Closing Argument of Onias Skinner, 29 May 1845 [State of Illinois v. Williams et al.]
Source Note
, Closing Argument, [, Hancock Co., IL], 29 May [1845], State of IL v. Williams et al. (Hancock Co., IL, Circuit Court 1845); unidentified handwriting, possibly ; docket by , [, Hancock Co., IL, ca. 29 May 1845]; eight pages; Mormon Trial Notes, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield, IL. Includes docket.
them after they came, went to the tavern and got his dinner— & <> were not together and neither of them seemed to be engaged coming with any— If these men came on to prepare the Carthage Greys for the event, would they not have said somthing which would have manifested such a design— Several witnesses saw the mob at the jail yet none but the witnesses saw any of these men at the jail they did not know any of the men, although the nine were not disguised— Now if it had been the men would not some of these witnesses have known some of them they numbered from 60 to 150 The conclusion <(from the fact> that none of these witnesses who are old citizens of the know any of the men in the mob) is irresistable, that the mob was not composed of the men; but of strangers— Now what does this whole case amount to— Nothing more than this— that there are certain men thirsting for blood, they wish to see it flow and some victim offered up upon the gallows to appease the manes of the prophet, the idol of a powerful faction— Two corrupt villians are slipped in before the grand jury to find a bill— publications are the country is then filled with publications against these men— The time comes on for trial and the prosecution aware of the business of the men upon whose oaths the bill was found and that they could & would be , spring upon us a woman, who turns out to be as base as they [illegible] closed his speech [3 words illegible]) [p. [11]]