Walter Murray Gibson: A Life Sketch

WALTER MURRAY GIBSON.

A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE AND ADVENTURES, IN TWO CHAPTERS. *

BY ANDREW JENSON, ASSISTANT HISTORIAN OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

CHAPTER I.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affords but few opportunities for adventurers and hypocrites. Yet, during the seventy years of its existence, a few men have endeavored to obtainmeans and gain temporary honor among the Saints under false pretenses; but they have invariably come to grief sooner or later. Among adventurers who have become generally known throughout The Church, such men as John C. Bennett and Walter M. Gibson, and some others, might be mentioned. They were men who pretended to embrace the Gospel in all sincerity, but who subsequently proved themselves utterly unworthy of the confidence of the Saints, and were cast out when their hypocrisy and evil deeds came to light. The career of the late Walter M. Gibson is perhaps the most striking example of this class of men mentioned in Church history. Without further comment, I shall present

*Compiled principally from Church documents, U. S. Government Records, Biography of Lorenzo Snow, a pamphlet entitled, The Shepherd ofLanai, Honolulu and San Francisco papers, and the writer's own notes.

6 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

some historic facts illustrative of his career and his brief connec- tion with The Church. Walter Murray Gibson was born of American parents, at sea, on board a Spanish vessel, in the Bay of Biscay, between Gibral- tar and England, January 16, 1822. He was a son of John Gib- son and Lucy Murray. Concerning his early career, we find the following in the San Francisco Evening Bulletin under the cap- tion, "A Modern Knight-errant in Town:"

Walter M. Gibson is almost as noticeable a specimen of the gen- uine roving Yankee as ever turned up; yet he was not born [in America at all, and he has no New England blood in him. He was born in the Bay of Biscay, was raised in the rebellious South Carolina, kept an "old field school" at fifteen, married at seventeen, and was a widower with three children at twenty-one, at which same ripe age he was master of the first iron steamship ever built in the United States. In 1843, he planned an expedition to California, and bought a schooner for the pur- * * * pose, but the project fell through. But

though the California expedition failed,some California ventures did not, and of course the Captain went to Washington. For a while, he was Consul-general for Guatemala, San Salvador and Costa Rica, and in 1849 and 1850, we hear of him sojourning at Mango de Clava, Santa Anna's residence; and while a Russian envoy and convoy of soldiers, visiting every state in Mexico, and rumaging in the subterranean ruins of * * * Xochychalco. Next we hear of him as the guest of General Robles at Vera Cruz, and then master of the late U. S. revenue cutter Flirt, in the harbor of New York; with an armament on board for the service of General Carrera of Guatemala.

It appears that Mr. Gibson bought the revenue cutter Flirt, in May, 1851, and attempted to sell her to General Carrera, of Guatemala. "He was compelled to abandon the attempt," says the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, "because the vig- ilance of the United States authorities prevented it." Gibson then loaded the Flirt with ice, and sailed southward. At Porta Praya, a town of the Cape Verd Islands, his vessel was searched; at Per- nambuco, in Brazil, South America, his ice was reduced to one or two tons which he sold. Being the owner of the vessel, he took command as captain and sailed away toward the East Indies; he entered the Straits of Sunda, December 25, 1851, traversed the

WALTER MURRAY GIBSON. 7

Java Sea, and entered the Straits of Banca. Having weathered a storm, he found himself near Mintow, a Dutch fort on the island ofBanca, Malay Archipelago, early in January, 1852. There he landed and remained several days; he then continued the voyage to Palembang, in the island of Sumatra. While on the coast of Sumatra, he stated that he was bound for Singapore "to make inquiry after the estate of a collateral relative who had died there some eighteen years before, which had descended to him.' ' Adjoining the Dutch territory of Palembang was the territory of Djambi, governed by a native prince, the Sultan of Djambi. The Dutch claimed that this territory was subject to their authority. The mate of the Flirt, Charles M. Graham, in attempting to take a letter from Gibson to the Sultan of Djambi, was arrested, and the letter taken from him; Gibson was also arrested. Following is a translation of the letter:

A TRUSTY WORD.

This letter, accompanied by many salutations and ceremonies from me, Lord Captain Walter, residing in America,to whom the Lord of all hosts grant that he may appear in the presence of the Lord Sultan, who reigns over the Empire of Djambi. I further faithfully and sincerely make known to you that my first officer, with three of his followers, will appear before you, Sultan,as I wish to form a great friendship with you, Sultan. I am now able to assist you, Sultan, with everything you de- sire, as the American government has no want of powder, bullets, guns, muskets and lelahs, [long, metal, native guns with small orifices.] I can assist to make it good to all Malays because I do not like all the Dutch- men of which you, Sultan, can give the assurance to all Malays, and you willbe able to make one with me. I also wish to know the way from Djambi to Palembang, and in what time this distance can be made. I can assist to make everything fine, and I wish that the Malays may be ruled as in former times. In one month, I can be at the mouth of the Djambi river. With this, my first officer, you can agree, Sultan, what is best, as the American government has no want of steamers and war- ships-of both there are many; and you Sultan, need not trouble your- self on this head. The whole of the upper countries of Djambi and that ofPalembang, I will bring in good order, and, if possible, get rid of all the Dutchmen excepting some. Within a few days, I will come, and

8 IMPROVEMENT ERA .

can then take possession of their empire. I send many greetings to you, Sultan, and to all your officers. "Walter Bin Gibson "Walter Auck (son of Gibson) [Seal] "Cammandante Schooner American Flirt "At Palembang, 4th February, 1852." The Dutch charged Gibson with stirring up treason in their dominions. This Gibson denied, claiming that he knew not the contents of the note which he signed, as it was written in the language of the natives. After three separate trials by the in- ferior courts, in whichGibson was acquitted, he was arrested by the highest criminal court of the Dutch territory, tried, convicted, and sentenced to stand half an hour under the gallows, to imprison- ment for twelve years, and then to banishment. April 24, 1853, two weeks after the sentence had been passed, he succeeded in making his escape. He had then been confined for about sixteen months, most of the time in the military prison of Wiltevreden, adjacent to the city of Batavia. After his escape, he made his way to the United States, and requested the government to de- mand indemnity of the Dutch government. Mr. W. L. Marcy, then Secretary of State, took the matter up with energy. Mr. August Belmont, American Minister at the Hague, Holland, demanded an indemnity of $100,000. This was refused by the Dutch Gov- ernment on the ground that the arrest and conviction of Gibson was justifiable. Mr. Gibson then demanded in a letter to the Sec- retary of State, dated November 11, 1854, "that the government of the United States resort to the only means remaining for en- forcing just demands." Mr. Marcy wrote to Mr. Belmont instruct- ing him to press the matter "temperately but resolutely upon the Dutch government." Mr. Belmont did press the matter closely and sharply. The Dutch government informed Mr. Belmont that if Gibson entered the Hague, he would be arrested and sent back to Java. Mr. Belmont replied that if that were done "the most deplorable consequences might follow." It simply meant that the United States would have declared war against Holland. In the meantime, a thorough investigation was made of the whole subject, and all the material was gathered and printed by the U. S. Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs. It consti

WALTER MURRAY GIBSON. 9

tuted a very peculiar document covering one hundred and four- teenpages of printed matter. Among the papers produced in this investigation was a letter written by Mr. Gibson to the Gov- ernor of the Netherlands, India, dated February 25, 1852, in which Mr. Gibson acknowledges that he had allowed his fancy and van- ity to get the better of his judgment, to have indulged in brav- adoes, to have committed grave errors, in a too free way of speak- ing with natives, and ultimately allowing his mate to depart into the interior, and in signing a letter addressed to a native chief in the Malay character without sufficiently examining, or endeavor- ing to know, its inflammatory contents; he wound up by begging for leniency, and made no attempt at defense. This letter should have been transmitted, with other papers, to Congress; but it was found to be missing, upon which the Secretary of State, Mr. Marcy, wrote a letter to the President of the United States, in which he explains that it was the common practice in the Department of State to allow those having claims against foreign governments, for the loss of property or personal injuries under its management, to have access to the papers on file in regard to their respective claims. "The ordinary course was pursued in regard to Mr. Gib- son, during the pending of the negotiations of his case, down to the time copies were made in Congress ; Mr. Gibson frequently ap- plied for permission to examine the documents relating to it, and it was always granted him." He was even allowed to take the papers away from the department for some time, and after they were returned, the letter referred to was not among them. When the Secretary of State discovered that his papers had been tampered with, he dropped the matter of Gibson's indemnity; Mr. Belmont ceased to press the matter at the Hague or threaten the Dutch with war; the House of Representatives cooled off, and the whole affair went on the table. Some time after his return to America, Mr. Gibson was sent by President Pierce as a diplomatic agent to Europe; he was an attache of the American legation under Mr. Mason. After his re- turn he wrote a book, but failed to be appointed as Special En- voy to negotiate treaties of amity and commerce with the Malay states, though the South Carolina delegation in Congress urged it strongly. While in Washington, he proposed to Dr. J. M. Bern

10 IMPROVEMENT ERA .

hisel, Utah's delegate to Congress,"a plan for removing the 'Mor- mons' from Utah to some great unoccupied island of Oceania." This was at the time of the so-called Buchanan war. Gibson came to Utah, on his way to the Malay Islands, in the fall of 1859, accompanied by his daughter, two sons, and a few other persons whom he had met somewhere west of the Mis- souri River. It was understood that the latter, being delighted with the Captain's description of the islands of Oceania, joined him in the adventures he had proposed, and had come as far as Utah on their journey together. When the Captain decided to tarry awhile in Utah, these followers became dissatisfied with the inter- ruption of their dreams of adventure, and therefore sold their out- fits and returned to the east. In the documentary history of The Church, under date of October 26, 1859, the following is recorded: "President Young called on George A. Smith at the historian's office, and stated that hehad had several interviews with a gentleman (Captain Gibson) who had been for some time on the island of New Guinea, or Papua; he had his ship seized, and he was imprisoned for two years by the Dutch East India Company, on a charge of exciting the natives to rebellion against the company. Captain Gibson's object in visiting Utah is to use his influence with President Young to get the Saints to move to New Guinea, or Papua; where the climate is very temperate, ranging from 72° to 91°. Mr. Gibson says that the only object he has in view, in wishing to induce the 'Mormons' to go to New Guinea, is to do good to the natives of the island, as he believes them to be descendants of the House of Israel. President Young told him to investigate the Latter- day work, and if he found it to be true, and if he would be baptized, he (President Young) would ordain him (Captain Gibson) an elder, and send him and a few other elders to that people; and he could then do them more good that way than any other that he knew of, Mr. Gibson intends to spend the winter in this city." In the same history, under date of February 23, 1860, the following occurs : Captain Walter M. Gibson called at the historian's office, Salt Lake City, and related some interesting incidents about the inhabitants of Oceania, etc.; in the evening of March 15, 1860, he delivered a lecture at the Tabernacle on the "Resources of New Guinea."

WALTER MURRAY GIBSON. 11

During Mr Gibson's sojourn in Utah, in the winter of 1859-60, every facility was afforded him to lecture in the Tabernacle, in Salt Lake City, and in other public places, and some of the most distinguished citizens showed him marked attention. He appeared among the people of Utah as an educated man of extensive travel and observation. He was somewhat known in the east, more particularly inWashington, where he had spent considerable time in seeking reparation from Holland. "He was always polite," later writes the editor of the Deseret News,"affable, and told the best story, and made the most out of a small thing of any man we ever listened to. His lectures were very interesting and captivating to that class who see with tickled ears and understand with their * * * digestive organs. Many who will read this

---

            will recall to memory how interesting a gentle-

man was CaptainGibson, and how many would have been ready, onhalf a word from the proper quarter, to have forsaken their irrigation fields and adobe dwellings to march for the orange groves, the rice and the spice fields, where the richest odors known to the senses of mortals and Gods were wafted on every breeze. Some listened and wondered, and one (now no more,) but bolder than the rest, ventured to whisper, humbug, adventurer, and to * * * question the fourteen feet tigers and to otherwise doubt the intensely interesting tales of perfect deers with horns and hoofs complete, only large enough for ornament- ing the lid of a snuff-box, and convenient enough for a vest pocket." It seems that the Captain acted upon the council of President Young, for I find it recorded that he was baptized by Heber C. Kimball, January 15, 1860. The following spring he went on a mission to the east. The missionary record states that he was set apart for this mission by Wilford Woodruff and Erastus Snow, April 25, 1860, and that he held the office of a High Priest. Together with other missionaries, he crossed the mountains and plains in the first Church train which was sent back to the Mis- souri River after the poor, which train left Salt Lake Valley, late in April, 1860. In a letter which Mr. Gibson wrote to Apostle Wilford Wood

12 IMPROVEMENT ERA .

ruff, he said that he had been describing the Valley and the Saints to the people in the east. He made a rapid tour through some northern and southern states, and also met with the Saints in New York, where he repre- sented himself as a very important individual. On the pretense that he was "wanted home immediately," a call was made on the Saints for money to aid him on his return journey. They contrib- uted liberally, and thus he was enabled to cross the plains com- fortably in the stage. He arrived in Salt Lake City, November 3, 1860. But this time, he only remained in Salt Lake City, eighteen days. I find it recorded that he dined with President Brigham Young on the 9th, and that on the 17th, he deposited some private papers for safekeeping in the historian's office; later, however, these papers were delivered to his son, Mr. John L. Gib- son.

Under date of November 21, 1860, the Church Historian records: "Captain Gibson started for Japan, etc., today, south via San Francisco. He takes his daughter with him; but his two sons remain." On his arrival in California, Mr. Gibson delivered a number of lectures in San Francisco. He was accused of speaking double to his hearers, and when he was accused of "Mormon" tendencies, he denied it. Finally he embarked for the Sandwich Islands, and arrived in Honolulu, June 30, 1861 . His short residence in Utah, and the usual letter of commen- dation, or missionary license, served him as a passport to the con- fidence of the native members of The Church who had embraced the Gospel through the teachings of the faithful elders that had labored among them years before. The last Utah elders had left for their homes, in 1858, and thus the Hawaiian mission, for three years and upwards, had been in charge of native elders. It stands to reason that the unsuspecting natives, after being left alone so long, would receive any elder from the headquarters of The Church with open arms, and with almost unlimited confidence-a confi- dence which never before had been betrayed nor taken undue advantage of by any of the elders who had done missionary work in Hawaii. Making the most of his opportunity, Mr. Gibson repre- sented himself to the natives as a superior personage, authorized

WALTER MURRAY GIBSON. 13

by, andeven superior to, President Brigham Young, and he claimed the presidency over all the Pacific isles. Since the Utah elders had left the islands, in 1858, many of the organized branches of The Church had dwindled down to a very small membership, and many had ceased to exist altogether, but the regular semi-annual conferences had been held regularly, and it was at such a conference, held in Wailuku, in the island of Maui, in October, 1861, that Walter M. Gibson, according to his own statement, first took an active part with the Saints, and assumed the presidency over them. As early as 1855, Palawai, on the small island of Lanai, had been selected as a gathering place for the Hawaiian Saints, for which purpose the lands had been leased, and quite a village built up. This land, which was now offered for sale, Mr. Gibson purchased with money obtained by him in a way that made him subject to severe criticism. It seems quite clear that when Mr. Gibson found so fruitful a field for the gratification of his ambition, as he did in Hawaii, he readily aban- doned the idea of going to Papua or any other part of Oceania. Mr. Gibson appears to have located at Palawai on the island i of Lanai, soon after the October, 1861, conference, for under date of November 1, 1861, he writes: We are now living comfortably on the Hawaiian Zion. I am going * * to apply to the government for land for The Church. I will do all the good I can for the Saints on the Hawaiian Islands with the little money they have contributed, and then I will sail for the Malay * * islands. The Church needs a little vessel very much . Now is the time to do something to buy land and get a little vessel to do the business of The Church. Those who do not help when they can will lose what they hold on to so closely, and will never find a welcome * * * among the faithful and self-sacrificing Saints of Zion. We have now enough money to pay for the land that is to make up the $500 first promised; but we have nothing to buy tools with, and grain, and above all to buy a little vessel to carry our produce. Our boats on Lanai are all broken. There is only one now in use; and I won't venture out in it, nor leave the island till we get a new boat. I like Lanai better than any other place, and will do all I can to establish The Church here.