Sale 2455 - Printed & Manuscript Americana, September 28, 2017

169 169 c   (MORMONS.) Foster, Robert D. Criminal summons signed by a notable early Mormon dissenter. Autograph Document Signed as Justice of the Peace for Han- cock County, IL, docketed on verso; folds, minor wear. Nauvoo, IL, 28 February 1843 [300/400] Robert D. Foster (1811-1878) was a physician who came to Nauvoo circa 1839, was soon baptized into the Latter Day Saints, and became a leader in the community. He came into conflict with Joseph Smith and was excommunicated in 1844. He then published the Nauvoo Expositor, which accused Smith of keeping plural wives.The present document, signed by Foster as a justice before his excommu- nication, orders that Horace Burgess be brought to Foster’s office to answer charges of “keeping a common gaming house . . . for the purpose of playing cards and other games for his benefit.” Provenance: sold by Rick Grunder to collector Milton R. Slater, November 1994. 170 c   (MORMONS.) McDowell, Reuben R. Letter describing the Illinois militia’s efforts to halt the Battle of Nauvoo. Autograph Letter Signed as state legislator for Ful- ton County, IL, to attorney Hezekiah M.Wead of Lewistown, IL. 3 pages, 10 x 7 3 / 4 inches, on one folding sheet, with address panel on verso; small seal tear in margin, short closed separation along one fold; inked Springfield postmark and “5” on address panel. Springfield, IL, 5 February 1847 [300/400] The majority of the Mormons at Nauvoo left for Utah in early 1846. Those who remained faced increasing tensions with local gentiles, culminating in a September 1846 mob attack which left 3 defenders dead—the Battle of Nauvoo. Illinois Governor Ford, hoping to avert a massacre, wrote to a militia leader on 21 August, ordering him to restore order and protect the remaining Mormons from rioters, and authorizing him to “accept the services of men as volunteers from Fulton County . . . who will be paid for their services” (published in Niles’ National Register of 12 September 1846). The government of Illinois tried to avoid paying these militiamen, saying the call to arms was illegal. The present letter tries to set matters right: “Much ridicule was thrown out on the grounds that 16 men, 8 of whom were officers, had required 5 wagons & carriages for their transportation to the seat of war. . . . The company expected a reinforcement at Bernadotte & that they had gone to Nauvoo with extraordinary dispatch . . . and if the Governor’s call was illegal, they at least acted in good faith.” Provenance: sold by Seaport Autographs to collector Milton R. Slater, April 2002. 168 c   (MORMONS.) Busch, Moritz. Die Mormonen: ihr Prophet, ihr Staat und ihr Glaube. [3], 158, [2] pages including final ad leaf. Small 8vo, modern plain wrappers; minimal dampstaining and foxing. Leipzig, Germany, 1855 [300/400] first edition of a work later published in Dutch and Danish.The title translates to:“The Mormons: Their Prophet,Their State, andTheir Religion.” Busch had visited America in 1851, and met several Mormons. Flake 1037; Sabin 9518. None traced at auction since 1947.