Show I 1 copyright secured 1 HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH MAY 1839 being now almost destitute of provisions and having suf suffered fared great distress and some of the brethren having dil d in consequence of their privations and sufferings and I 1 had then the pain of beholding some of my fellow creatures perish in a a tr ange land from the cruelty of a mob seeing no prospect of relief the brethren agreed to leave that place and seek a shelter elsewhere after I 1 having their houses burnt down their ca cattle atle driven away and much of their property destroyed judge king was also petitioned to afford us some assistance he sent a company of about one hundred men but instead of affording us any 1 relief we were told by general parks that he could afford none in consequence of the greater part of his company under their officer capt samuel bogart having mutinied mutinies muti nied about seventy wagons lett left le witt tor for Oal dwell and duag their journey were continually insulted by the mob who threatened to destroy us and shot at us in j our journey several of our friends died and had to be interred without a coffin and under tinder such circumstances cum curn stances was extremely distressing immediately on my arrival at caldwell I 1 was informed by general doniphan from clay county that a com company piny of about eight hundred were marching towards a settlement of our brethren in daviess county and he advised one of the officers that we should immediately go to protect our oui jh J h la daviess darif ss count yin what lie he called whites town until he should ge get t the militia to put them down A company of militia to the number of sixty who were on their route to that place lie he ordered back belied believing ip g as he said that they hey were not to he be depended upon and to use his own language were damned rotten hearted hp arted col hinkle agreeable to the advice 0 of f general doniphan and a number of our brethren volunteered to go to D diviness to render what assist fanice they could my labors having been principally expended in daviess davi ass county where I 1 intended to take up my residence to idenie and having a house in hi building and having other property there I 1 hastened up to that place and while I 1 was there a of the breth rens houses were burnt and depredations were continually committed such as driving off horses cattle sheep ac rc ac bing bang deprived of shelter and others having no safety in their houses which were scattered and i being alarmed at the approach of the mob they had to flock together their sufferings were very great in consequence of their defene defenseless fenceless de eless situation being exposed to the weather which was extremely cold a large snow storm having just fallen in this otate of affairs general parks arrived ht at daniese Dav iese and was at the house of colonel wight when w hen the intelligence was brought that the mob were burning houses ac and also men women ani and children were flocking into tile the village for safety colonel wight who held a commission in in the fifty ninth regiment under his command asked him what steps should be taken he told him that he must immediately call out his man men a and ind go and put them down immediately preparations were made to ra raise i se a force to quell the mob who on ascertaining that we were determined to bear such treatment no longer but to make a vigorous effort to subdue them and likewise being informed of the orders of general parks broke up their encampment and flod fled some of the inhabitants in the immediate neighborhood bo who seeing no prospect of driving us as by force resorted to stratagem and actually set fire to their own houses miserable log houses after having removed their property and effects and then sent information to the governor stating that our brethren were committing depredations and destroying their property burning houses arc on the retreat of the mob from daviess county I 1 returned home to caldwell on my arrival there I 1 understood that a mob had commenced hostilities in the borders of caldwell had taken some of our people prisoners burnt burat some houses and had done considerable damage immediately capt patten was waa ordered out by col hinkle to go against them and about daylight next morning came up with them upon tile the approach of our people they fired upon them anu and after discharging their pieces fled with great precipitation ci tation pin in this affray capt patten fell a victim to that spirit of which has prevailed to such art an extent along with two others others were severely wounded on the day after this affray captain patten sent for me to pray for him which request I 1 complied with and then returned to my home there continued to be great commotion in the county caused by the conduct of the mob who were continually burning houses driving off I 1 nor horses cattle ac and taking prisoners and threat ning death to all the Mor dormond mormons mond amongst the cattle driven off were two cows of mine on the of october a large company y of f armed soldiers were seen a ap approaching ro aching far west and encamped about one mite mile from the town the next day I 1 was waited upon by col colonel oi 1 hinkle who stated that the officers of the mi militia litia requested an interview with us in order to come com to some amicable settlement of the difficulties which then existed they the officers not wishing under the present circumstances to earry carry into effect the tha exterminate exter exterminating minati n orders they had received I 1 immediately complied comp complied fied with the request and in company with messieurs rigdon robinson wight and pratt proceeded to meet the officers of the militia but instead of treating creati ng us with respect and as persons desirous to ac matters to our astonishment we efte ie delivered up as prisoners of war and taken io their camp as such it would be e in ILI vain for fie ae to give iny any idea of the scene which now present itself in III the camp the hideous yells of than a thousand infuriated beings whose d dere e fire was to wreak their vengeance ilce upon me and le ne rest of my friends was truly awful and eno enoah h I 1 to appal the stoutest heart in III the evening we had bad to lie down on the die cad ground surrounded by a strong guard IV we 0 titio ned the officers to know why we were ta this S treated but they utterly refused to hold any conversation with us the next day they helda I 1 court martial upon us and sentenced me with tie rest of the prisoners to be shot which senttie was to be carried into effect on friday morning in the public square as they say an to the rest of the members but through the kl kita d providence of god the their ar murderous sentence wa not carried into execution the militia then to my house and drove my mv family out of doors tit nil ar sanction of general lucas and carried awak all my property having an opportunity of speaking to 1 wilson and on asking him the cause of suck stick J strange proceedings proceeding edin gs i t told old him thit that I 1 was wai a democrat and hid had always been a supporter of the I 1 constitution he answered 1 I know that and that is the reason why I 1 want to kill you or have you yon killed we were led into the public square and after considerable entreaty we were permitted to see our families being attended attend edwith with a strong guard I 1 found my family in tears expecting that they I 1 had earned into effect their sentence they clung to my garments with weeping I 1 requested to hive a private interview iview with my wife in an adjoining room but was refused when taking my departure from my cami family ly I 1 it t was wall almost too painful for me my eh children aldre clung to me and were thrust away at the point of the swords of the soldiery we were then removed to jackson conni county under the care of general wilson and during J our oui stay there we had to sleep on oil tile the floor with I 1 nothing but a mantle for our covering and a stick of wood for our pillow and had to pay for our own board while we were in jackson gendral dark clark with his troops arrived in caldwell and sent an order for our return holding out the inducement that we were to be reinstated to our former privileges but instead of bein being 9 taken to caldwell we were taken to richmond where we were in prison and bound in chains after we we were re thus S situated ittia ted we were under tinder the charge of colonel price of charitou chariton county who alio sulf suffered sulfured ered us to be abused in III every manner which the people thought proper our situation at this time was truly painful we were taken before the court of enquiry but in i consequence 1 enee of tile the proceedings of the boband t their I 1 ie ir threats we were not able to get such witnesses ties as wo would aid have been serviceable even those we lad had were abused by the states attorney and the court and were not permitted to be examined by the court as the law directs we were committed to liberty bail and d ham for a writ of habeas corpus but owing to the prejudice of the jailer all com communication m u it was entirely cut off however at length we succeeded in getting a petition conveyed to the judge but he neglected to pay any attention to it for fourteen days ane ana kept ns in i in suspense he then ordered u us ato to appear before him but lie utterly refused to hear a any ny of our witnesses which we had been at a great trouble in providing our lawyer also refused fus d to act being afraid of the people we likewise petitioned to audle kins king and the i judges ot tue supreme v bourt duemey oxberry refused our victuals were of the coarsest kind and served up in a manner which was disgusting after bea bearing up under repeated injuries we were moved to ta daviess giess county under a strong guard we were then arraigned before the grand jury who were mostly intoxicated who indicted me I 1 and the rest of my companions for treason we 1 then I 1 I go got a change of venue to boon county and were on 0 our r way to that place on the second evening after our ofir departure our guards getting intoxicated z td I 1 thought it a favorable time to effect oud our escape e from from such men whose aim was only to destroy tr y our a r life and to abuse us in every manner that wicked men could invent accordingly we took advantage of their situation and made ovir es escape ape aud and after enduring considerable fatigue and suffering hunger and weariness expecting that our enemies would be in pursuit wear ear rived iu a the town of quincy illinois amidst the congratulations of our friends and the joy of our families I 1 have been liere here for several weeks as it is known to the people of the state of missouri but they knowing they had no justice in their cru side against me have not to my knowledge taken the first step to have me arrested the loss of property which I 1 have sustained is as follows losses sustained in jackson county daviess county caldwell county including lands houses harness hogs cattle ac books and store goods expenses while in bonds oll of moneys paid out expenses of moving out of the state and da sustained by false imprisonments threat ning aings as intimidations exposure ac ac one hundred thousand dollars my brother hyrum smith wrote the folio following win i 9 sufferings frings Suf and damages sustained in mis missouri bourl am being driven I 1 left kirtland ohio in the spring of 1838 having the charge of a family of often ten individuals the weather being very unfavorable and ana the roads worse than ihan I 1 had ever seen which materially increased my expenses on account of such long delays upon the road however after suffering many privations I 1 reached my destination in safet safety y and intended to make my permanent residence in the state of misouri Mia I 1 I 1 split sent on by water all my household furniture and a number of farming lust instruments amounting to several hundred dollars having made purchases of lands of several hundreds of acres upon which I 1 intended to settle in the meantime I 1 took a house in far west until I 1 could make further arrangements I 1 had not been there but a few weeks before the report of mobs whose intention was to drive us from our homes was heard from every quarter I 1 thought that the reports were false inasmuch as I 1 know that we as a people had done nothing to merit any such treatment ment as was threatened however at length from false and wicked reports circulates circulated circulate 4 for the worst of purposes the inhabitants sf af the upper counties of missouri commenced hostilities threatened to burn our dwellings and even the lives of our people if we did not move away and afterwards horrid to relate they put their threats into execution our people endeavored to calm the fury of our enemies but in vain for they carried on their depredations to a greater extent than ever until most of our people who lived in ill places at a distance from yom the towns had collected together so that they might be the better able to escape from the fury of our enemies and be in better condition to defend their lives and the little property they had been able to save it is probable that our persecutors might have been deterred from their purposes had not wicked and shameful reports been sent to the governor of the state who ordered out a very large force to exterminate us when they arrived at far west we were told what were their orders however they did not fall upon us but took several of my friends and made them prisoners and the day after a company of tile the militia came to my house and ordered me to go with them into the camp my family at that time particularly needed my assia assistance tance being much afflicted flie ted I 1 told them my situation but bat remonstrance was in vain and I 1 was hurried into the camp and was subject to the most cruel treatment I 1 along with the krestof rest of the prisoners wap was ordered to be shot but it was providentially over I 1 ruled we were then ordered to jackson county where our bitterest persecutors resided before we started after much entreaty I 1 was privileged to visit my family accompanied with a strong guard I 1 bad only time to get a change of linen ac and was hurried to where the teams were I 1 waiting to convey us as to the city of independence I 1 in III jackson county while there 1 was subjected I 1 to continued insult from the people who visited us I 1 had likewise to lie on the floor and had to t cover ceif myself with my nian mablle manlle after remaining there for S some 0 M 0 time we were ordered to richmond iu in ra ray I 1 y cou county nty where our enemies expected to all shoot oot us but finding no law to support them in carrying into effect so strange an act we were delivered up to the civil law As soon us we were so we were thrust into a dungeon dnn geon and our legs were chained together in this situation we remained until called before the court who ordered us to be sent to liberty in clay county where I 1 was confined for more than four mouths and endured almost everything but death from the nauseous cell and the wretched food we were obliged to ea eat t in n the meantime antime my family were suffering ev ry priva privation tiou our enemies carried off nearly ta ry thing aig of eulue until my family were deft anost ost destitute my wife had bad been but recently colfi coined tied and had to suffer more than tongue can cain deirl describe he and then ill m common with the rest of the people had to move in the month of february cyri distance of two hundred undred li miles in order to escine fu further persecutions and injury since aice I 1 hi have ave obtained my liberty I 1 feel my bode bod broke down and my health very much impaired in from the fargue and afflictions which I 1 J have hav linde undergone rg one so that I 1 have not been able to |