| 563 the captain of the Carthage Greys.-The counsel for the prisoners then appeared, and asked for subpœnas for witnesses on the part of the prisoners, and expressed their wish to go into the examination, as the witnesses could be brought from Nauvoo to Carthage; the justice thereupon fixed the examination for 12 o'clock, on Thursday the 27th inst; whereupon, the prisoners were remanded to prison. Soon after, a council of the military officers was called by the Governor, and it was determined to march on the next morning, the 27th inst. to Nauvoo, with all the troops, except one company which was to be selected by the Governor from the troops whose fidelity was more to be relied on to guard the prisoners whom it was determined should be left at Carthage. On Thursday morning, another consultation of officers took place, and the former orders for marching to Nauvoo with the whole army, were countermanded. One company were ordered to accompany the Governor, to Nauvoo; the Carthage Greys, who had but two days before been under arrest for insulting the commanding General, and whose conduct had been more hostile to the prisoners, than that of any other company, were selected to guard the prisoners, and the other troops including those rendezvoused at Golden's Point, from Warsaw and who had been promised that they should be marched to Nauvoo, were disbanded. A guard of only eight men was stationed at the jail, whilst the rest of the Greys were in camp at a quarter of a mile's distance, and whilst his Excellency was haranguing the peacable [peaceable] citizens of Nauvoo, and asking them to give up all their own arms, the assassins were murdering the prisoners in jail, whom the Governor had pledged himself and the faith of the State to protect.
H. T. REID.
At the request of the friends of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, I have consented to give a statement of such matters as I had a knowledge of in relation to their murder at Carthage, and what occurred under my observation. I arrived in Nauvoo from Burlington, Iowa, on Friday, June 21, about 9 o'clock, P. M., found all things quiet, had an interview on Saturday morning the 22d, with Joseph and Hyrum Smith, who was in consultation with some of their friends in relation to a communication from Gov. Ford: during the interview heard Gen. Joseph Smith give orders to disband the Legion and withdraw the guards and sentinels, who were cooperating with the police to preserve the peace of the city, as he said by order of Gov. Ford; that I went from Nauvoo to Carthage on the evening of the 22d, when I had an interview with Gov. Ford, assuring him as to the quiet of Nauvoo, and that Smith and his friends were ready to obey the laws. I was told that the constable with a posse had that evening gone to Nauvoo with a writ for Smith and others, and that nothing short of an unconditional surrender to the laws could allay excitement. I was then informed by Gov. Ford he was pledged to protect all such persons as might be arrested, and that they should have an impartial examination, and that if the Smiths and the rest against whom warrants had been issued, would come to Carthage by Monday the 24th inst., (June,) it would be a compliance on their part, and on Sunday morning the 23d, Gov. Ford pledged his word that if Gen. Smith would come to Carthage, he should by him be protected, with such of his friends as might accompany him, and that I as his counsel should have protection, in defending Smith; that I returned to Nauvoo on Sunday evening the 23d, and I found Gen. Joseph and Hyrum Smith making preparations to go to Carthage on Monday; and on Monday morning the 24th, I left the city of Nauvoo in company with the two Smiths, and some fifteen other persons, parties and witnesses, for Carthage. We were met by a company of about 60 men under Capt. Dunn; that at the request of Gen. Joseph Smith, I advanced and communicated with the commander of the company, and was informed he was on his way to Nauvoo, with an order from Gov. Ford for the State Arms at that place, that it was agreed by myself on behalf of Gen. Smith, that the order for the arms should be endorsed by Gen. Smith; and that he should place himself under the protection of Capt. Dunn, to return to Nauvoo and see the Governor's order promptly obeyed and return with Capt. Dunn to Carthage; Capt. Dunn pledging his word as a military man, that Smith and his friends should be protected, that the order was endorsed by Gen. Smith, which was communicated by Capt. Dunn, to Gov. Ford, with a letter from Gen. Smith, informing the Governor that he would accompany Capt. Dunn to Carthage.
I left the company and proceeded to Carthage; that about 12 o'clock at night of the 24th, Captain Dunn returned with the State Arms from Nauvoo; accompanied by Joseph and Hyrum, and some 13 others, who were charged with a riot in destroying the printing press of the Nauvoo Expositor; that on the morning of the 25th, Joseph and Hyrum Smith, with the others charged, surrendered themselves to the constable, and at the same time that Joseph and Hyrum Smith were arrested on a charge of treason against the State of Illinois; that about 3 o'clock
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