History of the Prophet Joseph, by His MotherSmith, Lucy
History
History of the Prophet Joseph, by His Mother
Smith, Lucy
Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844
attitude, to the amount of two or three hundred men, threatening
the utter extermination of the "Mormons." He immediately returned
to Clay county, and ordered out a sufficient military force to
quell the mob. Immediately after they were dispersed, and the army
returned, the mob commenced collecting again; soon after, we again
applied for military aid, when General Doniphan came out with a
force of sixty armed men to Far West; but they were in such a state
of insubordination, that he said he could not control them, and it
was thought advisable by Colonel Hinkle, Mr. Rigdon, and others,
that they should return home. General Doniphan ordered Colonel
Hinkle to call out the militia of Caldwell, and defend the town
against the mob, for, said he, you have great reason to be alarmed;
for, he said, Neil Gillum, from the Platte Country, had come down
with two hundred armed men, and had taken up their station at
Hunter's Mill, a place distant about seventeen or eighteen miles
northwest of the town of Far West, and, also, that an armed force
had collected again at Millport, in Daviess county, consisting of
several hundred men, and that another armed force had collected
at De Witt, in Carroll county, about fifty miles south-east of
Far West, where about seventy families of the "Mormon" people had
settled, upon the bank of the Missouri river, at a little town
called De Witt. Immediately a messenger, whilst he was yet talking,
came in from De Witt, stating that three or four hundred men had
assembled together at that place, armed cap-a-pie, and that they
threatened the utter extinction of the citizens of that place, if
they did not leave the place immediately, and that they had also
surrounded the town and cut off all supplies of food, so that many
of them were suffering with hunger. General Doniphan seemed to be
very much alarmed, and appeared to be willing to do all he could
to assist, and to relieve the sufferings of the "Mormon" people.
He advised that a petition be immediately got up and sent to the
Governor. A petition was accordingly prepared, and a messenger
immediately despatched to the Governor, and another petition was
sent to Judge King. The "Mormon" people throughout the country
were in a great state of alarm, and also in great distress. They
saw themselves completely surrounded with armed forces, on the
north, and on the north-west, and on the south, and also Bogard,
who was a Methodist preacher, and who was then a captain over a
militia company of fifty soldiers, but who had added to his number,
out of the surrounding counties, about a hundred more, which made
his force about one hundred and fifty strong, was stationed at
Crooked creek, sending out his scouting parties, taking men, women,
and children prisoners, driving off cattle, hogs, and horses,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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