| 50 at any time when they should get ready to go; but said, that he had not authority to keep a guard there for their protection. That being the case they were advised, by some of the most influential men in the upper country, who were friendly to them, but not believers in their faith, to have enough of their brethren emigrate to that country, to enable them to maintain their rights, should the mob ever attemp [attempt] to trample upon them again: and then get the Governor to set them back upon their lands. Accordingly word was sent forth to the churches to that effect; and in the summer of 1834, a large company emigrated from the eastern churches, to Clay co. for that purpose.
Whilst this company was forming and going up to Missouri, rumor, with her ten thousand tongues, was busily engaged, in circulating falsehoods about them; insomuch [inasmuch], that before they arrived at Clay co., there was considerable excitement, even there.
The Jackson co. people went over into Clay, and called a meeting and stired [stirred] up all the feelings there, that they possibly could against the saints. The anger of the people of Jackson co. rose to a great height; they had furnished themselves with a number of cannon, and their neighbours [neighbors] of the adjoining counties, on the south side of the Missouri river, volunteered by hundreds to assist them, provided that the Gov. should attempt to set the saints back upon their land in Jackson co.
The company from the eastern churches arrived in Clay co. and their gentle manners, and peaceable deportment, soon convinced the people of that country, of the false reports which had been circulated about them. The excitement was very soon done away, and the people appeared more friendly than before.
After the arrival of the brethren from the east, a council was held, and it was concluded, considering the great wrath of the people, south of the river, that it would not be wisdom to ask the Governor to set them back at that time.
The people of Clay co. were mostly friendly to the saints, but there were a few exceptions. Nothing of importance occurred, however, for some time, a few threats and insults from those who were disaffected, was all the hostility manifested till the summer of 1836.
The suits which had been commenced against the Jackson co. people, for damages, progressed so slow, and were attended with such an amount of cost, that they were all dropped but two; which were considered sufficient to try the experiment; to ascertain whether or not any thing could be obtained by the law. Near $300 cost had been paid by the brethren, to obtain a change of venue; the suits were then removed to Ray county. Court after court passed, and the trials were continued. At last, in the summer of 1836, the time drew near, when it was supposed that the trials must come on: which was very gratifying to those who planted the suits. When the court came, their lawyers, instead of going to trial, as they should have done, made a sort of compromise, with the mobbers, by dropping one suit, without even having the cost paid, and that too without the knowledge or consent of their employers. On the other suit the defendants agreed to pay a few hundred dollars; though not as much as the lawyer's fees had been. Thus the lawyers, after getting their pay, managed the cases; had they been true to the brethren, as they were bound to be by oath, and brought their suits to a trial, instead of making a compromise, and laboured [labored] faithfully for them, as they ought to have done; and laboured [labored] as though they meant to earn their thousand dollar fee; there is no doubt but that, on the two suits, they would have obtained as many thousands of dollars, as they did hundreds by the compromise. No further attempts have ever been made to obtain a compensation for the losses and damages, sustained by the saints in Jackson co., except last winter in petitioning the Legislature of Missouri, among other things they asked the State, for remuneration for them; which the Legislature did not see fit to grant.
In the summer of 1836 the mob party, in Clay co. strengthened itself considerably, and became quite bold; insomuch [inasmuch] that they on one of two instances, began to whip the saints; and
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