Show I 1 copyright secured 1 JOSEPH SMITH SEPTEMBER 1142 SP apt t wednesday 7 early ea fly this morning I 1 r a letter from elders adams and rogers of shi new york whit wh brought ms me several letters letter crne rie tie from frant dr willard richards who referring to ia visit with james arlington B banett anett esq of arlington house says pays he would bo he pleased to receive a letter of president josephs own dictation I 1 signed by his own hand 11 which request nest I 1 was to comply with but deferred it till the next day verli governor Verti or carlin wrote as follows quincy qu incy september 7 1842 dmar dear madam your letter of the 2701 ultimo ives wro delivered to me on monday tila the esth instant and I 1 have not had time to answer it until this evening ind and I 1 now appropriate a few moments to the difficult task of replying satisfactorily to its ta contents every hordof word of which evinces your devotedness to the interest of your husband and pouring forth the ef fusions of a heart wholly his I 1 am thus admonished that I 1 can call say lio ilo nothing thing that does not his int iut interest erest that can possibly be satisfactory to you and before I 1 proceed I 1 will here repeat repent my great regret that I 1 have been officially called upon to act not in reference to mr smith in lit any manner whatever K r doubt not your candor when you say you do not desire me to swerve from mv duty BS as executive ili in the least 19 and all you ask Is to be allowed the privileges and advantages guaranteed to you by the ilia constitution and laws you then refer me to the if it section of the charter of the city of nancoo and chim for mr smith the right to be heard by the municipal court of said city under a writ of habeas corpus emanating from said court when lie he was held in custody under an executive warrant the charter of the city of nauvoo is not before U tob mob at this time but I 1 have examined both th the cli cil charters arters arterb and city ordinances upon the subject and must express my my surprise at the he extraordinary assumption of power by the hoard board of alderman men man as contained in said ordinance from my mv mol lol recollection lection of the tho charter it authorizes tle the municipal court to issue writs of habeas cor pas in in ail cases of imprisonment or custody arising from the authority of the tha ordinances of mald raid city but that the power was granted or ill lil intended to be gran granted tedi to release persons held in custody under tile the authority of writs issued by the courts or the executive of the state is mos most t absurd ani and ridiculous and an attempt to exercise it is a gross usurpation of power that cannot catinat be tolerated taie mated rated I 1 have always expected and desired delred de ired that mr ardth sarith should avail himself of the benefits of the laws of this state and of course that he lie would be le ell eit entitled titled to a writ of habeas corpus issued by gho tho circuit court and entitled to a hearing before said court but to claim the right of a hearing before lefore the municipal court of tha ohp city of nauvoo is isa a burlesque apoi the city charter itself As to mr smiths guilt or innocence of or the cabria charged upon him it is not my province to or doter determine nor has any court on aarts jurisdiction of his case but the ilia courts of oatha the state of af missouri Is and as stated in my for trl trw letter both the constitution and liwa liw pre barne earno that each and every state in this union are competent to do justice to ail all w who 0 may be charged with crime committed in fit said state your information that twelve men from jark gan fea county missouri were lying in wait for mr smith between N and wars warb warfa f for ti the 1 ej purpose of taking him out of tiie tho hands aw off oil of t the h who might have haye him in custody and mr murdering dering him i 11 4 like many other marcellous marvellous marv ellous storma orits that yoa you voa vou hear in lit reference to him not one word of it trae true but I 1 doubt not that your mind lias ilas ben been continually harrowed up with fears produced by that out aud other equally groundless stor les lea that that statement is true is next to impo I 1 1 filble and your own judgment if you yon will but give it scope e will soon set you right in reference to it if an any ans y of lim lie film citizens of jackson had de 11 d to t murder mr air smith they would not have ta boen been so simple is as to perpetrate the tiie crime in illinois I 1 when he would necessarily bm b required to pass through to the interior of the state of mis scurf where the opportunity would have been so much better and the prospect of escape much more certain that Is 3 like the statement made by bly mr air smiths first messenger after ili lii liis arrest to rallou and warren saying that I 1 irad bad stated that mr smith should b surrendered to the authorities of missouri dead or alive alivs not ome one word of which was true I 1 have not the amt distant thought that any person in illinois or missouri contemplated personal injury to mr air sini sint smith by vii iiI silence ence in ii any manner whatever I 1 regret hat I 1 did not net eee see general law when last at quincy A previous ioas engagement upon bc baj boj Alness iness that could not be dispensed with prevented and occupied my atten attention tron that evening until dark at h hair half bif hir past one ome pm p m I 1 came cterne aud learned that the general had called to bee eee me but the hurry of business only allowed me about ten minutes time to eat my dinn dinner r and presuming if he h had bu business einess etness of ary any aty importance that he lie would remain in the elf cit city until I 1 returned jt be proper here la in oral order r te afford you all the satisfaction int ini iny my power to reply to a question propounded to my wife by general law 1 in reference to mr air smith viz whether any other or additional demand had heen been made upon me by the governor of missouri for the su surrender arender of mr smith I 1 answer none no change whatever jias hashe been eu made in ill tile the proceedings mr smith in is held accountable only for be the charge as set forth in my warrant under which he was arrested ill in conclusion yon you presume upon my awn own know knowledge leage of air smiths if inocence and bisk fk w why the prosecution is continued against him 1 here I 1 must iain again appeal to your own good judg m ment nt a and nd yon you will be compelled to answer that jt it js Is impossible I 1 could know him hin to be innocent and as before slated stated elated it is u not ot my province to investigate ai as to his gunt luul or innocence bul bui could I 1 know him liim innocent alid werm were ve re lie he my own son I 1 would nevertheless and the more readily surrender ur renier render him to the legally constituted authority to pronounce him innocent I 1 with willi sentiments of high recard regard and esteem your obedi obedient t servant ant THO CARLIN to mrs ean gesmith ga smith I 1 brothers adams abd called again this afternoon and I 1 rebated to them many interpose eions of divine providence in my cavor favor ac thursday 8 I 1 dictated the following nauvoo september I 1 have just received your very consoli consoling ilg tig letter dated august 16 1842 wh ch isa is I 1 think the first letter your byoir ever addressed to me roe in which you I 1 speak of the arrival of dr W richards an and of his person very vers respectfully in this I 1 rejoice for I 1 am as warm a friend to dr richards as lie he possibly can call be to me and in relation to ti his I 1 almost making a mormon of it puts me I 1 in mind of the saying of panl paul in his reply to toi tol acts 29 1 I 1 would to god that not only onis thou thon but alo also aio all alj that hear bear me rae this day were were both bolh almost and altogether such ns as I 1 nm am except these bonds A and id I 1 will here remark my dear sir pir that mormonism is tho th pure doati doctrine line of jesus christ of which 1 I myself am not ashamed asit asli amed you speak alg aig also aiso nf of elder foster president Preside rit Tit of be sha church in 0 o naw new in ln high terms terms and of br dr bernhisel in nev new york these men I 1 am acquainted with by information and it warms my heart to know you speak weil well of them and ag as you say co uld be willi willing nj to td associate with them for ever if you never joined their thein church or acknowledge acknowledged 1 their rulith ath this is a good principle for when we see virtu virtuous oud ond qualities s in men we should always acknowledge lede tede th tarm m let their understanding be what tt it amny la relation to creeds and doctrine for ali all men are or ought to be free possessing sing unalienable rights and the high and i i noble qualifications of the laws fans of nature and of ofa self preservation to thin kand act and say as I 1 hey they please while whilo they maintain a adne respect to the rights and privileges of all other creatures infringing upon none v this doctrine I 1 do most heartily subscribe to and pr practise actipe tife tifa the testimony of mean men to the contrary notwithstanding buty out sir sirs I 1 will ns as I 1 anre you thatty that my soul soars far above neove all the mean and grove grovelling gro velling ling disposition of menthal men that are I 1 i disposed dispo sed ped to abisa me and mv my character I 1 therefore shall not dwell upon that tbt in relation to those men you speak of referred to above I 1 will only say that there are arp thousands of such men in this church who if ir a man j Is i found worthy to with will call down the enta of a mean world because of their idich n eh ani nd noble nove demeanor and it is with unspeakable delight dlight d light th tint lint qt I 1 contemplate them as mv friends and brethren I 1 love jove them with a perfect love 1 and nd I 1 hopa hope they love me and have no reason to doubt but they do tile the next in lit ts Is john C bennett dennett Ben nett nelt I 1 was wai ili hi friend iam ram yet llis ilia friend as I 1 feel reel myself bound to be a friend to all the polls sons of adam whether they are just or unjust chev have a degree of or compassion and sympathy if he lie is mv my enemy it is is hn hio man own fault and the he responsibility rests upon hill hili hi own head and instead 0 of f arraigning his character before you suffice it to say that illi hl own conduct where wherever vil vii he hi goes will he e nt to recommend siinto him to ao an enlighten d public whether for a bad mail man or a good oile one i therefore whosoever will broche ns themselves with him may be b assured that I 1 will not persecute them b but at I 1 do not wish their association and what I 1 have haie said may suffice on that subject so far ai ao ids his character Is c concerned now in relation j to his book that he lie may write I 1 will veil tell 1 ture lure a prophecy that whosoever his any hand in hi the tha matter will find themselves in lit a poor fix in lit elation relation to the money bitters mst mil fers ferb and a as to my hav ilav 1 ing any fears of the influence that he lie may have against me or any other man or set of men array have ii is the most foreign from my heart fori for I 1 never knew what it wab was as yet et to fear the face of clay or the influence of an man m my y fear oear ea sir is before god I 1 fear to offend bl him and ari strive to keep his commandments I 1 am really glad that yon you did not join john C in ill relation to his book from the insurances assurances which I 1 have that it will prove a curse to all those who touch it j in relation to the honor that you speak of both for your yourself seir and james gordon bennett of the i herald heralds you are both strangers to me and as john I 1 C bennett bennrtt kept all his letters which lie ho rece received ived ired from you entirely to himself ind there was no t correspondence between you and me that I 1 know of I 1 had no opportunity to sha share a very largely in the getting up of any of those matters I 1 could not as I 1 had not sufficient knowledge to enable me to do so the whole therefore was at tile the instigation of john C bennett and a quiet submission on tile the part of the tiie rest out of the test best of feelings but as for myself it was all done at a tim limit a when 1 was overwhelmed with a great many baliv business cares as well MS its the care of all the tile churches I 1 most excused be therefore for J any wrongs that may have hive taken place in relation lalion re 1 to this matter and so far oar as I 1 obtain a knowledge of that which is right shall meet with my hearty approval I 1 reel feel to tender you my most hear bear hearty beartrand and sincere thanks for every expression of kindness vou have llave ten tan tendered dered towards me roe or my brethren and would beg the privilege of obtruding myself a little while upon your patience in offe offering inga a short relation of my circumstances I 1 am at this time persecuted pere cued the worst of any man on the earth as n well as this people here in ill this place and all our sacred rights are trampled under tinder the feet of the mob I 1 am now hunted as an hart by the mob under the llie predence pretence pre tence or shadow of law to cover their abominable deeds an ali unhallowed demand has been in made a de am from the governor of missouri ou oath of governor boggs that I 1 made an attempt to assassinate him on the night of the sixth of may when on that day I 1 was attending the officer drill and answer answered td to my name when the roll was called and on the seventh it is well known by the thousands that assembled here hi fit nauvoo that I 1 was at my post in reviewing the tiie nauvoo legion in fit the presence of twelve thousand and the governor of th eStale of being knowing to all these facts yet he granted a writ and by an unhallowed usurpation has awny away our chartered rights and denied the right of habeas corpus and ana has now about thirty of the blood thirsty kind of men in fit this place in search forme for me threatening death and destruction and extermination upon all the mor mons and searching my house continually from day today menacing and threatening and intimidating an innocent wife and children find and insulting them in it a most diabolical manner man tier lier threat erins enins their liver lives ac if I 1 am not to be found with a gang of missourians Missour ians with them saying they will have me dead or alive and if alive they will carry me to missouri in chains and when there they will kill me at all hazards and find all this is lit hacked backed up tip and urged on by the governor of this state with all the rage rake of a demon putting at fit de defiance flattre the constitution of this thia state our chartered rights and the constitution of the states fox for fo not aa as yet have they done one thing in accordance to them while all the catiz ns not of this his city cleyen en masse have petitioned the governor with remonstrance i and overtures ver tures turea that woula would have melted malted the hear heart toran of an adamantine to no effect elect and at the parne same time if any of vr us open our mouths months to plead our own cause canse in lit the defiance of law hw vind justice i n tice we are instantly threatened with militia and n extermination great god when shall the oppressor C case se to prey and glut if belr upon innocent nood mood chere where is where is liberty where is is the boast of this thia proud ami awl arl nation 0 humanity where hast thou fled hast flast thou fled forever for ever I 1 now dow appeal to you ton sir ina inasmuch much as you have subscribed yourself our friend will you yon von lift your voice elud and your arm with indignation against suel suet sueh such ut hallowed unhallowed oppression I 1 muri muni say eay sir that my |