Joseph, in the Elders' Journal, discusses the Kirtland Bank and Warren Parrish and Grandison Newell's charges against him.

Date
Aug 1838
Type
Periodical
Source
Joseph Smith, Jr.
LDS
Hearsay
Direct
Reference

Joseph Smith, "To the Subscribers of the Journal," Elders' Journal 1, no. 4 (August 1838): 57–58, The Joseph Smith Papers website, accessed February 20, 2024

Scribe/Publisher
Elders' Journal
People
Joseph Smith, Jr., Warren Parrish, Grandison Newell
Audience
Reading Public, Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Transcription

After this affair, Parrish began to discover that there was great iniquity in the Church, particularly in the editor of this paper and began to make a public excitement about it. But in a short time, he had an opportunity of proving to the world the truth of his assertion. A poor persecuting booby by the name of Grandison Newel and who in fact was scarcely a grade above the beast that perish, went and swore out a state's warrant against the editor of this paper, saying that he was afraid of his life. In so doing, he swore a palpable lie and everybody knew it, and so did the court and decided accordingly.

One of the witnesses called in behalf of Mr. Newel was Warren Parrish. Newel had no doubt but great things would be proven by Parrish. When the day of trial, however, came, Parrish was not forthcoming. Newel's council demanded an attachment to bring him forthwith and accordingly, Parrish was brought. But, behold, the disappointment when Parrish was called! Instead of fulfilling Newel's expectation, when asked by the lawyers, "Do you know of anything in the character or conduct of Mr. Smith which is unworthy of his profession as a man of God?" the answer was, "I do not." The countenance of Newel fell and if he had possessed one grain of human feelings, would went off with shame, but of this, there is about as much in him as in other beasts.

In giving the answer Parrish did, he has given the lie to all he has said, both before the since, and his letter that is now going the rounds in the priest's paper is an outrageous pack of lies, or else he took a false oath at Painesville; and take it which way you will, and the priests have but a feeble helpmate in Granny Parrish.

The truth is, at the time Parrish was called on to give testimony in Painesville, he had not got his nerves so strengthened as to take a false oath, and though he could lie most unsufferably, still, he had some fear about swearing lies. But no doubt, if he were called upon now, he would swear lies as fast as tell them; since he denies all revelation, all angels, all spirit, &c. and has taken the liar Sylvester Smith by the hand, and become his companion.

Some time after Parrish had given in his testimony at Painesville, he began again to rail, the church would bear it no longer, and cut him off: a short time after he was cut off, he plead with them to receive him back again: and in order to get back, he confessed all he had said to be false, asked forgiveness for it, and by much pleading, and confession, and promising reformation, was received back again.

Thus once under oath, and another time voluntarily, for sake of getting back into the church, he confessed himself, that all that he had said, and all that he had written, were falsehoods; for his letter that is going the rounds in the papers, is no more than a reiteration, of what he had before declared, and denied himself. This is the poor pitiful resort then, of the priests, in order to stop the progress of the truth.

But this is not all concerning mamma Parrish. The next business we find him in, is robbing the Kirtland Bank of twenty five thousand dollars at one time, and large sums at others, the managers had in the mean time, appointed him as Cashier, and F. G. Williams as President, and they managed the institution with a witness. Parrish stole the paper out of the institution, and went to buying bogus or counterfeit coin with it, becoming a partner with the Tinker’s creek blacklegs, and in company with Julias [Julius] Granger, in buying different kinds of property with it, and devoting it to his own use, and soon entirely destroyed the institution.

He was aided by his former associates to take his paper, and go and buy bogus with it, from the Tinker’s creek black legs, and on the way coming home, they would waylay Parrish and his gang, and rob them, so they would loose the bogus money; at last Parrish sold his horse and carriage for bogus money, and behold when he came home and opened his box of bogus, it was sand and stones.— Parrish was somewhat chagrined at this, so he gets out a state’s warrant, takes his coadjutor, Luke Johnson, and off to Tinker’s creek they go. Johnson as constable. The pretended object was, to take the man who had them, the horse and carriage, one for stealing them, and the others as stolen property. Coming to the place where they were, Johnson takes after the man and drives him into a barn. Parrish in the mean time takes the horse and carriage, and clears to Kirtland with it, and when Johnson had pretendedly tried to take the man, until he supposed Parrish had got off with the horse and carriage, he ceased the pursuit and went home.

For this, Parrish was taken by the sheriff of Cuyahoga county, his hands bound behind his back, and held in custody untill he paid two hundred dollars, and if he had not paid it, he would have stood a chance for the work house.

Thus O ye Priests, what a blessed company of associates you have got, to help you on in the work of persecution. You aught to rejoice greatly, at the venerable addition which you have added to your numbers.

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