Odysseys of the Saints
by
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A month earlier, James Gordon Bennett, publisher of the New York Herald, had summoned Ted Bailey to his office. "Get to Nauvoo, Illinois the fastest way you can," the publisher had told him gruffly. "Then report back here on the hostilities." Ted could scarcely contain his elation. He had graduated just a year earlier from Harvard College and had never traveled farther west than New York City. "The Mormons," he whispered. "Yes. I expect you to uncover their plans for moving west." Bennett handed Ted two yellowed clippings. "Here, read these editorials." Ted looked at the dates on the columns from the New York Herald. They were published two years earlier, a few days apart, after Joseph Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was shot to death by a mob in Carthage, Illinois. In high spirits, the young reporter read Bennett’s earlier editorial. He nodded in agreement as he read the last words aloud. "‘The death of the modern Mohamet will seal the fate of Mormonism. They cannot get another Joe Smith. The holy city must tumble into ruins, and the ‘latter day saints’ have indeed come to the latter day.’" "Read my second editorial, Ted." Ted carefully unfolded the other column. But he felt more bewildered than enlightened as he reached the final paragraph. "‘Instead of sealing the fate of Mormonism, we are now rather inclined to believe that this revolting transaction will give additional and increased strength to that sect. Joe and his brother will be regarded as martyrs to their faith, and but little knowledge of human nature and the history of the past is necessary to inform us of the fact that violence, oppression, and bloodshed strengthen instead of subduing fanaticism.’" Ted came from the ninth generation of a Massachusetts family, and was no stranger to religious dissenters. "I’ll find the truth among the contradictions," the young reporter vowed. "My family was once Puritans." The publisher shook Ted’s hand. "Good luck, then. If the Mormons resist answering your questions, remind them that Joseph Smith, himself, awarded me an honorary LL.D. from the University of Nauvoo." Ted looked uncertainly at his employer. Bennett smiled at the improbable fact. "Yes, and the rank of brigadier-general in the Nauvoo Legion." The nervous horse suddenly whinnyed, then reared up, nearly bucking Ted out of the saddle. But as he cursed at the animal, Ted saw clouds of dust being kicked up by horses near a field of tall-standing wheat. He forced his mutinous horse toward the commotion. "What is it?" Bailey asked a heavy-set man mounted on a large gray stallion. "Mormons are harvesting wheat," the man answered with dispassion. "Surely, that’s no surprise. The grain is ripe." "We warned the Mormons not to let themselves be seen outside Nauvoo. Except traveling west, away from Illinois. They promised they’d be gone four months ago." Bailey watched in horror as half a dozen armed men seized a group of harvesters and began to beat them with musket stocks. He yanked on the reins and turned to ride toward the farmers, but halted when he heard a pistol cocked behind him. "By what authority do you stop me?" Bailey demanded. "Ours," the stranger said. "Men have been kidnapped and whipped for less." "And their crime?" "Being Mormons is crime enough, or their friends. What about you? Are you their friend?"
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About the Book
Odysseys of the Saints is a fictional history of the Mormons. In it, five generations of one family experience the controversial and often bloody evolution of the Latter-day Saints from a persecuted cult to an affluent community with a mission to guide the world toward its own revelations.
The characters include Ted Bailey, a young newsman sent to Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1846 to report on the Mormon exodus to the West. He meets George Wood, a devout Mormon who has left his faith after many years of sacrifice for it. Amelia Carter ventures west to Utah with her family, but finds her community embattled by the U.S. Government, and her faith tested when her husband marries three other wives. Anders Erickson, a Norwegian convert, becomes a missionary on a tiny island near Tahiti. His son-in-law, Frank, Amelia's great-grandson, becomes an FBI agent after World War II. Frank is distraught when his son Joshua is excommunicated from the Church for being gay.
About the Author
Carol T.F. Bennett and Joseph Friedman are neither Mormons nor ex-Mormons. Having known and liked many Latter-day Saints, they found themselves intrigued by this thoroughly and uniquely American story, from its founding by a poor but ingenious young man, to its theocratic Manifest Destiny. And the story continues into the controversies of today: the conflicts between individual passions and entrenched authority, and how communities deal with nonconformity.
Carol Bennett has a Ph.D. in Economics and lives in Austin, Texas. She has worked for a bank and a large accounting firm, and has been an independent consultant. Joseph Friedman completed a second B.A. in History at the University of California after his retirement from the Federal Government. He is a veteran of World War II and a Mason, and lives outside San Francisco. They are father and daughter.