BOGGS' TACTICS. 129
him in office ! This will not do. There is bad blun- dering somewhere. It is the Mormons only that are to be killed and driven off, and not the free and loyal American Boggs voters. Ho, there! Let the state arms be turned against these damned saints! On what pretext? Any. Say that they are robbing, and burning, and killing right and left, and that they swear they will never stop until they have the country. Easy enough. No doubt they do kill and burn; the men of Missouri are killing them and burning; why should they not retaliate? No doubt there are thieves and bad men among them, who take advan- tage of the time to practise their vile calling. No doubt there are violent men among them, who swear roundly at those who are hunting them to death, who swear that they will drive them off their lands and kill them if they can. But this does not make insur- rectionists and traitors of the whole society. No matter; down with the Mormons! And so Boggs, the governor, seats himself and coolly writes off to his generals to drive out or exterminate the vermin. ^^
•*' Several of them write to Boggs: 'There is no crime, from treason down to petit larceny, but these people, or a majority of them, have been guilty of; all, too, under the counsel of Joseph Smith, Jr, the prophet. They have com- mitted ti'easou, murder, arson, burglary, robbery, larceny, and perjury. They have societies formed under the most binding covenants in form, and the most horrid oaths, to circumvent the laws and put them at defiance; and to plunder and burn and murder, and divide the spoils for the use of the church.' Tucker's Mormonism, 1G4.
And thus Boggs makes answer, Oct. 27th: 'Since the order of the morn- ing to you directing you to cause four hundred mounted men to be raised within your division, I have received by Amos Rees, Esq., and Wiley E. Will- iams, Esq., one of my aids, information of the most appalling character, which changes entii'cly the face of things, and places the Mormons in the attitude of an open and avowed defiance of the laws, and of having made open war upon the people of this state. Your orders are therefore to hasten your operations, and endeavor to reach Richmond in Ray county, with all possible speed. The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driv^en from the state if necessary, for the public good. Their outrages are beyond all description. If you can increase your force, you are authorized to do so to any extent you may think necessary. I have just issued orders to Maj.- Gen. WoUock of Marion county to raise 500 men, and to march them to tlie northern part of Daviess, and there unite with Gen. Doniphan of Claj^ who has been ordered with 500 men to proceed to the same point for the purpose of intercepting the retreat of the Mormons to the north. They Iiave been directed to communicate with you by express. You can also communicate ■with tliem if you find it necessary. Instead, therefore, of proceeding as at first directed, to reinstate the citizens of Daviess in their homes, you will pro- Hi8T. Utah. 9
