| 324 They went to Judge King, and he made out a kind of mittimus. At this time we had been in prison several months without even a mittimus; and that, too, for crimes said to have been committed in another county.
"Kimball and Turley took all the papers by which we were held, or which were then made out for them, with our petitions to the Supreme Judges, and went to Jefferson City.
"The Governor was absent. The Secretary of State treated them very kindly; and when he saw the papers could hardly believe those were all the documents by which the prisoners were held in custody, for they were illegal. . . .
"The Secretary was astonished at Judge King acting as he did, but said he could do nothing in the premises, and if the Governor were present, he could do nothing. But the Secretary wrote a letter to Judge King.
"The brethren then started to find the Supreme Judges and get writs of habeas corpus; and after riding hundreds of miles to effect this object, returned to Liberty on the 30th March, having seen Matthias McGirk, George Tompkins, and John C. Edwards, the Supreme Judges, but did not obtain the writ of habeas corpus, in consequence of a lack of the order of commitment, although the Judges seemed to be friendly.
"We were informed that Judge King said that there was nothing against my brother Hyrum, only that he was a friend to the prophet. He also said there was nothing against Caleb Baldwin and McRae."-Millennial Star, vol. 17, pp. 68, 69.
During their absence Joseph continued his instruction to the church through Bishop Partridge, in an epistle which is found in Times and Seasons, volume 1, pages 131, 134. This epistle closes with the following sound advice, and patriotic declaration:-
"We further caution our brethren against the impropriety of the organization of bands or companies by covenants, oaths, penalties, or secrecies; but let the time past of our experience and sufferings by the wickedness of Doctor Avard suffice, and let our covenants be that of the everlasting covenant, as it is contained in the holy writ, and the things which God has revealed unto us; pure friendship always
(page 324) |
