Statement, 10 February 1843 [State of Illinois v. Olney]
Source Note
, Statement, , Hancock Co., IL, 10 Feb. 1843, State of IL v. Olney (Nauvoo, IL, Mayor’s Court 1843). Copied [ca. 5 May 1843]; handwriting of ; certified by JS, 10 Feb. 1843 and [ca. 5 May 1843]; four pages; private possession. Photocopy in Hancock Co., IL, Circuit Court Legal Documents, 1839–1860, Twentieth-Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts, BYU.
The following is a voluntary Statement made by , before me upon his being brought before me upon the tenth day of February 1843. (upon a charge made upon Oath by one , that on the night of the 23rd. of January 1843, some Person or Persons to him unknown, broke open his Store and took therefrom Goods Wares and Money to the amount of about one thousand Dollars, and have secreted or carried away the same, and that he has good reason to believe that the said goods or some of them are concealed in the house of one ;) as follows, to wit:—
“I went to that Store, took out all the Goods, and no Person with me, not the first Person knows of the taking of the Goods but myself, I was alone, and done it out of sheer necessity. knows no more about it than the babe unborn. All taken by myself from the Store of on Mulholland Street, on 23rd. January last. not all carried to my House that night, took only a little piece from the Store, into a field. got in by the Window after ten at night. bored in, only through a light board, and took off the boards. the goods were kept in my house since. they were just as they were now. no person was frequenting my house. it was after ten at night. no Persons moving about. carried them at about seven or eight times, under my arm. I cut off the making of a couple of gowns for my little Girls, & cut them out, and the girls made them. I told I got it at . I did not sell any Goods to any Person. Have no Wife nor any person to keep house but my little Girls. live in a part of the house that the prosecutor lives in. Only a partition Wall between us. got flannel made into Shirts by Mrs. Roberts. the reason I took the Goods was because I was out of Clothing. did not intend to sell them, had not made up my mind. intended to use them for myself. no teachings were ever received by me from the Church of Latterday Saints, to induce or influence me to steal these goods. Joseph Smith the Mayor told me the influences I was working under [p. [1]]