| 185 CHAPTER 11.
1838.
THE great majority of the church was now in Missouri, where troublesome times awaited them.
As we have seen in a former chapter, that unholy crusade against the church, which has passed into history as "the Mormon war," began in the summer of 1838. We shall not take space to give all the details, but will give the leading events from the pens of participants, so that our readers can judge of the merits of the contention.
Adam Black, justice of the peace, who on August 8 had agreed to do all he could to promote peace in Daviess County, tried to stir up feeling against the church, contrary to his agreement. On August 28 he made the following affidavit
"State of Missouri,
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"County of Daviess.
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"Before me, William Dryden, one of the justices of the peace of said county, personally came Adam Black, who being duly sworn according to law, deposeth and saith; that on or about the 8th day of August, 1838, in the county of Daviess, there came an armed force of men, said to be one hundred and fifty-four, to the best of my information, and surrounded his house and family, and threatened him with instant death if he did not sign a certain instrument of writing, binding himself, as a justice of the peace for said county of Daviess, not to molest the people called Mormons; and threatened the lives of myself and other individuals, and did
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