Spencer may have been concerned that the upcoming May session of the Hancock County Circuit Court would be used as a vehicle for opponents to attack church leaders, as had happened the year before when several lawsuits were filed against JS by dissenters during the May session. Furthermore, the trials for the men indicted for the murders of JS and Hyrum Smith had been scheduled for the May session, and there was a general concern that these trials would lead to further conflicts between Mormons and their adversaries. (Oaks and Hill, Carthage Conspiracy, 75.)
Oaks, Dallin H., and Marvin S. Hill. Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1975.