We were now left with our guards, without knowing for what we had been arrested, as no civil process had issued against <​us​>— for what followed until came in again to tell us that we were to be delivered into the hands of the civil authorities. I am entirely indebted to what I heard the guards say— I heard them say that had promised them before leaving Coles county, that they should have the privilege of Shooting Joseph Smith, Senior & myself. And that was engaging <​engaged​> in searching the military law to find authority for so doing, but he found it difficult as we were not military men & did not belong to the militia; but he had sent to Fort Leavenworth for the military code of law & he expected after he got the laws, to find law to justify him in Shooting us.

I must here again digress, to relate a circumstance which I forgot in its place. I had heard that had given a military order to some persons who had applied to him for it, to go to our houses & take such goods as they claimed. The goods claimed were goods sold by the Sheriff of on an , which I had purchased at the sale. The man against whom the execution was issued, availed himself of that time of trouble to go & take the goods wherever he could find them.— I asked if he had given any such authority. He said that an application had been made to him for such an order, but he said, “your lady wrote me a letter, requesting me not to do it— telling me the goods had been purchased at the Sheriffs sale, and I would not grant the order.” I did not at the time, suppose that in this had barefacedly lied; but the sequel proved he had— for some time afterwards, behold there comes a man to with the order & shewed it to me signed by . The man said he had been at our house & taken all the goods he could find. so much for a lawyer, a Methodist, and very pious man at that time in [p. 145]