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David W. Kilbourne to Rev. T. Dent, December 28, 1843

By John W. Welch and Brooke R. LeFevre
book cover
Views from the Iowa Side of the Mississippi River
Page 239

Source Note

David W. Kilbourne, Letter, Fort Madison, Lee Co., Iowa Territory, to Thomas Dent, England, December 28, 1843. David W. Kilbourne Papers, 1818–1914, Special Collections, State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines.

Historical Introduction

Two significant sources of conflict between the Latter-day Saints and their antagonists, especially during the more volatile years of 1843 and 1844, were the political power exercised by the Saints and plural marriage. With Nauvoo’s liberal city charter and Joseph Smith’s successful uses of habeas corpus to avoid extradition attempts,1 along with Latter-day Saints’ tendency to vote as a block, outsiders became wary of the seemingly unopposable political power of the Saints. When the Anti-Mormon political party was formed in Hancock County, Illinois, they singled out political power as one of the primary aspects that they were opposing; “In standing up as we do to oppose the influence which these people have obtained and are likely to obtain, in a political capacity, over our fellow citizens and their liberties, we are guided only by a desire to defend ourselves against a despotism, the extent and consequences of which we have no means of ascertaining.”2

While Joseph Smith began practicing plural marriage in Nauvoo in earnest during 1842, the practice was not publicly known for quite some time. One significant work which brought the practice to the public’s eye was The History of the Saints; or, An Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism by John C. Bennett, published in 1842. While the book did draw heavily on William Harris’s book, Mormonism Exposed, which had been published in 1841, he did give many details about what he called the “spiritual wife” system.3

Kilbourne is in line with other Latter-day Saint antagonists in criticizing Joseph Smith and the Church on these two aspects.

Document Transcript

Upper Mississippi River
Fort Madison Lee County Iowa
Dec 28th 1843

Revd T. Dent
incumbent of Langho
In Blackburn near Whalley
Lancashire England

My dear Sir

Your much esteemed favor of August last was recd by an [illegible] of mail & perused with great pleasure

Joe & his Saints at Nauvoo proceed about as usual. Since I last wrote you Joe has near twice arrested in Ill on a requisition from the Gov. of Mo; but has always continued to have a hearing be for the Municipal Court of Nauvoo & has of course always been discharged.

When he is arrested the political demagogy of both parties rally around him & offer their services & on application for a change of Venue the Judge ever anxious to show his influence politically sends him on towards Nauvoo to the judge of the sixth circuit & that judge in turn grants another change—consequently Joe soon preaches upon his own swing will & defies the world. Thus it was when last arrested some [of] them 200 miles from Nauvoo. This took place just before the state election in August last. And on the strength of favor, then shown a man has been Elected to the Congress of the United States.4

Joe had a revelation that they must all vote for Mr. Hoge & they did so.5

There is nothing particularly new in his history—he continues to send his preachers throughout the land & when his dupes arrive at Nauvoo to swindle them of their all. He occasionally puts forth a new revelation—one is that it is right & proper to have in addition to the woman to which they are legally married as many other women as they please—with whom they cohabit. These are called spiritual wives—Joe practices largely in this system, as also his Elders. When any of their withers fancy a woman married or single, Joe sets her apart by revelation to the man who selects her as his victim. In this way many a family is broken up. This is no fiction, not if it is known to be true & practised there extensively. The last revelation is that they must all be married again for eternity in accordance with this Joe has recently been ordained to his wife for eternity. He says that as there is no man giving or giving in marriage in Heaven that all since who have heretofore been married in the usual way for time only & desire that connection in Eternity, must be married again expressly for Eternity. In accordance with this revelation many have been so married.6

Joe has been for some months past keeping publick house—I mean a common tavern for the entertainment of travelers.7

He has recently added to his establishment a Bar where he keeps all kind of Liquor, & retails it out by the glass—in other words, this Prophet keeps what we call a rum Doggery.

He continues to practice all his other fooleries as usual. A quite many continue to arrive there and many learn the society.

Joe often abuses Rigdon in his public lectures when Rigdon is present. He said in presence of the whole congregation of Saints not long since that Rigdon was a thief & swindler & that he wants no such men about him.

Rigdon was present & got up & plead like a whipped dog.

Joe says those things to show R That he has power over him.8

Rigdon is broken down some & exerts no influence there. I believe I mentioned to you in a former letter that I had in my family two orphan girls by the name of Cope from England. They are still with us—one 13 & the other 11 years old. We send them to a good school. We would like to know what their family expect to do for the following is their Grand Father’s address on their mother’s side.

John Thame

at George Ocklestors

Levonshulme

Near Manchestor

Lancashire England

If you should so happen to be in that neighborhood be so kind as to inquire after the old man & let him know that you have heard of the man who has the children.

I would be glad to know something of the situation of their relations.

I have used one short letter from the old man & have written to him twice.

I am now residing in this place twelve miles above Montrose.

I have never met either any of the English people named in your letter.

I am dear Sir

Yours with service Esteemed

D. W. K.

Notes

1. See Jeffrey N. Walker, “Invoking Habeas Corpus in Missouri and Illinois,” in Sustaining the Law: Joseph Smith’s Legal Encounters, ed. Gorden A. Madsen, Jeffrey N. Walker, and John W. Welch (BYU Studies, 2014), 357–400.

2. Thomas Gregg, History of Hancock County, Illinois (Chicago, 1880), 277.

3. William O. Nelson, “Anti-Mormon Publications,” in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, ed. Daniel H. Ludlow, 4 vols. (Macmillan, 1992), 1:47.

4. For more on attempts to arrest and extradite Joseph Smith and the efforts that Smith and others in Nauvoo took to prevent this, see John S. Dinger, “Joseph Smith and the Development of Habeas Corpus in Nauvoo, 1841–44,” Journal of Mormon History 36, no. 3 (2010): 135–71.

5. In 1843, Joseph Smith promised to vote for Whig candidate Cyrus Walker for the state legislature as a way of thanking him for his legal help in defending Smith against Missouri’s extradition orders. However, on August 6, 1843, Smith gave a sermon in which he stated his intent to still vote for Walker himself, but added, “Hyrum tells me this morning that he has had a testimony to the effect that it would be better for the people to vote for [Joseph] Hoge; and I never knew Hyrum to say he ever had a revelation and it failed.” The Democratic ticket carried at the election. See Steven C. Harper, “‘Dictated by Christ’: Joseph Smith and the Politics of Revelation,” Journal of the Early Republic 26, no. 2 (2006): 299–300; “Discourse, 6 August 1843, as Reported by Willard Richards,” [35], Joseph Smith Papers, Church Historian’s Press, accessed August 6, 2019, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/discourse-6-august-1843-as-reported-by-willard-richards/4.

6. Joseph Smith began practicing plural marriage during 1842. Smith secretly taught the practice to others, usually other Church leaders, and many others practiced plural marriage during the Nauvoo years, although the practice was never publicly acknowledged. John C. Bennett’s expose accused Smith of a similar practice, but “spiritual wifery” is usually the name given to Bennett’s own version of plural marriage in which he used his position in the Church to convince women to have sexual relationships with him, claiming it was Smith’s will. For an extensive work on Smith’s plural marriages, see Brian C. Hales, Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: History, 3 vols. (Greg Kofford Books, 2013). Here, Kilbourne seems to be summarizing what John C. Bennett had written in The History of the Saints; or, An Expose of Joe Smith and Mormonism (Boston, 1842), 223–24.

7. Kilbourne is most likely referencing the Nauvoo House, which was a hotel built as part of instructions given on through a revelation on January 19, 1841. For more see Glen M. Leonard, Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, a People of Promise (Deseret Book; Brigham Young University Press, 2002), 143, 235–36.

8. The relationship between Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon became especially tense in April of 1842, when Joseph Smith reportedly tried to convince Nancy, Rigdon’s daughter, to become one of his plural wives. Nancy refused, and Rigdon, who was not part of the small group privy to the practice, was placed in a difficult position. During the next months, Nancy’s reputation was both slandered and defended by members of the Church, and Rigdon tried to both defend his daughter and create peace with Smith. However, in early 1843, their relationship became further complicated. Smith had been trying to remove Rigdon from his position as postmaster when on January 10, 1843, Rigdon received a letter from John C. Bennett regarding Bennett’s plan to arrest Smith. Rigdon shared the letter with Orson Pratt, who shared the letter with Smith, and Smith took this as evidence that Rigdon had been conspiring against him. During February and March, the relationship was tempestuous, but it seemed healed by the Church conference on April 6, 1843. However, by August, Smith suspected Rigdon’s involvement in another extradition attempt and proceeded to excommunicate Rigdon. Rigdon obtained evidence that he was not involved and asked for pardon. The Church decided to postpone his hearing until the October conference. That conference is likely the event which Kilbourne is referencing. During his hearing, Rigdon denied and defended himself against the accusations made by Smith. On the third day of the conference, Rigdon concluded his appeal with an emotional plea to Smith in which he stated, through tears, that he was willing to resign from the First Presidency but that doing so would cause him much sorrow. The Warsaw Signal reported of the meeting that Rigdon “cried for mercy like a whipped puppy,” which is likely how Kilbourne knew of the meeting since he used a similar phrase to describe Rigdon. Following this conference, the relationship between Smith and Rigdon was apparently repaired. See Richard S. Van Wagoner, Sidney Rigdon: A Portrait of Religious Excess (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1994), 290–325.