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  2. Documents, Volume 6, Part 3 Introduction: 4 November 1838–16 April 1839

Part 3: 4 November 1838–16 April 1839

Part 3 covers JS’s time in state custody—primarily in the
Clay County

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

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jail

Two-story building containing dungeon on lower floor with access through trap door. Wood building constructed, ca. 1830. Outer stone wall added and building completed, 1833. JS and five others confined there for just over four months, beginning 1 Dec. 1838...

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in
Liberty

Located in western Missouri, thirteen miles north of Independence. Settled 1820. Clay Co. seat, 1822. Incorporated as town, May 1829. Following expulsion from Jackson Co., 1833, many Latter-day Saints found refuge in Clay Co., with church leaders and other...

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, Missouri—from his arrest on 31 October 1838 to his escape on 16 April 1839. His incarceration was based on charges stemming from crimes allegedly committed during the October 1838 conflict between the
Latter-day Saints

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

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and other Missourians.
In mid-September 1838, Brigadier General
Alexander Doniphan

9 July 1808–8 Aug. 1887. Lawyer, military general, insurance/bank executive. Born near Maysville, Mason Co., Kentucky. Son of Joseph Doniphan and Ann Smith. Father died, 1813; sent to live with older brother George, 1815, in Augusta, Bracken Co., Kentucky...

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and his militia troops successfully disbanded and dispersed vigilantes in
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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, Missouri. However, under the leadership of William Austin, the vigilantes refocused their efforts on the small Mormon settlement at
De Witt

Located on bluffs north of Missouri River, about six miles above mouth of Grand River. Permanently settled, by 1826. Laid out, 1836. First called Elderport; name changed to De Witt, 1837, when town acquired by speculators David Thomas and Henry Root, who ...

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, Carroll County, Missouri. In late September, the vigilantes announced that the Saints had until 1 October to leave De Witt. Unwilling to abandon their property, the Saints endured a ten-day siege in early October, under the leadership of church member and colonel
George M. Hinkle

13 Nov. 1801–Nov. 1861. Merchant, physician, publisher, minister, farmer. Born in Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Son of Michael Hinkle and Nancy Higgins. Married first Sarah Ann Starkey. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1832. Moved to ...

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. During the siege, JS traveled from
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

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, Missouri, to De Witt to rally church members. Ultimately, civil and militia authorities refused to intervene, and the outnumbered Saints had little choice but to evacuate the town and relocate to Far West.
1

See Bill of Damages, 4 June 1839; “The Mormons in Carroll County,” Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 18 Aug. 1838, [2]; Alexander Doniphan, “Camp at Grand River,” MO, to David R. Atchison, Richmond, MO, 15 Sept. 1838, copy; David R. Atchison, Boonville, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, Jefferson City, MO, 5 Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; and Murdock, Journal, Oct. 1838, 100–102.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1919.

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

Murdock, John. Journal, ca. 1830–1859. John Murdock, Journal and Autobiography, ca. 1830–1867. CHL. MS 1194, fd. 2.

During the journey, at least two female church members died and were buried in unmarked graves.
2

Latter-day Saint Morris Phelps recalled that two women died during the move—“one by the infirmity of old age the other in child birth.” Contemporary accounts do not give the women’s names; however, later sources identify the elderly woman’s surname as Downey and the younger woman’s surname as Jensen. (Phelps, Reminiscences, [8]; Isaac Leany, Affidavit, Quincy, IL, 20 Apr. 1839, photocopy, Material relating to Mormon Expulsion from Missouri, 1839–1843, CHL; Daniel Avery, Affidavit, Lee Co., Iowa Territory, 5 Mar. 1840, Mormon Redress Petitions, 1839–1845, CHL; Judd, “Reminiscences of Zadoc Knapp Judd,” 7; History of the Church, 3:159.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Phelps, Morris. Reminiscences, no date. CHL. MS 271.

Material Relating to Mormon Expulsion from Missouri, 1839–1843. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2145.

Mormon Redress Petitions, 1839–1845. CHL. MS 2703.

Judd, Zadoc Knapp. “Reminiscences of Zadoc Knapp Judd,” 1902. Typescript. Mary F. Johnson Collection, 1878–1966. CHL.

History of the Church / Smith, Joseph, et al. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Edited by B. H. Roberts. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1902–1912 (vols. 1–6), 1932 (vol. 7).

Emboldened by this victory, the anti-Mormon vigilantes acquired a cannon and moved their operations back to
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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, hoping to drive out the Saints living there. JS and other church leaders determined that the failure of state authorities to protect the Saints necessitated aggressive self-defense. On 16 October, about three hundred Latter-day Saint men from
Caldwell County

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

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marched to
Adam-ondi-Ahman

Settlement located in northwest Missouri. 1835 revelation identified valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman as place where Adam blessed his posterity after leaving Garden of Eden. While seeking new areas in Daviess Co. for settlement, JS and others surveyed site on which...

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.
3

See Rockwood, Journal, 19 Oct. 1838; and Foote, Autobiography, 21 Oct. 1838, 30.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Rockwood, Albert Perry. Journal Entries, Oct. 1838–Jan. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2606.

Foote, Warren. Autobiography, not before 1903. Warren Foote, Papers, 1837–1941. CHL. MS 1123, fd. 1.

Over the next few weeks, Latter-day Saints and anti-Mormons engaged in vigilante actions in the absence of civil and militia responses to the rising tensions. According to
John Corrill

17 Sept. 1794–26 Sept. 1842. Surveyor, politician, author. Born at Worcester Co., Massachusetts. Married Margaret Lyndiff, ca. 1830. Lived at Harpersfield, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, 1830. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 10 Jan. 1831,...

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, the Mormon vigilantes intended “to fall upon and scatter the mob wherever they could find them collected” and “to destroy those places that harbored them.” On 18 October,
David W. Patten

14 Nov. 1799–25 Oct. 1838. Farmer. Born in Vermont. Son of Benoni Patten and Edith Cole. Moved to Theresa, Oneida Co., New York, as a young child. Moved to Dundee, Monroe Co., Michigan Territory, as a youth. Married Phoebe Ann Babcock, 1828, in Dundee. Affiliated...

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, an
apostle

Members of a governing body in the church, with special administrative and proselytizing responsibilities. A June 1829 revelation commanded Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer to call twelve disciples, similar to the twelve apostles in the New Testament and ...

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and a member of the pro tempore
Zion

JS revelation, dated 20 July 1831, designated Missouri as “land of Zion” for gathering of Saints and place where “City of Zion” was to be built, with Independence area as “center place” of Zion. Latter-day Saint settlements elsewhere, such as in Kirtland,...

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presidency

An organized body of leaders over priesthood quorums and other ecclesiastical organizations. A November 1831 revelation first described the office of president over the high priesthood and the church as a whole. By 1832, JS and two counselors constituted ...

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, led a targeted raid on
Gallatin

Founded and laid out, 1837. Identified as county seat, 13 Sept. 1837; officially recorded as seat, 3 Sept. 1839. After 1840 dispute in state legislature, reaffirmed as county seat, 1841. Several Latter-day Saints attempted to vote at Gallatin, 6 Aug. 1838...

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, the county seat.
Lyman Wight

9 May 1796–31 Mar. 1858. Farmer. Born at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of Levi Wight Jr. and Sarah Corbin. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Benton, 5 Jan. 1823, at Henrietta, Monroe Co., New York. Moved to Warrensville, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, ...

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, a member of the Adam-ondi-Ahman
stake

Ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. Stakes were typically large local organizations of church members; stake leaders could include a presidency, a high council, and a bishopric. Some revelations referred to stakes “to” or...

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presidency and a veteran of the War of 1812, directed a similar raid on
Millport

Village located three miles east of Gallatin, Missouri, between Grand River and Big Muddy Creek. First settled by Robert P. Peniston, ca. 1831. Named Millport after Peniston completed horse-powered corn mill, ca. 1834. Laid out as town, 1836. First town in...

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.
Seymour Brunson

1 Dec. 1798–10 Aug. 1840. Farmer. Born at Plattsburg, Clinton Co., New York. Son of Reuben Brunson and Sally Clark. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Gould of Hector, Tompkins Co., New York, ca. 1823. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day...

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, a
high priest

An ecclesiastical and priesthood office. Christ and many ancient prophets, including Abraham, were described as being high priests. The Book of Mormon used the term high priest to denote one appointed to lead the church. However, the Book of Mormon also discussed...

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who served in the War of 1812, led a third raid on Grindstone Fork. The Mormon forces dispersed the anti-Mormons, destroyed buildings—including a store, a mill, and several houses—and confiscated property as wartime appropriations.
4

Corrill, Brief History, 35–38; Lyman Wight, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. 16–19, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; John Smith, Journal, 16–18 Oct. 1838; Historical Introduction to Agreement with Jacob Stollings, 12 Apr. 1839; see also Baugh, “Call to Arms,” 190–206. When Jacob Stollings’s store in Gallatin was burned, so were records belonging to the post office and treasurer’s office, both of which were housed in the store. While there is no evidence that the Saints targeted the records, reports of the arson quickly circulated. (Patrick Lynch, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [113], State of Missouri v. JS et al. for Treason and Other Crimes [Mo. 5th Jud. Cir. 1838], in State of Missouri, “Evidence”; Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde, Richmond, MO, to Lewis Abbott and Ann Marsh Abbott, Far West, MO, 25–30 Oct. 1838, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 18.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1.

Baugh, Alexander L. “A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1996. Also available as A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History; BYU Studies, 2000).

JS reportedly sent a letter to
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

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announcing the Saints’ victory.
5

This letter is apparently not extant. Sampson Avard claimed that JS and Sidney Rigdon exchanged several missives during the October 1838 expedition, but later witnesses described the contents of only one letter. Rigdon purportedly read the letter to about two hundred church members in Caldwell County. (Sampson Avard, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [6]; George M. Hinkle, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [44]–[45]; James C. Owens, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [48]; Nathaniel Carr, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [48]–[49], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)


A few days later, Patten and his men secured the cannon that their enemies had brought to Daviess County.
John Smith

16 July 1781–23 May 1854. Farmer. Born at Derryfield (later Manchester), Rockingham Co., New Hampshire. Son of Asael Smith and Mary Duty. Member of Congregational church. Appointed overseer of highways at Potsdam, St. Lawrence Co., New York, 1810. Married...

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, president of the Adam-ondi-Ahman stake, noted in his journal on 22 October that “we have Driven most of the enemy out of the co[unty].”
6

John Smith, Journal, 21–22 Oct. 1838.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1.

JS and the other
Caldwell County

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

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men returned to
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

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on 22 October.
7

Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 22 Oct. 1838.


For the remainder of the month, chaos reigned in
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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, with both Mormons and anti-Mormons burning homes and confiscating property. Latter-day Saint
Benjamin Johnson

28 July 1818–18 Nov. 1905. Brickmaker, merchant, tavern keeper, leatherworker, farmer, nurseryman, beekeeper. Born at Pomfret, Chautauque Co., New York. Son of Ezekiel Johnson and Julia Hills. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, 1833. Baptized into Church...

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recalled, “It should not be supposed because we sought to repel mob violence and were compelled to forage for food when hemmed in on all sides by a mob who had driven us from homes . . . that we were common robbers because we took as by reprisal with which to keep from starvation our women and children. Ours was a struggle for our lives and homes; and a more conscientious, noble, and patriotic spirit never enthused man than that which animated our leaders in this just defense of our rights.”
8

Johnson, “A Life Review,” 37; see also Foote, Autobiography, 21 Oct. 1838, 30.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Johnson, Benjamin Franklin. “A Life Review,” after 1893. Benjamin Franklin Johnson, Papers, 1852–1911. CHL. MS 1289 box 1, fd. 1.

Foote, Warren. Autobiography, not before 1903. Warren Foote, Papers, 1837–1941. CHL. MS 1123, fd. 1.

Meanwhile, anti-Mormon vigilantes under the command of
Cornelius Gilliam

13 Apr. 1798–24 Mar. 1848. Politician, military officer. Born near Mount Pisgah, Buncombe Co., North Carolina. Son of Epaphroditus Gilliam and Sarah Ann Israel. Moved to Missouri, before 1820. Married Mary Crawford, 1820/1821, in Ray Co. (later in Clay Co...

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, operating out of neighboring counties, led targeted strikes on Mormon homes in outlying areas of Daviess County, taking prisoners, burning buildings, and confiscating goods.
9

Bill of Damages, 4 June 1839; Letter to the Church in Caldwell Co., MO, 16 Dec. 1838; Sidney Rigdon, JS, et al., Petition Draft [“To the Publick”], pp. 29[a]–[31b].


Reports of Latter-day Saint military operations spread quickly throughout northwestern
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

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. Several non-Mormon eyewitnesses prepared affidavits on 21 and 22 October, describing what they had seen. Likewise, apostles
Thomas B. Marsh

1 Nov. 1800–Jan. 1866. Farmer, hotel worker, waiter, horse groom, grocer, type foundry worker, teacher. Born at Acton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of James Marsh and Molly Law. Married first Elizabeth Godkin, 1 Nov. 1820, at New York City. Moved to ...

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and
Orson Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

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, who had recently defected from the church because they opposed the preemptive strikes in
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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, described the military operations in an affidavit prepared on 24 October in
Richmond

Area settled, ca. 1814. Officially platted as Ray Co. seat, 1827. Population in 1840 about 500. Seat of Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri; also location of courthouse and jails. JS and about sixty other Latter-day Saint men were incarcerated here while...

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, Ray County, Missouri.
10

Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde, Affidavit, Richmond, MO, 24 Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

These affidavits were forwarded to Missouri governor
Lilburn W. Boggs

14 Dec. 1796–14 Mar. 1860. Bookkeeper, bank cashier, merchant, Indian agent and trader, lawyer, doctor, postmaster, politician. Born at Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of John M. Boggs and Martha Oliver. Served in War of 1812. Moved to St. Louis, ca...

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, and the information contained in them was circulated in the press.
11

William Peniston, Daviess Co., MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 21 Oct. 1838, copy; R. S. Mitchell et al., Richmond, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 23 Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

Anticipating a prolonged conflict, JS and other Latter-day Saint leaders prepared
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

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to be the “head quarters of the Mormon war,” as church member
Albert P. Rockwood

9 June 1805–25 Nov. 1879. Stonecutter, merchant, prison warden. Born in Holliston, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Luther Rockwood and Ruth Perry. Married Nancy Haven, 4 Apr. 1827. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Brigham ...

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described it. These preparations included engaging the “armies of Isreal” in drills and forming special companies to build new cabins, gather food and wood, monitor the movements of anti-Mormon vigilantes, and assist families living outside of Far West to move to the city. Rockwood wrote that these companies were “called
Danites

The common name for the “Daughter of Zion,” an oath-bound military society organized among the Latter-day Saints in Missouri in summer 1838 to defend the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from internal and external opposition. The official name ...

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because the Prophet Daniel has said they shall take the kingdom and possess it for-ever.”
12

Rockwood, Journal, 22 Oct. 1838. Rigdon, who remained in Far West during the Daviess County military operations, organized the special companies on 20 October. Although the name Danite was still in use in October 1838, it is unclear how the small, secretive, oath-bound society founded in early summer 1838 was related to the large force that included all able-bodied Mormon men that fall. It is possible the Danite society became the special companies operating in the fall, with the senior leadership and overall structure changing during the transition. (Burr Riggs, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [76]–[77]; Addison Greene, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [110]; William W. Phelps, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [92]–[93], in State of Missouri, “Evidence”; Rockwood, Journal, 15 and 22–23 Oct. 1838; see also Shurtliff, Autobiography, 125, 131; and Call, Statement, Bountiful, Utah Territory, 30 Dec. 1885, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Rockwood, Albert Perry. Journal Entries, Oct. 1838–Jan. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2606.

Shurtliff, Luman Andros. Autobiography and Journal, ca. 1852–1876. CHL. MS 1605.

Call, Anson. Statement, Bountiful, Utah Territory, 30 Dec. 1885. CHL. MS 4875.

At a meeting held at the home of
Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

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on 24 October, the command structure for the Mormon forces was solidified.
Lyman Wight

9 May 1796–31 Mar. 1858. Farmer. Born at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of Levi Wight Jr. and Sarah Corbin. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Benton, 5 Jan. 1823, at Henrietta, Monroe Co., New York. Moved to Warrensville, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, ...

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and
Seymour Brunson

1 Dec. 1798–10 Aug. 1840. Farmer. Born at Plattsburg, Clinton Co., New York. Son of Reuben Brunson and Sally Clark. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Gould of Hector, Tompkins Co., New York, ca. 1823. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day...

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would command the infantry and cavalry, respectively, in
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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, while
George M. Hinkle

13 Nov. 1801–Nov. 1861. Merchant, physician, publisher, minister, farmer. Born in Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Son of Michael Hinkle and Nancy Higgins. Married first Sarah Ann Starkey. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1832. Moved to ...

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and
David W. Patten

14 Nov. 1799–25 Oct. 1838. Farmer. Born in Vermont. Son of Benoni Patten and Edith Cole. Moved to Theresa, Oneida Co., New York, as a young child. Moved to Dundee, Monroe Co., Michigan Territory, as a youth. Married Phoebe Ann Babcock, 1828, in Dundee. Affiliated...

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would perform the same duties in
Caldwell County

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

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. Wight, Brunson, and Patten had led the targeted strikes in Daviess County on 18 October, while Hinkle was the commanding colonel of the Caldwell County regiment of the state militia.
13

See Sampson Avard, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [8]; George Walters, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [37]–[38]; George M. Hinkle, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [40]–[41], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.” It is unclear how the October “armies of Israel,” or “Danites,” related to the Caldwell County regiment of the state militia. Hinkle’s leadership in both organizations suggests there was some overlap between the two organizations. In late October 1838, Caldwell County judge Elias Higbee—who had served as the captain general of the Danites—ordered Hinkle to call out the Caldwell regiment “to defend the citizens against mobs.” However, Hinkle claimed that when he issued the call, his officers told him “they cared nothing for their commissions—that the organization of the Danite band had taken all power out of their hands.” (George M. Hinkle, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [40], in State of Missouri, “Evidence”; see also JS, Journal, 7–9 Aug. 1838, in JSP, J1:299.)


In late October, non-Mormon vigilantes targeted church members living near the borders of
Caldwell County

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

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. Ostensibly fearing a Mormon invasion of
Ray County

Located in northwestern Missouri. Area settled, 1815. Created from Howard Co., 1820. Initially included all state land north of Missouri River and west of Grand River. Population in 1830 about 2,700; in 1836 about 6,600; and in 1840 about 6,600. Latter-day...

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, Captain
Samuel Bogart

2 Apr. 1797–11 Mar. 1861. Preacher, military officer, farmer. Born in Carter Co., Tennessee. Son of Cornelius Bogart and Elizabeth Moffett. Served in War of 1812. Married Rachel Hammer, 19 May 1818, in Washington Co., Tennessee. Moved to Illinois and became...

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of the state militia sought and received authorization “to range the line between Caldwell & Ray County.”
14

David R. Atchison, Liberty, MO, to Samuel Bogart, 23 Oct. 1838, p. [26], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”


The militiamen exceeded this authorization, harassing church members living near the border between Caldwell and Ray counties, burning at least one Latter-day Saint cabin, and capturing three Mormon men—Addison Greene, Nathan Pinkham Jr., and William Seely, two of whom were probably scouts.
Patten

14 Nov. 1799–25 Oct. 1838. Farmer. Born in Vermont. Son of Benoni Patten and Edith Cole. Moved to Theresa, Oneida Co., New York, as a young child. Moved to Dundee, Monroe Co., Michigan Territory, as a youth. Married Phoebe Ann Babcock, 1828, in Dundee. Affiliated...

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, apparently operating under the commission he received the day before to command cavalry in Caldwell County, led a contingent of about sixty Mormon cavalry to rescue the prisoners. At dawn on 25 October, Patten’s men exchanged gunfire with Bogart’s company of thirty-five men near
Crooked River

Located in northwest Missouri. Rises in Clinton Co. and flows about sixty miles southeast through Caldwell and Ray counties; drains into Missouri River. Saints settled mainly on northwestern and southeastern sections of river, by 1835; main settlement also...

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, two miles south of the Caldwell County border, resulting in the deaths of three Latter-day Saints—Patten,
Patterson Obanion

Ca. 1820–27 Oct. 1838. Recruited as scout for Latter-day Saint militia. Mortally wounded during Battle of Crooked River, near Ray Co., Missouri, 25 Oct. 1838. Died at Sidney Rigdon’s home at Far West, Caldwell Co., Missouri.

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, and
Gideon Carter

1798–25 Oct. 1838. Born at Killingworth, Middlesex Co., Connecticut. Son of Gideon Carter and Johanna Sims. Moved to Benson, Rutland Co., Vermont, by 1810. Married first Hilah (Hilda) Burwell, 1822. Moved to Amherst, Lorain Co., Ohio, 1831. Baptized into ...

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—as well as Missourian Moses Rowland.
15

Rockwood, Journal, 25 Oct. 1838; Charles C. Rich, Statement, ca. Feb. 1845, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, 1839–1860, CHL; Pratt, History of the Late Persecution, 35–36; Thorit Parsons, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [119], in State of Missouri, “Evidence”; Sidney Rigdon, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, p. [12], Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; Reed Peck, Quincy, IL, to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839, p. 95, Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA; see also Baugh, “Call to Arms,” 218–252. The skirmish occurred in a six-mile by twenty-four-mile strip of unincorporated land known as the Buncombe Strip, which was “attached to Ray for Civil & Military purposes only.” (Sashel Woods and Joseph Dickson, Carrollton, MO, to John B. Clark, [ca. 25] Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; Alexander Doniphan, Jefferson City, MO, to William W. Phelps, Shoal Creek, MO, 8 Jan. 1837, William W. Phelps, Collection of Missouri Documents, CHL; see also History of Caldwell and Livingston Counties, Missouri, 104–105.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Rockwood, Albert Perry. Journal Entries, Oct. 1838–Jan. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2606.

Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.

Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

Peck, Reed. Letter, Quincy, IL, to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

Baugh, Alexander L. “A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1996. Also available as A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History; BYU Studies, 2000).

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

Phelps, William W. Collection of Missouri Documents, 1833–1837. CHL. MS 657.

History of Caldwell and Livingston Counties, Missouri, Written and Compiled from the Most Authentic Official and Private Sources. . . . St. Louis: National Historical Co., 1886.

On 30 October, more than two hundred anti-Mormon vigilantes attacked the settlement at
Hawn’s Mill

Located on north bank of Shoal Creek in eastern part of Caldwell Co., about sixteen miles east of Far West, Missouri. Jacob Hawn (Haun) settled in area, 1832; established mill, 1834. Location of branch of church, 1838. By Oct. 1838, about twenty Latter-day...

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in eastern Caldwell County, where approximately thirty Latter-day Saint families had gathered. The vigilantes, many of whom were members of the
Daviess

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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and
Livingston

Organized 1837. Population in 1840 about 4,300. Hawn’s Mill Massacre planned by mob in eastern part of county.

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county militias operating without authorization from their superior officers, apparently instigated the attack in retaliation for the Mormon military operations in Daviess County earlier in the month. As women and children fled the mill amidst gunfire, at least one woman was injured in the hand. Latter-day Saint men and some boys assumed a defensive position in an unfinished blacksmith shop, which quickly turned into a death trap. The vigilantes killed—in some cases, brutally—ten Latter-day Saint men and boys and fatally injured seven others. Another thirteen men and boys were wounded. None of the vigilantes were killed.
16

Joseph Young and Jane Bicknell Young, Affidavit, ca. 1839, pp. [38b]–39[a]; David Lewis, Affidavit, ca. 1839, pp. [40c]–[40d], in Sidney Rigdon, JS, et al., Petition Draft [“To the Publick”]; Baugh, “Call to Arms,” chap. 9, appendixes I–J.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Baugh, Alexander L. “A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1996. Also available as A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History; BYU Studies, 2000).

In the wake of the killings, the survivors interred the dead in a nearby well, which became a mass grave.
17

Amanda Barnes Smith, Affidavit, Quincy, IL, 18 Apr. 1839, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, 1839–1860, CHL; see also Radke-Moss, “Mormon Women as Healers, Concealers, and Protectors,” 30–33.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.

Radke-Moss, Andrea G. “‘I Hid [the Prophet] in a Corn Patch’: Mormon Women as Healers, Concealers, and Protectors in the 1838 Mormon-Missouri War.” Mormon Historical Studies 15, no. 1 (Spring 2014): 25–40.

On 27 October, in response to exaggerated reports of the Saints’
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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operations and the
Crooked River

Located in northwest Missouri. Rises in Clinton Co. and flows about sixty miles southeast through Caldwell and Ray counties; drains into Missouri River. Saints settled mainly on northwestern and southeastern sections of river, by 1835; main settlement also...

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engagement,
Boggs

14 Dec. 1796–14 Mar. 1860. Bookkeeper, bank cashier, merchant, Indian agent and trader, lawyer, doctor, postmaster, politician. Born at Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of John M. Boggs and Martha Oliver. Served in War of 1812. Moved to St. Louis, ca...

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issued an order accusing church members of being “in the attitude of an open and avowed defiance of the laws,” of waging “war upon the people of this
state

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

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,” and of committing “outrages . . . beyond all description.” Claiming that “the Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state if necessary,” Boggs ordered the state militia to “operate against the Mormons.”
18

Lilburn W. Boggs, Jefferson City, MO, to John B. Clark, Fayette, MO, 27 Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA. Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary defines exterminate as “literally, to drive from within the limits or borders” but also “to destroy utterly.” Corrill feared that the militia would interpret Boggs’s order as “authority from the executive to exterminate, with orders to cut off our [the Saints’] retreat . . . [the] innocent as well as guilty; so of course there was no escape for any.” (“Exterminate,” in American Dictionary; Corrill, Brief History, 42.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

An American Dictionary of the English Language: Intended to Exhibit, I. the Origin, Affinities and Primary Signification of English Words, as far as They Have Been Ascertained. . . . Edited by Noah Webster. New York: S. Converse, 1828.

Major General
Samuel D. Lucas

19 July 1799–23 Feb. 1868. Store owner, recorder of deeds. Born at Washington Co., Kentucky. Son of Samuel Lucas Sr. Married Theresa Bartlett Allen, ca. Nov. 1823, in Harrison Co., Kentucky. Member of Presbyterian church. Lived at Independence, Jackson Co...

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assembled eighteen hundred troops in
Caldwell County

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

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and on 30 October established his headquarters approximately one mile south of
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

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. The following day, Lucas met with
Hinkle

13 Nov. 1801–Nov. 1861. Merchant, physician, publisher, minister, farmer. Born in Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Son of Michael Hinkle and Nancy Higgins. Married first Sarah Ann Starkey. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1832. Moved to ...

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and a delegation of Saints, presenting conditions for peacefully resolving the crisis: JS and several other church leaders were required to submit to arrest and prosecution. The Mormon participants in the conflict were required to surrender their weapons and sign over their property to pay for debts they owed to other Missourians and for the damages incurred during the conflict. Further, all Latter-day Saints were required to leave the state.
19

Samuel D. Lucas, “near Far West,” MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 2 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA. The other members of the delegation included John Corrill, Reed Peck, John Cleminson, and William W. Phelps, all previously trusted church leaders who had become critical of the Danites and the Saints’ October military operations in Daviess County. Accounts differ regarding whether Latter-day Saints Seymour Brunson and Arthur Morrison were part of the delegation. (Corrill, Brief History, 40–41; R. Peck to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839, pp. 104–111; George M. Hinkle, Buffalo, Iowa Territory, to William W. Phelps, Nauvoo, IL, 14 Aug. 1844, in Ensign, Aug. 1844, 30–32; Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:300–301.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

Peck, Reed. Letter, Quincy, IL, to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

Ensign. Buffalo, Iowa Territory. 1844–1845.

Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.

Upon the delegates’ return to
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

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, they presented JS and other church leaders with a copy of
Boggs

14 Dec. 1796–14 Mar. 1860. Bookkeeper, bank cashier, merchant, Indian agent and trader, lawyer, doctor, postmaster, politician. Born at Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of John M. Boggs and Martha Oliver. Served in War of 1812. Moved to St. Louis, ca...

View Full Bio
’s 27 October 1838 order.
20

Corrill, Brief History, 40–41; R. Peck to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839, p. 111.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Peck, Reed. Letter, Quincy, IL, to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

According to
Lyman Wight

9 May 1796–31 Mar. 1858. Farmer. Born at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of Levi Wight Jr. and Sarah Corbin. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Benton, 5 Jan. 1823, at Henrietta, Monroe Co., New York. Moved to Warrensville, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, ...

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,
Hinkle

13 Nov. 1801–Nov. 1861. Merchant, physician, publisher, minister, farmer. Born in Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Son of Michael Hinkle and Nancy Higgins. Married first Sarah Ann Starkey. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1832. Moved to ...

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then informed the church leaders that
Lucas

19 July 1799–23 Feb. 1868. Store owner, recorder of deeds. Born at Washington Co., Kentucky. Son of Samuel Lucas Sr. Married Theresa Bartlett Allen, ca. Nov. 1823, in Harrison Co., Kentucky. Member of Presbyterian church. Lived at Independence, Jackson Co...

View Full Bio
“desired an interview” with JS,
Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
, Wight,
Parley P. Pratt

12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....

View Full Bio
, and
George W. Robinson

14 May 1814–10 Feb. 1878. Clerk, postmaster, merchant, clothier, banker. Born at Pawlet, Rutland Co., Vermont. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, by 1836. Clerk and recorder for Kirtland high...

View Full Bio
and that they would “be released that night or the next morning early.” Evidently, the delegation did not inform JS and the others that they would be Lucas’s prisoners when they entered the camp.
21

Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:260; Rockwood, Journal, 31 Oct. 1838; Brigham Young, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, p. 2, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; Samuel D. Lucas, “near Far West,” MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 2 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; Bill of Damages, 4 June 1839. The men were likely arrested at least in part because of their leadership positions. Rigdon was a member of the First Presidency,a while Wight was a counselor in the presidency of the stake at Adam-ondi-Ahman and was considered by many Missourians to be the leader of the Latter-day Saints in Daviess County.b Robinson was clerk for the First Presidency,c and Pratt was an apostle who participated in the skirmish at Crooked River.d(aMinutes, 7 Nov. 1837.bMinutes, 28 June 1838; Alexander Doniphan, “Camp on Grand River,” MO, to David R. Atchison, 15 Sept. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA.cMinutes, 6 Apr. 1838.dMinutes, 7 Nov. 1837; Pratt, History of the Late Persecution, 33–36.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

Rockwood, Albert Perry. Journal Entries, Oct. 1838–Jan. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2606.

Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

For his part, Lucas viewed the men as hostages to be held until Hinkle decided whether to comply with the conditions. If he did, the prisoners were to be held for trial; if he rejected the conditions, the prisoners would be released and the militia would prepare to subdue Far West by force. On 1 November, Hinkle formally accepted the terms, and Lucas paraded his captives through the streets of Far West.
22

Samuel D. Lucas, “near Far West,” MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 2 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

As several documents in part 3 attest, JS passionately argued that Hinkle and the other delegates had deceived and betrayed him.
23

See Letter to Emma Smith, 4 Nov. 1838; Letter to the Church in Caldwell Co., MO, 16 Dec. 1838; and Petition to George Tompkins, between 9 and 15 Mar. 1839.


Later, in response to these accusations, Hinkle claimed he surrendered only with JS’s authorization.
24

George M. Hinkle, Buffalo, Iowa Territory, to William W. Phelps, Nauvoo, IL, 14 Aug. 1844, in Ensign, Aug. 1844, 30–32. Similarly, after Corrill and Peck left the church, they defended their role in the negotiations, arguing that JS fully understood Lucas’s demands. (Corrill, Brief History, 41; R. Peck to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839, pp. 115–116.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Ensign. Buffalo, Iowa Territory. 1844–1845.

Peck, Reed. Letter, Quincy, IL, to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

On the same day as the surrender, 1 November,
Hyrum Smith

9 Feb. 1800–27 June 1844. Farmer, cooper. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Randolph, Orange Co., 1802; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...

View Full Bio
and
Amasa Lyman

30 Mar. 1813–4 Feb. 1877. Boatman, gunsmith, farmer. Born at Lyman, Grafton Co., New Hampshire. Son of Roswell Lyman and Martha Mason. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Lyman E. Johnson, 27 Apr. 1832. Moved to Hiram, Portage Co....

View Full Bio
were arrested and confined with the other prisoners.
25

Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:260; Hyrum Smith, Commerce, IL, to “the Saints Scattered Abroad,” Dec. 1839, in Times and Seasons, Dec. 1839, 1:21. Hyrum Smith was a member of the First Presidency, while Amasa Lyman was captain of a company of Mormon scouts sent to patrol the southern border of Caldwell County; at least one of the scouts was captured by Captain Samuel Bogart’s Ray County militiamen just before the Crooked River battle. (Minutes, 7 Nov. 1837; Amasa Lyman, Affidavit, in [Rigdon], Appeal to the American People, 84; Addison Greene, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [110], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

That evening, Lucas reportedly held an ad hoc court martial in which JS and the six other Latter-day Saint prisoners were sentenced to death. Only the protest of
Doniphan

9 July 1808–8 Aug. 1887. Lawyer, military general, insurance/bank executive. Born near Maysville, Mason Co., Kentucky. Son of Joseph Doniphan and Ann Smith. Father died, 1813; sent to live with older brother George, 1815, in Augusta, Bracken Co., Kentucky...

View Full Bio
stopped the executions from proceeding.
26

Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:260–261; Eliza R. Snow, Caldwell Co., MO, to Isaac Streator, Streetsborough, OH, 22 Feb. 1839, photocopy, CHL; Hyrum Smith, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. 23–25, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; see also Baugh, “Call to Arms,” 336–339.


Comprehensive Works Cited

The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

Snow, Eliza R. Letter, Caldwell Co., MO, to Isaac Streator, Streetsborough, OH, 22 Feb. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 9108.

Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

Baugh, Alexander L. “A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1996. Also available as A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History; BYU Studies, 2000).

In
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

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and
Adam-ondi-Ahman

Settlement located in northwest Missouri. 1835 revelation identified valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman as place where Adam blessed his posterity after leaving Garden of Eden. While seeking new areas in Daviess Co. for settlement, JS and others surveyed site on which...

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, as well as at
Hawn’s Mill

Located on north bank of Shoal Creek in eastern part of Caldwell Co., about sixteen miles east of Far West, Missouri. Jacob Hawn (Haun) settled in area, 1832; established mill, 1834. Location of branch of church, 1838. By Oct. 1838, about twenty Latter-day...

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, state militiamen and anti-Mormon vigilantes ransacked the homes of the Latter-day Saints, stole food and other property, and harassed church members.
27

See Baugh, “Call to Arms,” 359–368. During November 1838, the militia confined church members to Caldwell and Daviess counties, impeding the Saints from claiming their lands at the land office in Lexington, Lafayette County, during the period allotted under the preemption law. Consequently, other Missourians—many of whom participated in the conflict—claimed the Saints’ lands. (See Walker, “Mormon Land Rights,” 32–46.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Baugh, Alexander L. “A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1996. Also available as A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History; BYU Studies, 2000).

Walker, Jeffrey N. “Mormon Land Rights in Caldwell and Daviess Counties and the Mormon Conflict of 1838: New Findings and New Understandings.” BYU Studies 47, no. 1 (2008): 4–55.

Disaffected Mormons who served as informants for the militia taunted the Saints.
28

See Kimball, “History,” 88; Pratt, History of the Late Persecution, 41; and T. B. Foote, Nephi, Utah Territory, to Editor of the Deseret News, 28 May 1868, Historian’s Office Correspondence Files, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Kimball, Heber C. “History of Heber Chase Kimball by His Own Dictation,” ca. 1842–1856. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 2.

Historian’s Office. Correspondence Files, 1856–1926. CHL.

Former apostle
William E. McLellin

18 Jan. 1806–14 Mar. 1883. Schoolteacher, physician, publisher. Born at Smith Co., Tennessee. Son of Charles McLellin and Sarah (a Cherokee Indian). Married first Cynthia Ann, 30 July 1829. Wife died, by summer 1831. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of...

View Full Bio
ransacked JS’s home in Far West. Not long afterward,
Hinkle

13 Nov. 1801–Nov. 1861. Merchant, physician, publisher, minister, farmer. Born in Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Son of Michael Hinkle and Nancy Higgins. Married first Sarah Ann Starkey. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1832. Moved to ...

View Full Bio
, the previous owner of the Smiths’ home, stole items from the property and expelled
Emma

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

View Full Bio
and her children from the premises.
29

See Declaration to the Clay County Circuit Court, ca. 6 Mar. 1839.


In the midst of the chaos, anti-Mormon men committed multiple acts of sexual violence, including rape, against Latter-day Saint women.
30

American Slavery as It Is, 191–192; Murdock, Journal, 29 Oct. 1838, 103–104; Hyrum Smith, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. 13, 24, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; see also Radke-Moss, “Beyond Petticoats and Poultices.”


Comprehensive Works Cited

American Slavery as It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses. New York: American Anti- Slavery Society, 1839.

Murdock, John. Journal, ca. 1830–1859. John Murdock, Journal and Autobiography, ca. 1830–1867. CHL. MS 1194, fd. 2.

Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

Radke-Moss, Andrea G. “Beyond Petticoats and Poultices.” Paper presented at annual Church History Symposium, Provo, UT, 3 Mar. 2016. Copy in editors’ possession.

In addition, militiamen near Far West struck Latter-day Saint William Carey’s head with a rifle, causing his death.
31

Greene, Facts relative to the Expulsion, 14; Hyrum Smith, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. 9–10, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Greene, John P. Facts Relative to the Expulsion of the Mormons or Latter Day Saints, from the State of Missouri, under the “Exterminating Order.” By John P. Greene, an Authorized Representative of the Mormons. Cincinnati: R. P. Brooks, 1839.

Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

Carey may have been the last of about forty Mormons who were killed or died from exposure during the conflict.
32

John B. Clark, Jefferson City, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 29 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; “Letter from the Editor,” Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 7 Dec. 1838, [2]; see also Rockwood, Journal, 11 Nov. 1838.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1919.

Rockwood, Albert Perry. Journal Entries, Oct. 1838–Jan. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2606.

As demonstrated in several documents in part 3, JS and other church members considered these individuals to be martyrs for the cause of
Zion

A specific location in Missouri; also a literal or figurative gathering of believers in Jesus Christ, characterized by adherence to ideals of harmony, equality, and purity. In JS’s earliest revelations “the cause of Zion” was used to broadly describe the ...

View Glossary
.
33

See, for example, Letter to Emma Smith, 4 Nov. 1838; Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839; and Letter from Alanson Ripley, 10 Apr. 1839; see also Grua, “Memoirs of the Persecuted,” chap. 1.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Grua, David W. “Memoirs of the Persecuted: Persecution, Memory, and the West as a Mormon Refuge.” Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 2008.

On 2 November, JS and the other prisoners were permitted to obtain provisions and bid an emotional good-bye to their families before being taken to
Jackson County

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

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, Missouri.
34

See Bill of Damages, 4 June 1839; and Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839.


Lucas

19 July 1799–23 Feb. 1868. Store owner, recorder of deeds. Born at Washington Co., Kentucky. Son of Samuel Lucas Sr. Married Theresa Bartlett Allen, ca. Nov. 1823, in Harrison Co., Kentucky. Member of Presbyterian church. Lived at Independence, Jackson Co...

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assigned Brigadier General
Moses Wilson

1795–ca. 1868. Farmer, merchant, land developer, postmaster. Born in Virginia. Moved to Greene Co., Tennessee, by Dec. 1818. Married first Margaret Guin, 23 Dec. 1829, in Greene Co. Moved to Pike Co., Illinois, by Apr. 1832. Served in Black Hawk War, 1832...

View Full Bio
and three hundred state militiamen from Jackson County to escort the prisoners the fifty miles to
Independence

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Latter-day Saint population...

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, the headquarters for the militia’s Fourth Division. Upon arriving in Independence on 4 November, the prisoners were placed first in a large and comfortable log home and subsequently at Noland’s Inn, rather than in the Jackson County jail.
35

Samuel D. Lucas, “near Far West,” MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 2 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; Parley P. Pratt, Independence, MO, to Mary Ann Frost Pratt, Far West, MO, 4 Nov. 1838, Parley P. Pratt, Letters, CHL; Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:295–296; Historical Introduction to Receipt from William Collins, 8 Feb. 1839.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

Pratt, Parley P. Letters, 1838–1839. CHL. MS 5828.

The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

Five days later, Lucas moved the prisoners to
Richmond

Area settled, ca. 1814. Officially platted as Ray Co. seat, 1827. Population in 1840 about 500. Seat of Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri; also location of courthouse and jails. JS and about sixty other Latter-day Saint men were incarcerated here while...

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, where Major General
John B. Clark

17 Apr. 1802–29 Oct. 1885. Lawyer, politician. Born at Madison Co., Kentucky. Moved to Howard Co., Missouri Territory, 1818. Practiced law in Fayette, Howard Co., beginning 1824. Clerk of Howard Co. courts, 1824–1834. Appointed brigadier general in Missouri...

View Full Bio
assumed custody of them, having received an order from
Boggs

14 Dec. 1796–14 Mar. 1860. Bookkeeper, bank cashier, merchant, Indian agent and trader, lawyer, doctor, postmaster, politician. Born at Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of John M. Boggs and Martha Oliver. Served in War of 1812. Moved to St. Louis, ca...

View Full Bio
to oversee the entire campaign to quell the Mormon “rebellion,” including through prosecuting the “ring leaders.” In Richmond, JS and his fellow prisoners were placed in chains in a vacant log house near the unfinished courthouse.
36

Lilburn W. Boggs, Jefferson City, MO, to John B. Clark, 1 Nov. 1838, copy; Lilburn W. Boggs, Jefferson City, MO, to John B. Clark, 6 Nov. 1838, copy; Samuel D. Lucas, Independence, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 7 Nov. 1838, copy; John B. Clark, Richmond, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 10 Nov. 1838, copy; John B. Clark, Jefferson City, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 29 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:296–297; Sidney Rigdon, JS, et al., Petition Draft (“To the Publick”), p. 44[a].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

Clark also confined forty-six other Latter-day Saint men to the courthouse on charges stemming from their alleged roles in the October 1838 operations in
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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.
37

Clark arrived in Far West on 4 November 1838, intent on identifying Latter-day Saints who participated in the recent military operations in Daviess County and who could be charged with crimes. The major general’s key informant was Avard, a former Danite leader, who agreed to provide names and testify for the state in exchange for immunity from prosecution. At the conclusion of Clark’s investigation in Far West, he detained forty-six Latter-day Saints and brought them to Richmond on 9 November—the same day JS and his companions arrived from Independence. (John B. Clark, Richmond, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 10 Nov. 1838, copy; John B. Clark, Jefferson City, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 29 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; see also Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:243–249.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.

On 10 November 1838,
Clark

17 Apr. 1802–29 Oct. 1885. Lawyer, politician. Born at Madison Co., Kentucky. Moved to Howard Co., Missouri Territory, 1818. Practiced law in Fayette, Howard Co., beginning 1824. Clerk of Howard Co. courts, 1824–1834. Appointed brigadier general in Missouri...

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asked
Austin A. King

21 Sept. 1802–22 Apr. 1870. Attorney, judge, politician, farmer. Born at Sullivan Co., Tennessee. Son of Walter King and Nancy Sevier. Married first Nancy Harris Roberts, 13 May 1828, at Jackson, Madison Co., Tennessee. In 1830, moved to Missouri, where he...

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of the fifth judicial circuit to preside at a criminal court of inquiry in
Richmond

Area settled, ca. 1814. Officially platted as Ray Co. seat, 1827. Population in 1840 about 500. Seat of Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri; also location of courthouse and jails. JS and about sixty other Latter-day Saint men were incarcerated here while...

More Info
.
38

John B. Clark, Richmond, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 10 Nov. 1838, copy; John B. Clark, Jefferson City, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 29 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; see also Madsen, “Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry,” 93–136.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

Madsen, Gordon A. “Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry: Austin A. King’s Quest for Hostages.” BYU Studies 43, no. 4 (2004): 93–136.

From 12 to 29 November, Judge King evaluated testimony that the prisoners had committed treason and other crimes during the October 1838 conflict. A charge of treason, which is legally defined as “levying war” against the
United States

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

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(or a state) or “giving aid” to its enemies, can be established only if two witnesses testify of the same “overt act” or the defendant confesses to the crime in court.
39

If convicted of treason against the state, the penalty was death or incarceration in the “penitentiary for a period not less than ten years.” (See U.S. Constitution, art. 3, sec. 3; Missouri Constitution of 1820, art. 13, sec. 15; An Act concerning Crimes and Their Punishments [20 Mar. 1835], Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri [1835], p. 166, art. 1, sec. 1; and Madsen, “Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry,” 93–136.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri, Revised and Digested by the Eighth General Assembly during the Years One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-Four, and One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-Five. . . . St. Louis: Argus Office, 1835.

Madsen, Gordon A. “Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry: Austin A. King’s Quest for Hostages.” BYU Studies 43, no. 4 (2004): 93–136.

Forty-two witnesses, many of whom were disaffected church members, testified for the prosecution, which contended that JS and other church leaders had begun planning an insurrection against the state of
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

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as early as spring 1838, with the implementation starting that fall. Former Danite general
Sampson Avard

23 Oct. 1800–15 Apr. 1869. Physician. Born at St. Peter, Isle of Guernsey, Channel Islands, Great Britain. Migrated to U.S., by 1830. Married Eliza, a native of Virginia. Located at Washington DC, 1830. Moved to Virginia, by 1831. Moved to Freedom, Beaver...

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was the prosecution’s key witness.
40

Witnesses for the prosecution included Sampson Avard, Charles Blackley, Samuel Bogart, Elisha Cameron, Nathaniel Carr, John Cleminson, James Cobb, Asa Cook, John Corrill, Wyatt Cravens, Freeburn Gardner, Addison Greene, George M. Hinkle, Andrew Job, Jesse Kelley, Samuel Kimble, Timothy Lewis, John Lockhart, Patrick Lynch, Joseph McGee, Jeremiah Myers, Nehemiah Odle, Thomas Odle, James Owens, Reed Peck, Morris Phelps, William W. Phelps, Addison Price, John Raglin, Allen Rathburn, Burr Riggs, Abner Scovil, Benjamin Slade, Robert Snodgrass, William Splawn, John Taylor, James Turner, George Walters, John Whitmer, Ezra Williams, George Worthington, and Porter Yale. (Testimonies, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [2]–[113], [122]–[123], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)


Although the prisoners submitted the names of dozens of potential defense witnesses, ultimately only seven testified, largely because of the intimidation of court officials.
41

Hyrum Smith later stated that, per King’s instructions, the prisoners identified sixty potential defense witnesses. Although the judge apparently subpoenaed these individuals, only the following seven testified for the defense: Jonathan Barlow, Ezra Chipman, Arza Judd Jr., Thorit Parsons, Delia Pine, Malinda Porter, and Nancy Rigdon. Multiple Latter-day Saints described officers of the court harassing potential witnesses or not permitting them to testify. (Hyrum Smith, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. 18–19; George Pitkin, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. 1–2, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; Murdock, Journal, Nov. 1838, 105–106; Malinda Porter, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [115]; Delia F. Pine, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [116]–[117]; Nancy Rigdon, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [117]–[118]; Jonathan Barlow, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [118]–[119]; Thorit Parsons, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [119]–[120]; Ezra Chipman, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [120]–[121]; Arza Judd Jr., Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [121], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

Murdock, John. Journal, ca. 1830–1859. John Murdock, Journal and Autobiography, ca. 1830–1867. CHL. MS 1194, fd. 2.

During the course of the proceedings, eleven more Latter-day Saint men were charged, bringing the total to sixty-four defendants.
42

The eleven men were Samuel Bent, Ebenezer Brown, Jonathan Dunham, King Follett, Clark Hallett, Sylvester Hewlett, Joel Miles, James Newberry, Morris Phelps, James Rollins, and William Wightman. (Trial Proceedings, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [1]–[2], [34], [61], [70], [100], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)


The defendants later alleged that the hearing was significantly marred by procedural and substantive problems.
43

Petition to George Tompkins, between 9 and 15 Mar. 1839; see also Madsen, “Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry,” 93–136.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Madsen, Gordon A. “Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry: Austin A. King’s Quest for Hostages.” BYU Studies 43, no. 4 (2004): 93–136.

At the conclusion of the hearing,
King

21 Sept. 1802–22 Apr. 1870. Attorney, judge, politician, farmer. Born at Sullivan Co., Tennessee. Son of Walter King and Nancy Sevier. Married first Nancy Harris Roberts, 13 May 1828, at Jackson, Madison Co., Tennessee. In 1830, moved to Missouri, where he...

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ruled there was probable cause to believe that JS,
Wight

9 May 1796–31 Mar. 1858. Farmer. Born at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York. Son of Levi Wight Jr. and Sarah Corbin. Served in War of 1812. Married Harriet Benton, 5 Jan. 1823, at Henrietta, Monroe Co., New York. Moved to Warrensville, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, ...

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,
Hyrum Smith

9 Feb. 1800–27 June 1844. Farmer, cooper. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Randolph, Orange Co., 1802; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...

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,
Alexander McRae

7 Sept. 1807–20 June 1891. Tailor, sheriff, prison warden. Born in Anson Co., North Carolina. Son of John B. McRae and Mary. Moved to South Carolina; to Iredell Co., North Carolina; and back to South Carolina. Enlisted in U.S. Army, Mar. 1829, and served ...

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, and
Caleb Baldwin

2 Sept. 1791–11 June 1849. Born in Nobletown (later Hillsdale), Orange Co., New York. Son of Philemon Baldwin and Esther. Served in War of 1812 in Ohio militia. Married Nancy Kingsbury, 7 Dec. 1814, in Cuyahoga Co., Ohio. Moved to Warrensville (later in University...

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had committed treason in
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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during the conflict and that
Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

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had committed the same offense in
Caldwell County

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

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. As treason was a nonbailable offense and neither Daviess nor Caldwell county had a jail, these men were confined in the
Clay County

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

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jail

Two-story building containing dungeon on lower floor with access through trap door. Wood building constructed, ca. 1830. Outer stone wall added and building completed, 1833. JS and five others confined there for just over four months, beginning 1 Dec. 1838...

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in
Liberty

Located in western Missouri, thirteen miles north of Independence. Settled 1820. Clay Co. seat, 1822. Incorporated as town, May 1829. Following expulsion from Jackson Co., 1833, many Latter-day Saints found refuge in Clay Co., with church leaders and other...

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to await a spring trial.
44

Ruling, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [124], in State of Missouri, “Evidence”; An Act to Regulate Proceedings in Criminal Cases [21 Mar. 1835], Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri [1835], p. 475, art. 2, sec. 8; Mittimus, Richmond, MO, 29 Nov. 1838, State of Missouri v. JS et al. for Treason and Other Crimes (Mo. 5th Jud. Cir. 1838), JS Collection, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri, Revised and Digested by the Eighth General Assembly during the Years One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-Four, and One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-Five. . . . St. Louis: Argus Office, 1835.

The judge also ruled there was probable cause to believe that
Pratt

12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....

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and four other Latter-day Saint men had participated in the murder of Moses Rowland in the
Crooked River

Located in northwest Missouri. Rises in Clinton Co. and flows about sixty miles southeast through Caldwell and Ray counties; drains into Missouri River. Saints settled mainly on northwestern and southeastern sections of river, by 1835; main settlement also...

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skirmish; because murder was also nonbailable, King committed these prisoners to the
Ray County

Located in northwestern Missouri. Area settled, 1815. Created from Howard Co., 1820. Initially included all state land north of Missouri River and west of Grand River. Population in 1830 about 2,700; in 1836 about 6,600; and in 1840 about 6,600. Latter-day...

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jail to await trial.
45

King ruled there was probable cause to believe that Pratt, Darwin Chase, Luman Gibbs, Morris Phelps, and Norman Shearer had committed murder. (Ruling, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [124]–[125], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)


Finally, King found probable cause to believe that twenty-four other defendants had committed arson, burglary, robbery, and larceny. The judge admitted them to bail on the condition that they appear before the
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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Circuit Court during the spring term.
46

The following prisoners were admitted to bail: Samuel Bent, Daniel Carn, Jonathan Dunham, Jacob Gates, George Grant, Clark Hallett, James Henderson, Francis M. Higbee, John Higbee, Jesse Hunter, George Kimball, Joel Miles, Ebenezer Page, Edward Partridge, David Pettegrew, Thomas Rich, Alanson Ripley, Ebenezer Robinson, George W. Robinson, James Rollins, Sidney Turner, Washington Voorhees, William Wightman, and Joseph Younger. (Trial Proceedings, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [125]–[126], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)


The remaining prisoners were discharged for lack of evidence.
47

These men included Martin Allred, William Allred, Ebenezer Brown, John Buchanan, Moses Clawson, Benjamin Covey, Sheffield Daniels, John Earl, Elisha Edwards, King Follett, David Frampton, George W. Harris, Anthony Head, Chandler Holbrook, Sylvester Hulet, Benjamin Jones, Amasa Lyman, Silas Maynard, Isaac Morley, James Newberry, Elijah Newman, Zedekiah Owens, Daniel Shearer, Allen Stout, John Tanner, Daniel Thomas, Alvah Tippets, Andrew Whitlock, and Henry Zabrisky. (Trial Proceedings, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [108]–[109], [123], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)


On 1 December 1838, JS and his companions arrived in
Liberty

Located in western Missouri, thirteen miles north of Independence. Settled 1820. Clay Co. seat, 1822. Incorporated as town, May 1829. Following expulsion from Jackson Co., 1833, many Latter-day Saints found refuge in Clay Co., with church leaders and other...

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, the seat of
Clay County

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

More Info
, and were incarcerated in the county
jail

Two-story building containing dungeon on lower floor with access through trap door. Wood building constructed, ca. 1830. Outer stone wall added and building completed, 1833. JS and five others confined there for just over four months, beginning 1 Dec. 1838...

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, an imposing edifice with four-foot-thick walls made of limestone and oak. The jail had only one entrance: double iron doors at the landing of a short flight of stairs. The doors opened to a room containing two windows, each with vertical iron bars preventing entrance or escape. A trapdoor in the floor opened into the jail’s dungeon, a 14- by 14½-foot space that was 6½ feet from stone floor to ceiling. Two windows, 2 feet wide and 6 inches high, with a heavy iron bar running horizontally through each, provided the only natural light.
48

“Clay County, Missouri,” Historical Record, Dec. 1888, 7:670; “Liberty Jail,” Liahona, the Elders’ Journal, 18 Aug. 1914, 122; see also Jessee, “Prison Experience,” 25.


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Historical Record, a Monthly Periodical, Devoted Exclusively to Historical, Biographical, Chronological and Statistical Matters. Salt Lake City. 1882–1890.

“Liberty Jail.” Liahona, the Elders’ Journal 12, no. 8 (18 Aug. 1914): 122–123.

Jessee, Dean C. “‘Walls, Grates and Screeking Iron Doors’: The Prison Experiences of Mormon Leaders in Missouri, 1838–1839.” In New Views of Mormon History: A Collection of Essays in Honor of Leonard J. Arrington, edited by Davis Bitton and Maureen Ursenbach Beecher, 19–42. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1987.

The prisoners were guarded by Clay County sheriff and jailer Samuel Hadley and his deputy, Samuel Tillery.
49

Mittimus, Richmond, MO, 29 Nov. 1838, State of Missouri v. JS et al. for Treason and Other Crimes (Mo. 5th Jud. Cir. 1838), JS Collection, CHL; Woodson, History of Clay County, Missouri, 333.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Woodson, W. H. History of Clay County, Missouri. Topeka, KS: Historical Publishing, 1920.

Through the winter of 1838–1839, the prisoners slept on dirty straw mattresses and subsisted on a coarse diet.
50

See Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839; and Bill of Damages, 4 June 1839.


However, the prisoners spent some of their time in the upper story of the jail, eating meals and meeting with visitors.
51

Alexander McRae, “Incidents in the History of Joseph Smith,” Deseret News, 2 Nov. 1854, [1]; George A. Smith, Autobiography, 123–125; see also Jessee, “Prison Experience,” 26.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

Jessee, Dean C. “‘Walls, Grates and Screeking Iron Doors’: The Prison Experiences of Mormon Leaders in Missouri, 1838–1839.” In New Views of Mormon History: A Collection of Essays in Honor of Leonard J. Arrington, edited by Davis Bitton and Maureen Ursenbach Beecher, 19–42. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1987.

Emma Smith

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

View Full Bio
, for example, visited JS in the jail three times before she departed from the
state

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
.
52

See History of the Reorganized Church, 2:309, 315.


Comprehensive Works Cited

The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

In addition, they were occasionally permitted to leave the jailhouse under supervision of a guard.
53

William T. Wood, “Mormon Memoirs,” Liberty [MO] Tribune, 9 Apr. 1886, [1]; Andrew Jenson et al., “Liberty Jail,” Deseret News, 3 Oct. 1888, 608.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Liberty Tribune. Liberty, MO. 1860–.

Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

The main body of the church endured the winter in
Caldwell County

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

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. On 10 December 1838,
Edward Partridge

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

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and other church leaders wrote an extensive petition to the
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
legislature, providing the Saints’ perspective on the recent conflict and requesting that the legislature rescind
Boggs

14 Dec. 1796–14 Mar. 1860. Bookkeeper, bank cashier, merchant, Indian agent and trader, lawyer, doctor, postmaster, politician. Born at Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of John M. Boggs and Martha Oliver. Served in War of 1812. Moved to St. Louis, ca...

View Full Bio
’s expulsion order. While acknowledging that some church members were guilty of unlawful behavior, especially during the October “difficulties in
Daviess Co[unty]

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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,” the petitioners argued that such crimes should be understood in the context of past wrongs inflicted on the Saints. Partridge and the others also queried why the Saints were charged with crimes when not one vigilante was arrested for the murders committed at
Hawn’s Mill

Located on north bank of Shoal Creek in eastern part of Caldwell Co., about sixteen miles east of Far West, Missouri. Jacob Hawn (Haun) settled in area, 1832; established mill, 1834. Location of branch of church, 1838. By Oct. 1838, about twenty Latter-day...

More Info
.
54

Edward Partridge et al., Petition, Far West, MO, to the Missouri State Legislature, 10 Dec. 1838, copy, Edward Partridge, Papers, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Edward Partridge, Papers, 1818–1839. CHL. MS 892.

In early 1839, it became apparent that the legislature would not intervene on behalf of the Saints;
55

The legislature briefly considered the petition but chose not to take action. (See Journal, of the House of Representatives, of the State of Missouri, 19 Dec. 1838, 128; and Gentry and Compton, Fire and Sword, 460–461.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Journal, of the House of Representatives, of the State of Missouri, at the First Session of the Tenth General Assembly, Begun and Held at the City of Jefferson, on Monday, the Nineteenth Day of November, in the Year of Our Lord, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-Eight. Jefferson City, MO: Calvin Gunn, 1839.

Gentry, Leland Homer, and Todd M. Compton. Fire and Sword: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri, 1836–39. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2011.

consequently, church leaders in
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

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organized the evacuation of the eight to ten thousand Latter-day Saints living in Missouri.
56

Eliza R. Snow, Caldwell Co., MO, to Isaac Streator, Streetsborough, OH, 22 Feb. 1839, photocopy, CHL; Elias Smith, Far West, MO, to Ira Smith, East Stockholm, NY, 11 Mar. 1839, Elias Smith Correspondence, CHL; Heber C. Kimball, Far West, MO, to Joseph Fielding, Preston, England, 12 Mar. 1839, in Compilation of Heber C. Kimball Correspondence, CHL; see also LeSueur, 1838 Mormon War in Missouri, 29, 35–36; and Leonard, Nauvoo, 31, 671–672n33.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Snow, Eliza R. Letter, Caldwell Co., MO, to Isaac Streator, Streetsborough, OH, 22 Feb. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 9108.

Smith, Elias. Correspondence, 1834–1839. In Elias Smith, Papers, 1834–1846. CHL.

Heber C. Kimball Family Organization. Compilation of Heber C. Kimball Correspondence, 1983. Unpublished typescript. CHL.

LeSueur, Stephen C. The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1987.

Leonard, Glen M. Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, a People of Promise. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book; Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 2002.

Faced with insufficient supplies, inclement weather, and disease, many church members suffered considerably during the journey of nearly two hundred miles to
Quincy

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

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, Illinois, a town along the
Mississippi River

Principal U.S. river running southward from Itasca Lake, Minnesota, to Gulf of Mexico. Covered 3,160-mile course, 1839 (now about 2,350 miles). Drains about 1,100,000 square miles. Steamboat travel on Mississippi very important in 1830s and 1840s for shipping...

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. The residents of Quincy welcomed the Latter-day Saint refugees, providing food, shelter, and work.
57

See Hartley, “Winter Exodus from Missouri,” 6–40; and Bennett, “Study of the Mormons in Quincy,” 83–105.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Hartley, William G. “‘Almost Too Intolerable a Burthen’: The Winter Exodus from Missouri, 1838–39.” Journal of Mormon History 18 (Fall 1992): 6–40.

Bennett, Richard E. “‘Quincy the Home of Our Adoption’: A Study of the Mormons in Quincy, Illinois, 1838–1840.” In A City of Refuge: Quincy, Illinois, edited by Susan Easton Black and Richard E. Bennett, 83–105. Salt Lake City: Millennial Press, 2000.

During this mass migration, there was little to no correspondence between the body of the church and the prisoners left behind in Missouri.
Eager to join the Saints leaving
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
, the prisoners pursued various options to obtain their freedom. In late January 1839, the prisoners petitioned the
Clay County

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

More Info
court for habeas corpus, a legal remedy that permitted incarcerated individuals to challenge their imprisonment; the court granted the petition. At the hearing held on 22 January 1839 to evaluate the reasons for the prisoners’ detention, Clay County justice
Joel Turnham

23 Sept. 1783–24 Aug. 1862. Judge, farmer. Born in Virginia. Married Elizabeth Rice, ca. Feb. 1806, in Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Moved to Jessamine Co., Kentucky, by 1810. Served in War of 1812 in Kentucky militia. Moved to Clay Co., Missouri, by 1822. Clay...

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reviewed the testimony from the November 1838 hearing before
Judge King

21 Sept. 1802–22 Apr. 1870. Attorney, judge, politician, farmer. Born at Sullivan Co., Tennessee. Son of Walter King and Nancy Sevier. Married first Nancy Harris Roberts, 13 May 1828, at Jackson, Madison Co., Tennessee. In 1830, moved to Missouri, where he...

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, listened to statements from the prisoners, and heard arguments from prosecution attorney William Wood and defense attorneys
Alexander Doniphan

9 July 1808–8 Aug. 1887. Lawyer, military general, insurance/bank executive. Born near Maysville, Mason Co., Kentucky. Son of Joseph Doniphan and Ann Smith. Father died, 1813; sent to live with older brother George, 1815, in Augusta, Bracken Co., Kentucky...

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and Peter Burnett; Turnham apparently did not permit additional witnesses to testify for the defendants. He released
Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

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on bail but remanded JS and the other prisoners to jail.
58

None of the documents from this hearing are extant. (See Sidney Rigdon, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. [22]–[24], Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; Burnett, Recollections and Opinions, 53–55; History of the Reorganized Church, 2:315–316; Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839; and Bill of Damages, 4 June 1839.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

Burnett, Peter H. Recollections and Opinions of an Old Pioneer. New York: D. Appleton, 1880.

The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

After this setback, the prisoners tried to escape. While receiving visitors in the jail’s upper room on 7 February,
Hyrum Smith

9 Feb. 1800–27 June 1844. Farmer, cooper. Born at Tunbridge, Orange Co., Vermont. Son of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. Moved to Randolph, Orange Co., 1802; back to Tunbridge, before May 1803; to Royalton, Windsor Co., Vermont, 1804; to Sharon, Windsor Co...

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attempted to force his way out through the exterior doors. The jailer and guards quickly apprehended Hyrum and the other prisoners who tried to follow him.
59

Samuel Tillery, Testimony, Liberty, MO, 11 Feb. 1839, State of Missouri v. Ripley et al. (J.P. Ct. 1839), Clay County Archives and Historical Library, Liberty, MO; Alexander McRae, “Incidents in the History of Joseph Smith,” Deseret News, 2 Nov. 1854, [1]; History of the Reorganized Church, 2:316.


Comprehensive Works Cited

State of Missouri v. Ripley et al. / State of Missouri v. Alanson Ripley, Jonathan Barlow, William D. Huntington, David Holman, and Erastus Snow (J.P. Ct. 1839). Clay County Archives and Historical Library, Liberty, MO.

Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

In early March, the prisoners endeavored to escape by digging through the wooden inner wall of the dungeon. However, before they could remove the outer limestone block, the handles of their augers broke; they sought outside assistance, and their plan was discovered.
60

Hyrum Smith described the early March 1839 escape attempt thus: “We made a hole through the logs in the lower room & through the stone wall all but the out side stone which was suffitiently large to pass out when it was pushed out but we were hindred for want of handles to the augurs[.] the logs were so hard that the handles would split & we had to make new ones with our fire wood[.] we had to bore the hole for the shank with my penknife which delayed time in spite of all we could do.” According to Lyman Wight, the prisoners reached out to a man named Shoemaker, who “felt so tickled to think that he was our assistant that he made a confidant of Doctor Moss. The thing leaked out, and there were ten guards called for.” (Hyrum Smith, Liberty, MO, to Mary Fielding Smith, Quincy, IL, 16 Mar. 1839, Mary Fielding Smith, Collection, CHL; Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:317; Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, Mary Fielding. Collection, ca. 1832–1848. CHL. MS 2779.

The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

With the failure of this second escape attempt, the prisoners again pursued legal remedies. In mid-March, the men prepared petitions for writs of habeas corpus. The justices of the
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

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Supreme Court refused the petitions, despite expressing sympathy for the imprisoned Saints.
61

See Historical Introduction to Petition to George Tompkins, between 9 and 15 Mar. 1839.


Although physically separated from the main body of the church, JS maintained family ties and directed church affairs through letters. During his time in state custody, he wrote at least five letters to his wife
Emma Smith

10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...

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, expressing his love and affection for her and their children. These missives are rare examples of JS’s surviving holographic letters.
62

As JS explained in a May 1834 letter to Emma Smith, he saw writing to her “with [his] own hand” as fulfilling part of his “dut[i]es of a Husband and Father,” a sentiment that reflected nineteenth-century cultural assumptions about handwriting and intimacy. (Letter to Emma Smith, 18 May 1834; Thornton, Handwriting in America, 81.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Thornton, Tamara Plakins. Handwriting in America: A Cultural History. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1996.

One letter from Emma to JS is extant. In addition to personal missives, JS wrote more formal letters to church leaders and the Saints at large, providing leadership at a time when the church community was seriously threatened. In late March, JS dictated two lengthy general epistles to church members in
Quincy

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

More Info
and elsewhere, offering insight into the meaning of the Saints’ recent persecutions, reflections on past missteps, and guidance on reestablishing church communities. Portions of these epistles were presented in the voice of Deity in a manner similar to that in JS’s revelations. Two of the revelation-like sections addressed the significance of suffering and promised that JS and the Saints would be divinely vindicated. Another section contained counsel on the righteous use of
priesthood

Power or authority of God. The priesthood was conferred through the laying on of hands upon adult male members of the church in good standing; no specialized training was required. Priesthood officers held responsibility for administering the sacrament of...

View Glossary
power. When composing these more formal letters, JS relied on his fellow prisoners to act as scribes.
Alexander McRae

7 Sept. 1807–20 June 1891. Tailor, sheriff, prison warden. Born in Anson Co., North Carolina. Son of John B. McRae and Mary. Moved to South Carolina; to Iredell Co., North Carolina; and back to South Carolina. Enlisted in U.S. Army, Mar. 1829, and served ...

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served as the primary scribe for the two general epistles, with
Caleb Baldwin

2 Sept. 1791–11 June 1849. Born in Nobletown (later Hillsdale), Orange Co., New York. Son of Philemon Baldwin and Esther. Served in War of 1812 in Ohio militia. Married Nancy Kingsbury, 7 Dec. 1814, in Cuyahoga Co., Ohio. Moved to Warrensville (later in University...

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assisting. JS reviewed and made corrections to both of these epistles.
JS preferred correspondence to be transmitted to and from the
jail

Two-story building containing dungeon on lower floor with access through trap door. Wood building constructed, ca. 1830. Outer stone wall added and building completed, 1833. JS and five others confined there for just over four months, beginning 1 Dec. 1838...

More Info
by couriers rather than through the postal service. The identities of only a handful of couriers have been preserved, but presumably most were church members or other trusted individuals. When the main body of the church was in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

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, the couriers would have traversed the approximately forty miles between
Liberty

Located in western Missouri, thirteen miles north of Independence. Settled 1820. Clay Co. seat, 1822. Incorporated as town, May 1829. Following expulsion from Jackson Co., 1833, many Latter-day Saints found refuge in Clay Co., with church leaders and other...

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and
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

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, which probably took a day or two. As church members relocated to
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
, the couriers would have traveled the approximately two hundred miles between Liberty and
Quincy

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

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, a distance probably covered in about a week.
63

Only JS’s final missive to Emma, written just before his early April 1839 departure from the jail, was sent to Illinois through the postal system. (See Letter to Emma Smith, 4 Apr. 1839.)


On 6 April, the prisoners and their guards departed the
Clay County

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

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jail

Two-story building containing dungeon on lower floor with access through trap door. Wood building constructed, ca. 1830. Outer stone wall added and building completed, 1833. JS and five others confined there for just over four months, beginning 1 Dec. 1838...

More Info
for
Gallatin

Founded and laid out, 1837. Identified as county seat, 13 Sept. 1837; officially recorded as seat, 3 Sept. 1839. After 1840 dispute in state legislature, reaffirmed as county seat, 1841. Several Latter-day Saints attempted to vote at Gallatin, 6 Aug. 1838...

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, where they were scheduled to appear at a session of the
Daviess County

Area in northwest Missouri settled by European Americans, 1830. Sparsely inhabited until 1838. Created from Ray Co., Dec. 1836, in attempt to resolve conflicts related to Latter-day Saint settlement in that region. County is transected diagonally from northwest...

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Circuit Court.
64

The grand jury hearing was held approximately one mile southeast of Gallatin proper, on the property of Elisha B. Creekmore, since Daviess County lacked a courthouse. (See Leopard et al., History of Daviess and Gentry Counties, 75; and Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:485.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Leopard, John C., Buel Leopard, R. M. McCammon, and Mary McCammon Hillman. History of Daviess and Gentry Counties, Missouri. Topeka, KS: Historical Publishing Co., 1922.

Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.

Around 10 April, a grand jury indicted JS and several other Saints for treason and other crimes allegedly committed during the previous summer and fall. The court then granted the prisoners a change of venue from Daviess County to
Boone County

Located in north-central part of Missouri. First settled, 1812–1813. Organized from Howard Co., 1820. Columbia established as county seat, 1821. Population in 1830 about 9,000; in 1840 about 13,500; and in 1850 about 15,000. While imprisoned and awaiting ...

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, where they believed their chances for a fair trial would be better. The prisoners may also have believed they could escape from custody en route to their new destination. The prisoners did just that on 16 April 1839, evidently with the guards’ complicity, and made their way to
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
, arriving on 22 April.
65

Hyrum Smith, Diary, 6–16 Apr. 1839; Historical Introduction to Promissory Note to John Brassfield, 16 Apr. 1839.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Smith, Hyrum. Diary, Mar.–Apr. 1839, Oct. 1840. CHL. MS 2945.

Prior to learning of the escape, several church members in
Quincy

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

More Info
wrote to JS, apparently in response to the general epistles he sent in late March. Knowing that the prisoners had been moved from
Liberty

Located in western Missouri, thirteen miles north of Independence. Settled 1820. Clay Co. seat, 1822. Incorporated as town, May 1829. Following expulsion from Jackson Co., 1833, many Latter-day Saints found refuge in Clay Co., with church leaders and other...

More Info
and that they would probably receive a change of venue, the Saints may not have sent these letters to
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

More Info
, preferring to wait for additional information on JS’s whereabouts.
Correspondence between JS and the Saints, as well as legal documents produced during his incarceration, compose the majority of documents in part 3. Also included are financial and other documents that JS’s representatives produced on his behalf during this period. In
Far West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

More Info
,
Bishop Partridge

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

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continued to manage JS’s financial affairs, while
First Presidency

The highest presiding body of the church. An 11 November 1831 revelation stated that the president of the high priesthood was to preside over the church. JS was ordained as president of the high priesthood on 25 January 1832. In March 1832, JS appointed two...

View Glossary
scribe
George W. Robinson

14 May 1814–10 Feb. 1878. Clerk, postmaster, merchant, clothier, banker. Born at Pawlet, Rutland Co., Vermont. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, by 1836. Clerk and recorder for Kirtland high...

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issued priesthood
licenses

A document certifying an individual’s office in the church and authorizing him “to perform the duty of his calling.” The “Articles and Covenants” of the church implied that only elders could issue licenses; individuals ordained by a priest to an office in...

View Glossary
.
66

See Receipt from Sarah Burt Beman, 26 Jan. 1839; and License for Gardner Snow, 19 Jan. 1839.


In
Ohio

French explored and claimed area, 1669. British took possession following French and Indian War, 1763. Ceded to U.S., 1783. First permanent white settlement established, 1788. Northeastern portion maintained as part of Connecticut, 1786, and called Connecticut...

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, church
agent

A specific church office and, more generally, someone “entrusted with the business of another.” Agents in the church assisted other ecclesiastical officers, especially the bishop in his oversight of the church’s temporal affairs. A May 1831 revelation instructed...

View Glossary
Oliver Granger

7 Feb. 1794–23/25 Aug. 1841. Sheriff, church agent. Born at Phelps, Ontario Co., New York. Son of Pierce Granger and Clarissa Trumble. Married Lydia Dibble, 8 Sept. 1813, at Phelps. Member of Methodist church and licensed exhorter. Sheriff of Ontario Co. ...

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worked with attorney
Reuben Hitchcock

2 Sept. 1806–9 Dec. 1883. Attorney, judge, railroad executive. Born in Burton, Geauga Co., Ohio. Son of Peter Hitchcock and Nabby Cook. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Graduated from Yale University, 1826. Taught at Burton Academy, ca. 1826...

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to assess JS’s remaining debts.
67

See Statement of Account from Hitchcock & Wilder, between 9 July and 6 Nov. 1838.


  1. 1

    See Bill of Damages, 4 June 1839; “The Mormons in Carroll County,” Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 18 Aug. 1838, [2]; Alexander Doniphan, “Camp at Grand River,” MO, to David R. Atchison, Richmond, MO, 15 Sept. 1838, copy; David R. Atchison, Boonville, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, Jefferson City, MO, 5 Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; and Murdock, Journal, Oct. 1838, 100–102.

    Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1919.

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

    Murdock, John. Journal, ca. 1830–1859. John Murdock, Journal and Autobiography, ca. 1830–1867. CHL. MS 1194, fd. 2.

  2. 2

    Latter-day Saint Morris Phelps recalled that two women died during the move—“one by the infirmity of old age the other in child birth.” Contemporary accounts do not give the women’s names; however, later sources identify the elderly woman’s surname as Downey and the younger woman’s surname as Jensen. (Phelps, Reminiscences, [8]; Isaac Leany, Affidavit, Quincy, IL, 20 Apr. 1839, photocopy, Material relating to Mormon Expulsion from Missouri, 1839–1843, CHL; Daniel Avery, Affidavit, Lee Co., Iowa Territory, 5 Mar. 1840, Mormon Redress Petitions, 1839–1845, CHL; Judd, “Reminiscences of Zadoc Knapp Judd,” 7; History of the Church, 3:159.)

    Phelps, Morris. Reminiscences, no date. CHL. MS 271.

    Material Relating to Mormon Expulsion from Missouri, 1839–1843. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2145.

    Mormon Redress Petitions, 1839–1845. CHL. MS 2703.

    Judd, Zadoc Knapp. “Reminiscences of Zadoc Knapp Judd,” 1902. Typescript. Mary F. Johnson Collection, 1878–1966. CHL.

    History of the Church / Smith, Joseph, et al. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Edited by B. H. Roberts. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1902–1912 (vols. 1–6), 1932 (vol. 7).

  3. 3

    See Rockwood, Journal, 19 Oct. 1838; and Foote, Autobiography, 21 Oct. 1838, 30.

    Rockwood, Albert Perry. Journal Entries, Oct. 1838–Jan. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2606.

    Foote, Warren. Autobiography, not before 1903. Warren Foote, Papers, 1837–1941. CHL. MS 1123, fd. 1.

  4. 4

    Corrill, Brief History, 35–38; Lyman Wight, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. 16–19, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; John Smith, Journal, 16–18 Oct. 1838; Historical Introduction to Agreement with Jacob Stollings, 12 Apr. 1839; see also Baugh, “Call to Arms,” 190–206. When Jacob Stollings’s store in Gallatin was burned, so were records belonging to the post office and treasurer’s office, both of which were housed in the store. While there is no evidence that the Saints targeted the records, reports of the arson quickly circulated. (Patrick Lynch, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [113], State of Missouri v. JS et al. for Treason and Other Crimes [Mo. 5th Jud. Cir. 1838], in State of Missouri, “Evidence”; Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde, Richmond, MO, to Lewis Abbott and Ann Marsh Abbott, Far West, MO, 25–30 Oct. 1838, in JS Letterbook 2, p. 18.)

    Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

    Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1.

    Baugh, Alexander L. “A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1996. Also available as A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History; BYU Studies, 2000).

  5. 5

    This letter is apparently not extant. Sampson Avard claimed that JS and Sidney Rigdon exchanged several missives during the October 1838 expedition, but later witnesses described the contents of only one letter. Rigdon purportedly read the letter to about two hundred church members in Caldwell County. (Sampson Avard, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [6]; George M. Hinkle, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [44]–[45]; James C. Owens, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [48]; Nathaniel Carr, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [48]–[49], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)

  6. 6

    John Smith, Journal, 21–22 Oct. 1838.

    Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1.

  7. 7

    Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 22 Oct. 1838.

  8. 8

    Johnson, “A Life Review,” 37; see also Foote, Autobiography, 21 Oct. 1838, 30.

    Johnson, Benjamin Franklin. “A Life Review,” after 1893. Benjamin Franklin Johnson, Papers, 1852–1911. CHL. MS 1289 box 1, fd. 1.

    Foote, Warren. Autobiography, not before 1903. Warren Foote, Papers, 1837–1941. CHL. MS 1123, fd. 1.

  9. 9

    Bill of Damages, 4 June 1839; Letter to the Church in Caldwell Co., MO, 16 Dec. 1838; Sidney Rigdon, JS, et al., Petition Draft [“To the Publick”], pp. 29[a]–[31b].

  10. 10

    Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde, Affidavit, Richmond, MO, 24 Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA.

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

  11. 11

    William Peniston, Daviess Co., MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 21 Oct. 1838, copy; R. S. Mitchell et al., Richmond, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 23 Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA.

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

  12. 12

    Rockwood, Journal, 22 Oct. 1838. Rigdon, who remained in Far West during the Daviess County military operations, organized the special companies on 20 October. Although the name Danite was still in use in October 1838, it is unclear how the small, secretive, oath-bound society founded in early summer 1838 was related to the large force that included all able-bodied Mormon men that fall. It is possible the Danite society became the special companies operating in the fall, with the senior leadership and overall structure changing during the transition. (Burr Riggs, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [76]–[77]; Addison Greene, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [110]; William W. Phelps, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [92]–[93], in State of Missouri, “Evidence”; Rockwood, Journal, 15 and 22–23 Oct. 1838; see also Shurtliff, Autobiography, 125, 131; and Call, Statement, Bountiful, Utah Territory, 30 Dec. 1885, CHL.)

    Rockwood, Albert Perry. Journal Entries, Oct. 1838–Jan. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2606.

    Shurtliff, Luman Andros. Autobiography and Journal, ca. 1852–1876. CHL. MS 1605.

    Call, Anson. Statement, Bountiful, Utah Territory, 30 Dec. 1885. CHL. MS 4875.

  13. 13

    See Sampson Avard, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [8]; George Walters, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [37]–[38]; George M. Hinkle, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [40]–[41], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.” It is unclear how the October “armies of Israel,” or “Danites,” related to the Caldwell County regiment of the state militia. Hinkle’s leadership in both organizations suggests there was some overlap between the two organizations. In late October 1838, Caldwell County judge Elias Higbee—who had served as the captain general of the Danites—ordered Hinkle to call out the Caldwell regiment “to defend the citizens against mobs.” However, Hinkle claimed that when he issued the call, his officers told him “they cared nothing for their commissions—that the organization of the Danite band had taken all power out of their hands.” (George M. Hinkle, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [40], in State of Missouri, “Evidence”; see also JS, Journal, 7–9 Aug. 1838, in JSP, J1:299.)

  14. 14

    David R. Atchison, Liberty, MO, to Samuel Bogart, 23 Oct. 1838, p. [26], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”

  15. 15

    Rockwood, Journal, 25 Oct. 1838; Charles C. Rich, Statement, ca. Feb. 1845, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, 1839–1860, CHL; Pratt, History of the Late Persecution, 35–36; Thorit Parsons, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [119], in State of Missouri, “Evidence”; Sidney Rigdon, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, p. [12], Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; Reed Peck, Quincy, IL, to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839, p. 95, Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA; see also Baugh, “Call to Arms,” 218–252. The skirmish occurred in a six-mile by twenty-four-mile strip of unincorporated land known as the Buncombe Strip, which was “attached to Ray for Civil & Military purposes only.” (Sashel Woods and Joseph Dickson, Carrollton, MO, to John B. Clark, [ca. 25] Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; Alexander Doniphan, Jefferson City, MO, to William W. Phelps, Shoal Creek, MO, 8 Jan. 1837, William W. Phelps, Collection of Missouri Documents, CHL; see also History of Caldwell and Livingston Counties, Missouri, 104–105.)

    Rockwood, Albert Perry. Journal Entries, Oct. 1838–Jan. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2606.

    Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.

    Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

    Peck, Reed. Letter, Quincy, IL, to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

    Baugh, Alexander L. “A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1996. Also available as A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History; BYU Studies, 2000).

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

    Phelps, William W. Collection of Missouri Documents, 1833–1837. CHL. MS 657.

    History of Caldwell and Livingston Counties, Missouri, Written and Compiled from the Most Authentic Official and Private Sources. . . . St. Louis: National Historical Co., 1886.

  16. 16

    Joseph Young and Jane Bicknell Young, Affidavit, ca. 1839, pp. [38b]–39[a]; David Lewis, Affidavit, ca. 1839, pp. [40c]–[40d], in Sidney Rigdon, JS, et al., Petition Draft [“To the Publick”]; Baugh, “Call to Arms,” chap. 9, appendixes I–J.

    Baugh, Alexander L. “A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1996. Also available as A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History; BYU Studies, 2000).

  17. 17

    Amanda Barnes Smith, Affidavit, Quincy, IL, 18 Apr. 1839, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, 1839–1860, CHL; see also Radke-Moss, “Mormon Women as Healers, Concealers, and Protectors,” 30–33.

    Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.

    Radke-Moss, Andrea G. “‘I Hid [the Prophet] in a Corn Patch’: Mormon Women as Healers, Concealers, and Protectors in the 1838 Mormon-Missouri War.” Mormon Historical Studies 15, no. 1 (Spring 2014): 25–40.

  18. 18

    Lilburn W. Boggs, Jefferson City, MO, to John B. Clark, Fayette, MO, 27 Oct. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA. Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary defines exterminate as “literally, to drive from within the limits or borders” but also “to destroy utterly.” Corrill feared that the militia would interpret Boggs’s order as “authority from the executive to exterminate, with orders to cut off our [the Saints’] retreat . . . [the] innocent as well as guilty; so of course there was no escape for any.” (“Exterminate,” in American Dictionary; Corrill, Brief History, 42.)

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

    An American Dictionary of the English Language: Intended to Exhibit, I. the Origin, Affinities and Primary Signification of English Words, as far as They Have Been Ascertained. . . . Edited by Noah Webster. New York: S. Converse, 1828.

  19. 19

    Samuel D. Lucas, “near Far West,” MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 2 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA. The other members of the delegation included John Corrill, Reed Peck, John Cleminson, and William W. Phelps, all previously trusted church leaders who had become critical of the Danites and the Saints’ October military operations in Daviess County. Accounts differ regarding whether Latter-day Saints Seymour Brunson and Arthur Morrison were part of the delegation. (Corrill, Brief History, 40–41; R. Peck to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839, pp. 104–111; George M. Hinkle, Buffalo, Iowa Territory, to William W. Phelps, Nauvoo, IL, 14 Aug. 1844, in Ensign, Aug. 1844, 30–32; Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:300–301.)

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

    Peck, Reed. Letter, Quincy, IL, to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

    Ensign. Buffalo, Iowa Territory. 1844–1845.

    Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.

  20. 20

    Corrill, Brief History, 40–41; R. Peck to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839, p. 111.

    Peck, Reed. Letter, Quincy, IL, to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

  21. 21

    Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:260; Rockwood, Journal, 31 Oct. 1838; Brigham Young, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, p. 2, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; Samuel D. Lucas, “near Far West,” MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 2 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; Bill of Damages, 4 June 1839. The men were likely arrested at least in part because of their leadership positions. Rigdon was a member of the First Presidency,a while Wight was a counselor in the presidency of the stake at Adam-ondi-Ahman and was considered by many Missourians to be the leader of the Latter-day Saints in Daviess County.b Robinson was clerk for the First Presidency,c and Pratt was an apostle who participated in the skirmish at Crooked River.d

    The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

    Rockwood, Albert Perry. Journal Entries, Oct. 1838–Jan. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2606.

    Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

  22. 22

    Samuel D. Lucas, “near Far West,” MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 2 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA.

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

  23. 23

    See Letter to Emma Smith, 4 Nov. 1838; Letter to the Church in Caldwell Co., MO, 16 Dec. 1838; and Petition to George Tompkins, between 9 and 15 Mar. 1839.

  24. 24

    George M. Hinkle, Buffalo, Iowa Territory, to William W. Phelps, Nauvoo, IL, 14 Aug. 1844, in Ensign, Aug. 1844, 30–32. Similarly, after Corrill and Peck left the church, they defended their role in the negotiations, arguing that JS fully understood Lucas’s demands. (Corrill, Brief History, 41; R. Peck to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839, pp. 115–116.)

    Ensign. Buffalo, Iowa Territory. 1844–1845.

    Peck, Reed. Letter, Quincy, IL, to “Dear Friends,” 18 Sept. 1839. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

  25. 25

    Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:260; Hyrum Smith, Commerce, IL, to “the Saints Scattered Abroad,” Dec. 1839, in Times and Seasons, Dec. 1839, 1:21. Hyrum Smith was a member of the First Presidency, while Amasa Lyman was captain of a company of Mormon scouts sent to patrol the southern border of Caldwell County; at least one of the scouts was captured by Captain Samuel Bogart’s Ray County militiamen just before the Crooked River battle. (Minutes, 7 Nov. 1837; Amasa Lyman, Affidavit, in [Rigdon], Appeal to the American People, 84; Addison Greene, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [110], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)

    The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  26. 26

    Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:260–261; Eliza R. Snow, Caldwell Co., MO, to Isaac Streator, Streetsborough, OH, 22 Feb. 1839, photocopy, CHL; Hyrum Smith, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. 23–25, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; see also Baugh, “Call to Arms,” 336–339.

    The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

    Snow, Eliza R. Letter, Caldwell Co., MO, to Isaac Streator, Streetsborough, OH, 22 Feb. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 9108.

    Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

    Baugh, Alexander L. “A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1996. Also available as A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History; BYU Studies, 2000).

  27. 27

    See Baugh, “Call to Arms,” 359–368. During November 1838, the militia confined church members to Caldwell and Daviess counties, impeding the Saints from claiming their lands at the land office in Lexington, Lafayette County, during the period allotted under the preemption law. Consequently, other Missourians—many of whom participated in the conflict—claimed the Saints’ lands. (See Walker, “Mormon Land Rights,” 32–46.)

    Baugh, Alexander L. “A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1996. Also available as A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History; BYU Studies, 2000).

    Walker, Jeffrey N. “Mormon Land Rights in Caldwell and Daviess Counties and the Mormon Conflict of 1838: New Findings and New Understandings.” BYU Studies 47, no. 1 (2008): 4–55.

  28. 28

    See Kimball, “History,” 88; Pratt, History of the Late Persecution, 41; and T. B. Foote, Nephi, Utah Territory, to Editor of the Deseret News, 28 May 1868, Historian’s Office Correspondence Files, CHL.

    Kimball, Heber C. “History of Heber Chase Kimball by His Own Dictation,” ca. 1842–1856. Heber C. Kimball, Papers, 1837–1866. CHL. MS 627, box 2.

    Historian’s Office. Correspondence Files, 1856–1926. CHL.

  29. 29

    See Declaration to the Clay County Circuit Court, ca. 6 Mar. 1839.

  30. 30

    American Slavery as It Is, 191–192; Murdock, Journal, 29 Oct. 1838, 103–104; Hyrum Smith, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. 13, 24, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; see also Radke-Moss, “Beyond Petticoats and Poultices.”

    American Slavery as It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses. New York: American Anti- Slavery Society, 1839.

    Murdock, John. Journal, ca. 1830–1859. John Murdock, Journal and Autobiography, ca. 1830–1867. CHL. MS 1194, fd. 2.

    Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

    Radke-Moss, Andrea G. “Beyond Petticoats and Poultices.” Paper presented at annual Church History Symposium, Provo, UT, 3 Mar. 2016. Copy in editors’ possession.

  31. 31

    Greene, Facts relative to the Expulsion, 14; Hyrum Smith, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. 9–10, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL.

    Greene, John P. Facts Relative to the Expulsion of the Mormons or Latter Day Saints, from the State of Missouri, under the “Exterminating Order.” By John P. Greene, an Authorized Representative of the Mormons. Cincinnati: R. P. Brooks, 1839.

    Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

  32. 32

    John B. Clark, Jefferson City, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 29 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; “Letter from the Editor,” Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 7 Dec. 1838, [2]; see also Rockwood, Journal, 11 Nov. 1838.

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

    Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1919.

    Rockwood, Albert Perry. Journal Entries, Oct. 1838–Jan. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2606.

  33. 33

    See, for example, Letter to Emma Smith, 4 Nov. 1838; Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839; and Letter from Alanson Ripley, 10 Apr. 1839; see also Grua, “Memoirs of the Persecuted,” chap. 1.

    Grua, David W. “Memoirs of the Persecuted: Persecution, Memory, and the West as a Mormon Refuge.” Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 2008.

  34. 34

    See Bill of Damages, 4 June 1839; and Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church, ca. 22 Mar. 1839.

  35. 35

    Samuel D. Lucas, “near Far West,” MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 2 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; Parley P. Pratt, Independence, MO, to Mary Ann Frost Pratt, Far West, MO, 4 Nov. 1838, Parley P. Pratt, Letters, CHL; Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:295–296; Historical Introduction to Receipt from William Collins, 8 Feb. 1839.

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

    Pratt, Parley P. Letters, 1838–1839. CHL. MS 5828.

    The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

  36. 36

    Lilburn W. Boggs, Jefferson City, MO, to John B. Clark, 1 Nov. 1838, copy; Lilburn W. Boggs, Jefferson City, MO, to John B. Clark, 6 Nov. 1838, copy; Samuel D. Lucas, Independence, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 7 Nov. 1838, copy; John B. Clark, Richmond, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 10 Nov. 1838, copy; John B. Clark, Jefferson City, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 29 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:296–297; Sidney Rigdon, JS, et al., Petition Draft (“To the Publick”), p. 44[a].

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

    The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

  37. 37

    Clark arrived in Far West on 4 November 1838, intent on identifying Latter-day Saints who participated in the recent military operations in Daviess County and who could be charged with crimes. The major general’s key informant was Avard, a former Danite leader, who agreed to provide names and testify for the state in exchange for immunity from prosecution. At the conclusion of Clark’s investigation in Far West, he detained forty-six Latter-day Saints and brought them to Richmond on 9 November—the same day JS and his companions arrived from Independence. (John B. Clark, Richmond, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 10 Nov. 1838, copy; John B. Clark, Jefferson City, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 29 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; see also Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:243–249.)

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

    Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.

  38. 38

    John B. Clark, Richmond, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 10 Nov. 1838, copy; John B. Clark, Jefferson City, MO, to Lilburn W. Boggs, 29 Nov. 1838, copy, Mormon War Papers, MSA; see also Madsen, “Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry,” 93–136.

    Mormon War Papers, 1838–1841. MSA.

    Madsen, Gordon A. “Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry: Austin A. King’s Quest for Hostages.” BYU Studies 43, no. 4 (2004): 93–136.

  39. 39

    If convicted of treason against the state, the penalty was death or incarceration in the “penitentiary for a period not less than ten years.” (See U.S. Constitution, art. 3, sec. 3; Missouri Constitution of 1820, art. 13, sec. 15; An Act concerning Crimes and Their Punishments [20 Mar. 1835], Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri [1835], p. 166, art. 1, sec. 1; and Madsen, “Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry,” 93–136.)

    The Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri, Revised and Digested by the Eighth General Assembly during the Years One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-Four, and One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-Five. . . . St. Louis: Argus Office, 1835.

    Madsen, Gordon A. “Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry: Austin A. King’s Quest for Hostages.” BYU Studies 43, no. 4 (2004): 93–136.

  40. 40

    Witnesses for the prosecution included Sampson Avard, Charles Blackley, Samuel Bogart, Elisha Cameron, Nathaniel Carr, John Cleminson, James Cobb, Asa Cook, John Corrill, Wyatt Cravens, Freeburn Gardner, Addison Greene, George M. Hinkle, Andrew Job, Jesse Kelley, Samuel Kimble, Timothy Lewis, John Lockhart, Patrick Lynch, Joseph McGee, Jeremiah Myers, Nehemiah Odle, Thomas Odle, James Owens, Reed Peck, Morris Phelps, William W. Phelps, Addison Price, John Raglin, Allen Rathburn, Burr Riggs, Abner Scovil, Benjamin Slade, Robert Snodgrass, William Splawn, John Taylor, James Turner, George Walters, John Whitmer, Ezra Williams, George Worthington, and Porter Yale. (Testimonies, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [2]–[113], [122]–[123], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)

  41. 41

    Hyrum Smith later stated that, per King’s instructions, the prisoners identified sixty potential defense witnesses. Although the judge apparently subpoenaed these individuals, only the following seven testified for the defense: Jonathan Barlow, Ezra Chipman, Arza Judd Jr., Thorit Parsons, Delia Pine, Malinda Porter, and Nancy Rigdon. Multiple Latter-day Saints described officers of the court harassing potential witnesses or not permitting them to testify. (Hyrum Smith, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. 18–19; George Pitkin, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. 1–2, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; Murdock, Journal, Nov. 1838, 105–106; Malinda Porter, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [115]; Delia F. Pine, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [116]–[117]; Nancy Rigdon, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [117]–[118]; Jonathan Barlow, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [118]–[119]; Thorit Parsons, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [119]–[120]; Ezra Chipman, Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [120]–[121]; Arza Judd Jr., Testimony, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [121], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)

    Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

    Murdock, John. Journal, ca. 1830–1859. John Murdock, Journal and Autobiography, ca. 1830–1867. CHL. MS 1194, fd. 2.

  42. 42

    The eleven men were Samuel Bent, Ebenezer Brown, Jonathan Dunham, King Follett, Clark Hallett, Sylvester Hewlett, Joel Miles, James Newberry, Morris Phelps, James Rollins, and William Wightman. (Trial Proceedings, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [1]–[2], [34], [61], [70], [100], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)

  43. 43

    Petition to George Tompkins, between 9 and 15 Mar. 1839; see also Madsen, “Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry,” 93–136.

    Madsen, Gordon A. “Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry: Austin A. King’s Quest for Hostages.” BYU Studies 43, no. 4 (2004): 93–136.

  44. 44

    Ruling, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, p. [124], in State of Missouri, “Evidence”; An Act to Regulate Proceedings in Criminal Cases [21 Mar. 1835], Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri [1835], p. 475, art. 2, sec. 8; Mittimus, Richmond, MO, 29 Nov. 1838, State of Missouri v. JS et al. for Treason and Other Crimes (Mo. 5th Jud. Cir. 1838), JS Collection, CHL.

    The Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri, Revised and Digested by the Eighth General Assembly during the Years One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-Four, and One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-Five. . . . St. Louis: Argus Office, 1835.

  45. 45

    King ruled there was probable cause to believe that Pratt, Darwin Chase, Luman Gibbs, Morris Phelps, and Norman Shearer had committed murder. (Ruling, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [124]–[125], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)

  46. 46

    The following prisoners were admitted to bail: Samuel Bent, Daniel Carn, Jonathan Dunham, Jacob Gates, George Grant, Clark Hallett, James Henderson, Francis M. Higbee, John Higbee, Jesse Hunter, George Kimball, Joel Miles, Ebenezer Page, Edward Partridge, David Pettegrew, Thomas Rich, Alanson Ripley, Ebenezer Robinson, George W. Robinson, James Rollins, Sidney Turner, Washington Voorhees, William Wightman, and Joseph Younger. (Trial Proceedings, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [125]–[126], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)

  47. 47

    These men included Martin Allred, William Allred, Ebenezer Brown, John Buchanan, Moses Clawson, Benjamin Covey, Sheffield Daniels, John Earl, Elisha Edwards, King Follett, David Frampton, George W. Harris, Anthony Head, Chandler Holbrook, Sylvester Hulet, Benjamin Jones, Amasa Lyman, Silas Maynard, Isaac Morley, James Newberry, Elijah Newman, Zedekiah Owens, Daniel Shearer, Allen Stout, John Tanner, Daniel Thomas, Alvah Tippets, Andrew Whitlock, and Henry Zabrisky. (Trial Proceedings, Richmond, MO, Nov. 1838, pp. [108]–[109], [123], in State of Missouri, “Evidence.”)

  48. 48

    “Clay County, Missouri,” Historical Record, Dec. 1888, 7:670; “Liberty Jail,” Liahona, the Elders’ Journal, 18 Aug. 1914, 122; see also Jessee, “Prison Experience,” 25.

    The Historical Record, a Monthly Periodical, Devoted Exclusively to Historical, Biographical, Chronological and Statistical Matters. Salt Lake City. 1882–1890.

    “Liberty Jail.” Liahona, the Elders’ Journal 12, no. 8 (18 Aug. 1914): 122–123.

    Jessee, Dean C. “‘Walls, Grates and Screeking Iron Doors’: The Prison Experiences of Mormon Leaders in Missouri, 1838–1839.” In New Views of Mormon History: A Collection of Essays in Honor of Leonard J. Arrington, edited by Davis Bitton and Maureen Ursenbach Beecher, 19–42. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1987.

  49. 49

    Mittimus, Richmond, MO, 29 Nov. 1838, State of Missouri v. JS et al. for Treason and Other Crimes (Mo. 5th Jud. Cir. 1838), JS Collection, CHL; Woodson, History of Clay County, Missouri, 333.

    Woodson, W. H. History of Clay County, Missouri. Topeka, KS: Historical Publishing, 1920.

  50. 50

    See Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839; and Bill of Damages, 4 June 1839.

  51. 51

    Alexander McRae, “Incidents in the History of Joseph Smith,” Deseret News, 2 Nov. 1854, [1]; George A. Smith, Autobiography, 123–125; see also Jessee, “Prison Experience,” 26.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

    Smith, George A. Autobiography, ca. 1860–1882. George Albert Smith, Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322, box 1, fd. 2.

    Jessee, Dean C. “‘Walls, Grates and Screeking Iron Doors’: The Prison Experiences of Mormon Leaders in Missouri, 1838–1839.” In New Views of Mormon History: A Collection of Essays in Honor of Leonard J. Arrington, edited by Davis Bitton and Maureen Ursenbach Beecher, 19–42. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1987.

  52. 52

    See History of the Reorganized Church, 2:309, 315.

    The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

  53. 53

    William T. Wood, “Mormon Memoirs,” Liberty [MO] Tribune, 9 Apr. 1886, [1]; Andrew Jenson et al., “Liberty Jail,” Deseret News, 3 Oct. 1888, 608.

    Liberty Tribune. Liberty, MO. 1860–.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  54. 54

    Edward Partridge et al., Petition, Far West, MO, to the Missouri State Legislature, 10 Dec. 1838, copy, Edward Partridge, Papers, CHL.

    Edward Partridge, Papers, 1818–1839. CHL. MS 892.

  55. 55

    The legislature briefly considered the petition but chose not to take action. (See Journal, of the House of Representatives, of the State of Missouri, 19 Dec. 1838, 128; and Gentry and Compton, Fire and Sword, 460–461.)

    Journal, of the House of Representatives, of the State of Missouri, at the First Session of the Tenth General Assembly, Begun and Held at the City of Jefferson, on Monday, the Nineteenth Day of November, in the Year of Our Lord, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty-Eight. Jefferson City, MO: Calvin Gunn, 1839.

    Gentry, Leland Homer, and Todd M. Compton. Fire and Sword: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri, 1836–39. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2011.

  56. 56

    Eliza R. Snow, Caldwell Co., MO, to Isaac Streator, Streetsborough, OH, 22 Feb. 1839, photocopy, CHL; Elias Smith, Far West, MO, to Ira Smith, East Stockholm, NY, 11 Mar. 1839, Elias Smith Correspondence, CHL; Heber C. Kimball, Far West, MO, to Joseph Fielding, Preston, England, 12 Mar. 1839, in Compilation of Heber C. Kimball Correspondence, CHL; see also LeSueur, 1838 Mormon War in Missouri, 29, 35–36; and Leonard, Nauvoo, 31, 671–672n33.

    Snow, Eliza R. Letter, Caldwell Co., MO, to Isaac Streator, Streetsborough, OH, 22 Feb. 1839. Photocopy. CHL. MS 9108.

    Smith, Elias. Correspondence, 1834–1839. In Elias Smith, Papers, 1834–1846. CHL.

    Heber C. Kimball Family Organization. Compilation of Heber C. Kimball Correspondence, 1983. Unpublished typescript. CHL.

    LeSueur, Stephen C. The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1987.

    Leonard, Glen M. Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, a People of Promise. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book; Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 2002.

  57. 57

    See Hartley, “Winter Exodus from Missouri,” 6–40; and Bennett, “Study of the Mormons in Quincy,” 83–105.

    Hartley, William G. “‘Almost Too Intolerable a Burthen’: The Winter Exodus from Missouri, 1838–39.” Journal of Mormon History 18 (Fall 1992): 6–40.

    Bennett, Richard E. “‘Quincy the Home of Our Adoption’: A Study of the Mormons in Quincy, Illinois, 1838–1840.” In A City of Refuge: Quincy, Illinois, edited by Susan Easton Black and Richard E. Bennett, 83–105. Salt Lake City: Millennial Press, 2000.

  58. 58

    None of the documents from this hearing are extant. (See Sidney Rigdon, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 1 July 1843, pp. [22]–[24], Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; Burnett, Recollections and Opinions, 53–55; History of the Reorganized Church, 2:315–316; Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839; and Bill of Damages, 4 June 1839.)

    Nauvoo, IL. Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 16800.

    Burnett, Peter H. Recollections and Opinions of an Old Pioneer. New York: D. Appleton, 1880.

    The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

  59. 59

    Samuel Tillery, Testimony, Liberty, MO, 11 Feb. 1839, State of Missouri v. Ripley et al. (J.P. Ct. 1839), Clay County Archives and Historical Library, Liberty, MO; Alexander McRae, “Incidents in the History of Joseph Smith,” Deseret News, 2 Nov. 1854, [1]; History of the Reorganized Church, 2:316.

    State of Missouri v. Ripley et al. / State of Missouri v. Alanson Ripley, Jonathan Barlow, William D. Huntington, David Holman, and Erastus Snow (J.P. Ct. 1839). Clay County Archives and Historical Library, Liberty, MO.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

    The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

  60. 60

    Hyrum Smith described the early March 1839 escape attempt thus: “We made a hole through the logs in the lower room & through the stone wall all but the out side stone which was suffitiently large to pass out when it was pushed out but we were hindred for want of handles to the augurs[.] the logs were so hard that the handles would split & we had to make new ones with our fire wood[.] we had to bore the hole for the shank with my penknife which delayed time in spite of all we could do.” According to Lyman Wight, the prisoners reached out to a man named Shoemaker, who “felt so tickled to think that he was our assistant that he made a confidant of Doctor Moss. The thing leaked out, and there were ten guards called for.” (Hyrum Smith, Liberty, MO, to Mary Fielding Smith, Quincy, IL, 16 Mar. 1839, Mary Fielding Smith, Collection, CHL; Lyman Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 2:317; Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839.)

    Smith, Mary Fielding. Collection, ca. 1832–1848. CHL. MS 2779.

    The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.

  61. 61

    See Historical Introduction to Petition to George Tompkins, between 9 and 15 Mar. 1839.

  62. 62

    As JS explained in a May 1834 letter to Emma Smith, he saw writing to her “with [his] own hand” as fulfilling part of his “dut[i]es of a Husband and Father,” a sentiment that reflected nineteenth-century cultural assumptions about handwriting and intimacy. (Letter to Emma Smith, 18 May 1834; Thornton, Handwriting in America, 81.)

    Thornton, Tamara Plakins. Handwriting in America: A Cultural History. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1996.

  63. 63

    Only JS’s final missive to Emma, written just before his early April 1839 departure from the jail, was sent to Illinois through the postal system. (See Letter to Emma Smith, 4 Apr. 1839.)

  64. 64

    The grand jury hearing was held approximately one mile southeast of Gallatin proper, on the property of Elisha B. Creekmore, since Daviess County lacked a courthouse. (See Leopard et al., History of Daviess and Gentry Counties, 75; and Berrett, Sacred Places, 4:485.)

    Leopard, John C., Buel Leopard, R. M. McCammon, and Mary McCammon Hillman. History of Daviess and Gentry Counties, Missouri. Topeka, KS: Historical Publishing Co., 1922.

    Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.

  65. 65

    Hyrum Smith, Diary, 6–16 Apr. 1839; Historical Introduction to Promissory Note to John Brassfield, 16 Apr. 1839.

    Smith, Hyrum. Diary, Mar.–Apr. 1839, Oct. 1840. CHL. MS 2945.

  66. 66

    See Receipt from Sarah Burt Beman, 26 Jan. 1839; and License for Gardner Snow, 19 Jan. 1839.

  67. 67

    See Statement of Account from Hitchcock & Wilder, between 9 July and 6 Nov. 1838.

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