| Incidents at Whitmer Settlement, 1833 (3) |
| Introduction to the Don Carlos Smith Account | ||||
| In September 1838, Don Carlos Smith, Lorenzo D. Barns, and Harrison Sagers were appointed to go east and south to raise funds to buy out the mobbers in Daviess County, and to trade Mormon farms "in the east" for mobbers' farms in Daviess. On September 30, Don Carlos and George A. boarded the Kansas at Richmond landing and found on board Mormon attorney David R. Atchison, who was also a general in the state militia; and several old Jackson county enemies, including Generals Samuel Lucas and Moses Wilson, who had participated in the 1833 expulsion of Mormons from Jackson. | ||||
| The next day, the Kansas arrived at DeWitt, where | ||||
| Martha
Jane Coray Notebook (Lucy, 755–756) |
Orson
Pratt's 1853 Biographical Sketches (Lucy, 755–756) |
History
of the Church 4:394–395 |
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| we found Elder J. E. Page Gorge M. Hinkle with a few Saints surrounded by a mob of 200 who threatened them with extermination Gen Atchison {at} told them to make a vigorous defence if they were attacked by the mob give them a decent fight said he— | we found about seventy of the brethren, with their families, surrounded by an armed mob of two hundred men. When the boat landed, the women and children were much frightened, supposing that we also were mob. |
we found about seventy of the brethren, with their families, surrounded by an armed mob of upwards of two hundred. The women and children there were much frightened, expecting it was a boat loaded with mobbers. |
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| {he} <we> held a consultation on the propriety of stopping with the brethren—but as {our} our Mission was urgeant and we destitute of arms we concluded to go ahead and when the boat had taken in her necessary suplies of fuel we did so | We would have stopped, and assisted them what we could, but we were unarmed, and, upon consulting together, it was thought advisable for us to fulfill our mission; so we returned to our boat, and proceeded on our journey. | We would have stopped and assisted them, but being unarmed, we thought it best to fulfill our mission. | ||
| [756] {the con} the conversation immediately turned upon the Mormons | [756] From this onward, the "Mormons" were the only subject of conversation, and nothing was heard but the most bitter imprecations against them. | From this onward the "Mormons" were the only subject of conversation, and nothing was heard but the most bitter imprecations against them. | ||
| Gen Wilson proceeded to relate an account of his heroic deeds {during} in driving the saints reference Page 6 of Gorge Smiths journal {fell} — — — See george Smiths Record fell in with Carlos at my father in Laws about the 21 of March 1838 were together about 3 weeks [Next pages blank.] | General Wilson related many of his deeds of noble daring in the Jackson mob, one of which was the following: |
General Wilson related many of his deeds of noble daring in the Jackson mob, one of which was the following: |
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I went, in company with forty others, to the house of one Hiram Page, who was a Mormon, in Jackson county. We got logs and broke in every door and window at the same instant; and, pointing our rifles at the family, we told them, we would be God d—d if we did'nt shoot every one of them, if Page did not come out. |
I went, in company with forty others, to the house of Hiram Page, a Mormon, in Jackson county. We got logs and broke in every door and window at the same instant; and pointing our rifles at the family, we told them, we would be d—d if we didn't shoot every one of them, if Page didn't come out. |
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| withe: "A band consisting of a tough flexible shoot of a willow etc., or of several such shoots twisted together; such a shoot used for binding, tying, or plaiting.—The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (no entry in Webster's 1828 Dictionary). |
At that, a tall woman made her appearance, with a child in her arms. I told the boys, she was too d—d tall. In a moment the boys stripped her, and found it was Page. I told them to give him a d—d good one. We gave him sixty or seventy blows with hickory withes which we had prepared. |
At that, a tall woman made her appearance, with a child in her arms. I told the boys she was too d—d tall. In a moment the boys stripped her, and found it was Page. I told them [395] to give him a d—d good one. We gave him sixty or seventy blows with hickory withes which we had prepared. |
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Then, after pulling the roof off this house, we went to the next d—d Mormon's house, and whipped him in like manner. We continued until we whipped ten or fifteen of the God d—d Mormons, and demolished their houses that night. … [757] |
Then after pulling the roof off the house, we went to the next d—d Mormon's house, and whipped him in like manner. We continued until we whipped ten or fifteen of the d—d Mormons, and demolished their houses that night. … |
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In the course of the conversation, Wilson said, that the best plan was, to rush into the "Mormon" Settlement, murder the men, make slaves of the children, take possession of the property, and use the women as they pleased. |
In the course of the conversation, Wilson said that the best plan was to rush into the Mormon settlements, murder the men, make slaves of the children, take possession of the property, and use the women as they pleased. |
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Incidents
at Whitmer Settlement (1) |
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