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Show i pi i i So there wouldn't be any doubt on the part of the Missouri militia as to what they should do, Boggs issued his famous extermination order. Mormons who would not surrender their arms, sign over their real estate and leave the state by the end of 1838 would be killed. On October 30 about 30 Mormon men and boys were slaughtered at Haun's Mill by a militia force over 200 strong. On October 31 the Mormons were under siege at Far West, their fighting men outnumbered outnum-bered four to one, by what appeared to be half the state of Missouri. The Mormon Alamo had arrived. ar-rived. Port was wearing a Bowie knife, named after the famous Alamo hero. It appeared the time had finally come when he would be able to use the skills learned from Slyvester Pussy. The Mormons were wearing white headbands to distinguish themselves from the enemy if the two armies became engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Some Mormons welcomed the prospect of all-out war with the Missourians. The hit-and-run skirmishes skir-mishes and guerilla tactics of the previous few months had been frustrating and mostly unproductive. unproduc-tive. Now, the uncertainty was gone. It was time to kill, or be killed, to stand toe to toe with the enemy and conquer or be conquered. con-quered. And since God in heaven would determine the winner, the Mormons would be victorious. Joseph wasn't so sure. The big problem, in addition to being greatly outnumbered, was that the Mormons were more than just a fighting force. Women, children, babies and old people were there too. When the battle began inno cent people would be wT" slaughtered. approached the enemv St?' white flag to negotiate a "nder such negotiations took l e N' seph was simply take-4 and orders were issued hv r Lucas to execute the M prophet on the Morning West, disarmed the s '?' under the pretense of search!'1? arms, tore up floors u n ft stacks, plundered an V value, wantonly destroyed I . g "' amount of property and raff women, one to death ; While all this was going 0 Mormons were signing trust giving up their proZ pav the cost of the mob actior? One of the militia Reneri Alexander Doniphan, who k been an attorney for the Saint!: Jackson County, objected strongly to the order to killJ0s,' that the order was finally ui drawn. Joseph Smith and abouu others were herded to IndeM.'. ence, then Richmond to aL".' before judge Austin King charges against the Mormonsr eluded high treason against B state, murder, burglary, robbery and larceny. All were released except Jo, and Hyrum Smith, Lyman W-Caleb W-Caleb Baldwin, Alexander McH and Sidney Rigdon, who were' to jail in Liberty, Missouri, pent-further pent-further legal action. : (To be continue |