| 274 whipped in a most desperate manner. Such outrages were common during the progress of these extraordinary scenes, and all kinds of depredations were committed. Men driving their teams to and from mills where they got grinding done, would be surprised and taken, their persons abused, and their teams, wagons, and loading all taken as booty by the plunderers. Fields were thrown open and all within them exposed to the destruction of such animals as chose to enter. Cattle, horses, hogs and sheep were driven off, and a general system of plunder and destruction of all kinds of property, carried on to the great annoyance of the citizens of Caldwell, and that portion of the citizens of Davies marked as victims of the mob. One afternoon a messenger arrived at Far West calling for help, saying that a banditti had crossed the south line of Caldwell, and were engaged in threatening the citizens with death if they did not leave their homes and go out of the state within a very short time; the time not precisely recollected; but I think it was the next day by ten o'clock, but of this I am not certain. He said they were setting fire to the prairies, in view of burning houses and desolating farms, that they had set fire to a wagon loaded with goods and they were all consumed; that they had also set fire to a house, and when he left, it was burning down. Such was the situation of affairs at Far West at that time, that Captain Killian could not spare any of his forces, as an attack was hourly expected at Far West. The messenger went off, and I heard no more about it, till some time the night following, when I was awakened from sleep by the voice of some man apparently giving command to a military body, being somewhat unwell, I did not get up. Some time after I got up in the morning, the sheriff of the county stopped at the door, and said that David Patten, had had a battle with the mob last night at crooked river, and that several were killed and a number wounded; that Patten was among the number of the wounded, and his wound was supposed to be mortal. After I had taken breakfast another gentleman called, giving me the same account, and asked me if I would not take my horse and ride out with him and see what was done. I agreed to do so, and we started, and after going some three or four miles, met a company coming into Far West, we turned and went back with them.
This mob proved to be that, headed by the Reverend Samuel Bogard, a methodist preacher, and the battle was called the Bogard Battle. After this battle there was a short season of quiet, the mobs disappeared, and the militia returned to Far West; though they were not discharged, but remained under orders until it should be known how the matter would turn. In the space of a few days, it was said that a large body of armed men were entering the south part of Caldwell County. The county court ordered the military to go and enquire [inquire] what was their object, in thus coming into the county without permission. The military started as commanded, and little or no information was received at Far West about their movements until late the next afternoon, when a large army was descried [described?] making their way towards Far West. Far West being an elevated situation, the army was discovered while a number of miles from the place. Their object was entirely unknown to the citizens as far as I had any knowledge on the subject; and every man I heard speak of their object, expressed as great ignorance as myself.-They reached a small stream on the east side of the town, which was studded with timber on its banks and for perhaps from half a mile to a mile on the east side of the stream, an hour before sundown. There the main body halted, and soon after a detachment under the command of Brigadier General Doniphan, marched towards the town in line of battle. This body was preceded, probably three fourths of a mile in advance of them, by a man carrying a white flag, who approached within a few rods of the eastern boundary of the town, and demanded three persons, who were in the town, to be sent to their camp, after which the whole town, he said, would be massacred. When the persons who were inquired for, were informed, they refused to go, determined to share the common fate of the citizens. One of those persons did not belong to the "Church of Latter Day Saints." His name is Adam Lightner, a merchant in that city.
The white flag returned to camp. To the force of General Doniphan, was the small force of Caldwell militia, under Colonel Hinkle, opposed. Who also marched in line of battle to the eastern line of the town. The whole force of Colonel Hinkle did not exceed three hundred men-that of Doniphan, perhaps three times that number. I was in no way connected with the militia, being over age, neither was Joseph Smith Senior. I went into the line formed by Colonel Hinkle though unarmed, and stood among the rest to await the result, and had a full view of both forces, and stood there. The armies were within rifle shot of each other. About the setting of the sun Doniphan ordered his army to return to the camp at the Creek: they wheeled and marched off. After they had retired, it was consulted what was best to do-by what authority the army was here no one could tell, as far as I knew-it was agreed to build through the
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