in Session, consisting of 13 or 14 officers, <​circuit Judge and the district attorney, also presbyterian priest,​> and about 20 <​other​> priests he so of the different religious denominations in that country, he said they were determined to shoot us on the next morning in the public square, <​of in ​> I made him no reply. On the next morning about sunrise ordered his Brigade to take up the line of march and leave the Camp: he came to us where we were under guard to shake hands <​with us​> and bid us farewell. His first salutation was, “By God your are <​have been​> sentenced by the Court Martial to be shot this morning; but I will be damned if I will have any of the honor of it or any of the disgrace of it, therefore I have ordered my brigade to take up the line of march and to leave the camp for I consider it to be cold-blooded murder and I bid you farewell,” and went away— This movement of made considerable excitement in the army & there was considerable whisperings amongst the officers of the army, we listened very attentively & frequently heard it mentioned by the guard that “the damned Mormons would not be shot this time” in a few moments the guard was relieved with a new set one of those new guards said that “the damned mormons would not be shot this time for the movement of had frustrated the whole plan and that the officers had called another Court Martial and had ordered my l us to be taken to and there to be executed.” and in a few moments there were two large wagons drove up & we were ordered to get into them and whilst we were getting into them there came up four or five men armed with guns <​who​> drew up and snapped their guns at us in order to kill us, some flashed in the pan and others only snapped but none of their guns went off. They were immediately arrested by several officers and their guns taken from them and the drivers drove off We requested of to let us go to our houses and get some clothing in order to do this he had to drive <​we had to​> be drove up into the it was with much difficulty that we could get his permission to go and see our [p. 14]