There are various, sometimes conflicting sources regarding the history of the Danites. Some report the group was a tightly controlled and directed by LDS leaders, including church founder Joseph Smith, while others argue the Danites were more loosely organized and that tales of their deeds were exaggerated.
LDS leaders publicly condemmed many of the alleged actions of the group. Some of those actions led to the Haun's Mill Massacre and other attacks on Church settlements.
Avard was arrested and tried in Missouri and testified at length regarding the Danites. Avard claimed that the group was directed by Smith. Some have argued Avard's testimony was oportunist and his testimony was false, in order to point blame at Smith due their recent disputes.
Arthur Conan Doyle fictionalized the Danites in his Sherlock Holmes story, "A Study In Scarlet," published in 1887.
Some critics of the church have attempted to draw a connection between alleged Danite activity and Mormon actions during the Utah War and Mountain Meadows Massacre, specifically naming John D. Lee as a member of the group. Historians generally disagree with these theories. For example, Lee condemed Mormon groups that proactively defended Mormon properties. Such groups include the Whistling and Whittling Brigade and alleged actions by the disbanded Nauvoo Legion.
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