THE MARTYRDOM.
The next morning—the 25th of June—the city authorities of Nauvoo and some persons who had assisted the marshal to remove theExpositorpress, appeared before Robert F. Smith, a justice of the peace, to answer again to the charge of riot. Owing to the excitement prevailing, the aforesaid parties consented to be bound over to appear before the circuit court at its next session; and became security for each other in $500 bonds each.
No sooner was this matter thus disposed of than one Henry O. Norton and Augustine Spencer—two worthless scoundrels whose words were utterly unreliable, went before the justice of the peace who had just dismissed the brethren, and charged Joseph and Hyrum Smith with having committed the crime of treason. The warrant for their arrest was placed in the hands of Constable Bettisworth, an over-bearing, insolent officer. He went to the Hamilton House, where the Messrs. Smith and their friends were staying: he arrested them and was for dragging them off to jail. They demanded to see the mittimus committing them to prison, a request which at first was denied, but finally the instrument was produced.
Carthage Jail
CARTHAGE JAIL
CARTHAGE JAIL
CARTHAGE JAIL
It recited that the parties under arrest had been before the justice for trial, but that said trial had been necessarily postponed because of the absence of material witnesses. That was an infamously false statement, unless the accused could have appeared before the justice without being present in person or by counsel. It afforded Constable Bettisworth an excuse, however, to drag these men off to jail, and this he was determined to do, their vigorous protest to the contrary notwithstanding.
Seeing his friends thus illegally and brutally dealt with aroused the righteous indignation of Elder Taylor. He sought out the governor, informed him of what was going on, and the character of the men who had made the charge. The governor regretted that the thing had occurred, he did not believe the charges, but thought the best thing to do was to let the law take its course. All this was unsatisfactory to Elder Taylor. He reminded the governor that they had all come to Carthage at his instance, not to satisfy the law, for that had no claim upon them; but to manifest a willingness to meet their action in relation to theExpositoraffair; that at his suggestion they had given bonds to appear before the circuit court; that they had come without arms at his request, and relied upon him to shield them from insult; that after his solemn pledge to Doctor Bernhisel and himself he thought they had a right to expect protection from him: but if in his very presence they were to be subject to mob rule, and, contrary to law, be dragged into prison at the instance of every infernal scoundrel whose oath could be bought for a dram of whiskey, his protection did not amount to much and they had miscalculated his promises.
Leaving the presence of the governor he hurried back to his friends. A great rabble, a mixture of soldiers and citizens and partly under the influence of liquor, had gathered in the street about the hotel, and rowdyism and excitement were running high. Fearing a design was on foot to kill the prisoners on the way to the jail, Elder Taylor hailed a soldier and said: "I am afraid there is a design against the lives of the Messrs. Smith; will you go immediately and bring your captain, and if not convenient, any other captain of a company, and I will pay you well for your trouble."
The man departed and soon returned with his captain, who, when Elder Taylor told him of his fears, went after his company and brought them up just as the constable was hurrying off his victims to jail; this company of militia guarded them to the prison.
The next day—the 26th of June—there was a long interview between Governor Ford and the Prophet, at which Elder Taylor was present. All the difficulties that had arisen were related by the Prophet and the action of himself and associates explained and defended. In concluding that conversation the Prophet said: "Governor Ford, I ask nothing but what is legal; I have a right to expect protection, at least from you; for independent of law, you have pledged your faith and that of the state for my protection, and I wish to go to Nauvoo."
"And you shall have protection, General Smith," replied the governor. "I did not make this promise without consulting my officers, who all pledged their honor to its fulfillment. I do not know that I shall go tomorrow to Nauvoo, but if I do, I will take you along."
In the afternoon of the same day Joseph and Hyrum were as illegally dragged out of prison as they had been unlawfully thrust into it; for the justice having committed them to prison, "there to remain until discharged by due process of law," had no more power over them. But notwithstanding this fact, he ordered the constable to bring them from jail into his court; and when the prisoners refused to go at the bidding of this autocratic justice, the constable, under instructions from the magistrate, called to his assistance a detachment of the Carthage Greys under Frank Worrell, and again presented himself at the jail, and in spite of the protests of the prisoners and the jailer, they forced them to go before Justice Smith.
On arraignment before the justice, counsel for the accused asked for a continuation until the next day to procure witnesses. This was granted; a new mittimus was made out and they were again committed to prison. After the departure of the accused, and without consulting them or their counsel, the time for the hearing of the case was further postponed until the 29th.
The following day—the ever-memorable 27th of June—the governor broke the promise he had made to Joseph Smith the day previous, viz.: that if he went to Nauvoo he would take him along. He disbanded the mob militia except a small company he detailed to accompany him to Nauvoo, and the Carthage Greys, a company of the very worst enemies the Smiths and their friends had—these he left to guard the prisoners!
The mob-militia, after receiving their discharge, before leaving the public square in Carthage, publicly boasted that they would only go a short distance from town, and after the governor left they would return and kill the Smiths and their friends if they had "to tear down the jail to do it." Captain Dan Jones, one of the brethren, heard this threat and informed the governor of it. The only answer he received was that he was too anxious for the safety of his friends.
Later in the day Captain Jones was dispatched to Hon. O.H. Browning, a prominent lawyer of Quincy, to secure his professional services in the pending trial. Cyrus Wheelock left for Nauvoo a little after noon to obtain witnesses. Before going he left a six-shooting revolver belonging to Elder Taylor with the Prophet. Stephen Markham being seen on the street was captured, put on his horse and compelled to leave town at the point of the bayonet. The departure of these brethren left only John Taylor and Willard Richards with the Prophet and his brother Hyrum.
The afternoon drew its slow length along. The four friends carried on a desultory conversation, in which Elder Richards remarked: "Brother Joseph, if it is necessary that you die in this matter, and if they will take me in your stead, I will suffer for you."
Other thoughts were passing through the mind of Elder Taylor. He regarded the whole thing as an outrage on their liberties and rights; and the mob proceedings under the forms of law a legal farce. As he contemplated these acts of injustice he broke out with—"Brother Joseph, if you will permit it, and say the word, I will have you out of this prison in five hours, if the jail has to come down to do it." His idea was to go to Nauvoo, collect a sufficient force of the brethren to liberate his friends. Joseph refused to sanction such a course.
The four friends were sitting in a large, square room in the prison, usually occupied by men imprisoned for the lighter offenses. The afternoon was warm and the spirits of the brethren extremely dull and depressed—did the shadow of their impending fate begin to fall upon them? Elder Taylor sang the following song, which had recently been introduced into Nauvoo. The tune is the one to which he sang it on that melancholy occasion:
A poor, wayfaring man of grief Hath often crossed me on my way; Who sued so humbly for relief, That I could never answer "Nay." I had not power to ask his name, Whither he went, or whence he came; Yet there was something in his eye That won my love, I knew not why.
Once when my scanty meal was spread,He entered—not a word he spake!Just perishing for want of bread;I gave him all; he blessed it, brake,And ate, but gave me part again;Mine was an angel's portion then;For while I fed with eager hasteThe crust was manna to my taste.I spied him where a fountain burstClear from the rock; his strength was gone;The heedless water mocked his thirst;He heard it, saw it hurrying on—I ran and raised the sufferer up;Thrice from the stream he drained my cup;Dipped, and returned it running o'er;I drank, and never thirsted more.'Twas night; the floods were out; it blewA winter-hurricane aloof;I heard his voice abroad, and flewTo bid him welcome to my roof.I warmed and clothed and cheered my guest;I laid him on my couch to rest;Then made the earth my bed, and seemedIn Eden's garden while I dreamed.Stripped, wounded, beaten nigh to death,I found him by the highway side;I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,Revived his spirit and suppliedWine, oil, refreshment—he was healed;I had myself a wound concealed;But from that hour forgot the smart,And peace bound up my broken heart.In prison I saw him next,—condemnedTo meet a traitor's doom at morn;The tide of lying tongues I stemmed,And honored him 'mid shame and scorn.My friendship's utmost zeal to try,He asked if I for him would die;The flesh was weak, my blood ran chill,But the free spirit cried, "I will."Then in a moment to my view,The stranger darted from disguise;The tokens in his hands I knew;The Savior stood before mine eyes.He spake, and my poor name he named—"Of me thou hast not been ashamed;These deeds shall my memorial be;Fear not, thou didst them unto me."
Once when my scanty meal was spread,He entered—not a word he spake!Just perishing for want of bread;I gave him all; he blessed it, brake,And ate, but gave me part again;Mine was an angel's portion then;For while I fed with eager hasteThe crust was manna to my taste.
I spied him where a fountain burstClear from the rock; his strength was gone;The heedless water mocked his thirst;He heard it, saw it hurrying on—I ran and raised the sufferer up;Thrice from the stream he drained my cup;Dipped, and returned it running o'er;I drank, and never thirsted more.
'Twas night; the floods were out; it blewA winter-hurricane aloof;I heard his voice abroad, and flewTo bid him welcome to my roof.I warmed and clothed and cheered my guest;I laid him on my couch to rest;Then made the earth my bed, and seemedIn Eden's garden while I dreamed.
Stripped, wounded, beaten nigh to death,I found him by the highway side;I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,Revived his spirit and suppliedWine, oil, refreshment—he was healed;I had myself a wound concealed;But from that hour forgot the smart,And peace bound up my broken heart.
In prison I saw him next,—condemnedTo meet a traitor's doom at morn;The tide of lying tongues I stemmed,And honored him 'mid shame and scorn.My friendship's utmost zeal to try,He asked if I for him would die;The flesh was weak, my blood ran chill,But the free spirit cried, "I will."
Then in a moment to my view,The stranger darted from disguise;The tokens in his hands I knew;The Savior stood before mine eyes.He spake, and my poor name he named—"Of me thou hast not been ashamed;These deeds shall my memorial be;Fear not, thou didst them unto me."
Shortly Hyrum asked him to sing the song again, to which he replied:
"Brother Hyrum, I do not feel like singing."
"Oh, never mind; commence singing and you will get the spirit of it."
Soon after finishing the song the second time, as he was sitting at one of the front windows of the jail, he saw a number of men, with painted faces, rushing round the corner towards the stairs. The brethren must have seen this mob simultaneously, for as Elder Taylor started for the door to secure it, he found Hyrum Smith and Doctor Richards leaning against it to prevent its being opened, as the lock and latch were of little use. The mob reaching the landing in front of the door, and thinking it was locked, fired a shot through the key hole. Hyrum and Doctor Richards sprang back, when instantly another ball crashed through the panel of the door and struck Hyrum in the face; at the same instant a ball from the window facing the public square where the main body of the Carthage Greys was stationed, entered his back, and he fell exclaiming, "I am a dead man!" With an expression of deep sympathy in his face, Joseph bent over the prostrate body of the murdered man and exclaimed, "Oh! my poor, dear brother Hyrum!" Then instantly rising to his feet he drew the pistol Cyrus Wheelock had left, and with a quick, firm step, and a determined expression in his face he advanced to the door and snapped the pistol six successive times; only three of the loads, however, were discharged.[1]
While Joseph was firing the pistol Elder Taylor stood close behind him, and as soon as he discharged it and stepped back, Elder Taylor took his place next the door, and with a heavy walking stick—left there by Brother Markham—parried the guns as they were thrust through the doorway and discharged.
The firing from within made the mob pause, but it was only for an instant, and then the attack was more furious than ever. The scene was terrible! Streams of fire as thick as a man's arm belched forth from the ever increasing number of guns in the door-way, yet calm, energetic and determined, Elder Taylor beat down the muzzles of those murderous guns.
"That's right, Brother Taylor, parry them off as well as you can," said Joseph, as he stood behind him. Those were the last words he heard the Prophet speak on earth in the flesh.
Meantime the crowd on the landing grew more dense and were forced to the door by the pressure of those below crowding their way up the stairs. The guns of the assailants were pushed further and further into the room—the firing was more rapid and accompanied with demoniac yells and horrid oaths and execrations. Certain that they would be overpowered in a moment if he remained longer at the door, and thinking that they might have some friends outside, Elder Taylor sprang for the open window directly in front of the prison door, and also exposed to the fire of the Carthage Greys from the public square. As he was in the act of leaping from the window, a ball fired from the door-way struck him about midway of his left thigh. He fell helpless on the window sill and would have dropped on the outside of the jail—when another shot from the outside, striking the watch in his vest pocket, threw him back into the room. As soon as he struck the floor his animation returned, and, in order to avoid the range of fire from the door way, he drew himself as rapidly as possible in his crippled condition under the bedstead that stood near the window.
While on his way three other bullets struck him; one a little below the left knee—it was never extracted; another tore away the flesh to the size of a man's hand from his left hip and spattered the wall with blood and the mangled fragments; another entered the forepart of his left arm, a little above the wrist, and, passing down by the joint, lodged in the palm of his left hand.
As he laid there weltering in his blood, he heard the mob at the door shout: "He has leaped from the window!" There was a cessation of the firing, and a general rush down stairs. At the same instant Dr. Richards crossed the room and looked out of the window.
It would seem that the Prophet Joseph also attempted to leap from the window, but on reaching it he was instantly shot and fell to the ground by the side of an old well-curb. It was this that gave rise to the cry, "He has leaped from the window!" which attracted the attention of Elder Taylor.
Brother Richards remained but a moment at the window; and then started for the inner prison, the door of which opened on the landing in front of the door to the room the brethren had occupied. As he passed him Elder Taylor said:
"Stop, doctor, and take me along."
Ascertaining that the iron door to the criminals' cell was open, he returned and dragged his wounded companion into it. Inside the cell he exclaimed:
"Oh! Brother Taylor, is it possible that they have killed Brothers Joseph and Hyrum? It cannot surely be, and yet I saw them shoot them! Oh Lord, my God, spare Thy servants!" he exclaimed several times, raising his hands to heaven with each exclamation. "Brother Taylor, this is a terrible event," he went on; and then dragged him still further into the cell.
Taking up an old filthy mattress he threw it over the wounded man saying: "I am sorry I cannot do better for you; but that may hide you, and you may yet live to tell the tale, but I expect they will kill me in a few moments."
The doctor then went out to learn for certain the fate which had befallen the Prophet. While he was gone Elder Taylor suffered the most excruciating pain. Dr. Richards returned in a few minutes, and confirmed his worst fears—the Prophet was dead!
"I felt," says Elder Taylor, "a dull, lonely, sickening sensation at the news."
"When I reflected that our noble chieftain, the Prophet of the living God, had fallen, and that I had seen his brother in the cold embrace of death, it seemed as though there was a void or vacuum in the great field of human existence to me, and a dark, gloomy chasm in the kingdom, and that we were left alone. Oh, how lonely was that feeling! How cold, barren and desolate! In the midst of difficulties he was always the first in motion; in critical positions his counsel was always sought. As our Prophet he approached our God, and obtained for us His will; but now our Prophet, our counselor, our general, our leader was gone, and amid the fiery ordeal that we then had to pass through, we were left alone without his aid, and as our future guide for things spiritual or temporal, and for all things pertaining to this world or the next, he had spoken for the last time on earth!"
SCENE IN CARTHAGE JAIL
SCENE IN CARTHAGE JAIL
SCENE IN CARTHAGE JAIL
SCENE IN CARTHAGE JAIL
"These reflections and a thousand others flashed upon my mind. I thought, Why must the good perish, and the virtuous be destroyed? Why must God's nobility, the salt of the earth, the most exalted of the human family, and the most perfect types of all excellence, fall victims to the cruel, fiendish hate of incarnate devils?"
Ah, why?
1. It was understood that these shots wounded several of the mob, and that two of them died from the effects of their wounds. The widow of a Mr. Lawn, captain of one of the companies of McDonough County militia, meeting with Elder Parley P. Pratt in California in 1856, told him that a man by the name of Townsend, living in Iowa, near Fort Madison, was one of the mob who forced the door of Carthage jail on the above occasion. One of the pistol shots fired by Joseph wounded him in the arm near the shoulder, and it continued to rot until taken off, and then it did not heal, but continued to rot, and about nine months after he was wounded he died. About six months after he was shot Mrs. Lawn saw his arm and dressed it. Auto. P. P. Pratt, p. 475-6.
FLIGHT OF THE MOB—EXCITEMENT OF THE GOVERNOR—ELDER TAYLOR'S SUFFERING—HYPOCRISY—STILL IN DANGER—THE RETURN TO NAUVOO—GRATITUDE—"WITH THE GREATEST OF PROPHETS HE SUFFERED AND BLED."
Immediately after the terrible tragedy was ended, fear seized upon the perpetrators of it, and they precipitately fled. A number of the inhabitants of Carthage gathered about the jail, and some of these went to the head of the stairs to see the work that had been done.
Elder Taylor was brought out of the cell to the landing at the head of the stairs. Through the open door leading into the room that he and his friends had occupied when the assault was made, he had a full view of Hyrum Smith.
"There he lay as I had left him," he writes. "He had not moved a limb; he lay placid and calm, a monument of greatness even in death: but his noble spirit had left its tenement and had gone to dwell in regions more congenial to its exalted nature. Poor Hyrum! he was a great and good man, and my soul was cemented to his. If ever there was an exemplary, honest and virtuous man, an embodiment of all that is noble in the human form, Hyrum Smith was its representative." Such were his thoughts on the character of his friend, even while suffering excruciating pains from his wounds.
Among those who stood about him on the landing was a doctor, and feeling the ball that had lodged in the palm of Elder Taylor's left hand, he took a pen knife, made an incision and then with a pair of carpenter's compasses pried out the half-ounce ball. The alternate sawing with a dull pen knife and prying with the compasses was simply surgical butchery. The doctor afterwards said that Elder Taylor had nerves "like the devil" to stand that operation.
The crowd now urged him to consent to be removed to Hamilton's hotel, where he could be cared for, to which he replied: "I don't know you. Who am I among? I am surrounded by assassins and murderers; witness your deeds! Don't talk to me of kindness and comfort; look at your murdered victims! Look at me! I want none of your counsel nor comfort. There may be some safety here; I can be assured of none anywhere."
They protested that he was safe with them; it was a shame that he and his friends had been treated in the manner they had; they swore by all the oaths known to the damned that they would stand by him to the death. "In half an hour every one of them had fled from the town," says Elder Taylor.
Meantime a coroner's inquest was being held over the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum. Robert F. Smith, the justice of the peace who had issued the warrant for the arrest of the murdered men on the charge of treason, who without a hearing had illegally committed them to prison and then in a few hours as unlawfully dragged them out to appear before his court, who was captain of the Carthage Greys and who had helped to murder them, was the coroner! During the investigation the name of Francis Higbee was mentioned as being in the vicinity.
"Captain Smith, you are a justice of the peace—I want to swear my life against that man," said Elder Taylor. Word was immediately sent to Higbee and he left Carthage.
Through the persuasions of Doctor Richards Elder Taylor was at last removed to Hamilton's hotel, though it was difficult to obtain sufficient help to move him, as a great fear fell upon the people and they had fled the place as though a plague had fallen upon it. It was feared that the Mormons being incensed at the murder of Joseph and Hyrum would call out the Legion and take summary vengeance on the people of Carthage. It was only by earnest entreaty that Doctor Richards could prevail upon the Hamiltons to remain.
All the inhabitants of Carthage knew that a terrible outrage had been perpetrated; that the pledged faith of the state had been broken; that the martyrs had voluntarily gone to Carthage and placed themselves in the power of their enemies at a time when they were amply able to protect themselves against the mob thrice told, and against the governor's troops besides. No wonder the people of Carthage expected that the Mormons would take a terrible vengeance.
Doctor Richards was also afraid that he Saints in their just indignation would rise in their wrath and take vengeance into their own hands. He took counsel with Elder Taylor and concluded to send a note to Nauvoo. "Brother Richards, say that I amslightlywounded," said Elder Taylor. And when the note[1]making the awful announcement of the murder of the prophets to the Saints was brought to him, he signed his name as quickly as possible lest the tremor of his hand should be noticed, and the fears of his family aroused.
This note was entrusted to George D. Grant, who at once started for Nauvoo. He was met within three miles of the city by the governor and his escort, who, on hearing a cannon fired in the direction of Carthage, had immediately left Nauvoo. Governor Ford had gone to Nauvoo that morning, and during the day delivered a speech to the people. In it he had insulted them by assuming that all their enemies had said of them was true. At this, according to his own account of the matter, the people manifested some impatience and anger, as well they might, for baser slanders were never circulated of any community, nor a grosser insult ever offered to one than for the governor to assume, without investigation, that all that had been said against them was true.
The governor compelled George D. Grant to return to Carthage with him, that he might have time to remove the county records from the court house and give the citizens a chance to escape before the people of Nauvoo should learn of the murder; for he, too, expected the Mormons would wreak a terrible vengeance. He reached Carthage about midnight, and having conferred with Dr. Richards, and promising that all things should be inquired into, and telling what few people remained in Carthage to flee for their lives, Governor Ford listened to the voice of his own fears and with his posse fled in the direction of Quincy.
It was morning before Elder Taylor's wounds could be dressed and he made in any way comfortable. The day following, the 29th, his wife Leonora came to him, and also his father and mother, as well as a number of the brethren who had come to render assistance in removing the remains of the martyrs to Nauvoo.
General Demming of the Hancock County militia and also Colonel Jones, treated Elder Taylor with marked courtesy, and seemed solicitous for his welfare. There were also a number of gentlemen from Quincy and other places, among them Judge Ralston, who called to inquire after his welfare. Among them was a doctor who extracted a ball that was giving him great pain from his thigh.
"Will you be tied during the operation, Mr. Taylor?"
"Oh, no; I shall endure the cutting all right," was the reply, and he did.
The ball was buried in the flesh, and flattened against the bone to the size of a 25 cent piece, and the thigh was badly swollen; but the cutting was a relief from the pain he had endured.
During the performance of the operation Sister Taylor retired to another room to pray for him, that he might have strength to endure it and be restored to her and her family. While thus engaged an old Methodist lady of the name of Bedell entered the room and seeing Sister Taylor on her knees, approvingly patted her on the back, saying, "There's a good lady, pray for God to forgive your sins; pray that you may be converted, and the Lord may have mercy on your soul!"
While in that house, where the inmates talked of praying for the forgiveness of sins and for mercy, Sister Taylor had heard the murder of the prophets approved of, at least by the old gentleman Hamilton, father of the one who kept the house, and she expressed her belief that the other branches of the family approved of it.
"These were the associates of the old lady referred to," says Elder Taylor, "and yet she could talk of conversion and saving souls in the midst of blood and murder: such is man and such consistency!"
Some of the brethren had considerable anxiety for the safety of Elder Taylor. They by no means thought him secure from the attack of the mob, some of whom hung about Carthage, and others who began to return there when they saw the Mormons did not riseen masseand destroy their neighbors. A brother of the name of Alexander Williams feared his enemies had some motive in keeping Elder Taylor in Carthage, and one day he remarked to him that he had fifty men at a given point in some woods adjacent, and he would soon raise another fifty and take him to Nauvoo if he would go. Elder Taylor thanked Brother Williams but thought there was no need of his going.
He did seem to be in some danger, however, for the before mentioned Colonel Jones when compelled to be absent from his room would leave a pair of pistols on the table, in case an attack should be made. Some time after his recovery, too, when publishing an account of the assault upon the jail, a lawyer of the name of Backman stated that he prevented the desperado Jackson, before mentioned, from ascending the stairs of the jail and dispatching him while he lay there unable to move. Backman at the time of making the statement expressed his regrets at having prevented the deed. There were others also who said that he ought to be killed; but that it "was too d—d cowardly to shoot a wounded man." "And thus," remarks the Elder, "by the chivalry of murderers, I was prevented from being a second time mutilated or killed."
The motive prompting such a deed, apart from the murderous spirit of the wretches who contemplated it, would be found in the fact that Elder Taylor had been a witness of their damning deed, and it was uncertain how many and whom among them he had recognized. It was important to the mob that such a witness should be silenced.
How many days Elder Taylor remained in Carthage after he was wounded is not certain, but it was not many; from three to five only. The people at Carthage were anxious for him to remain, since they looked upon him as a sort of hostage; and thought his removal would doubtless be the signal for the uprising of the Mormons.
At last Brother Marks, the President of the Nauvoo Stake, Doctor Ellis, a number of brethren on horseback, and James Allred with a wagon, came to Carthage to remove him to Nauvoo. When asked if he could talk, he could but barely whisper, "No;" so weak was he from the loss of blood and the discharge of his wounds. The physicians and people of Carthage protested that it would be his death if he were removed; but his friends were anxious for his removal if possible.
Being unable to ride in a wagon or carriage, a litter was prepared for him, and a number of men living in Carthage, some of whom had been engaged in the mob, assisted in carrying him. Once on the way, word was sent to some of the Saints living along the route, not far from Carthage, to come and meet them. Meantime the men from Carthage made one excuse after another for leaving until all were gone, much to the relief of the wounded man, who expressed himself as glad to get rid of them.
The tramping of those who carried him at last produced violent pain. A sleigh was therefore obtained and hitched to the back of James Allred's wagon. A bed was made on the sleigh, and with Sister Taylor by his side to bathe his wounds with ice-water, the company moved on towards Nauvoo. The sleigh slipped along over the grass of the prairie almost without a jar. Five or six miles from Nauvoo the Saints who had learned of his coming turned out to meet him, and they increased in numbers as the party with the wounded man drew nearer, until soon there were troops of friends about him on every hand.
With what joy the storm-tossed, ship-wrecked sailor enters the port from whence he sailed! How buoyant with delight is the soldier who, after many a hard-fought field, and a thousand dangers past, returns at last, weary and worn perhaps, to his native village! But more grateful, and more joyous than either of these was Elder Taylor to return into the midst of his friends, after passing through the fearful ordeal at Carthage jail.
"Never shall I forget the difference of feeling," he writes, "that I experienced between the place that I had left and the one that I had now arrived at. I had left a lot of reckless, blood-thirsty murderers, and had come to the city of the Saints, the people of the living God; friends of truth and righteousness, all of whom stood there with warm, true hearts to offer their friendship and services, and to welcome my return."
One thing only cast a shadow upon his happiness—the recollection that Joseph and Hyrum were not there—that they were dead!
When Doctor Richards left Carthage with the bodies of the prophets to convey them to Nauvoo, Elder Taylor suggested that he had better take his purse and watch as he feared the people might steal them. At this suggestion the doctor put the purse and watch into one of the owner's pantaloon pockets, then cutting it off tied a string around the top. It was thus returned to him after he reached Nauvoo. On opening the pocket it was found that the crystal to the watch was literally smashed to powder by the ball that had struck it at the time he had felt himself falling from the jail window. Up to that time, however, his being thrown back into the room when he felt himself falling out had been a mystery; but now it was all clear to him. Had he fallen on the outside he would have dropped into the very midst of his enemies and would have been instantly dispatched; but the bullet aimed at his heart was turned by an over-ruling Providence into a messenger of mercy—it saved his life.
"I shall never forget the feelings of gratitude that I then experienced towards my Heavenly Father," he writes in speaking of the discovery of how his life was saved; "the whole scene was vividly portrayed before me, and my heart melted before the Lord. I felt that the Lord had preserved me by a special act of mercy; that my time had not yet come, and that I had still a work to perform upon the earth." The hands of the watch stood at five o'clock, sixteen minutes, and twenty-six seconds, thus marking the moment when its possessor stood between time and eternity.
The trying ordeal through which he had passed with the martyrs, his devotion and faithfulness to them in those fearful scenes in the jail, his undaunted courage, the cruel wounds he himself had received, and the patience with which he endured his suffering—all bound Elder Taylor in still stronger bands of affection to the Saints in Nauvoo and throughout the world.
Shortly after his return to Nauvoo, Eliza R. Snow addressed the following lines to him:
Thou chieftain of Zion, henceforward thy nameWill be classed with the martyrs, and share in their fame;Thro' ages eternal, of thee 'twill be said,With the greatest of prophets he suffered and bled.When the shafts of injustice were pointed at him,When the cup of his suff'ring was fill'd to the brim,When his innocent blood was inhumanly shed,You shar'd his afflictions and with him you bled.When around you like hailstones, the rifle balls flew,When the passage of death opened wide to your view,When the prophet's free'd spirit thro' martyrdom fled,In your gore you lay welt'ring—with martyrs you bled.All the scars from your wounds, like the trophies of yore,Shall be ensigns of HONOR, till you are no more;And by all generations of thee shall be said,With the best of the prophets, in prison, he bled.
Thou chieftain of Zion, henceforward thy nameWill be classed with the martyrs, and share in their fame;Thro' ages eternal, of thee 'twill be said,With the greatest of prophets he suffered and bled.
When the shafts of injustice were pointed at him,When the cup of his suff'ring was fill'd to the brim,When his innocent blood was inhumanly shed,You shar'd his afflictions and with him you bled.
When around you like hailstones, the rifle balls flew,When the passage of death opened wide to your view,When the prophet's free'd spirit thro' martyrdom fled,In your gore you lay welt'ring—with martyrs you bled.
All the scars from your wounds, like the trophies of yore,Shall be ensigns of HONOR, till you are no more;And by all generations of thee shall be said,With the best of the prophets, in prison, he bled.
1. Following is a copy of it:
CARTHAGE JAIL,
8 o'clock 5 min. p. m., June 27, 1844.
Joseph and Hyrum are dead. Taylor wounded, not very badly. I am well. Our guard was forced, as we believe, by a band of Missourians from 100 to 200. The job was done in an instant, and the party fled towards Nauvoo instantly. This is as I believe it. The citizens here are afraid of the Mormons attacking them; I promise them no.
W. RICHARDS.
N. B. The citizens promise us protection. Alarm guns have been fired.
JOHN TAYLOR.
WAS GOVERNOR FORD A PARTY TO THE MASSACRE?—SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES.
Relative to Governor Ford's complicity in this awful tragedy, Elder Taylor has the following:
"There had been various opinions about the complicity of the governor in the murder, some supposing that he knew all about it, and assisted or winked at its execution. It is somewhat difficult to form a correct opinion; from the facts presented it is very certain that things looked more than suspicious against him."
"In the first place, he positively knew that we had broken no law.
"Secondly. He knew that the mob had not only passed inflammatory resolutions, threatening extermination to the Mormons, but that they had actually assembled armed mobs and commenced hostilities against us.
"Thirdly. He took those very mobs that had been arrayed against us, and enrolled them as his troops, thus legalizing their acts.
"Fourthly. He disbanded the Nauvoo Legion, which had never violated law, and disarmed them, and had about his person in the shape of militia known mobocrats and violators of the law.
"Fifthly. He requested us to come to Carthage without arms, promising protection, and then refused to interfere in delivering us from prison, although Joseph and Hyrum were put there contrary to law.
"Sixthly. Although he refused to interfere in our behalf, yet, when Captain Smith went to him and informed him that the prisoners refused to come out, he told him that he had a command and knew what to do, thus sanctioning the use of force in the violation of law when opposed to us, whereas he would not for us interpose his executive authority to free us from being incarcerated contrary to law, although he was fully informed of all the facts of the case, as we kept him posted in the affairs all the time.
"Seventhly. He left the prisoners in Carthage jail contrary to his plighted faith.
"Eighthly. Before he went he dismissed all the troops that could be relied upon, as well as many of the mob, and left us in charge of the "Carthage Greys," a company that he knew were mobocratic, our most bitter enemies, and who had passed resolutions to exterminate us, and who had been placed under guard by General Demming only the day before.
"Ninthly. He was informed of the intended murder, both before he left and while on the road, by several different parties.
"Tenthly. When the cannon was fired in Carthage, signifying that the deed was done, he immediately took up his line of march and fled. How did he know this signal portended their death, if he was not in the secret? It may be said some of the party told him. How could he believe what the party said about the gun signal if he could not believe the testimony of several individuals who told him in positive terms about the contemplated murder?
"He has I believe, stated that he left the "Carthage Greys" there because he considered that, as their town was contiguous to ours, and as the responsibility of our safety rested solely upon them, they would not dare suffer any indignity to befall us. This very admission shows that he did really expect danger; and then he knew that these people had published to the world that they would exterminate us, and his leaving us in their hands and taking off their responsibilities was like leaving a lamb in charge of a wolf, and trusting to its humanity and honor for its safe-keeping.
"It is said again that he would not have gone to Nauvoo, and thus placed himself in the hands of the Mormons, if he had anticipated any such event, as he would be exposed to their wrath. To this it may be answered that the Mormons did not know their signals, while he did; and they were also known in Warsaw, as well as in other places; and as soon as a gun was fired, a merchant of Warsaw jumped upon his horse and rode directly to Quincy, and reported 'Joseph and Hyrum killed, and those who were with them in jail.' He reported further that 'they were attempting to break jail, and were all killed by the guard.' This was their story; it was anticipated to kill all, and the gun was to be the signal that the deed was accomplished. This was known in Warsaw. The governor also knew it and fled; and he could really be in no danger in Nauvoo, for the Mormons did not know it, and he had plenty of time to escape, which he did.
"It is said that he made all his officers promise solemnly that they would help him to protect the Smiths; this may or may not be. At any rate, some of these same officers helped to murder them.
"The strongest argument in the governor's favor, and one that would bear more weight with us than all the rest put together, would be that he could not believe them capable of such atrocity; and, thinking that their talk and threatenings were a mere ebullition of feeling, a kind of braggadocio, and that there was enough of good, moral feeling to control the more violent passions, he trusted to their faith. There is, indeed, a degree of plausibility about this, but when we put it in juxtaposition to the amount of evidence that he was in possession of, it weighs very little. He had nothing to inspire confidence in them, and everything to make him mistrust them. Besides, why his broken faith? Why his disregard of what was told him by several parties? Again, if he knew not the plan, how did he understand the signal? Why so oblivious to everything pertaining to the Mormon interest, and so alive and interested about the mobocrats? At any rate, be this as it may, he stands responsible for their blood, and it is dripping on his garments. If it had not been for his promises of protection, they would have protected themselves; it was plighted faith that led them to the slaughter; and, to make the best of it, it was a breach of that faith and a non-fulfillment of that promise, after repeated warning, that led to their death.
"Having said so much, I must leave the governor with my readers and with his God. Justice, I conceive, demanded this much, and truth could not be told with less; as I have said before, my opinion is that the governor would not have planned this murder, but he had not sufficient energy to resist popular opinion, even if that opinion led to blood and death."
Governor Ford admits, in his History of Illinois, that he heard of some threats made against the prisoners. He writes: "I had heard of some threats being made, but none of an attack upon the prisoners whilst in jail. These threats seemed to be made by individuals not acting in concert. They were no more than the bluster which might have been expected, and furnished no indication of numbers combining for this or any other purpose."
The day previous to the assault on the jail, the governor was planning to march all his forces into Nauvoo. This military expedition, not to say semi-military invasion, was expected to accomplish two purposes: first, it would gratify the clamors of the anti-Mormons; second, it was intended to strike terror to the hearts of the citizens of Nauvoo. Speaking of this intended military display the governor remarks:
"I observed that some of the people became more and more excited and inflammatory the further the preparations were advanced. Occasional threats came to my ears of destroying the city and murdering or expelling the inhabitants. I had no objection to ease the terrors of the people by this display of force, and was most anxious also to search for the alleged apparatus for making counterfeit money; and, in fact, to inquire into all the charges made against that people, if I could have been assured of my command against mutiny and insubordination. But I gradually learned to my entire satisfaction that there was a plan to get the troops into Nauvoo, and there to begin the war, probably by some of our own party, or some of the seceding Mormons, taking advantage of the night to fire on our own force, and then lay it on the Mormons. I was satisfied that there were those amongst us fully capable of such an act, hoping that in the alarm, bustle and confusion of a militia camp, the truth would not be discovered, and that it might lead to the desired collision."
Such are the reasons assigned by Governor Ford for abandoning his plan of marching all his forces into Nauvoo. If he could persuade himself to believe that he had those under his command who would resort to the means he himself alludes to in the foregoing, to bring about a collision with the citizens of Nauvoo, and that he was fearful that his whole command would mutiny when once in the city of the Saints, it is unfortunate for the fame of Governor Ford that his fears could not be aroused for the safety of his prisoners, who were left at the mercy of those same militia forces of which he himself was distrustful, especially since the only barrier between them and the fury of this mob militia was a guard made up of their bitterest enemies—the Carthage Greys.
MANAGEMENT OF AFFAIRS IN NAUVOO—ARRIVAL OF SIDNEY RIGDON—ARRIVAL OF THE TWELVE—RIGDON REJECTED AS LEADER—THE TWELVE CHOSEN—PROSPERITY—UNIQUE ORGANIZATION—MOBBINGS—AGREEMENT TO LEAVE NAUVOO—BOLD SPEECHES OF ELDER TAYLOR—"THE LORD WAS WITH ME."
Soon after the return of Elder Taylor to Nauvoo, he, in connection with Willard Richards and W. W. Phelps, issued an address to the Saints, beseeching them to hold fast to the faith and to be peaceable citizens, doing the works of righteousness. The address also stated that as soon as the Twelve and other authorities could assemble, or a majority of them, the onward course for the great gathering of Israel, and the final consummation of the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, would be pointed out.
Elders Taylor and Richards were the only members of the quorum of the Twelve in Nauvoo at the time, the others all being absent in the East on Missions.
In a few days Parley P. Pratt arrived and united with these brethren in directing the affairs of the Church. The council meetings of these apostles were held at the house of Elder Taylor, in order that he might take part in them, being still confined to his room by his wounds.
About the time Elder Pratt reached Nauvoo Sidney Rigdon, one of the counselors to the martyred Prophet, arrived from Pennsylvania. He was invited to join them in their movements, but this he declined, as he had his own selfish ambition to gratify. He was determined to become the leader of the Church; and to accomplish this, he began in an underhanded way to work up a feeling in his own favor.
Afraid to put in a claim to be made President outright, he sought to be appointed "guardian" to the Church, to build it up to Joseph. He held secret meetings among those favorable to his plans, circulated wonderful "revelations" among them, and ordained men to offices heretofore unheard of in the Church; and at last appointed a day for the Church to assemble and select a "guardian." The day appointed was the 8th of August.
By that time President Young and a majority of the Twelve had arrived. Elder Rigdon had full opportunity to present his claims to the people, but they rejected him, and almost unanimously chose the apostles to preside over the whole Church.
Disappointed in his ambitious designs, Elder Rigdon sought to divide the people; but as his influence in Nauvoo was limited, he did not succeed further than to induce a very few to accompany him to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he gathered about him a few other followers. He was shortly afterwards excommunicated from the Church, as he manifested no disposition to repent of his course.
Other restless, ambitious characters, among them James J. Strang and James Emmet sought to divide the Church, since they could not preside over it, and did lead some away; their vaulting ambition overleaped itself, however, and they miserably failed.
The Twelve being sustained as the presiding authority, they took the direction of affairs and issued a general epistle to the Church, in which they expressed a determination to carry on the work so well begun by the Prophet Joseph. Nauvoo must be enlarged, the temple completed and the gathering of Israel go on. "The gospel in its fullness must now roll forth," said they, "through every neighborhood of this wide-spread country, and to all the world, * * * until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ."
Capitalists were invited to Nauvoo to establish manufactories, and were assured that the people there had sufficient skill and ingenuity among them to carry on nearly all kinds of industry. Elder Taylor took a prominent part in these temporal affairs as well as in things spiritual. On his recommendation and under his supervision a "Trades Union" was formed, an organization having for its object the establishment of industries that would produce, as far as possible, everything needed by the people of Nauvoo, and a surplus for exportation.
Suggestions were made to secure a charter for the association, but as there was every prospect that the city and other charters granted to the people of Nauvoo would be repealed by the state legislature, Elder Taylor proposed a plan of organization that was at once novel and not likely to be interfered with by the state:
First, Twelve men to be appointed, forming aLiving Constitution, with a president, secretary, etc., to take the lead in all the affairs of the association.
Second. Separate trustees to organize themselves and have their own laws, but to be subject to the living constitution.
These movements gave an impetus to industry, and an era of prosperity dawned upon Nauvoo such as she had never before witnessed. Immigration rapidly increased her population, factories of various kinds sprang into existence, and the diversity of industries thus created, made an exchange of home productions possible and very profitable.
After the ruthless murder of the prophets there was a cessation of active hostilities against the Saints, and even a reaction of popular sentiment in their favor. This, however, was but momentary. It grew out of the awe inspired by the dastardly murder committed at Carthage, sufficient in atrocity to make hell itself stand aghast and tremble. It was sufficient, also, to silence the tongue of slander in Illinois for the moment; and even fired some with boldness enough to denounce the deed and call for the enforcement of the law against the murderers.
Brave souls! Kind hearts, to weep over the wounded honor of the state! Their tears were gracious drops! But at the first cry of "thieves, thieves, thievesin Nauvoo!" a cry raised by the men whose hands were red with the innocent blood of God's servants—Illinois forgot her horror at the atrocious murder of innocent men while under her protection; and clapped her hands with joy at the prospect of finding even the slightest shadow of palliation for the monstrous crime which dragged her honor in the dust, and stamped the brand of infamy forever on her brow.
The murderers of the prophets were so industrious in crying "thieves" and charging the Mormons with crimes which were never committed, that soon they not only made Illinois forget her shame in permitting the prophets of God to be murdered, but had her applauding the deed. So bold were the mob in their determination not to be brought to justice, that they threatened Governor Ford, and said if he insisted on pushing the investigation they would make him an accessory to the crime. Nine of the mob, however were finally brought to trial; and such trial! it was but a travesty on the term. The testimony of the chief witnesses for the prosecution was thrown out of evidence; and though the accused were notoriously guilty, they were acquitted.
Made bold by the impunity with which scoundrels had preyed upon the Saints, there was a further gathering of thieves, blacklegs and counterfeiters into Hancock County, and all their desperate crimes were credited to the Mormon people, together with many which had no existence, except as they were coined by the lying tongues of men bent on the destruction of the Saints. The city council of Nauvoo took up the matter, investigated it, and defied the world to substantiate a single instance where they had screened criminals from the law. The citizens in mass meeting assembled denied the slanderous allegations; the deputy sheriff of Hancock County denied them over his signature; Governor Ford investigated them, and in his annual message to the legislature, said: "I have investigated the charge of promiscuous stealing and find it to be greatly exaggerated. I could not ascertain that there were a greater proportion of thieves in that community than in any other of the same number of inhabitants, and perhaps it the city of Nauvoo were compared with St. Louis, or any other western city, the proportion would not be so great."
Regardless of these denials the charges of thieving, counterfeiting and shielding criminals were repeated until popular prejudice was thoroughly aroused against the inhabitants of Nauvoo, and began to demand their extermination. Made utterly reckless by the success of their misrepresentations, the anti-Mormons held a meeting to devise means for getting rid of the Saints. A number of their own crowd fired upon the house where the meeting was being held. This was charged to the Mormons, and made a pretext for burning the houses and stacks of grain belonging to the Saints in Morley settlement, near which the aforesaid meeting was held.
This outrage was not avenged by the citizens of Nauvoo, though their means of doing so were ample. They laid the matter before the authorities and there let it rest. Meantime the mob was making similar assaults on all the out-lying settlements. Houses and stacks of grain were burned, the sick and helpless driven from their homes to the open prairie. Mr. Backenstos, sheriff of Hancock County, called for a posse of the law-abiding citizens outside to put down mob violence. He thought it best to call upon citizens outside of Nauvoo to quell the disturbance lest the operations of a posse from Nauvoo should be made a pretext for the opening of civil war. There was no response to the sheriff's call, and house-burning and other acts of violence went on unchecked.
In the midst of these exciting scenes a mass meeting in Quincy resolved that the only hope for peace was in the removal of the Mormons from the state, and they appointed a committee to wait upon the Church authorities to lay these conclusions before them, and request them to leave. Weary with being continually harassed with illegal prosecutions and mob violence, the Saints agreed to leave the state in the spring, providing the citizens in Hancock and surrounding counties would use their influence in assisting them to rent or sell their property, that they might have means with which to remove; and further that they would cease vexatious lawsuits against them, as they had violated no law. This proposition was accepted by the people of Quincy and also by the anti-Mormons in Hancock County. The civil authorities were largely superceded by the military, Major Warren being sent into Hancock County with a company of militia to keep the peace.
These events occurred in the fall of 1845; and the Saints the winter following began extensive and active preparations for their departure in the spring. Meantime the anti-Mormons were breaking their part of the treaty almost daily. Illegal writs were issued for the arrest of the Twelve, and efforts made to serve them. House-burning and even murder went right on under the very eyes of Major Warren. At last, being exasperated beyond endurance, Elder Taylor declared he would submit no longer to the injustice being heaped upon himself and the people. President Young made a similar declaration. This led Major Warren to seek an interview with the authorities in which he upbraided them for their declared "resistance to law." In the course of that interview Elder Taylor made the following answer to the remarks of the major:
"Major Warren, I stand before you as a man who has received deep injury from the citizens of this state, and consequently have some feelings. You talk, sir, about 'the majesty of the law, and maintaining the law:' why, sir, the law to us is a mere farce. For years past the law has been made use of only as an engine of oppression. We have received no protection from it. I have suffered under its cruel influence. You talk about your troops being efficient, supporting law and preserving peace. This tale may do to tell some, but it fails to charm us. I stand before you as a victim of such protection. I went from this place some time ago in a time of difficulty like the present, as one of a committee by the special request of Governor Ford, who solemnly pledged his honor for my protection; but how was I protected? I was shot nearly to pieces, and two of the best men in the world were shot dead at my side. This is a specimen of your protection!"
Warren doubtless saw the storm that was coming and at this point interrupted to say that he did not wish to enter upon this exciting subject, but wished to speak relative to the present.
Elder Taylor: "I will touch upon the things of the present in a moment.—You may think this outrage was an outbreak—a sudden ebullition of feeling that the governor could not control; but who was it that did this deed? The governor's troops, sir, were among the foremost of that bloody gang. And where, sir—tell me where is our redress? You talk about the majesty of the law! What has become of those murderers? Have they been hung or shot, or in any way punished? No, sir, you know they have not. With their hands yet reeking in blood, having become hardened in their deeds of infamy, knowing that they will not be punished, they are now applying the torch to the houses of those they have already so deeply injured. What has been done to them under your administration? Have they been brought to justice, have they been punished for their infamous proceedings? No, sir; not one of them. They are still burning houses under your supervision; and you have either been unwilling or unable to stop them. Houses have been burned since your arrival here; men have been kidnapped, cattle stolen, our brethren abused and robbed when going after their corn. Are we to stand still and let marauders and house-burners come into our city under the real or assumed name of "governor's troops," and yet offer no resistance to their nefarious deeds? Are we to be held still by you, sir, while they thrust the hot iron into us? I tell you plainly for one I will not do it. I speak now on my own responsibility, and I tell you, sir, I will not stand it. I care nothing for your decrees, your martial law or any other law, I mean to protect myself; and if my brethren are to be insulted and abused in going after their own corn, and pursuing their lawful business—if nobody else will go to protect them I will. They shall not be abused under pretext of law or anything else; and there is not a patriot in the world but what would bear me out in it.
"Where is the spirit of '76? Where is the fire that burned in the bosoms of those who fought and bled for liberty? Is there no one who will stand up in defense of the oppressed? If a man had the least spark of humanity burning in his bosom—if he were not hardened and desperate, he would be ashamed to oppress a people already goaded by a yoke too intolerable to be borne, and that, too, in a boasted land of liberty. Talk about law! Sir, I stand before you as a victim of law. I feel warm on this subject—who would not? I have seen my best friends shot down while under legal protection. What is our governor? These scenes have been enacted under his supervision. What are our generals and judges? They have aided in these matters. If an honorable jury is legally selected, a house-burner or perhaps a murderer makes affidavit that he has reason to believe they are partial and the judge will order a mobocratic sheriff and jury for the purpose of acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent. What are all these legal men but a pack of scoundrels? And you will talk to us of law and order, and threaten us with punishment for disobeying your commands and protecting our rights! What are we? Are we beasts? I tell you for one, sir, I shall protect myself, law or no law, judge or no judge, governor or no governor. I will not stand such infernal rascality, and if I have to fight it out, I will sell my life as dearly as I can."
A few days after this, Major Warren again rode into Nauvoo with his troops. It was reported that he had writs for the Twelve, but he sent word that he wanted an interview with them and pledged his word that no writs should be served. In the interview which followed he read a letter from Mr. Brayman, attorney general of the statePro tem., asking if the statement made by Mr. Young and Mr. Taylor to the effect that they would not be subject to any law and would resist all civil process, was to be looked upon as sincere.
They denied having made such statement. What they complained of was mal-administration and illegal prosecution. They had always been subject to law. They had always sustained it and still felt disposed to do so. "But I wish to make a few remarks concerning my own individual feelings," said Elder Taylor. "I have endured as much as I feel willing to endure under this government. I feel myself oppressed and wronged. I have never violated any law in the United States, and to be vexed and annoyed continually with vexatious lawsuits and illegal prosecutions I do not feel disposed tamely to submit to. If it is not enough for me to be deprived of my rights and my liberty; if it is not enough for me to sacrifice my property and to become an exile; if I cannot have the short space of six months to dispose of my effects and to leave the state—if the governor will only tell me, I will leave now; but I cannot and will not endure a continuation of these wrongs. I do not mean to be taken by any unjust requisition and thrust into prison; if I am, I must go there dead; for they shall not take me there alive. I have no personal feelings against you, Major Warren, but I will not put up with these accumulated wrongs."
TheWarsaw Signalin speaking of this affair said that the troops had writs to serve on the Twelve, and although Major Warren had pledged his honor to the Twelve that no writs should be served, yet he was under promise to assist those holding them the day following; but after hearing the remarks of Elder Taylor fear seized upon them and they were afraid to make any attempt at serving them. Judge Purple also advised them not to serve them as he had no doubt there would be blood shed. Warren accordingly left with his troops.
"I had felt surprised at myself at the manner in which I had spoken," remarks Elder Taylor, "but I have no doubt I was directed by the Spirit of the Lord."