Part Five

"There are various little items which combine to exhibit the character of a people. Some of these little items I wanted to mention-such as their disregard of the BIBLE. This book is seldom read among them; indeed in all my travels among them, I never saw it read, nor did I ever see a copy in any of their houses.
The Sabbath is disregarded. So far as I could judge, a large proportion of the inhabitants pursue [sic] their avocations on this as other days. True they have a meeting every Sabbath in the city, and in the other branches of the church; but these meetings, so far as I could learn, were occupied in giving counsel about building mills, herding cattle, paying tithing, raising grain, and a thousand things about temporal matters; the whole interspersed with liberal denunciations of the United States and predictions of the overthrow of its government."
"THE BASE SYSTEM OF ESPIONAGE PRACTICED THERE
I know this is a grave charge, but I fear it is too true."
"MURDER OF AMERICAN CITIZENS
But here I need to proceed with caution. I would not for my life accuse the Mormons of a single crime of which they are not guilty, and especially of a crime of so high a magnitude as that of murder. But if citizens of the United States, while passing through that Territory, have not been murdered in cold blood, then the Mormons themselves are the most atrocious liars on God's footstool"
"Brigham had only to say: "mark that man!" it was enough-he never passed the Weber!"
These were the men, if any who were employed to assassinate the emigrants above referred to; a transaction frequently alluded to in that sarcastic phrase: "pickled down in Salt Lake!"
"Hear it ye emigrants! If any of you say ought against the Mormons r their practices we will take off your heads!"
"'Yes! We will take off your heads! By the eternal God we will do it, in spite of all the emigrants! And all the United States!! And all hell!!!'"