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Source: Church History Vol. 1 Chapter 17 Page: 465 (~1834)

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465 oaths partook of all the malice of demons. They told us that sixty men were coming from Richmond, Ray County, and seventy more from Clay County, sworn to our utter destruction. The weather was pleasant at this time.

"During this day the Jackson County mob, to the number of about two hundred, made arrangements to cross the Missouri River, about the mouth of Fishing River, at William's Ferry, into Clay County, and be ready to meet the Richmond mob near Fishing River Ford, for our utter destruction. But after the first scow load of about forty had been set over the river, the scow in returning was met by a squall, and had great difficulty in reaching the Jackson side by dark.

"Soon after the five men left the camp swearing vengeance, we discovered a small black cloud rising in the west, and in twenty minutes, or thereabouts, it began to rain and hail, and this was the squall that troubled the Jackson boat.

"The storm was tremendous; wind and rain, hail and thunder met them in great wrath, and soon softened their direful courage, and frustrated all their designs to 'kill Joe Smith and his army.' Instead of continuing a cannonading, which they commenced the sun about one hour high, they crawled under wagons, into hollow trees, filled one old shanty, etc., till the storm was over, when their ammunition was soaked, and the forty in Clay County were extremely anxious in the morning to return to Jackson, having experienced the pitiless peltings of the storm all night, and as soon as arrangements could be made, this 'forlorn hope' took the 'back track' for Independence, to join the main body of the mob.

"Very little hail fell in our camp, but from half to a mile around, the stones or lumps of ice cut down the crops of corn and vegetation generally, even cutting limbs from trees, themselves were twisted into withes by the wind. The lightning flashed incessantly, which caused it to be so light in our camp through the night that we could discern the most minute object, and the roaring of the thunder was tremendous. The earth trembled and quaked; the rain fell in

(page 465)

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