Petition to United States Congress, circa 29 November 1839, Draft
Source Note
JS, , and , Petition Draft, , to United States Congress, Washington DC, ca. 29 Nov. 1839; handwriting of ; 35 pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes dockets.
In the following April the prisoners were sent to the County of for trial, They were there indicted for Treason, and a change of venue was taken to ; They prisoners were sent to the County of , and while on their way made their escape, and fled to the State of . That they were suffered to escape admits of no doubt, The truth is the State of had become ashamed of their proceedings against , and as the best means of getting out of the scrape, gave the prisoners an opportunity to escape. In proof of this the prisoners have ever since been living publicly in the State of and The of , have made no demand upon the of Can it be supposed that the Poeple of would, <thus tamely> submit to the Commission of Treason by a portion of their citizens and make no effort to punish the guilty when they were thus publicly living in an adjoining state? Is not this passiveness evidence they know the Mormons were innocent, and the Citizens of wrong— [p. 29]