The Story of the Mormons, from the Date of Their Origin to the Year 1901Linn, William Alexander
History
The Story of the Mormons, from the Date of Their Origin to the Year 1901
Linn, William Alexander
Latter Day Saints -- History; Utah -- History
On April 6, Smith and his fellow-prisoners were taken to Daviess
County for trial. The judge and jury before whom their cases came were,
according to his account, all drunk. Smith and four others were promptly
indicted for "murder, treason, burglary, arson, larceny, theft, and
stealing." They at once secured a change of venue to Boone County,
120 miles east, and set out for that place on April 15, but they never
reached there. Smith says they were enabled to escape because their
guard got drunk. In a newspaper interview printed many years later,
General Doniphan is quoted as saying that he had it on good authority
that Smith paid the sheriff and his guards $1100 to allow the prisoners
to escape. Ebenezer Robinson says that Joseph and Hyrum were allowed to
ride away on two fine horses, and that, a few Weeks later, he saw the
sheriff at Quincy making Joseph a friendly visit, at which time he
received pay for the animals.* The party arrived at Quincy, Illinois,
on April 22, and were warmly welcomed by the brethren who had preceded
them. Among these was Brigham Young, who was among those who had found
it necessary to flee the state before the final surrender was arranged.
The Missouri authorities, as we shall see, for a long time continued
their efforts to secure the extradition of Smith, but he never returned
to Missouri.
As the Mormons had tried to set aside their original agreement with
the Jackson County people, so, while their leaders were in jail, they
endeavored to find means to break their treaty with General Lucas.
Their counsel, General Atchison, was a member of the legislature, and
he warmly espoused their cause. They sent in a petition,* which John
Corrill presented, giving a statement in detail of the opposition they
had encountered in the state, and asking for the enactment of a law
"rescinding the order of the governor to drive us from the state, and
also giving us the sanction of the legislature to inherit our lands in
peace"; as well as disapproving of the "deed of trust," as they called
the second section of the Lucas treaty. The petition was laid on
the table. An effort for an investigation of the whole trouble by a
legislative committee was made, and an act to that effect was passed
in 1839, but nothing practical came of it. When the Mormon memorial was
called up, its further consideration was postponed until July, and then
the Mormons knew that they had no alternative except to leave the state.
* For full text, see Millennial Star, Vol. XVI, pp. 586-589.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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