Hauns Mill by Graham Labass

 

                       The Hauns Mill Massacre

     

          We all know what a massacre is. Fire, guns, shooting, screaming, and finally death. Such actions should never happen, even if they think they have a good reason. The Hauns Mill Massacre had no good reason to happen, just rumors and lies. Joseph Smith worked day and night to reconstruct and reestablish the only true church. The church got kicked out of city to city traveling thousands of miles just to find a safe place to worship. So what really happened in Hauns Mill?

 

                            What was the Hauns Mill Massacre

           Hauns Mill was a mill established in 1835. It was made to make flower and grain to sell for merchandise. The builder, Jacob Haun, built it the same time the Mormon settlers arrived a day’s walk from his mill. Jacob was not a member but he was friendly towards the members of the church. He allowed them to build near his mill. Although Jake didn’t mind the Mormons, it didn’t take long for anti-Mormon-mob members and Militant men to find them.  Because of rumors and lies the mob thought they had “reason and authority” to attack the Mormons. Then on October 30, 1838 they attacked. The Mormons tried to hid but the mob flushed them out, burning their houses ruining their crops.      Then came the gun fire. In a split second 15 shot dead.   Another several kids hiding under a blacksmith shop were dragged out and shot, execution style. 17 dead. Men, women, and children! In the wreckage there was a 6-year-old boy who had his hip blown off. He was about to die when his mom received revelation on how to save her son. She used vines to make a paste and put it in her son’s hip. In order for it to work, he had to lay on his stomach for five weeks.  God said that if she did this he would grant her son a new hip. Moments after doing this the 6-year-old boy jumped up and said,” IM HEALD!” Through the gun fire the Mormons didn’t just stand there, they stood up to the mob.   Fifteen people were injured and four of them were the attackers. This had been a recurring situation but never as bad.

                                    Rumors and lies

          Before the attack, The Church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints were driven out of the city of Independence.  They made camp at Huans Mill hoping for safety. Because of their poor living conditions, they were very sick and almost starving to death. Rumors had already preceded them so the government watched them closely. The government ended up capturing 3 Mormons. So the saints got legal approval to go search for them. The worst happened. A short battle broke out with the Mormons winning. Three saint were killed and one of the opposing. The government retreated back and told the governor that they lost 50-60 men to the Mormons. So Governor Boggs, having been deceived, sent out the extermination order to kill off the Mormons. The Saints were still starving when out of sheer luck, a cow from the nearby farm wandered into their camp. With many people sick and starving they had no choice but to kill the cow for its meat. They rejoiced in their meal. When the owner of the cow found out what had happened, he took it as a threat. He found the mob and told them that the Mormons stole and murdered his cow. That and the order from Governor Boggs that read, “All Mormons should be treated as a threat”, gave the mob “reason” to attack.

                              

  Who are the Mormons?

          The Mormons or rather, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, are people who believe in God and his son Jesus Christ. And yet people make fun of them, spit on them and even kill them. Because the Mormons didn’t believe in killing people, their response was to run, retreat to a different part of the US. These innocent people were chased for city to city looking for a place to worship God the way they wanted to. This was especially hard on the Smith family. Joseph Smith received a modern revelation to restore this church. He became the prophet and leader, that made him a big target. Within months of establishing the church, he had lost his first son. Because of this they adopted 2 babies. Then when the babies were only a couple months old, Joseph was dragged out of his home by a mob.  They tarred and feathered him with boiling tar. Then his second adopted baby died because the door was left open during the attack.

 

 

 

          After the Huans Mill Massacre, the Saints had no choice but to move again to Illinois. First to the city, Quincy, then to Nauvoo. Then they pushed to Salt Lake City. These were innocent people and were attacked for worshiping God. Even though the people suffered they never lost their faith. Now because of those people my family and I have the true church.

 

 

       “in the end faith always over comes suffering”

                   -GC