MORE MORMON.

NZ Truth, Issue 119, 28 September 1907, Page 6

MORE MORMON.

THE MORRISITE MURDERS. Cowardly Conduct of Major-General Burton. " I Will Try Your God !"

The battle of tKe Mormons m the columns of Brisbane "Truth," between Messrs Barkus and Nasti, still continues., Barkus' latest is as follows :—

Re the "Morrisite Murders," you recently published a very interesting account from the writings of Mrs Stenhouse. Mr J. F. Nash made an effort to answer this, and gave your readers a rehasy of the "Brighamite" side of the story, leaving out all the facts which tended to incriminate the "Brighamite Church." At San Francisco m 1886, George S. Dove,, an eye witness and a participant m the affair, after having heard the "lying evidence" given by some of the "Brighamites"* (at the trial of "Major-General Burton") published a full account of the murders.] He writes : —

After the camp was formed on Weber River, there was a lot of excitement, m consequence of the persecution of Joseph Morris by the authorities of "the Brighamite Church." John Taylor and Wilford WoodruE, two of the Brighamite Apostles, visited the camp and endeavored to I PERSUADE THE PEOPLE to return to the church. Some of the people were frightened by the threatening language used, but the great majority refused to take any notice of them. For this they were "cut off" from the church. Then began a more active persecution. In April, 1862, a few of the camp were sent to the mills m "Kay's Ward"- with wheat to be ground infy) flour, but a party of "armed Brighamites" intercepted them, and took from them the teams loaded with the wheat. The men who had been m charge of the teams went back to the camp and reported to their leaders, who, knowins: that there was no possibility of getting justice, decided to take the law into their own hands. They sent 25 men to "Kay's Ward" and captured the men who had taken their teams and wheat, and carried them prisoners to the camp. This enraged the authorities of the church, who were really at the back of the whole business, and on the advice of Brigham Young, a petition was filed before Justice Kinney setting forth "that the men captured were kept by the Morrisites m close confinement, heavily ironed," and on this false information a warrant was issued

FOR THE ARREST of 'Joseph Morris, John Banks, Richard Cook, John Parson, and Peter Klemgard. An officer visited the camp, and the warrant was read to all except Joseph Morris, who was absent. The men told the officer that they should pay no regard to the warrant. The officer departed with-, out his prisoners* We were informed afterwards that a second warrant was issued, but we heard nothing of it. We got word from some of our friends that the authorities of the church were working Justice Kjnney for all he was worth to get acting Governor Fuller to call out the militia, and send them to wipe us nasty apostates out.-

On the morning of June 13, 1862, Robert T. Burton, with the -.Mormon militia, made his appearance on the hills around Weber. They hesitated about coming into the camp, so they sent a boy belonging to the camp with a note ordering us to surrender, within thirty minutes, the five men mentioned m the writ, which had been served previous to this time. We were under the impression that if we surrendered those men that the warrant called for, that the Mormons would injure them before arriving at the Courthouse m Salt Lake City, there-? fore no immediate reply was

SENT TO BURTON. At this juncture a meeting of the Saints was called to deliberate upon the condition of affairs and receive instruction. While the Saints assembled were engaged m. religious services m a bowery composed of willows and green branches supported by posts, a cannon ball came m our midst, and it killed two women, one a nursing mother with a babe m her arms, and the other an old lady. A girl of sixteen years of age had her chin shattered by the same shot. The yells of the attacking party were heard all around us. For an hour and a half after they had commenced firing not a man m the camp of , Weber took up arms, while the Mormon militia poured m cannon and rifle shot on every side. Then the men said, "What shall we do?'" and the word was given, "Protect your families the best way you can, but avoid shedding blood if possible." Only flO men m one camp carried arms, while Burton started from Salt Lake with 250 men, and that number was about doubled by the time he arrived m Weber. They poured shot and shell into the camp for

THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS, from Friday moraine; until Sunday evening, June .15. They sent to Salt Lake for rockets to lire the camp, but they could not use them, for it rained very heavily on Saturday. Sunday, the 15th, was a very line day, but a very sad day for us. We had been almost without food and were weary, and our ammunition was . exhausted. Late m the afternoon the bugle sounded m the. fort, and a white flag was raised and carried by Alonzo Brown to tho western part of the fort. The order to do this was given by Brother John Parson and others, who stated to Joseph Morris that they thought the men had done all they could, and that they were willing to surrender, and give their lives lor the sake of the people if necessary. Orders were given to cease firing. While the white flag was being carried to the western part of the fort. Burton and his men continued to advance towards us, firing all the time.

John Parson called out : "For God's sake and the sake of humanity, stop your firing !"

Then Burton and many of Iris men rushed into thr fort and ordered the Morrisites to stack arms, which was tlott.e by. them .wit-bout besiiatioiii Af-

ter they had done this, Burton called out for Joseph Morris, John Banks Richard Cook, John Parson and Peter Klemgard. When they PRESENTED THEMSELVES before him, he said, "I want no more of your apostacy. I don't know hpw. you have escaped as well as you have done. I have fired over five thousand rounds of cartridges into you, and a hundred cannon balls, besides some shell." Then he said to 'Joseph Morris : "Are you willing to give up ?" as if he had not already surrendered. He was so overcome with rage that he tried to ride Joseph down with ihis powerful horse, but Joseph step;ng quietly forward, took hold of the bridle rein with each hand, and sent the horse back upon his haunches.

Then he returned to the people and said : "I have taught you righteous principles from heaven. All those who are willing to follow me to the death come this way." The general cry was "Here I am," with the exception of about twenty persons, who formed a group by themselves and said they could stand it no longer. Then Joseph stepped to the western part of the fort opposite the schoolhouse. Robert Burton, m company with some others, rode up to him there, and commanded him to "surrender m the ,name'of the Lord 'Jesus Christ, and by the authority of the United States." Brother ; Joseph STOOD FIRMLY, and looking up to Burton, replied : "Never, no, never." Then Burton said, "I will try your God," and he fired five shots at him. At the fifth shot Joseph reeled, and was caught m the arms of a man by the name of John Eames, who laid him down gently on the ground. . Such was the earthly end of Joseph Morris, but he still lives m the hearts of those who his teachings.

A young woman named Isabella Bowman, holding m her arms the babe of the mother who had been killed by the first cannon-ball fired into the camp, stepped forward and said : "You blood-thirsty, hell-hound, why do you shoot at that good man?" Burton took deliberate aim at her and shot her dead. Mrs O'Hagg was shot at the same time. At this time John Banks was standing near the steps of the schcolhouse, when one of the mob stepped behind him and shot him m the back of the neck, but he did not die until that night. After this we were encamped on the South .Bench and put under a strong guard until the following morning. whe%we were marched to Salt Lake City. We arrived there after a MARCH OF TWO DAYS, and. were brought before Judge Kin'ney, m the courthouse. When we appeared before the Judge, he said : "I have been misinformed about you, men. You were represented to me as a banditti of low, degraded men— robbers and thieves— but I see before me a class of intelligent men. quite different to what was represented to me. On the strength of the representations that were made to me, I granted a writ to the Mormon militia to arrest and bring before me Joseph Morris. John Banks. Richard Cook, John Parson, and Peter Klemgard. I . see that I have been completely misinformed." We were then bound over, furnishing bonds for each other to keen the peace, on a bail' of 1500 dollars each, for our nnnp^rance m the court the following March. The majority aDpeared for trial, but some few went East, and others went West to Carson Valley and California. At the March session of the court the names wero called. and the trial proceeded. Many witnesses were there to testify. Seven men were sentenced to terms of 'imprisonment, varying from seven to FOURTEEN YEARS. Their names were Pefer 0. Flemgard, John E. Jones, Abraham Taylor, George Lee. Christian Nelsen, Jens Christensen. and John Nielson. But they only servpd sevon days nf their term for Brother John Person exerted himself vigorously to obtain from the Governor a Pardon for them and succeeded m canine fo. ThPv .■were 7)a.Honed by Hnvcrnor S. S. Harding. March 31. 1863.

T again. Mr Editor. submit. to your readers as the wav and wherefore of these muriipv, the words of Bri^ham Yoimr. "Will T -pu lovo ronr brothers anil sister.", likewise when the*- have committed r» sin ibat cannot; be atoned for without the :»hed'•ina: of their blood ? Win love the man or womon well en ouch to shed their blood ? T have knov.-r> a frreat ip-iht men rrho have left 1 his church" for whom thorp is 710 channe TP-hp.t^v^r for oxaltatlo^. hij-;- -f n,r-v Mr.oc? bnd -een snilled H would hare been better f™ - then." J. W. BARK US. T;r.minc:'ton-Tcnd. Coorparoo. Brisbane.