all they had, and they barely escaped with their lives. As well as my brother Joseph who barely escaped with his life, his family also was robbed of all they had <​&​> barely escaped with the skin of their teeth— All <​And​> all this in consequence of the exterminating order of the the same being confirmed by the legislature of that . And I do know, so does this Court & every other rational man, who is acquainted with the circumstances, or shall become acquainted and every man, who shall hereafter become acquainted with the particulars <​thereof​> will know, that , and Generals , , & , also , have committed treason upon the citizens of , and did violate the Constitution of the , and also the Constitution and laws of the State of , and did <​exile & expel​> drive at the point of the bayonet, seve some 12 or 14 thousand inhabitants of from the , and did murder some three or four hundreds of men, women & children in cold blood and in the most horrid & cruel manner possible— And the whole of it was caused by religious bigotry & persecution because the Mormons dared to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience & agreeably to his divine will as revealed in the scriptures of eternal truth, and had turned away from following the vain traditions of their fathers and would not worship according to the dogmas & commandments of those men who preach for hire and divine for money & taught <​teach​> for doctrine the precepts of men— expecting that the constitution of the would have protecting <​protected​> them therein. And I do also know that my brother Joseph has not been in the State of since the spring of the year 1839 And further this saith not— But notwithstanding the mormon people had purchased to upwards of Two hundred [p. 27]