| 339 parts, and not knowing whether any person has given you the particulars, I will give you a brief, correct, and impartial account as nearly as I can; but to give all the particulars would require a volume, yet I will give you as much, and that in order, as will enable you to have a general and correct understanding of the whole transaction.
"The raising and spreading many slanderous and false reports against us as a society; the coming out against us in night mobs! stoning our houses; breaking our windows, burning our hay; their meeting together and binding themselves, even in writing, to each other, in which they pledged their lives, their property, and their sacred honors, forcibly to drive us from the county, if we would not go without; the demolishing the printing office on the 20th July, tarring and feathering the bishop of the church and another member, and their meeting on the 23d to go on with the work of destruction, are facts so well known that I need not name their particulars at this time.
"It is also well known, that we, seeing that there was no other alternative for us, to save the destruction of lives and property, at that time we agreed, six of us, to leave the county, and to use our influence with the church to persuade them to leave also, one half by the first of January, and the other half by the first of April next; supposing, that before the time arrived the mob would see their error and stop their violence; or that some means might be employed so that we could stay in peace and enjoy our privileges as guaranteed in the Constitution and laws of our country. But after waiting some weeks, and seeing that their wrath did not abate, but their threatenings continually increased upon us, and losing all hopes of their withdrawing their wicked purposes, and also despairing of having the laws executed in Jackson County without assistance, we therefore thought it would be wisdom to appeal to the Governor for aid.
"We accordingly drew up a petition and circulated it in as prudent a manner as possible; for the mob threatened, that if we petitioned or prosecuted, they would massacre us in toto. But on presenting the petition to the Governor, he manifested a willingness to assist us, but said he could not,
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