Difference between revisions of "Criticism of Mormonism/Books/One Nation Under Gods/Use of sources/Counterfeiting apostles and Joseph"

m
 
(24 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
__NOTOC__
+
{{Main Page}}
{{FAIRAnalysisHeader
+
{{H1
|title=[[../../]]
+
|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/One Nation Under Gods/Use of sources/Counterfeiting apostles and Joseph
|author=Richard Abanes
+
|H=Were Latter-day Saint apostles charged with counterfeiting?
|noauthor=
+
|S=
|section=[[../../Use of sources|Use of sources]], Counterfeiting apostles and Joseph
+
|L1=
|previous=[[../Whistling and Whittling Brigades|Whistling and Whittling Brigades]]
+
|T=[[../../|One Nation Under Gods]]
|next=[[../Brigham, the Dictator|Brigham, the Dictator]]
+
|A=Richard Abanes
|notes={{AuthorsDisclaimer}}
+
|<=[[../Whistling and Whittling Brigades|Whistling and Whittling Brigades]]
 +
|>=[[../Brigham, the Dictator|Brigham, the Dictator]]
 
}}
 
}}
=Counterfeiting apostles and Joseph=
+
{{Author claims label}}
==The Quotes==
+
 
 
===One Nation under Gods, page 216-217 (hardback and paperback)===
 
===One Nation under Gods, page 216-217 (hardback and paperback)===
  
 
* Government records indicate that Brigham Young, Willard Richards, Parley Pratt, and Orson Hyde were involved in making counterfeit coins. This may have "started under Joseph's leadership."
 
* Government records indicate that Brigham Young, Willard Richards, Parley Pratt, and Orson Hyde were involved in making counterfeit coins. This may have "started under Joseph's leadership."
  
==The References==
+
{{Author sources label}}
 +
 
 
===Endnote 62-65, page 552 (hardback); page 550 (paperback)===
 
===Endnote 62-65, page 552 (hardback); page 550 (paperback)===
  
Line 23: Line 25:
 
*''St Louis American'', December 2, 1845.
 
*''St Louis American'', December 2, 1845.
  
==The Problem==
+
{{:Question: Are there government records that prove that the apostles were involved in counterfeiting in Nauvoo?}}
 
+
</onlyinclude>
* On page 127, Quinn mentions three men who either passed counterfeit money or who were accused of counterfeiting&mdash;yet, two are ''non''-Mormons, and the third was criticized by Hyrum Smith for this practice after his eventual apostasy.
 
 
 
* On pages 650-651, Quinn mentions two items that relate to counterfeiting:
 
** 24 Mar. [1845] A disaffected Mormon writes that Theodore Turley, of the Council of Fifty, has prepared a press in Nauvoo for counterfeiting, and that Turley gave the man a counterfeit $5.00 bill. [650]
 
** 4 June. [1845] Young and Kimball learn that Warren Snow and Dominicus Carter have been jailed in Quincy, Illinois, for passing counterfeit money. Bishop Joseph L. Heywood confirms that they are guilty. In Utah Snow would become a bishop and Carter a member of a stake presidency. [651]<!-- Source is Kimball journal, see Stanley, B. Kimball, On the Potter's Wheel, Diary 2, Part 3, p.119-p.120-->
 
 
 
None of this associates Joseph Smith (or any of the named apostles) with approving or conducting counterfeiting in any way.  That Snow and Carter later held church leadership positions says nothing about official sanction for their actions in Nauvoo&mdash;repentance is a firm tenet of the Church.
 
 
 
==What of the apostles?==
 
 
 
The "government documents" to which the author refers (via the Tanners) date from 1846:
 
 
 
:The grand jury of the United States district court of Springfield, Illinois, in January 1846, issued twelve indictments against prominent Church leaders for counterfeiting United States coin. [''Niles' National Register'', January 3, 1846.] This action was generally thought to be a ploy on the part of the government to make certain that the Saints would keep their promise to leave Nauvoo in the spring. Church leaders issued a circular in which they denied the charge of counterfeiting. They reiterated that they expected the migration to begin early in March. [''Missouri Reporter'', February 5, 1846.] They then went into hiding and refused to give themselves up for trial.{{ref|godfrey.1}}
 
  
==Conclusion==
 
  
Thus, there are ''no'' "government records" which prove that the apostles "were involved in making counterfeit coins." At best, there is an indictment from a local grand jury, but an indictment is not proof&mdash;and, it is unlikely that indictment was anything but a ploy to make sure the Mormons left.
+
{{To learn more box:Alleged counterfeiting in Nauvoo}}
  
=Further reading=
 
  
#{{note|godfrey.1}} {{BYUS1|author=Kenneth W. Godfrey|article=Crime and Punishment in Mormon Nauvoo, 1839-1846|date=1991|vol=32|num=1-2|start=218}} {{pdflink|url=http://byustudies.byu.edu/shop/pdfsrc/32.1Godfrey.pdf}}
+
{{endnotes sources}}
{{FAIRAnalysisWiki}}
 

Latest revision as of 20:56, 9 May 2024

Were Latter-day Saint apostles charged with counterfeiting?



A FAIR Analysis of: One Nation Under Gods, a work by author: Richard Abanes

Author's Claims


One Nation under Gods, page 216-217 (hardback and paperback)

  • Government records indicate that Brigham Young, Willard Richards, Parley Pratt, and Orson Hyde were involved in making counterfeit coins. This may have "started under Joseph's leadership."

Author's Sources


Endnote 62-65, page 552 (hardback); page 550 (paperback)

  • Jerald and Sandra Tanner, The Mormon Kingdom, vol. 2, 51-64.
  • D. Michael Quinn, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power (Signature Books, 1994), 127, 650-651.
  • Warsaw Signal, June 5, 1844.
  • St Louis American, December 2, 1845.


Question: Are there government records that prove that the apostles were involved in counterfeiting in Nauvoo?

There are no "government records" which prove that the apostles "were involved in making counterfeit coins"

The book One Nation Under Gods claims that government records indicate that Brigham Young, Willard Richards, Parley Pratt, and Orson Hyde were involved in making counterfeit coins, and that this may have "started under Joseph's leadership." [1] The author cites the following sources to support his claim:

  • Jerald and Sandra Tanner, The Mormon Kingdom, vol. 2, 51-64.
  • D. Michael Quinn, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power (Signature Books, 1994), 127, 650-651.
  • Warsaw Signal, June 5, 1844.
  • St Louis American, December 2, 1845.

There are no "government records" which prove that the apostles "were involved in making counterfeit coins" At best, there is an indictment from a local grand jury, but an indictment is not proof—and, it is unlikely that indictment was anything but a ploy to make sure the Mormons left.

Of three men accused, two are non-Mormons, and the third was criticized by Hyrum Smith for this practice after his eventual apostasy

On page 127, Quinn mentions three men who either passed counterfeit money or who were accused of counterfeiting—yet, two are non-Mormons, and the third was criticized by Hyrum Smith for this practice after his eventual apostasy.

On pages 650-651, Quinn mentions two items that relate to counterfeiting:

  • 24 Mar. [1845] A disaffected Mormon writes that Theodore Turley, of the Council of Fifty, has prepared a press in Nauvoo for counterfeiting, and that Turley gave the man a counterfeit $5.00 bill. [650]
  • 4 June. [1845] Young and Kimball learn that Warren Snow and Dominicus Carter have been jailed in Quincy, Illinois, for passing counterfeit money. Bishop Joseph L. Heywood confirms that they are guilty. In Utah Snow would become a bishop and Carter a member of a stake presidency. [651]

None of this associates Joseph Smith (or any of the named apostles) with approving or conducting counterfeiting in any way

That Snow and Carter later held church leadership positions says nothing about official sanction for their actions in Nauvoo—repentance is a firm tenet of the Church.

The "government documents" to which the author refers (via the Tanners) date from 1846 and appear to be a ploy to provide incentive for the Saints to leave Nauvoo

The grand jury of the United States district court of Springfield, Illinois, in January 1846, issued twelve indictments against prominent Church leaders for counterfeiting United States coin. [Niles' National Register, January 3, 1846.] This action was generally thought to be a ploy on the part of the government to make certain that the Saints would keep their promise to leave Nauvoo in the spring. Church leaders issued a circular in which they denied the charge of counterfeiting. They reiterated that they expected the migration to begin early in March. [Missouri Reporter, February 5, 1846.] They then went into hiding and refused to give themselves up for trial.[2]



Learn more about alleged counterfeiting in Nauvoo
Key sources
  • Kenneth W. Godfrey, "Crime and Punishment in Mormon Nauvoo, 1839-1846," Brigham Young University Studies 32 no. 1-2 (1991), 218. PDF link
Online
  • William J. Adams Jr., "Synagogues in the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9/1 (2000). [4–13] link
Print
  • Lee I. Levine, The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years (2d ed.; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005). ISBN 0300106289.
Navigators


Notes

  1. Richard Abanes, One Nation Under Gods, Endnote 62-65, page 552 (hardback); page 550 (paperback).
  2. Kenneth W. Godfrey, “Causes of Mormon Non-Mormon Conflict in Hancock County, Illinois, 1839–1846” (PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1967), [citation needed].