_______________________________________________________________
 |
 |  The text of the Nauvoo Expositor
 |
 |  1) Transcribed by Marshall Hamilton 2/21/96 (@
 |  http://homepage.mac.com/jhjenkins/LDS/expositr.txt)
 |  2) Proofread, corrected and added some additional material
 |  from the original by Leif Erlingsson 2004-08-15, from
 |  Reprint of Original 1844 Ed., Utah Lighthouse Ministry.
 |
 |
 |  [Page 1]
 |
 |  [Masthead--columns 2-5]
 |
 |                       NAUVOO EXPOSITOR.
 |     THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.
 |     Vol. 1  Nauvoo, Illinois, Friday, June 7, 1844  No. 1
 |
 |  [Column 1]
 |
 |                     THE 'NAUVOO EXPOSITOR'
 |  Is published on Friday of each week, and furnished to
 |  subscribers on the following
 |                             TERMS:
 |       $2 00 per annum, in advance,
 |       $2 50 at the expiration  of six months,
 |       $3 00 at the end of the year.
 |  Six copies will be forwarded to one address for Ten Dollars
 |  in advance;
 |  Thirteen copies for Twenty Dollars, &c.
 |                        ADVERTISEMENTS.
 |       For One Square, or under,          $1 00
 |       For each continuance,               0 50
 |       A liberal deduction made to yearly advertisers.
 |
 |                          PUBLISHERS.
 |  WILLIAM LAW, WILSON LAW, CHARLES IVINS, FRANCIS M. HIGBEE,
 |  CHAUNCEY L. HIGBEE, ROBERT D. FOSTER, CHARLES A. FOSTER.
 |
 |
 |                            POETRY.
 |
 |               THE LAST MAN. BY THOMAS CAMPBELL.
 |
 |  [8-stanza poem follows.]
 |
 |
 |                         Miscellaneous.
 |
 |                            ADELINE;
 |                              OR,
 |                       The Two Suitors.
 |
 |  [Fictional story follows, occupying bottom of first column,
 |  and all of columns 2 and 3. No LDS content.]
 |
 |  [Column 4]
 |
 |  ["Adeline" concludes.]
 |
 |       The Sick Chamber. [This brief article describes what's
 |  good about being sick. Really.]
 |
 |
 |  [Column 5]
 |
 |  ["The Sick Chamber" concludes.]
 |
 |       "Better Laugh than cry." [This article offers advice on
 |  having a positive attitude.]
 |
 |
 |       We give place this week to the following Preamble,
 |  Resolutions and Affidavits, of the Seceders from the Church
 |  at Nauvoo.--The request is complied with on account of their
 |  deeming it very important that the public should know the
 |  true cause of their dissenting, as all manner of falsehood
 |  is spread abroad in relation to the schism in the Church.
 |  In our subsequent numbers several affidavits will be
 |  published, to substantiate the facts alleged.  Hereafter, no
 |  further Church proceedings will appear in our columns,
 |  except in the form of brief communications.--ED.
 |
 |
 |                           PREAMBLE.
 |
 |       IT is with the greatest solicitude for the salvation of
 |  the Human Family, and of our own souls, that we have this
 |  day assembled.  Feign would we have slumbered, and "like the
 |  Dove that covers and conceals the arrow that is preying upon
 |  its vitals," for the sake of avoiding the furious and
 |  turbulent storm of persecution which will gather, soon to
 |  burst upon our heads, have covered and concealed that which,
 |  for a season, has been brooding among the ruins of our
 |  peace: but we rely upon the arm of Jehovah, the Supreme
 |  Arbiter of the world, to whom we this day, and upon this
 |  occasion, appeal for the rectitude of our intentions.
 |       If that God who gave bounds to the mighty deep, and
 |  bade the ocean cease--if that God who organized the physical
 |  world, and gave infinity to space, be our front guard and
 |  our rear ward, it is futile and vain for man to raise his
 |  puny arm against us.  God will inspire his ministers with
 |  courage and with understanding to consummate his purposes,
 |  and if it is necessary, he can snatch them from the fiery
 |  furnace, or the Lion's den as he did anciently the three
 |  Hebrews from the former, and Daniel from the latter.
 |       As for our acquaintance with the Church of Jesus Christ
 |  of Latter Day Saints, we know, no man or set of men can be
 |  more thoroughly acquainted with its rise, its organization,
 |  and its
 |
 |  [Column 6]
 |
 |  history, than we have every reason to believe we are.  We
 |  all verily believe, and many of us know of a surety, that
 |  the religion of the Latter Day Saints, as originally taught
 |  by Joseph Smith, which is contained in the Old and New
 |  Testaments, Book of Covenants, and Book of Mormon, is verily
 |  true; and that the pure principles set forth in those books,
 |  are the immutable and eternal principles of Heaven, and
 |  speaks a language which, when spoken in truth and virtue,
 |  sinks deep into the heart of every honest man.--Its precepts
 |  are invigorating, and in every sense of the word, tend to
 |  dignify and ennoble man's conceptions of God and his
 |  atributes.  It speaks a language which is heard amidst the
 |  roar of Artillery, as well as in the silence of midnight: it
 |  speaks a language understood by the incarcerated spirit, as
 |  well as he who is unfettered and free; yet to those who will
 |  not see, it is dark, mysterious, and secret as the grave.
 |       We believe that all men, professing to be the ministers
 |  of God, should keep steadily in view, the honor and glory of
 |  God, the salvation of souls and the amelioration of man's
 |  condition: and among their cardinal virtues ought to be
 |  found those of faith, hope, virtue and charity; but with
 |  Joseph Smith, and many other official characters in the
 |  Church, they are words without any meanings attached--words
 |  as ornaments; exotics nurtured for display; virtues which,
 |  throwing aside the existence of a God, the peace, happiness,
 |  welfare, and good order of society, require that they should
 |  be preserved pure, immaculate and uncorroded.
 |       We most solemnly and sincerely declare, God this day
 |  being witness of the truth and sincerity of our designs and
 |  statements, that happy will it be with those who examine and
 |  scan Joseph Smith's pretensions to righteousness; and take
 |  counsel of human affairs, and of the experience of times
 |  gone by.  Do not yield up tranquilly a superiority to that
 |  man which the reasonableness of past events, and the laws of
 |  our country declare to be pernicious and diabolical.  We
 |  hope many items of doctrine, as now taught, some of which,
 |  however, are taught secretly, and denied openly, (which we
 |  know positively is the case,) and others publicly,
 |  considerate men will treat with contempt; for we declare
 |  them heretical and damnable in their influence, though they
 |  find many devotees.  How shall he, who has drank of the
 |  poisonous draft, teach virtue?  In the stead thereof, when
 |  the criminal ought to plead guilty to the court, the court
 |  is obliged to plead guilty to the criminal.  We appeal to
 |  humanity and ask, what shall we do?  Shall we lie supinely
 |  and suffer ourselves to be metamorphosed into beasts by the
 |  Syren tongue?  We answer that our country and our God
 |  require that we should rectify the tree.  We have called
 |  upon him to repent, and as soon as he shewed fruits meet for
 |  repentance, we stood ready to seize him by the hand of
 |  fellowship, and throw around him the mantle of protection;
 |  for it is the salvation of souls we desire, and not our own
 |  aggrandizement.
 |       We are earnestly seeking to explode the vicious
 |  principles of Joseph Smith, and those who practice the same
 |  abominations and whoredoms; which we verily know are not
 |  accordant and consonant with the principles of Jesus Christ
 |  and the Apostles; and for that purpose, and with that end in
 |  view, with an eye single to the glory of God, we have dared
 |  to gird on the armor, and with god at our head, we most
 |  solemnly and sincerely declare that the sword of truth shall
 |  not depart from the thigh, nor the buckler from the arm,
 |  until we can enjoy those glorious privileges which nature's
 |  God and our country's laws have guarantied to us--freedom of
 |  speech, the liberty of the press, and the right to worship
 |  God as seemeth us good.--We are aware, however, that we are
 |  hazarding every earthly blessing, particularly property, and
 |  probably life itself, in striking this blow at tyranny and
 |  oppression: yet notwithstanding, we most solemnly declare
 |  that no man, or set of men combined, shall, with impunity,
 |  violate obligations as sacred as many which have been
 |  violated, unless reason, justice and virtue have become
 |  ashamed and sought the haunts of the grave, though our lives
 |  be the forfeiture.
 |       Many of us have sought a reformation in the church,
 |  without a public exposition of the enormities of crimes
 |  practiced by its leaders, thinking that if they would
 |  hearken to counsel, and shew fruit meet for repentance, it
 |  would be as acceptable with God, as though they were exposed
 |  to public gaze,
 |       "For the private path, the secret acts of men,
 |       If noble, far the noblest of their lives."
 |  but our petitions were treated with contempt; and in many
 |  cases the petitioner spurned from their presence, and
 |  particularly by Joseph, who would state that if he had
 |  sinned, and was guilty of the charges we would charge
 |
 |  [Page 2]
 |
 |  [Column 1]
 |
 |  him with, he would not make acknowledgment, but would rather
 |  be damned; for it would detract from his dignity, and would
 |  consequently ruin and prove the overthrow of the Church.  We
 |  would ask him on the other hand, if the overthrow of the
 |  Church was not inevitable, to which he often replies, that
 |  we would all go to Hell together, and convert it into a
 |  heaven, by casting the Devil out; and says he, Hell is by no
 |  means the place this world of fools suppose it to be, but on
 |  the contrary, it is quite an agreeable place; to which we
 |  would now reply, he can enjoy it if he is determined not to
 |  desist from his evil ways; but as for us, and ours, we will
 |  serve the Lord our God!
 |       It is absurd for men to assert that all is well, while
 |  wicked and corrupt men are seeking our destruction, by a
 |  perversion of sacred things; for all is not well, while
 |  whordoms and all manner of abominations are practiced under
 |  the cloak of religion.  Lo! the wolf is in the fold, arrayed
 |  in sheep's clothing, and is spreading death and devastation
 |  among the saints: and we say to the watchmen standing upon
 |  the walls, cry aloud and spare not, for the day of the Lord
 |  is at hand--a day cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to
 |  lay the land desolate.
 |       It is a notorious fact, that many females in foreign
 |  climes, and in countries to us unknown, even in the most
 |  distant regions of the Eastern hemisphere, have been
 |  induced, by the sound of the gospel, to forsake friends, and
 |  embark upon a voyage across waters that lie stretched over
 |  the greater portion of the globe, as they supposed, to
 |  glorify God, that they might thereby stand acquitted in the
 |  great day of God Almighty.  But what is taught them on their
 |  arrival at this place?--They are visited by some of the
 |  Strikers, for we know not what else to call them, and are
 |  requested to hold on and be faithful, for there are great
 |  blessings awaiting the righteous; and that God has great
 |  mysteries in store for those who love the Lord, and cling to
 |  brother Joseph.  They are also notified that brother Joseph
 |  will see them soon, and reveal the mysteries of Heaven to
 |  their full understanding, which seldom fails to inspire them
 |  with new confidence in the Prophet, as well as a great
 |  anxiety to know what God has laid up in store for them, in
 |  return for the great sacrifice of father and mother, of gold
 |  and silver, which they gladly left far behind, that they
 |  might be gathered into the fold, and numbered among the
 |  chosen of God.--They are visited again, and what is the
 |  result?  They are requested to meet brother Joseph , or some
 |  of the Twelve, at some insulated point, or at some
 |  particularly described place on the bank of the Mississippi,
 |  or at some room, which wears upon its front--Positively NO
 |  admittance. The harmless, inoffensive, and unsuspecting
 |  creatures, are so devoted to the Prophet, and the cause of
 |  Jesus Christ, that they do not dream of the deep-laid and
 |  fatal scheme which prostrates happiness, and renders death
 |  itself desirable, but they meet him, expecting to receive
 |  through him a blessing, and learn the will of the Lord
 |  concerning them, and what awaits the faithful follower of
 |  Joseph, the Apostle and Prophet of God, when in the stead
 |  thereof, they are told, after having been sworn in one of
 |  the most solemn manners, to never divulge what is revealed
 |  to them, with a penalty of death attached, that God Almighty
 |  has revealed it to him, that she should be his (Joseph's)
 |  Spiritual wife; for it was right anciently, and God will
 |  tolerate it again: but we must keep those pleasures and
 |  blessings from the world, for until there is a change in the
 |  government, we will endanger ourselves by practicing it--but
 |  we can enjoy the blessings of Jacob, David, and others, as
 |  well as to be deprived of them, if we do not expose
 |  ourselves to the law of the land.  She is thunder-struck,
 |  faints, recovers, and refuses.  The Prophet damns her if she
 |  rejects.  She thinks of the great sacrifice, and of the many
 |  thousand miles she has traveled over sea and land, that she
 |  might save her soul from pending ruin, and replies, God's
 |  will be done, and not mine.  The Prophet and his devotees in
 |  this way are gratified.  The next step to avoid public
 |  exposition from the common course of things, they are sent
 |  away for a time, until all is well; after which they return,
 |  as from a long visit.  Those whom no power or influence
 |  could seduce, except that which is wielded by some
 |  individual feigning to be a God, must realize the remarks of
 |  an able writer, when he says, "if woman's feelings are
 |  turned to ministers of sorrow, where shall she look for
 |  consolation?"  Her lot is to be wooed and won; her heart is
 |  like some fortress that has been captured, sacked abandoned,
 |  and left desolate.  With her, the desire of the heart has
 |  failed--the great charm of existence is at an end; she
 |  neglects all the cheerful exercises of life which gladen the
 |  spirits, quicken the pulses, and send the tide of life in
 |  healthful currents through the veins.  Her rest is broken.
 |  The sweet refreshment of sleep is poison-
 |
 |  [Column 2]
 |
 |  ed by melancholy dreams; dry sorrow drinks her blood, until
 |  her enfeebled frame sinks under the slightest external
 |  injury.  Look for her after a little while, and you find
 |  friendship weeping over her untimely grave; and wondering
 |  that one who but so recently glowed with all the radiance of
 |  health and beauty, should so speedily be brought down to
 |  darkness and despair, you will be told of some wintry chill,
 |  of some casual indisposition that laid her low!  But no one
 |  knows of the mental malady that previously sapped her
 |  strength, and made her so easy a pray to the spoiler.  She
 |  is like some tender tree, the pride and beauty of the
 |  grove--graceful in its form, bright in its foliage, but with
 |  the worm praying at its heart; we find it withered when it
 |  should be most luxuriant.  We see it drooping its branches
 |  to the earth, and shedding leaf by leaf until wasted and
 |  perished away, it falls in the stillness of the forest; and
 |  as we muse over the beautiful ruin, we strive in vain to
 |  recollect the blast or thunder-bolt that could have smitten
 |  it with decay.  But no one knows the cause except the foul
 |  fiend who perpetrated the diabolical deed.
 |       Our hearts have mourned and bled at the wretched and
 |  miserable condition of females in this place; many orphans
 |  have been the victims of misery and wretchedness, through
 |  the influence that has been exerted over them, under the
 |  cloak of religion and afterwards, in consequence of that
 |  jealous disposition which predominates over the minds of
 |  some, have been turned upon a wide world, fatherless and
 |  motherless, destitute of friends and fortune; and robbed of
 |  that which nothing but death can restore.
 |        Men solace themselves by saying the facts slumber in
 |  the dark caverns of midnight.  But Lo! it is sudden day, and
 |  the dark deeds of foul fiends shall be exposed from the
 |  house-tops.  A departed spirit, once the resident of St.
 |  Louis, shall yet cry aloud for vengeance.
 |       It is difficult--perhaps impossible--to describe the
 |  wretchedness of females in this place, without wounding the
 |  feelings of the benevolent, or shocking the delicacy of the
 |  refined; but the truth shall come to the world. The remedy
 |  can never be applied, unless the disease is known.  The
 |  sympathy, ever anxious to relieve, cannot be felt before the
 |  misery is seen.--The charity that kindles at the tale of wo,
 |  can never act with adequate efficeiency, till it is made to
 |  see the pollution and guilt of men, now buried in the
 |  death-shades of heathenism.--Shall we then, however painful
 |  the sight, shrink from the contemplation of their real
 |  state?  We answer, we will not, if permitted to live.  As we
 |  have before stated, it is the vicious principles of men we
 |  are determined to explode.  It is not that we have any
 |  private feelings to gratify, or any private pique to settle,
 |  that has induced us to be thus plain; for we can respect and
 |  love the criminal, if there is any hope of reformation: but
 |  there is a point beyond which forbearance ceases to be a
 |  virtue.
 |       The next important item which presents itself for our
 |  consideration, is the attempt at Political power and
 |  influence, which we verily believe to be preposterous and
 |  absurd.  We believe it is inconsistent, and not in
 |  accordance with the christian religion.  We do not believe
 |  that God ever raised up a Prophet to christianize a world by
 |  political schemes and intrigue.  It is not the way God
 |  captivates the heart of the unbeliever; but on the contrary,
 |  by preaching truth n its own native simplicity, and in its
 |  own original purity, unadorned with anything except its own
 |  indigenous beauties.  Joseph may plead he has been injured,
 |  abused, and his petitions treated with contempt by the
 |  general government, and that he only desires an influence of
 |  a political character that will warrant him redress of
 |  grievances; but we care not--the faithful followers of Jesus
 |  must bear in this age as well as Christ and the Apostles did
 |  anciently; although a frowning world may have crushed him to
 |  the dust; although unpitying friends may have passed him by;
 |  although hope, the great comforter in affliction, may have
 |  burst forth and fled from his troubled bosom; yet, in Jesus
 |  there is a balsom for every wound, and a cordial to assuage
 |  an agonized mind.
 |       Among the many items of false doctrine that are taught
 |  the Church, is the doctrine of many Gods, one of the most
 |  direful in its effects that has characterized the world for
 |  many centuries.  We know not what to call it other than
 |  blasphemy, for it is most unquestionably, speaking of God in
 |  an impious and irreverent manner.--It is contended that
 |  there are innumerable Gods as much above the God that
 |  presides over this universe, as he is above us; and if he
 |  varies from the law unto which he is subjected, he, with all
 |  his creatures, will be cast down as was Lucifer; thus
 |  holding forth a doctrine which is effectually calculated to
 |  sap the very foundation of our faith: and now, O Lord! shall
 |  we set still and be silent, while thy name is thus
 |  blasphemed, and thine
 |
 |  [Column 3]
 |
 |  honor, power and glory, brought into disrepute. See Isaiah c
 |  43, v 10; 44, 6-8; 45, 5, 6, 21, 22; and book of Covenants,
 |  page 26 and 39.
 |       In the dark ages of Popery, when bigotry, superstition,
 |  and tyranny held universal sway over the empire of reason,
 |  there was some semblance of justice in the inquisitorial
 |  deliberations, which, however, might have been dictated by
 |  prudence, or the fear of consequences: but we are no longer
 |  forced to appeal to those states that are now situated under
 |  the influence of Popery for examples of injustice, cruelty
 |  and oppression--we can appeal to the acts of the
 |  inquisitorial department organized in Nauvoo, by Joseph and
 |  his accomplices, for specimens of injustice of the most
 |  pernicious and diabolical character that ever stained the
 |  pages of the historian.
 |       It was in Rome, and about the twelfth century, when
 |  Pope Innocent III, ordered father Dominic to excite the
 |  Catholic princes and people to extirpate heretics.  But it
 |  is in this enlightened and intelligent nineteenth century,
 |  and in Nauvoo--a place professing to be the nucleus of the
 |  world, that Joseph Smith has established an inquisition,
 |  which, if it is suffered to exist, will prove more
 |  formidable and terrible to those who are found opposing the
 |  iniquities of Joseph and his associates, than even the
 |  Spanish inquisition did to heretics as they termed them.
 |       On thursday evening, the 18th of April, there was a
 |  council called, unknown to the Church, which tried,
 |  condemned, and cut off brothers Wm. Law, Wilson Law, and
 |  sister Law, (Wm's. wife,) brother R.D. Foster, and one
 |  brother Smith, with whom we are unacquainted; which we
 |  contend is contrary to the book of Doctrine and Covenants,
 |  for our law condemnest no man untill he is heard.  We abhor
 |  and protest against any council or tribunal in this Church,
 |  which will not suffer the accused to stand in its midst and
 |  plead their own cause.  If an Agrippa would suffer a Paul,
 |  whose eloquence surpassed, as it were, the eloquence of men,
 |  to stand before him, and plead his own cause, why should
 |  Joseph, with others, refuse to hear individuals in their own
 |  defence?--We answer, it is because the court fears the
 |  atrocity of its crimes will be exposed to public gaze.  We
 |  wish the public to thoroughly understand the nature of this
 |  court, and judge of the legality of its acts as seemeth them
 |  good.
 |       On Monday, the 15th of April, brother R.D. Foster had a
 |  notice served on him to appear before the High Council on
 |  Saturday following, the 20th, and answer to charges
 |  preferred against him by Joseph Smith.  On Saturday, while
 |  Mr. Foster was preparing to take his witnesses, 41 in
 |  number, to the council-room, that he might make good his
 |  charges against Joseph, president Marks notified him that
 |  the trial had been on Thursday evening, before the 15th, and
 |  that he was cut off from the Church; and that same council
 |  cut off the brother Laws', sister Law, and brother Smith,
 |  and all without their knowledge.  They were not notified,
 |  neither did they dream of any such thing being done, for
 |  William Law had sent Joseph and some of the Twelve, special
 |  word that he desired an investigation before the Church in
 |  General Conference, on the 6th of Ap'l.  The court, however,
 |  was a tribunal possessing no power to try Wm. Law, who was
 |  called by special Revelation, to stand as counsellor to the
 |  President of the Church, (Joseph,) which was twice ratified
 |  by General Conferences, assembled at Nauvoo, for Brigham
 |  Young, one of the Twelve, presided, whose duty it was not,
 |  but the President of the High Council.--See Book of Doctrine
 |  and Covenants, page 87.
 |
 |
 |                          RESOLUTIONS.
 |
 |       Resolved 1st, that we will not encourage the acts of
 |  any court in this church, for the trial of any of its
 |  members, which will not suffer the accused to be present and
 |  plead their own cause; we therefore declare our decided
 |  disapprobation to the course pursued last Thursday evening,
 |  (the 18th inst,) in the case of William and Wilson Law, and
 |  Mrs. William Law, and R.D. Foster, as being unjust and
 |  unauthorized by the laws of the Church, and consequently
 |  null and void; for our law judgeth no man unless he be
 |  heard; and to all those who approbate a course so
 |  unwarranted unprecedented and so unjust, we would say beware
 |  lest the unjust measure you meet to your brethren, be again
 |  meeted out to you.
 |       Resolved 2nd, Inasmuch  as we have for years borne with
 |  the individual follies and iniquities of Joseph Smith, Hyrum
 |  Smith, and many other official characters in the Church of
 |  Jesus Christ, (conceiving it a duty incumbent upon us so to
 |  bear,) and having labored with them repeatedly with all
 |  Christian love, meekness and humility, yet to no effect,
 |  feel as if forbearance has ceased to be a virtue, and hope
 |  of reformation vain; and inasmuch as they have introduced
 |  false and damnable doctrines into the Church, such as a
 |  plurality of Gods above the God of this universe, and his
 |  liability to fall with all his creations; the plurality of
 |  wives, for time and eternity, the doctrine of unconditional
 |  sealing up to eternal life, against all crimes except that
 |  of sheding innocent blood, by a perversion of their priestly
 |  authority, and thereby forfeiting the holy priesthood,
 |  according to the word of Jesus: "If a man abide not in me,
 |  he is cast forth as a branch and is withered, and men gather
 |  them and cast them into the fire, and they are burn-
 |
 |  [Column 4]
 |
 |  ed," St. John, xv. 6.  "Whosoever transgresseth and abideth
 |  not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God, he that abideth
 |  in the doctrine of Christ, hath both the Father and the Son;
 |  if there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine,
 |  receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed,
 |  for he that bideth him God speed is a partaker of his evil
 |  deeds;" we therefore are constrained to denounce them as
 |  apostates from the pure and holy doctrines of Jesus Christ.
 |       Resolved, 3rd, That we disapprobate and discountenance
 |  every attempt to unite church and state; and that we further
 |  believe the effort now being made by Joseph Smith for
 |  political power and influence, is not commendable in the
 |  sight of God.
 |       Resolved 4th, That the hostile spirit and conduct
 |  manifested by Joseph Smith, and many of his associates
 |  towards Missouri, and others inimical to his purposes, are
 |  decidedly at variance with the true spirit of Christianity,
 |  and should not be encouraged by any people, much less by
 |  those professing to be the ministers of the gospel of peace.
 |       Resolved 5th,  That while we disapprobate malicious
 |  persecutions and prosecutions, we hold that all church
 |  members are alike amenable to the laws of the land; and that
 |  we further discountenance any chicanery to screen them from
 |  the just demands of the same.
 |       Resolved 6th,  That we consider the religious influence
 |  exercised in financial concerns by Joseph Smtih, as unjust
 |  as it is unwarranted, for the Book of Doctrine and Covenants
 |  makes it the duty of the Bishop to take charge of the
 |  financial affairs of the Church, and of all temporal matters
 |  pertaining to the same.
 |       Resolved 7th,  That we discountenance and disapprobate
 |  the attendance at houses of revelling and dancing;
 |  dram-shops and theatres; verily believing they have a
 |  tendency to lead from paths of virtue and holiness, to those
 |  of vice and debauchery.
 |       Resolved 8th, That we look upon the pure and holy
 |  doctrines set forth in the Scriptures of Divine truth, as
 |  being the immutable doctrines of salvation; and he who
 |  abideth in them shall be saved, and he who abideth not in
 |  them can not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
 |       Resolved 9th, That we consider the gathering in hasted,
 |  and by sacrifice, to be contrary to the will of God; and
 |  that it has been taught by Joseph Smith and others for the
 |  purpose of enabling them to sell property at most
 |  exhorbitant prices, not regarding the welfare of the Church,
 |  but through their covetousness reducing those who had the
 |  means to give employment to the poor, to the necessity of
 |  seeking labor for themselves; and thus the wealth which is
 |  brought into the place is swallowed up by the one great
 |  throat, from whence there is no return, which if it had been
 |  economically disbursed amongst the whole would have rendered
 |  all comfortable.
 |       Resolved 10th, That notwithstanding our extensive
 |  acquaintance with the financial affairs of the Church, we do
 |  not know of any property which in reality belongs to the
 |  Church (Except the Temple) and we therefore consider the
 |  injunction laid upon the saints compelling them to purchase
 |  property of the Trustee in trust for the Church, is a
 |  deception practiced upon them: and that we look upon the
 |  sending of special agents abroad to collect funds for the
 |  Temple and other purposes as a humbug practiced upon the
 |  saints by Joseph and others, to aggrandize themselves, as we
 |  do not believe that the monies and property so collected,
 |  have been applied as the donors expected, but have been used
 |  for speculative purposes, by Joseph, to gull the saints the
 |  better on their arrival at Nauvoo, by buying the lands in
 |  the vicinity and selling again to them at tenfold advance;
 |  and further that we verily believe the appropriations said
 |  to have been subscribed by shares for the building of the
 |  Nauvoo House to have been used by J.Smith and Lyman Wight,
 |  for other purposes, as out of the mass of stock already
 |  taken, the building is far from being finished even to the
 |  base.
 |       Resolved 11th, That we consider all secret societies,
 |  and combinations under penal oaths and obligations,
 |  (professing to be organized for religious purposes,) to be
 |  anti-Christian, hypocritical and corrupt.
 |       Resolved 12th, That we will not acknowledge any man as
 |  king or law-giver to the church; for Christ is our only king
 |  and law-giver.
 |       Resolved 13th, That we call upon the honest in heart,
 |  in the Church, and throughout the world, to vindicate the
 |  pure doctrines of Jesus Christ, whether set forth in the
 |  Bible, Book of Mormon, of Book of Covenants; and we hereby
 |  withdraw the hand of fellowship, from all those who practice
 |  or teach doctrines contrary to the above, until they cease
 |  so to do, and show works meet for repentance.
 |       Resolved 14th, That we hereby notify all those holding
 |  licences to preach the gospel, who know they are guilty of
 |  teaching the doctrine of other Gods above the God of this
 |  creation; the plurality of wives; the unconditional sealing
 |  up against all crimes, save that of sheding innocent blood;
 |  the spoiling of  the gentiles, and all other doctrines, (so
 |  called) which are contrary to the laws of God, or to the
 |  laws of our country, to cease preaching, and to come and
 |  make satisfaction, and have their licences renewed.
 |       Resolved 15th, That in all our controversies in defence
 |  of truth and righteousness, the weapons of our warfare are
 |  not carnal but mighty through God, to the pulling down of
 |  the strong holds of Satan; that our strifes are not against
 |  flesh, blood, nor bones; but against principalities and
 |  power against spiritual wickedness in high places and
 |  therefore we will not use carnal weapons save in our own
 |  defence.
 |
 |
 |                          AFFIDAVITS.
 |
 |       I hereby certify that Hyrum Smith did, (in his office,)
 |  read to me a certain written document, which he said was a
 |  revelation from God, he said that he was with Joseph when it
 |  was received.  He afterwards gave me the document to read,
 |  and I took it to my house, and read it, and showed it to my
 |  wife, and returned it next day.  the revelation (so called)
 |  authorized certain men to have more wives than one at a
 |  time, in this world and in the world to come.  It said this
 |  was the law, and commanded Joseph to enter into the
 |  law.--And also that he should administer to others.  Several
 |  other items were in the revelation, supporting the above
 |  doctrines.
 |                                                   WM. LAW.
 |
 |  [Column 5]
 |
 |  State of Illinois,           /            I Robert D.
 |  Hancock County               /            Foster, certify
 |  that the above certificate was sworn to before me, as true
 |  in substance, this fourth day of May A.D. 1844.
 |                                     ROBERT D. FOSTER, J.P.
 |
 |
 |       I certify that I read the revelation referred to in the
 |  above affidavit of my husband, it sustained in strong terms
 |  the doctrine of more wives than one at a time, in this
 |  world, and in the next, it authorized some to have to the
 |  number of ten, and set forth that those women who would not
 |  allow their husbands to have more wives than one who should
 |  be under condemnation before God.
 |                                                  JANE LAW.
 |
 |       Sworn and subscribed before me this fourth day of May,
 |  A. D. 1844.
 |                                     ROBERT D. FOSTER, J.P.
 |
 |
 |  To all whom it may Concern:
 |       Forasmuch as the public mind hath been much agitated by
 |  a course of procedure in the Church of Jesus Christ of
 |  Latter Day Saints, by a number of persons declaring against
 |  certain doctrines and practices therein, (among whom I am
 |  one,) it is but meet that I should give my reasons, at least
 |  in part, as a cause that hath led me to declare myself.  In
 |  the latter part of the summer, 1843, the Patriarch, Hyrum
 |  Smith, did in the High Council, of which I was a member,
 |  introduce what he said was a revelation given through the
 |  Prophet; that the said Hyrum Smith did essay to read the
 |  said revelation in the said Council, that according to his
 |  reading there was contained the following doctrines; 1st,
 |  the sealing up of persons to eternal life, against all sins,
 |  save that of sheding innocent blood or of consenting
 |  thereto; 2nd, the doctrine of a plurality of wives, or
 |  marrying virgins; that "David and Solomon had many wives,
 |  yet in this they sinned not save in the matter of Uriah.
 |  This revelation with other evidence, that the aforesaid
 |  heresies were taught and practiced in the Church; determined
 |  me to leave the office of first counsellor to the president
 |  of the Church at Nauvoo, inasmuch as I dared not to teach or
 |  administer such laws.  And further deponent saith not.
 |                                             AUSTIN COWLES.
 |
 |  State of Illinois,           /  ss.        To all whom
 |  Hancock County,              /             it may concern
 |  I hereby certify that the above certificate was sworn and
 |  subscribed before me, this fourth day of May, 1844.
 |                                     ROBERT D. FOSTER, J.P.
 |
 |
 |                         THE EXPOSITOR.
 |
 |                     FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 1844.
 |
 |                   SYLVESTER EMMONS, EDITOR.
 |
 |                         INTRODUCTORY.
 |
 |       In greeting our patrons with the first number of the
 |  Expositor, a remark is necessary for the expression of some
 |  views, and certain principles by which we intend to be
 |  governed in our editorial duties. Many questions and
 |  surmises are made by those who suppose we will come in
 |  conflict with some of their darling schemes of
 |  self-aggrandisement.  Others, more honest, desire to know
 |  whether our object is to advocate any particular religious
 |  tenets, or any favorite measures of either of the political
 |  parties of the country.  To all such questions we answer in
 |  the negative.  Free toleration in religious sentiments, we
 |  deem compatible with the organization of our government, and
 |  should not be abridged.  On the other hand, we believe
 |  religious despotism to be incompatible with our free
 |  institutions.  What we conceive to be despotism, engendered
 |  by an assumption of power in the name of religion, we shall
 |  have occasion to show hereafter.  In relation to politics,
 |  whatever our own views may be upon the federal measures that
 |  now, or may, hereafter agitate the country, the Expositor
 |  will not be the exponent thereof; and all the strife and
 |  party zeal of the two great antagonistical parties for the
 |  success of their respective candidates for the Presidency,
 |  we shall remain neutral, and in an editorial capacity,
 |  inactive.  Another party, however, has sprung up in our
 |  midst, the leader of which, it would seem, expects, by a
 |  flourish of Quixotic chivalry, to take, by storm, the
 |  Presidential chair, and distribute among his faithful
 |  supporters, the office of governor in all the different
 |  States, for the purpose, we presume, of more effectually
 |  consolidating the government.  This party we may be disposed
 |  to treat with a little levity, and nothing more.  As it
 |  respects the local questions which may arise in our own
 |  county, and the candidates for the legislature from this
 |  county, we reserve the right to expatiate upon the
 |  respective claims--not on account of their politics--be they
 |  whig or democrat, but on account of a combination which we
 |  believe has for its object the utter destruction of the
 |  rights of the old citizens of the county, who have borne the
 |  heat and burden of the day; who have labored hard as
 |  pioneers of the county; who have settled and organized the
 |  county; who have rights that should be respected by every
 |  principle of honor and good faith, and whose wishes should
 |  be consulted in the choice of officers, and not have men
 |  imposed upon them, who are obnoxious, for good and
 |  sufficient reasons.  In relation of such questions, we
 |  intend to express our mind freely, as our duty dictates,
 |  regardless of consequences.  If a fair and honorable course
 |  be
 |
 |  [Column 6]
 |
 |  taken by the dominant party at Nauvoo, we will have nothing
 |  to battle against; but if they do not pursue that course, we
 |  shall be prepared for the warfare.  We must confess,
 |  however, if we are to judge of the future by the past, we
 |  have little to expect from that quarter: but apart from
 |  local political considerations, we have a high and more
 |  noble duty to perform.  We shall spread the banner to the
 |  breeze for a radical reform in the city of Nauvoo, as the
 |  departure from moral rectitude, and the abuse of power, have
 |  become intolerable.  We shall speak out, and spare not,
 |  until certain grievances are redressed or corrected; until
 |  honor, virtue, and reputation shall take their accustomed
 |  habitations, and be respected; until we teach men that no
 |  exclusive privileges can be allowed to any individual under
 |  our form of government; that the law of the land, based upon
 |  the revealed laws of heaven, are paramount to all other
 |  earthly considerations; and he who sets the laws at
 |  defiance, and evades their operation, either by direct or
 |  indirect means pursues a course subversive of the best
 |  interests of the country, and dangerous to the well-being of
 |  the social compact.  That there does exist an order of
 |  things with the systematic elements of organization in our
 |  midst--a system which, if exposed in its naked deformity,
 |  would make the virtuous mind revolt with horror; a system in
 |  the exercise of which lays prostrate all the dearest ties in
 |  our social relations--the glorious fabric upon which human
 |  happiness is based--ministers to the worst passions of our
 |  nature, and throws us back into the benighted regions of the
 |  dark ages, we have the greatest reason to believe.
 |       The question is asked, will you bring a mob upon us?
 |  In answer to that, we assure all concerned, that we will be
 |  among the first to put down anything like an illegal force
 |  being used against any man or set of men.  If any one has
 |  become amenable to the law, we wish to have him tried
 |  impartially by the laws of his country.  We are among the
 |  number who believe that there is virtue and integrity enough
 |  in the administrators of the law, to bring every offender to
 |  justice, and to protect the innocent.  If it is necessary to
 |  make a show of force, to execute legal process, it will
 |  crate no sympathy in that case to cry out, we are mobbed.
 |  There is such a thing as persons being deceived into a false
 |  sympathy once, who, the second time, will scrutinize very
 |  closely, to know who, or which party, are the persecutors.
 |  It is not always the first man who cries out, stop thief,
 |  that is robbed.  It is the upright, honest, considerate, and
 |  moral precepts in any class that will be respected in this
 |  or any other enlightened age--precepts which have for their
 |  end the good of mankind, and the establishment of
 |  fundamental truths.  On the other hand, paradoxical dogmas,
 |  new systems of government, new codes of morals, a new
 |  administration of the laws by ignorant, unlettered, and
 |  corrupt men, must be frowned down by every lover of his
 |  country.  The well-being of society demand it at our hands.
 |  Our country, by whose laws we are protected, asks us for a
 |  manifestation of that patriotism which should inspire every
 |  American citizen--the interests of the State of Illinois
 |  require it, and as a citizen of Illinois, we intend to
 |  respond to the voice of duty, and stand the hazard of the
 |  die.
 |       We believe that the Press should not be the medium
 |  through which the private character of any individual should
 |  be assailed, delineated, or exposed to public gaze; still,
 |  whoever acts in an official character, who sets himself up
 |  as a public teacher, and reformer of morals and religion,
 |  and as an aspirant to the highest office in the gift of the
 |  people of this glorious republic, whose institutions he
 |  publicly condemns, we assert and maintain the right of
 |  canvassing all the public acts and animadverting, with terms
 |  of the severest reproach upon all the revolutionary measures
 |  that comes to our notice, from any source.  We would not be
 |  worthy of the name of an American citizen, did we stand by
 |  and see, not only the laws of the State, but the laws of the
 |  United States, set at defiance, the authorities insulted,
 |  fugitives from justice fleeing for refuge, asking and
 |  receiving protection from the authorities of Nauvoo, for
 |  high crimes committed against the government of the United
 |  States, the Mayor of a petty incorporated town interposing
 |  his authority, and demanding the right of trial for the
 |  fugitive on the merits of the case, by virtue of a writ of
 |  Habeas Corpus, issued by the Municipal Court of Nauvoo. It
 |  is too gross a burlesque upon common sense--a subterfuge too
 |  low to indicate any thing but a corrupt motive.--Such acts,
 |  whether committed in a private or public capacity, will be
 |  held up to public scorn.  An independent Press is bound by
 |  every sense of duty, to lay before the public every attack
 |  upon their rights: we, therefore, in the exercise of our
 |  duty, expect the support and the aid of our fellow citizens
 |  in our enterprise.
 |
 |       We hope all those who intend subscribing for the
 |  "Expositor," will forward their names as soon as possible;
 |  Editors, Postmasters, and others, to whom the Prospectus,
 |  and paper may be sent, will confer a favor upon us, by
 |  noticing, exchanging, and circulating the same, in their
 |  respective vocations, and forwarding accordingly.
 |       In consequence of the importance of the cause in which
 |  we have engaged, and the assurances we have received from
 |  different sources, we have concluded to issue one thousand
 |  copies of the first number of the paper, that all who wish,
 |  may be supplied, and further, that none may plead ignorance
 |  of our complaints, or exonerate themselves from an interest
 |  in our behalf.  We do not
 |
 |  [Page 3]
 |
 |  [Column 1]
 |
 |  wish, or expect, the publication of the "Expositor" to prove
 |  a matter of pecuniary profit, neither do we believe the
 |  public will suffer it to prove a loss.  It is a subject in
 |  which we are all interested, more particularly the citizens
 |  of this county, and surrounding country; the case has
 |  assumed a formidable and fearful aspect, it is not the
 |  destiny of a few that is involved in case of commotion, but
 |  that of thousands, wherein necessarily the innocent and
 |  helpless would be confounded with the criminal and guilty.
 |  We have anxiously desired, and strenously advocated a
 |  peaceable redress of the injuries that have repeatedly been
 |  inflicted upon us, and we have now the means in our hands,
 |  through which we can peaceably and honorably effect our
 |  object.  For ourselves, we are firmly resolved not to quit
 |  the field, till our efforts shall be crowned with success.
 |  And we now call upon all, who prize the liberty of speech,
 |  the liberty of the press, the right of conscience, and the
 |  sacred rights of American citizenship, to assist us in this
 |  undertaking.  Let us stand up and boldly and fearlessly
 |  oppose ourselves to any and every encroachment, in whatever
 |  form it may appear, whether shaped in superstitious
 |  domination or civil usurpation.  The public abroad have not
 |  been informed in relation to facts as they really existed in
 |  our midst, many have supposed that all was rumor, and having
 |  no organ through which to speak, our silence has been to
 |  them sufficient proof.
 |       The facts have been far otherwise, we have watched with
 |  painful emotion the progress of events in this city, for
 |  some time past, until we were sick with the sight; injury
 |  upon injury has been repeated, insult has been added to
 |  insult till forbearance has ceased to be virtuous, and we
 |  now have the proud privilege, we have long wished for, of
 |  defending ourselves against their foul aggressions and
 |  aspersions and of informing the public of things as they
 |  really are.  We intend to tell the whole tale and by all
 |  honorable means to bring to light and justice, those who
 |  have long fed and fattened upon the purse, the property, and
 |  the character of injured innocence;--yes, we will speak, and
 |  that too in thunder tones, to the ears of those who have
 |  thus ravaged and laid waste fond hopes, bright prospects,
 |  and virtuous principles, to gratify an unhallowed ambition.
 |  We are aware of the critical position we occupy, in view of
 |  our immediate location; but we entertain no fears, our
 |  purpose is fixed and our arm is nerved for the conflict, we
 |  stand upon our rights, and we will maintain those rights,
 |  whatever may be the consequence; let no man or set of men
 |  assail us at the peril of their lives, and we hereby give
 |  notice to all parties, that we are the last in attack, but
 |  the first and foremost in defence.  We would be among the
 |  last to provoke the spirit of the public abroad
 |  unnecessarily, but we have abundant as-[illegible] in case
 |  of emergency, that we shall be all there.
 |
 |       An individual, bearing the cognomen of Jeremiah Smith,
 |  who has evaded the officers for some time, has taken refuge
 |  in the city of Nauvoo.  It appears he is a fugitive from
 |  justice for the offence of procuring four thousand dollars
 |  from the United States Treasury at the city of Washington,
 |  under false pretences.  A bill of indictment was found in
 |  the District of Columbia against him, and a warrant issued
 |  for his arrest.  The Marshal of Iowa Territory got
 |  intelligence of his being in this place, and procuring the
 |  necessary papers for his arrest, proceeded to this place in
 |  search of him, about three weeks ago.  After making inquiry,
 |  and becoming satisfied that he was secreted in Nauvoo, under
 |  the immediate protection of the Prophet, he said to him (the
 |  Prophet,) that he was authorised to arrest the said J.
 |  Smith, for an offence committed by him against the United
 |  States government, and wished to know where he was--to which
 |  the Prophet replied, that he know nothing about him.  The
 |  Marshal said he know he was secreted in the city, and was
 |  determined to have him; and, unless he was given up, he
 |  would have the aid of the Dragoons to find and arrest him.
 |  Joseph Smith then replied, that was not necessary; but, if
 |  the Marshal would pledge his word and honor that he should
 |  have the benefit of a city writ of Habeas Corpus, and be
 |  tried before him, he would produce the fugitive in half an
 |  hour.  After some hesitancy, the Marshal agreed to do so,
 |  when the prisoner was produced in the time specified.  A
 |  writ of Habeas Corpus was issued, and the prisoner taken
 |  from the Marshal and brought before the Municipal court of
 |  Nauvoo for trial.  The court adjourned until thursday, the
 |  30th ult., when he was tried, and discharged, as a matter of
 |  course.  In the interval, however, application had been made
 |  to Judge Pope, of the District court of the United States
 |  for the State of Illinois, who issued his warrant, directed
 |  to the United States
 |
 |  [Column 2]
 |
 |  Marshal, who sent his deputy to make a second arrest, in
 |  case the other officer did not succeed in taking him from
 |  the city.  Smith was found by the Illinois Marshal and
 |  arrested, when it became necessary for the high corporate
 |  powers of the city again to interpose their authority.  The
 |  potent writ was again issued--the prisoner taken from the
 |  Marshal--a trial had, during which, the attorneys for Smith
 |  relieved themselves of an insupportable burthen of legal
 |  knowledge, which completely overwhelmed the learned court,
 |  and resulted in the triumphant acquittal of the prisoner,
 |  with a judgment for costs against the U. States.
 |       Now we ask if the executive and judicial authorities of
 |  Illinois deem it politic to submit to such a state of things
 |  in similar cases?  Can, and will the constituted authorities
 |  of the federal government be quiescent under such
 |  circumstances, and allow the paramount laws of the Union to
 |  be set at defiance, and rendered nugatory by the action of a
 |  court, having no more than co-ordinate powers, with a common
 |  justice of the peace?  If such an order of things is allowed
 |  to exist, there is every reason to believe that Nauvoo will
 |  become a sink of refuge for every offender who can carry in
 |  spoils enough to buy protection.  The people of the State of
 |  Illinois will, consequently, see the necessity of repealing
 |  the charter of Nauvoo, when such abuses are practised under
 |  it; and by virtue of said chartered authoritity, the right
 |  of Habeas Corpus in all cases arising under the city
 |  ordinance, to give full scop e to the desired jurisdiction.
 |  The city council have passed ordinances, giving the
 |  Municipal court authority to issue the writ of Habeas Corpus
 |  in all cases when the prisoner is held in custody in Nauvoo,
 |  no matter whether the offender is committed in the State of
 |  Maine, or on the continent of Europe, the prisoner being in
 |  the city under arrest.  It is gravely contended by the legal
 |  luminaries of Nauvoo, that the ordinances gives them
 |  jurisdiction, not only jurisdiction to try the validity of
 |  the writ, but to enquire into the merits of the case, and
 |  allow the prisoner to swear himself clear of the charges.
 |  If his own oath is not considered sufficient to satisfy the
 |  adverse party, plenty of witnesses are ready to swear that
 |  he is to be believed on oath, and that is to be considered
 |  sufficient by the court to put the quietus on all foreign
 |  testimony and the discharge of the prisoner follows, as a
 |  necessary consequence.
 |
 |
 |                  JOE. SMITH--THE PRESIDENCY.
 |
 |       We find in the Nauvoo Neighbor of May 29th, a lengthy
 |  letter from Joseph Smith a candidate for the Presidency on
 |  his own hook, to Henry Clay, the Whig candidate for the same
 |  office.  It appears to be a new rule of tactics for two
 |  rival candidates to enter into a discussion of their
 |  respective claims to that high office, just preceding an
 |  election.  Smith charges Clay with shrinking from the
 |  responsibility of promising to grant whatever the Mormons
 |  might ask, if elected to the Presidency.  Smith has not been
 |  troubled with any inquiries of committees as to what
 |  measures he will recommend if elected; nevertheless he has
 |  come out boldly and volunteered his views of certain
 |  measures which he is in favor of having adopted.  One is for
 |  the General Government to purchase the slaves of the south
 |  and set them free, that we can understand.  Another is to
 |  pass a general uniform land law, that certainly requires the
 |  spirit of interpretation to show its meaning as no
 |  explanation accompanies it.  Another which no doubt will be
 |  very congenial to the candidate's nervous system, is to open
 |  all the prison doors in the country, and set the captive
 |  free.  These with some other suggestions equally as
 |  enlightened, ought to be sufficient to satisfy any man that
 |  Joseph Smith is willing that his principles shall be
 |  publicly known.  If however any individual voter, who has a
 |  perfect right to know a candidates principles, should not be
 |  satisfied, he may further aid his inquiries, by a reference
 |  to the record of the grand inquest of Hancock County.
 |       Martin Van Buren is charged with non-commitalism; Henry
 |  Clay has not been the man to answer frankly
 |
 |  [Column 3]
 |
 |  the question whether he would restore to the Mormons their
 |  lands in Missouri.  Joseph Smith is the only candidate now
 |  before the people whose principles are fully known; let it
 |  be remembered there are documents the highest degree of
 |  evidence before the people; a committee of twenty-four,
 |  under the solemnity of their oaths, have inquired into and
 |  reported upon his claims in due form of law.  Shades of
 |  Washington and Jefferson--Henry Clay the candidate of a
 |  powerful party, is now under bonds to keep the peace; Joseph
 |  Smith, the candidate of another "powerful" party has two
 |  indictments against him, one for fornication and adultery,
 |  another for perjury.  Our readers can make their own
 |  comments.
 |
 |       We have received the last number of the "Warsaw
 |  Signal;" it is rich with anti-Mormon matter, both editorial
 |  and communicated.  Among other things it contains a lengthy
 |  letter from J.H. Jackson, giving some items in relation to
 |  his connection with the "Mormon Prophet," as also his
 |  reasons for the same.  It will be perceived that many of the
 |  most dark and damnable crimes that ever darkened human
 |  character, which have hitherto been to the public, a matter
 |  of rumor and suspicion, are now reduced to indisputable
 |  facts. We have reason to believe, from our acquaintance with
 |  Mr. Jackson, and our own observation, that the statements he
 |  makes are true; and in view of these facts, we ask, in the
 |  name of heaven, where is the safety of our lives and
 |  liberties, when placed at the disposal of such heaven
 |  daring, hell deserving, God forsaken villains.  Our blood
 |  boils while we refer to these blood thirsty and murderous
 |  propensities of men, or rather demons in human shape, who,
 |  not satisfied with practising their dupes upon a credulous
 |  and superstitious people, must wreak their vengeance upon
 |  any who may dare to come in contact with them.  We deplore
 |  the desperate state of things to which we are necessarily
 |  brought, but, we say to our friends, "keep cool," and the
 |  whole tale will be told.  We fully believe in bringing these
 |  iniquities and enormities to light, and let the majesty of
 |  violated law, and the voice of injured innocence and
 |  contemned public opinion, speak in tones of thunder to these
 |  miscreants; but in behalf of hundreds and thousands of
 |  unoffending citizens, whose only fault is religious
 |  enthusiasm, and for the honor of our own names and
 |  reputation, let us not follow their desperado measures, and
 |  thereby dishonor ourselves in revenging our own wrongs.  Let
 |  our motto be, "Last in attack, but first in defence;" and
 |  the result cannot prove otherwise than honorable and
 |  satisfactory.
 |
 |
 |                       TO CORRESPONDENTS.
 |
 |       In consequence of a press of other duties in preparing
 |  our first number for the press, we have not had time to
 |  examine several communications that have been forwarded for
 |  publication.  We respect the motives of our friends in the
 |  interest they manifest in carrying  forward the work of
 |  reform; but we wish it to be distinctly understood, that we
 |  cannot depart from the conditions set forth in the
 |  Prospectus; that is the chart by which we intend to navigate
 |  the "Expositor," carefully avoiding any thing and every
 |  thing that may tend to diminish the the interest, or tarnish
 |  the character of its columns.  We already feel that we
 |  occupy an unenviable position in view of the variety of
 |  opinions that exist, but, we stand committed as to our
 |  course, and having faithfully and fearlessly adhered to
 |  those terms, without partiality to friends, or personality
 |  to foes, we shall consider ourselves honorably discharged of
 |  duty.
 |
 |       We offer an apology to our readers for the want of
 |  arrangement and taste in our first number on account of our
 |  materials and press not being in order; the short time we
 |  have had to get a press and materials has precluded the
 |  possibility of getting the first number out according to our
 |  wishes, and the absence of the Editor for several days
 |  preceding our first issue, renders this apology necessary.
 |  In our subsequent numbers we intend to make good the
 |  insufficiency by giving to our readers a good selection of
 |  miscellany, and an editorial of rich and interesting matter.
 |                                               PROPRIETORS.
 |
 |  [Column 4]
 |
 |
 |                         CIRCUIT COURT.
 |
 |  The May Term of the Circuit Court of this county closed on
 |  the 30th ult. after a session of ten days.  We understand a
 |  large number of cases were disposed of, none, however of a
 |  very important character.  The cases wherein Joseph Smith
 |  was a party, were transferred by a change of venue, to other
 |  courts; that of A. Sympson vs. J. Smith, for false
 |  imprisonment, to Adams County; that of F.M. Higbee vs.
 |  Joseph Smith, for slander and that of C.B. Foster vs. Joseph
 |  Smith, and J.W. Coolidge for false imprisonmet, and that of
 |  A. Davis vs. Joseph Smith, and J.P. Green, for trespass,
 |  were all transferred to the County of McDonough. The Grand
 |  Jury found two bills against Smith, one for perjury, and
 |  another for fornication and adultery; on the first of which
 |  Smith delivered himself up for trial, but the State not
 |  being ready, material witnesses being absent, the case was
 |  deferred t the October term.
 |
 |       The regular session of the Municipal Court of this City
 |  came off on Monday last.  The cases of R.D. Foster, C.L.
 |  Higbee, and C.A. Foster, on appeals from the Mayor's Court,
 |  wherein they had each been fined in the sum of one hundred
 |  dollars, (for the very enormous offence of refusing to
 |  assist the notorious O.P. Rockwell, and his "dignity'  John
 |  P. Green, in arresting a respectable and peaceable citizen,
 |  without the regular process of papers) and of A. Spencer,
 |  wherein he was fined in the same sum on a charge of assault
 |  and battery, were all taken up and gravely discussed; after
 |  the most mature deliberation, with the assistance of the
 |  ex-tinguished City Attorney, this honorable body concluded
 |  to dismiss the suit and issue a procedendo to the lower
 |  court, which was accordingly done.
 |       The cases referred to above, afford abundant reason
 |  both for complaint and comment.  We intend as soon as our
 |  time will allow, to express our views fully and freely upon
 |  this feature of Mormon usurpation; first, enact a string of
 |  ordinances contrary to reason and common sense, and then
 |  inflict the severest penalties for not observing them.
 |
 |       We see that our friend the Neighbor, advocates the
 |  claims of Gen. Joseph Smith for the Presidency; we also see
 |  from the records of the grand Jury of Hancock Co. at their
 |  recent term, that the general is a candidate to represent
 |  the branch of the state government at Alton.  We would
 |  respectfully suggest to the Neighbor, whether the two
 |  offices are not incompatible with each other.
 |
 |
 |                    NAUVOO, June 5th, 1844.
 |
 |                  CITIZENS OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
 |
 |       It is well known to all of you that the August election
 |  is fast approaching, and with it comes the great and
 |  terrible conflict.  It is destined to be a day pregnant with
 |  big events; for it will be the index to the future.--Should
 |  we be defeated upon that occasion, our die is cast, and our
 |  fate is sealed; but if successful, alike may Joseph Smith,
 |  Hyrum Smith, and their devoted followers, as well as their
 |  enemies, expect that justice will be meted out.  The present
 |  is portentious of the great effort that is to be made upon
 |  that occasion, by Joseph for power; Hiram Smith is already
 |  in the field as a candidate for the legislature, but will
 |  you support him, that same Hyrum Smith the devoted follower
 |  and brother of Joe, who feigned a revelation from God,
 |  directing the citizens of Hancock County to vote for J.P.
 |  Hoge, in preference to Cyrus Walker, and by so doing
 |  blaspheming the name of God?  Will you, gentlemen of Hancock
 |  County, support a man like that, who claims to move in a
 |  different sphere, a sphere entirely above you; one who will
 |  trifle with the things of God, and feign converse with the
 |  Divinity, for the sake of carrying an election?  I will
 |  unhesitatingly assume to myself the responsibility of
 |  answering in the negative.  I flatter myself you are not so
 |  depraved, and so blinded to your own interests, as to
 |  support a man totally ignorant of the laws of your country,
 |  and in every respect alienated from you and your interests.
 |       In supporting Hyrum Smith, you, Citizens of Hancock
 |  County, are supporting Joseph Smith, for whom he (Hyrum)
 |  goes teeth and toe nails, for President of the United
 |  States.  The question may arise here, in voting for Joseph
 |  Smith, for whom am I voting?  You are voting for a man who
 |  contends all governments are
 |
 |  [Column 5]
 |
 |  to be put down and the one established upon its ruins.  You
 |  are voting for an enemy to your government, hear Phelps to
 |  Joe in his affidavit before Judge King of Missouri:--"Have
 |  you come to the point to resist all law?" "I have," says
 |  Joe.  You are voting for a sycophant, whose attempt for
 |  power find no parallel in history.  You are voting for a man
 |  who refuses to suffer criminals to be brought to justice,
 |  but in the stead thereof, rescues them from the just demands
 |  of the law, by Habeas Corpus. You are voting for a man who
 |  stands indicted, and who is now held to bail, for the crimes
 |  of adultery and perjury; two of the graves crimes known to
 |  our laws.  Query not then for whom you are voting, it is for
 |  one of the blackest and basest scoundrels that has appeared
 |  upon the stage of human existence since the days of Nero,
 |  and Caligula.
 |       In supporting Hyrum Smith, then are you not supporting
 |  Joseph Smith most assuredly; pause then my countrymen, and
 |  consider cooly, calmly and deliberately, what you do?
 |  Support not that man who is spreading death, devastation and
 |  ruin throughout your happy country like a tornado.  Infinite
 |  are the gradations which mark this man's attempts for power,
 |  which if not checked soon, must not only shed a deleterious
 |  influence on the face of this county, but on the face of the
 |  adjoining counties.  He is already proudly boasting that he
 |  is beyond your reach; and I regret to think I am under the
 |  painful necessity of admitting the fact.  Is it not a shame
 |  and a disgrace, to think we have a man in our midst, who
 |  will defy the laws of our country; the laws which shed so
 |  gentle and nourishing an ifluence upon our fathers, which
 |  fostered and protected them in their old age from insult and
 |  aggression; shall we their sons, lie still and suffer Joseph
 |  Smith to light up the lamp of tyranny and oppression in our
 |  midst?  God forbid, lest the departed spirits of our
 |  fathers, cry from the ground against us.  Let us arise in
 |  the majesty of our strength and sweep the influence of
 |  tyrants and miscreants from the face of the land, as with
 |  the breath of heaven.  The eagle that is now proudly borne
 |  to earth's remotest regions by every gale, will perch
 |  himself in the solitude of mid-night if we do not arouse
 |  from our lethargy.
 |       It is the worst of absurdities for any individual to
 |  say their is a man in our midst who is above the reach of
 |  violated law, and not lend a helping hand; all talk and
 |  nothing more will not accomplish that for your country and
 |  your God, which the acts of Washington did.  Then gentlemen
 |  organize yourselves  and prepare for the dreadful conflict
 |  in August; we go with you heart and hand, in the attempt to
 |  suppress this contaminating influence which is prostrating
 |  our fairest prospects, and spreading desolation throughout
 |  our vale.  Call into the field your best men under the
 |  solemn pledge to go for the unconditional repeal of the
 |  Nauvoo Charter, and you have our support; whether they be
 |  Whig or Democrat we care not; when a friend presents us with
 |  a draught of cool water, we do not stop to inquire whether
 |  it is contained in a silver vase, a golden urn or a long
 |  handled gourd.  We want no base seducer, liar and perjured
 |  representative, to represent us in Springfield, but while
 |  Murrill represents Tennessee in Nashville, Munroe Edwards,
 |  New York, in Sing Sing, Br. Joseph may have the extreme
 |  goodness to represent Illinois in Alton, if his lawyers do
 |  not succeed in quashing the indictments found against him by
 |  the Grand Jurors of Hancock County, at the May term 1844.
 |                                         FRANCIS M. HIGBEE.
 |
 |
 |                TO THE VOTERS OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
 |
 |       At the earnest request of a number of friends, I am
 |  induced to offer myself as a candidate for the office of
 |  Sheriff, at the ensuing August election.  Should I be
 |  elected I pledge myself to perform the duties incident to
 |  the office with independence and fidelity.
 |                                             JOHN M. FINCH.
 |       Nauvoo, June 7th, 1844.--te
 |
 |
 |  MR. EDITOR,
 |       As I have taken some little interest in the affairs of
 |  the "Nauvoo Theatre;" I wish to announce through the medium
 |  of your paper, that the establishment, which left this place
 |  a few weeks since to travel, has again arrived in this city.
 |  What success, the concern met with while absent I am unable
 |  to learn; the only thing of interest which I have been able
 |  to discover, is, that the Rev. G. J. Adams was hissed from
 |  the stage in Burlington, while telling the "woodchuck
 |  story."  I understand that the establishment has closed for
 |  the present, in consequence of Mr. Adams being under the
 |  necessity of 'going a preaching;' probably the Rev.
 |  Gentleman thinks by this time that he is better fitted for
 |  the desk than the stage.
 |                                    I am Sir,
 |                                      A FRIEND TO THE DRAMA
 |
 |  [Column 6]
 |
 |       PENMANSHIP.--We invite the attention of our readers to
 |  the advertisement of Mr. A. R. Dunton, found in another
 |  column of to day's paper.  We have examined several
 |  specimens of this Gentleman's handiwork, in the execution of
 |  his various style of penmanship, and we cheerfully award to
 |  him the merit of excelling any thing of the kind in this
 |  department.  Mr. Dunton brings with him testimonials of the
 |  highest character, from the most respectable sources; having
 |  borne off the palm of victory in several of our eastern
 |  cities;--but, aside from our own opinion, or the opinion of
 |  others, Mr. Dunton presents the best evidence, in his off
 |  hand efforts, which he executes with a neatness and dispatch
 |  that dispels all doubt, and wins for him the wreath of
 |  merited fame.--ED.
 |
 |
 |  MARRIED:--At Carthage, on the 23d ult., by E. A. BEDELL,
 |  ESQ. MR. CHARLES ROSS of St. Louis, to MISS SABRA A.
 |  MORRISON, of this city.
 |       We tender our congratulations to the above parties upon
 |  their union of heart and hand, and express our warmest
 |  wishes for their future happiness.
 |
 |
 |                        One Cent Reward.
 |
 |  WHEREAS my husband, the Rt. Rev. W. H. Harrison Sagers,
 |  Esq., has left my bed and board without cause or
 |  provocation, this is to notify the public not to harbor or
 |  trust him on my account, as I will pay no debts of his
 |  contracting.  More anon.
 |                                            LUCINDA SAGERS.
 |       June 7, 1844.--tf*
 |
 |
 |                     Administrator's Sale.
 |
 |  ON the 20th of June, A.D. 1844, will be offered at public
 |  sale at the New Brick Store of S. M. Marr, on Knight Street,
 |  east of the Temple in the City of Nauvoo, the following
 |  described property, to wit:  Household and kitchen
 |  furniture, consisting of beds and bedding, wearing apparel,
 |  cotton cloth, &c.
 |                                        AUGUSTINE SPENCER,
 |                                             Administrator.
 |  Nauvoo, June 7th, 1844.--1tf.
 |
 |
 |                            Notice.
 |
 |  THE Subscribers wish to inform all those who through
 |  sickness; or other misfortunes, are much limited in their
 |  means of procuring bread for their families, that we have
 |  allotted Thursday of every week, to grind TOLL FREE for
 |  them, till grain becomes plentiful after harvest.
 |       P.S. Elder Cowles, or Bishop Ivins, will attend at our
 |  mill on those days set apart, and will judge very
 |  benevolently, in all cases where the above indulgence is
 |  claimed.
 |                                               W. & W. LAW.
 |       Nauvoo, June 7th, 1844.--tf
 |
 |
 |                          PENMANSHIP.
 |
 |  THOSE wishing to improve the present very favorable
 |  opportunity for taking Lessons in Penmanship, and
 |  Stylographic Card Marking, are informed that the above
 |  branches will be taught by Mr. A. R. DUNTON in a manner that
 |  cannot fail to prove satisfactory to all.  The system he
 |  teaches has no superior, either in acquisition, facility of
 |  execution, or elegance and uniformity of the letters
 |       Mr. D. would beg leave to refer the Ladies and
 |  Gentlemen of this City and its vicinity, to the fact that he
 |  has borne off the FIRST PREMIUM for the best Specimens of
 |  Penmanship from all competitors, at the late Mechanics' Fair
 |  held in Boston.
 |       MR. DUNTON proposes to award the following premiums,
 |  viz:
 |       The person who shall make the best improvement in
 |  writing, shall be entitled to a specimen of penmanship worth
 |  from five to ten dollars.  And if any person will produce a
 |  specimen superior to what Mr. D. will execute, the person
 |  producing it shall be entitled to fifty dollars.
 |       For the best improvement in Stylographic Card Marking,
 |  the person shall be entitled to their tuition.
 |       N.B. The above Premiums are to be awarded by a
 |  committee mutually chosen.
 |       Those who have been disappointed by attending the
 |  Schools of incompetent teachers, are warranted perfect
 |  satisfaction at Mr. D's. School, or their money will be
 |  refunded.
 |       Writing Masters fitted for the profession.  Teachers,
 |  Professional, and Business men, and all good or bad writers,
 |  who wish to become complete masters of the art, are
 |  particularly invited to attend.
 |       Writing rooms at the new Masonic Hall Main st.  Terms
 |  of tuition only $1.50 for 12 lessons.  Classes will be
 |  formed on Monday evening next at 7 P.M.
 |       June 7th, 1844.
 |
 |
 |  C. A. Warren,                |               C. L. Higbee,
 |     Quincy                    |                  Nauvoo
 |                        WARREN & HIGBEE,
 |                       ATTORNEYS AT LAW.
 |                                          NAUVOO, ILLINOIS.
 |
 |
 |                           S. EMMONS,
 |
 |  Attorney and Counsellor at Law, and Solicitor in Chancery.
 |       Deeds, bonds and all legal instruments drawn to order.
 |  Lands for sale or exchange.
 |  Office over S. M. Marr's brick Store, Knight St. east of the
 |  Temple.
 |
 |
 |                            Notice.
 |
 |  THE Subscriber has several brick and frame houses, situated
 |  in different parts of the city, which he offers for sale, or
 |  rent on good terms.
 |                                               R.D. FOSTER.
 |       NAUVOO, June 7th, 1844.   tf
 |
 |  [Page 4]
 |
 |  [Column 1]
 |
 |  Poem called "SONG."
 |
 |  Reprint from Philadelphia Times titled "PHILADELPHIA RIOTS."
 |
 |  [Column 2]
 |
 |  Conclusion of Philadelphia Times reprint.
 |
 |  Reprint from The Tablet, titled "The Papacy and the Great
 |  Powers."
 |
 |  Reprint from the Quincy Whig, titled "The Mormons"
 |       An article describing the dissension in Nauvoo over the
 |  "spiritual wife" doctrine.
 |
 |  [Column 3]
 |
 |  Conclusion of Quincy Whig article, that ends:  ``The
 |  spectacle presented in Smith's case of a civil,
 |  ecclesiastical and military leader, united in one and the
 |  same person, with power over life and liberty, can never
 |  find favor in the minds of sound and thinking Republicaus
 |  (sic.).  The day has gone by when the precepts of Divine
 |  Truth, could be propagated at the point of the sword--or the
 |  Bible made the medium of corrupt men to gratify their
 |  lustful appetites and sordid desires--[Quincy Whig.''
 |
 |  Reprint from the Upper Mississippian, about the Expositor's
 |  prospectus.
 |
 |  Article titled "The Jews in Russia."
 |
 |  Article titled "Anecdote of the Mayor of Tiverton."
 |
 |  Article titled "The American Press, and the Rev. Sydney
 |  Smith."
 |
 |  [Column 4]
 |
 |  Reprint from the "celebrated state paper" titled "Extract
 |  from 'Gen. Smiths Views.'"
 |       Quotes from a campaign pamphlet for Joseph Smith.
 |  Comparable reprint also appears in the Nauvoo Neighbor, and
 |  in HC 6:197-209.
 |
 |  Numerous short jokes.
 |
 |  Prospectus for Nauvoo Expositor.
 |
 |  [Column 5]
 |
 |  Conclusion of Expositor prospectus.
 |
 |
 |                             TERMS.
 |
 |       Two Dollars per annum in advance,
 |       Two Dollars and Fifty cents at the expiration of six
 |  months,
 |       Three Dollars at the end of the year.
 |       Six copies will be forwarded to one address for Ten
 |  Dollars in advance; Thirteen copies for Twenty Dollars, &c.
 |       Advertising and Job Work in all their varieties, done
 |  on short notice, and upon the most satisfactory terms.
 |       All letters and communications must be addressed to
 |  "Charles A. Foster, Nauvoo, Illinois," post paid, in order
 |  to insure attention.
 |          William Law,                    \
 |          Wilson Law,                     |
 |          Charles Ivins,                  |
 |          Francis M. Higbee,              |-    Publishers.
 |          Chauncey L. Higbee,             |
 |          Robert D. Foster,               |
 |          Charles A. Foster.              /
 |
 |
 |  Advertisement for Printers and Binders Warerooms
 |       Apparently, printing this ad was part of a contract
 |  with the firm that sold the Expositor type, ink, etc.
 |
 |  [Column 6]
 |
 |  Prospectus for The New Mirror, to be published in New York.
 |
 |  Advertisement for the Weekly Dollar Message, a "literary
 |  journal [and] systematic chronicle of passing events."
 |
 |______________________________________________________________