| 516 Your honorable body will see by the above, that the reasons assigned for the formation of this first company of marauders, was the want of power in the civil law to enable them to carry out the diabolical plottings of their wicked hearts. Hear their own words. "And believing as we do, that the arm of civil law does not afford us a guarantee, or at least a sufficient one against the evils which are now inflicted on us."
What were the evils complained of? Let their own words give the strange answer; the existence of a religious society among them; a society too, against which, not even the first crime, which the law could recognise [recognize] as such, could be proved; themselves being the judges, while yet their hearts were filled with envy and malice.
If individuals, or even our society as a body, had transgressed the laws, the law was open, and they could have punished the offenders according to law, as easy as to have fell to butchering indiscriminately, men, women, and children. Here let your memorialist ask your honorable body, to ever remember, that it was not the law our enemies sought to magnify and enforce; for no law had been broken, but they proceeded in open violation of, not only the law of the land, but that of nature too.
Hear again the contents of their unlawful preamble. Intending as we do, to rid ourselves of the Mormons, peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must; or this is the import of their fiendish preamble, by the strength of which our people were attacked indiscriminately, their houses rifled, their farms desolated and crops destroyed; men were tied up and whipped until some died in their hands, others to prevent their bowels from gushing out, tied handkerchiefs round their bodies, others were shot down, their wives and children driven from their habitations! houses would be set on fire and consumed, leaving hundreds of women and children nearly naked, in the dead of winter to wander barefooted in the dark hours of the night upon the open fields and prairies, without any bed but the earth, or covering but the heavens. And why all this abuse? I answer, from the very fact that we had broken no law by which they could get the slightest pretext to rid themselves of us peaceably by law. Therefore they betook themselves to spreading falsehoods and slander, by which they roused others to assist them to accomplish their murderous designs.
Similar outrages were again inflicted upon us in Clay county as was in Jackson county, and the people were again driven and went into Caldwell and Davis counties where lands were again purchased by us of General Government. After remaining about two years in Caldwell and Davis counties, and having by dint of labor raised large crops of grain and other produce, which were nearly ready for harvest we were followed by the same relentless spirit, and by the hands of the same persecutors, who were among the first to form a company of marauders in Jackson county. The same unhallowed principles were put in operation as was first started in Jackson county: and for the purpose of creating a shadow of a pretext to justify themselves in the eyes of the public, they even went so far as to set fire to their own buildings, and then reported that the Mormons had done it; by which means we were driven into exile in a strange land, though one (to its honor be it remembered,) where we found a friendly home. During the progress of those scenes of cruelty, our entreaties and petitions were continually made to the authorities of Missouri, for protection and redress. In the name of American citizens, we appealed to their patriotism, their justice, their humanity and to their sacred honor; but they were deaf to our cries and heeded not our petitions. All attempts at protection or redress were unheeded and fruitless. And furthermore your memorialists has to tell your honorable body that since we have resided in the state of Illinois, the same foul means has been resorted to by the State of Missouri, as was practiced in Jackson and Caldwell counties. In order to prevent their base and unjust proceedings coming to light before an injured public, they are wrongfully accusing our citizens, and kidnapping others and dragging them into Missouri, and there, after whipping and insulting them, have cast them into prison and left them to get out as they could. All this without even the form of a trial. Three several warrants have been sent by the governor of Missouri, to the governor of Illinois, demanding the body of Joseph Smith, all of which has been set aside by the legal authorities of Illinois. These warrants were based upon the pretext (though false.) that Joseph Smith was accessary [accessory] to the shooting of L. W. Boggs. Would it not be well for Missouri to strike at the root of the matter, and first deal out justice to some of the murderers of the saints. Here I have to tell your honorable body that the before mentioned Bogard, a Methodist preacher, who was one of the leading men of the mob, has since murdered one of their own clan, and to escape the hand of justice has fled to Texas. Therefore it would not be unreasonable to suppose that governor Boggs was shot by one of the same class of fiendish villains, who yet remain in their midst.
(page 516) |
