--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1839 to 1840. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 1 number: 11 published: 1840-09 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“For the Times & Seasons. Burglary! Treason! ARSON!!! MURDER!!!!,” *Times and Seasons* 1, no. 11 (September 1840): 165–167." printed_title: For the Times & Seasons. Burglary! Treason! ARSON!!! MURDER!!!! source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1840-09_1_11 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v1n11.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1840-09_1_11 start_page: 165 end_page: 167 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1840 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1840-09_1_11 publication_year: 1840 --- # For the Times & Seasons. Burglary! Treason! ARSON!!! MURDER!!!! Lt. Col. Smith:- I feel disposed to address you a few lines in relation to one of the darkest events that ever blackened the history of man in his most savage and barbarous state. The history of the Goths and Vandals, the cruel Arabs, or the Savage Indians, does not contain a parallel-the heart sickens at the thought, and turns from the contemplation of it with loathing and disgust. In the year of our Lord 1838, it is generally known, (for it came heralded forth from the Grampion hills of the Saints of light, was written by a celestial messenger on the alter of God, and reflected on the heavenly canopy, that all the world might see,) L. W. Boggs, Governor of Missouri, and Prince of midnight assassins and cowardly brigands, issued, in the face of high heaven, exterminating order (which was ratified by the Legislature,) against the Mormon people residing within his jurisdiction-directing his general officers, first to "drive them from the state;" second to "intercept their retreat;" and third to "exterminate them" with the weapons of war: but the Mormons threw their banners on the air, and under the proudest motto that ever blazed upon a warrior's shield-Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis; As God was with our fathers, so may he be with us-the great God of battles led his people victors, to this land of peace and plenty-the beloved Illinois-a state that has always shown one of the brightest Stars in the American Constellation-a precious glittering gem on the National Escutcheon, without spot or blemish-but no sooner had they began to build up Nauvoo a great city and resting place for the Saints scattered abroad, than does this same L. W. Boggs, not having the fear of God before his eyes, but being moved and instigated by his father, the devil, demand of his Excellency, Thomas Carlin, governor of Illinois, that a portion of this people shall be given up to the brigaad [brigand ?] authorities of Missouri, or Western Egypt, to be inhumanly [inhumanely] butchered! Look at the brutal, heathen, picture! Missouri wages war on the entire Mormon church-the church of Latter Day Saints-violates their women; shoots down, and scalps, their innocent, defenceless [defenseless], children; confiscates their property, and throws it to the four winds of heaven-brings them from affluence to beggery [beggary] in an hour; and orders them all exterminated, murdered, butchered, by an infuriated, savage, fiendish, diabolical, infernal, Missouri mob of ruthless brigands, or driven from the state-and declares them outlaws from the common family of man: and now, in the year of our Lord 1840, two years after, demands, this self-same people, whom she has wantonly outraged, violated, outlawed, prejudged, and condemned, for the slaughter, charging them with burglary, treason, arson, and murder, four of the foulest crimes in the black catalogue of hellish deeds: and all this in land of boasted liberty -and simply because the Mormons wish, and are determined, to exercise one of our greatest and most dear and sacred constitutional rights-the liberty of conscience-the inestimable privilege of worshiping [worshipping] the God of heaven in the way that they believe to be pointed out! Should they be given up into the hands of wicked men and devils in order to enable them to celebrate a kind of Auto-do-fe, by burning them to the stake, or butchering them in the shambles, at Jefferson city, to satiate Missouri's inordinate thirst for blood? No. They will not be given up. Missouri has too long bathed her hands in crimson gore, and drank the blood of the innocent; she must now be checked in her wild and mad career-she has passed from the palmy state of her political glory to the sear and yellow leaf‚ the civilized world now turns from her with horror and ineffible [ineffable] contempt-and, should it become necessary, (which may God avert,) she must be met-Missouri must be met, not only by the Mormon people, but by the states-and all the friends of liberty and equal rights should gird on their armour [armor], and sware[swear] by the everliving God that the sword shall not depart from the thigh, nor the buckler from the arm until the contest is ended. "And shall not God avenge his own elect, though he bear long with them? I tell you he will avenge them speedily," and that by the strong arm of military power. "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his Anointed, saying let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision." I tell you God will avenge the wrongs of his people. How accurately and felicitously does the Psalmist describe the situation of the Saints of light when in the hands of the marauding Missouri horde of banditti when he says: "Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me; fight against them that fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me say into my soul, I am thy salvation. Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the Lord persecute them. For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul. Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall. And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation. All my bones shall say, Lord; who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth Him? False witness did rise up, they laid to my charge things that I knew not.-They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother. But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not: they did tear me, and ceased not: With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth. Lord, how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions. I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people. Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let them wink the eye that hate me without a cause. for they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land. Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me; and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it. This thou hast seen, O Lord: keep not silence; O Lord, be not far from me. Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, ever unto my cause, my God and my Lord. Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me. Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up. Let them be ashamed and brouget [brought] to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonor that magnify themselves against me. Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.-And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long." Missouri has hewn down the innocent and defenceless [defenseless]. it is true, but she is entirely destitute of military knowledge or prowess. The Poet truly describes her citizens when he says- "Their pow'r to hurt, each little creature feels, Bulls aim their horns, and asses lift their heels;" but the blood of the slain is crying from the ground for condign vengeance, and should she continue to pursue her present murderous policy, the day of righteous retribution and the avenging of blood will not be procrastinated-for her plains shall be bleached with the bones of the slain, and her rivers flow with blood, before another massacre will be suffered. More anon. Yours, Respectfully, JOAB, General in Israel.