| 186 say they intended to make every citizen sign such obligation, and further said they intended to have satisfaction for abuse they had received on Monday previous, and they could not submit to the laws: and further saith, that from the best information and his own personal knowledge, that Andrew Ripley, George A. Smith, Ephraim Owens, Harvey Humstead, Hiram Nelson, A. Brown, John L. Butler, Cornelius Lott, John Wood, E. Redfield, Riley Stewart, James Whitaker, Andrew Thor, Amos Tubbs, Dr. Gourze, and Abram Nelson was guilty of aiding and abetting in committing and perpetrating the above offense.
"Adam Black.
"Sworn to and subscribed this the 28th of August, 1838.
"W. Dryden,
"Justice of the Peace of the county aforesaid."
-Millennial Star, vol. 16, p. 243.
An item of history from Joseph Smith's pen, also his opinion of and determined action in these troubles, will be interesting. He writes:-
"There is great excitement at present among the Missourians, seeking if possible an occasion against us. They are continually chafing us and provoking us to anger, if possible-one sign of threatening after another; but we do not fear them, for the Lord God the Eternal Father is our God, and Jesus the Mediator is our Savior, and in the great I AM is our strength and confidence.
"We have been driven time after time, and that without cause, and smitten again and again, and that without provocation, until we have proved the world with kindness, and the world proved us that we have no designs against any man or set of men; that we injure no man; that we are peaceable with all men, minding our own business, and our business only. We have suffered our rights and our liberties to be taken from us; we have not avenged ourselves of those wrongs; we have appealed to magistrates, to sheriffs, to judges, to Government and to the President of the United States, all in vain; yet we have yielded peaceably to all these things. We have not complained at the great God; we murmured not, but peaceably left all, and retired into the back
(page 186) |
