By Jerald and Sandra Tanner

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Although the Mormon leaders suppressed Joseph Smith’s private diaries for almost a century and a half, in the 1970s copies leaked out. In 1979 we were able to print his diaries for 1832-36, and just recently we completed his 1838-39 diaries. While these diaries are certainly not as sensational as the ones written in the 1840s, there is one entry that throws some important light on the secret band known as the Danites. David Whitmer, one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon, gave this information concerning the Danites:

In the spring of 1838, the heads of the church and many of the members had gone deep into error and blindness. . . . In June, 1838, at Far West, Mo., a secret organization was formed, Doctor Avard being put in as the leader of the band; a certain oath was to be administered to all the brethren to bind them to support the heads of the church in everything they should teach. All who refused to take this oath were considered dissenters from the church, and certain things were to be done concerning these dissenters, by Dr. Avard’s secret band. I make no farther statements now; but suffice it to say that my persecutions, for trying to show them their errors, became of such a nature that I had to leave the Latter Day Saints; . . . (An Address To All Believers In Christ, Richmond, Missouri, 1887, pages 27-28)

David Whitmer’s brother, John Whitmer (who was also a witness to the Book of Mormon) confirmed the allegation that there was a dangerous band formed in Far West to drive out dissenters:

Joseph Smith, Jr., S. Rigdon, and Hyrum Smith moved their families to this place, Far West, in the spring of 1838. As soon as they came here, they began to enforce their new organized plan, which caused dissensions and difficulties, threatenings and even murders. Smith called a council of the leaders together, in which council he stated that any person who said a word against the heads of the Church, should be driven over these prairies as a chased deer by a pack of hounds, having an illusion to the Gideonites, as they were termed, to justify themselves in their wicked designs. Thus on the 19th of June, 1838, they preached a sermon called the salt sermon, in which these Gideonites understood that they should drive the dissenters, as they termed those who believed not in their secret bands, in fornication, adultery or midnight machinations. . . . They had threatened us, to kill us, if we did not make restitutions to them, by upholding them in their wicked purposes and designs. . . .

But to our great astonishment, when we were on our way home from Liberty, Clay County, we met the families of Oliver Cowdery and L. E. Johnson, whom they had driven from their homes, and robbed them of all their goods, save clothing, bedding, etc.

While we were gone Jo. and Rigdon and their band of Gadiatons kept up a guard, and watched our houses; and abused our families; and threatened them, if they were not gone by morning, they would be drove out, and threatened our lives, if they ever saw us in Far West. (John Whitmer’s History, page 22)

The Mormon writer William E. Berrett admitted that

Such a band as the “Danites” did exist, as historian’s affirm; . . . The organization had been for the purpose of plundering and murdering the enemies of the Saints. (The Restored Church, 1956, pages 197-98)

Although Berrett conceded that the Danite Band did exist, and that it was for the purpose of “plundering and murdering the enemies of the Saints,” he claimed that the Mormon leaders were not responsible for it being formed.

According to the History of the Church, Joseph Smith made some very contradictory statements about this organization. On one occasion he said that it was organized but claimed that he did not have any knowledge of it at the time (see History of the Church, vol. 3, pages 178-182). On another occasion, however, Joseph Smith passed the whole thing off by saying, “The Danite system alluded to by Norton never had any existence” (History of the Church, vol. 6, page 165).

Fortunately for the cause of truth, in 1838 Joseph Smith had his scribe George W. Robinson keep a diary which was called, “The Scriptory Book of Joseph Smith Jr President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the world.” This diary contains a very important entry under the date of July 27, 1838 which has been crossed out. H. Michael Marquardt, who made the transcription of the diary, worked very carefully with this portion of the record and was finally able to decipher most of the words that had been crossed out. He discovered that the entry related to the Danite Band. It not only confirmed the existence of the band but said it was organized for the purpose of making things right and cleansing the Church:

. . . according to the order of the Danites we have a company of Danites in these times, to put to right . . . that which is not right, and to clense the Church of every great evil . . .

Mr. Marquardt points out that the account in Joseph Smith’s “Scriptory Book” agrees with other evidence about the Danites. For instance, he quotes Reed Peck as saying: “I heard Avard, on one occasion, say that the Danites were to consecrate their surplus property, and to come in by tens to do so . . .” Joseph Smith’s “Scriptory Book” agrees when it says that the Danites “came up to consecrate, by companies of tens, . . .”

While it is extremely interesting that Joseph Smith’s “Scriptory Book” would contain an entry concerning the Danites, the whole matter is made even more intriguing by the fact that there has been an attempt to obliterate the entry. Joseph Smith’s History of the Church relies on the “Scriptory Book” for the entries of July 26 and 28, but the entry for July 27—i.e., the portion concerning the Danites—has been omitted. We have included a photograph of the portion of the diary which was crossed out in our [former] publication, Joseph Smith’s 1838-39 Diaries.

For more information about the Danites see our book Mormonism—Shadow or Reality? pages 428-450.

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