Hyrum Smith, Testimony, 1 July 1843 [Extradition of JS for Treason]
Source Note
, Testimony, , Hancock Co., IL, 1 July 1843, Extradition of JS for Treason (Nauvoo, IL, Municipal Court 1843). Copied [3–6 July 1843]; handwriting of and ; docket by , [6 July 1843, , Hancock Co., IL]; docket by , ca. [6] July 1843; notation by , ca. [6] July 1843; twenty-eight pages; Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL.
& on or about the first Monday in August <1838> at the election at <the county seat> in , the Citizens who were commonly called Mormons were forbidden <to exercise> the rights of franchise, and from that unhallowed Circumstance an affray commenced & a fight ensued among the Citizens of that place, <&> from that time a mob commenced gathering in that threatening the extermination of the Mormons, the said Smith & myself upon <hearing that> learning the particulars of the<were> Mobs <were> collecting together, & that they had also murdered two of the Citizens of that <some> place & would not suffer them to be buried, the said Smith and myself went over to to learn the particulars of the affray, but on arriving <upon our arrival> at , were learned that none were killed but several were wounded. We tarried all night at Coll. ’s, the next morning the weather being very warm and having been very dry for some time previously the springs & wells in that neighbourhood <region> were dried up; On mounting our horses to return we rode up to the residence of <’s>, who was then an acting Justice of the Peace, to obtain some water for ourselves and horses, some few of the citizens accompanied us there, & after obtaining the refreshment of water was asked by said Joseph Smith Senr. if he would use his influence to see that the laws were faithfully executed and prote <to> put down mob violence and he gave us a paper written by his own hand stating that he would do so He also requested him to call together the most influential men of the on the next day that we might have an interview with them, to this he acquiesced and accordingly the next day they assembled at the house of and entered into a mutual covenant of peace, and to put down mob violence and to protect each other in the enjoyment of their rights: after this we all parted with the best of feelings & each man returned home to his own home— This mutual agreement of peace however did not last long for but a few days afterwards the Mob began to collect again until several hundreds rendezvoused at Millport a few miles [p. 2]