minds of the people. In the P. M met had an intevew [interview] with , who enquir[e]d about our people & prope[r]ty with as much apparent intent as tho[u]gh his whole soul was engag[e]d for our welfare, said he had heard that the citizens were committing depredations on the Morm[o]ns & driving off their popety stock &c. inf[o]rmed him that arm[e]d forcess came in the place, & abused women, & children, stole hors[e]s, drove off cattle, & plunderd houses of eve[r]ything that pleased their fancy. said that he would write & to go to & put down every hostile appearance. he also stated that the stipulations ente[re]d into by the Mormon to leave the , & sign the deed of trust was <were> unconstitutional, & not valid. repli[e]d we want the Legislatu[r]e to pass a law to that effect showing that the stipulati[o]ns & deeds of trust are not valid & unconstitutional, & unless you do pass such a law we shall not consider ou[r]selves safe in the . You Say there has been a stain upon the chara[c]ter of the , & now is the time to pass some law to tht effect, & unless you do farewell to the vi[r]tue of the ; farewell to her honor & good name: farewell to her Christian virtue until she shall be peopled by a diffe[re]nt race of men: farewell to eve[r]y name that binds man to man: farewell to a fine soil & a [illegible]a home home, they are gone they are rent from us by a lawless banditti.
<19> Wednesday 19. Mr presntd [presented] the petion [petition] to the House, when it was read<ing,> itwas still <the members were silent> as the house of death. when after which the debate commncd [commenced], & excitement increa[se]d till the house was in an uproar, their faces tur[ne]d red their eyes flash[e]d fire, & their coutnancs [countenances] spoke volumes. Mr Childs of said there was not a w[o]rd of truth in it so far as he had heard, & that it ought never to have been presen[te]d to that body. Not long ago we approp[r]iated $2000 to their releif, & now they have petition[e]d for this pay for their lands which we took away from them. We got rid of a great evil when [p. 39]