Joseph
Smith’s Counsel Disregarded. It will be recalled that prior
to the Battle of Crooked River, Joseph Smith had advised all of the Saints in
smaller communities to gather to the larger population centers Apparently Jacob
Haun was unwilling to abandon his property as advised, particularly in view of
that had happened in Daviess County a few weeks before. Haun went to Far West
to consult with the Mormon Prophet about the matter. The following is an
account of their meeting:
The
morning after the Battle of Crooked River, Haughn [sic] came to Far West to
consult with the Prophet concerning the policy of the removal of the settlers
on Log Creek to the fortified camps. Col. White [i.e., Wight] and myself were
standing by when the Prophet said to him: “Move in, by all means, if you wish
to save your lives.” Haughn [sic] replied that if the settlers left their
homes, all of their property would be lost and the Tentiles would burn their
houses and other buildings. The Prophet said: “You had better lose your property
than your lives; one can be replaced, the other cannot be restored; only do as
you are commanded.” Haughn [sic] said that he considered the best plan was for
all the settlers to move in and around the mill, and use the blacksmith’s shop
and other buildings as a fort in case of attack; in this way he thought they
would be perfectly safe. “You are at liberty to do so if you think best,” said
the Prophet. Haughn [sic] then departed,, well satisfied that he had carried
his point.
The
Prophet turned to Col. White [sic] and said: “That man did not come for
counsel, but to induce me to tell him to do as he pleased; which I did. Had I
commanded them to move in here and leave their property, they would have called
me a tyrant. I wish they were here for their own safety. I am confident that we
will soon learn that they have been butchered in a fearful manner. (Lee, [Mormonism
Unveiled: The Life and Confession of John D. Lee], pp. 78-79. In
later years, Joseph Smtih said: “None has ever been killed who abide my counsel.
At Haun’s Mill, the brethren went contrary to my counsel; if they had not,
their lives would have been spared.” DHC, VII, 500)
Jacob
Haun returned to the mill and reported his conversation with the Mormon
Prophet. He said that Joseph’s counsel was for the residents at the mill to
remain where they were and to defend their homes if they thought they could; if
they thought they could not, they were to come to Far West. David Lewis, a resident
at the mill, wrote:
We,
being deceived by our messenger whose name and Jacob Hawn [sic], the owner of
the mill, . . . we thought from the way the thing was represented that it would
be like cowards [for us] to leave and not try to maintain it. . . . We did not
know that it was Joseph’s decided council [sic] for us to do so . . . (David
Lewis, private journal, filed in the Utah State Historical Library, Salt Lake
City, no pages nor dates)
To
protect against the actualization of mob threats, the Mormon men at Haun’s Mill
took turns standing guard through the night. This duty was performed several
times prior to the actual attack. (Littlefield, [Reminisces of Latter-day
Saints], p. 66. This account is from John Hammer, whose father, Austin, was
killed in the massacre which followed Some of the older men, however, doubted
the wisdom of trying to defend the mill. The matter was agitated for some time.
The following describes their deliberation:
Some
of the older men urged that no resistance should be made, but that all should
retreat to Far West. . . . Others at the mill opposed a retreat and when an old
man named Myers reminded them how few they were and how many the Gentiles
numbered, they declared that the Almighty would send his angels to help when
the day of battle should come. Some of the women, too, urged the men to stand
firm and offered to mold bullets and prepare patching for the rifles if
necessary. (Reburn S. Holcombe, “The Haun’s Mill Massacre,” St. Louis
Globe-Democrat [October 6, 1887], n.p. Holcombe wrote under the pen name of
“Burr Joyce.”
Eventually the decision was made to remain at the mill. (Leland Homer Gentry, “A History of the Latter-day
Saints in Northern Missouri From 1836 to 1839” [PhD thesis; BYU, June 1965], 289-90)
Further Reading: