Do you really want to discuss the persecution of the mormons in Missouri?
If so, lets start at the beginning with the Mormons moving into Jackson county. The Mormons were largely from the North East, and were opposed to slavery. The people of Missouri supported slavery. The people of Jackson County quickly decided that they didn’t like mormons, and proceeded to drive them out of the county, burning their homes, killing their livestock, etc.
The Mormons petitioned the governor of the state for redress to which he replied that he had no power to protect them.
The Mormons left Jackson County for Clay County, where they remained until they were compelled to leave. After Clay County, they moved to Far West in Caldwell County. After some time in Caldwell County, the citizens of Missouri decided that they still didn’t like the Mormons, and organized to drive them out of the state for good.
In support of this effort, two apostate mormons signed affidavits asserting the existence of a secrete Band of Mormons that were planing on razing America. This group, however, was not supported by the LDS church, and its leader was excommunicated as soon as his secret group was discovered by church leadership.
As tensions built, rumors were spread of Mormons destroying property throughout Davies County. The Missouri milita was called out to prevent civil war. Upon traveling to the area, it was the opinion of the militia’s leader, General Parks, that the Mormons were peaceful and law-abiding and were not guilty of the claimed offenses.
Later, after seeing the destruction of the home of Don Carlos Smith, General Parks ordered Colonel Lyman Wight (an officer in the Missouri milita) to suppress mob violence. Under this authority, Lyman Wight and David W. Patten led men of the Missouri militia to disperse mobs formed against the mormons at the battle of Crooked river.
Now, since every man in Missouri presumably belonged to the milita, you could honestly state that Wight and Patten attacked men who belonged to the militia and were illegally gathered. But, at the end of the day, Wight and Patten acted with the authority of the state of Missouri, and thus they were the Missouri militia.
So, Davies County was not razed as you claim. Nor could the mormons have ambushed the Missouri militia at the Battle of Crooked river because they were the Missouri militia and they did not ambush themselves.
The only half-assed history that I am seeing here is what you have written.
Liar.
[The Mormons were largely from the North East, and were opposed to slavery. ]
From Mitt Romney’s great-great-grandad, Parley Pratt:
Fourthly, concerning free negroes and mulattoes.—Do not the laws of Missouri provide abundantly for the removal from the state of all free negroes and mulattoes? (except certain privileged ones;) and also for the punishment of those who introduce or harbor them? The statement concerning our invitation to them to become Mormons, and remove to this state, and settle among us, is a wicked fabrication, as no such thing was ever published in the Star, or anywhere else, by our people, nor anything in the shadow of it; and we challenge the people of Jackson, or any other people, to produce such a publication from us.
In fact, one half dozen negroes or mulattoes, never have belonged to our society, in any part of the world, from its first organization to this day, 1839.
http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/PPratt-pers.html
It will take a while to go through all the distortions you posted, I have to dig up corroborating documentation while all you have to do is toss out some half remembered jibber jabber.
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“The people of Missouri supported slavery.”
That point is true. And Parley Pratt showed the Mormons were of the same persuasion.
“The people of Jackson County quickly decided that they didn’t like mormons, and proceeded to drive them out of the county, burning their homes, killing their livestock, etc.”
That also is true, but of course you left out why they up and took a disliking. It certainly wasn’t due to the slave issue, but because the Mormon’s swarmed communities en masse and took over the voting. Were injustices done? You bet. But if you go far back in Rigdon’s and Smith’s history you will find they always viewed Mormonism as a political and military as well as religious crusade. People don’t just drive other people out without any reason (heck, they didn’t even treat Jews or Shakers or Amish this bad)
“The Mormons petitioned the governor of the state for redress to which he replied that he had no power to protect them.”
True.
“The Mormons left Jackson County for Clay County, where they remained until they were compelled to leave.”
More or less true. However, concurrently Smith and Rigdon were in Kirtland busily running the banking scam that drove both the Kirtland Anti Banking Society and the Monroe Bank (which Cowdry and Smith had also purchased) into dissolution. So Smith and Rigdon hightailed it out of town to avoid being tarred and feathered, heading to Far West.
This is where Smith also ran into trouble, because he and his bunch had apparently double sold land in Far West to fellow Mormons. This is also where Smith decides he is a budding General and leads a group back to retake “Zion” (Jackson county), but is stopped because of a cholera outbreak. This is the real start of the Danites.
“After Clay County, they moved to Far West in Caldwell County. After some time in Caldwell County, the citizens of Missouri decided that they still didn’t like the Mormons, and organized to drive them out of the state for good.”
An agreement had been reached with the state to avert trouble that the Mormons would stay in Caldwell County and not encroach on other communities. There was a dust up over voting between Gentiles and Mormons which led to Sydney Rigdons “Salt Sermon” that called for extermination of the Gentiles should the Mormons be hindered again. This led to the formation of the Danite vigilantes, which were governed by Joseph Smith who gave a number of speeches to them. Smith was a tinpot general.
“In support of this effort, two apostate mormons signed affidavits asserting the existence of a secrete Band of Mormons that were planing on razing America. This group, however, was not supported by the LDS church, and its leader was excommunicated as soon as his secret group was discovered by church leadership.”
Absolutely false, Avery wasn’t excommunicated until well after the burning of Galatin and the battle of Crooked River. And those apostate Mormons you disdain witnessed a bunch of the Mormon thieving of property that went on.
“As tensions built, rumors were spread of Mormons destroying property throughout Davies County.”
More than rumors, there were letters dispatched from besieged towns.
“The Missouri milita was called out to prevent civil war. Upon traveling to the area, it was the opinion of the militia’s leader, General Parks, that the Mormons were peaceful and law-abiding and were not guilty of the claimed offenses.”
That was not the final judgment, that was his first judgment which later changed on seeing the evidence.
I can see I need to write half a book to answer your distortions, and do the proper citations rather than just doing this from memory. The last half of your post regarding what happened at Crooked River, and beyond, is full of swiss cheese holes, but alas, I am out of time. Anyone who wants a full history not seen through Mormon peepstone glasses, I will try and make citations later tomorrow.