Expulsion of the Saints from Jackson County.
[Sidenote: Attack on the Saints Settled on Big Blue.]
Thursday night, the 31st of October, gave the Saints in Zion abundant
proof that no pledge on the part of their enemies, written or verbal,
was longer to be regarded; for on that night, between forty and fifty
persons in number, many of whom were armed with guns, proceeded against
a branch of the Church, west of the Big Blue, and unroofed and partly
demolished ten dwelling houses; and amid the shrieks and screams
of the women and children, whipped and beat in a savage and brutal
manner, several of the men: while their horrid threats frightened women
and children into the wilderness. Such of the men as could escape
fled for their lives; for very few of them had arms, neither were
they organized; and they were threatened with death if they made any
resistance; such therefore as could not escape by flight, received a
pelting with stones and a beating with guns and whips. On Friday, the
first of November, women and children sallied forth from their gloomy
retreats, to contemplate with heartrending anguish the ravages of a
ruthless mob, in the lacerated and bruised bodies of their husbands,
and in the destruction of their houses, and their furniture. Houseless
and unprotected by the arm of the civil law in Jackson county,
the dreary month of November staring them in the face and loudly
proclaiming an inclement season at hand; the continual threats of the
mob that they would {427} drive every "Mormon" from the county; and the
inability of many to move, because of their poverty, caused an anguish
of heart indescribable.
[Sidenote: The Saints at the Prairie Settlement Attacked.]
On Friday night, the 1st of November, a party of the mob proceeded to
attack a branch of the Church settled on the prairie, about twelve or
fourteen miles from the town of Independence. Two of their number were
sent in advance, as spies, viz., Robert Johnson, and ---- Harris, armed
with two guns and three pistols. They were discovered by some of the
Saints, and without the least injury being done to them, said mobber
Robert Johnson struck Parley P. Pratt over the head with the breach of
his gun, after which they were taken and detained till morning; which
action, it was believed, prevented a general attack of the mob that
night. In the morning the two prisoners, notwithstanding their attack
upon Parley P. Pratt the evening previous, were liberated without
receiving the least injury. [1]
[Sidenote: Mobbings at Independence.]
The same night, (Friday), another party in Independence commenced
stoning houses, breaking down doors and windows and destroying
furniture. This night the brick part attached to the dwelling house of
A. S. Gilbert, was partly pulled down, and the windows of his dwelling
broken in with brickbats and rocks, while a gentleman, a stranger,
lay sick with fever in his house. The same night three doors of the
store of Messrs. Gilbert & Whitney were split open, {428} and after
midnight the goods, such as calicos, handkerchiefs, shawls, cambrics,
lay scattered in the streets. An express came from Independence after
midnight to a party of the brethren who had organized about half a
mile from the town for the safety of their lives, and brought the
information that the mob were tearing down houses, and scattering
goods of the store in the streets. Upon receiving this information
the company of brethren referred to marched into Independence, but
the main body of the mob fled at their approach. One Richard McCarty,
however, was caught, in the act of throwing rocks and brickbats into
the doors, while the goods lay scattered around him in the streets. He
was immediately taken before Samuel Weston, Esq., justice of the peace,
and complaint was then made to said Weston, and a warrant requested,
that McCarty might be secured; but Weston refused to do anything in the
case at that time, and McCarty was liberated. [2]
[Sidenote: Other Incidents at Independence.]
The same night some of the houses of the Saints in Independence had
long poles thrust through the shutters and sash into the rooms of
defenseless women and children, from whence their husbands and fathers
had been driven by the dastardly attacks of the mob, which were made by
ten, fifteen, or twenty men upon a house at a time. Saturday, the 2nd
of November, all the families of the Saints in Independence moved with
their goods about half a mile out of town and organized to the number
of thirty, for the preservation of life and personal effects. The same
night a party from Independence met a party from west of the Blue,
and made an attack upon a branch of the Church {429} located at the
Blue, about six miles from the village of Independence. Here they tore
the roof from one dwelling and broke open another house; they found
the owner, David Bennett, sick in bed, and beat him most inhumanly,
swearing they would blow out his brains. They discharged a pistol at
him, and the ball cut a deep gash across the top of his head. In this
skirmish a young man of the mob, was shot in the thigh; but by which
party the shot was fired is not known.
[Sidenote: An Appeal to the Circuit Court.]
The next day, Sunday, November 3rd, four of the brethren, viz.,
Joshua Lewis, Hiram Page, and two others, [3] were dispatched for
Lexington, to see the circuit judge, and obtain a peace warrant. Two
other brethren called on Esquire Silvers, in Independence, and asked
him for a peace warrant, but he refused to issue one on account, as
he afterwards declared, of his fears of the mob. This day many of the
citizens, professing friendship, advised the Saints to leave the county
as speedily as possible; for the Saturday night affray had enraged the
whole county, and the people were determined to come out on Monday and
massacre indiscriminately; and, in short, it was commonly declared
among the mob, that "_Monday would be a bloody day_."
[Sidenote: Events of Monday, November 4th.]
Monday came, and a large party of the mob gathered at the Blue, took
the Ferry boat belonging to the Church, threatened lives, etc. But they
soon abandoned the ferry, and went to Wilson's store, about one mile
west of the Blue. Word had been previously sent to a branch of the
Church, several miles west of the Blue, that the mob were destroying
property on the east side of the river, and the sufferers there wanted
help to preserve lives and property. Nineteen {430} men volunteered,
and started to their assistance; but discovering that fifty or sixty of
the mob had gathered at said Wilson's they turned back. At this time
two small boys passed on their way to Wilson's, who gave information
to the mob, that the "Mormons" were on the road west of them. Between
forty and fifty of the mob armed with guns, immediately started on
horseback and on foot in pursuit; after riding about two or two and a
half miles, they discovered them, when the said company of nineteen
brethren immediately dispersed, and fled in different directions.
The mob hunted them, turning their horses meantime into a corn field
belonging to the Saints. Corn fields and houses were searched, the mob
at the same time threatening women and children that they would pull
down their houses and kill them if they did not tell where the men had
fled. Thus they were employed in hunting the men and threatening the
women, when a company of thirty of the brethren from the prairie, armed
with seventeen guns, made their appearance. [4]
[Sidenote: The Battle.]
The former company of nineteen had dispersed, and fled, and but one or
two of them returned in time to take part in the subsequent battle.
On the approach of the latter company of thirty men, some of the mob
Cried, "Fire, _G-- d-- ye_, fire." Two or three guns were then fired
by the mob, which fire was returned by the other party without loss of
time. This company is the same that is represented by the mob as having
gone forth in the evening of the above incident bearing the olive
branch of peace. The mob retreated immediately after the first fire,
leaving some of their horses in Whitmer's corn field, and two of their
number, Hugh L. Brazeale and Thomas Linvill dead on the ground. Thus
fell Hugh L. Brazeale, who had been heard to say, "With ten fellows,
I will wade to my knees in blood, but that I will drive the Mormons
from Jackson county." The next morning the {431} corpse of Brazeale
was discovered on the battle ground with a gun by his side. Several
were wounded on both sides, but none mortally among the brethren except
Andrew Barber, who expired the next day. [5] This attack of the mob
was made about sunset, Monday, November the 4th; and the same night,
runners were dispatched in every direction under pretense of calling
out the militia; spreading every rumor calculated to alarm and excite
the uninformed as they went; such as that the "Mormons" had taken
Independence, and that the Indians had surrounded it, the "Mormons" and
Indians being colleagued together.
[Sidenote: Gilbert _et al_ on Trial.]
The same evening, November 4th--not being satisfied with breaking open
the store of Gilbert & Whitney, and demolishing a part of the dwelling
house of said Gilbert the Friday night previous--the mob permitted
the said McCarty, who was detected on Friday night as one of the
breakers of the store doors, to take out a warrant, and arrest the said
Gilbert and others of the Church, for a pretended assault, and false
imprisonment of said McCarty. Late in the evening, while the court was
proceeding with their trial in the court house, a gentleman unconnected
with the court, as {432} was believed, perceiving the prisoners to be
without counsel and in imminent danger, advised Brother Gilbert and his
brethren, to go to jail as the only alternative to save life; for the
north door of the court house was already barred, and an infuriated mob
thronged the house, with a determination to beat and kill; but through
the interposition of this gentleman (Samuel C. Owens, clerk of the
county court, so it was afterwards learned), said Gilbert and four of
his brethren were committed to the county jail of Jackson county, the
dungeon of which must have been a palace compared with a court room
where dignity and mercy were strangers, and naught but the wrath of man
as manifested in horrid threats shocked the ears of the prisoners.
[Sidenote: Assault on the Prisoners.]
The same night, the prisoners, Gilbert, Morley, and Corrill, were
liberated from the jail, that they might have an interview with their
brethren, and try to negotiate some measures for peace; and on their
return to jail about 2 o'clock, Tuesday morning, in the custody of the
deputy sheriff, an armed force of six or seven men stood near the jail
and hailed them. They were answered by the sheriff, who gave his name
and the names of the prisoners, crying, "_Don't fire, don't fire, the
prisoners are in my charge_." They, however, fired one or two guns,
when Morley and Corrill retreated; but Gilbert stood, firmly held
by the sheriff, while several guns were presented at him. Two, more
desperate than the rest, attempted to shoot, but one of their guns
flashed, and the other missed fire. Gilbert was then knocked down by
Thomas Wilson, who was a grocer living at Independence. About this time
a few of the inhabitants of the town arrived, and Gilbert again entered
the jail, from which he, with three of his brethren, were liberated
about sunrise, without further prosecution of the trial. William E.
M'Lellin was one of the prisoners.
[Sidenote: Incidents of the 5th of November.]
On the morning of the 5th of November, Independence began to be crowded
with individuals from different {433} parts of the county armed with
guns and other weapons; and report said the militia had been called
out under the sanction or at the instigation of Lieutenant Governor
Boggs; and that one Colonel Pitcher had the command. Among this militia
(so-called) were included the most conspicuous characters of the mob;
and it may truly be said that the appearance of the ranks of this body
was well calculated to excite suspicion of their horrible designs.
[Sidenote: One Hundred Volunteers.]
Very early on the same morning, several branches of the Church received
intelligence that a number of their brethren were in prison, and the
determination of the mob was to kill them; and that the branch of the
Church near the town of Independence was in imminent danger, as the
main body of the mob was gathered at that place. In this critical
situation, about one hundred of the Saints, from different branches,
volunteered for the protection of their brethren near Independence,
[6] and proceeded on the road towards Independence, and halted about
one mile west of the town, where they awaited further information
concerning the movements of the mob. They soon learned that the
prisoners were not massacred, and that the mob had not fallen upon the
branch of the Church near Independence, as had been reported. They
were also informed, that the militia had been called out for their
protection; but in this they placed little confidence, for the body
congregated had every appearance of a mob; and subsequent events fully
verified their suspicions.
[Sidenote: The Demands of the Mob-Militia.]
On application to Colonel Pitcher, it was found that there was no
alternative, but for the Church to leave the county forthwith, and
deliver into his hands certain men to be tried for murder, said to
have been committed by them in the {434} battle, as he called it, of
the previous evening. The arms of the Saints were also demanded by
Colonel Pitcher. Among the committee appointed to receive the arms of
the brethren were several of the most unrelenting of the old July mob
committee, who had directed in the demolishing of the printing office,
and the personal injuries inflicted on brethren that day, viz., Henry
Chiles, Abner Staples, and Lewis Franklin, who had not ceased to pursue
the Saints, from the first to the last, with feelings the most hostile.
These unexpected requisitions of the Colonel, made him appear like one
standing at the head of both civil and military law, stretching his
authority beyond the constitutional limits that regulate both civil and
military power in our Republic. Rather than to have submitted to these
unreasonable requirements, the Saints would have cheerfully shed their
blood in defense of their rights, the liberties of their country and of
their wives and children; but the fear of violating law, in resisting
this pretended militia, and the flattering assurance of protection
and honorable usage promised by Lieutenant Governor Boggs, in whom,
up to this time, they had reposed confidence, induced the Saints to
submit, believing that he did not tolerate so gross a violation of all
law, as had been practiced in Jackson county. [7] But as so glaringly
exposed in the sequel, it was the design and craft of this man to rob
an innocent people of their arms by stratagem, and leave more than one
thousand defenseless men, women and {435} children to be driven from
their homes among strangers in a strange land to seek shelter from the
stormy blast of winter. All earth and hell cannot deny that a baser
knave, a greater traitor, and a more wholesale butcher, or murderer of
mankind ever went untried, unpunished, and unhung--since hanging is
the popular method of execution among the Gentiles in all countries
professing Christianity, instead of blood for blood, according to the
law of heaven. [8] The conduct of Colonels Lucas and Pitcher, had long
proven them to be open and avowed enemies of the Saints. Both of these
men had their names attached to the mob circular, as early as the July
previous, the object of which was to drive the Saints from Jackson
county. But with assurances from the Lieutenant Governor and others
that the object was to disarm the combatants on both sides, and that
peace would be the result, the brethren surrendered their arms to the
number of fifty or upwards. [9]
The men present, who were accused of being in the battle the evening
before, also gave themselves up for trial; but after detaining them
one day and a night on a pretended trial for murder, in which time
they were threatened {436} and brick-batted, Colonel Pitcher, after
receiving a watch of one of the prisoners to satisfy "costs of court,"
took them into a corn field, and said to them, "_Clear_!" [Meaning, of
course, clear out, leave.]
[Sidenote: Savagery of the Mob.]
After the Saints had surrendered their arms, which had been used only
in self-defense, the tribes of Indians in time of war let loose upon
women and children, could not have appeared more hideous and terrific,
than did the companies of ruffians who went in various directions,
well armed, on foot and on horseback, bursting into houses without
fear, knowing the arms were secured; frightening distracted women with
what they would do to their husbands if they could catch them; warning
women and children to flee immediately, or they would tear their houses
down over their heads, and massacre them before night. At the head of
these companies appeared the _Reverend Isaac McCoy_, with a gun upon
his shoulder, ordering the Saints to leave the county forthwith, and
surrender what arms they had. Other pretended preachers of the Gospel
took a conspicuous part in the persecution, calling the "Mormons" the
"common enemy of mankind," and exulting in their afflictions.
[Sidenote: Events of 5th and 6th of November.]
On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the 5th and 6th of November, women and
children fled in every direction before the merciless mob. One party
of about one hundred and fifty women and children fled to the prairie,
where they wandered for several days with only about six men to protect
them. Other parties fled to the Missouri river, and took lodging for
the night where they could find it. One Mr. Barnet opened his house
for a night's shelter to a wandering company of distressed women and
children, who were fleeing to the river. During this dispersion of the
women and children, parties of the mob were hunting the men, firing
upon some, tying up and whipping others, and pursuing others with
horses for several miles.
{437} [Sidenote: Scenes on the Banks of the Missouri.]
Thursday, November 7th, the shores of the Missouri river began to
be lined on both sides of the ferry, with men, women and children;
goods, wagons, boxes, chests, and provisions; while the ferrymen were
busily employed in crossing them over. When night again closed upon
the Saints, the wilderness had much the appearance of a camp meeting.
Hundreds of people were seen in every direction; some in tents, and
some in the open air, around their fires, while the rain descended in
torrents. Husbands were inquiring for their wives, and women for their
husbands; parents for children, and children for parents. Some had the
good fortune to escape with their families, household goods, and some
provisions; while others knew not the fate of their friends, and had
lost all their effects. The scene was indescribable, and would have
melted the hearts of any people upon earth, except the blind oppressor,
and the prejudiced and ignorant bigot. Next day the company increased,
and they were chiefly engaged in felling small cottonwood trees, and
erecting them into temporary cabins, so that when night came on, they
had the appearance of a village of wigwams, and the night being clear,
the occupants began to enjoy some degree of comfort.
[Sidenote: Lieutenant Governor Boggs.]
Lieutenant Governor Boggs has been represented as merely a curious and
disinterested observer of these events; [10] yet he was evidently the
head and front of the mob; for as may easily be seen by what follows,
no important move was made without his sanction. He certainly was the
secret mover in the affairs of the 20th and 23rd of July; and, as will
appear in the sequel, by his authority the mob was converted into
militia, to effect by stratagem what he knew, as well as his hellish
host, could not be done by legal force. As Lieutenant Governor, he had
only to wink, and the mob went from maltreatment to murder. The {438}
horrible calculations of this second Nero were often developed in a way
that could not be mistaken. Early on the morning of the 5th, say at 1
o'clock a. m., he came to Phelps, Gilbert, and Partridge, and told them
to flee for their lives. Now, unless he had given the order to murder
no one would have attempted it, after the Church had agreed to go away.
His conscience, however, seemed to vacillate at its moorings, and led
him to give the secret alarm to these men. [11]
[Sidenote: In Exile.]
The Saints who fled from Jackson county, took refuge in the neighboring
counties, chiefly in Clay county, the inhabitants of which received
them with some degree of kindness. Those who fled to the county of Van
Buren were again driven, and compelled to flee, and these who fled to
Lafayette county, were soon expelled, or the most of them, and had to
move wherever they could find protection. [12]
{439} [Sidenote: The "Stars" Fall.]
_November 13_.--About 4 o'clock a. m. I was awakened by Brother Davis
knocking at my door, and calling on me to arise and behold the signs
in the heavens. I arose, and to my great joy, beheld the stars fall
from heaven like a shower of hailstones; a literal fulfilment of the
word of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, and a sure sign that
the coming of Christ is close at hand. In the midst of this shower of
fire, I was led to exclaim, "How marvelous are Thy works, O Lord! I
thank Thee for Thy mercy unto Thy servant; save me in Thy kingdom for
Christ's sake." Amen.
The appearance of these signs varied in different sections of the
country: in Zion, all heaven seemed enwrapped in splendid fireworks,
as if every star in the broad expanse had been suddenly hurled from
its course, and sent lawless through the wilds of ether. Some at times
appeared like bright shooting meteors, with long trains of light
following in their course, and in numbers resembled large drops of rain
in sunshine. These seemed to vanish when they fell behind the trees,
or came near the ground. Some of the long trains of light following
the meteoric stars, were visible for some seconds; these streaks would
curl and twist up like serpents writhing. The appearance was beautiful,
grand, and sublime beyond description; {440} and it seemed as if the
artillery and fireworks of eternity were set in motion to enchant and
entertain the Saints, and terrify and awe the sinners of the earth.
Beautiful and terrific as was the scenery, it will not fully compare
with the time when the sun shall become black like sack-cloth of hair,
the moon like blood, and the stars fall to the earth--Rev. vi: 13. [13]
Footnotes
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."
{441}