The Rise and Fall of NauvooRoberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
History
The Rise and Fall of Nauvoo
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Latter Day Saints -- Illinois -- Nauvoo; Nauvoo (Ill.) -- History
It will be remembered that in a former chapter a letter written by John
C. Bennett to Sidney Rigdon and Orson Pratt is reproduced, in which
he stated that he was then _en route_ for Missouri for the purpose
of getting out an indictment against Joseph for treason against that
State, said to have been committed during the troubles at Far West, in
the fall of 1838. Whether Bennett went to Missouri or not I cannot say,
but through his influence the old charge of treason was revived, and
an indictment found at a special term of the circuit court for Daviess
County, Missouri, on the fifth of June, 1843; and on the thirteenth of
the same month Governor Reynolds issued a requisition on the governor
of Illinois for Joseph Smith, and appointed Joseph H. Reynolds the
agent of Missouri to receive the Prophet from the authorities of
Illinois. Accordingly the warrant for the arrest was placed in the
hands of Harmon T. Wilson by Governor Ford, of Illinois, and Wilson and
Reynolds started to find the Prophet.
In the meantime Joseph's friends were not inactive. The day before
Governor Ford issued the warrant for the apprehension of the Prophet,
he incidentally mentioned to Judge James Adams that a requisition had
been made by Missouri for the arrest of Joseph, and that he should
issue it the next day; where-upon Judge Adams dispatched an express
from Springfield to Nauvoo with this information. The express arrived
in Nauvoo on the sixteenth of June; but three days before, Joseph with
Emma had left Nauvoo to visit Emma's sister, a Mrs. Wasson, living near
Dixon in Lee County, a little more than two hundred miles north of
Nauvoo. On the arrival of the messenger from Judge Adams, Hyrum Smith
at once dispatched Stephen Markham and William Clayton to Joseph with
the information. They left Nauvoo about midnight of the eighteenth, and
sixty-six hours later arrived at Wasson's, having ridden two hundred
and twelve miles in that time, changing horses only once and that
near the end of the journey. Shortly after the arrival of Clayton,
a Mr. Southwick of Dixon rode out to Inlet Grove, where Mr. Wasson
lived, to inform Joseph that a writ was out for him, and for his pains
and interest the Prophet paid him twenty-five dollars, though he had
already been informed by Clayton and Markham.
After the receipt of this information, however, Joseph concluded to
remain where he was, for, if he started for home, he might meet the
officers where he had no friends, and be run over into Missouri among
his enemies.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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