Гауэнс Миллдегі қырғын (Hawns Millдеги қырғын)

Massacre of Latter day Saints at Hawn's Mill in Missouri, United States

The Hawn’s Mill Massacre (also Haun’s Mill Massacre) occurred on October 30, 1838, when a mob/militia unit from Livingston County, Missouri, attacked a Mormon settlement in eastern Caldwell County, Missouri, after the Battle of Crooked River. By far the bloodiest event in the 1838 Mormon War in Missouri, it has long been remembered by the members of the Latter Day Saint movement. While the spelling "Haun" is common when referring to the massacre or the mill where it occurred, the mill's owner used the spelling "Hawn" in legal documents. Hawn was the son of German emigrants to Canada, who resettled in New York, where Jacob was born. While Jacob moved to Missouri and founded the mill around the same time as the Mormon migration to Missouri, he was not a Mormon. However, by October 1838 there were approximately 75 Mormon families living along the banks of Shoal Creek, about 30 of them in the immediate vicinity of Hawn's Mill and the James Houston blacksmith shop.

On October 30 at approximately 4 p. m., the militia rode into the community. David Evans, a leader in the community, ran towards the militia, waving his hat and calling for peace. Alerted to the militia's approach, most of the Latter day Saint women and children fled into the woods to the south, while most of the men headed to the blacksmith shop. The building was a particularly vulnerable structure as the widely spaced logs enabled the attackers to fire inside. The shop became a deathtrap, since the militia gave no quarter, discharging about 100 rifles into the building. The attack lasted 30 to 60 minutes. After the initial attack, several of those who had been wounded or had surrendered were shot dead. Members of the militia entered the shop and found 10 year old Sardius Smith, 7 year old Alma Smith (sons of Amanda Barnes Smith), and 9 year old Charles Merrick hiding under the blacksmith's bellows. Alma and Charles were shot (Charles later died), and a militia man known as "Glaze, of Carroll county", killed Sardius when he "put his musket against Sardius's skull and blew off the top of his head." Later, a William Reynolds would justify the killing by saying, "Nits will make lice, and if he had lived he would have become a Mormon." Benjamin Lewis (33), originally buried on the David Lewis farm, was later exhumed and moved to a local cemetery; Charles Merrick (9) died later and was buried elsewhere; and Hiram Abbott (25) was later removed to his father's place where he died. Four of the 240 militiamen were wounded, but none fatally. John Hart, a Livingston resident, was wounded in the arm. John Renfrow had his thumb shot off. Allen England, a citizen of Daviess, was severely wounded in the thigh. Jacob S. Rogers Jr., a Daviess resident, was shot in the hip by Nathan Kinsman Knight.

After the massacre, Philo Dibble stated that "Brother Joseph had sent word by Hawn, who owned the mill, to inform the brethren who were living there to leave and come to Far West, but Mr. Hawn did not deliver the message." David Lewis relates "Although we had been counseled by Joseph the Prophet to leave the mill and go to Far West, but being deceived by the messenger we sent him for council, we understood it not, for our messenger said to Joseph what shall we do that is at the mill, Joseph said gather up all of you and come to Far West. "What?" said the messenger, whose name was Jacob Hawn, the owner of mill, "leave the mill and let it be burnt down? We think we can maintain it." "If you maintain it" said Joseph, "you will do well do as you please." The messenger returned and said if we thought we could maintain the mill it was Joseph's council for us to do it, if we thought not, to come to Far West and we thought from the way the thing was represented it would be like cowards to leave and not try to maintain it, and as they agreed to be at peace we thought to gather up our houses would be useless, for we did not know that it was Joseph's decided council for us to do so . ." It appears that Hawn had received Joseph Smith's direction to relocate to Far West but did not convey this direction to any of the others at Hawn's Mill. Of the matter, Smith recorded, "Up to this day God had given me wisdom to save the people who took counsel. None had ever been killed who abode by my counsel." Then he recorded that innocent lives could have been saved at Hawn's Mill had his counsel been received and followed. "For I am the Lord your God, and will save all those of your brethren who have been pure in heart, and have been slain in the land of Missouri, saith the Lord." Captain Nehemiah Comstock's contingent of Livingston militia occupied the mill for nearly three weeks harassing and plundering the Mormons. Life during the winter of 1838–1839 became essentially that of day to day survival. Most of the families banded together until they could make arrangements to move along with the rest of the Saints to Illinois. Non Mormon Harrison Severe, who had refused to join the mob, left with the Mormons. Jacob Hawn moved to Oregon and became a pioneer settler of Yamhill County. In 1941, Mr. P. E. Gastineau of Cowgill, Missouri, owner of the land, gave permission for Mr. Glenn Setzer, ex county official, to place a commemorative marker, and hold a program on July 13. Until 2012, the grounds of the massacre were maintained as a historic site by the Community of Christ. In May 2012, it was announced that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints had acquired the property and the Far West burying ground from the Community of Christ.

The Hawn's Mill Massacre was dramatized in the 1977 American film Brigham a biopic of American religious figure Brigham Young, directed by Tom McGowan from a script by Philip Yordan. It was also depicted in the Latter day Saint film Legacy: A Mormon Journey (1993),
as well as in the Hulu series, Under the Banner of Heaven (2022).