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Introduction to Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault Proclamation, 11 May 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Lilburn W. Boggs, Affidavit, 20 July 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Lilburn W. Boggs, Affidavit, 20 July 1842, Lyman Trumbull Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Lilburn W. Boggs, Affidavit, 20 July 1842, William Clayton Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842, Lyman Trumbull Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842, William Clayton Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Memorandum of Proclamation, 19 September 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Warrant, 2 August 1842, Sylvester Emmons and William Clayton Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Warrant, 2 August 1842, James Sloan Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Thomas Carlin, Proclamation, 20 September 1842, as Published in Illinois Register [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Thomas Carlin, Proclamation, 20 September 1842, William Clayton First Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Thomas Carlin, Proclamation, 20 September 1842, William Clayton Second Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Petition to Thomas Ford, 31 December 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Petition to Thomas Ford, 31 December 1842, Lyman Trumbull Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Warrant, 31 December 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Warrant, 31 December 1842, William Clayton Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Petition to Nauvoo Municipal Court, 8 August 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Habeas Corpus, 8 August 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Habeas Corpus, 8 August 1842, Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Docket Entry, circa 8 August 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Habeas Corpus, 10 August 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Habeas Corpus, 10 August 1842, Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Petition to Chauncey Robison, 26 December 1842, Draft [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Petition to Chauncey Robison, 26 December 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Petition to the United States Circuit Court for the District of Illinois, 31 December 1842, Willard Richards Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Petition to the United States Circuit Court for the District of Illinois, 31 December 1842, William Clayton Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Docket Entry, Petition and Order for Habeas Corpus, 31 December 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Habeas Corpus, 31 December 1842, Willard Richards Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Habeas Corpus, 31 December 1842, William Clayton Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Docket Entry, Return of Habeas Corpus, Bond, and Order, 31 December 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Order, 31 December 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Order, 31 December 1842, Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Affidavit, 2 January 1843, William Clayton Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Docket Entry, Affidavit, Motion, and Continuance, 2 January 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Motion, circa 3 January 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Docket Entry, Motion, 4 January 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Wilson Law and Others, Affidavit, 4 January 1843, Willard Richards Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Jacob B. Backenstos and Stephen A. Douglas, Affidavit, 4 January 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Docket Entry, Motion Overruled and Discharge, 5 January 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Trial Report, 5–19 January 1843, as Published in the Sangamo Journal [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Trial Report, 5–19 January 1843, as Published in Reports [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Thomas Ford, Order, 6 January 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] Transcript of Proceedings, 6 January 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]

Introduction to Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault

Page

Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault
United States Circuit Court for the District of Illinois,
Springfield, Sangamon Co., Illinois, 5 January 1843
 
Historical Introduction
On 22 July 1842,
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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governor
Thomas Reynolds

12 Mar. 1796–9 Feb. 1844. Attorney, politician, judge. Born at Mason Co. (later Bracken Co.), Kentucky. Son of Nathaniel Reynolds and Catherine Vernon. Admitted to Kentucky bar, 1817. Moved to Illinois, by 1818. Served as clerk of Illinois House of Representatives...

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sent a requisition 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
officials demanding the apprehension and extradition of JS to stand trial for his alleged role in the attempted assassination of former 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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in May 1842.
1

Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


Boggs played an instrumental role in the conflict between the Latter-day Saints and their antagonists in northwestern Missouri in 1838. In response to exaggerated reports of Latter-day Saint military operations, then-governor Boggs ordered that church members “be exterminated or driven from the state,” resulting in the Saints’ exodus out of Missouri and JS’s winter imprisonment 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 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.
2

Documents, Volume 6, Introduction to Part 3: 4 Nov. 1838–16 Apr. 1839; Introduction to State of Missouri v. Gates et al. for Treason.


Although the Saints found refuge in Illinois and JS was allowed to escape Missouri state custody in April 1839, discord between church members and Missourians continued. In fall 1840, Boggs demanded that Illinois officials arrest and extradite JS and other Latter-day Saints to answer charges stemming from the 1838 conflict. JS appeared before an Illinois
judge

23 Apr. 1813–3 June 1861. Lawyer, politician. Born at Brandon, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Stephen Arnold Douglass and Sarah Fisk. Moved to Ontario Co., New York, 1830. Moved to Jacksonville, Morgan Co., Illinois, 1833. Served as attorney general of Illinois...

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in June 1841 on a writ of
habeas corpus

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary
, a common law remedy that permitted an authorized judge to review the legality of a prisoner’s detention. The judge discharged JS, citing a deficiency in the arrest warrant.
3

Introduction to Extradition of JS et al. for Treason and Other Crimes; “Habeas Corpus,” in Bouvier, Law Dictionary, 1:454; Kent, Commentaries on American Law, 2:25–31; Walker, “Habeas Corpus in Early Nineteenth-Century Mormonism,” 5–97.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Bouvier, John. A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America, and of the Several States of the American Union; with References to the Civil and Other Systems of Foreign Law. 2 vols. Philadelphia: T. and J. W. Johnson, 1839.

Kent, James. Commentaries on American Law. 4th ed. Vol. 2. New York: By the author, 1840.

Walker, Jeffrey N. “Habeas Corpus in Early Nineteenth-Century Mormonism: Joseph Smith’s Legal Bulwark for Personal Freedom.” BYU Studies 52, no. 1 (2013): 4–97.

The next year, on 6 May 1842, an unknown assailant shot
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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through the window of his home in
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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, Missouri. Boggs’s injuries were serious but not fatal.
4

“A Foul Deed,” Daily Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 12 May 1842, [2]; “Governor Boggs,” Jeffersonian Republican (Jefferson City, MO), 14 May 1842, [2].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

Jeffersonian Republican. Jefferson City, MO. 1831–1844.

Although Boggs’s neighbors initially identified a man named Tompkins as the shooter, he was no longer a suspect by mid-May. At that point, the church’s opponents began asserting that a Latter-day Saint had committed the crime, citing as evidence Boggs’s role in the expulsion of church members from
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
and a prophecy JS purportedly made in 1841 that Boggs would die a violent death. Although church members publicly rejoiced upon hearing of the shooting, JS denied involvement in the crime.
5

David Kilbourne, Montrose, Iowa Territory, to Thomas Reynolds, Jefferson City, MO, 14 May 1842, Records of Governor Thomas Reynolds, 1840–1844, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City; McLaws, “Attempted Assassination of Missouri’s Ex-Governor, Lilburn W. Boggs,” 50–56; Woodruff, Journal, 15 May 1842; Letter to Sylvester Bartlett, 22 May 1842, in JSP, D10:89–92; “Assassination of Ex-Governor Boggs of Missouri,” Quincy (IL) Whig, 21 May 1842, [3]; see also “Introduction to Part 2: June 1842,” in JSP, D10:113–115; and Letter to Thomas Carlin, 24 June 1842. A “Mr. Childs,” who had reportedly quarreled with Boggs prior to the shooting, was also briefly identified as a suspect. (James H. Hunt, Knoxville, MO, to Nathan Daggett, Kirtland, OH, 16 July 1842, typescript, Daggett Papers, Lake County Historical Society, Mormon Related Archives, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Missouri, State of. Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division. Register of Civil Proceedings, 1837–1971. MSA.

McLaws, Monte B. “The Attempted Assassination of Missouri’s Ex-Governor, Lilburn W. Boggs.” Missouri Historical Review 60, no. 1 (Oct. 1965): 50–62.

Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

JSP, D10 / Kuehn, Elizabeth A., Jordan T. Watkins, Matthew C. Godfrey, and Mason K. Allred, eds. Documents, Volume 10: May–August 1842. Vol. 10 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2020.

Quincy Daily Whig. Quincy, IL. 1875–1893.

Lake County Historical Society. Mormon Related Archives, 1791–1902. CHL.

Given these accusations, Latter-day Saints anticipated that
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
officials might seek JS’s extradition, and church members took steps to protect him by organizing a city watch and by strengthening the
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
Municipal Court’s
habeas corpus

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary
powers.
6

Minutes, 19 May 1842; Mayor’s Order to City Watch, 20 May 1842; Letter to Thomas Carlin, 24 June 1842; Letter from Thomas Carlin, 30 June 1842; Ordinance, 5 July 1842; Nauvoo Female Relief Society, Petition to Thomas Carlin, ca. 22 July 1842, in Derr et al., First Fifty Years of Relief Society, 136–141; Snow, Journal, 29 July 1842.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Derr, Jill Mulvay, Carol Cornwall Madsen, Kate Holbrook, and Matthew J. Grow, eds. The First Fifty Years of Relief Society: Key Documents in Latter-day Saint Women’s History. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2016.

Snow, Eliza R. Journal, 1842–1844. CHL. MS 1439.

Under the act incorporating the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, passed by the
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
legislature in December 1840, the city could operate a municipal court with “power to grant writs of habeas corpus in all cases arising under the ordinances of the City Council.” This provision was apparently intended to limit the court’s jurisdiction to prisoners who were detained for alleged violations of city ordinances.
7

Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, 16 Dec. 1840. An 1827 Illinois statute authorized only the circuit courts and the state supreme court to issue writs of habeas corpus to prisoners accused of violating state law. (An Act Regulating the Proceeding on Writs of Habeas Corpus [22 Jan. 1827], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1834–1837], pp. 322–323, sec. 1.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.

However, the
Nauvoo charter

“An Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo,” approved 16 December 1840 by the Illinois general assembly to legally organize the city of Nauvoo. The charter authorized the creation of a city council, consisting initially of a mayor, four aldermen, and nine ...

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authorized the Nauvoo City Council to pass any ordinance “necessary for the peace, benefit, good order, regulation, convenience, and cleanliness” of the city as long as it was “not repugnant” to the national or state constitutions. Under this provision, on 5 July 1842 the city council passed an ordinance that provided that “no Citizen of this City shall be taken out of the City by any Writs, without the privilege of investigation before the Municipal Court” on a writ of habeas corpus.
8

Ordinance, 5 July 1842.


By implication, the ordinance expanded the municipal court’s authority to issue habeas corpus for “any Writs,” or arrest warrants, whether issued by federal, state, or city officials.
In mid-July 1842, former Latter-day Saint
John C. Bennett

3 Aug. 1804–5 Aug. 1867. Physician, minister, poultry breeder. Born at Fairhaven, Bristol Co., Massachusetts. Son of John Bennett and Abigail Cook. Moved to Marietta, Washington Co., Ohio, 1808; to Massachusetts, 1812; and back to Marietta, 1822. Married ...

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amplified the accusations against JS in letters published 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 ...

More Info
and
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
newspapers. Bennett claimed that JS had sent Latter-day Saint
Orrin Porter Rockwell

June 1814–9 June 1878. Ferry operator, herdsman, farmer. Born in Belchertown, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Orin Rockwell and Sarah Witt. Moved to Farmington (later in Manchester), Ontario Co., New York, 1817. Neighbor to JS. Baptized into Church of...

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to Missouri for the purpose of assassinating
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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, with a promised reward of $500. Bennett stated his intention to work with Missouri officials to bring about the extradition of both men for their alleged crimes.
9

John C. Bennett, Carthage, IL, 2 July 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 15 July 1842, [2]; John C. Bennett, Carthage, IL, 4 July 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal, 15 July 1842, [2]; John C. Bennett, St. Louis, MO, 13 July 1842, Letter to the Editor, Bulletin (St. Louis), 14 July 1842, [2]; John C. Bennett, St. Louis, MO, 15 July 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal, 22 July 1842, [2]; see also L. B. Fleak, Keokuk, Iowa Territory, to Thomas Reynolds, Jefferson City, MO, 12 July 1842, Records of Governor Thomas Reynolds, 1840–1844, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

Bulletin. St. Louis. 1842–1843.

Missouri, State of. Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division. Register of Civil Proceedings, 1837–1971. MSA.

By 20 July 1842, Boggs filed two affidavits before
Samuel Weston

24 Oct. 1783–14 Dec. 1846. Blacksmith, joiner, carpenter. Born in Belfast, Ireland. Moved to Ulverston, Lancashire, England, by 1812. Married Margaret Cleminson Gibson, 28 June 1812, in Ulverston. Joined British navy, 1812; captured by Americans and defected...

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, a
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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justice of the peace. The first affidavit identified Rockwell as the shooter, while the second named JS as an “Accessary before the fact of the intended Murder.” In both affidavits, Boggs referenced “evidence and information” in his possession, a possible allusion to Bennett’s letters. Boggs further stated that Rockwell and JS were citizens or residents of Illinois and requested that
Reynolds

12 Mar. 1796–9 Feb. 1844. Attorney, politician, judge. Born at Mason Co. (later Bracken Co.), Kentucky. Son of Nathaniel Reynolds and Catherine Vernon. Admitted to Kentucky bar, 1817. Moved to Illinois, by 1818. Served as clerk of Illinois House of Representatives...

View Full Bio
initiate extradition proceedings.
10

Affidavit, 20 July 1842 [Extradition of Rockwell for Assault]; Lilburn W. Boggs, Affidavit, 20 July 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; see also L. B. Fleak, Keokuk, Iowa Territory, to Thomas Reynolds, Jefferson City, MO, 12 July 1842, Records of Governor Thomas Reynolds, 1840–1844, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City. Missouri law stated: “Every person who shall, on purpose, and of malice aforethought, shoot at or stab another, or assault or beat another with a deadly weapon, or by any other means or force, likely to produce death or great bodily harm, with intent to kill, maim, ravish, or rob such person, or in the attempt to commit any burglary, or other felony, or in resisting the execution of any legal process, shall be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary not exceeding ten years.” Missouri law also provided that every person who “shall be an accessary to any murder or other felony, before the fact, shall, upon conviction, be adjudged guilty of the offence in the same degree, and be punished in the same manner, as herein prescribed with respect to the principal in the first degree.” (An Act concerning Crimes and Their Punishments [20 Mar. 1835], Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri [1834–1835], p. 171, art. 2, sec. 31; p. 212; art. 9, sec. 5; see also “Accessary,” in Bouvier, Law Dictionary, 1:36.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Missouri, State of. Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division. Register of Civil Proceedings, 1837–1971. MSA.

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.

Bouvier, John. A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America, and of the Several States of the American Union; with References to the Civil and Other Systems of Foreign Law. 2 vols. Philadelphia: T. and J. W. Johnson, 1839.

Reynolds responded by sending two requisitions on 22 July 1842 to Illinois governor
Thomas Carlin

18 July 1789–14 Feb. 1852. Ferry owner, farmer, sheriff, politician. Born in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of Thomas Carlin and Elizabeth Evans. Baptist. Moved to what became Missouri, by 1803. Moved to Illinois Territory, by 1812. Served in War of 1812. Married...

View Full Bio
.
11

Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Thomas Carlin, Proclamation, 20 Sept. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]. The U.S. Constitution states that “a Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.” In 1793, Congress passed a statute that enacted this provision and specified that the requisition—the document requesting the extradition—should be accompanied by either an affidavit or an indictment specifying the charge. (U.S. Constitution, art. 4, sec. 2; An Act respecting Fugitives from Justice, and Persons Escaping from the Service of Their Masters [12 Feb. 1793], Public Statutes at Large, 2nd Cong., 2nd Sess., chap. 7, p. 302.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America, from the Organization of the Government in 1789, to March 3, 1845. . . . Edited by Richard Peters. 8 vols. Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1846–1867.

The first, which is apparently not extant, stated that Rockwell had been charged with shooting Boggs “with intent to kill” and had fled as a fugitive to Illinois; it demanded that Illinois officials arrest and extradite Rockwell to answer the charge. Reynolds presumably included Boggs’s 20 July affidavit naming Rockwell to support the requisition.
12

Reynolds’s requisition was summarized in Illinois governor Thomas Carlin’s 20 September 1842 proclamation, which offered a $200 award for Rockwell’s apprehension. (Thomas Carlin, Proclamation, 20 Sept. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].)


The second requisition stated that JS was “charged with being accessary, before the fact to an assault with intent to kill, made by one O. P. Rockwell on Lilburn W. Boggs.” Whereas Boggs’s affidavit had simply noted that JS was a citizen or resident of Illinois, Reynolds’s requisition identified JS as “a fugitive from justice” and demanded that Carlin extradite him to Missouri to answer the charge.
13

Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


On 2 August 1842, after receiving
Reynolds

12 Mar. 1796–9 Feb. 1844. Attorney, politician, judge. Born at Mason Co. (later Bracken Co.), Kentucky. Son of Nathaniel Reynolds and Catherine Vernon. Admitted to Kentucky bar, 1817. Moved to Illinois, by 1818. Served as clerk of Illinois House of Representatives...

View Full Bio
’s requisitions,
Carlin

18 July 1789–14 Feb. 1852. Ferry owner, farmer, sheriff, politician. Born in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of Thomas Carlin and Elizabeth Evans. Baptist. Moved to what became Missouri, by 1803. Moved to Illinois Territory, by 1812. Served in War of 1812. Married...

View Full Bio
issued warrants for the arrest of
Rockwell

June 1814–9 June 1878. Ferry operator, herdsman, farmer. Born in Belchertown, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Orin Rockwell and Sarah Witt. Moved to Farmington (later in Manchester), Ontario Co., New York, 1817. Neighbor to JS. Baptized into Church of...

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and JS.
14

Warrant, 2 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Warrant, 2 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of Rockwell for Assault]. Illinois law required the governor to issue an arrest warrant when requested to do so by a governor of another state who had “complied with the requisitions of the act of congress” relating to fugitives from justice. (An Act concerning Fugitives from Justice [6 Jan. 1827], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1834–1837], p. 318, sec. 1.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.

He gave the warrant for JS to
Thomas King

25 July 1806–17 Apr. 1854. Merchant. Born in Virginia. Lived at Quincy, Adams Co., Illinois, by Jan. 1832. Served as constable, beginning Aug. 1835. Married Juliett Ann McDade, 9 June 1836, in Adams Co. Served as Adams Co. coroner, by Aug. 1836. Served as...

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, deputy sheriff of
Adams County

Situated in western Illinois; bounded on west by Mississippi River. Organized from Pike Co., 1825. Quincy established as county seat, 1825. Population in 1830 about 2,200. Population in 1840 about 14,500. Latter-day Saint exiles from Missouri found refuge...

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, Illinois, and the warrant for Rockwell to
James Pitman

5 Nov. 1813–24 Feb. 1879. Lumber dealer, real estate broker, housing contractor, railroad director, prison warden. Born at St. Charles Co., Missouri. Son of Richard Berry Pittman and Lucinda Hutchings. Adhered to Quaker faith. Moved to Quincy, Adams Co., ...

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, an Adams County constable.
15

JS, Journal, 8 Aug. 1842; Docket Entry, ca. 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


The officers were also apparently accompanied by
Edward Ford

1774–after 1850. Law enforcement officer. Born in South Carolina. Married Susanna. Moved to Lewiston (near present-day New Florence), Montgomery Co., Missouri, by 1830. Moved to Lindsey, Benton Co., Missouri, by 1840. Missouri state agent commissioned to ...

View Full Bio
, the agent designated by Reynolds to convey the prisoners 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
.
16

Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; JS, Journal, 8 Aug. 1842.


The lawmen arrived in
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
on the morning of 8 August and arrested JS and Rockwell. Following the arrests, the two prisoners claimed their right to petition the municipal court for
habeas corpus

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary
, thereby impeding Ford’s ability to receive them into his custody and take them to Missouri immediately. JS’s petition, drafted with the assistance of his attorney,
Sylvester Emmons

28 Feb. 1808–15 Nov. 1881. Lawyer, newspaper editor/publisher. Born in Readington Township, Hunterdon Co., New Jersey. Son of Abraham Emmons and Margaret Vlerebome. Moved to Philadelphia, 1831. Moved to Illinois, 1840. Admitted to bar in Hancock Co., Illinois...

View Full Bio
, cited the habeas corpus provision in the charter and the 5 July 1842 ordinance. The petition stated that JS would demonstrate to the court the “insufficiency” of Carlin’s warrant and the “utter groundlessness” of the charge against him. JS intended to show that he could not be a fugitive from justice, as he had not been in Missouri when the shooting occurred, and that, because he had no knowledge of the crime until after it occurred, he could not be an accessory before the fact.
17

Petition to Nauvoo Municipal Court, 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


Rockwell’s petition used similar language, emphasizing that he was “not any where in the region of Country” at the time of the shooting.
18

Petition, 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of Rockwell for Assault]. Contrary to this claim, Rockwell was evidently in the area of Independence at the time of the shooting to be with his wife, Luana Hart Beebe Rockwell, when she gave birth to their daughter Sarah Jane Rockwell on 25 March 1842. The Rockwells were likely staying with Luana’s brother Isaac Beebe in Independence. Rockwell reportedly later claimed that “he could prove that he was seven miles north of Independence on the night that Governor Boggs was shot.” (Jorgensen and Leary, “Luana Hart Beebe,” 126; Joseph O. Boggs, Independence, MO, to John C. Bennett, 12 Sept. 1842, in Bennett, History of the Saints, 286.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Jorgensen, Danny L., and Andrew Leary. “Luana Hart Beebe (1814–1897): A Biographical Sketch of a Remarkable Early Latter-day Saint.” Journal of Mormon History 42, no. 3 (July 2016): 120–154.

Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

Following a provision in the 1827
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
habeas corpus statute, both petitions included copies of Carlin’s warrants, made by JS’s scribe
William Clayton

17 July 1814–4 Dec. 1879. Bookkeeper, clerk. Born at Charnock Moss, Penwortham, Lancashire, England. Son of Thomas Clayton and Ann Critchley. Married Ruth Moon, 9 Oct. 1836, at Penwortham. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Heber...

View Full Bio
.
19

An Act Regulating the Proceeding on Writs of Habeas Corpus [22 Jan. 1827], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1834–1837], p. 323, sec. 2.


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.

At noon on 8 August, the
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
City Council met and passed a new
habeas corpus

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary
ordinance, which further augmented the provisions of the 5 July 1842 ordinance. The new ordinance authorized the court “to examine into the origin, validity, & legality” of a warrant. If the court determined that the warrant was “not legally issued,” it was required to discharge the prisoner. If the warrant proved to be legal, then the court was authorized to “fully hear the merits of the case” and to hold “a fair & impartial trial.”
20

Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 8 Aug. 1842, 98; see also Historical Introduction to Petition to Nauvoo Municipal Court, 8 Aug. 1842, in JSP, D10:356–358.


Comprehensive Works Cited

JSP, D10 / Kuehn, Elizabeth A., Jordan T. Watkins, Matthew C. Godfrey, and Mason K. Allred, eds. Documents, Volume 10: May–August 1842. Vol. 10 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2020.

About one o’clock that afternoon, the municipal court convened, with associate justice
Orson Spencer

14 Mar./13 May 1802–15 Oct. 1855. Teacher, minister, university professor and chancellor. Born in West Stockbridge, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Daniel Spencer and Chloe Wilson. Moved to Lenox, Berkshire Co., 1817; to Schenectady, Schenectady Co.,...

View Full Bio
presiding as chief justice pro tempore in JS’s place.
21

Docket Entry, ca. 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 8 Aug. 1842, 99; see also Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, 16 Dec. 1840, sec. 17.


Emmons

28 Feb. 1808–15 Nov. 1881. Lawyer, newspaper editor/publisher. Born in Readington Township, Hunterdon Co., New Jersey. Son of Abraham Emmons and Margaret Vlerebome. Moved to Philadelphia, 1831. Moved to Illinois, 1840. Admitted to bar in Hancock Co., Illinois...

View Full Bio
submitted the petitions of JS and
Rockwell

June 1814–9 June 1878. Ferry operator, herdsman, farmer. Born in Belchertown, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Orin Rockwell and Sarah Witt. Moved to Farmington (later in Manchester), Ontario Co., New York, 1817. Neighbor to JS. Baptized into Church of...

View Full Bio
and gave supporting oral arguments, after which the court issued writs of habeas corpus directing
King

25 July 1806–17 Apr. 1854. Merchant. Born in Virginia. Lived at Quincy, Adams Co., Illinois, by Jan. 1832. Served as constable, beginning Aug. 1835. Married Juliett Ann McDade, 9 June 1836, in Adams Co. Served as Adams Co. coroner, by Aug. 1836. Served as...

View Full Bio
and
Pitman

5 Nov. 1813–24 Feb. 1879. Lumber dealer, real estate broker, housing contractor, railroad director, prison warden. Born at St. Charles Co., Missouri. Son of Richard Berry Pittman and Lucinda Hutchings. Adhered to Quaker faith. Moved to Quincy, Adams Co., ...

View Full Bio
to bring their prisoners before the court and explain the reasons for detaining them.
22

Docket Entry, ca. 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


Nauvoo city marshal
Henry G. Sherwood

20 Apr. 1785–24 Nov. 1867. Surveyor. Born at Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York. Son of Newcomb Sherwood and a woman whose maiden name was Tolman (first name unidentified). Married first Jane J. McManagal (McMangle) of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, ca. 1824...

View Full Bio
subsequently served the writs on the two lawmen.
23

Habeas Corpus, 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Habeas Corpus, 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of Rockwell for Assault].


Unsure of the court’s authority to issue writs of
habeas corpus

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary
in such situations,
King

25 July 1806–17 Apr. 1854. Merchant. Born in Virginia. Lived at Quincy, Adams Co., Illinois, by Jan. 1832. Served as constable, beginning Aug. 1835. Married Juliett Ann McDade, 9 June 1836, in Adams Co. Served as Adams Co. coroner, by Aug. 1836. Served as...

View Full Bio
and
Pitman

5 Nov. 1813–24 Feb. 1879. Lumber dealer, real estate broker, housing contractor, railroad director, prison warden. Born at St. Charles Co., Missouri. Son of Richard Berry Pittman and Lucinda Hutchings. Adhered to Quaker faith. Moved to Quincy, Adams Co., ...

View Full Bio
left JS and
Rockwell

June 1814–9 June 1878. Ferry operator, herdsman, farmer. Born in Belchertown, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Orin Rockwell and Sarah Witt. Moved to Farmington (later in Manchester), Ontario Co., New York, 1817. Neighbor to JS. Baptized into Church of...

View Full Bio
“in the hands of the
city Marshall

20 Apr. 1785–24 Nov. 1867. Surveyor. Born at Kingsbury, Washington Co., New York. Son of Newcomb Sherwood and a woman whose maiden name was Tolman (first name unidentified). Married first Jane J. McManagal (McMangle) of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland, ca. 1824...

View Full Bio
and returned 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...

More Info
” to consult with
Carlin

18 July 1789–14 Feb. 1852. Ferry owner, farmer, sheriff, politician. Born in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of Thomas Carlin and Elizabeth Evans. Baptist. Moved to what became Missouri, by 1803. Moved to Illinois Territory, by 1812. Served in War of 1812. Married...

View Full Bio
.
Clayton

17 July 1814–4 Dec. 1879. Bookkeeper, clerk. Born at Charnock Moss, Penwortham, Lancashire, England. Son of Thomas Clayton and Ann Critchley. Married Ruth Moon, 9 Oct. 1836, at Penwortham. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Heber...

View Full Bio
noted in JS’s journal that the officers left to determine “wether our charter gave the
city

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
jurisdiction over the case.”
24

JS, Journal, 8 Aug. 1842.


Suspecting that the lawmen would return with orders to disregard the Nauvoo Municipal Court and to retake JS and Rockwell, JS prepared a petition on 9 August requesting a writ of
habeas corpus

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary
from
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
’s
Hancock County

Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...

More Info
Circuit Court.
25

JS, Journal, 9 Aug. 1842.


The writ was granted the next day but evidently was never served.
26

Habeas Corpus, 10 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


With his legal situation in flux, JS spent much of the late summer and fall hiding at various Latter-day Saint homes in
Iowa Territory

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803. First permanent white settlements established, ca. 1833. Organized as territory, 1838, containing all of present-day Iowa, much of present-day Minnesota, and parts of North and South Dakota. Population in...

More Info
and western Illinois in order to avoid arrest, while Rockwell went to the area around
Philadelphia

Port city founded as Quaker settlement by William Penn, 1681. Site of signing of Declaration of Independence and drafting of U.S. Constitution. Nation’s capital city, 1790–1800. Population in 1830 about 170,000; in 1840 about 260,000; and in 1850 about 410...

More Info
.
27

JS, Journal, 10–11 Aug. 1842, and 7 Oct. 1842; “Joseph Smith Documents from September 1842 through February 1843,” in JSP, D11:xix–xx; Letter to John M. Bernhisel, 7 Sept. 1842; Letter from Sybella McMinn Armstrong and Orrin Porter Rockwell, 1 Dec. 1842.


Comprehensive Works Cited

JSP, D11 / McBride, Spencer W., Jeffrey D. Mahas, Brett D. Dowdle, and Tyson Reeder, eds. Documents, Volume 11: September 1842–February 1843. Vol. 11 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2020.

Suspecting JS may have gone to Iowa,
Governor Reynolds

12 Mar. 1796–9 Feb. 1844. Attorney, politician, judge. Born at Mason Co. (later Bracken Co.), Kentucky. Son of Nathaniel Reynolds and Catherine Vernon. Admitted to Kentucky bar, 1817. Moved to Illinois, by 1818. Served as clerk of Illinois House of Representatives...

View Full Bio
sent a requisition to territorial governor
John Chambers

6 Oct. 1780–21 Sept. 1852. Lawyer, politician. Born at Bromley Bridge (later Burnt Mills), Somerset Co., New Jersey. Son of Rowland Chambers and Phoebe Mullican. Lived at Mason Co., Kentucky, 1794–1841. Married first Margaret Taylor, 16 June 1803, at Mason...

View Full Bio
on 20 August 1842. Chambers issued a warrant, but it was returned unserved.
28

State of Missouri, Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division, Register of Civil Proceedings, vol. A, p. 175; John Chambers, Burlington, Iowa Territory, to John Cowan, 10 Mar. 1843, JS Office Papers, CHL.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Missouri, State of. Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division. Register of Civil Proceedings, 1837–1971. MSA.

During the following months, JS’s 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...

View Full Bio
corresponded with
Carlin

18 July 1789–14 Feb. 1852. Ferry owner, farmer, sheriff, politician. Born in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of Thomas Carlin and Elizabeth Evans. Baptist. Moved to what became Missouri, by 1803. Moved to Illinois Territory, by 1812. Served in War of 1812. Married...

View Full Bio
, defending her husband’s innocence and the municipal court’s
habeas corpus

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary
powers. In reply, Carlin insisted that only a
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
court could determine JS’s guilt or innocence and that
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
law required the governor, upon receiving a requisition from another state executive, to issue a warrant. He further stated that, while JS could challenge the warrant on habeas corpus before a circuit court, the municipal court lacked jurisdiction in such cases.
29

Letter, Emma Smith to Thomas Carlin, 16 Aug. 1842; Letter, Thomas Carlin to Emma Smith, 24 Aug. 1842; Letter, Emma Smith to Thomas Carlin, 27 Aug. 1842; Letter, Thomas Carlin to Emma Smith, 7 Sept. 1842.


On 19 September 1842,
Reynolds

12 Mar. 1796–9 Feb. 1844. Attorney, politician, judge. Born at Mason Co. (later Bracken Co.), Kentucky. Son of Nathaniel Reynolds and Catherine Vernon. Admitted to Kentucky bar, 1817. Moved to Illinois, by 1818. Served as clerk of Illinois House of Representatives...

View Full Bio
announced a reward of $300 for the apprehension of either JS or
Rockwell

June 1814–9 June 1878. Ferry operator, herdsman, farmer. Born in Belchertown, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Orin Rockwell and Sarah Witt. Moved to Farmington (later in Manchester), Ontario Co., New York, 1817. Neighbor to JS. Baptized into Church of...

View Full Bio
.
30

Reynolds had issued a proclamation on 11 May 1842 offering $300 for the apprehension of the unknown shooter. On 19 September, he issued a memorandum amending the initial proclamation by naming JS and Rockwell and offering $300 for the capture of either man. (Proclamation, 11 May 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Memorandum of Proclamation, 19 September 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; An Act to Regulate Proceedings in Criminal Cases [21 Mar. 1835], Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri [1834–1835], p. 502, art. 9, sec. 20).


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 following day, Carlin issued a proclamation offering $200 for either JS or Rockwell.
31

Thomas Carlin, Proclamation, 20 Sept. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; An Act concerning Fugitives from Justice [6 Jan. 1827], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1834–1837], p. 320, sec. 8.


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.

In December 1842,
Carlin

18 July 1789–14 Feb. 1852. Ferry owner, farmer, sheriff, politician. Born in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of Thomas Carlin and Elizabeth Evans. Baptist. Moved to what became Missouri, by 1803. Moved to Illinois Territory, by 1812. Served in War of 1812. Married...

View Full Bio
’s term as governor ended and he was replaced by
Thomas Ford

5 Dec. 1800–3 Nov. 1850. Schoolteacher, newspaperman, lawyer, politician, judge, author. Born in Uniontown, Fayette Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Robert Ford and Elizabeth Logue Forquer. Moved to St. Louis, 1804; to New Design (later American Bottom), Randolph...

View Full Bio
, a former
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
state supreme court justice.
32

“Gov. Ford’s Inaugural Address,” Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 15 Dec. 1842, [1].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

Optimistic that the new governor would be more open than his predecessor had been to finding a legal resolution to the impasse, JS sent a delegation to
Springfield

Settled by 1819. Incorporated as town, 1832. Became capital of Illinois, 1837. Incorporated as city, 1840. Sangamon Co. seat. Population in 1840 about 2,600. Stake of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized in Springfield, Nov. 1840; discontinued...

More Info
, the state capital. The group arrived on 13 December and met with
Justin Butterfield

1790–Oct. 1855. Teacher, lawyer. Born in Keene, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Moved to Watertown, Jefferson Co., New York, ca. 1810, where he taught school and studied law. Admitted to bar, 1812, at Watertown. Practiced law in Adams, Jefferson Co., and Sackets...

View Full Bio
, 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 ...

More Info
attorney for the District of Illinois, the next day. Butterfield had been apprised of JS’s situation and considered the extradition illegal. Under federal law, to be extradited, an individual needed to flee to one state after having been charged with committing a crime in another. Butterfield believed that, should JS appear on
habeas corpus

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary
before an authorized court—either the Illinois supreme court or the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Illinois—he would be able to show that he was not a fugitive from justice, and the court would discharge him. On 15 December, Butterfield met with Ford and six justices of the state supreme court. All agreed with Butterfield’s argument, although they were divided over whether Ford was authorized to rescind Carlin’s warrant or if JS should appear before them on a writ of habeas corpus. Ford and Butterfield subsequently each wrote to JS urging him to travel to Springfield for a hearing. The Latter-day Saint delegation then returned to
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
.
33

JS, Journal, 9–20 Dec. 1842; Clayton, Journal, 9–20 Dec. 1842; Letter, Justin Butterfield to Sidney Rigdon, 20 October 1842; Letter from Thomas Ford, 17 Dec. 1842; Letter from Justin Butterfield, 17 Dec. 1842; see also Letter from James Adams, 17 Dec. 1842.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

After receiving the delegation’s report, JS decided to go to
Springfield

Settled by 1819. Incorporated as town, 1832. Became capital of Illinois, 1837. Incorporated as city, 1840. Sangamon Co. seat. Population in 1840 about 2,600. Stake of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized in Springfield, Nov. 1840; discontinued...

More Info
. Guarding against the possibility of apprehension by the
Adams County

Situated in western Illinois; bounded on west by Mississippi River. Organized from Pike Co., 1825. Quincy established as county seat, 1825. Population in 1830 about 2,200. Population in 1840 about 14,500. Latter-day Saint exiles from Missouri found refuge...

More Info
officers, who still held
Carlin

18 July 1789–14 Feb. 1852. Ferry owner, farmer, sheriff, politician. Born in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of Thomas Carlin and Elizabeth Evans. Baptist. Moved to what became Missouri, by 1803. Moved to Illinois Territory, by 1812. Served in War of 1812. Married...

View Full Bio
’s warrant, Major General
Wilson Law

26 Feb. 1806–15 Oct. 1876. Merchant, millwright, land speculator, farmer. Born in Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co....

View Full Bio
of the
Nauvoo Legion

A contingent of the Illinois state militia provided for in the Nauvoo city charter. The Nauvoo Legion was organized into two cohorts: one infantry and one cavalry. Each cohort could potentially comprise several thousand men and was overseen by a brigadier...

View Glossary
arrested JS on 26 December 1842 using the governor’s 20 September proclamation.
34

Clayton, Journal, 26 Dec. 1842; see also Petition to Chauncey Robison, 26 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


Comprehensive Works Cited

Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

JS’s party left
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
the following day and arrived in Springfield on 30 December.
35

JS, Journal, 27–30 Dec. 1842.


The next day, when it became apparent that the Adams County officers were unable or unwilling to produce Carlin’s warrant, JS petitioned
Ford

5 Dec. 1800–3 Nov. 1850. Schoolteacher, newspaperman, lawyer, politician, judge, author. Born in Uniontown, Fayette Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Robert Ford and Elizabeth Logue Forquer. Moved to St. Louis, 1804; to New Design (later American Bottom), Randolph...

View Full Bio
for a new warrant, which was granted and issued to Sheriff
William F. Elkin

13 Apr. 1792–22 Dec. 1880. Farmer, clerk, sheriff, politician, judge. Born in Clark Co., Kentucky. Moved to Xenia, Greene Co., Ohio, 1811. Married Elizabeth Constant, 5 Dec. 1813, in Greene Co. Moved to Brownsville, Union Co., Indiana, 1820. Moved to Fancy...

View Full Bio
of
Sangamon County

Area settled, 1817. Established as Sangamo Co., 30 Jan. 1821; name changed to Sangamon Co., 5 June 1821. Population in 1840 about 15,000. Population in 1850 about 19,000. County seat, Springfield; site of JS’s habeas corpus hearing in federal circuit court...

More Info
.
36

JS, Journal, 31 Dec. 1842; Petition to Thomas Ford, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Warrant, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


Butterfield

1790–Oct. 1855. Teacher, lawyer. Born in Keene, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Moved to Watertown, Jefferson Co., New York, ca. 1810, where he taught school and studied law. Admitted to bar, 1812, at Watertown. Practiced law in Adams, Jefferson Co., and Sackets...

View Full Bio
opted to file JS’s petition for a writ of
habeas corpus

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary
with the
U.S.

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 ...

More Info
Circuit Court for the District of
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
, rather than the state supreme court.
37

Petition to the United States Circuit Court for the District of Illinois, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


The federal court, presided over by Judge
Nathaniel Pope

5 Jan. 1784–22 Jan. 1850. Lawyer, judge. Born at present-day Louisville, Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Son of William Pope and Penelope Edwards. Graduated from Transylvania University, 1806, at Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Moved to St. Genevieve, St. Genevieve...

View Full Bio
, granted the writ, which was directed to Law and Elkin, the two men who held JS in custody.
38

Roger Taney, chief justice of the United States, was also present during the proceedings. Federal statute granted U.S. courts the right to issue writs of habeas corpus in cases where a person was imprisoned “under or by colour of the authority of the United States.” (Habeas Corpus, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Docket Entry, Petition and Order for Habeas Corpus, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; An Act to Establish the Judicial Courts of the United States [24 Sept. 1789], Public Statutes at Large, 1st Cong., 1st Sess., vol. 1, chap. 20, p. 82, sec. 14.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America, from the Organization of the Government in 1789, to March 3, 1845. . . . Edited by Richard Peters. 8 vols. Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1846–1867.

The sheriff and the major general presented JS to the court and explained the grounds upon which they respectively held him in custody. The court then admitted JS to bail and ordered him to enter into a $2,000 recognizance, conditioned upon his appearance at the hearing scheduled for 2 January 1843. Pope also issued an order that Ford and Illinois attorney general
Josiah Lamborn

31 Jan. 1809–31 Mar. 1847. Lawyer. Born in Chester Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Samuel Lamborn and Mary McGinnis. Moved to Cincinnati, Hamilton Co., Ohio, 1811; to Washington Co., Kentucky; to Springfield, Sangamon Co., Illinois, 1832; and to Jacksonville, Morgan...

View Full Bio
be informed of the scheduled proceedings as a courtesy.
39

Docket Entry, Return of Habeas Corpus, Bond, and Order, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; JS, Journal, 31 Dec. 1842; Order, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


The court reconvened after the weekend, but
Lamborn

31 Jan. 1809–31 Mar. 1847. Lawyer. Born in Chester Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Samuel Lamborn and Mary McGinnis. Moved to Cincinnati, Hamilton Co., Ohio, 1811; to Washington Co., Kentucky; to Springfield, Sangamon Co., Illinois, 1832; and to Jacksonville, Morgan...

View Full Bio
requested a continuance to allow more time to prepare his response on behalf of the state. The court granted the motion and rescheduled the hearing for 4 January.
Butterfield

1790–Oct. 1855. Teacher, lawyer. Born in Keene, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Moved to Watertown, Jefferson Co., New York, ca. 1810, where he taught school and studied law. Admitted to bar, 1812, at Watertown. Practiced law in Adams, Jefferson Co., and Sackets...

View Full Bio
filed JS’s affidavit, which denied that he was a fugitive from justice and asserted that he was “ready to prove that he was not in 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 ...

More Info
at the time of the commission of the alleged crime” charged in
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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’s 20 July 1842 affidavit.
40

Affidavit, 2 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; JS, Journal, 2 Jan. 1843; Transcript of Proceedings, 6 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Docket Entry, Affidavit, Motion, and Continuance, 2 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


Two additional affidavits were subsequently filed, the first by
Wilson Law

26 Feb. 1806–15 Oct. 1876. Merchant, millwright, land speculator, farmer. Born in Ireland. Son of Richard Law and Ann Hunter. Immigrated to U.S. and settled in Springfield Township, Mercer Co., Pennsylvania, by 1820. Moved to Delaware Township, Mercer Co....

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and eight other Latter-day Saints, who attested that JS was in
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
on 6 May 1842, the day of the shooting. The second affidavit was signed by
Jacob B. Backenstos

8 Oct. 1811–25 Sept. 1857. Merchant, sheriff, soldier, politician, land speculator. Born at Lower Paxton, Dauphin Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Jacob Backenstos and Margaretha Theis. Member of Lutheran Reformed Church. Married Sarah Lavina Lee, niece of Robert...

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, clerk of the
Hancock County

Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...

More Info
Circuit Court, and Judge
Stephen A. Douglas

23 Apr. 1813–3 June 1861. Lawyer, politician. Born at Brandon, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of Stephen Arnold Douglass and Sarah Fisk. Moved to Ontario Co., New York, 1830. Moved to Jacksonville, Morgan Co., Illinois, 1833. Served as attorney general of Illinois...

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, prominent individuals who were not members of the church. They similarly affirmed that they had seen JS in Nauvoo at the time of the shooting.
41

Wilson Law and Others, Affidavit, 4 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Jacob B. Backenstos and Stephen A. Douglas, Affidavit, 4 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Transcript of Proceedings, 6 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; JS, Journal, 4 Jan. 1843.


On 4 January 1843,
Lamborn

31 Jan. 1809–31 Mar. 1847. Lawyer. Born in Chester Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Samuel Lamborn and Mary McGinnis. Moved to Cincinnati, Hamilton Co., Ohio, 1811; to Washington Co., Kentucky; to Springfield, Sangamon Co., Illinois, 1832; and to Jacksonville, Morgan...

View Full Bio
filed a motion to dismiss the proceedings. First, he argued that the
U.S.

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 ...

More Info
circuit court lacked jurisdiction, asserting that the governor and the arresting officers operated under state, not federal, law. Second, he contended that the court lacked authority “to enquire into any facts behind the Writs.”
42

Motion, ca. 3 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]. Lamborn contended that Carlin had acted under an 1827 Illinois statute. (JS, Journal, 4 Jan. 1843; An Act concerning Fugitives from Justice [6 Jan. 1827], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1834–1837], pp. 318–320.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.

In doing so, Lamborn insisted that on
habeas corpus

“Have the body”; a written order from a court of competent jurisdiction commanding anyone having a person in custody to produce such person at a certain time and place and to state the reasons why he or she is being held in custody. The court will determine...

View Glossary
, the court could examine only procedural issues, not the substantive question of JS’s guilt or innocence implied by the affidavits attesting to his presence in
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
at the time of the shooting.
Butterfield

1790–Oct. 1855. Teacher, lawyer. Born in Keene, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Moved to Watertown, Jefferson Co., New York, ca. 1810, where he taught school and studied law. Admitted to bar, 1812, at Watertown. Practiced law in Adams, Jefferson Co., and Sackets...

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and his law partner,
Benjamin Edwards

13 June 1818–4 Feb. 1886. Lawyer, judge. Born at Edwardsville, Madison Co., Illinois. Son of Ninian Edwards and Elvira Lane. Moved to Belleville, St. Clair Co., Illinois, 1824. Graduated from Yale, 1838, in New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Admitted ...

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, offered lengthy rebuttals to Lamborn’s motion, arguing that because the U.S. Constitution and a 1793 federal statute defined the process followed by governors when initiating extradition proceedings, governors acted under federal authority, and therefore the U.S. circuit court had jurisdiction over the case. Second, JS’s attorneys contended that
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 affidavit, the document upon which the extradition was based, did not claim that JS had committed a crime 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 ...

More Info
, nor did it assert that JS had fled from Missouri’s justice.
Pope

5 Jan. 1784–22 Jan. 1850. Lawyer, judge. Born at present-day Louisville, Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Son of William Pope and Penelope Edwards. Graduated from Transylvania University, 1806, at Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Moved to St. Genevieve, St. Genevieve...

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, having listened to the arguments on both sides, adjourned the court and announced he would deliver his decision the next morning.
43

JS, Journal, 4 Jan. 1843.


On 5 January,
Pope

5 Jan. 1784–22 Jan. 1850. Lawyer, judge. Born at present-day Louisville, Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Son of William Pope and Penelope Edwards. Graduated from Transylvania University, 1806, at Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Moved to St. Genevieve, St. Genevieve...

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first dispensed with
Lamborn

31 Jan. 1809–31 Mar. 1847. Lawyer. Born in Chester Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Samuel Lamborn and Mary McGinnis. Moved to Cincinnati, Hamilton Co., Ohio, 1811; to Washington Co., Kentucky; to Springfield, Sangamon Co., Illinois, 1832; and to Jacksonville, Morgan...

View Full Bio
’s objection to the court’s jurisdiction, holding that because the
U.S.

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 ...

More Info
Congress had designated state governors to execute extradition proceedings, the governors acted under federal authority and therefore the U.S. circuit court had jurisdiction. Pope then addressed Lamborn’s second objection. The judge declined to rule on the question of whether JS’s attorneys could submit new evidence that had bearing on JS’s whereabouts on 6 May 1842. Instead, he would confine his ruling to the issue of whether
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 affidavit was sufficient to sustain the extradition. The affidavit did not claim that JS had committed a crime 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 ...

More Info
, nor did it claim that he had fled from the state’s justice. It stated only that JS was accessory to the shooting of Boggs and did not even identify the shooter—
Rockwell

June 1814–9 June 1878. Ferry operator, herdsman, farmer. Born in Belchertown, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Orin Rockwell and Sarah Witt. Moved to Farmington (later in Manchester), Ontario Co., New York, 1817. Neighbor to JS. Baptized into Church of...

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—since Boggs had named Rockwell in a separate affidavit.
Reynolds

12 Mar. 1796–9 Feb. 1844. Attorney, politician, judge. Born at Mason Co. (later Bracken Co.), Kentucky. Son of Nathaniel Reynolds and Catherine Vernon. Admitted to Kentucky bar, 1817. Moved to Illinois, by 1818. Served as clerk of Illinois House of Representatives...

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obscured the deficiencies in the affidavit when writing his requisition, which stated that JS was charged with being an accessory to Rockwell’s crime in Missouri and that he was a fugitive from justice, information not present in the affidavit.
Carlin

18 July 1789–14 Feb. 1852. Ferry owner, farmer, sheriff, politician. Born in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of Thomas Carlin and Elizabeth Evans. Baptist. Moved to what became Missouri, by 1803. Moved to Illinois Territory, by 1812. Served in War of 1812. Married...

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, in his warrant, subsequently perpetuated the errors. Based on the legal insufficiency of the affidavit, Pope ruled that JS must be discharged.
44

Docket Entry, Motion Denied and Discharge, 5 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Trial Report, 5–19 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


JS’s scribe
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

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made fragmentary notes of
Pope

5 Jan. 1784–22 Jan. 1850. Lawyer, judge. Born at present-day Louisville, Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Son of William Pope and Penelope Edwards. Graduated from Transylvania University, 1806, at Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Moved to St. Genevieve, St. Genevieve...

View Full Bio
’s decision as it was delivered and then inscribed them in JS’s journal. Later that day and into the night, Richards expanded his notes into a draft of the “Decision for the press.” This was done “on request of Judge Pope. per Presidnt Joseph.”
45

Decision, as Reported by Willard Richards, 5 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; JS, Journal, 5 Jan. 1843.


After Richards completed the draft, he evidently made a copy, which he gave to Pope the following morning.
46

JS, Journal, 6 Jan. 1843.


JS and Richards then paid
Butterfield

1790–Oct. 1855. Teacher, lawyer. Born in Keene, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Moved to Watertown, Jefferson Co., New York, ca. 1810, where he taught school and studied law. Admitted to bar, 1812, at Watertown. Practiced law in Adams, Jefferson Co., and Sackets...

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“2 notes of $230 for his fees,” which, combined with $40 paid previously to Butterfield for his services, totaled $500.
William Clayton

17 July 1814–4 Dec. 1879. Bookkeeper, clerk. Born at Charnock Moss, Penwortham, Lancashire, England. Son of Thomas Clayton and Ann Critchley. Married Ruth Moon, 9 Oct. 1836, at Penwortham. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Heber...

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then made certified copies of the case documents.
47

JS, Journal, 6 Jan. 1843; Clayton, Journal, 6 Jan. 1843.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

During the afternoon of 6 January, JS visited
Governor Ford

5 Dec. 1800–3 Nov. 1850. Schoolteacher, newspaperman, lawyer, politician, judge, author. Born in Uniontown, Fayette Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Robert Ford and Elizabeth Logue Forquer. Moved to St. Louis, 1804; to New Design (later American Bottom), Randolph...

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, who signed a statement affirming that “there is now no further cause for arresting or detaining Joseph Smith.” This statement essentially revoked
Carlin

18 July 1789–14 Feb. 1852. Ferry owner, farmer, sheriff, politician. Born in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of Thomas Carlin and Elizabeth Evans. Baptist. Moved to what became Missouri, by 1803. Moved to Illinois Territory, by 1812. Served in War of 1812. Married...

View Full Bio
’s 2 August 1842 warrant—which was still in the hands of the
Adams County

Situated in western Illinois; bounded on west by Mississippi River. Organized from Pike Co., 1825. Quincy established as county seat, 1825. Population in 1830 about 2,200. Population in 1840 about 14,500. Latter-day Saint exiles from Missouri found refuge...

More Info
officers—and the former governor’s 20 September 1842 proclamation. Ford wrote that, due to Pope’s decision, “all such proclamations and warrants are inoperative and void.”
48

Thomas Ford, Order, 6 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Clayton, Journal, 6 Jan. 1843.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

As the court’s decision applied only to JS, the charge against
Rockwell

June 1814–9 June 1878. Ferry operator, herdsman, farmer. Born in Belchertown, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of Orin Rockwell and Sarah Witt. Moved to Farmington (later in Manchester), Ontario Co., New York, 1817. Neighbor to JS. Baptized into Church of...

View Full Bio
remained outstanding.
49

While passing through St. Louis in March 1843, Rockwell was recognized and arrested. A grand jury in Jackson County found insufficient evidence to indict him for shooting Boggs, but he was indicted for attempting to escape from jail. He subsequently received a change of venue to Clay County, Missouri, where a jury found him guilty of the escape attempt but sentenced him to only five minutes in jail. After his release, he arrived in Nauvoo on 25 December 1843. (“Orrin Porter Rockwell,” Daily Missouri Republican [St. Louis], 6 Mar. 1843, [3]; JS History, vol. E-1, 1827–1829; Transcript of Proceedings, 18 Nov. 1843 [Extradition of Rockwell for Assault]; JS, Journal, 25 Dec. 1843.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

After JS and the Latter-day Saint party left
Springfield

Settled by 1819. Incorporated as town, 1832. Became capital of Illinois, 1837. Incorporated as city, 1840. Sangamon Co. seat. Population in 1840 about 2,600. Stake of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized in Springfield, Nov. 1840; discontinued...

More Info
,
Pope

5 Jan. 1784–22 Jan. 1850. Lawyer, judge. Born at present-day Louisville, Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Son of William Pope and Penelope Edwards. Graduated from Transylvania University, 1806, at Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Moved to St. Genevieve, St. Genevieve...

View Full Bio
, presumably assisted by clerk
James Owings

ca. 1810–by 10 July 1849. Court clerk. Born in Baltimore. Son of John Aloysius Owings and Margaret McAlister. Served in Black Hawk War, 1832. Married Josephine Lalumiere, 31 Oct. 1836, in Randolph Co., Illinois. Served as U.S. circuit court clerk, in Vandalia...

View Full Bio
of the
U.S.

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 ...

More Info
circuit court, prepared a formal trial report, reproducing the facts of the case, transcripts of key case documents, the attorneys’ debate over
Lamborn

31 Jan. 1809–31 Mar. 1847. Lawyer. Born in Chester Co., Pennsylvania. Son of Samuel Lamborn and Mary McGinnis. Moved to Cincinnati, Hamilton Co., Ohio, 1811; to Washington Co., Kentucky; to Springfield, Sangamon Co., Illinois, 1832; and to Jacksonville, Morgan...

View Full Bio
’s motion to dismiss the proceedings, and the judge’s decision. The Sangamo Journal published the trial report in its 19 January 1843 issue.
50

Trial Report, 5–19 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


Other newspapers, including the Nauvoo Wasp and the Times and Seasons, reprinted the trial report.
51

Trial Report, in Times and Seasons, 16 Jan. 1843, 4:65–71; Trial Report, in Wasp, 28 Jan. 1843, [1]–[2]; Trial Report, in Alton (IL) Telegraph and Democratic Review, 4 Feb. 1843, [1]. JS asked Pope on 6 January 1843 if the Nauvoo Wasp could have the first opportunity to publish the trial report, but the judge replied that he intended to give it first to the Sangamo Journal, which published it in its 19 January 1843 issue. Although the Times and Seasons published the trial report in its 16 January 1843 issue, the paper at that time was evidently behind schedule by two weeks or more. When the Wasp published the trial report in its 28 January 1843 issue, it cited the Sangamo Journal, not the Times and Seasons, as its source. (JS, Journal, 6 Jan. 1843; Woodruff, Journal, 2 Jan. 1843; “The Release of Gen. Joseph Smith,” Times and Seasons, 2 Jan. 1843, 4:59; “The Release of Gen. Joseph Smith,” 14 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Editorial, Wasp, 28 Jan. 1843, [3]; see also “Sacred Hymns,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1843, 4:95.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

Alton Telegraph and Democratic Review. Alton, IL. 1841–1850.

Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

Pope’s ruling became an influential precedent in American extradition law.
52

See, for example, “Ex Parte Joseph Smith—the Mormon Prophet,” 57–67; Trial Report, 5–19 Jan. 1843, as Published in Reports [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; West, Federal Cases, 22:373–380; and Moore, Treatise on Extradition, 2:878–882, 938.


Comprehensive Works Cited

“Ex Parte Joseph Smith—the Mormon Prophet” / “Circuit Court of the United States, Illinois, January, 1843. Before the Honorable Nathaniel Pope, District Judge. Ex Parte Joseph Smith—the Mormon Prophet.” The Law Reporter 6 (June 1843): 57–67.

The Federal Cases Comprising Cases Argued and Determined in the Circuit and District Courts of the United States from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Federal Reporter. Arranged Alphabetically by the Titles of the Cases, and Numbered Consecutively. Vol. 8. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing, 1895.

Moore, John Bassett. A Treatise on Extradition and Interstate Rendition. With Appendices Containing the Treaties and Statutes Relating to Extradition; the Treaties Relating to the Desertion of Seamen; and the Statutes, Rules of Practice, and Forms, in Force in the Several States and Territories, Relating to Interstate Rendition. Vol. 2. Boston: Boston Book Company, 1891.

 
Calendar of Documents
This calendar lists all known documents created by or for the court or official government offices, whether extant or not. It does not include versions of documents created for other purposes, though those versions may be listed in footnotes. In certain cases, especially in cases concerning unpaid debts, the originating document (promissory note, invoice, etc.) is listed here. Note that documents in the calendar are grouped with their originating court or office. Where a version of a document was subsequently filed with another court, that version is listed under both courts.
 
State of Missouri, Office of the Governor

1842 (5)

May (1)

11 May 1842

Thomas Reynolds, Proclamation, Jefferson City, Cole Co., MO
1

This proclamation offered $300 for the apprehension of the unknown shooter of Lilburn W. Boggs. On 19 September, Reynolds issued a memorandum amending this initial proclamation by naming JS and Rockwell and offering $300 for the capture of either man. (Memorandum of Proclamation, 19 Sept. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].)


  • 11 May 1842; State of Missouri, Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division, Register of Civil Proceedings, vol. A, pp. 168–169, MSA; unidentified handwriting.

July (2)

20 July 1842

Lilburn W. Boggs, Affidavit, before Samuel Weston, Jackson Co., MO
1

In addition to the versions featured in the calendar, the affidavit was copied into the Book of the Law of the Lord and published in the Times and Seasons. (Lilburn W. Boggs, Affidavit, Jackson Co., MO, 20 July 1842, in Book of the Law of the Lord, 213; Lilburn W. Boggs, Affidavit, Jackson Co., MO, 20 July 1842, in Times and Seasons, 16 Jan. 1843, 4:65.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

  • 20 July 1842; JS Extradition Records, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, Springfield, IL; handwriting probably of Samuel Weston; signature of Lilburn W. Boggs; docket, endorsement, and notation in unidentified handwriting.
  • Ca. 14 Dec. 1842; JS Office Papers, CHL; handwriting of Lyman Trumbull.
    2

    This copy was likely made to support the petition submitted by JS’s associates on 14 December 1842 to Thomas Ford, requesting the governor to rescind Carlin’s 2 August 1842 warrant. Trumbull copied the affidavit and Thomas Reynolds’s 22 July 1842 requisition on opposite sides of a single page. Although Trumbull did not date this copy, he did date a copy of Boggs’s 20 July 1842 affidavit naming Orrin Porter Rockwell as the shooter 14 December 1842. (JS, Journal, 9–20 Dec. 1842; Affidavit, 20 July 1842 [Extradition of Rockwell for Assault].)


  • 31 Dec. 1842. Not extant.
    3

    This copy was made by Illinois Secretary of State Lyman Trumbull and presumably filed with the U.S. circuit court, as indicated in William Clayton’s copy of Trumbull’s 31 December 1842 certification. Trumbull evidently copied the affidavit and Thomas Reynolds’s 22 July 1842 requisition in conjunction with Thomas Ford’s 31 December 1842 warrant in preparation for JS’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus. (Lilburn W. Boggs, Affidavit, 20 July 1842, William Clayton Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].)


  • 31 Dec. 1842; in Transcript of Proceedings, [6]–[7], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of William Clayton.
    4

    Clayton copied the affidavit and Thomas Reynolds’s 22 July 1842 requisition on opposite sides of a single page, along with a 31 December 1842 certification by Lyman Trumbull on a separate page. Clayton’s version was apparently copied from Trumbull’s 31 December 1842 version and repurposed for inclusion in the 6 January 1843 transcript of proceedings. (See also JS, Journal, 31 Dec. 1842.)


  • 19 Jan. 1843; in Trial Report, Sangamo Journal, (Springfield, IL), 19 Jan. 1843, [1].
  • 1847; in Trial Report, McLean, Reports of Cases Argued and Decided in the Circuit Court of the United States, 3:122.
22 July 1842

Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, Jefferson City, Cole Co., MO, to Illinois Governor, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL
1

In addition to the versions featured in the calendar, the requisition was copied into the Book of the Law of the Lord and published in the Sangamo Journal, Wasp, Times and Seasons, and Alton Telegraph and Democratic Review. (Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842, in Book of the Law of the Lord, 214; Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842, in Sangamo Journal [Springfield, IL], 19 Jan. 1843, [1]; Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842, in Wasp, 28 Jan. 1843, [1]; Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842, in Times and Seasons, 16 Jan. 1843, 4:65; Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842, in Alton [IL] Telegraph and Democratic Review, 4 Feb. 1843, [1].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

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

Alton Telegraph and Democratic Review. Alton, IL. 1841–1850.

  • 22 July 1842; JS Extradition Records, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, Springfield, IL; printed form with manuscript additions in unidentified handwriting; signatures of Thomas Reynolds and James L. Minor.
  • Ca. 14 Dec. 1842; JS Office Papers, CHL; handwriting of Lyman Trumbull; docket in handwriting of Leo Hawkins.
    2

    This copy was likely made to support the petition submitted by JS’s associates on 14 December 1842 to Thomas Ford, requesting the governor to rescind Carlin’s 2 August 1842 warrant. The petition was accompanied by a copy of Lilburn W. Boggs’s affidavit. Although Trumbull did not date this copy, he did date a copy of Boggs’s 20 July 1842 affidavit naming Orrin Porter Rockwell as the shooter 14 December 1842. (JS, Journal, 9–20 Dec. 1842; Affidavit, 20 July 1842 [Extradition of Rockwell for Assault].)


  • 31 Dec. 1842. Not extant.
    3

    This copy was made by Illinois Secretary of State Lyman Trumbull and presumably filed with the U.S. circuit court, as indicated in William Clayton’s copy of Trumbull’s 31 December 1842 certification. Trumbull evidently copied the requisition and Lilburn W. Boggs’s 20 July 1842 affidavit in conjunction with Thomas Ford’s 31 December 1842 warrant in preparation for JS’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus. (Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842, William Clayton Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].)


  • 31 Dec. 1842; in Transcript of Proceedings, [5], [7], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of William Clayton.
    4

    Clayton copied the requisition and Lilburn W. Boggs’s 20 July 1842 affidavit on opposite sides of a single page, along with a 31 December 1842 certification by Lyman Trumbull on a separate page. Clayton’s version was apparently copied from Trumbull’s 31 December 1842 version and repurposed for inclusion in the 6 January 1843 transcript of proceedings. (See also JS, Journal, 31 Dec. 1842.)


  • 19 Jan. 1843; in Trial Report, Sangamo Journal, (Springfield, IL), 19 Jan. 1843, [1].
  • 1847; in Trial Report, McLean, Reports of Cases Argued and Decided in the Circuit Court of the United States, 3:123.

August (1)

20 August 1842

Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, Jefferson City, Cole Co., MO, to John Chambers, Burlington, Des Moines County, Iowa Territory

  • 20 Aug. 1842. Not extant.
    1

    See State of Missouri, Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division, Register of Civil Proceedings, vol. A, p. 175.


    Comprehensive Works Cited

    Missouri, State of. Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division. Register of Civil Proceedings, 1837–1971. MSA.

September (1)

19 September 1842

Thomas Reynolds, Memorandum of Proclamation, Jefferson City, Cole Co., MO

  • 19 Sept. 1842; State of Missouri, Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division, Register of Civil Proceedings, vol. A, p. 185, MSA; unidentified handwriting.
 
State of Illinois, Office of the Governor

1842 (5)

August (1)

2 August 1842

Thomas Carlin, Warrant, to Thomas King, for JS, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 2 Aug. 1842. Not extant.
  • 8 Aug. 1842; in JS, Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, 8 Aug. 1842, JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of Sylvester Emmons and William Clayton.
  • Ca. 9 Aug. 1842; Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; handwriting of James Sloan; docket in handwriting of William W. Phelps.
    1

    This version of the warrant may have been created to support JS’s 9 August 1842 petition to the Hancock County Circuit Court for a writ of habeas corpus. (JS, Journal, 9 Aug. 1842.)


September (1)

20 September 1842

Thomas Carlin, Proclamation, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL
1

In addition to the versions featured in the calendar, the proclamation was published in the Sangamo Journal. (“Four Hundred Dollars Reward!,” Sangamo Journal [Springfield, IL], 30 Sept. 1842, [3].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

  • 20 Sept. 1842. Not extant.
  • 30 Sept. 1842; Illinois Register (Springfield), vol. 7, no. 32 (new series vol. 4, no. 9), 30 Sept. 1842, [3].
  • 26 Dec. 1842; in JS, Petition to Chauncey Robison, 26 Dec. 1842, draft, JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of William Clayton.
  • 26 Dec. 1842; in JS, Petition to Chauncey Robison, 26 Dec. 1842, microfilm in reel 25 of Wilford C. Wood, Collection of Church Historical Materials, CHL; handwriting of William Clayton.

December (3)

14 December 1842

Justin Butterfield, Petition, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL, to Thomas Ford, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 14 Dec. 1842. Not extant.
    1

    See JS, Journal, 14 Dec. 1842.


31 December 1842

JS, Petition, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL, to Thomas Ford, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 31 Dec. 1842; JS Extradition Records, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, Springfield, IL; handwriting of Justin Butterfield; signature of JS; docket and notation in unidentified handwriting; endorsement in handwriting of Justin Butterfield and Thomas Ford.
  • 6 Jan. 1843; JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of Lyman Trumbull; certified by Lyman Trumbull; docket and notation in handwriting of Lyman Trumbull.
31 December 1842

Thomas Ford, Warrant, to Sangamon Co. Sheriff, for JS, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL
1

In addition to the versions featured in the calendar, the warrant was published in the Times and Seasons. Willard Richards also created a copy on circa 31 December 1842. (Warrant, 31 Dec. 1842, in Times and Seasons, 16 Jan. 1843, 4:65–66; Warrant, 31 December 1842, Willard Richards Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault] .)


Comprehensive Works Cited

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

  • 31 Dec. 1842; JS Extradition Records, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, Springfield, IL; handwriting of William Trumbull; signatures of Thomas Ford, Lyman Trumbull, and William F. Elkin; notation probably in handwriting of William F. Elkin.
  • 31 Dec. 1842; in Transcript of Proceedings, [3]–[4], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of William Clayton.
    2

    This version was copied by William Clayton and apparently repurposed for inclusion in the 6 January 1843 Transcript of Proceedings.


  • 19 Jan. 1843; in Trial Report, Sangamo Journal, (Springfield, IL), 19 Jan. 1843, [1].
  • 1847; in Trial Report, McLean, Reports of Cases Argued and Decided in the Circuit Court of the United States, 3:123–124.
 
Iowa Territory, Office of the Governor

1842 (1)

September (1)

Ca. 1 September 1842

John Chambers, Warrant, for JS, Burlington, Des Moines County, Iowa Territory

  • Ca. 1 Sept. 1842. Not extant.
    1

    John Chambers, Burlington, Iowa Territory, to John Cowan, 10 Mar. 1843, JS Office Papers, CHL.


 
Nauvoo, Hancock Co., Illinois, Municipal Court

1842 (3)

August (3)

8 August 1842

JS, Petition, Nauvoo, Hancock Co., IL, to Nauvoo Municipal Court

  • 8 Aug. 1842; JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of Sylvester Emmons and William Clayton; signature of JS; docket in handwriting of James Sloan.
8 August 1842

Orson Spencer and Others, Habeas Corpus, to Thomas King, Nauvoo, Hancock Co., IL

  • 8 Aug. 1842; Collection of Manuscripts about Mormons, 1832–1954, Chicago History Museum; handwriting of Sylvester Emmons; signatures of Orson Spencer, George W. Harris, William Marks, Newel K. Whitney, and Gustavus Hills; certified by James Sloan; docket in handwriting of Sylvester Emmons.
  • 8 Aug. 1842; Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; handwriting of John Taylor and James Sloan; notation and docket in handwriting of James Sloan.
Ca. 8 August 1842

Docket Entry, Nauvoo, Hancock Co., IL

  • Ca. 8 Aug. 1842; Nauvoo Municipal Court Docket Book, 6, CHL; handwriting of James Sloan.
 
Hancock Co., Illinois, Circuit Court

1842 (3)

August (2)

9 August 1842

JS, Petition, Nauvoo, Hancock Co., IL, to Chauncey Robison, Carthage, Hancock Co., IL

  • 9 Aug. 1842. Not extant.
    1

    See JS, Journal, 9 Aug. 1842. In the absence of a circuit court judge, Illinois law authorized masters in chancery to receive petitions for writs of habeas corpus. (An Act to Provide for Issuing Writs of Ne Exeat and Habeas Corpus, and for Other Purposes [11 Feb. 1835], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1834–1837], p. 145, sec. 2; see also Petition to Chauncey Robison, 26 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].)


    Comprehensive Works Cited

    The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.

10 August 1842

Jacob Davis, Habeas Corpus, to Thomas King, Carthage, Hancock Co., IL

  • 10 Aug. 1842; JS Materials, CCLA; handwriting of M. Avise; docket in handwriting of M. Avise.
  • Ca. 10 Aug. 1842; Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; handwriting of James Sloan; docket and notation in handwriting of James Sloan.

December (1)

26 December 1842

JS, Petition, Nauvoo, Hancock Co., IL, to Chauncey Robison, Carthage, Hancock Co., IL

  • 26 Dec. 1842; JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of William Clayton; signature of JS; docket in handwriting of William Clayton.
  • 26 Dec. 1842; microfilm in reel 25 of Wilford C. Wood, Collection of Church Historical Materials, CHL; handwriting of William Clayton; signature of JS; endorsement in handwriting of Chauncey Robison.
 
United States Circuit Court for the District of Illinois

1842 (5)

December (5)

31 December 1842

JS, Petition, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL, to the United States Circuit Court for the District of Illinois

  • 31 Dec. 1842. Not extant.
    1

    Although the original petition is not extant, later versions indicate that copies of Thomas Ford’s 31 December 1842 warrant, Thomas Reynolds’s 22 July 1842 requisition, and Lilburn W. Boggs’s 20 July 1842 affidavit were attached to the petition. (Petition to the United States Circuit Court for the District of Illinois, 31 Dec. 1842, William Clayton Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Petition to the United States Circuit Court for the District of Illinois, 31 Dec. 1842, Willard Richards Copy, [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].)


  • Ca. 31 Dec. 1842; JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of Willard Richards; docket and notations in handwriting of Willard Richards.
  • 6 Jan. 1843; in Transcript of Proceedings, [1]–[2], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of William Clayton.
31 December 1842

Docket Entry, Petition and Order for Habeas Corpus, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 31 Dec. 1842. Not extant.
    1

    Based on the 6 January 1843 copy, the original text appears to have been initially inscribed in a docket entry recounting the legal process for the day, although no docket book is extant.


  • 6 Jan. 1843; in Transcript of Proceedings, [9], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of James Owings.
31 December 1842

James Owings, Habeas Corpus, to William F. Elkin and Wilson Law, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 31 Dec. 1842. Not extant.
  • Ca. 31 Dec. 1842; JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of Willard Richards; docket and notations in handwriting of Willard Richards.
  • 6 Jan. 1843; in Transcript of Proceedings, [11]–[12], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of William Clayton.
31 December 1842

Docket Entry, Return of Habeas Corpus, Bond, and Order, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 31 Dec. 1842. Not extant.
    1

    Based on the 6 January 1843 copy, the original text appears to have been initially inscribed in a docket entry recounting the legal process for the day, although no docket book is extant.


  • 6 Jan. 1843; in Transcript of Proceedings, [13], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of James Owings.
31 December 1842

United States Circuit Court for the District of Illinois, Order, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL
1

The language used in this order apparently originated in a docket entry from that day. (Docket Entry, Return of Habeas Corpus, Bond, and Order, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].)


  • 31 Dec. 1842; in Transcript of Proceedings, [15]–[16], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of James Owings; docket in handwriting of James Owings; notation in handwriting of James Owings with signature presumably of William Prentiss; notation presumably in handwriting of William Prentiss.
    2

    While Sheriff William Prentiss’s signature and notation suggest this version may have been the original order, it is also possible this was a copy that Prentiss signed. This version was apparently repurposed for inclusion in the 6 January 1843 transcript of proceedings.


  • 31 Dec. 1842; JS Extradition Records, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, Springfield, IL; handwriting of James Owings; notation in handwriting of Thomas Ford; docket in unidentified handwriting.
    3

    Although the court instructed that a copy of the order be delivered to both Illinois governor Thomas Ford and attorney general Josiah Lamborn, Sheriff William Prentiss’s return notation indicates he delivered a single copy. It is unclear if a copy was made and delivered to Lamborn, in addition to this copy containing Ford’s notation. (Order, 31 Dec. 1842, [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].)


1843 (12)

January (12)

Ca. 1 January 1843

Josiah Lamborn, Motion, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • Ca. 1. Jan. 1843. Not extant.
    1

    See Docket Entry, Affidavit, Motion, and Continuance, 2 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].


2 January 1843

JS, Affidavit, before James Owings, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL
1

In addition to the versions featured in the calendar, Willard Richards created a copy on circa 2 January 1843. (Affidavit, 2 Jan. 1843, Willard Richards Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].)


  • 2 Jan. 1843. Not extant.
  • 6 Jan. 1843; in Transcript of Proceedings, [19], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of William Clayton.
2 January 1843

Docket Entry, Affidavit, Motion, and Continuance, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 2 Jan. 1843. Not extant.
    1

    Based on the 6 January 1843 copy, the original text appears to have been initially inscribed in a docket entry recounting the legal process for the day, although no docket book is extant.


  • 6 Jan. 1843; in Transcript of Proceedings, [21], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of James Owings.
Ca. 3 January 1843

Josiah Lamborn, Motion, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • Ca. 3 Jan. 1843. Not extant.
  • 6 Jan. 1843; in Transcript of Proceedings, [23], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of Willard Richards.
  • 19 Jan. 1843; in Trial Report, Sangamo Journal, (Springfield, IL), 19 Jan. 1843, [1].
  • 1847; in Trial Report, McLean, Reports of Cases Argued and Decided in the Circuit Court of the United States, 3:124.
4 January 1843

Docket Entry, Motion, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 4 Jan. 1843. Not extant.
    1

    Based on the 6 January 1843 copy, the original text appears to have been initially inscribed in a docket entry recounting the legal process for the day, although no docket book is extant.


  • 6 Jan. 1843; in Transcript of Proceedings, [25], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of Willard Richards.
4 January 1843

Wilson Law and Others, Affidavit, before James Owings, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL
1

In addition to the versions featured on the calendar, Justin Butterfield created a version—possibly an early draft—on circa 4 January 1843. (Wilson Law and Others, Affidavit, 4 Jan. 1843, Justin Butterfield Copy [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].)


  • 4 Jan. 1843. Not extant.
  • 4 Jan. 1843; in Transcript of Proceedings, [29]–[30], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of Willard Richards; certified by James Owings.
    2

    This appears to be an early version—possibly a draft—of the affidavit created by Willard Richards and subsequently filed with circuit court clerk James Owings. It was apparently repurposed for inclusion in the 6 January 1843 transcript of proceedings. It is unclear if an additional version was created and filed with Owings.


4 January 1843

Jacob B. Backenstos and Stephen A. Douglas, Affidavit, before James Owings, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 4 Jan. 1843. Not extant.
  • 6 Jan. 1843; in Transcript of Proceedings, [27]–[28], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of William Clayton.
5 January 1843

Nathaniel Pope, Decision, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 5 Jan. 1843. Not extant.
    1

    This represents the version of Nathaniel Pope’s decision that he read to the court on 5 January 1843. No manuscript version of the decision has been located, although Willard Richards sought to capture Pope’s ruling in rough notes in JS’s journal. Later that day, Richards, evidently with the assistance of John Taylor and William Clayton, expanded his notes into a full-length version, which he shared with Pope on 6 January. Richards retained a copy of the full-length version. There is no textual evidence that Pope utilized this version when he prepared the formal trial report. (JS, Journal, 5 January 1843; Decision, as Reported by Willard Richards, 5 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Decision, as Reported by John Taylor and Others, 5 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].)


5 January 1843

Docket Entry, Motion Overruled and Discharge, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 5 Jan. 1843. Not extant.
    1

    Based on the 6 January 1843 copy, the original text appears to have been initially inscribed in a docket entry recounting the legal process for the day, although no docket book is extant.


  • 6 Jan. 1843; in Transcript of Proceedings, [31], JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of Willard Richards.
5–19 January 1843

Trial Report, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL
1

In addition to the versions featured in the calendar, the trial report was published in the Wasp, Times and Seasons, and Alton Telegraph and Democratic Review. (Trial Report, in Wasp, 28 Jan. 1843, [1]–[2]; Trial Report, in Times and Seasons, 16 Jan. 1843, 4:65–71; Trial Report, in Alton [IL] Telegraph and Democratic Review, 4 Feb. 1843, [1].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

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

Alton Telegraph and Democratic Review. Alton, IL. 1841–1850.

  • 5–19 Jan. 1843. Not extant.
  • 19 Jan. 1843; Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 19 Jan. 1843, [1].
  • 1847; in McLean, Reports of Cases Argued and Decided in the Circuit Court of the United States, 3:121–139.
6 January 1843

Thomas Ford, Order, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 6 Jan. 1843; JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of Thomas Ford.
6 January 1843

Transcript of Proceedings, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL

  • 6 Jan. 1843; JS Collection, CHL; handwriting of William Clayton, James Owings, and Willard Richards; certified by James Owings.
    1

    Owings, Clayton, and Richards apparently compiled the transcript of proceedings by collecting copies of documents already in their possession and copying additional documents as needed. In a couple of instances, it is unclear if the documents included are original documents or copies. Owings and Clayton inscribed transition text connecting all the documents to create a cohesive transcript of proceedings.


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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Introduction to Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault
ID #
18089
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page

    Footnotes

    1. [1]

      Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

    2. [2]

      Documents, Volume 6, Introduction to Part 3: 4 Nov. 1838–16 Apr. 1839; Introduction to State of Missouri v. Gates et al. for Treason.

    3. [3]

      Introduction to Extradition of JS et al. for Treason and Other Crimes; “Habeas Corpus,” in Bouvier, Law Dictionary, 1:454; Kent, Commentaries on American Law, 2:25–31; Walker, “Habeas Corpus in Early Nineteenth-Century Mormonism,” 5–97.

      Bouvier, John. A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America, and of the Several States of the American Union; with References to the Civil and Other Systems of Foreign Law. 2 vols. Philadelphia: T. and J. W. Johnson, 1839.

      Kent, James. Commentaries on American Law. 4th ed. Vol. 2. New York: By the author, 1840.

      Walker, Jeffrey N. “Habeas Corpus in Early Nineteenth-Century Mormonism: Joseph Smith’s Legal Bulwark for Personal Freedom.” BYU Studies 52, no. 1 (2013): 4–97.

    4. [4]

      “A Foul Deed,” Daily Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 12 May 1842, [2]; “Governor Boggs,” Jeffersonian Republican (Jefferson City, MO), 14 May 1842, [2].

      Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

      Jeffersonian Republican. Jefferson City, MO. 1831–1844.

    5. [5]

      David Kilbourne, Montrose, Iowa Territory, to Thomas Reynolds, Jefferson City, MO, 14 May 1842, Records of Governor Thomas Reynolds, 1840–1844, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City; McLaws, “Attempted Assassination of Missouri’s Ex-Governor, Lilburn W. Boggs,” 50–56; Woodruff, Journal, 15 May 1842; Letter to Sylvester Bartlett, 22 May 1842, in JSP, D10:89–92; “Assassination of Ex-Governor Boggs of Missouri,” Quincy (IL) Whig, 21 May 1842, [3]; see also “Introduction to Part 2: June 1842,” in JSP, D10:113–115; and Letter to Thomas Carlin, 24 June 1842. A “Mr. Childs,” who had reportedly quarreled with Boggs prior to the shooting, was also briefly identified as a suspect. (James H. Hunt, Knoxville, MO, to Nathan Daggett, Kirtland, OH, 16 July 1842, typescript, Daggett Papers, Lake County Historical Society, Mormon Related Archives, CHL.)

      Missouri, State of. Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division. Register of Civil Proceedings, 1837–1971. MSA.

      McLaws, Monte B. “The Attempted Assassination of Missouri’s Ex-Governor, Lilburn W. Boggs.” Missouri Historical Review 60, no. 1 (Oct. 1965): 50–62.

      Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

      JSP, D10 / Kuehn, Elizabeth A., Jordan T. Watkins, Matthew C. Godfrey, and Mason K. Allred, eds. Documents, Volume 10: May–August 1842. Vol. 10 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2020.

      Quincy Daily Whig. Quincy, IL. 1875–1893.

      Lake County Historical Society. Mormon Related Archives, 1791–1902. CHL.

    6. [6]

      Minutes, 19 May 1842; Mayor’s Order to City Watch, 20 May 1842; Letter to Thomas Carlin, 24 June 1842; Letter from Thomas Carlin, 30 June 1842; Ordinance, 5 July 1842; Nauvoo Female Relief Society, Petition to Thomas Carlin, ca. 22 July 1842, in Derr et al., First Fifty Years of Relief Society, 136–141; Snow, Journal, 29 July 1842.

      Derr, Jill Mulvay, Carol Cornwall Madsen, Kate Holbrook, and Matthew J. Grow, eds. The First Fifty Years of Relief Society: Key Documents in Latter-day Saint Women’s History. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2016.

      Snow, Eliza R. Journal, 1842–1844. CHL. MS 1439.

    7. [7]

      Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, 16 Dec. 1840. An 1827 Illinois statute authorized only the circuit courts and the state supreme court to issue writs of habeas corpus to prisoners accused of violating state law. (An Act Regulating the Proceeding on Writs of Habeas Corpus [22 Jan. 1827], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1834–1837], pp. 322–323, sec. 1.)

      The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.

    8. [8]

      Ordinance, 5 July 1842.

    9. [9]

      John C. Bennett, Carthage, IL, 2 July 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 15 July 1842, [2]; John C. Bennett, Carthage, IL, 4 July 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal, 15 July 1842, [2]; John C. Bennett, St. Louis, MO, 13 July 1842, Letter to the Editor, Bulletin (St. Louis), 14 July 1842, [2]; John C. Bennett, St. Louis, MO, 15 July 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal, 22 July 1842, [2]; see also L. B. Fleak, Keokuk, Iowa Territory, to Thomas Reynolds, Jefferson City, MO, 12 July 1842, Records of Governor Thomas Reynolds, 1840–1844, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City.

      Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

      Bulletin. St. Louis. 1842–1843.

      Missouri, State of. Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division. Register of Civil Proceedings, 1837–1971. MSA.

    10. [10]

      Affidavit, 20 July 1842 [Extradition of Rockwell for Assault]; Lilburn W. Boggs, Affidavit, 20 July 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; see also L. B. Fleak, Keokuk, Iowa Territory, to Thomas Reynolds, Jefferson City, MO, 12 July 1842, Records of Governor Thomas Reynolds, 1840–1844, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City. Missouri law stated: “Every person who shall, on purpose, and of malice aforethought, shoot at or stab another, or assault or beat another with a deadly weapon, or by any other means or force, likely to produce death or great bodily harm, with intent to kill, maim, ravish, or rob such person, or in the attempt to commit any burglary, or other felony, or in resisting the execution of any legal process, shall be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary not exceeding ten years.” Missouri law also provided that every person who “shall be an accessary to any murder or other felony, before the fact, shall, upon conviction, be adjudged guilty of the offence in the same degree, and be punished in the same manner, as herein prescribed with respect to the principal in the first degree.” (An Act concerning Crimes and Their Punishments [20 Mar. 1835], Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri [1834–1835], p. 171, art. 2, sec. 31; p. 212; art. 9, sec. 5; see also “Accessary,” in Bouvier, Law Dictionary, 1:36.)

      Missouri, State of. Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division. Register of Civil Proceedings, 1837–1971. MSA.

      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.

      Bouvier, John. A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America, and of the Several States of the American Union; with References to the Civil and Other Systems of Foreign Law. 2 vols. Philadelphia: T. and J. W. Johnson, 1839.

    11. [11]

      Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Thomas Carlin, Proclamation, 20 Sept. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]. The U.S. Constitution states that “a Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.” In 1793, Congress passed a statute that enacted this provision and specified that the requisition—the document requesting the extradition—should be accompanied by either an affidavit or an indictment specifying the charge. (U.S. Constitution, art. 4, sec. 2; An Act respecting Fugitives from Justice, and Persons Escaping from the Service of Their Masters [12 Feb. 1793], Public Statutes at Large, 2nd Cong., 2nd Sess., chap. 7, p. 302.)

      The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America, from the Organization of the Government in 1789, to March 3, 1845. . . . Edited by Richard Peters. 8 vols. Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1846–1867.

    12. [12]

      Reynolds’s requisition was summarized in Illinois governor Thomas Carlin’s 20 September 1842 proclamation, which offered a $200 award for Rockwell’s apprehension. (Thomas Carlin, Proclamation, 20 Sept. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].)

    13. [13]

      Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

    14. [14]

      Warrant, 2 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Warrant, 2 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of Rockwell for Assault]. Illinois law required the governor to issue an arrest warrant when requested to do so by a governor of another state who had “complied with the requisitions of the act of congress” relating to fugitives from justice. (An Act concerning Fugitives from Justice [6 Jan. 1827], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1834–1837], p. 318, sec. 1.)

      The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.

    15. [15]

      JS, Journal, 8 Aug. 1842; Docket Entry, ca. 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

    16. [16]

      Thomas Reynolds, Requisition, 22 July 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; JS, Journal, 8 Aug. 1842.

    17. [17]

      Petition to Nauvoo Municipal Court, 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

    18. [18]

      Petition, 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of Rockwell for Assault]. Contrary to this claim, Rockwell was evidently in the area of Independence at the time of the shooting to be with his wife, Luana Hart Beebe Rockwell, when she gave birth to their daughter Sarah Jane Rockwell on 25 March 1842. The Rockwells were likely staying with Luana’s brother Isaac Beebe in Independence. Rockwell reportedly later claimed that “he could prove that he was seven miles north of Independence on the night that Governor Boggs was shot.” (Jorgensen and Leary, “Luana Hart Beebe,” 126; Joseph O. Boggs, Independence, MO, to John C. Bennett, 12 Sept. 1842, in Bennett, History of the Saints, 286.)

      Jorgensen, Danny L., and Andrew Leary. “Luana Hart Beebe (1814–1897): A Biographical Sketch of a Remarkable Early Latter-day Saint.” Journal of Mormon History 42, no. 3 (July 2016): 120–154.

      Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

    19. [19]

      An Act Regulating the Proceeding on Writs of Habeas Corpus [22 Jan. 1827], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1834–1837], p. 323, sec. 2.

      The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.

    20. [20]

      Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 8 Aug. 1842, 98; see also Historical Introduction to Petition to Nauvoo Municipal Court, 8 Aug. 1842, in JSP, D10:356–358.

      JSP, D10 / Kuehn, Elizabeth A., Jordan T. Watkins, Matthew C. Godfrey, and Mason K. Allred, eds. Documents, Volume 10: May–August 1842. Vol. 10 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2020.

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      Docket Entry, ca. 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 8 Aug. 1842, 99; see also Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo, 16 Dec. 1840, sec. 17.

    22. [22]

      Docket Entry, ca. 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

    23. [23]

      Habeas Corpus, 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Habeas Corpus, 8 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of Rockwell for Assault].

    24. [24]

      JS, Journal, 8 Aug. 1842.

    25. [25]

      JS, Journal, 9 Aug. 1842.

    26. [26]

      Habeas Corpus, 10 Aug. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

    27. [27]

      JS, Journal, 10–11 Aug. 1842, and 7 Oct. 1842; “Joseph Smith Documents from September 1842 through February 1843,” in JSP, D11:xix–xx; Letter to John M. Bernhisel, 7 Sept. 1842; Letter from Sybella McMinn Armstrong and Orrin Porter Rockwell, 1 Dec. 1842.

      JSP, D11 / McBride, Spencer W., Jeffrey D. Mahas, Brett D. Dowdle, and Tyson Reeder, eds. Documents, Volume 11: September 1842–February 1843. Vol. 11 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2020.

    28. [28]

      State of Missouri, Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division, Register of Civil Proceedings, vol. A, p. 175; John Chambers, Burlington, Iowa Territory, to John Cowan, 10 Mar. 1843, JS Office Papers, CHL.

      Missouri, State of. Office of the Secretary of State, Commissions Division. Register of Civil Proceedings, 1837–1971. MSA.

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      Letter, Emma Smith to Thomas Carlin, 16 Aug. 1842; Letter, Thomas Carlin to Emma Smith, 24 Aug. 1842; Letter, Emma Smith to Thomas Carlin, 27 Aug. 1842; Letter, Thomas Carlin to Emma Smith, 7 Sept. 1842.

    30. [30]

      Reynolds had issued a proclamation on 11 May 1842 offering $300 for the apprehension of the unknown shooter. On 19 September, he issued a memorandum amending the initial proclamation by naming JS and Rockwell and offering $300 for the capture of either man. (Proclamation, 11 May 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Memorandum of Proclamation, 19 September 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; An Act to Regulate Proceedings in Criminal Cases [21 Mar. 1835], Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri [1834–1835], p. 502, art. 9, sec. 20).

      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.

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      Thomas Carlin, Proclamation, 20 Sept. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; An Act concerning Fugitives from Justice [6 Jan. 1827], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1834–1837], p. 320, sec. 8.

      The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.

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      “Gov. Ford’s Inaugural Address,” Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 15 Dec. 1842, [1].

      Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

    33. [33]

      JS, Journal, 9–20 Dec. 1842; Clayton, Journal, 9–20 Dec. 1842; Letter, Justin Butterfield to Sidney Rigdon, 20 October 1842; Letter from Thomas Ford, 17 Dec. 1842; Letter from Justin Butterfield, 17 Dec. 1842; see also Letter from James Adams, 17 Dec. 1842.

      Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

    34. [34]

      Clayton, Journal, 26 Dec. 1842; see also Petition to Chauncey Robison, 26 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

      Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

    35. [35]

      JS, Journal, 27–30 Dec. 1842.

    36. [36]

      JS, Journal, 31 Dec. 1842; Petition to Thomas Ford, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Warrant, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

    37. [37]

      Petition to the United States Circuit Court for the District of Illinois, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

    38. [38]

      Roger Taney, chief justice of the United States, was also present during the proceedings. Federal statute granted U.S. courts the right to issue writs of habeas corpus in cases where a person was imprisoned “under or by colour of the authority of the United States.” (Habeas Corpus, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Docket Entry, Petition and Order for Habeas Corpus, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; An Act to Establish the Judicial Courts of the United States [24 Sept. 1789], Public Statutes at Large, 1st Cong., 1st Sess., vol. 1, chap. 20, p. 82, sec. 14.)

      The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America, from the Organization of the Government in 1789, to March 3, 1845. . . . Edited by Richard Peters. 8 vols. Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1846–1867.

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      Docket Entry, Return of Habeas Corpus, Bond, and Order, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; JS, Journal, 31 Dec. 1842; Order, 31 Dec. 1842 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

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      Affidavit, 2 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; JS, Journal, 2 Jan. 1843; Transcript of Proceedings, 6 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Docket Entry, Affidavit, Motion, and Continuance, 2 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

    41. [41]

      Wilson Law and Others, Affidavit, 4 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Jacob B. Backenstos and Stephen A. Douglas, Affidavit, 4 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Transcript of Proceedings, 6 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; JS, Journal, 4 Jan. 1843.

    42. [42]

      Motion, ca. 3 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]. Lamborn contended that Carlin had acted under an 1827 Illinois statute. (JS, Journal, 4 Jan. 1843; An Act concerning Fugitives from Justice [6 Jan. 1827], Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois [1834–1837], pp. 318–320.)

      The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois: Containing All the Laws . . . Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their First Session, Commencing December 1, 1834, and Ending February 13, 1835; and at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and Ending January 18, 1836; and Those Passed by the Tenth General Assembly, at Their Session Commencing December 5, 1836, and Ending March 6, 1837; and at Their Special Session, Commencing July 10, and Ending July 22, 1837. . . . Compiled by Jonathan Young Scammon. Chicago: Stephen F. Gale, 1839.

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      JS, Journal, 4 Jan. 1843.

    44. [44]

      Docket Entry, Motion Denied and Discharge, 5 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Trial Report, 5–19 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

    45. [45]

      Decision, as Reported by Willard Richards, 5 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; JS, Journal, 5 Jan. 1843.

    46. [46]

      JS, Journal, 6 Jan. 1843.

    47. [47]

      JS, Journal, 6 Jan. 1843; Clayton, Journal, 6 Jan. 1843.

      Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

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      Thomas Ford, Order, 6 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Clayton, Journal, 6 Jan. 1843.

      Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

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      While passing through St. Louis in March 1843, Rockwell was recognized and arrested. A grand jury in Jackson County found insufficient evidence to indict him for shooting Boggs, but he was indicted for attempting to escape from jail. He subsequently received a change of venue to Clay County, Missouri, where a jury found him guilty of the escape attempt but sentenced him to only five minutes in jail. After his release, he arrived in Nauvoo on 25 December 1843. (“Orrin Porter Rockwell,” Daily Missouri Republican [St. Louis], 6 Mar. 1843, [3]; JS History, vol. E-1, 1827–1829; Transcript of Proceedings, 18 Nov. 1843 [Extradition of Rockwell for Assault]; JS, Journal, 25 Dec. 1843.)

      Daily Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1869.

    50. [50]

      Trial Report, 5–19 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault].

    51. [51]

      Trial Report, in Times and Seasons, 16 Jan. 1843, 4:65–71; Trial Report, in Wasp, 28 Jan. 1843, [1]–[2]; Trial Report, in Alton (IL) Telegraph and Democratic Review, 4 Feb. 1843, [1]. JS asked Pope on 6 January 1843 if the Nauvoo Wasp could have the first opportunity to publish the trial report, but the judge replied that he intended to give it first to the Sangamo Journal, which published it in its 19 January 1843 issue. Although the Times and Seasons published the trial report in its 16 January 1843 issue, the paper at that time was evidently behind schedule by two weeks or more. When the Wasp published the trial report in its 28 January 1843 issue, it cited the Sangamo Journal, not the Times and Seasons, as its source. (JS, Journal, 6 Jan. 1843; Woodruff, Journal, 2 Jan. 1843; “The Release of Gen. Joseph Smith,” Times and Seasons, 2 Jan. 1843, 4:59; “The Release of Gen. Joseph Smith,” 14 Jan. 1843 [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; Editorial, Wasp, 28 Jan. 1843, [3]; see also “Sacred Hymns,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1843, 4:95.)

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

      The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

      Alton Telegraph and Democratic Review. Alton, IL. 1841–1850.

      Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

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      See, for example, “Ex Parte Joseph Smith—the Mormon Prophet,” 57–67; Trial Report, 5–19 Jan. 1843, as Published in Reports [Extradition of JS for Accessory to Assault]; West, Federal Cases, 22:373–380; and Moore, Treatise on Extradition, 2:878–882, 938.

      “Ex Parte Joseph Smith—the Mormon Prophet” / “Circuit Court of the United States, Illinois, January, 1843. Before the Honorable Nathaniel Pope, District Judge. Ex Parte Joseph Smith—the Mormon Prophet.” The Law Reporter 6 (June 1843): 57–67.

      The Federal Cases Comprising Cases Argued and Determined in the Circuit and District Courts of the United States from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Federal Reporter. Arranged Alphabetically by the Titles of the Cases, and Numbered Consecutively. Vol. 8. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing, 1895.

      Moore, John Bassett. A Treatise on Extradition and Interstate Rendition. With Appendices Containing the Treaties and Statutes Relating to Extradition; the Treaties Relating to the Desertion of Seamen; and the Statutes, Rules of Practice, and Forms, in Force in the Several States and Territories, Relating to Interstate Rendition. Vol. 2. Boston: Boston Book Company, 1891.

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