Docket Entry, 1–circa 6 July 1843 [Extradition of JS for Treason]
Source Note
Docket Entry, [, Hancock Co., IL, 1–ca. 6 July 1843], Extradition of JS for Treason (Nauvoo, IL, Municipal Court 1843); Nauvoo Municipal Court Docket Book, 55–87, 116–150; handwriting of and ; CHL.
with several other men to guard us over. We arrived on Friday morning the 9th day of November, and were thrust into an old log house, with a strong guard <placed> over us. After we had been there for the space of half an hour, there came in a man who was said to have some notoriety in the penitentiary, bringing in his hands a quantity of chains & padlocks, he said he was commanded by to put us in chains. Immediately the soldiers rose up & pointing their guns at us, placed their thumb on the cock, & their finger on the trigger; and the ’s prison keeper went to work: putting a chain around the leg of each man & fastening it on with a padlock until they were all chained together; seven of us.
In a few moments came in , we requested to know of him what was the cause of all this harsh treatment.— He refused to give us any information at that time; but said he would in a few days; so we were compelled to continue in that situation camping on the floor all chained together, without any chance or means to be made comfortable; having to eat our victuals as it was served up to us using our fingers & teeth instead of knives & forks. Whilst we were in this situation a young man of the name of brother in law to my brother came to see us & put up at the tavern where made his quarters, he happened to come in time to see make choice of his men to shoot us on Monday morning the 12th day of November, he saw them make choice of their rifles & load them with two balls in each, and after they had prepared their guns saluted them by saying “Gentlemen, you shall have the honor of shooting the Mormon leaders, on Monday morning at eight O’Clock!” But in consequence of the influence of our friends the heathen was intimidated, so that he durst not carry his murderous designs into & sent a messenger immediately to Fort Leavensworth to obtain the military code of laws. After the messenger’s returned the was employed nearly a whole week, examining the laws, so Monday passed away without our being Shot, however it seemed like foolishness to me for so great a man as pretended to be, should have to search the military law to find out whether preachers of the gospel, who never did military duty could be subject to court martial. However the seemed to learn that fact after searching the military code and came into the old log cabin where we were under guard & in chains & told us he had concluded to deliver us up to the civil authorities; as persons guilty of treason, murder , , theft & stealing. The poor deluded did not know the difference between theft, larceny & stealing. Accordingly we were handed over to the pretended civil authorities, and the next morning our chains were taken off & we were guarded to the court house, where there was a pretended court in session; being the judge & the district attorney, the two extremely & very honorable gentlemen who sat on the court martial when we were sentenced to be Shot. Witnesses [p. 72]