Dined with Judge who is presiding at Court

“After dinner, requested Prest. Joseph to give him a history of the persecution, which he did in a very <​lengthy &​> minute manner, <​for about 3 hours,​> & <​he​> also <​gave​> a relation of his <​journey to & his interview with application in behalf of the Saints, to​> visit <​with​> , the Prest. of the , &, the heads of the nation <​for redress;​> and ’s acknowledgment that <​pusilaminous saying reply “Gentlemen​> your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you.” <and the cold unfeeling manner in which he was treated by <​most of​> the Senators & Representatives, in relation to the subject— saying <​“you had better​> “Go to ”, shaking his head solemnly, saying, “Its a nice question, a critical question, but it will not do to agitate it.” Cast as Chairman of the Committee

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The Judge listened with the greatest attention, & <​then​> spoke warmly in deprecation of the conduct of & the authorities of the , who had taken a leading part in the extermination. <​& said that any people that would do as the mobs of have done ought to be brought to Judgment, they ought to be punished.​>

In concluding his remarks Prest. Smith said, I prophecies prophecy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, that unless the redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints, by <​in​> the State of , & punish the crimes committed by her officers, that in a few years the Government will be utterly overthrown & wasted, & there will not be so much as a Potsherd left, for their wickedness at conniving at <​in permitting​> the murder of men women & children, & the wholesale plunder & extermination of 1000s of her citizens thereby to go unpunished; thereby perpetuating a foul & corroding blot upon the fair fame of this great Republic, the very mention <​thought​> of which, would have caused the <​high minded & patriotic​> framers of the Constitution <​of the ​> to hide their faces with shame. you will aspire to the Presidency of the & if ever you left a <​turn your​> hand against me or the you will feel the weight of the hand of the Almighty upon you; & you will live to see & know that I have testified the Truth to you this day. for the conversation of this day will stick to you thru’ life. [p. 32a]