Every Bible student should know that Jesus placed in his church: first, twelve apostles, then seventies, elders, pastors, teachers, gifts and blessings for the perfecting of the saints. After the apostasy from the Church of Christ, the mother of harlots made all nations drunken with the wine of her fornication, divided up into fragments, without prophets, seers or revelators. It was in this condition, as the prophets have foretold, when the boy Prophet began so marvelous a work, and which cost him his life to establish. CHAPTER 5 The Prophet Joseph and others Sentenced to be Shot on the Public Square at Far West, in the Presence of their Friends.--The Execution Deferred, and the Prisoners afterwards sent to Liberty Jail. The Liberty Jail, which is fast going into ruins, is situated in the city of Liberty, Clay County, Missouri. It is inland three miles from the Missouri River and about ten miles from Independence in Jackson County, and Independence is eleven miles from Kansas City of the same state. There are many reasons why this jail should become conspicuous and be preserved in history, but the principal one is that there Joseph Smith, the Prophet, in the fall of 1838 and spring of 1839, at the time of Governor L. W. Boggs' exterminating war against the Mormons, was most unjustly and wickedly imprisoned. In 1838, the Prophet and others were betrayed into the hands of the Missouri mob by Colonel George M. Hinkle, the mob being headed by General Samuel D. Lucas. The prisoners were tried under martial law and sentenced to be shot on the following day on the public square in Far West, in the presence of a multitude of the followers of "Joe" Smith, as they chose to call him. This was intended, no doubt, as a sample of Missouri charity, sympathy and humanity, and as a lesson for Mormons for daring to believe as conscience dictated, and for exercising as American freemen the privileges guaranteed by a Constitution believed to be inspired. The writer speaks for himself, as one for whom he had deep sentiments of regard, as a true Prophet, who was sent of God to re-establish the fullness of the everlasting gospel. But God overruled the horrible edict that the Prophet and his companions should be shot on the public square on the following day at 8 o'clock a.m. This was on the 31st of October, 1838. General Doniphan denounced the proposed act as "cold-blooded murder," threatening to withdraw his brigade from the scene of the intended massacre.