VISIT FROM A MORMON
July
12th. [1850].—Still lying by, at the entrance of the canon. A Mormon elder came
to our camp, who was a zealous follower of the Prophet of Nauvoo. He talked
loud and long. The information I obtained from him, may be summed up as
follows:
1st.
The number of Mormons in the valley, he did not know, but their settlements
extend forty-five miles to the north, and an hundred and seventy to the south
of the city.
2d.
The city is divided into nineteen Wards, in each of which a Bishop is the
presiding officer.
3d.
Plurality of wives is practiced in the city, and throughout the valley. This,
he contended, is right, according to the practice of the holy Saints of old. He
was of opinion, that about every fourth man among the Mormons has more wives
than one. He also said it was no one's business how many wives a man had, and
he did not wish to keep this part of Mormonism a secret.
4th.
He believed, without a doubt, that the Mormons will soon overthrow the present
Government of the United States and ultimately all other human governments, and
then there will be "peace on earth," and good will amongst men."
5th.
He said the Mormons pay tithes to the Church, of the tenth part of the products
of their stores, shops, fields, and flocks; and those who go to the California
mines, pay for the proceeds of their labors in the same ratio.
6th.
The largest amount of gold that any one Mormon has obtained by mining in
California in a year, is seven thousand dollars.
7th.
He expects that the Saints, as he styled the Mormons, will yet be persecuted
and driven from the obscure retreat.
8th.
He says the Mormons know they are right—other sects believe or guess they
are—but we know it! We have the witness—our doctrine is attested by prophecy,
tongues and miracles—and we, said he, shall hold fast the faith, whatever the
persecution or opposition.
9th.
He argued that the more the Mormons are persecuted and driven about, the more
rapidly the doctrine will prevail. He thought this the very means by which
Mormonism is to be spread over the whole world. Here the "Saint" took
his leave of us, and we moved on to the great Salt Lake City. (Franklin Langworthy,
Scenery of the Plains, Mountains and Mines: Narratives of the
Trans-Mississippi Frontier [1855; repr., Princeton: Princeton University
Press, 1932], 72-73)
In the context of the July 24th,
1850 (Pioneer Day) celebration in Salt Lake City:
There
was shouting, and firing of cannon, mingled with the flourish of trumpets, and
strains from the brass band. They said many hard things against the Government
and people of the United States, and heaped the most withering curses upon the
States of Missouri and Illinois. They prophesied that the total overthrow of
the United States was near at hand, and that the whole nation would soon be at
the feet of the Mormons, suing for mercy and protection. (Ibid., 80)
Further Reading:
Notes on the "Grease Spot" Prophecy