Source Note
David W. Kilbourne, Letter, Montrose, Lee Co., Iowa Territory, to Thomas Dent, England, February 24, 1843. David W. Kilbourne Papers, 1818–1914, Special Collections, State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines.
Historical Introduction
In a letter Joseph Smith wrote and published in the Times and Seasons on January 1, 1842, he declared, “We care not a fig for a Whig or Democrat: they are both alike to us; but we shall go for our friends, our tried friends, and the cause of human liberty which is the cause of God.”1 Hancock County, Illinois, had been almost equally divided between Whigs and Democrats when the Saints first began settling there, and both parties had courted the “Mormon vote.” However, as the Latter-day Saint population increased in Nauvoo, so did their political power, and many of their neighbors began to be wary of or fear the influence of the Saints. When the Saints failed to follow party-line politics, opponents of the Saints from both Whig and Democrat parties joined together to create the Anti-Mormon party.2
The political power of the Saints had been and would continue to be something that antagonists of the Church feared and fought against. Ultimately, Joseph Smith’s political power may have been a significant factor that led his opponents to instigate actions that led to his martyrdom.3
Document Transcript
Upper Mississippi River
Montrose Lee County
Iowa Territory
February 24th 1843
Revd T. Dent
Incumbent of Laugho.
Near Blackburn near Whalley
England
Dear Sir
Your esteemed favor of Dec 9th per last mail & read with great interest. I have never been able to obtain the Mormon book of covenants. I have seen a copy—it is made up entirely of revelations given to Joe & others.
I have two or three copies of the book of Mormonism to which you allude, by Harris & shall with pleasure send you one copy, together with two Nos. of the “Times & Seasons” which may be a curiosity to you.4
I am acquainted with Wm. Harris he is a man of intelligence & piety—a preacher of the Methodist persuasion. He joined the Mormons at a distance from Kirtland, their then place of gathering; but soon after he went to reside among them he became convinced from the iniquity of the conduct of the leaders of their base designs. He is an interesting lecturer & spends most of his time exposing the Mormon swindle. Professor Turner of the Illinois College published some time since a work which is very highly commended entitled “Mormonism in All Ages”.5 This I shall forward to you as soon as I can get a copy. There is one other work exposing Mormons which I am desirous that you shall have—that is John C. Bennett’s expose very recently published. Bennett withdrew from the Church about August last—up to that time he was Mayor of Nauvoo—Commander of the Nauvoo Legion & Joe’s right hand. His withdrawal & expose created great excitement among the Mormons as well as the Gentiles.6
My brother E[dward] is spending the winter in New York city & I shall write him to forward you a copy if he can obtain one there. His book exposes Joe’s iniquitous conduct more fully than any other work.
I have not much respect for Bennett as a man but so far as I am acquainted he has stated facts & I believe that his statements may be relied on.7
Joe went to Springfield the Capital of Illinois some three or four months since & surrendered himself to the Governor at the requisition from Missouri—he was taken on a writ of Habeas Corpus & had a hearing before a Judge Pope—who decided that he was not a fugitive from justice inasmuch as he was not in the State of Missouri when Gov. Boggs was shot—he was accordingly discharged.8
Were it not for Political Considerations this Villain would not be safe a moment; but for shame be it said he is courted & flattered by politicians. This much he expected so long as he continues to control so many votes.
Just before the last election he issued his proclamation at Nauvoo ordered all the Saints to vote for Ford for Governor & out of about Twelve hundred votes cast at Nauvoo all but five were for Ford. This shows how absolutely he controls his dupes; why should he not when they believe he is the Prophet of the Lord?9
The requisition for Joe is still in force on this side he does not appear here at all. I think from all the circumstances connected with the Boggs tragedy—that this is no reasonable ground to doubt that Joe hired a man named Rockwell to murder him, Boggs.
That “flaming accounts” from Nauvoo are made up by the leaders for the dupes to copy—letters intercepted etc. I do not doubt Rigdon is the P[ost]M[aster] at Nauvoo in fine nothing you can imagine in the dark catalogue of crimes but which these “Latter day Saints” (Devils as the people here call them) are capable of committing.
They are arrogant, Ignorant, Vicing, Intemperate—Profane almost to a man—cruel—Dishonest, blasphemous. You seem to have formed very correct ideas of the character of the leaders & the community generally, & yet you can form but a faint idea of their vileness nor can any man—till he shall live awhile where they have the ascendency.
I am sometimes almost afraid to state all the facts relating to these proceedings for fear my veracity will be called in Question.
Orson Hide has retired to Nauvoo. He preached on this side last sabbath & again today. A Mormon from Nauvoo told me the other day that Hide has in his possession the identical penny which was presented to Christ when he [illegible] said “Whose image superscription is this” that he obtained while in a foreign country.
This Hide has twice abandoned the Mormons. The last time about three years ago in Missouri—where he came out & corroborated the statements made against the Mormons.
I was much amazed with your “Query-profit” & now I will relate an anecdote of Joe—a little more than a year ago—he was swaggering about on this side with his loaded rifle & had been drinking pretty often, said he was here on this side to get out of the way of the Sheriff. I happened to come in contact with him when I told him of some things he did not like to hear a crowd of Mormons immediately gathered round—when I began to expose his swindling schemes—he turned, walked off & called the crowd after him & entered a sogery (some shop) invited them all to drink; told them that he could drink them all drunk—at last he called up a man a Mr. Burtis—not a Mormon & invited him to drink. Mr. B. told him he would drink with him believing him to be a “profit”—spelling to him the word. Yes said Joe you are right I am a “profit” spelling the word himself.10
This mans shop is Kept by one of Joe’s Mormon Elders—Joe left the shop & got into his skiff to cross the river so drunk that he could scarcely stand & went off shouting & screeching like other drunken vagabonds.11
1. “Letter to Friends in Illinois, 20 December 1841,” 651, Joseph Smith Papers, Church Historian’s Press, accessed August 5, 2019, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/letter-to-friends-in-illinois-20-december-1841/1.
2. Craig J. Ostler & Brooke R. LeFevre, “Missing Competitor: The Influence of the Demise of Nauvoo’s Mormon Community on Warsaw, Illinois,” John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 28, no. 2 (2018): 24–45.
3. Steven C. Harper, “‘Dictated by Christ’: Joseph Smith and the Politics of Revelation,” Journal of the Early Republic 26, no. 2 (2006): 275–304; Dallin H. Oaks and Marvin S. Hill, Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith (University of Illinois Press, 1975).
4. The book which David Kilbourne is likely referencing here is by William Harris entitled Mormonism Portrayed: Its Errors and Absurdities Exposed and the Spirit and Designs of Its Authors Made Manifest (Warsaw, Ill., 1841), https://archive.org/details/GR_1796. Harris, the author, was a well-known anti-Mormon lecturer who had stopped and given a lecture in Montrose on September 1, 1841, and was accosted by an angry crowd of supposed Latter-day Saints, who also vandalized Kilbourne’s store on the same occasion. “Mormonism at Montrose,” Warsaw (Ill.) Signal, September 22, 1841.
5. Jonathan Baldwin Turner, Mormonism in All Ages, or, The Rise, Progress, and Causes of Mormonism: with the Biography of Its Author and Founder, Joseph Smith, Junior (New York, 1842), https://archive.org/details/mormonisminalla00turn/page/n6.
6. John C. Bennett, The History of the Saints; or, An Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism (New York, 1842) https://archive.org/details/historysaints00benngoog/page/n10.
7. On July 15, 1842, when Edward Kilbourne was present at a meeting in Nauvoo to address rumors that had circulated that he and his brother, David, were conspiring with John C. Bennett to bring a mob to Nauvoo, Kilbourne refuted the rumor. He also made the comment, “I always regarded Bennett the same as I regard you (Joseph) and thought you were pretty well matched.” While this comment did not appear to cause contention in the meeting, it is likely that Kilbourne was insinuating his dislike for both Smith, which is clear in his letters, and Bennett. “Account of Meeting, 15 July 1842,” 128, Joseph Smith Papers, Church Historian’s Press, accessed August 1, 2019, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/account-of-meeting-15-july-1842/2.
8. For more information on this event, see John S. Dinger, “Joseph Smith and the Development of Habeas Corpus in Nauvoo, 1841–1844,” Journal of Mormon History 36, no. 3 (2010): 158–62; “Journal, December 1842–June 1844; Book 1, 21 December 1842–10 March 1843,” 4, Joseph Smith Papers, accessed August 5, 2019, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-december-1842-june-1844-book-1-21-december-1842-10-march-1843/10.
9. Nauvoo’s vote did indeed help elect Thomas Ford as governor. For more information on how Joseph Smith used his position as a prophet to influence politics, see Harper, “‘Dictated by Christ,’” 275–304.
10. Thomas Sharp, in the Warsaw Signal, also accused Joseph Smith and the Saints of drinking in Montrose even when they would not allow drinking in Nauvoo; “It is true that the Saints do not get drunk at home, but they have only to cross the river to Montrose, and there they can revel to their heart’s content in spiritual luxuries.” “Temperance Among the Mormons,” Warsaw Signal, July 14, 1841.
11. Again, this story is without any corroboration. Perhaps Kilbourne believed that he could attribute such negative behavior to Joseph Smith, knowing that know one in England would be able to refute these scurrilous allegations.
