Among the events of this year, deserving notice, was the liqui dation of the Illinois State Bank; and we shall here say what we have to say in relation to banking in Illinois. In 1816, the bank of Shawanee-town was chartered for twenty years, with a capital of $300,000, one third of which was to be subscribed by the State. In 1821 this institution closed its doors, " and remained dormant," till 1835, when its charter was extended to 1857, and it resumed business. Two years later, in March, 1837, the capital was increased by 1,400,000 dollars, all subscribed by the State. But the great crash which soon prostrated business throughout the United States, involved this with other institutions of a like kind in difficulties too great to be surmounted; and though the State, in 1841, offered to relieve the bank from a forfeiture of its charter provided it would pay $200,000 of the State debt, in 1843 it was found necessary to close its concerns once more. The State Banks were not more fortunate. The constitution of Illinois like that of Indiana, provided that no other than a State bank and its branches should be allowed. In March, 1819, a State bank was accordingly chartered, with a nominal capital of four millions, but its stock was not sold. In 1821, another State bank, with a capital of half a million was chartered, to be managed by the Legislature. This went into operation, but with little or no real capital, so that its bills were soon at an enormous discount, and it failed. In February, 1835, a third State bank was formed, with a capital of a million and a half, which in 1837, was increased to three and a half millions of dollars: this institution survived till January, 1843, when the Legislature were forced to close its doors;-its bills being worth about fifty cents on the dollar.* See on Illinois banks, Brown's History, 428 to 441. On the 27th of June the Mormon leader, Joseph Smith, was killed at Carthage, Illinois, by "an armed mob."* The history of Mormonism cannot yet be written; its votaries are even now (October, 1846) struggling and starving among the vast plains and mountains of the immense country beyond the Mississippi; the news of the conquest of Nauvoo are but a few weeks old. Still we are bound to present some outlines of the rise and progress of this remarkable system. Smith, its reputed founder, was born in Vermont, about 1807, and reared in New-York; his education was imperfect,† and his family are said to have been superstitious. When about fifteen or sixteen years old he began to see visions, which continued through some seven years. At length on the 22d of September, 1827, the "records" upon which Mormonism rests, were delivered to the prophet. "These re cords," says Cowdrey, Were engraved on plates which had the appearance of gold, Each plate was not far from seven by eight inches in width and length, being not quite as thick as common tin. They were filled on both sides with engravings, in Egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume, as the leaves of a book, and fastened at the edge with three rings running through the whole. This volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The characters or letters upon the unsealed part, were small and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction, as well as much skill in the art of engraving. With the records was found a curious instrument, called by the ancients, Urim and Thummim, which consisted of two transparent stones, clear as crystal, set in two rims of a bow-this was in use in ancient times by persons called Seers-it was an instrument, by the use of which they received revelations of things distant, or of things past or future." The story of his gold plates getting abroad, the holder was waylaid by robbers and persecuted by fanatics, until he was forced to flee into Pennsylvania to his father-in-law: - there he began the Brown's Illinois, 488. + Brown's Illinois, 386. + Hunt's Mormon War, 5. Smith's own account in Brown's Illinois, 388 to 390, and Cowdrey's 390 to 392. As to Cowdrey, see Hunt's Mormon War. 10. 578 Rigdon converted. 1844. work of translation. The issue of this work was, "The Book of Mormon." This book gives the history of Lehi and his posterity, from about 660 B. C. to 400 A. D.: these lived for the most part in America, Lehi and his sons having emigrated thither. After the emigration, terrible wars took place between the Nephites or faithful, and the Lamanites or heathen, in which all the former were destroyed except Mormon, his son Moroni, and a few others. Mormon and his son abridged the records of their ancestors, and added their own, and thus the Book was completed.* An account referred to in the note, gives us reason to think this Book was not written by Smith, but by one Spalding, as a sort of romance, and that it was seen and stolen by Sidney Rigdon, afterwards Smith's right hand man, and by him made known to the Prophet. Rigdon, however, had at first no open connection with Smith, and was converted by a special mission sent into his neighborhood in October 1830. From the time of Rigdon's conversion the progress of Mormonism was wonderfully rapid, he being a man of more than common capacity and cunning.-Kirtland, Ohio, became the chief city for the time being, while large numbers went to Missouri in consequence of revelations to that effect. In July 1833, the number of Mormons in Jackson county Missouri, was over 1200. Their increase having produced some anxiety among the neighboring settlers a meeting was held in the month just named from whence emanated resolutions forbidding all Mormons thenceforth to settle in that county, and intimating that all who did not soon remove of their own will would be forced to do so.] Among the resolutions was one requiring the Mormon paper to be stopped, but as this was not at once § complied with the office of the paper was destroyed. Another large meeting of the citizens being held, the Mormons became alarmed and contracted to remove. Before this contract, however, could be complied with, violent proceedings were again resorted to:** houses were destroyed, men whipped, and at length some of both parties were As to the true origin of this Book, we have a full statement, which seems worthy of credit, made by Mrs. Spalding, the widow of the alledged author. It may be found in the Western Messenger for August, 1839, p. 288.-See also Hunt, 12 to 90.-Brown's Illinois, 392, 402. + Hunt, 93 to 112. + Hunt, 128. I See the resolutions in Hunt, 129, 130. § The Mormons were allowed two hours to determine upon their course. (Hunt, 130.) See contract in Hunt, 131. ** The contract was for removal before January and April 1834, (see it in Hunt 1`1,) .but the Mormons were attacked in October 1833. 1844. Troubles in Missouri. 579 killed. The result was a removal of the Morinons across the Missouri into Clay county. These outrages being communicated to the Prophet at Kirtland, he took steps to bring about a great gathering of his disciples, with which, marshalled as an army, in May, 1834, he started for Missouri, which in due time he reached, but with no other result than the transfer of a certain portion of his followers as permanent settlers to a region already too full of them. At first the citizens of Clay county were friendly to the persecuted; but ere long trouble grew up, and the wanderers were once more forced to seek a new home, in order to prevent outrages. This home they found in Caldwell county, where, by permission of the neighbors and State legislature, they organized a county government, the country having been previously unsettled. Soon after this removal, numbers of Mormons flocking in, settlements were also formed in Davis and Carroll:- the three towns of the new sect being Far West in Caldwell; Adam-on-di-ah-mond, called Diahmond or Diahman, in Davis; and Dewit, in Carroll. Thus far the Mormon writers and their enemies pretty well agree in their narratives of the Missouri troubles;* but thenceforth all is contradiction and uncertainty. These contradictions we cannot reconcile, and we have not room to give both relations; referring our readers, therefore, to Hunt and Greene, we will, in a few words state our own impressions of the causes of the quarrel and the catastrophe. The Mormons, or Latter-day Saints held two views which they were fond of dwelling upon, and which were calculated to alarm and excite the people of the frontier. One was, that the West was to be their inheritance, and that the unconverted dwellers upon the lands about them were to be destroyed, and the saints to succeed to their property. The destruction spoken of was to be, as Smith taught, by the hand of God; but those who were threatened naturally enough concluded that the Mormons might think themselves instruments in His hand to work the change they foretold and desired. They believed also, with or without reason, that the saints, anticipating, -like many other heirs, the income of their inheritance, helped themselves to what they needed of food and clothing; or, as the world called it, were arrant thieves. We have quoted Hunt, Anti-mormon, who gives the documents; for the Mormon view of same events, see Facts, &c. by John P. Greene. Cincinnati, 1339"-pp. 10 to 12. 17. 18. 6. + See Smith in Hunt, 140. 142. Same work, 128. 182, &c. 580 Mormons expelled from Missouri. 1844 The other offensive view was, the descent of the Indians from the Hebrews, taught by the Book of Mormon, and their ultimate restoration to their share in the inheritance of the faithful:* from this view, the neighbors were easily led to infer a union of the Saints and savages to desolate the frontier. Looking with suspi cion upon the new sect, and believing them to be already rogues and thieves, the inhabitants of Carrol and Davis counties were of course opposed to their possession of the chief political influence, such as they already possessed in Caldwell, and from the fear that they would acquire more, arose the first open quarrel. This took place in August, 1838, at an election in Davis county, where their right of suffrage was disputed. The affray which ensued being exaggerated, and some severe cuts and bruises being converted into mortal wounds by the voice of rumor, a number of the Mormons of Caldwell county went to Diahmond, and after learning the facts, by force or persuasion induced a magistrate of Davis, known to be a leading opponent of theirs, to sign a promise not to molest them any more by word or deed. For this Joe Smith and Lyman Wight were arrested and held to trial. By this time the prejudices and fears of both parties were fully aroused; each anticipated violence from the other, and to prevent it each proceeded to violence. The Mormons of Caldwell, legally organized, turned out to preserve the peace; and the Anti-mormons of Davis, Carrol, and Livingston, acting upon the sacred principle of self-defence, armed and embodied themselves for the same commendable purpose. Unhappily, in this case, as in many similar ones, the preservation of peace was ill confided to men moved by mingled fear and hatred; and instead of it, the opposing forces produced plunderings, burnings, and bloodshed, which did not terminate until Governor Boggs, on the 27th of October, authorised General Clark, with the full military power of the State, to exterminate or drive from Missouri, if he thought necessary, the unhappy followers of Joe Smith. Against the army, 3500 strong, thus brought to annihilate them, and which was evidently not a mob, the 1400 Mormons made no resistance; 300 fled, and the remainder surrendered. The leaders were examined and held to trial, bail being refused; while the mass of the unhappy people were stripped of their property to pay the expenses of the war, and driven, men, *See Hunt, 280, &c. + See his order in Greene's pamphlet, 26. Greene, 32.-The evidence on the examination is in Hunt, 195 to 74. |