danite baud felt themselves as much bound to obey them as to obey the supreme God.' John Corrill swore: '1 think the original object of the Danite band was to operate on the dissenters; but afterwards it grew into a system to carry out the designs of the presidency, and if it was neces- sary, to use physical force to uphold the kingdom of God.' John Cleminson said: 'Whoever opposed the presidency in what they said or desired done should be expelled the county or have their lives taken.' Wm W. Phelps, for a season an apostate, testified: 'If any pei'son spoke against the j^resi- dency they would hand him over to the hands of the Brothers of Gideon.' 'The object of the meeting seemed to be to make persons confess and repent of their sms to God and the presidency.' ' Wight asked Smith, Jr, twice if it had come to the point now to resist tlie laws. Smith replied the time had come when he should resist all law.' Ferris' Utah and the 3formou.<<, 92-3. Arvard 'swore false concerning a constitution, as he said, that was introduced among the Danites, and made many other lying statements in connection therewith.' il/em. to Leg., in Greene's Facts, 32-3. Says John Corrill in his Brief History, 'A company, called the Fur Company, was raised for the pur- pose of procuring provisions, for pressing teams, and even men sometimes, into the army in Caldwell.' Reed Peck testified that small companies were sent out on various plundering expeditions; that he 'saw one of these com- panies on its return. It was called a fur company. Some had one thing, some another; one had a featherbed; another some spun yam, etc. This fur they were to take to the bishop's store, where it was to be deposited, and if they failed to do this it would be considered stealing.' Kidder's Mormonism, 147-8. Affidavit of the city council, Nauvoo: 'We do further testify that there is no such thing as a Danite society in this city, nor any combination other than the Masonic of which we have any knowledge. ' Signed by Wil- son Law, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and 10 others. Millennial Star, xix. 614. References to authorities speaking of the Danites: Maekaifs The Mor- mons, 89-90, IIG; Lees Mormonism, 57-8, 156-GO; Olshausen, Gesch. d. Morm., 48; Ferris' Utah and the Mormons, 89; Beadle's Life in Utah, 389-90; Burton's Citi/ of the Saints, 359; Smacker's Hist. Mor., 108-9; Youncfs Wife No. 19, 47-^, 268; Busch, Gesch. der Morm., 87; MarsMl's Through Am., 215-16; Hyde's Mormonism, 104-5; Bennett's Mormonism Exposed, 2G3-72; Miller's First Families, G4-5; Hichnnn's Brhjham's Destroyincj Angel; Hall's Mormon- ism, 9i-5; E. M. Webb, in Utah County Sketches, MS., 49-50, the last named referring to the rules and principles of the order of Enoch.