In the month of May, [June] A. D. 1844, the new press was put in operation, and the prospectus and first number of a newspaper published under the title of the "Nauvoo Expositor." It contained a series of charges against Joseph Smith, and the leading men in the church, including bigamy, adultery, larceny, counterfeiting, &c. —
In reply to this, the '' Nauvoo Neighbor," a newspaper printed under the direction and control of the Prophet, charged the dissenters from the Mormon faith with the same crimes, and sustained many of the charges by the publication of numerous affidavits, made, without doubt, by the Prophet's standing witnesses. Each appeared determined to out-do the other in the promulgation of slander and abuse, with which, according to their own stories, each had long possessed a knowledge of. If either were guilty of half they were accused of, the gallows had long been defrauded of its just dues, and earth was teeming with the base, the vile, and the bloodstained.
But while the surrounding Country was suffering by and remonstrating against the perpetration of these crimes, and charging them justly upon the Mormons, they with one united voice echoed the cry of "Persecution for Righteousness' sake." Then was it that the old adage was fully proved, that when "rogues fall out honest men get their dues." Upon the issue of the first number of the "Expositor," the Prophet and his adherents determined to at once silence them by the destruction of the press, and the total annihilation of the office.
The subject was brought before the City Council, and many inflamatory speeches were made, in most of which the members of the said Council participated. Smith, the Prophet, told them "that the time had come to strike the blow! That God no longer required them to submit to the oppression of their enemies, and that he should vote for the destruction of the press; that it was a nuisance, and he should order it destroyed as such!"
Hiram Smith spoke in substance the same as his brother, and also denounced in unmeasured terms. Sharp, [was] the editor of the Warsaw Signal. He [Hyrum] said "he would give any man five hundred dollars who would go into the Signal office with a sledge and demolish the press. That it should be done at all hazards, even if it took his farm to pay for it!"
Upon calling for the vote, eleven voted for, and one against, declaring the Expositor a nuisance, and immediate measures were taken for carrying the ordinance for its destruction into effect. —
This dissenting vote was a Mr. [Benjamin] Warring[ton], and the only anti-[non] Mormon in the Council, and little was he regarded by the hot headed ones who were bent on destruction.
The City Marshall, acting under the orders of the Council, raised a force of several hundred men, headed by Gen. [Jonathan] Dunham of the Nauvoo legion, armed with clubs, &c., and proceeded to the printing office. Meeting with no resistance,
they entered the office, look the blank paper and other materials and burned them in the streets, pied the type, and taking the press into the street, broke it into pieces with hammers. This done, they repaired to the house of the Prophet who addressed them in terms of praise, applauding them for their, services, and telling them that they had but done their duty and upheld the law. In return he was loudly cheered by the mob, after which they quietly and immediately dispersed. Some of the leaders, however, remained and congratulated each other upon their success, and the downfall of the power of their enemies. Foremost among them was the Marshall, who thus addressed the Prophet:
"General, this is the happiest hour of my life!" 'Thank you, my good fellow,'' was the reply," you have done well, done your duty, and shall be rewarded for it."
This outrage upon the public press helped to fan the flame already kindled against the Mormon outlaws, by their repeated depredations upon the citizens of the surrounding country, and plainly foreshadowed the storm that was to burst with startling fury.
The dissenting Mormons at once united with those opposed to that sect, and various meetings were called, and all parties urged to arm and prepare themselves to resist any further aggression; to be ready at all hazards to protect themselves and meet the worst.
Warrants were issued against the Smiths, and other leaders, in the destruction of the printing office of the Expositor, and though served by the proper officers, they refused to obey the mandates of the law, and laughed at its power!
As in all former cases, the writ of Habeas Corpus was resorted to, and all the arrested at once set at liberty and discharged from arrest; the same persons that were arrested acting as officers of the Courts that discharged them! Thus effectually defeating the ends of justice, and compelling the officer to return to Carthage without a single prisoner!
This mock administration of law, added new fuel to the flame. The public being convinced that Nauvoo was the headquarters of nearly all the marauders who were preying upon the surrounding community, together with the full belief that the Mormon leaders were privy to their depredations, and the resistance and defeat of justice, now became enraged, and determined to rise in their might and enforce the law, even though it should be at the point of the bayonet or sabre. Determined to rid themselves of the harpies that were gnawing at their very vitals, and if need be, rid themselves of the whole Mormon population. Thoroughly aroused and conscious not only of their power but also the justice of their cause, they fearlessly avowed their purposes, and though still defying, the most secret recesses of Mormondom trembled in view of the bursting of the tempest they had raised, but could not avert. (Edward Bonney, The Banditti of the Prairies: Or, The Murderer’s Doom, A Tale of The Mississippi Valley: An Authentic Narrative of Thrilling Adventures In The Early Settlement Of the Western Country”, 1855, Philadelphia, T.B. Peterson and Brothers, pp. 19-21, Online here, accessed February 2, 2015).
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