Читать книгу History of Joseph Smith, the Prophet and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Joseph F. Smith - Страница 69

1. It was evening. I was out in the act of posting guards a short distance from the dwellings, when two men assailed us, armed with guns and pistols; and supposing it against our principles to make any defense, they attacked the guards. I was without arms, but stepped forward to interfere between them, when one of them drew his gun backwards, and, with both hands struck the barrel of it across the top of my head. I staggered back, but did not fall; the blood came streaming down my face, and I was for an instant stunned by the blow; but, recovering myself, I called help from the house and disarmed them, and put them under guard till morning. Their arms were then restored, and they let go in peace. The taking of these two men proved a preventive against an attack that night. They were the advance of a party of men who were about to come upon the settlement, but were disconcerted by this means. (Autobiography of P. P. Pratt, p. 103.)

2. "McCarty was arrested and taken before Squire Weston," says Lyman Wight, in an affidavit upon the subject, "and although seven persons testified against him, he was acquitted without delay. The next day the witnesses were taken before the same man (Squire Weston) for false imprisonment, and by the testimony of this one burglar were found guilty and committed to jail." In relation to this matter, John Corrill tersely remarked, "Although we could not obtain a warrant against him for breaking open the store, yet he had gotten one for us for catching him at it."

3. The other two members were Parley P. Pratt and "Mr. Marsh," supposed to be Thomas B. Marsh. They called upon Judge Ryland at Lexington and made oath concerning the outrages committed against them and the Saints in Jackson county, but the judge refused to issue any process against the mob, and advised that the Saints fight and kill the mob whenever the latter came upon them.—Pratt's Persecutions, page 37.

4. This company of brethren was led by David Whitmer. (See John Whitmer's "History of the Church", chapter 10.)

5. Andrew Barber, who fell on this occasion was the first direct martyr to the cause. Among those wounded was Philo Dibble of Ohio. He was wounded in the abdomen at the first fire of the mob. Newel Knight in his Journal, (Scraps of Biography, page 81,) says that he was examined by a surgeon of great experience who had served in the Mohawk War, and he said he never knew a man to live who was wounded in such a manner. Knight also gives the following account of his visit to the wounded man, and the manner in which he was healed by the power of God: "The next day (November 5th), I went to see Brother Dibble, and found the house where he lay surrounded by the mob. I managed to get in, and went to the bed; two men came and seated themselves at the door; as I looked upon Brother Dibble lying there in extreme agony, I drew the bed curtains with one hand and laid the other on his head, praying secretly to our Heavenly Father in his behalf. I then left, as I did not want to put myself into the power of the mob; and the next day business took me some ten miles from the place, where I met Brother Dibble making his escape from the county. He told me that as soon as I placed my hand upon his head, the pain and soreness seemed gradually to move as before a power driving it, until in a few minutes it left his body. He then discharged about a gallon of putrid matter, and the balls and pieces of cloth which had passed into his body."

6. This company of volunteers was led by Lyman Wight, a bold and courageous man, (Wight's Affidavit before Municipal Court of Nauvoo.—Millennial Star, vol. xxi, page 506).

7. Another circumstance which embarrassed the Saints not a little in their movements against the mob was the fact that they were divided as to what action it would be proper for them to take in the premises. Parley P. Pratt in his "Persecutions of the Saints," page 31, says that the Saints, "having passed through the most aggravating insults and injuries without making the least resistance, a general inquiry prevailed at that time throughout the Church as to the propriety of self-defense. Some claimed the right of defending themselves and their families from destruction, while others doubted the propriety of self-defense." Under these conditions it can be readily understood that the defense of the Saints was not so effective against their enemies as it might have been had they been perfectly agreed as to the extent to which they would be justified in defending themselves and their families against the violence of the mob.

8. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." Gen. ix: 6. Newel Knight, in his Journal, "Scraps of Biography," page 85, speaks of Governor Boggs as follows: "Although Governor Boggs did not come out and show himself openly in his true colors, we have sufficient evidence that he sustained all the moves of the mob and even directed them. He it was who put in motion the movements of July [20th and 23rd], and continued his exertions until he had accomplished all his hellish designs."

9. Lyman Wight in an affidavit before the Municipal Court of Nauvoo, in 1843, said of this incident of disarming the Saints: "I here agreed, that the Church would give up their arms provided the said Colonel Pitcher would take the arms from the mob. To this the Colonel cheerfully agreed, and pledged his honor with that of Lieutenant Governor Boggs, Owens and others. This treaty entered into, we returned home resting secured on their honor, that we should not be further molested; but this solemn contract was violated in every sense of the word. The arms of the mob were never taken away, and the majority of the militia, to my certain knowledge, were engaged the next day with the mob, Colonel Pitcher and Boggs not excepted, going from house to house in gangs of from sixty to seventy in number, threatening the lives of women and children if they did not leave forthwith."—(Millennial Star, xxi:506.) Wight's statement is also supported by John Corrill. "Brief History of the Church of Christ," page 20, (1839.)

10. See "History of the Mormons," Samuel M. Smucker, pp. 89, 90.

11. Elders W. W. Phelps, A. S. Gilbert, and William E. M'Lellin (the last named had also been imprisoned with the others), after their escape through the warning of Boggs, went into Clay county and made an affidavit embodying substantially the foregoing narrative concerning events which had occurred in Jackson county from the 31st of October, and forwarded the same to Governor Dunklin by express.

12. Of the extent of the injuries inflicted upon the Saints in this Jackson county persecution I would add that according to a statement made in a petition to Congress for redress of their Jackson county grievances, it is represented that "The houses of the Mormons in the county of Jackson, amounting to about two hundred, were burned down or otherwise destroyed by the mob, as well as much of their crops, furniture, and stock. The damage done to the property of the Mormons by the mob in the county of Jackson, as above related, as near as they can ascertain, would amount to the sum of $175,000.00. The number of Mormons thus driven from the county of Jackson amounted to about twelve hundred souls."—(Millennial Star, vol. 17, page 435.)

According to a statement made in an affidavit before the Municipal Court of Nauvoo, Parley P. Pratt also states that the number driven from the county was twelve hundred, and that two hundred and three houses were destroyed. Lyman Wight, in an affidavit before the same body also says of the mob, that "they burned two hundred and three houses and one grist mill, these being the only residences of the Saints in Jackson county."

Of the spirit of cruelty with which the mob prosecuted their determination to expel the Saints from Jackson county, the following instances are given in addition to what is said in the Prophet's narrative. Lyman Wight, in the before mentioned affidavit, says: "I saw one hundred and ninety women and children driven thirty miles across the prairie in the month of November, with three decrepit men only in their company; the ground was thinly crusted with sleet, and I could easily follow on their trail by the blood that flowed from their lacerated feet on the stubble of the burnt prairie. This company not knowing the situation of the county or the extent of Jackson county, built quite a number of cabins that proved to be in the border of Jackson county. The mob, infuriated at this, rushed on them in the month of January, 1834, burned these scanty cabins and scattered the inhabitants to the four winds, from which cause many were taken suddenly ill and of this illness died."—(Millennial Star, vol. xxi, page 506.)

Another instance is thus related by Newel Knight in his Journal, "Scraps of Biography", pages 84 and 85: "I must not omit to mention one act of cruelty, which, if possible, seems to surpass all others. In one of the settlements [in Jackson county] were four families of very old men infirm and very poor. They seemed to think that they would not be molested and so remained behind, but no sooner did the mob learn of it, than they went to their houses, broke their windows and doors, and hurled great stones into their rooms, endangering their lives: thus were these poor old men, and their families, driven before the ruthless mob in midwinter. These men had served in the Revolutionary War—and Brother Jones had been one of General Washington's body guard—but this availed them nothing, for they were of the hated people. Thus were all the saints compelled to flee into Clay county, where the sympathies of the people were extended toward them."

13. Speaking of this event as it appeared to the exiled Saints bivouacked on the Missouri bottoms, EIder Parley P. Pratt in his Autobiography, (page 110) says: "About 2 o'clock the next morning [November 13th], we were called up by the cry of signs in the heavens. We arose, and to our great astonishment all the firmament seemed envolved in splendid fireworks, as if every star in the broad expanse had been hurled from its course, and sent lawless through the wilds of ether. Thousands of bright meteors were shooting through space in every direction, with long trains of light following in their course. This lasted for several hours, and was only closed by the dawn of the rising sun. Every heart was filled with joy at this majestic display of signs and wonders, showing the near approach of the coming of the Son of God." Stephens in his History of the United States (page 455), thus speaks of the same event: "During the fall of 1833 occurred a natural phenomenon of a most wonderful character. This was on the night of the 13th of November. It was what is known as the 'meteoric shower,' or the 'falling of the stars.' It was witnessed with amazement and astonishment throughout the entire limits of the United States."