Show I 1 1 copyright secured OW or JOSEPH SMITH 1 MAY 1839 tuesday etli ath I 1 wits was in council with tin th twelve und and oth others era at Qui quincy tiby wednesday ath I 1 was preparing to remove to ti commerce Om merce counseling the brethren ac quincy illinois may esth 1839 to al a whom it may concern the undersigner undersigned under signed citizen of quincy Qa incy illinois take great pleasure in becom mending to the favorable notice of the public th bearer of this john P greene mr greene i connected with the church of mormons cormons Mor mons 0 latter day saints 11 and makes a tour to the th east for the purpose of raising means to relieve the sufferings of this unfortunate people eople sat as they have been of their all an and now scattered scat tere throughout this part of the state we say to the charitable chari tuble and benevolent youa yoi need have no fear but your contributions in aid 0 humanity will be properly applied if entrusted t the hands of mr greene lie he is authorized b his church to act in the promises premises and we most cordially ordia lly beat testimony to his bis piety and wort worth th a as a citizen very respectfully yours SA SAMUEL MU E L HOL HOLMES if ES merchant 1 I N MORRIS attorney at law and editor of argus THOS CARL CARLIN governor of illinois RICHARD M YOUNG U S senator L V RALSTON M D SAMUEL LEACH receiver public mone moneys s HIRAM RODGERS MD J T HOLMES merchant NICHOLAS WREN co clerk C M WOODS clerk of circuit court adams co illinois quincy illinois may ath 1839 to his excellency cel lency afie ane president of the united states th the heads of departments and all to whom this ma may be shown the undersigned undersigner under signed citizens of quincy illinois beg leave to introduce to you the bearer rev sidney rigdon mr rigdon is a divine it 0 connected W with ith tile the church of latter da day saints a and having enjoyed his acquaintance for some time past we take great pleasure in becom recommending g him to your favorable notice as a man of pie piety ty and and a valuable citizen any representation he may make touching ih ahe object of his mission to your city may be implicitly relied on very respectfully yours SAMUEL HOLMES THOMAS CARLIN RICHARD M YOUNG 1 I N MORRIS HIRAM ROGERS 1 T HOLMES NICHOLAS WREN C M WOODS thursday ath I 1 started with my family fo for commerce hancock co and staid this night at uncle ancle john Sini hn this at green plains where w we were most cordially received friday I 1 arrived with my family at th the white purchase and took up my residence in a small log house on the bank of the river about abou I 1 on one mi mile 1 e south of commerce city hoping that I 1 and my friends may here find a resting place for EL little season at least ll 11 quincy ill III may 1839 the bearer the v sidney Rigdon Rig donis joa a member ofa society of people called I 1 cormons mormons Mor mons or latter day saints wh who I have dave been driven from the S state tate of missouri our b by order of the executive of that state and wh who have taken up their residence in and about this thia place in large numbers I 1 haye have no hesitation I 1 in saying that people have been most she shameful mehul j i ly persecuted and cruelly treated by the people of mis missouri mr rigdon has resided in and near this pl place for or three or four months during which time it his conduct has been that of a gentleman and a mor moral md and worthy citizen SAML LEECH monday I 1 was engaged in general bu iness at home and in transacting a variety of bu iness with brother olivet granger and ana gave him bi he following letter commerce Com Ill illinois luOis lath may 1839 joseph smith jr sidney rigdon an and hyrum smith presiding elders of the church of jesus christ chris of latter day saints do hereby certify lind and sol emaly declare u unto nto all the saints scattered abroad and send unto them greeting that we have al ways aya found president defit oliver granger to be a man mai of the most strict integrity and moral virtue aw aa in fine to be a man of god I 1 we have had bad long experience and acquaint anci aric with br granger we have entrusted vast busi ness concina concerns to him which have been manage skillfully to the support of our characters and in terest as ah well as that of the church and he is no now authorized by a general conference to go fortt fort and engage in vast and important concerns cerns as a ai agent for the ch church that lie may fill a station 0 I 1 iise fullness in obedience to the commandments 0 god which was given unto him july ath I 1 1838 which says let him rife meaning aning br r gran granger er con 11 I 1 tend earnestly for the redemption of the e firs I 1 ra presidency of my church saith the lord bord ll 11 I 1 we earnestly solicit the saints scattered abro aaroa to strengthen his hands with all their might amigh t an to put such means into his hands as shall him to accomplish his lawful designs arid anu sea according 1 to the commandments ing to the instructions which he shall give aste them and that they entrust him with moneys lands chat chattels teis and goods to assist him in th thi hi work and it shall redound greatly to the aba inheres teres and welfare peace and satisfaction of my saints sa saith fth the lord god for this is an honorable e agency n which I 1 have appointed unto him saith it th lord and again verily thus saith the lord will lirt lift up my servant oliver and beget for him i peat great name off the earth and among my people because of bf the integrity of his soul therefore let ie all my saints abound unto him with all libe liberality and long lomg suffering and it shall be a blessing on 01 their heads we would say unto the saints abroad let ou oni hearts abound with grateful acknowledge acknowledgements ments cut unto god our heavenly father who hath bath callei calle us ns unto his holy calling by the revelation 0 jesu christ chiist in these last days ays and has so merciful stood by us and delivered us out of the seventh trouble which happened unto us as in the state 0 missouri may god reward our enemies according to their works we request the prayers 0 of all the saints subscribing ourselves their humble brethren in tribulations in the bonds of the everlasting gospel JOSEPH SMITH jr SIDNEY RIGDON HYRUM HYROM SMITH to the presidency of the church of jesus jean arist of latter day saints greeting I 1 beg leave to call your attention to a subject of considerable importance to our church and which if not attended d to is calculated in my humble opinion to raise rais a prejudice in a considerable portion of the community and destroy those benevolent and philanthropic feelings which have been manifested d to wards us as asa a people by a large portion of thi community I 1 have reference to the letters off arr lyman wight which have been inserted in the quincy 0 ancy whig I 1 am aware that upon a cursory view of these nothing very objectionable may aj appear yet if they are attentively considered ther then will I 1 be found very great objections to 0 o them indeed for or instance in condemning the democracy 0 of missouri isso why condemn that of the whole union unions I 1 and why use such epithets us demagogue t tc T H benton for not answering his letter when I 1 t is 8 very probable that he had not received rede ived it yes yesterday berday iwas I 1 was waited on by MT mr moriis monis w alto asked me what was wait intended by such publications slid and why we should come out against the democracy cy ot of the nation when alun in their air power TO assiad lis n it wa ma he could not understand and wished to know J we as a ceope countenanced such proceedings ibold I 1 told him formy for my part I 1 was sorry that his letters had ever made their appearance and be lieveld deved that such a course was at al variance with the sentiments of the greater part of our people yesterday I 1 brought the subject before the authorities ties of the church who are here where it was manifest that his conduct was not fellow shipped and the brethren wished to disa disavow biow alt all with such proceedings and appointed a committee to wait on brother wight to beg of him not to tc ernist in the course which if ff not nipped in th the bud ads will probably bring persecution with all aall if its horrors upon till an innocent people by the folly and i imprudence of oue one individual from information I 1 understand that the feelings of the governor are very very much hurt by the course urse which is pursued I 1 think we ought to correct the public in mind ind on oil this subject and as a church chuich disavow all ions with politics by such a measure we may in some measure counteract the baneful influence which his letters have occasioned but if such a course which he br wight has adopted be continued as I 1 onder understand der der stand that lie he intends to do it will block up on our way and we can have no reasonable prospect cro 0 0 of obtaining justice from the authorities of the union whom we wantonly condemn before we have made application the same feelings are beala aning to be manifested in springfield by those who have been our friends there the whigs are glad of such weapons and m make the most of them you will probably think I 1 am a little too officious but I 1 feet feel impressed with th the subject I 1 feel for my brethren tile the tears 0 of widows the cries of orphans and the moans of the distressed are continually present in my mind and I 1 want to adopt and continue a course which chic hall be beneficial to us but if the imprudence and conduct of isolated individuals three four or five years hence our altars should be thrown down our houses destroyed our brethren slain our wives widows and our children orphans your ur unworthy brother wishes to lift up his hands afore before god and appeal to him and say thou who all things that I 1 am inno cent in this matter I 1 am wl with threat great respect gentlemen yours on in the bonds of christ R B THOMPSON P S if you do not intend to be in quincy tills this week would you favor us its with your opinion on the subject R B THOMPSON quincy at monday morning may 1839 state of missouri richmond ray county may lath 1839 to the honorable austin A king judge of the court of this and the alie adjo adjoining inin counties honorable sir sin having been confined in prison near seven months and the time having now arrived TV when n a change of venue can be taken in order for the e further prosecution of our trials and the time having come when I 1 can speak my mind freely w without phout endangering the lives of any but bu myself I 1 now take the liberty of seriously objecting to a trial anywhere within the bounds of th the state and of earnestly praying to your honor an and to all the auchoi aties civil and military that my case may come within the law of banishment aich has been so rigorously enforced upon near nea ten thousand of our so society niety including my wife and liftee ones with all my witnesses and friends ffriend ss my reasons are obvious and founded upon notorious dorious facts which are known to you sir air and to ito the people in general of this republic and therefore need no proof they are as follows first I 1 have never received any protection by law either of my person property or famil family while residing in this states state to which I 1 first e emi grated in 1831 secondly I 1 was driven by force of arms from jackson county wounded and bleeding in 1833 while my house was burned my crops and provisions robbed from me or de strayed royed sl st and my land kept from me until now awhile hile my tny family was waa driven out without shelter at the fipps approach of winter thirdly these crimes still go unpunished notwithstanding I 1 mads made oath before the honorable judge riland then circuit judge of that district to the foregoing autra outrages es and I 1 also applied in person to his ex excellency el ne daniel aniel dunklin then governor of the S state fo for I 1 red au and protection and a restoration of myself se a td d a about b 0 u it 1200 of my fellow sufferers to our aib i ri right but lit all in vain s S afo my wife and children have now been drive d I 1 r i from froia our house a and n d improvements in cald caldwin wil I 1 count county y and banished from the state on pain ain f rd death eath together with about ten thousand of ot our boci society ety including all my friends and wit and this by the express orders of his ex cell pel eucy lepey lilburn W boggs governor of the state if f missouri and by tile the vigorous execution of his order by generals lucas and dark clark and followed Howd fo up by murders rapes ings thefts and robberies of the most inhuman character cliar acter by a lawliss mob who have from time to time for e infra mow than five years past trampled upon i all law and upon all the rights of in man an I 1 y all these inhuman outrages and crimes and are unnoticed by you sir air and by authorities of the state fe sixthly si ix ly the legislature of the state has ampro v of rd sanctioned this act of banishment with all 11 therides tHe rimes connected I 1 with it by voting somei it arod thousand dollars for the payment of aps 1 I 1 s engaged eng ag ed in I 1 this ali i is unlawful un lawful Y ti vinal d treasonable enterprise in chent Hh ent u the banishment of criminals after bial ai arid and legal condemnation has been fre fres S quenta Te sorted to but the banishment of inna ent worsen boaen and children from house and home and cou co coultry uary itry to wander in a land of strangers un on protected and for while their husbands husband sg are retained in dungeons to be tried bys by isome som other ither law is an act unknown in the annals of h except in this single instance in the he nineteenth century when it has actually trans a J aired in a republican state where the constitute n ji guarantees to every man mail the protection b of life all andi d property and the rights of trial by jury these thesa are outrages which would put monarchy to the blust and from which the most despotic tyrants of the dark ages would turn away with shame and nd disgust sl in these proceedings missouri massou ri h has as enrolled ois I 1 leau her nameon name on the list of immortal fame her r transactions aus actions will bo be handed down the stream of time to the latest posterity who will read with wonder and astonishment the history of proceed ings which are without a parallel in the annal of jaime time why should the authorities of the state strain at a gnat and swallow a camell camel why be so strictly legal as to compel me through all the forms of a slow and legal prosecution previous to my enlargement out of a pretence predence pre tence of respect to the laws of the statute which have been openly trampled upon and disregarded towards us from the first to the last why not include me in the general wholesale banishment of our society that t f may support my family which are now reduced to beggary in a land of strangers but when tile the authorities of the state shall redress all a these the wrongs a JIs the e guilty according to law and abid shall rb y family ayt ends to all the rights of w haia fully deprived both in jackson and all conr counties unties and shall shail pay all the damages which we as a people have sustained dined then I 1 shall believe them sincere in their professed zeal for law and justice then shall 1 I be convinced that I 1 can have a fuir fair trial in thea th state but until the then n I 1 hereby solemnly prote protes tf t tj against dinst being tried in this state with the full an and conscientious conviction that I 1 have no just grounds to eap exp expect act a fair and impartial tr trial Is I 1 therefore most sincerely pray your honor and all the authorities of the th eState state to either banish ish me without further prosecution or I 1 freely consent to a trial before a judiciary of the united states tates j with |