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.
who is now the Governor of that . We also petitioned one of the judges for a write of which was granted in about three weeks afterwards, but were not permitted to have any trial we were only taken out of Jail & kept out for a few hours & then remanded back again. In the course of three or four days after that time came into the jail in the evening & said he had permitted to get bail, but said he had to do it in the night & had also to get away in the night & unknown to any of the citizens, or they would kill him for they had sworn to kill him if they could find him, & as to the rest of us he dared not let us go for fear of his own life as well as ours. He said it was damned hard to be confined under such circumstances for he knew we were innocent men & he said the people alsoknewit & that it was only <a> persecution & treachery, and the scenes of acted over again, for fear that we would become too numerous in that upper country. He said the plan was concocted from the down to the lowest judge & that that damned priest, Riley, who was riding into every day to watch the people stirring up the minds of the people against us all he could exciting them & stirring & up their religious prejudices against us for fear they would let us go. , however, got bail & made his escape to . The jailer Samuel Tillery, Esqr to<ld> us also, that the whole plan was concocted by the down to the lowest judge in that upper country, early in the previous Spring, & that the plan was more fully carried out at the time that went down to , with Generals & , the self styled “Delaware Chief.” This was sometime in the month of Seper, when the mob were collected at , in Carroll county He also told us that the was now ashamed enough of the whole transaction & would be glad to set us at liberty, if he dared to do it: but said he “you need not be concerned, for the has laid a plan for your release.” He also said that the s attorney was appointed to be Circuit Judge on the circuit passing through , & that he () was instructed to fix the papers so that we would be sure to be clear of any incumbrance in a very short time. Sometime in April we were taken to as they said, to have a trial but when we arrived at that place, instead of finding a court or a jury, we found another inquisition & who was the district attorney, the same man who was one of the court martial when we were sentenced to death, was now the circuit judge of that pretended court: & the grand jury that was impannelled, were all at the massacre at , & lively actors in that awful, solemn, disgraceful, cool blooded [p. 76]