| 311 In April, 1862, men were sent from the camp to the mills with wheat to be ground into flour for the use of the camp. Their teams and grain were taken from them by force, and the Morrisites reasoning that an appeal to the courts would be useless while the courts were in the hands of their enemies, resolved to take the law into their own hands. They sent twenty-five men to Kay's ward, where they captured the men who had taken the wheat or flour, and carried them prisoners into the Morrisite camp. This enraged their adversaries, who swore out warrants for the arrest of Joseph Morris, John Banks, Richard Cook, John Parson, and Peter Klemgard.
An officer came to the camp and read the warrant to all except Morris, who was not present. The parties told the officer that they should pay no regard to the warrant, and John Banks burned it before his eyes. After this the officer departed without his prisoners. Robert T. Burton was then sent with the militia to make the arrests.
The following account is from "The Spirit Prevails," volume containing the revelations of Joseph Morris, published by George S. Dove and Company, San Francisco, California, 1886, George S. Dove being one of the participants:-
"On the morning of the 13th of June, 1862, Robert T. Burton, with the Mormon militia, made his appearance on the hills around Weber. They hesitated about coming into the fort; so they sent a boy, belonging to the Morrisite camp, with a note ordering the Morrisites to surrender, within thirty minutes, the five men mentioned in the writ that had been served about three weeks previous to this time. The Morrisites were under the impression that should they surrender those men that the warrant called for, that the Mormons would injure them before arriving at the courthouse in Salt Lake City; therefore no immediate reply was sent to Burton. At this juncture a meeting of the saints was called to deliberate upon the condition of affairs, and receive instruction. While the saints were assembled, engaged in religious services, in a bowery composed of willows and green branches, supported by posts, a cannon ball came in
(page 311) |
