religious prejudice were easily instigated to <see s account> join the anti-Mormons and embark in any crusade that might be undertaken against the Mormons; hence their ranks swelled in numbers, and new organizations were formed; meetings were held, resolutions passed, and men and means voluntered for the extirpation of the Mormons. <The following from is corroboration of the above:> <II> In the mean time legal proceedings were instututed against the members of the City Council of . A writ was issued upon the affidavit of the Laws, , Higbees and , by of a Justice of the Peace in , the County Seat of , and put into the hands of one a Constable of the same place. In this writ the City Council were charged with (see writ and proceedings as published).
The Council refused not to attend to the legal proceedings in the case; but as the law of made it the privilege of the persons accused to go, “or appear before the issuer of the writ, or any other Justice of the Peace.” They requested to be taken before another magistrate, either in the City of , or at any reasonable distance out of it. This the , who was a mobocrat, refused to do, and as this was our legal privilege we refused to be dragged contrary to Law, a distance of eighteen miles, when at the same time we had reason to believe that an organized band of Mobocrats were assembled for the purpose of extermination [p. 12]