| 672 assistance from the Governor, and again petitioned him, praying for assistance, setting forth our distressed situation; and in the meantime the presiding judge of the county court issued orders-upon affidavits made to him by the citizens-to the sheriff of the county, to order out the militia of the county to stand in constant readiness night and day to prevent the citizens from being massacred, which fearful situation they were exposed to every moment.
"Everything was very portentous and alarming. Notwithstanding all this, there was a ray of hope yet existing in the minds of the people that the Governor would render us assistance; and whilst the people were waiting anxiously for deliverance-men, women, and children frightened, praying and weeping-we beheld at a distance, crossing the prairies and approaching the town, a large army in military array, brandishing their glittering swords in the sunshine, and we could not but feel joyful for a moment, thinking that probably the Governor had sent an armed force to our relief, notwithstanding the awful forebodings that pervaded our breasts. But to our great surprise, when the army arrived they came up and formed a line in double file in one half mile on the east of the city of Far West, and dispatched three messengers with a white flag to come to the city. They were met by Captain Morey with a few other individuals whose names I do not now recollect. I was myself standing close by, and could very distinctly hear every word they said.
"Being filled with anxiety, I rushed forward to the spot, expecting to hear good news; but alas! and heart-thrilling to every soul that heard them, they demanded three persons to be brought out of the city before they should massacre the rest. The names of the persons they demanded were Adam Lightner, John Cleminson, and his wife. Immediately the three persons were brought forth to hold an interview with the officers who had made the demand, and the officers told them they had now a chance to save their lives, for they calculated to destroy the people and lay the city in ashes. They replied to the officers and said, 'If the people must be destroyed, and the city burned to ashes, they would
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