Swedish American Genealogist Volume 10 Number 4 Article 4 12-1-1990 John Root Once More Erik Wikén Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/swensonsag Part of the Genealogy Commons, and the Scandinavian Studies Commons Recommended Citation Wikén, Erik (1990) "John Root Once More," Swedish American Genealogist: Vol. 10 : No. 4 , Article 4. Available at: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/swensonsag/vol10/iss4/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Swedish American Genealogist by an authorized editor of Augustana Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. \ \ John Root Once More \ I Erik Wiken* ' \, \ In the ongoing discussion concerning the identity of John Root, who 13 May ; \ 1850 shot and killed Erik Jansson, the sect leader, in Henry Co. Court House in \ Cambridge, IL, I do not believe that an important letter written by Anders Larsson1 of Chicago, which has a direct bearing on the event, has been duly noted. The letter was dated Chicago I Aug. 1850 and published in the newspaper \ Aftonbladet in Stockholm 2 Nov. 1850.2 The translated version follows: I "I now wish to tell you the final bit of the life story of the prophet, as he called himself - the bishop of Bishop Hill. But in order for you to have a full grasp of the story, I must tell you the \ reasons for his sad end. During the fall of 1848 a number of Swedish gentlemen left Chicago for Bishop Hill, and it is probable that most of them were only going to stay a short while. It was during this time, when all (according to the dictate of the prophet) were to be married; and some of these gentlemen did not wish to brook God's demand (as it was called). Among them was a man named Root from Stockholm. He married Jan Andersson's daughter Lotta3 from Domta in L>sterunda. About a month later Root realized that he could not remain in Bishop Hill, and fruitlessly tried to convince his wife of all the deception, which lay as a foundation for their views. But he failed in his attempt; she was too heavily involved with them. Since that time Root has in a way been separated from the Erik Janssonists; partly because he has worked for an American, who has had contract jobs at Bishop Hill; partly because he has resided in the neighborhood, meaning finally to convince his wife to abandon the group. When this did not happen Root began taking legal action in order to get his wife and 4½ month old child away from there. He therefore took the county officers, i.e. the county's men of authority, to Bishop Hill, in order to exercise his legal rights. Both his wife and his child were released in Root's custody without any opposition. Root left immediately with his family and an American while the county officers took another route. But when Root came about three miles from the place, i.e. Bishop Hill, he was suddenly surrounded by a large crowd from Bishop Hill, all carrying weapons. These took Root's wife and child by force. Root immediately had the county *Dr. Erik Wiken of Uppsala, Sweden, is a frequent contributor to SAG. 178 John Root Once More officers issue orders of arrest for the ~eaders of the gang, who also were arrested and in complete agreement with these officers, he travelled back to Bishop Hill, with no other companions than two loaded pistols, saying openly that anyone who dared stop him would get the first bullet. Everything, however, went along peacefully, since they all thought that he was to fetch his wife for a court appearance as a witness. But Root did not go there, but took another road to Rock Island. When it was discovered that Root was not in court (his presence was not required inasmuch as he had an attorney) some of the Erik Janssonists swore an oath that Root had disturbed the peace in Bishop Hill during their divine service, whereupon an order of arrest was issued for Root. But when they arrived in Rock Island to carry out the order and the Americans learned of their motive, they were happy to be able to return without a challenge. But Root decided after a few days to take his family to a safe place and decided to place her with her sister and brother-in-law in Chicago, namely Per Ersson4 from Grinda in Torstuna, whereupon he arrived here with his wife and child 15 March. The wife was rather taciturn in the beginning, but finally seemed to be satisfied with the situation. This did not last long, however because at 7 o'clock in the evening of 18 March both the wife and the child were missing. Jan Jansson5, formerly residing in Wansjo and nowadays living here in the city (and as you know, he is a brother of Erik Jansson) came running to us and told us what had happened. Root, who then was staying with us, immediately sensed something was wrong and said that no one else but the Erik Janssonists had been there and taken them. All inquiries were in vain. In the morning of the following day, we were informed that four of the Erik Janssonists had been in the city, namely Jon Olsson6 from Ina, Blombergson7, Petter Jansson from Sista and a servant named Lars, whom Jon Olsson had brought with him from Sweden. There were suspicious statements made as well as a private discussion, which Jan Jansson had had with Lotta a few hours before her disappearance, caused strong suspicions that Jan Jansson, himself was involved. He was arrested immediately and during the trial confessed that the persons mentioned before had taken the missing persons, saying that he had been a tool in their hands. The judge then told him: "You have already confessed so much, that if the situation does not change from the course it has taken, you can expect a jail term of from two to 14 years." But after 14 days' incarceration Jan Jansson was again a free man. Root again had arrest orders issued for the robbers, and travelled himself to deposit them with the county officers in Henry County. It was sad to see him now, since he was most disconsolate 179 \ Swedish American Genealogist \ \ ,\ \ over the loss of his wife and child, which he believed he would never again see alive. He knew all too well the conditions in Bishop Hill, since he had in the beginning been recruited to the upper echelon and thus had full insight into many things concerning the group. Many, though they did not know Root personally, were much interested in the case and expressed strong sympathies for him. At his departure he had two pistols with him and said: "These will from now on be the judge between Erik Jansson and myself." I and others tried to reason with him concerning the wrong approach to this question; but he answered me that it was virtually impossible for him to secure justice, since Erik Jansson had said that even if it would cost him $10,000, \ Root was not to have either wife nor child alive. Since Root, as I have : just mentioned, well knew the conditions in Bishop Hill and the \ methods used there, he fully believed Jansson's statement. We tried to I tell him the results of such action, but he answered that nothing \ remained for him to live for, since Erik Jansson had robbed him of \ everything of earthly pleasure. When Root, therefore, came to Henry County, about 100 Americans were in his company, in addition to the county officers. They all departed for Bishop Hill to take Erik Jansson and the four miscreants, who had been to Chicago, but no one was to be found in Bishop Hill and all search was in vain. The search went on for a couple of days and the officers had much trouble in preventing the posse from trying to destroy the place, since they were so angry. No Swede was among them, however. In the mean­ while Erik Jansson had travelled to St. Louis and the surrounding area, where he stayed for about six weeks, without anyone knowing where he was. The other four had escaped to California and \ individual letters from Swedes, who this spring had been to California, i related that these individuals had not even dared to stop en route in Independence, about 500 miles from here. During his absence in St. Louis Erik Jansson had an article in the newspapers in St. Louis, in which he falsely and untruthfully stated that Root in the company of seventy Americans had burned down almost all of the houses in Bishop Hill, where Erik Jansson was the highest authority in a Swedish settlement and where he out of the goodness of his heart had housed seventy widows and 150 orphans, whose parents had died of \ cholera, etc,, etc. This article gave the results he desired - so that he I again was able to dupe the people in St. Louis to loan him some cash I \ and goods to the value of more than $2,000. The article also \ influenced the governor of Illinois, to whom Erik Jansson also had I written. He had complained about the county officers, who had not i been willing to protect him or his followers and that the law did not I protect them.