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Sidney Rigdon, JS, et al., Petition Draft (“To the Publick”), circa 1838–1839

Source Note

, JS, et al., Petition Draft (“To the Publick”), ca. Sept. 1838–ca. Oct. 1839; handwriting of , , , , and two unidentified scribes; 112 inscribed pages with eight inserted slips of paper; JS Collection, CHL.

Historical Introduction

While incarcerated at , Missouri, in March 1839, JS addressed a letter to the church “at Illinois and scattered abroad and to in particular,” instructing the Saints to gather up “a knoledge of all the facts and sufferings and abuses put upon them by the people of this state.” Edward Partridge responded with an account that became the three opening installments of “A History, of the Persecution, of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in Missouri,” an eleven-part series published in the church’s newspaper, Times and Seasons, between December 1839 and October 1840. “A History, of the Persecution” receives comprehensive treatment in volume 2 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers and is available on this website.
may have intended to tell the entire story himself, but he fell ill shortly after publication of “A History, of the Persecution” began and died on 27 May 1840. Prompted by Partridge’s illness and subsequent death, the editors of the Times and Seasons, and , sought elsewhere for source materials to continue the series. It is probable that they composed the fourth installment to provide a brief transition from Partridge’s account, which ends in 1836, and the conflicts in and adjoining counties beginning in 1838. The fifth and seventh installments reprinted passages from ’s History of the Late Persecution Inflicted by the State of Missouri upon the Mormons (Detroit: Dawson and Bates, 1839). In May 1840, the sixth installment drew upon ’s eighty-four page pamphlet, An Appeal to the American People: Being an Account of the Persecutions of the Church of Latter Day Saints; and the Barbarities Inflicted on Them by the Inhabitants of the State of Missouri (Cincinnati: Glezan and Shepard, 1840), a draft of which is presented here. Though no author is named on the title page of the pamphlet, Rigdon was acknowledged as responsible for that publication when it was advertised in the Times and Seasons in 1840 and 1841. Also, much of this draft is in Rigdon’s hand. More of Rigdon’s work was reprinted in the eighth through tenth installments published from July to September 1840. The series concluded with an eleventh installment in the October 1840 issue, featuring General ’s callous speech to the Saints after their surrender at , Missouri, in November 1838.
The manuscript version of ’s Appeal to the American People presented here is referred to as the “petition draft” titled “To the Publick”. On 1 November 1839, Rigdon’s recently completed petition draft, endorsed by JS, Rigdon, and , was read to a conference of Saints in , Illinois, who then voted to approve its publication in the name of the church. and then collaborated to arrange for publication of the text in late 1839 and early 1840.
Although many of the events reported in ’s draft and pamphlet can be corroborated from other sources, his chronology is often inaccurate. (Consult the annotation in Histories, Volume 2 for corrections to portions published as part of “A History, of the Persecutions.”) However, his account contains the text of several significant documents. Among these are JS’s 5 September 1838 affidavit concerning his 7 August 1838 visit to and those of and and regarding the massacre. Consequently, though in many respects Rigdon’s document is more advocacy than history, it offers access to some material not readily found elsewhere.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge, 20 Mar. 1839 [D&C 123:1, 6].

  2. [2]

    Crawley, Descriptive Bibliography, 103–104.

    Crawley, Peter. A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church. 3 vols. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997–2012.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Statement, circa 1 November 1839–A

Page 10[a]

his arangements accordingly, having his banditta of ruffians <​sattelites​> the at the election. to aid him. in executing his purpose, in preventing the saints from voting. In the early part of the day, at the electioon, made a speech, the object of which was to so excite the indignation of the people, to such a degree, That he could get a sufficiency <​sufficient​> <​number​> to join the mob, so as to keep the saints from voting if they attempted it. In this speech he used the most abusive language that he was master of, denouncing the saints as in round terms, in a most ridiculous manner. Having his banditta <​party​> ready: at the end of the speeck, they began to throw out their threats, that none of the d—d—m G—d— d—d Mormons, to use their own language, should vote. These threatnings began to assume a very serious tone very soon. One kept exciting another, and drinking very freely till a man by the name of Richard Weldon, commonly called Dick Weldon, attackted a man by the name of , who was least <​least​> just able to <​be​> about after a very dangerous fit of sickness. He began to insult , in a most insolent manner, very mildly told him, that he did not wish to have any difficulty with him, or any any other person, the other swore that the mormons were no more fit vote, than the d—nd negroe niggers, and that he would knock him down, and made an attempt to strike him; a man by the name of , being near them, caught Weldon hard, and and kept him from striking . This was no sooner done, than was knocked [p. 10[a]]
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Page 10[a]

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Sidney Rigdon, JS, et al., Petition Draft (“To the Publick”), circa 1838–1839
ID #
7511
Total Pages
135
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Sidney Rigdon

Footnotes

  1. [4]

    This racial slur was commonly employed by white Americans by the nineteenth century to refer derogatorily to people of African descent. Black Americans strongly objected to the use of the term.a The Church Historian’s Press also condemns the use of this word but retains it in document transcripts to accurately present the historical record and to illuminate the oppressive racial landscape faced by Black Americans. Church leaders today have asked Latter-day Saints to “lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice,” which includes rejecting racist language.b

    (aEaston, Treatise on the Intellectual Character, and Civil and Political Condition of the Colored People of the U. States, 40–41. bNelson, “Let God Prevail,” 94.)

    Easton, Hosea. A Treatise on the Intellectual Character, and Civil and Political Condition of the Colored People of the U. States; and the Prejudice Exercised towards Them: With a Sermon on the Duty of the Church to Them. Boston: Isaac Knapp, 1837.

    Nelson, Russell M. “Let God Prevail.” Ensign, Nov. 2020, 92–95.

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