BY ELDER B. H. ROBERTS.
Author of "Outlines of Ecclesiastical History," "A New Witness forGod,"
"The Rise and Fall of Nauvoo," "The Gospel," "Succession
in thePresidency," etc.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH:
GEORGE Q. CANNON & SONS CO., PUBLISHERS,
1900.
My chief purpose in publishing this book, and the one which willimmediately follow—"The Rise and Fall of Nauvoo"—is to place in thehands of the youth of the Latter-day Saints a full statement of thepersecutions endured by the early members of The Church in this lastdispensation, in the States of Missouri and Illinois, that they may bemade acquainted with the sacrifices which their fathers have made forthe word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. And I indulge thehope that by becoming acquainted with the story of the suffering of theearly saints, the faith of the Gospel will become all the more dear tothe hearts of their immediate posterity and all the youth of Zion formany generations to come.
I think without depreciating at all any other narrative of these eventsin our Church literature, I may claim that the story of the MissouriPersecutions in these pages is told more thoroughly than in any otherof our present publications. This arises from the fact that this bookdeals with but a brief period in the history of The Church—from 1830to 1838—and therefore admits of such a consideration of details ascould not possibly be given to that period in any general history ofThe Church. This detailed treatment of the subject, in the opinion ofthe author, is justified because of the very important events whichthe treatise covers, and also for the reason that it is a periodof our history which has been very much misrepresented, upon whichmisrepresentations false accusations are made against The Church andits leaders to this day. Those who have thought themselves called uponto oppose, if not to persecute, The Church in later years, frequentlyattempt to justify their present opposition by insinuating that TheChurch was driven from Missouri and Illinois for other reasons thanadherence to an unpopular religion. The impression is sought to becreated that it was for some overt acts against the State or Nationalgovernment, or for some offense against the spirit of Americaninstitutions, or because The Church leaders "were determined to be alaw unto themselves," in disregard of the rights of others.
It is, in part, to correct these false statements, and guard our youthagainst the influence of such calumnious insinuations, that I tell thisstory of the Missouri Persecutions; not that the history in these pagesis written for the purpose of glozing over the defects in the characterof the early members of The Church, or to claim for them absolutefreedom from errors in judgment, or actual sinfulness in conduct. Ihave not written what may be called "argumentative history," only sofar as a statement of the truth may be considered an argument. Afterthese pages are read I feel sure that no one will be able to accuse meof failing to point out the errors of the early members of The Church;indeed, I have been careful to call attention to the complaints whichthe Lord made against their conduct; the reproofs of his inspiredservants; and the repeated warnings sent to them by the Prophet JosephSmith concerning the results of their conduct if there was not a speedyrepentance.
In Appendices will be found accounts of these same persecutions astold by writers of Missouri history. I quote these extracts from the"History of Jackson County," published by the Union HistoricalCompany of Kansas City, Missouri, 1881; the "History of Clay County,"published by the National