“Boonville Mo. October 4, 1838 Dear Sir— As we passed down the , on Monday last, we saw a large force of Mormons at in Carroll County under arms. Their Commander formerly of , informed me that there were two hundred, and that they were hourly expecting an attack from the Citizens of Carroll County, who, he said were then encamped only six miles from there, waiting for a re-inforcement from Saline County. said they had determined to fight. News had just been received at this place, through Dr. Scott of Fayette, that a fight took place on yesterday, and that several persons were killed. Dr. Scott informed me that he got his information from a gentleman of respectability, who had heard the firing of their guns as he passed down— If a fight has actually taken place, of which I have no doubt, it will create excitement in the whole , and those base and degraded beings will be exterminated from the face of the Earth. If one of the citizens of Carroll should be killed, before five days I believe that there will be from four to five thousand volunteers in the field against the Mormons, and nothing but their blood will satisfy them. It is an unpleasant state of affairs. The remedy I do not pretend to suggest to your Excellency. My troops of the 4th. Division, were only dismissed subject to further orders, and can be called into the field at an hours warning— ” [HC 3:150]

“The undersigned Committee were appointed at a public meeting by the Citizens of , on the third day of October instant, for the purpose of repairing to , in Carroll County to enquire into the nature of the difficulties between the Citizens of Carroll and the Mormons. We arrived at the place of difficulties on the 4th. of October inst., and found a large portion of the Citizens of Carroll and the adjoining counties, assembled near well armed. We inquired into the nature of difficulties. They said that there was a large portion of the people called Mormons, embodied in from different parts of the world. They are unwilling for them to remain there, which is the cause of their waging war against them. To use the gentleman’s language, they are waging a war of extirmination, or to remove them from the said County. We also went into , to see the situation of the Mormons. We found them in the act of defence, begging for peace, and wishing for the civil authorities to repair there as early as possible, to settle the difficulties between the parties. Hostilities have commenced, and will continue until they are stopped by the civil authorities. This we believe to be a correct statement of both parties. This the 5th. day of October 1838 John W. Price Wm. H. Logan Subscribed to and sworn before me, the undersigned, one of the [HC 3:151] justices of the peace, within and for , and State of , this 5th. day of October 1838— John Morse. J.P.”