Account of Trial, [], Hancock Co., IL, 24–28 May 1845, State of IL v. Williams et al. (Hancock Co., IL, Circuit Court 1845). Published [ca. 30 July 1845] in Trial of the Persons Indicted in the Hancock Circuit Court for the Murder of Joseph Smith at the Carthage Jail, on the 27th Day of June, 1844, Warsaw, IL: Warsaw Signal, 1845.
say whether there was fifty, or how many; men were up at the door of the tent, both behind and before.
There are statements in the pamphlet, which I gave to . There are a good many facts in it. I do not know of any fact in it that I did not give him. I forget what is in it. went to to get the old manuscript published, and I went with him. The facts are the same as in the manuscript. I came to from the Railroad Shantee, where the troops were disbanded. I did authorize the advertisement for the sale of the pamphlets in the Nauvoo Neighbor. wrote it; I never saw it till it came out. The facts are as near as I can relate, except as to the light. The troops were disbanded at the Railroad Shantee by , and volunteers were called for to come to to kill the Smiths. I do not know how far this was from —it was about noon. Cannot tell what time, but pretty early, when the 20 men were picked; but a short time before we left. After they heard the had disbanded the troops, they called back the 20 men. They sent a man with a white horse to call them back. I do not know who he was, or whether he returned. I think the 20 men met them at the Railroad, but am not certain. We waited till they returned and eat dinner. The 20 men made no report that I heard. They were talking—some said they knew what they went for, and others not. I joined the company in the morning; had not been discharged. Had been permitted to go out of the tents, but not to cross the lines; I was a prisoner when I joined the company. was on horseback at the crossings; I did not see him or after I left the crossings, nor till I saw him at the jail. There was one speech made by , I heard no other; he sat on his horse when he spoke. -[Here read the following passage from the Pamphlet published by Daniels, which is mentioned above:—
My fellow citizens! improve the opportunity that offers; lest the opportunity pass, and the despotic Prophet will never again be in power. All things are understood, we must hasten to and murder the Smiths while the is absent at . Beard the Lions in their den. The news will reach before the leaves. This will so enrage the Mormons, that they will fall upon and murder , and we shall then be rid of the d—d little — and the Mormons too.
Daniels continued:—]- He spoke of the necessity of killing the Smith’s or I took it in that sense. I understood him to advise killing the Smiths; put in the filling of the printed speech. said he knew would be in , and that they would kill him. As near as I can recollect, he said, that if they killed the Smiths, it would so enrage the Mormons that they would kill , and we would get rid of both Mormons that the too. Do not recollect that he swore, or used [p. 9]