Show HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH JANUARY 1839 tuesday ay january ast 1st 1839 dawned us as prisoners of hope but not as sons liberty 0 columbia columbia Col ambia I 1 how art fallen the land of the free home of the brave the asylum of the oppressed 11 oppressing thy noblest sons a loathsome dun dungeon 11 reon without any provocation only that they have claimed to the bod god of their fathers according to own word and the dictates of their own oon con sciences elder P P pratt and his companions in tribulation were still held in bon bondade bondage dare 0 in their doleful prison in richmond monday ath anson gall call returned to his hia farm on the three forks of grand river to see if he could secure any of the property he had left in his flight to adam ondi ahman abman and was there met by the mob and beat with a hoop boop pole about his limbs body and head I 1 the man that used the pole about his person I 1 f w was as george W oneal with much difficulty lie he returned to far west with his person much bruised and from that time gave I 1 up all hopes of securing any of his property I 1 tuesday esth about this time england and ireland were visited by bv a tremendous storm of wind from the north west which unroofed ind find blew down many houses in the cities and in the country doing much damage I 1 to the shipping many hundreds of pr I 1 sons were turned out of doors and many lives lost on the tha land and the sea and an immense amount of property destroyed such a wind had not been witnessed by any one livin living gand and some befanto began to think that the judgments were about to follow the elders preaching thursday resolved by the son ate the house of representatives concurring therein that the three resolutions of the of december be referred to a joint committee of the two houses heretofore raised on the subject of the I 1 mormon difficulties cul ties with instruct instructions ioni to report a bill in conformity thereto as soon as they can con prepare the same which was wag agreed to ta 2 wednesday mr turner from the joint select committee introduced to the senate a bill to provide for the hinves investigation lion of th the late disturbances dil tur bances in this S state tate this bill consists of twenty y three sections A joint committee shall be appointed to investigate the causes of the late disturbances tur bances between tho the people called mor mons and other inhabitants of this state and the conduct of the military operations in in repressing them which committee shall consist of two senators to be elected by the senate and three representatives to be elected by th house of representatives the bill further provided that the committee should meet at richmond ray county on the first monday in may and thereafter at such times and places as they should appoint that they should choose a chairman m a i clerk sergeant at a tarm arms and assistants Is issue subpoenas and other processes administer oaths keep a record furnish rooms p pay ay witnesses one dollar and fifty cents per day out oat of the treasury receive their pay as members of the Leiis legislature lature clerk four dot dol lars per day and one dollar and fifty cents for each arrest in short all parties concerned 0 arned were to be paid the highest price an and d this committee were to be clothed with all the powers of the highest courts of reo ree ord this bill did not concern the mor mons as the exterminating order of governor boggs bogina and the action of general dark Clar thereon would compel all the saints to be out of the state before the court would sif so that they would have no testimony but from robbers and worse apostates and ana this was evidently their object in postponing the time so long about this time prest preset brigham young proposed to bishop partridge to help the poor out of the state the bishop replied 6 the rhe poor may take care of themselves and I 1 will take care of myself prest young replied isyou if you will not help them out oat I 1 will Thurs thursday daT I 1 wrote as follows from liberty jail jai 1 to the Honorable the legislature of mis your memoria lists having a few days spice solicited your attention to the same subject would now respectfully submit to your honorable body a few additional facts in in support of their prayer they are now im imprisoned under a charge of treason against the state of missouri and their lives and fortunes and characters being suspended upon the result of the criminal charges preferred against them I 1 I 1 your honorable body will excuse them for manifesting the deep concern they feel in relation to their trials for a crime so enormous I 1 as that of treason I 1 it is not our object to complain to asperse iverse any any on one e all we ask is id a fair and impartial i trial we ask the sympathies of no one we ask sheer justice lis all we expect I 1 and all we merit but we merit that I 1 we know the of no county in this 1 state to which we would ask our final trials I 1 to be sent are prejudiced in our favor but we believe that the state of excitement L ax x 1 asting in most of the upper up oer counties is ia such that 9 a jury jury would be improperly properly iiii influenced I 1 aby by it but bat that excitement and the prejudice 1 against us in the counties comprising rising I 1 the fifth judicial circuit are not n 0 cot t the only obstacles we are compelled to meet we know know that much of that prejudice against us is is not so much to be attributed to a want of honest motive among the citizens as it is to wrong information I 1 i but it is a difficult task to chann change 0 opinions an once formed the other beich 1 we candidly consider one of the most weighty I 1 ity is the feeling which we believe is entertained I 1 by the uon hon A A king against us and the consequent incapacity to do us impartial I 1 justice it is from no disposition to ngak speak lis disrespectfully respectfully of that high officer that t we lay before yur honorable body the i facts we do but simply that t the I 1 ic legisla 1 ture may be apprised apprised of our re real al condition we look upon judge king I 1 as I 1 like ik e all other I 1 mere men liable to be influenced by his I 1 feelings his prejudices and his previously formed opinions we consider his reputation I 1 as being partially if not entirely committed I 1 against us he has written ritten britten I much I 1 upon the subject of our oar rate fate difficulties in which he has placed us in the wrong these letters have been published to fro the world lie he I 1 I 1 has a also presided at an excited public meeting i as chairman and no doubt sanctioned al all the proceedings roce we do not complain of the citizens who held that meeting they were entitled to that privilege but for the judge before whom the very men were to be tried for a capital of fence to participate in an expression of condemnation of these I 1 same individuals is to us at least apparently j wrong and we cannot think that we should after such a course on the part of I 1 the judge have the same chance of a fair and impartial trial as all admit we wa ought to chave have i we believe that the foundation of the tha feeling against us which we have reason to think judge king entertains may bo be traced I 1 to the unfortunate troubles which occurred I 1 I 1 in jackson county some few years ago in a i I 1 battle between the mormons cormons and a portion I 1 1 of the citizens of that county mr B brassell the brother in law of judge king w was as killed ill it is natural that the judge should shoals have some feeling against us whether we were right or wrong in that controversy we mention these facts notto not to disparage judge king we believe that from the relation I 1 I 1 he bears to us he would himself prefer I 1 i that our trials should be had in a different 1 circuit and before a different court many other reasons and facts we might mention I 1 but we forbear i this letter was directed to jas jag M U hughes hughea esq member of the house of representatives jefferson city with the following request 1 will you vou be so kind as to present this to the house the community oom here would I 1 believe have no objection for the trial of these men beati being a transferred to st louis P H B saturday A meeting of a respectable number of the citizens of caldwell cald Oal well dwell county members of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints was held iri in far west according to previous notice to devise and take into consideration such measures as might inight be thought feces necessary 8 ar y in I 1 order to their complying with wil the orders of the executive to remove from the state of missouri immediately as made known by general dark clark to the citizens of said county in the month of november last the meeting was called to order by don C smith and on motion john smith was unanimously called to the chair and elias smith appointed secretary the 0 bleat of the meeting wad then stated by the chairman who briefly adverted to the causes which had bad brought 11 about the present state of affairs and called for an expression of sentiment on the best course to be pursued in the present emergency several gentlemen addressed tle the meeting on the suba subject act of our oar removal from the state and the seeming I 1 impossibility possibility ra of complying with the orders of the governor of missouri in consequence of the extreme poverty of many which had come upon them by being driven from place to place deprived of their constitutional rights and privileges as citizens of thi sand the united states and were of the opinion that an appeal to the citizens of upper missouri ought to be made setting forth our condition and claiming their assistance si towards furnishing means for the removal of the poor of this county out of the state as being our right and our due in the present case on m motion tion resolved that a committee of seven be appointed to make a draft of a preamble and resolutions resola tiong in accordance with the boreo foregoing 0 a sentiments to be presented to a future meeting for their consi consideration aeration de ration the following were then appointed namely john taylor alanson ripley y B brigham rig harn young theodore turley tarley heber 0 kimball john smith and don 0 smith resolved that the committee be further instructed to ascertain the number of families who are actually destitute of means for their removal and report at the next meet ing resolved that it is is the 0 opinion of this meeting that an exertion sho should lsd be made to asheron ascertain how much can be obtained from individuals of the society and that it it is the duty of those who have to assist those who have not that thereby we may as far as possible within and of ours ourselves lv comply with the demands of the executive adjourned adi burned to meet arain again on tuesday the instant at twelve rick M i JOHN SMITH ahn E SMITH seby Tu tuesday the brethren met again according to adjournment john smith was I 1 again called to the chair and elias smith appointed secretary the committee appointed to draw up a preamble and resolutions to be presented to the meeting for consideration presented by their chairman john taylor a memorial of I 1 I 1 the transactions of the people of missouri towards us since our first settlement in this state in which was contained some of our sentiments and feelings on the subject of our I 1 persecutions by the authority of the state and our deprivation of the rights of citizenship guaranteed to us by the constitution which was yet in an unfinished finished an state owing owin 9 to causes which were stated by the committee and they further apolo apologized 1 0 I zed for not drawing it up in the form of resolutions agreeable to the vote of the former meeting tite report was accepted as far as corn com plated and by a vote of the meeting the same committee were directed to finish it and prepare it for and send it to the press for publication and were instructed to dwell minutely on the subject relating to our arms and the fiend like conduct of the officers of i the militia in sequestering all the best of them thein after th thir their ir surrender on condition of being returned to us again or suT suffering ering them to be exchanged for others not worth half their value in violation of their bond and of the honor of the commander of the forces sent against us by the state on motion of president brigham young it was resolved that we this day enter into I 1 a covenant to stand by and assist each other to the utmost of our abilities in removing from this state and that we will nover never desort desert I 1 the poor who are worthy till they shall be out oat of uthe the reach of the exterminating order I 1 of general dark clark acting for and in the name of the state after an expression of sentiments by several I 1 who addressed the meeting on the pro I 1 propriety of taking efficient means to remove the poor from the state it was resolved that I 1 a committee of seven be appointed to superintend per intend the business of our removal rpm oval and to provide for those who have not the means ot of moving movina till the work shall be completed the following were then appointed viz william huntington charles bird alanson ripley theodore turley daniel she shearer aber shadrach roundy and jonathan H hale resolved that the secretary draft an instrument ment expressive of the sense of the covenant entered into this day by those present and that those who were willing to sub scribe to the covenant should di do it that their names might be known which would enable the committee more judiciously to carry their business into effect the instrument in ment was accordingly drawn and by vote of the meeting the secretary attached the names of those who were willing to subscribe to it adjourned to meet again on friday the lat february next at 12 M JOHN Sd ITI chin the following is the subscription referred to in the preceding mi minutes nates with the names which were then and afterwards attached to it so far as they have been preserved we whose names are here under written do each for ourselves oar selves individually hereby covenant to stand by and assist each other to the utmost of our abilities in removing from this state in compliance with the authority of the state and we do hereby acknowledge de d e ourselves firmly bound to the extent of all fl our available property to be dis posed of by a committee who shall be ap J pointed for that purpose for providing means for the removing of the poor ana and destitute who shall be considered worthy I 1 from this country till there shall not be one left who desires to remove from the state with this proviso that no individual shall be deprived of the right of the disposal of his own property for the above purpose or of havin having th the e control of it or so much of it as shall te be necessary for the removing of his I 1 own family and to be engled to tho the I 1 after the work is effected and furthermore said committee shall give receipts for all property and an account of the expenditure of the same I 1 far west T mo jan 1839 11 I 1 john smith james mcmillan 1 wm huntar huntington ton chandler holbrook 1 charles bird alexander wright alanson ripley 1 wm taylor bartlo idaniel theodore turton v 3 john taylor daniel shearer reuben P hartwell Hart shadrach roundy john lowry jonathan H hale welcome chapman elias smith solomon Uan cock bri briham brigham ham arza adams james burn burnham gaii henry jacobs leicester gaylord james carroll samuel williams david lyons john miller john taylor aaron M york don carlos smith george geoge A smith wm win J stuart daniel howe isaac B chapman james bradin roswell stevens jonan bedlock ile Hed lock i david jones david holman wm al fossett joel goddard charles N baldwin phineas R bird I 1 j jesse N reed duncan mcarthur 1 benj beni johnian Joh naon nion allen alien talley jonathan hampton james |