1838.
THE LAST MISSOURI PERSECUTION BEGINS--FIFTEEN BRAVE MEN DEFEAT ONE
HUNDRED AND FIFTY COWARDS--PENNISTON AND BLACK SWEAR FALSEHOODS--JOSEPH
AND LYMAN WIGHT PUT UNDER BONDS--MOB GATHERS.
And now our story plunges into the awful events that began in August,
1838, and did not end until the spring of 1839--the time during which
the Latter-day Saints were driven from Missouri. How much dreadful
history was made in those dark months! How many men showed the
rottenness of their hearts; and how many men and women showed the
unutterable suffering they would endure for the sake of truth! It was
a time when some did things that will send their souls to the most
frightful places in hell, and when others earned a place among the
companions of God.
At this time the Latter-day Saints numbered about fifteen thousand
souls, and were settled mainly in Caldwell, Daviess and Carroll
counties. The sixth of August, 1838, was election day, and about twelve
of the brethren went to the polls at Gallatin, Daviess county, to cast
their votes. William Penniston, an old enemy of the Saints, who was
running for one of the offices, made a violent speech in order to drive
them from the polls. Some of his drunken friends attacked the brethren,
but the brave twelve fought like lions with only their bare fists.
Some of them were badly wounded but they pounded the heads of the
Missourians so hard that the whole one hundred and fifty backed off and
ran home for their guns. When they saw the mob gathering, the brethren
hurried away. They hid their families in the hazel bushes and stood
guarding them all night long in the rain.
A terrible story came to Far West the next morning that the mob had
killed some of the brethren and would not give up their bodies. Joseph
gathered about twenty trusty men and started at once for Daviess
county. When they learned no lives were lost they were filled with joy.
Matters, however, were bad enough and they continued on their way,
determined to do all they could for the Saints.
They met a number of leading men of the county at Adam-ondi-Ahman, and
made with them a covenant of peace. Before returning home they also
called on Adam Black, a justice of the peace. They knew he was aiding
the mob and wished to persuade him to deal justly with the Saints. He
was one of those who had sold land to our people, and, like the others,
wished to get it back without paying for it. They talked earnestly with
him and then asked what he would do in the future. This is the answer
he, of his own free will, wrote out for them:
I Adam Black a justice of the peace of Daviess county do hereby
Sertify to the people coled Mormin, that he is bound to suport the
constitution of this State, and of the United State, and he is
not attached to any mob, nor will not attach himself to any such
people, and so long as they will not molest me, I will not molest
them. This the 8th day of August, 1838. Adam Black, J. P.
These movements toward peace did not please the mob at all. They
thought to themselves, "How can we get our land back and drive away
these cursed Mormons if we agree to be at peace with them?" So
Penniston swore before Judge Austin A. King that Joseph Smith and
Lyman Wight had come into Daviess county with a great force of men to
drive away all the old settlers. The sheriff was immediately sent to
arrest them and was much surprised to find Joseph at home in Far West
awaiting him. He was so struck with the gentleness of the Prophet that
he refused to make the arrest, saying that he could act as officer only
in his own county.
Although Adam Black had been ashamed of his meanness when the Prophet
Joseph looked upon him with those clear, steady eyes that at other
times had seen angels and even God Himself, yet when alone he was angry
at himself and sought revenge. He swore that Joseph with one hundred
and fifty men had come to his house and said they would kill him that
instant unless he signed a paper for them.
Lilburn W. Boggs was now governor of the state, and when he heard what
Adam Black said he ordered out the state soldiers to restore peace.
Joseph knew this would mean destruction to the innocent Saints, so
on the thirtieth of August he offered himself to be tried in Daviess
county in order to spare them. Lyman Wight followed his example.
That very day he and Sidney Rigdon began to study law under Generals
Atchison and Doniphan, who, you remember, had been engaged as lawyers
by the Saints in the first Missouri troubles. These men, besides being
prominent lawyers, were generals in the state militia. You will hear
much of them later. The Prophet no doubt thought that law would be a
good thing to understand, since he was being arrested so often, and
he showed his industry and calmness in beginning it now when so many
dangers were about him.
The trial was held on September 7th. Adam Black swore to all manner of
lies, and this of course made him guilty of perjury. Honest men bore
witness that Joseph and Lyman were innocent, and Judge King admitted
it outside of court, and yet to satisfy the mob, he put them under
$500 bonds to keep the peace. These they furnished and went home. Two
days later, Captain William Allred found three men taking guns, powder
and shot from Ray county to the mob in Daviess. He arrested them and
you may be sure the mob were much disappointed when their arms and
ammunition did not come.
The mob had come together at a place near Millport and were making
all kinds of threats against the Saints. Our people had made up their
minds to defend themselves, and Lyman Wight was made commander of the
forces. The mob tried all kinds of tricks to get the Saints to open
the attack in order to get help from Governor Boggs. They took some of
the brethren prisoners and gave it out that they were torturing them.
This trick did not work, so William Dryden, a justice of the peace,
complained that George A. Smith and Alanson Ripley would not allow
themselves to be arrested and brought before his court. This was not
true but it served as an excuse for Boggs to flood the state soldiers
into Daviess county.
General Doniphan came first. He marched to the camp of the mob and
ordered them to disperse. They promised to do so, but did not keep
their word. He then went to the camp of the Saints and they offered
to give up all who might be thought guilty of crime and go home
peacefully, if the mob would break up. This is all that they could
have been asked to do, and General Doniphan seemed satisfied. General
Atchison came into Daviess county at this time, and, after learning
the conditions, he wrote to Governor Boggs that peace would soon be
secured. But the governor, who had listened eagerly to all the lies
that were being told, ordered up four more generals and heavy troops.
General Parks, one of the four, though an enemy of the Saints, wrote to
Boggs saying that the Saints were trying only to protect themselves.
Lyman Wight and fifteen or twenty others were called to appear at court
three weeks later, and peace seemed to have been established.