| 385 threaten the 'Mormons' as a body, and swear that they should leave the county in three days. When the 'Mormons' who had gone from Caldwell to Daviess, as aforesaid, arrived there, they found this state of excitement to exist. They also heard that a large mob was collecting against them, headed by Adam Black, one of the judges of the county court of Daviess County.
"Under these circumstances, and with a view to allay the excitement, they called on Mr. Black, and inquired of him whether the reports they had heard in relation to him were true. Upon his denying them to be true, they then requested him to give that denial in writing, which he freely did. This writing they published with a view of calming the public mind and allaying the excitement. Having done this, they rested in quiet for some time after, hoping that their efforts would produce the desired effect. Their surprise can, under these circumstances, be easily imagined, when a short time after they learned that said Black had gone before Judge King and made oath that he was forced to sign the instrument by armed 'Mormons,' and procured a warrant for the arrest of Joseph Smith, Jr., and Lyman Wight, which was placed in the hands of the sheriff. It was also reported that the said individuals had refused to surrender themselves, and that an armed force was collecting to come and take them.
"Your memorialists aver that the sheriff had never made any efforts to serve the writ, and that the said Smith and Wight, so far from making any resistance, did not know that such a writ had been issued until they learned it first by report as above related. In the meantime the rumor had run over the whole country that the 'Mormons' were compelling individuals to sign certain instruments in writing, and that they were resisting the process of the law. The public mind became much inflamed, and the mob began to collect from all quarters and in large numbers, with pretensions of assisting the sheriff to serve the process; and here let it be observed in passing that Adam Black had sold the improvement and preëmption claim on which he then resided, to the 'Mormons,' received his pay for the same, and that through
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