The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt: One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry, and TravelsPratt, Parley P. (Parley Parker)
Religion
The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt: One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry, and Travels
Pratt, Parley P. (Parley Parker)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- Apostles -- Biography; Pratt, Parley P. (Parley Parker), 1807-1857
"Now, Phila, won't you love me? Come; here's my watch, and
here's all the money I've got!" Then turning to us, he would
exclaim: "Boys, I'll tell you all about it; the fact is, she never
did love me; she only married me out of pity--we being members of
the Baptist church together in Vermont." Then again addressing his
wife: "Come now, Phila; won't you love me? O, that I had been born
a rich man! I would give you a dollar a minute to love me."
Phila would then laugh and call him "a silly old fool."
Whereupon he would turn away in a rage, and exclaim: "Go along
away, you -----, you! Nobody wants your love, no how!"
On one occasion they had quarrelled and kept us awake all night,
and just at break of day we heard a noise like a scuffle and a
slamming against the wall; next followed a woman's voice, half in
laugh and in exultation:--"Te-he-he-he, Luman, what's the matter?
What's the matter, Luman?" Then a pause, and afterwards a man's
voice in a grum, sorry, and rather a whining tone was heard at a
distance from the bed, exclaiming: "Now, I swan, Phila, that's tu
bad."
The truth of the matter was this: She had braced her back
against the wall, and with both her feet placed against his body,
had kicked him out of bed, and landed him upon the opposite side of
the room.
Such scenes as these and all the folly of the guards served to
enhance the misery of imprisonment, and to render our sufferings
complete. We tried to keep them quiet, but tried in vain. Neither
threats nor persuasion, coaxing nor reasoning had any influence
over them. This miserable specimen of humanity was a peculiar
favorite of the Sheriff and guards, and other citizens of Richmond.
He was considered by them as the only honest, good, deserving man
in the prison. They often expressed pity for him, and wished he was
at liberty. He, in turn, watched our movements closely, and was
ready to betray us on the least show, on our part, of any meditated
plan of escape.
Under these painful circumstances we spent a long and dreary
winter. Our whole community, who were not in prison, were forced
out of the State, with the loss of homes, property, and many lives.
They fled thousands to Illinois.
My wife visited me several times in prison; but at length the
period expired that the State authorities had stipulated for every
Mormon to be gone, and my wife and children, and a few others who
remained behind, were obliged to fly or be exterminated, as bands
of armed men were roaming amid the deserted settlement, robbing,
plundering, destroying property and threatening all who remained.
My fellow prisoners, who had been separated from me and sent to
prison at Liberty, had also effected their escape, and had fled to
Illinois to join their families. In short, all were gone, except
King Follett, Horns Phelps and myself, and the old apostate, who
was left to torment us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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