| 1074 JOSEPH SMITH, JUN., Moderator,
F. G. Williams and Oliver Cowdery, Clerks.
May 5th. Having gathered and prepared clothing and other necessaries to carry to our brethren and sisters who had been robbed and plundered of nearly all their effects; and having provided for ourselves horses and wagons, and fire arms, and all sorts of munitions of war of the most portable kind for self defence [defense], as our enemies were thick on every hand, I started with the remainder of the company, from Kirtland, for Missouri, and on the 6th we arrived, and joined our brethren who had gone before, at New Portage, about fifty miles distance.
My company from Kirtland consisted of about one hundred, mostly young men, and nearly all Elders, Priests, Teachers or Deacons, and as our wagons were nearly filled with baggage we had mostly to travel on foot.
On the 7th we made preparations for travelling [traveling], gathered all the monies of every individual of the company, and appointed F. G. Williams Paymaster of the company from the funds thus collected. The whole company now consisted of more than one hundred and fifty men, accompanied buy twenty baggage wagons, and we were more than sixty miles on our journey, having left but few men in Kirtland, viz: Elder Sidney Rigdon, and Oliver Cowdery, and a few working on the Temple,-except the aged. Zerubbable Snow was appointed Commissary General at the time Williams was appointed Paymaster.
This day also the brethren in Missouri wrote the Governor, of which the following is a copy:
"Liberty, Clay county, May 7th 1834.
Dear Sir: Your favor of the 20th ult., came to hand the 1st inst., which gives us a gleam of hope that the time will come when we may experience a partial mitigation of our sufferings. The salutary advice at the conclusion of your letter is received with great deference.
Since our last of the 24th ult., the mob of Jackson county have burned our dwellings; as near as we can ascertain, between one hundred and one hundred and fifty were consumed by fire in about one week; our arms were also taken from the depository (the Jail) about ten days since and distributed among the mob. Great efforts are now making by said mob to stir up the citizens of this county and Lafayette, to similar outrages against us, but we think they will fail of accomplishing their wicked designs in this county. We here annex a copy of the petition to the President, signed by about one hundred and twenty.
With great respect &c.,
(Signed) A. S. GILBERT,
W. W. PHELPS.
Daniel Dunklin, Gov. of Missouri."
Through the remainder of this day and a part of the 8th, I continued to organize the company, appoint such other general officers as the case required, and gave such instructions as were necessary for the discipline, order, comfort, and safety of all concerned. I also divided the whole band into companies of twelve, each company electing their own Captain, who severally assigned each man, in their respective companies, his part and duty, which was generally in the following order: Two cooks, two firemen, two tent makers, two watermen, one runner, two wagoners and horsemen, and one commissary. We purchased flour, baked our own bread, and cooked our own provisions, generally, which was good though sometimes scanty; and sometime we had jonny-cake, or corn dodger, instead of flour bread. Every night before retiring to rest, at the sound of the trumpet, we bowed before the Lord in the several tents, and presented our thank offerings with prayer and supplication; and at the sound
(page 1074) |
