The Missouri PersecutionsRoberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
History
The Missouri Persecutions
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Latter Day Saints -- Missouri -- History -- 19th century
All the Clay County men were in line confronting the breastworks when
the "Mormon" camp at Far West was surrendered, and witnessed all the
proceedings. They saw the white flag pass back and forth from the
"Mormons," and saw the robber, Captain Bogard of the Missourians, fire
on it; saw the cannoneers stand with lighted matches beside their
pieces, having sent word to General Doniphan that they were ready to
fire; saw suddenly a white flag go up; saw the "Mormon" battalion march
out with "General" G. W. Hinkle, brave as a lion, at its head and
form a hollow square and ground arms, and then saw Hinkle ride up to
Doniphan, unbuckle his sword and detach his pistols from their holsters
and pass them over to his captor, who quietly remarked, "Give them to
my adjutant." Then they saw Hinkle dash the tears from his face, and
ride back to his soldiers.
The "Mormons" agreed fully to Doniphan's conditions, that they should
deliver up their arms, surrender their prominent leaders for trial,
and the remainder of them, with their families, leave the State. As
hostages, Joe Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, G. W. Hinkle [A] and
other prominent "Mormons" delivered themselves up to e held for the
faithful performance of the hard conditions.[B]
[Footnote A: Hinkle was not among the hostages that were held for the
faithful performance of his agreement with the mob, nor did those
"hostages" deliver themselves up to the mob; they were betrayed into
the hands of their enemies by Hinkle.--_B. H. R._]
[Footnote B: Colonel Lewis Wood of this county, who was present, states
to the compiler that at a council of the leading militia officers held
the night following the surrender, it was voted by nearly three to one
to put these leaders to death, and their lives were only saved by the
intervention of General Doniphan, who not only urged his authority as
brigadier, but declared he would defend the prisoners with his own
life.--_N. H. C._]
The "Mormon" leaders were taken before a court of inquiry at Richmond,
Judge Austin A. King presiding. He remanded them to Daviess County, to
await the action of the grand jury on a charge of treason against the
State and murder. The Daviess County jail being poor and insecure, the
prisoners were brought to Liberty and confined in the old stone jail
(still standing) for some time. Many citizens of the county remember to
have seen Joe Smith when he was a prisoner in the old Liberty jail.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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