--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1839 to 1840. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 1 number: 9 published: 1840-07 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“A History, of the Persecution, of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in Missouri,” *Times and Seasons* 1, no. 9 (July 1840): 129–131." printed_title: A HISTORY, OF THE PERSECUTION, OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST, OF LATTER DAY SAINTS IN MISSOURI. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1840-07_1_9 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v1n09.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1840-07_1_9 start_page: 129 end_page: 131 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1840 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1840-07_1_9 publication_year: 1840 --- # A History, of the Persecution, of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in Missouri CONTINUED. It was before said that the Governor had long sought an opportunity to destroy us, and drive us from the state; he now had all things arranged according to his liking, an army of several thousand men were now arayed [arrayed] against a few, innocent, unofending [unoffending] who had always been strict to obey the laws of the country; and several thousand more were on their march to Far West, and all this according to the orders of the Governor: the following is the exterminating order under which this mob millitia [militia] acting. Head Quarters of the Militia, City of Jefferson, Oct. 27th 1838 Sir, Since the order of the morning to you, directing you to come with four hundred mounted men, to be raised within your Division, I have received, by Amos Rees, Esq., and Wiley C. Williams, Esq., one of my aids, information of the most appalling character, which changes entirely the face of things, and places the Mormons in the attitude of an avowed defiance of the Laws, and of having made war upon the people of this State. Your orders are therefore, to hasten your operations and endeavor to reach Richmond in Ray county, with all possible speed.-The Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated, or driven from the State, if necessary for the public peace. Their outrages, are beyond all description. If you can increase your force, you are authorized to do so, to any extent you may think necessary. I have just issued orders to Major General Wollock of Marion county, to raise five hundred men, and to march them to the northern part of Daviess county and there to unite with Gen. Doniphan of Clay-who has been ordered with five hundred men, to proceed to the same point for the purpose of intercepting the retreat of the Mormons to the north. They have been directed to communicate with you by express. You can also communicate with them if you find it necessary. Instead therefore, of proceeding as at first directed to re-instate the citizens of Daviess in their houses, you will proceed immediately to Richmond and, there operate against the Mormons.-Brigadier General Parks of Ray, has been ordered to have four hundred of his Brigade in readiness to join you at Richmond. The whole force will be placed under your command. (Sined [Signed]) L. W. BOGGS, Governor and Commander-in-Chief We would here observe that the large army, or rather mob, just before they reached Far West, took a man prisoner by the name of Carey who was a stranger in the country; and one of their number, coolly and deliberately beat out his brains with the breech of his gun. He was then thrown into a wagon and taken with them to their encampment. His family were not allowed to see him or even permitted to administer to his wants, in the hour of death; he was given up to his family a few minutes before he expired.-This was known by all the officers, but was considered, probally [probably], an act of bravery . An aged man by the name of Tanner was taken about the same time and regardless of grey [gray] hairs, that were evident maks [marks ?] of hardship in the service of his country, he was struck over the head with the breech of a gun, and his skull laid bare: but to return. We here quote from S. Rigdon's Appeal to the American people &c. it being a well written statement of facts. To S. D. Lucas. This order of Bogg's, was given, as he, and the whole band of them pretended, in consequence of the Bogard battle: pretending that he had been sent there, by legal authority. Now for this legal business. Bogard came into Caldwell, without any legal authority whatever, and committed all his outrages: but after he had committed them, he sends a messenger to General Atchison, for authority. Atchison sets down and sends him a writing, authorizing him to guard the line, between the counties of Ray and Caldwell. General Atchison's order to Bogard, was copied by Samuel Tillary after dark on the evening before the battle was fought, and that was fought before day light the next morning, and the letter had to be carried some thirty or forty miles. Here was another piece of legerdemain. Bogard was turned into militia to hide up his wickedness.-We had this account from the mouth of Samuel Tillary; he is Clerk of the Circuit Court in Clay County and acts as clerk for General Atchison. Let the reader particularly notice, that this L. W. Boggs, was well acquainted with the operations of the mob, for the space of five years; having been the leader of it, once, himself, at the time it raged in Jackson County; and had been petitioned, again and again, after he was Governor; to stop its ravages: and in every instance refused to do it. He now perfectly knew that the whole difficulty, had originated in consequence of its violence and plunder: yet no withstanding this, he issued the above order. Boggs, said, that if it had not been for the vote, which the Mormons gave at the late election, he would have exterminated them before. After the citizens of Caldwell were made acquainted with the fact, that General Lucas, was there, by the Governor's order, they ceased to take any measures for defence [defense]; but submitted immediately. In the meantime, the army employed itself in destroying the cornfields, potatoes and turnips, and in taking horses, and plundering houses. Houses were searched by them, as closely to find money, as a man would be searched by a set of Arabs, after a shipwreck. Every dollar was carried off, that could be found, while the lives of the owners were threatened, if they offered the least resistance. Cattle, hogs and sheep, were shot down and, left on the ground to rot. Men, women, and children, were insulted and abused, in a brutal manner! The next day after we were betrayed into camp, Lucas, ordered all the persons in the county of Caldwell, to give up their arms. After the arms were given up, the men were kept under guard; and all property holders, compelled to sign a Deed of trust, signing away all their property, to defray the expenses of the war; and then they were all commanded to leave the State under pain of extermination, between that and corn-planting the next spring. At the time of giving up the arms, there again followed another scene of brutality. The troops ran from house to house, taking all the arms they could find, from old men, that never thought of going into a field of battle; but there must not be left a single gun in the county; so the troops ran as before described, like a parcel of ravenous wolves; but their great object, in the pursuit of guns, was, to find plunder. They wanted to get into the houses, to see if there was not something they could carry off. Thus they plundered houses until they got satisfied. To secret their property from their ravages, the people had to go and hide it in the bushes, or any where they could find a place of concealment. The troops found some of the property that had been hid. This produced another savage operation. Those wild creatures, tearing like man men through the bushes, ran from place to place, searching under hay stacks, tearing up floors, hunting pretendedly after arms; but the abundance of property plundered, testifies that they had another object in view. While the troops were thus engaged, the officers were busily employed in forming some plan to dispose of those, whom they had betrayed into their camp. Seventeen preachers, and nineteen commissioned officers, met with Generals Lucas and Wilson, and held a court martial. The prisoners, were never admitted into it at all: they were not allowed to plead, introduce evidence, or any thing else. Finally, the august body came to a decision; and that was, that at eight o'clock the next morning, they should be taken into the public square, in the presence of their families and shot. Who among the military characters of the day, will not say that Samuel D. Lucas is fit to command an army, when he was at the head of such a court martial as this? At these high handed and lawless measures Gen. Doniphan demurred.-He told them, that there was not one of them, in the least degree, acquainted with the military law, and understood nothing about court martials [martial] and for his part, if they were going to pursue that course, his hand should be clear of it; and he forthwith ordered his brigade to prepare; and he marched them off. This deterred the others, seeing Doniphan, was the only lawyer in their number. We presume they would have carried their design into effect, had it not been for Doniphan's leaving them. We had this account from the lips of Doniphan himself. Our families had been apprised of their intentions, and were waiting in awful suspense, the arrival of the fatal hour. However, they changed their purpose, and it was decreed that we should be carried to Jackson county.