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.
Witnesses were called up & sworn at the point of the bayonet, & if they would not swear to thing<s> they were told to do, they were threatned with instant death, & I do know, positively, that the evidence given in by those men, whilst under duress, was false. This state of things was continued twelve or fourteen days, & after that time we were ordered by the to introduce some rebutting evidence, saying, if we did not do it we would be thrust into prison. I could hardly understand what the meant, for I considered we were in prison already & could not think of anything but the persecutions of the days of Nero. knowing that it was a religious persecution & the court an inquisition; however we gave him the names of forty persons who were acquainted with all the persecutions & sufferings of the people. The made out subpoena & inserted the names of those men & caused it to be placed in the hands of , the notorious Methodist Minister and he took 50 fifty armed Soldiers & started for . I saw the Subpoena given to him & his company when they started. In the course of a few days they returned with most of all those forty men whose names were inserted in the subpoena & thrust them into jail & we were not permitted to bring one of them before the court, but the turned upon us with an air of indignation & said, gentlemen you must get your witnesses or you shall be committed to jail immidiately; for we are not going to hold the court open on expence much longer for you any how. We felt very much distressed & oppressed at that time. said, what shall we do<?>— our witnesses are all thrust into prison and probably will be & we have no power to do any thing of course we must submit to this tyrrany & oppression, we cannot help ourselves. Several others made similar expressions in the agony of their souls; but my brother Joseph did not say any thing, he being sick at that time with the toothache & ague in his face, in consequence of a severe cold brought on by being exposed to the severity of the weather. However it was considered best by & Lawyer , that we should try to get some witnesses before the pretended court. Accordingly I <myself> gave the names of about twenty other persons; the inserted them in a subpoena and caused it to be put into the hands of the Methodist priest and he again started of<f> with his fifty soldiers, to take those men prisoners as he had done to the forty others. The sat & laughed at the good opportunity of getting the names that they might the more easily capture them & so bring them down to be thrust into prison in order to prevent us from getting the truth before the pretended court, of which himself was the chief inquisitor or conspirator. returned from his second expedition with one prisoner only, whom he also thrust into prison.