The Prophet and his companions were not shot. The vain Lucas wished to take them through the counties and show them as great prizes of war. They were permitted only to see their families, and when Joseph asked the guards to allow him to speak a few moments alone with his wife, they refused. The heartless wretches dragged their prisoners away and their wives and children cried as if their hearts would break, for they never expected to see them again. Lucas took them direct to Jackson county, where they arrived on the fourth of November. A great crowd met them at Independence, and one woman asked the guard which was the Lord whom the Mormons worshiped. The Prophet was pointed out to her and she asked him whether he really called himself the Lord and Savior. He answered that he was only a man sent by Jesus Christ to preach the Gospel. She was surprised and asked more questions, and the Prophet that Sunday morning stood up and preached a powerful sermon on the first principles of the Gospel. This fulfilled a prophecy, for he had said publicly several months before that one of the Elders would preach in Jackson county before the close of 1838. During the four days that the brethren were at Independence, people flocked to their prison to hear them preach and became very friendly. General Clark had been put in command of all the troops by Governor Boggs, because Clark was so heartless. He was jealous of Lucas because, having reached Far West first, Lucas had captured the Prophet, so he sent a command that the prisoners be brought to Richmond, Ray county, at once. But now arose a strange difficulty. The soldiers had become so friendly to the brethren that they would not take them back to Clark. At last three men were induced to go and they started out with their seven captives. On the way, however, they became so drunk that they could not care for themselves, and the prisoners took away their guns and horses and kept them until they sobered up. Escape would have been easy, but the brethren hoped for a trial, and all they wished was a chance to prove themselves innocent. When they reached Richmond they were chained together and day and night were disgusted with the curses and filthy stories of the guards. Parley P. Pratt says that one night while these vile creatures were telling how they had defiled wives and virgins and dashed out the brains of men, women and children, Joseph arose and in a voice of thunder spoke: "Silence! Ye fiends of the infernal pit! In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die this instant!"