27. D. McKenzie to George Reynolds, October 12, 1871, BYOF.
28. See Brigham Young to Willard Young, October 17, 1871, BYOF.
29. See Wells to Young, October 29, 1871, BYOF. See also Kenney, Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, October 25 and 28, 1871, 7:36–37.
30. MacKinnon, At Sword’s Point, 303.
432
the prophet and the reformer
Letter
Salt Lake City, U. T.
Sept. 27. 1871.
Genl. Thomas L. Kane,
Kane, McKean Co. Pa.
Dear Friend:—
My son, John W. Young, who will be the bearer of this, will inform
you of the doings and tyrannical course of the “Ring” of Judicial and
other federal officers here, who by arbitrary, new, and strange rulings
have deprived the old settlers here of the right to sit on all juries, and
in other ways deny to us the rights belonging to the common people.
By these means they have at last succeeded in what they trust will be a
death blow to Mormonism—they have I am informed, brought before
their exclusive, packed grand jury one Wm Hickman who was excom-
municated from our Church several years ago for his crimes, and he,
evidently to save himself from justice, has laid at my door some or all
of those crimes,—an accusation which our enemies are only too eager
to accept, and I am indicted and expect to be a prisoner in the Military
Post, Camp Douglass,31 long before this reaches you, as I expect to plead
and fight them in a legal way right here. If there [p. 2] is any way in
which you can benefit me either by coming here and giving me the ben-
efit of your counsel and influence, or otherwise by going to Washington
and endeavoring to influence the Policy which makes war upon us all
the time, or in obtaining the removal of these judges who are a unit
against us, or aid me in any way it will indeed be acceptable from you
They have aimed a similar blow at several of our prominent men, as
wicked and unjust, as it is false, but we expect still to live and prosper
after they have done their worst.
My son will give you all the particulars more fully than I can write.
With kindest love to Mrs Kane and children, and with sentiments of
unchanged affection and esteem for yourself,
I remain, my dear friend,
Yours faithfully,
Brigham Young
31. C
amp Douglas was where prisoners were “usually detained.” See Wells to Young, October 30, 1871, BYOF.
80
Kane to Young, October 12, 1871
traveling With Utah territorial delegate William Hooper, John W. Young carried
his father’s September 27, 1871 letter to Kane at some point in early October 1871.1
Soon after, Kane informed Pennsylvania Senator Simon Cameron that he had
assured “young Mr. Young that the fears of his people were unfounded as long as
they continued to yield a ready submission to the Law.” Nevertheless, he explained to Cameron that the Mormons, ever since Joseph Smith’s murder in 1844, had a
“great dread” of the “assassination of their leaders while in Legal Custody.”2
Kane also wrote the following response to Brigham Young, which John
W. Young carried to Utah. Kane urged him to escape immediately, go into hiding,
and secure a first-rate legal representative: William Evarts, who had served as chief counsel during President Andrew Johnson’s impeachment trial by the Senate and
then as Johnson’s Attorney General.3 Kane also requested that Young send two
ciphers to enhance the security of their communication and wrote of his intention
to travel to Utah for the purposes of collecting materials for a biography of Young.
Source
Kane to Young, October 12, 1871, box 15, fd 5, Kane Collection, BYU. A draft
as well as a copy made by John W. Young are in the Kane Collection, BYU.4
1. Kane to H
amilton Fish, October 31, 1871, Kane Collection, BYU.
2. Kane to Cameron, October 13, 1871, Cameron Papers, LOC; draft in Kane Collection, BYU.
3. Evarts (1818–1891) later served as secretary of state under President Rutherford B. Hayes from 1877–1891; in that capacity, he spearheaded an effort to shut down all Mormon migration to the United States. See Evarts circular, August 9, 1879, Foreign Relations of the United States (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1879), 11–12.
4. At the end of his copy, John W. Young wrote, “Excuse bad writing I trust you can make it out.”
434
the prophet and the reformer
Letter
Kane, Octo. 12. ’/71
Dear and honored old friend:5
Your letter of the 27th ult.6 has received due attention, as your son
who bears this will acquaint you.7 I trust the particulars communicated
by him will much relieve your mind. He will tell you I am not the only
American Citizen who deems it patriotic to do right.
But, though the blow immediately threatening has, as far as we can
judge, been parried, I must solicit you to give me the benefit of your
views meditations upon the future. Your people never stood more in
need of statesmanship. We must lead and direct events, or bad men will.
You must retain the best loyal counsel [p. 2] in the United States
without regard to Expense. Evarts (W. M.), recommended to your son
by his New York Attorneys, is a good man, if he will give himself at once
fully to your case. After that your first duty to your friends is the care of
your health and the maintenance of unaffected cheerfulness.
Let me have by faithful hand two ciphers; both private, but one for
your eye alone. The Head is still in the Lion’s mouth.
Introduce no one to my confidence in whom you do not yourself
trust implicitly. In the character of John W. Young, I find zeal and dis-
cretion combined. His prepossessing appearance and address intro-
duce him favorably to the most prejudiced.8 I know no one whom you
can employ to more advantage for intermediary oral communications.
I have given him my own confidence. He loves you.
I still persuade myself that I will come out before I die and complete
[p. 3] the collection of my materials for the Life of Brigham Young.9
I often cheer myself with a vision of pleasant weeks to be spent in your
5. Kane wrote “President Y
oung.” at the bottom of this page.
6. An abbreviation for “ultimo,” meaning the previous month.
7. Young to Kane, September 27, 1871.
8. Known for his charisma, John W. Young had been an effective voice of “public Mormonism”
for over a decade. One reporter observed that he was the “most popular” of the Young sons for his “courteous manners . . . and good character.” See Springfield Republican, November 3, 1869, 2.
9. In the draft version, Kane wrote the following sentence before this one: “I have been sorely tempted to come out to you, and am not deterred by any
Kane to Young, October 12, 1871
435
company—when—our minds both free from the common cares which
now compel our thoughts—our converse shall turn as of old on higher
things.
—But your son must not miss his train.—Ask me in your private
correspondence for such information as you wish to privately receive.<
br />
In haste—greater than should go with an important letter—ever
affectionately yours
Thomas L. Kane
81
Kane to Young, November 9, 1871
John W. YoUng Wrote two letters to Kane on November 9, when they were
both in Philadelphia, that prompted the featured letter from Kane to Brigham
Young, which only exists as a draft. In his first November 9 letter, John
explained that upon his arrival that day in Philadelphia, he had initially called
on Kane’s aunt, who “treated me very courteously but questioned me closely.”
He told Kane, “I gave my true name John Willard but did not tell her there was
a Young to it. I wonder what she would have thought if she had known who
she welcomed.” He indicated to Kane’s aunt that they were “together in a little
Railroad matter & had been to the Pa Central RR office.”1
In his second letter on November 9, John Young, apparently following
instructions given by his father, asked, “If in your judgment it would be
expedient and wise to send a Delegation to the nation of Great Britain ask-
ing that government to cede us either by sale or grant a territory of land suf-
ficiently large in British Columbia, and not proscribe against our Religion
but guaranty in the Charter perfect freedom in that respect.”2 Brigham
Young had apparently already raised this issue with Kane. The month
before, Kane had discussed it with Senator Simon Cameron, chairman of
the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. In a draft letter to Cameron, Kane
had indicated that he would send a copy of a letter, apparently not extant,
from Young about the possibility. Kane told Cameron, “I am opposed
utterly to the Mormons moving anywhere out of the United States.” He
1. J
ohn W. Young to Kane, November 9, 1871, Kane Collection, BYU.
2. John W. Young to Kane, November 9, 1871. For Mormon interest in British Columbia, see Richard Bennett and Arran Jewsbury, BC Studies 128 (Winter 2000), “The Lion and the Emperor: The Mormons, the Hudson’s Bay Company, and Vancouver Island,
1846–1858,” 37–62.
Kane to Young, November 9, 1871
437
compared the possible loss of the “skillful and industrious” Mormons to
the tragic expulsion of the Huguenots (French Calvinists) from France in
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Such a move by the Mormons
would, in addition, have an “injurious effect” upon the national “money
market.” Kane further informed Cameron that he had told the Mormons
(in language that he echoed in the featured draft letter to Young), that Great
Britain would “make no grant or concession of importance” to which the
U.S. government would be opposed. As such, “Your first move therefore
w[oul]d have to be made in Washington.”3 Cameron discussed Kane’s let-
ter with President Grant and reported back that Grant “listened attentively,
and spoke as he always does, in very proper terms of yourself—but he gave
no opinion relating to the Mormon troubles.”4 In addition, Kane met with
Grant and with Secretary of State Hamilton Fish in early November, likely
on the same matter.5
In the following draft letter, Kane also reiterated a request he had made
in his October 12 letter that Young send him two ciphers so that they com-
municate in code. A draft letter in code, addressed to Young’s son-in-law
William Dougall, also exists within Kane’s papers. To ensure safe delivery,
Kane likely sent the letter to Dougall, with the understanding that he would
then deliver it to Young. The undeciphered letter reads: “Boston: Albany.
Utica wants to get Simpson. Upright directs Robert Darke on no account
to suffer Jersey or Dollars to know where Simpson is to be had.” The deci-
phered meaning is written on the draft letter: “Administration hostile.
Grant wants to get Brigham Young. Gen’l Kane directs John W. Young on
no account to suffer Judges or Troops to know where Brigham Young is to
be had.”6
3. Kane to S
imon Cameron, drafts, undated, ca. October 1871, Kane Collection, BYU. The
possibility that Young was talking about moving the Latter-day Saints to British Columbia due to the judicial crusade was a closely guarded secret. Neither church records nor Young’s letters apparently mention such a scheme in 1871.
4. Cameron to Kane, October 16, 1871 and November 3, 1871, Kane Collection, BYU.
5. Kane to Hamilton Fish, October 31, 1871, Kane Collection, BYU; Kane to Grant, November 29, 1871, Kane Collection, BYU.
6. Kane to William Dougall, undrafted draft, ca. November 1871, Kane Collection, BYU. The same basic letter exists in an additional draft form, in the handwriting of Kane but apparently in John W. Young’s voice, indicating that it was sent on November 8 to Dougall. John W. Young, undated letter, Kane Collection, BYU. A received copy of this letter does not exist in Brigham Young’s papers. Dougall was married to Young’s daughter Clarissa and was in Salt Lake City in fall 1871. See Dougall to Brigham Young, November 7, 1871, BYOF.
438
the prophet and the reformer
Source
Kane to Young, November 9, 1871, box 15, fd 5, Kane Collection, BYU.
Letter
Philada Nov. 9, ’71
My dear friend:
I am constrained to abstain from making even your trusty friend
W. C. Staines7 the bearer of a letter dwelling upon points on
Mr. Hooper has ask invited
my request that you send me without delay two ciphers both [p. 2] pri-
vate but one for your eye alone
Circumstances which have probably been explained to you delayed
its transmission I understand until yesterday. [p. 3] Nothing which has
transpired since leads me to wish to modify this message
Confide to no one unnecessarily the secret of the place of your abode
Be decoyed by no person or persons under any pretence or pretences
whatever into returning to S. L. C or or placing
where within the reach of yr. enemies Until you are advised by me that
the danger is past
but as far as it practically generally an absolute necessity for it keep your
own counsel.
Your first duty at this time is to take care of your health. [p. 4]
Postscription P. S.
Thursday night Nov 9.
After closing my letter of this afternoon in which I declined to run
the risk of communicating with you except by cipher your son presses
7 . Five days later, John W. Young reported to Kane that William C. Staines had gone from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., and that John W. Young would soon follow him, but would visit Kane later in the week. Brigham Young later stated that Staines had carried a letter from Kane to Utah, but it is unclear which letter he was referring to. See John W. Young to Kane, November 14, 1871, Kane Collection, BYU; Young to Kane, March 5, 1872.
8. William Hooper wrote a letter from New York to Kane on November 13, in response to a letter he had received from Kane on November 11, thanking him for his help and indicating that he would visit with Kane and John W. Young in Kane, Pennsylvania. Hooper to Kane, November 13, 1871, Kane Collection, BYU.
Kane to Young, November 9, 1871
439
> upon my notice that you asked him shortly before leaving for the South
to obtain my opinion if it wd be well to send a delegation to ask
a cession or grant of Territory from Great Britain &c before leaving for
the South.
I answer
This is but one [p. 5] of the numerous points on which I abjure
[advise?] that no action shall
taken until we
them>. I have gone thus
grant any concession to which the U.S. were
been answered to to my Satisfaction answered in the Negative.
a first [illegible word] is first needed in Washington>
[?] [illegible sentence] As a first we must first decide what we mean>9
More than [p. 6] this I decline to say until
nication by cipher
P. S. Mrs. Kane furnishes the enclosed which I will understand if you
and to use it to save time.
9. Kane wrote this insertion at the bottom of page 6, the following page.
82
Kane to Young, November 30, 1871
three WeeKs after Kane’s November 9 letter to Young, he again wrote a letter
to be carried by John W. Young to his father.1 In this letter, Kane advised Young
to “continue in hiding” and to take “every precaution,” including restricting
both correspondence and visits, to keep his hiding spot secure. Furthermore,
other prominent Mormon leaders such as George A. Smith, John Taylor, and
Orson Pratt should “keep out of the way,” as “we do not want your persecutors
to get hold of any man with name enough to help them to a sensation trial.”
At some point, Kane may have also sent to Young a draft of legal arguments
that he could make in his defense. In this document, which exists only as an
undated draft, Kane wrote, “A man marked as a political offender stands dif-
The Prophet and the Reformer Page 62