“Mormonism” Survives Liberty Jail

"'Mormonism' Survives Liberty Jail By President B. H. Roberts, of the First Council of Seventy LIBERTY JAIL! How paradoxical the title! Liberty and prison are antithetical, and are supposed to have nothing in common; but when it is known that this particular prison is associated with "liberty" simply because it stood in a little Mis- souri town of that name — the county seat of Clay county, and about fifteen miles directly north of Independence — the seeming paradox vanishes. As will be seen by reference to the cut of this "Mormon" historical monument, Liberty prison is fallen into ruins, and some years ago was entirely obliterated. The prison was built of rough-dressed limestone, the surface of which was of a yellowish color. It faced east and was about two hundred yards from the court house. Its dimensions were about twenty by twenty-two feet and the walls two feet thick. It had a heavy door in the east made strong and of considerable thickness by spiking inch oak planks together. In the south side there was a small opening a foot and a half square with strong iron bars, two inches apart, firmly imbedded in the stones of the wall. The contract for erecting this building was let in April, 1833, and in the December following the jail was completed. It cost the county six hundred dollars, Solomon Fry being the contractor. It was within these gloomy walls that the Prophet Joseph Smith endured some of the most cruel sufferings that were crowded into his eventful life. For several months during the winter of 1838-9 he was imprisoned within the rude walls of this old struc- ture, awaiting a trial for offenses charged against himself and brethren during the troubles in upper Missouri in the fall of 1838. Those imprisoned with him were his brother Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin, Alexander McRae and Sidney Rigdon; but the last named prisoner was admitted to bail after a short time of imprisonment, owing to the delicate state of his health. The rise of persecution against the Latter-day Saints in Mis- souri, which culminated in the expulsion of more than twelve hundred of them from their homes in Jackson county, in the winter of 1838; as also their subsequent settlement in several counties north of the Missouri river in 1836, together with the final expulsion of some fifteen thousand of the Saints from the confines of Missouri, in 1838, under the exterminating order of the governor of the .state,

"MORMONISM" SURVIVES LIBERTY JAIL 741 Lilburn W. Boggs, and executed by the state militia, are circum- stances which belong rather to the domain of history than to this article. It will be sufficient here to say that the measures taken by the Saints for self-protection were construed into acts of aggressive warfare; and acts of self-defense were made criminal. It was for his connection with these measures of self-protection and self-defense that the Prophet and his associates were arraigned before courts where well known mobocrats sat as judges, and imprisoned these men to await the slow process of courts reluctant to bring them to trial lest the exposure of the proceedings in upper Missouri would bring reproach upon the state. We are concerned here, however, only with Liberty jail and the Prophet's life within its walls. His suffering was great and went far beyond the irritation which comes to active spirits when confined, unwholesome food, and the petty tyranny of unfriendly guards. The Prophet could not forget that while he himself was compelled to endure this enforced inactivity his own family and the entire Church, stripped of their earthly pos- sessions, were being driven from the state at an inclement season of the year under circumstances of extreme cruelty. It was reflecting upon these conditions which wrung from him the soul-cry with which one of his revelations opens: "O God! where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens, the wrongs of thy people, and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries? Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these Liberty Jail — The Prison-Temple of Missouri

742 IMPROVEMENT ERA wrongs and unlawful oppressions before thine heart shall be softened towards them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion towards them?" To which the Lord made answer: "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foesi; thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again, with warm hearts and friendly hands; thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job; and they who do charge thee with transgression, their hope shall be blasted, and their prospects shall melt away as the hoar frost melteth before the burning rays of the rising sun. "The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee, while the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings con- stantly from under thy hand, and thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors." In the foregoing may be observed a prophecy which has met with remarkable fulfilment — the Prophet's people have never been turned against him by the testimony of traitors, however determined they may have been in such efforts. It was not all gloom in Liberty prison, either, during the time the Prophet and his brethren occupied it. As in all cases where the servants of God are imprisoned, the sweet and peaceful influences of the Holy Spirit were enjoyed. Within those gloomy prison walls some important revelations were received; petitions and remon- strances drafted, and letters of counsel and direction written to the Saints by the Prophet and his associates. Friends visited them from lime to time, to assure the Prophet of their esteem and confidence. The wives of some of the prisoners, including the Prophet's, visited them to inquire of their welfare and take their leave of them before departing from the state. The Prophet and his brethren having no confidence in the in- tegrity of the courts of Missouri, and conscious of their own in- nocence, made several efforts to escape from Liberty jail, but without success. In April the prisoners were taken to Daviess county for trial, but finding Judge Thomas C. Birch on the bench, a man who had been connected with the courtmartial which had condemned the prisoners to be shot in the public square at Far West, but a few months before, they asked for a change of venue to Marion county. This was denied, but one was given them to Boone county. Judge Birch made out the mittimus without date, name or place and the prisoners enroute for the next place of trial, with the connivance of their guards, made their escape, and ten days later arrived among their friends, who meantime had gathered to the city of Quincy and vicinity, in Illinois.

MORMONISM" SURVIVES LIBERTY JAIL 743 It may be true that prisons, like chains, survive the captives they enthrall; but in this instance the prison did not survive the work, at least, of its most illustrious captives; for while the prison is now obliterated, the work for which these "Mormon" prisoners stood, flourishes in a mightier strength than it ever knew in Missouri. Saved Through Inspiration Lee's Ferry is one of the few places where it is possible to cross the Colorado river. This is where the Utah-Arizona pioneers crossed and re-crossed this great stream. The Arizona Indians also crossed at this place, often to rob and plunder the villages and ranches in southern Utah. During the 80's the Indians were par- ticularly hostile and committed many murders and depredations. During this time Mrs. Lee lived at the ferry. She had a number of children and her house was small. One evening she saw a band of Indians coming across the river. She had heard of their recent attacks and knew they were on the warpath. All the men folks who lived at the ferry had gone — to be absent for several days. She was all alone with her children. The Indians came to the house and demanded what they wanted from her meagre store of sup- plies. She hoped they would move on after supper, but they did not. They camped at the side of her house. As they were sitting about the small campfire she overheard their conversation. She under- stood enough to know that they were planning to kill her children, rob the house and to carry her away with them. Under these terrible circumstances, what could she do? She could send nowhere for help. She gathered the children about her, told them of the terrible danger they were in, and said that only God could save them. They all knelt about their bed, the poor mother prayed first and then she called on each of the children, in turn, to pray for protection. As soon as the last child had finished, the mother aros« and said that while the children were praying the Lord bad shown her just what to do. Then she proceeded to do this remarkable thing: She carried the bedding out to where the Indians were camped and made her bed within the circle of astonished savages. Then she took the children out also and went to bed with them. She was not molested during the night. The next morning as the Indians moved on, the big chief came to her and she understood him to say: "You are a very brave little wom- an. From now on you need never fear the Redskins. They will never do you any harm." From that time on all Indians who passed that way treated her with respect, and she had no further fear of them.- — LeRoi C. Snow. Loneliness There is a loneliness when man from man Is severed, nor in all life's span They meet and understand. But the loneliness that wracking slays Is the fearful lack all one's days Of God's upholding Hand. Springfield, Mass. Margery Warfield