General Clark had spent his time since our arrival at Richmond in searching the laws to find authority for trying us by court martial. Had he not been a lawyer of eminence, I should have supposed it no very difficult task to decide that quiet, peaceful unoffending, and private citizens too, except as ministers of the Gospel, were not amenable to a _military tribunal_, in a country governed by _civil laws_. But be this as it may, General Clark wrote the governor that he had-- _General Clark's Report to Governor Boggs_. Detained General White and his field offices here a day or two for the purpose of holding a court martial, if necessary. I this day made out charges against the prisoners, and called on Judge King to try them as a committing court; and I am now busily engaged in procuring witnesses and submitting facts. There being no civil officers in Caldwell, {207} I have to use the military to get witnesses from there, which I do without reserve. The most of the prisoners here I consider guilty of _treason_; and I believe will be convicted; and the only difficulty in law is, can they be tried in any county but Caldwell? If not, they cannot be there indicted, until a change of population. In the event the latter view is taken by the civil courts, I suggest the propriety of trying Jo Smith and those leaders taken by General Lucas, by a court martial, for mutiny. This I am in favor of only as _dernier resort_. I would have taken this course with Smith at any rate; but it being doubtful whether a court martial has jurisdiction or not in the present case--that is, whether these people are to be treated as in time of war, and the mutineers as having mutinied in time of war--and I would here ask you to forward to me the attorney-general's opinion on this point. It will not do to allow these leaders to return to their treasonable work again, on account of their not being indicted in Caldwell. They have committed _treason, murder, arson, burglary, robbery, larceny, and perjury_. The three days' investigation having closed at Adam-ondi-Ahman, every man was honorably acquitted, Adam Black being judge. [Sidenote: Hardships Inflicted on the "Diahman" Saints.] General Wilson then ordered every family to be out of Diahman in ten days, with permission to go to Caldwell, and there tarry until spring, and then leave the state under pain of extermination. The weather is very cold, more so than usual for this season of the year. In keeping the order of General Wilson the Saints had to leave their crops and houses, and to live in tents and wagons, in this inclement season of the year. As for their flocks and herds, the mob had relieved them from the trouble of taking care of them, or from the pain of seeing them starve to death--by stealing them.