| Show I 1 copyright secured Secure aj 1 hid HISTORY TORY toey OF JOSEPH SM SMITH M JUNE JUN E 1844 I 1 saturday 22 1 I wrote the following letter nauvoo saturday morning june 1844 14 to his Hi excellency thomas ford governor dear de r sir I 1 this morning forward you the remainder der of the affidavits which are ready to present to to fou jou you by the hands bands of a gentleman who is fully competent to give you information on the whole subject which has been the cause of the origin of our present difficulties I 1 recommend the bearer col woodworth as one of my aides and a man whose testimony can be relied upon I 1 presume you are already convinced that it would V be altogether unsafe for me or any of the city council to come to carthage on account of the vast excitement which bas has has been got up by false report and libelous publications nothing would afford me a greater pleasure than a privilege of investigating the whole subject benoie bea or e youe y our excellency in person for I 1 have ever heid held hldi self seif in readiness to comply with your orders ord drs irs and answer for my proceedings before any legal tribunal trib linal in the state I 1 would hereby respectfully pray your excellency cel cei lency tp come to nauvoo if congenial with your feelings and give us a privilege of laying the whole matter before you in its true colors and where abundance abunda ilce tice of testimony can be forthcoming to prove every point by disinterested persons men of character and of worth and notoriety strangers who were here all the time timed I 1 but I 1 am satisfied your excellency does not wish men to expose the lives of the citizens of this place by requiring them to put themselves into the power of an infuriated bloodthirsty blood thirsty mob a part of whom have already several times fired upon our people without without the least shadowy of cause or provocation I 1 am informed this morning that some gome gentleman has made aMi affidavit lavit that he be had bad a private conversation i with me in which I 1 stated that I 1 had secret se larit correspondence with you ac if any per person dorl sori has been wicked enough to do this he is a berj perjured tired vill viii villain ain aln for tor in the first place I 1 do not dot bufler suffer myself to hold bold private conversation with any kny stranger and in the second place I 1 have never even intimated any thing of the kind as having secret correspondence with your excellency Eiel Exel lency our troubles are invariably brought upon us by falsehoods alse aise hoods and misrepresentations uton by y designing med men we have ever held ourselves amenable to the law and for myself sir air I 1 am avei ever ready to conform to and support the laws and constitution even at the expense of my life I 1 have never m n the least offered any resistance si to law or lawful process which ia is a well known fact to the public all of which circumstances make us the more anxious to have you come to nauvoo and investigate the whole matter now sir air ia is it not riot an easy matter patter to distinguish between those who have pled pied pledged ed them selves to exterminate innocent men women and children and those who have only stood in ther tiler own defence and in defence of their innocent families and that too in accordance with the constitution and laws of the country as required by the oaths and as good grood and law abiding citizens in regard to the destruction of the arn the truth only need to be presented before your excellency to satisfy you of the justice of the proceedings Thel press was avas A acas established by a set of men who had already set themselves at defiance of the law and authorities of the city and had threatened the lives of some of its principal officers and who also it no private private matter that the bress was wag established for or the express purpose pur ose of destroying the city as will I 1 be shown ty by the affidavit of joseph jackson Jack nd as they stated to me in mr babbitt informs me that reports are in circulation that we have taken property which belongs to the mr laws and others there has been no tio property meddled nedd led with to my knowledge Ue belonging tonging to any person except pr property we have purchased of the rightful owners mr air law turned over some property to a mr hicks to pay a debt this I 1 purchased of mr nir hicks and I 1 am responsible to him for the amount we have been especially careful to lp preserve reserve the property of those who are exciting the public against us ils inasmuch as we know that every means would be used which could be invented to raise excitement and we flave ave appointed the police to watch this property and see that no harm was done ta it by any person as they had tried to fire their own building widing and was detected in the act fhe ibe fire was extinguished by the policemen and no property damaged there have been no prisoners taken in in this city cit neither any person held as ho hostage stage staZe on only y some who are residents of this place who h had bad broke the laws no stranger has been interfered withnol with nor detained in the city under any circum circumstances stan bes ces j in haste baste I 1 have the honor to remain dear sir bir sir your most obedient servant JOSEPH SMITH gen N L this letter was accompanied by other affidavit and sent by lucien woodworth who was delegated to go in in place pace of dr richards he ile started at noon in in company with squire woods of burlington legion met as usual and after receiving instructions were dismissed until 6 rpm pm when the they met again aam at 7 pm p m I 1 instruct instructed ea gen dunham to cause the regiments of ot the 2nd and cohort to turn out tomorrow to morrow and work by turns three or four hours each with ing ing tools and to take the best measures in in case olF of attack attach I 1 also gave orders that a standard be prepared for fop the nat Dat nations ions long almon aimon W babbitt arrived from carthage this thier in orning having haling come af at the request of the governor who thought it not fiot wisdom to have richards and phelps and others of the city council go to carthage edward robinson made the tue following affidavit state of illinois city of nau nauvoo oo 00 on the da day of of june jupe 1844 came bea before ore me mew W W phelps clerk of 0 the mayors majors court in in said city dr edward robinson who atter after being duly sworn dep oseth and saith baith that while at carthage on the and dinst I 1 I 1 heard several p parsons pr r ons sons who had assembled resembled together for w warlike ar ke p purposes having their arms and one cannon with them say that they were gathering together for the purpose of destroying deatron ing the property of general joseph smith or as they the said joe smith and aud his followers and the city council with the exception of one and finally said that they would destroy I 1 the town and exterminate the latter das day saints EDWARD ROBINSON ROB SON subscribed and sworn to before me this day ot of june 1844 1814 18 14 i A W W PHELPS clerk 31 C jmes jarnes olive made the foll following i 6 affidavit tu june 1 1844 state of illin illinois 01 N hancock coull county ty city of nauvoo personally appeared before me aa aaron r on johnson a justice of the peace in in and for said county count james jamea onte olive who being first duly sworn depose dep oseth tb and saith that oil on friday afternoon the mst mat about 3 lie he was at his own house about avio miles from appanoose Appa noose I 1 in a southeasterly south easterly direction lie he saw a four horse wagon with some men before it all traveling towards appanoose Appa noose they went about a of a mile beyond my m houge houie there met a two horse wagon and ind a company of men about fifteen in in number both parties then took the road towards ards the big 11 iN mound found a pa part rt of the men mn m n were mounted and a part were on foot the mounted men were ere forward and after passing my house they wheeled and rode back to the footmen who were some little distance behind and said to them there ethere are some fellow fellows s on the mound found you had better hurry on and we will take those fellows and carry them to cartha carthage el the used profane langu language age I 1 watched them until they got near the mound 1 aund and sa saw baw the guard oil on the mound turn and run towards nauvoo after that the company compan went on to the mound and halted baited near the spot where fhe guard had bad run from on the bame same evening about sundown there was wag a man mail by the be name of milton II Il amiton I 1 came into my house and told me he be had bad come 0 to o tell me to airn aim and equip myself in self seif according to law and stan in readiness reading read inese L that the governor had demanded joseph smith according to law and that lie he would not come itlean meaning that joseph smith would not mider nider that the general had issued orders foi for the militia to be in readiness to take said smith I 1 asked him what general and he be observed that tint he believed it was colonel williams I 1 asked him if it was wab w aa done by orders of the governor and he said eaid that was the understanding he told me he acted under the orders of ca capt p t me aute aule auley ard further baith saith not I 1 JAMES OLIVE s subscribed and sworn to this 0 day of june 1844 before me L S i AARON JOHNSON J P 11 phebe levett levert states that she saw finch rollison foster and squire mcauley in in the company who fired on the guard on the la harpe road george G Joh johnstone listone made the following I 1 affidavit I 1 I 1 june 1844 state of illino illinois hancock C county anty city of nauvoo personally appeared before me aaron johnson a justice of the peace in and for the county of hancock george G johnstone living on spring creek in in nic Alc mcdonough Donough county who being first duly sworn dep oseth and saith that yesterday napoleon hardin came to our deponent and said that the governor ha had sent orders for the militia to be called out for today loday lo to today day at four p pm m and to start on to carthage there to wait until all were ready from the different counties in the state and then they should march out to the prairie they should stop on the prairie and send in a flag of truce to nauvoo and demand the body ot of general joseph smith if the people of nauvoo refused to give him up then they should exterminate the whole ot of them GEO G JOHNSTONE L r q S subscribed and sworn to this S day of june 1 44 before me AARON JOHNSON J P gideon gibbs made the following affidavit sate slate S ate of illinois city of nauvoo 5 on the june 1844 came before me W IV phelps clerk of the mayors court for said city gideon gibbs Gibb sand and after atter being duly sworn dep oseth and saith that on the afternoon oe of the mst mat about a half mile mlle south east of the big mound on the li la harpe road a party ot of about eight or ten men in a orar ovar A like ilke attitude in company with two teams passed your 5 our said affiant and one of them said lie fired at two men near thom ther big mound thought he killed them both and your deponent sai sal saith lii ill no further GIDEON GIBBS subscribed and sworn to before me me this day of june 1844 W W PHELPS clerk al C 11 luman H calkins made the following 1 affidavit june 1844 state of illinois city of nauvoo 5 personally appeared before me george IV hams hans an alderman derman dl acting ill in and for the city of nauvoo luman H calkins and aid ald being first duly sworn dep depose oseth lh and saith th that t a about b it seven weeks ago I 1 came on the stein steamboat bo at ohio from tron st louis to nauvoo when william nesbit who was on board entered into con vei vel bation with your d deponent epo nent I 1 asked him if he be knew any thing about the th conspiracy in nauvoo to kill joseph and hyrum and all that believed on them he sud said he did it was intended that they all should be killed between then and the july J I 1 I 1 asked him who aaa waa at the hea head 0 of f he the con a spira seira cj lie he replied he was ds sworn SIV orn not to eli eil ell tell w ho 0 the head one was I 1 asked him if there were any in in nauvoo concerned he replied replies there was and named the two laws two fosters two Hig bees charles ivins and several others I 1 asked aided it if it was w as to be made a public thing hin bin he replied the first blow was vv as to be struck in nauvoo a 0 0 by those who vrho were opposed to joseph sela sell I 1 asked how many they could rely on in naul broo oo 00 he said the they could rely on give five gis ggs e hundred if they could only get arms for tor them lie he said as soon as the first blow was struck in nauvoo there were about men ready in in missouri to jo join in them to exterminate all who believed on joseph smith he also told me that thedie the dle die vernon when A hen she came on her pleasure trip to nauvoo that there were none but spies and who came on purpose to bee aee the places in iii order to know how to li when hen the time comes to strike and he alo also aio said the Reform reformers ershad had got spies conti continua continually nua nuz lily tily passing pas nauvoo in order to spy out all that took place and there was hot sot a thine thing r took place in nauvoo but what was made known to 0 o them in ht st louis louia as soon as a steamboat landed I 1 told him I 1 should thin think he be would be afraid to stop here be he said he should stay in nauvoo and caie cale carry on his butchering as usual aa a if there was nothing dakill taking place tb that it he had aa as good a gun as any man mm ever put to his face and that the first shot he should fire would be to kill joseph and hyrum hv rum said 1 I the people will surely kill you ou then be he replied he would rush through all a thousand people to wash his uis uis j hands in josephs blood and especially in in hyrams if ff he was to be immediately cut into a thousand pieces he said he should be willing to die as soon as lie he had killed them about five weeks since I 1 had another conversation with william nesbit when be he confirmed the whole of the foregoing foregone conversation and he lie also said he be had made arrangements with mr air bostwick of st louis to bend send him a brace of the best pistols for the tiie purpose of being ready when hen he be wanted them he aito alao said that he would kill hyrum hv rum any time that he could get an all opportunity without being detected I 1 then asked him hm if hyrum could be put in in his w way a so that no do man leopld w ouid mistrust him would you kill him he ife said by god I 1 would I 1 asked if he would not be afraid to kill him in in cold blood he replied no inq I 1 would not I 1 would do it in in a moment if I 1 could get an opportunity the ile da day following I 1 left for galena and returned on tuesday dinst and on the I 1 sa baw saw william wWilliam nesbit in in the ranks and I 1 cautioned richard brazier to keep an eye on nesbit for he had sworn to wash his hands hadda in in josephs and hyrams hv rums arums blood LUMAN 11 CALKINS subscribed and sworn to this day of juile june 1844 before me GEO W HARRIS alderman of the city of nauvoo at 12 noon orders were sent to the different guards and pickets to let persons persona pass pasa and repass without hailing them until further orders I 1 issued the following GENERAL ORDERS ai mayors office head quarters of the nauvoo legion r nauvoo narvoo june 1844 to col jonathan dunham acting majr gen nauvoo legion J sir you will proceed without delay with the assistance of the nauvoo legion lesion to prepare the back ground of said city for defence against an invasion by mobs cause the legion to be furnished with tents and make matte your encampment in the vicinity of your labors JOSEPH SMITH mayor of the city of nauvoo and gen of the nauvoo legion to col jonathan |
