THE MURDEROUS DANITES

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 15, 1876

THE MURDEROUS DANITES.

Discussing the Propriety of Slaughtering the Gentiles—the Plot Averted.

Some startling facts have just come to light in relation to a plot on the part of the Mormons to resist the officers of the United States Court in this district, at the time Brigham Young was last under arrest for contempt in disobeying the order of the Court to pay alimony in the Ann Eliza case. No sooner was it known that Brigham had been arrested, and that he would probably be removed to the penitentiary for safe keeping during the time of his disobedience, than numbers of Danites, armed and equipped, from all the surrounding towns, came to Salt Lake, under instructions from their bishops, to resist to the last any effort on the part of the United States Marshal to remove Brigham Young from his own residence.

These Danites numbered several hundreds, principally composed of sheriffs, their deputies, and police officers from the surrounding counties. This force of men was quartered within the premises of Brigham Young, and was under the control of Andrew Burt, then the captain of the police force of this city, and now the city marshal. The councils held by these men were of a blood-thirsty character, and developed the animus which all Mormons have for Gentiles.

A large majority of these Danites were in favor of not waiting for the expected provocation—the attempt to remove Brigham to the penitentiary—but desired to open the ball by making wholesale slaughter of the Gentile population of the town. This measure was discussed pro and con in the councils of the Danites, and Policeman Burt opposed it on the ground that it would be bad policy on the part of the Mormons to strike the first blow. He said that of course the Mormons could do the work completely, but it would be the victory of only an hour, and would bring on a war of extermination. United States troops would be rushed into the country, and the Territory would be placed under martial law for the purpose of executing all the leading Mormons.

This argument did not satisfy many of the Danites, who thought that the Mormons were able to successfully resist the whole United States army; but Burt, by his authority, overthrew them, and said, “Wait until an attempt is made to remove Brigham Young, and then we will make short work of them.”

It was the fact that these men stood ready to resist the officers of the law, and murder the Gentile population of this city that led Brigham Young, Jr., to be so insolent and threatening in his conduct to Officer Pratt, who was the guard placed over the prophet. Indeed, there can be little doubt that at one time, while the officers were at Brigham’s, it was fully determined upon to precipitate a difficulty by assassinating the deputy marshals. The officers slept on the front porch of Brigham’s office, and the first or second night after they had been on guard there, a very suspicious movement, on the part of William Rossiter, Brigham’s coachman, led them to think that an effort to assassinate them had been made.

The officers, who knew that Brigham was in their custody only in a formal sense, had retired, but one of them could not sleep. He saw the lights put out in the office, and the premises soon after assumed a perfect quiet. When all had been silence for some time, he heard the office door quietly opened, and saw a tall man step carefully out and sneak toward the bed. He had got close up to it, and was in the act of leaning forward when the officer, with his pistol in hand, started up and asked what was wanted. It was this fellow Rossiter, who was very much frustrated by the sudden change matters had taken, but he stammered out something about his intention being to ascertain whether the deputies were sleeping warm, and then slunk away; but the officer did very little sleeping that night. The Danites, of course, knew that if Brigham was removed at all the attempt would be made in the day time, but, nevertheless, a number of them patrolled the streets at night.

Deputy Sheriff Loveland, of Box Elder county, who had been ordered on duty in Salt Lake by Apostle Lorenzo Snow, of Brigham City, was on duty one night till about 2 o’clock, out near the Warm Springs. Here he met an old man 70 years of age, who was eager for the fray. Having been left behind by his brethren the day before, he armed himself with two English horse pistols and set out on foot and alone from Farmington for Salt Lake City to participate in the affair, which he understood was to take place the next day between the Mormons and the Gentiles. It was with some difficulty that Loveland quieted the old saint’s nerves and got him settled down.

This organized band of Danites remained in the city under the leadership of Policeman Burt until Brigham was released from custody by Judge White; and other more powerful bodies of the same organization in the neighboring settlements held themselves in readiness to come to Salt Lake at a minute’s warning. It is beyond question that if Gen. Maxwell had decided to remove Brigham when he was under arrest, the Gentile population here would have been massacred, and the streets of Salt Lake been deluged with blood.—Salt Lake Tribune.