Of the extraordinary and unparalleled privileges and powers conferred on the Mormons in their city charter passed by the late Locofoco Legislature, we have not time now to speak in detail. One section of that charter confers on the city council the power to confine men in prison for life for ant breach of their ordinances and, under the authority of that section, the council have already passed an ordinance, by which any man, who, in passing through Nauvoo, speaks disrespectfully of Joe Smith, may be arrested and imprisoned with or without process. Under another section, Joe Smith has been made Lieutenant General -- "an office," says the Sangamo Journal, "which was never before held by any individual in this country except Washington; and, in virtue of which, the Prophet claims that, in time of war, he is the head of the army of the United States." It is a remarkable fact, that, in the law authorizing the organization of the Mormon legion, neither the officers nor the troops composing it are required to make oath to support the Constitution of the country.

But we have not room to-day for further remarks. We proceed to the publication of Gen. Bennett's second letter. The editor of the Sangamon Journal, in publishing it, alludes to divers names not mentioned by Gen. B. It says: ""We implore Messrs. CHAUNCEY L. HIGBEE, HENRY MARKS, Mrs. SARAH M. PRATT, Miss. NANCY RIGDON, and Miss MITCHELL, all of Nauvoo; and Rev. SAMUEL JAMES, and Capt. JOHN F. OLNEY, of La Harpe, and Messrs. KILBOURNS, of Montrose, Iowa, to come out with published statements, as to their own knowledge of Smith's lascivious and hellish acts."

(From the Sangamon Journal.)

MORMON  DEVELOPMENTS.

To the Editor of the Sangamon Journal:

                            CARTHAGE, Hancock County, Ill.,
                                        July 2, A. D. 1842.

I am now in this place, in order to attend to some of my official duties, as master in chancery; and having some leisure time, I shall proceed with my history of Joe Smith and his saints. It is my determination to state facts, and such facts as will arouse the public indignation, if there is yet virtue and courage left in man -- for we are exhorted to be enterprising and courageous; but the beast and false prophet (Joe Smith) shall tremble in the days of his captivity like an aspen leaf in the wilderness. The "Lord's anointed," as Joe is called, must be washed in the laver of the law, until his polluted carcass, and corrupt soul, shall be purified by fire. And to begin:

1st. On the 17th day of May, A.D. 1842, Joe Smith requested to see me alone in the preparation-room of the Nauvoo Lodge, U. D., on some important business. We entered, and he locked the door, put the key in his pocket, and drew a pistol on me and said: "The peace of my family requires that you should sign an affidavit, and make a statement before the next city council, on the 19th, exonerating me from all participation whatever, either directly or indirectly, in word or deed, in the spiritual wife doctrine, or private intercourse with females in general; and if you do not do it with apparent cheerfulness, I will make cat-fish bait of you, or deliver you to the Danites for execution to-night." I was not aware until Sunday last, that any other person was apprized of the fact of the threat of murder, but on that day Col. Francis M. Higbee told me in the presence of George W. Robinson, that if it came to the worst, he was in possession of a secret that would open the eyes of the people, and that he would file his affidavit if necessary; but he would not tell me what the secret was. Gen. Robinson, however, informed me afterwards that it was a knowledge of Joe's threats of murder. On the 30th of June, 1842, I called upon Col. Higbee for his affidavit, which was taken before Gen. Hiram Kimball, an alderman of the city, and is in the following words, to wit:

"State of Illinois,   }
  "Hancock County,} ss.

"Personally appeared before me, Hiram Kimball, an alderman of the city of Nauvoo, Francis M. Higbee, who being duly sworn according to law, deposeth and saith, that Joseph Smith told him that John C. Bennett could be easily put aside or drowned, and no person would be the wiser for it, so, and that it ought to be attended to; and he further remarked that the sooner this was done the better for the church, fearing, as he said, that Bennett would make some disclosures prejudicial to said Smith. This was about the time of Bennett's withdrawal from the church, or a short time before; and further this deponent saith not.
                      "FRANCIS M. HIGBEE.

"Sworn to and subscribed this 30th day of June, A. D. 184[2].
                        "HIRAM KIMBALL, Alderman."

Now I call upon Col. Francis M. Higbee to come out and tell what he told Gen. Robinson and myself in relation to the murder of a certain prisoner in Missouri. Col. Higbee, do not fear to tell the dreadful story; tell exactly how Joe had the murder done up, and what part he ordered you to take in the affair, but which you did not take. Tell it as Robinson knows it, and as you told me, and do not fear. Governor Reynolds will make another demand, and Joe shall be delivered over. I will visit Missouri and tell the dreadful story. Let the call be made, and the laws shall be executed.

3d. MY LATE VISIT TO SPRINGFIELD. -- On my arrival in Carthage I found, as all the citizens well knew, that I was followed by Mr. O. P. Rockwell, a Danite, who on his arrival late in the night, made strict enquiries as to where I was. His ostensible business was to put a letter in the post office; but judge ye the real design. I was prepared for the gentleman, and he approached me not; but another swift rider, Captain John D. Parker, another Danite, followed me to Springfield, to carry a letter to Dr. Helm; but he had another object, and you may well suppose what it was. I told Capt. Parker that I was aware of his object, but I feared him not. At Virginia, in Cass county, on my return, Parker met me again, and I called the attention of the stage-driver to him, who thereupon put two additional balls into his pistol, and then informed me that he was ready for him or any other person having the same object in view. Many of the Danites have been around me in Nauvoo for the purpose of secret murder, in order to save the arch impostor, (Joe Smith) from public infamy.

4th. Mrs. Sarah M. Pratt, wife of Professor Orson Pratt, of the University of the city of Nauvoo. -- Joe Smith stated to me at an early day in the history of that city, that he intended to make that amiable and accomplished lady one of his spiritual wives, for the Lord had given her to him, and he requested me to assist him in consummating his hellish purposes, but I told him that I would not do it; that she had been much neglected and abused by the church during the absence of her husband in Europe, and that if the Lord had given her to him he must attend to it himself. "I will do it," said he, "for there is no harm in it, if her husband should never find it out." I called upon Mrs. Pratt and told that Joe contemplated an attack on her virtue, in the name of the Lord, and that she must prepare to repulse him in so infamous an assault. She replied, "Joseph cannot be such a man. I cannot believe it until I know it for myself or have it from his own lips; he cannot be so corrupt." "Well," I replied, "you will see unless he changes his mind." Accordingly in a few days Joe proposed to me to go to Ramus with him. I consented to go, and we started from his house about 4 o'clock P. M., rode into the prairie a few miles, and returned to the house of Captain John T. Barnett, in Nauvoo, about dusk, where we put up the horse with Barnett's permission. He (Joe) pretended we were looking for thieves. We then proceeded to the house where Mrs. Pratt resided, and Joe commenced discourse as follows: "Sister Pratt, the Lord has given you to me as one of my spiritual wives. I have the blessings of Jacob granted me, as he granted holy men of old, and I have long looked upon you with favor, and hope you will not deny me." She replied: "I care not for the blessings of Jacob, and I believe in no such revelations, neither will I consent under any circumstances. I have one good husband, and that is enough for me." Joe could not come it! He then went off to see Miss _____ at the house of Mrs. Sherman. He remained with her an hour or two and then returned to Barnett's, harnessed our horse, started for Ramus, and arrived at Carthage at early breakfast. We then went to Ramus, and returned to Carthage that night, and put up at the house of Esq. Comer. Next day we returned to Nauvoo. I called upon Mrs. Pratt and asked her what she thought of Joseph? She replied, "He is a bad man beyond a doubt." Mrs. Pratt in a conversation with Mrs. Goddard, wife of Stephen H. Goddard, said, "Sister Goddard, Joseph is a corrupt man; I know it, for he made an attempt upon me." Three times afterwards he tried to convince Mrs. Pratt of the propriety of his doctrine, and she at last told him: "Joseph, if you ever attempt any thing of the kind with me again, I will tell Mr. Pratt on his return home. I will certainly do it." Joe replied, "Sister Pratt, I hope you will not expose me; if I am to suffer, all suffer; so do not expose me. Will you agree not to do so?" "If," said she, "you will never insult me again, I will not expose you unless strong circumstances require it." "Well, sister Pratt," says Joe, "as you have refused me; it becomes sin, unless sacrifice is offered;" and turning to me he said, "General, if you are my friend I wish you to procure a lamb, and have it slain, and sprinkle the door posts and the gate with its blood, and take the kidneys and entrails and offer them upon an altar of twelve stones that have not been touched with a hammer, as a burnt offering, and it will save me and my priesthood. Will you do it?" I will, I replied. So I procured the lamb from Captain John T. Barnett, and it was slain by Lieutenant Stephen H. Goddard, and I offered the kidneys and entrails in sacrifice for Joe as he desired; and Joe said, "all is now safe. The destroying angel will pass over, without harming any of us."

Time passed on in apparent friendship until Joe grossly insulted Mrs. Pratt again, after her husband had returned home, by approaching and kissing her. This highly offended her, and she told Mr. Pratt, who was much enraged and went and told Joe never to offer an insult of the like again. Joe replied, "I did not desire to kiss her." I now appeal to Mrs. Pratt if this is not true to the very letter. Just speak out boldly.

5th. Miss Nancy Rigdon, daughter of Sidney Rigdon, Esq. -- Joe Smith said to me last summer: "If you will assist me in procuring Nancy as one of my spiritual wives, I will give you five hundred dollars, or the best lot on Main street." I replied, "I cannot agree to it. Elder Rigdon is one of my best friends, and his family are now pure and spotless, and it would be a great pity to approach the truly virtuous." "But," says Joe, "the Lord has given her to me to wife. I have the blessings of Jacob, and there is no wickedness in it. It would be wicked to approach her unless I had permission of the Lord, but as it is, it is as correct as to have a legal wife in a moral point of view." "It may be so," said I, "but you must see her yourself. I cannot approach her on a subject of the kind. Then I supposed the matter had ended; but at the funeral of Mr. Ephraim R. Marks, Mrs. Hyde told Miss Rigdon, that Joseph desired to see her at the printing office, where Mrs. Hyde resides, on special business. She said she would go, and accordingly did, but Joe was busily engaged at his store; Dr. Willard Richards, however, one of the holy twelve Mormon apostles, whom I had long suspected as being up to his eyes in the business with Joe, came in and said, "Miss Nancy, Joseph cannot be in to-day. Please call again on Thursday." This she agreed to do; but she communicated the matter to Colonel Francis M. Higbee, who was addressing her, and asked his advice as to the second visit. I then came to a knowledge of the facts, and went immediately to Joe, and said to him, "Joseph, you are a master-mason, and Nancy is a master-mason's daughter, so stay your hand, or you will get into trouble." Joe replied: "You are my enemy, and wish to oppose me." "No," said I, "I am not your enemy, but you had better stop where you are."

I then went to Col. Higbee and told him Joe's designs, and requested him to go immediately and see Miss Rigdon and tell her the infernal plot -- that Joe would approach her in the name of the Lord, by revelation, &c. -- and to put her on her guard, but advise her to go and see for herself what Joe would do. He did so, and she went down. Joe was there, and took her into a private room, ;ocked the door, and commenced by telling her that he had long loved her, and had asked the Lord for her, and that it was his holy will that he should have her. He told her that it would not prevent her from marrying any other person; that he had the blessings of Jacob granted to him, and all that was right; he desired to kiss her, and wished her to kiss him. She said she would alarm the neighbors if he did not open the door, and let her out; he did so, and requested Mrs. Hyde to explain matters to her. Joe swore her to eternal secrecy. Mrs. Hyde told her that these things looked strange to her at first, but she would become more reconciled on mature reflection. Miss Rigdon replied: "I never shall." Joe agreed to write her, and did so in a few days through Dr. Richards. That letter is now safe in the hands of her friends. I have seen it, so has her father, and various other persons. On Tuesday last, Joe came up to Mr. Rigdon's, accompanied by his High Priest, George Miller, of sable sister notoriety, for a witness, and by boisterous words and violent gestures tried to deny the attempted seduction and alarm the girl; but she told him he was a liar, and that he could not face her to it. Joe then made a full acknowledgment of the whole affair. All the family, and many other persons were present. The holy George observed: "You must not harm the Lord's anointed; the Lord will not suffer his anointed to fall!!" Now call upon Miss Rigdon for the truth of the foregoing. Joe, did you offer another lamb in sacrifice as a burnt-sin offering on an altar of twelve stones? If not, look out for the destroying angel, for he will surely get you.

6th. Now I call upon Miss Martha Brotherton, of Warsaw, to come out and tell boldly the base attempt on her virtue, when in Nauvoo -- how she was locked up, and the proposals that were made to her. I saw her taken to the accursed room, and now let her come out boldly and tell the corruptions of these holy men. The public requires it -- justice and honor require it.

8th. Mrs. Melissa Schindle, wife of Col. George Schindle. I now proceed to give the affidavit of Mrs. Schindle, which is in the following words, to wit:

"State of Illinois,         ) ss.
"McDonough County.)

"Personally appeared before me, Abram Fulkerson, one of the justices of the peace in and for said county, Melissa Schindle, who, being duly sworn according to law, deposeth and saith, that in the fall of 1841, she was staying one night with the widow Fuller, who has recently been married to a Mr. Warren, in the city of Nauvoo, and that Joseph Smith came into the room where she was sleeping about 10 o'clock at night, and after making a few remarks came to her bed-side, and asked her if he could have the privilege of sleeping with her. She immediately replied no. He, on the receipt of the above answer, told her it was the will of the Lord that he should have intercourse with her, and that he never proceeded to do anything of that kind with any woman without first having the will of the Lord on the subject; and further he told her that if she would consent, she could make his house her home as long as she wished to do so, and that she should never want for anything it was in his power to assist her to. But she would not consent to it. He then told her that if she would let him sleep with her that night he would give her five dollars; but she refused all his propositions. He then told her that she must never tell of his propositions to her, for he had all influence in that place, and if she told he would ruin her character, and she would be under the necessity of leaving. He then went to an adjoining bed where the widow ____ was sleeping, got into bed with her, and lay there until about 1 o'clock, when he got up, bid them good night, and left them, and further this deponent saith not.
 

"MELISSA (her X mark) SCHINDLE.

"Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 2d day July, 1842.
                "A. FULKERSON, J. P.
(seal.)

Joe, did you offer another sacrifice? If not, the destroying angel will come; but as you succeeded with Mrs. _____ that night, as you told me, that may take off the curse. Joe says "there are wonderful things in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea."

I must now bring this short letter to a close, but will write in a few days.

                Yours, respectfully.
                                "JOHN C. BENNETT."


We find in the St. Louis Bulletin of the 16th the affidavit of Martha M. Brotherton who is referred to in the preceding letter of Gen. Bennett. We annex the material parts of it.

                              "ST. LOUIS, July 13th, A, D. 1842.
"GEN. JOHN. C. BENNETT. -- DEAR SIR: I left Warsaw a short time since for this city, and having been called upon by you, through the "Sangamo Journal," to come out and disclose to the world the facts of the case in relation to certain propositions made to me at Nauvoo, by some of the Mormon leaders, I now proceed to respond to the call, and discharge what I consider go be a duty devolving upon me as an innocent, but insulted and abused female. I had been at Nauvoo near three weeks, during which time my father's family received frequent visits from Elders Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, two of the Mormon apostles; when early one morning, they both came to my brother-in-law's (John Mellwrick's) house, at which place I then was on a visit, and particularly requested me to go and spend a few days with them.

Here the lady speaks of her consenting to visit Joe Smith's store in company with Kimball.

"So Kimball and I went to the store together. As we were going along, he said, "Sister Martha, are you willing to do all that the Prophet requires you to do?" I said I believed I was, thinking of course he would require nothing wrong. "Well," said he, "there are many things revealed in these last days that the world would laugh and scoff at; but unto us is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom." He further observed, "Martha, you must learn to hold your tongue, and it will be well with you. You will see Joseph, and very likely have some conversation with him, and he will tell you what you shall do." When we reached the building, he led me up some stairs to a small room, the door of which was locked, and on it the following inscription, "positively no admittance." He observed, "Ah! brother Joseph must be sick, for strange to say, he is not here. Come down into the tithing-office, Martha." He then left me in the tithing-office, and went out, I know not where. In this office were two men writing, one of whom, William Clayton, I had seen in England; the other I did not know. Young came in, and seated himself before me, and asked where Kimball was. I said he had gone out. He said it was all right. Soon after, Joseph came in and spoke to one of the clerks, and then went up stairs followed by Young. Immediately after, Kimball came in. "Now, Martha," said he, "the Prophet has come; come up stairs." I went, and we found Young and the Prophet alone. I was introduced to the Prophet by Young. Joseph offered me his seat, and, to my astonishment, the moment I was seated, Joseph and Kimball walked out of the room and left me with Young, who arose, locked the door, closed the window, and drew the curtain. He smiled, and then proceeded: "Sister Martha, I want to ask you a few questions; will you answer them?" "Yes, sir," said I. "Well," said he, "what are your feelings toward me?" -- I replied, "My feelings are just the same towards you that they ever were, sir." "But, to come to the point more closely," said he, "have not you an affection for me, that, were it lawful and right, you could accept of me for your husband and companion?" 

My feelings at that moment were indescribable. God only knows them. What, thought I are these men, that I thought almost perfection itself, deceivers? and is all my fancied happiness but a dream? It was even so; but my next thought was, which is the best way for me to act at this time? If I say no, they may do as they think proper; and to say yes, I never would. So I considered it best to ask for time to think and pray about it. I therefore said, "If it was lawful and right, perhaps I might; but you know, sir, it is not." "Well, but," said he, "brother Joseph has had a revelation from God that it is lawful and right for a man to have two wives; for, as it was in the days of Abraham, so it shall be in these last days; and whoever is the first that is willing to take up the cross will receive the greatest blessings; and if you will accept of me, I will take you straight to the celestial kingdom; and if you will have me in this world, I will have you in that which is to come, and brother Joseph will marry us here to-day, and you can go home this evening, and your parents will not know anything about it." "But brother Joseph wishes to have some talk with you on the subject. He will explain things; will you hear him?" "I do not mind," said I. "Well, but I want you to say something," said he. "I want time to think about it," said I. "Well," said he, "I will have a kiss, any how," and then rose, and said he would bring Joseph. He then unlocked the door, and took the key, and locked me up alone. 

He was absent about ten minutes, and then returned with Joseph. "Well," said Young, "sister Martha would be willing if she knew if was lawful and right before God." "Well, Martha," said Joseph, "it is lawful and right before God -- I know it is. Look here, sis; don't you believe in me?" I did not answer. "Well Martha," said Joseph, "just go ahead, and do as Brigham wants you to: he is the best man in the world, except me." "Well," said Young, "we believe Joseph to be a Prophet." "Yes," said Joseph, "and I know that this is lawful and right before God, and if there is any sin in it, I will answer for it before God; and I have the keys of the kingdom, and whatever I bind on earth is bound in Heaven, and whatever I loose on earth is loosed in Heaven, and if you will accept of Brigham, you shall be blessed -- God shall bless you, and my blessing shall rest upon you; and if you will be led by him, you will do well; for I know Brigham will take care of you, and if he [missing line, see below] make him; and if you do not like it in a month or two, come to me, and I will make you free again; [out of place line, see above: don't do his duty to you, come to me and I will] and if he turns you off, I will take you on." I then rose to go, when Joseph commenced to beg of me again. He said it was the best opportunity they might have for months, for the room was often engaged. I, however, had determined what to do. I shall proceed to a justice of the peace, and make oath to the truth of these statements, and you are at liberty to make what use of them you may think best.

              "Yours, respectfully,
                   "MARTHA H. BROTHERTON.

"Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 13th day of July, A. D. 1842.

              "DU BOUFFAY FREMON.
    "Justice of the Peace for St. Louis county.