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
At length, after a watchful glance towards the wilderness, she
heard the shout of triumph amidst the hosts of the enemy, and next
was re-echoed from crowd to crowd, amid vollies of oaths, curses and
exulting laughs, "We've catched one of the damn'd Mormons and we'll
roast him alive over a slow fire, damn him." They now rallied
around her in great numbers, exulting and threatening, and boasting
that they had taken her husband and would kill him on the spot.
While they were thus abusing her she saw another crowd coming and a
prisoner in the midst, on whom they were venting their rage, as if
he would be torn to pieces. As they approached nearer it proved to
be Mr. Follet, on Mrs. Phelps' horse and side-saddle. He had been
surrounded, overpowered and taken at the time we were each
separated from the other. He was finally rescued from the mob, and
thrust alive into the lower dungeon and chained down to the floor.
He remained in this doleful situation for a few days, till the
wrath of the multitude had time to cool a little, and then he was
unchained by the sheriff and again brought into the upper apartment
and treated with some degree of kindness.
They now laughed with him about his adventure, praised him for
his bravery, and called him a good fellow. The truth of the matter
was, they had no great desire to take the lives of any but those
whom they had considered leaders; and since they had discovered
that Mr. Follett and Mr. Phelps were not considered religious
leaders among our society, they were in no great danger, except
they should happen to be killed in the heat of excitement or
passion.
We now leave him in his lonesome prison, with no other society
than the old apostate, Luman, and his dear Phila, while we get
Sister Phelps out of the trouble she was in. After the fate of the
prisoners seemed determined, she sank down exhausted on a block of
wood in the open air amid the surrounding darkness. Here she was
still mocked and insulted by the unfeeling rabble, till a certain
young man, more feeling than the others, declared that he was not
accustomed to see a female treated thus in America, and that if she
had no home his father and mother would receive her kindly and give
her protection under their roof till she could return to Illinois.
He then went home, and in a few minutes returned with his mother,
by whom she was kindly invited to their dwelling. On arriving there
she was treated in the kindest manner for about two weeks, during
which time her horse was kept from her and rode in search of the
prisoners. They finally restored her horse and saddle to her, and
she rode home in peace, where she eventually met her husband, and
rejoiced that she had been, in some measure, the means of his
deliverance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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