History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 6Smith, Joseph, Jr.
History
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 6
Smith, Joseph, Jr.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844
By letter from J. White, deputy sheriff of Clark county, Missouri,
I learn that Mr. Daniel Avery is in Marion county prison, without
trial. The sheriff requests several men to go there as witnesses. It
is evidently a trap to get some more of our people into their power.
When I was in prison in Missouri, my witnesses were arrested before
they got into court to testify, except one, who was kicked out of the
court by an officer, Lieutenant Cook, who damned him, and ordered some
of his company to shoot him. After which, the State's attorney, Birch,
turned to me tauntingly, saying, "Why the hell don't you bring on your
witnesses?" and Judge King laughed at my discomfiture. The Saints have
had enough of Missouri mob justice.
{109} _Monday, 11._ The following affidavit will show that some of
the citizens of Illinois are so far fallen and so much governed by
mobocratic influence as to assist the Missouri wretches in their
hellish designs:--
_Affidavit of Sission Chase--The Avery Case_.
STATE OF ILLINOIS,
HANCOCK COUNTY. ss.
On the 11th day of December, 1843, came Sission A. Chase before me
Aaron Johnson, a Justice of the Peace of said county; and, after
being duly sworn, deposeth and saith that the crime of kidnapping
has been committed in Hancock County; and on the 2nd day of this
present December, 1843, at the house of Schrench Freeman, about
four miles and a half south of Warsaw, in said county, your said
affiant heard a man by the name of John Elliot say that he was
going a shooting turkeys. When asked what he was going to shoot
them with, he showed a brace of pistols and a large hickory cane.
Your affiant observed that he thought he could not kill turkeys
with such weapons; and the said Elliot said that there was a
certain cock he meant to take before night, and they would do for
that. He, the said Elliot, went off, and your affiant did not see
him till Sunday evening the 3rd, when your affiant asked the said
Elliot if he had caught his turkey; and he replied, yes, the one
he was after--a Mormon Elder. Your affiant then asked him who he
was; and he said, Daniel Avery. Your affiant then asked the said
Elliot what had been done with said Avery; and he said we put him
on to a horse, tied his legs, and guarded him to the river, from
whence, about ten o'clock at night, we took him into Clark county,
Missouri, for stealing a horse four years ago, where they would try
him; and if found guilty, they would then take him into another
county, where there was a jail, as there was none in Clark county.
On the 4th day of December, I asked him if they had writs or
authority to take Mr. Avery. He replied, we all had writs. On the
5th, said Elliot said he expected to get into difficulty on account
of this scrape; but if any Mormon makes any business with me, I
will shoot him. And further your affiant says not.
SISSION A. CHASE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account