Hyrum Smith, Testimony, 1 July 1843 [Extradition of JS for Treason]
Source Note
, Testimony, , Hancock Co., IL, 1 July 1843, Extradition of JS for Treason (Nauvoo, IL, Municipal Court 1843). Copied [3–6 July 1843]; handwriting of and ; docket by , [6 July 1843, , Hancock Co., IL]; docket by , ca. [6] July 1843; notation by , ca. [6] July 1843; twenty-eight pages; Nauvoo, IL, Records, CHL.
but the turned upon us with an air of indignation & said gentlemen you must get your witnesses or you shall be committed to Gaol immediately; for we are not a going to hold the Court open on expense much longer for you any how. We felt very much distrest & opprest at that time. Brother said what shall we do, our witnesses are all thrust into prison & probably will be & we have no power to do any thing, of course we must submit to this tyranny & oppression, we cannot help ourselves, several others made similar expressions in the agony of their souls; but my brother Joseph did not say anything he being sick at that time with the tooth ache and 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 and that we should try to get some witnesses before the pretended court, accordingly I myself gave the names of about 20 other persons the inserted them in a Subpena & caused it to be placed into the hands of the methodist priest & he again started off with his 50 soldiers to take those men prisoners as he had done before to the forty others— The sat & laughed at the good opportunity of getting the names for the benefit 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 th whom he also thrust into prison— The people in had learned the intrigue & had left the having been made acquainted with the treatment of the former witnesses. But we, on learning that we could not obtain witnesses, whilst privately consulting with each other what we should do, discovered a Mr. Allen standing by the window on the outside of the house, we beckoned to him as though we [p. 19]