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Letter of Introduction to Nathaniel Pope for Jeremiah Smith and Henry T. Hugins, 30 May 1844

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Letter of Introduction to Nathaniel Pope for Jeremiah Smith and Henry T. Hugins, 30 May 1844

Source Note

JS, Letter of Introduction, , Hancock Co., IL, to , [, Sangamon Co., IL], for and , 30 May 1844. Featured version drafted 30 May 1844; handwriting of ; one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes redactions, use marks, dockets, and notation.
Single leaf measuring 9⅝ × 7¾ inches (24 × 20 cm). The recto is ruled with approximately twenty-seven horizontal lines (now faded), and the verso is similarly ruled with approximately twenty-nine lines (now faded). The top, right, and bottom edges of the recto have the square cut of manufactured paper, whereas the left edge is uneven, which suggests it was torn or hand cut from a book or larger sheet. The document was first folded to pocket size and later trifolded. The document has undergone conservation.
A docket and filing notation were inscribed on the document by , who served as a clerk for JS in 1844. The document was also docketed by , who served as JS’s scribe from 1843 to 1844 and as clerk to the church historian and recorder from 1845 to 1865. By 1973 it had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL). The letter’s early dockets and notation and its later inclusion in the JS Collection suggest continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. See JS History, vol. F-1, 133; Nauvoo Registry of Deeds, Record of Deeds, bk. B, pp. 213–214; Source Note for Ordinance, 10 June 1844; and Source Note for Military Order to Jonathan Dunham, 10 June 1844.

  2. Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 456, 458; Woodruff, Journal, 22 Jan. 1865.

    Jessee, Dean C. “The Writing of Joseph Smith’s History.” BYU Studies 11 (Summer 1971): 439–473.

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

  3. See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 30 May 1844, JS composed a letter of introduction for and his attorney to , the judge of the District Court for . In fall 1843 Jeremiah Smith had been indicted by a federal grand jury for financial fraud. In February 1844 he was arrested and appeared before a federal judge in , who discharged him. The discharge did not function as an acquittal, however, and additional warrants were subsequently issued for Smith’s arrest. He eluded authorities and eventually traveled to , Illinois.
On 21 May 1844, issued a warrant for Smith’s arrest based on the testimony of —a physician from —who informed Pope that was in , Illinois. Hickok was deputized to execute the warrant, which he attempted to do on 29 May.
The next day, ’s attorneys, and , successfully petitioned the Municipal Court for a writ of . Around midday Smith appeared before the court for a hearing. , who was in attendance, informed the court that “he had a writ from , and should consider Smith his prisoner until he was compelled to give him up.” Later in the hearing, Hickok also “persisted in considering the authority under which he acted good and Sufficient.” Regardless, the Nauvoo Municipal Court, with JS presiding, discharged Smith from arrest. Afterward, Hickok requested a copy of the court’s proceedings, possibly to pursue a legal challenge to the court’s decision.
At some point on 30 May, possibly because of ’s statements, JS realized that would appear before in , Illinois, and would benefit from a letter of introduction. JS may have viewed Pope, who discharged JS from arrest after a habeas corpus hearing in January 1843, as a legal ally or at least as someone who would look favorably on JS’s acquaintances. In the letter, JS vouched for Smith’s and 's honor and subtly encouraged Pope to treat these men fairly. It is not known if JS dictated this letter to , clerk of the mayor’s court, or assigned Phelps to write it on his behalf. Phelps inscribed what is presumably a rough draft of the letter, given his edits to the text. A fair copy of this draft was likely given to Hugins or Smith to present to Pope. Smith left and traveled to Springfield under Hickok’s supervision, arriving on 5 June. Hugins left no earlier than 31 May, arriving in Springfield by 6 June. While the hearing was expected to happen on 7 June, it likely occurred around 12 June. Pope released Smith and ordered him to enter into a $5,000 that bound him to appear at the criminal court in during the October 1844 term. On 17 June, Hugins wrote to JS to inform him that Jeremiah Smith had safely returned to .
The fair copy of the letter has not been located. The draft is featured here.

Footnotes

  1. Historical Introduction to Docket Entry, 18–31 May 1844; Jordan, “Iowa’s Puzzling Jeremiah Smiths,” 368–375; John S. Dunlap, Certificate, Burlington, Iowa Territory, 21 May 1844, United States v. Jeremiah Smith (1st D. Iowa Terr., Des Moines Co. 1844), copy, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL.

    Jordan, Philip D. “Iowa’s Puzzling Jeremiah Smiths.” Annals of Iowa 45 (Summer 1980): 352–383.

  2. Nathaniel Pope, Warrant for Jeremiah Smith, Springfield, IL, 21 May 1844, United States v. Jeremiah Smith (D. Ill. 1844), copy, Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL; Historical Introduction to Docket Entry, 18–31 May 1844. Hickok was one of three individuals previously recruited to assist Thomas B. Johnson, a former United States marshal deputized to arrest Smith. Hickok had also been directed by Governor John Chambers of Iowa Territory to travel to Illinois and arrest Smith. (Charles B. Penrose, Washington DC, to Thomas B. Johnson, Iowa Territory, 16 Apr. 1844, Records of the Solicitor of the Treasury, Letters Sent, vol. 22, 4 May 1843–20 Sept. 1844, pp. 384–385; Isaac Leffler, Statement, Burlington, Iowa Territory, 19 Feb. 1846, Records of the Solicitor of the Treasury, Letters Received from U.S. Attorneys, Marshals, and Clerks of Court, Iowa, 4 July 1838–20 June 1849; Charles B. Penrose, Washington DC, to Luther Hickok, Burlington, Iowa Territory, 29 June 1844, Records of the Solicitor of the Treasury, Letters Sent, vol. 22, 4 May 1843–20 Sept. 1844, p. 456, in Territorial Papers of the United States, the Territory of Iowa, reel 30.)

    Territorial Papers of the United States, the Territory of Iowa, 1838–1846. National Archives Microfilm Publications, microcopy M325. 102 reels. Washington DC: National Ar- chives and Records Service, 1979.

  3. Docket Entry, 30–31 May 1844; JS, Journal, 30 May 1844. Smith had appeared before the court that morning for a separate habeas corpus hearing stemming from his arrest on 16 May 1844 by Constable James McCance. (See JS, Journal, 16 May 1844; and Docket Entry, 18–31 May 1844.)

  4. “Joseph Smith Documents from September 1842 through February 1843”; Editorial Note; see also Jubilee Songs, between 11 and 18 Jan. 1843.

  5. Letter from Luther Hickok, 6 June 1844; Letter from Henry T. Hugins, 6 June 1844; Affidavit from Henry T. Hugins, 31 May 1844.

  6. Letter from Henry T. Hugins, 6 June 1844; Charles B. Penrose, Washington DC, to Luther Hickok, Burlington, Iowa Territory, 29 June 1844, Records of the Solicitor of the Treasury, Letters Sent, vol. 22, 4 May 1843–20 Sept. 1844, p. 456; Charles B. Penrose, Washington DC, to Philip Fendall, Washington DC, 1 July 1844, Records of the Solicitor of the Treasury, Letters Sent, vol. 22, 4 May 1843–20 Sept. 1844, pp. 456–457; Charles B. Penrose, Washington DC, to Philip Fendall, Washington DC, 25 Oct. 1844, Records of the Solicitor of the Treasury, Letters Sent, vol. 22A, 15 May 1843–31 Dec. 1844, pp. 217–218; Seth Barton, Washington DC, to Robert Walker, 12 Mar. 1846, Records of the Solicitor of the Treasury, Letters Sent, vol. 25, 9 Sept. 1845–15 Apr. 1846, pp. 419–420, in Territorial Papers of the United States, the Territory of Iowa, reel 30; see also Editorial, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 13 June 1844, [2].

    Territorial Papers of the United States, the Territory of Iowa, 1838–1846. National Archives Microfilm Publications, microcopy M325. 102 reels. Washington DC: National Ar- chives and Records Service, 1979.

    Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

  7. Letter from Henry T. Hugins, 17 June 1844.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter of Introduction to Nathaniel Pope for Jeremiah Smith and Henry T. Hugins, 30 May 1844 History, 1838–1856, volume F-1 [1 May 1844–8 August 1844] “History of Joseph Smith”
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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter of Introduction to Nathaniel Pope for Jeremiah Smith and Henry T. Hugins, 30 May 1844
ID #
1374
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
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