the prophet's life saved by the vanity of lucas—farewell of the prisoners to their families—on toward independence—continued ravages at far west—general clark's inhuman address—the movement against adam-ondi-ahman.
on the morning of friday, november 2nd, 1838, in pursuance of the sentence of the secret tribunal of preachers and mobocrats—misnamed a court-martial—the prophet and his fellow-prisoners were marched into the public square at far west. but the brutal murder which had been decreed, did not take place. the failure of lucas to enforce that part of the sentence was due in part to the manly rebellion of generals doniphan and graham, and in part to his own wish to drag the prophet and his brethren through the country and exhibit them as his captives. general clark was expected immediately at far west. he wanted the prisoners delivered to him; and jealousy worked in the mind of lucas. it was esteemed a high honor to hold joseph smith in captivity; and lucas was determined not to share this glorious trophy of war with another. what the tears of women and children, the innocence of men, and a sense of justice could not accomplish in this bad man's mind, was easily achieved by the base motives of envy and vanity. he wanted to be recognized as a victorious general, and the presence of the captives would add to the pageantry of his march. if greater notoriety could have been achieved or greater admiration for his prowess secured by the murder of these men at far west, he would not have stayed his hand. it was an opportunity of a lifetime for a militia leader to cover himself with the dishonors of war. less than a quarter of a century from that time, the state of missouri and all its citizens had ample occasion to deal with real enemies and to view in every city and village, and every field and every forest, and in every home the misery of fratricidal strife. men who had thirsted for blood were given more than a glut of it, for hundreds of them weltered in their own gore.
lucas prepared to continue his triumphal march, intending to take the brethren to jackson county and expose them as captives at independence. before they left they begged to be permitted to bid their families farewell. this boon, so estimable to them and so trifling to the mob, was ostensibly granted, but under conditions which showed an inhuman desire to torture. every prisoner was permitted, under a strong guard, to seek out his beloved ones, but was forbidden to speak to them. he might gaze on them with tearful eyes and wave them farewell, a long farewell—forever, if he would; but no word from his lips might fall as balm upon their bruised spirits.
hyrum, the prophet's beloved brother, who was never very far away from joseph, was one of the captives. hyrum's young wife, mary—for he was again a husband—was prostrated with suffering. when he was dragged before her by his armed captors he would have solaced her agony with a few words of comfort and cheer. he wanted to bid her look up and trust in god; but the mob soldiers threatened to kill him at her feet if he breathed a syllable, and to spare her tortured soul this awful pang he held his peace. mary saw her husband carried from her, perhaps to death; she gathered the motherless little children of jerusha about her and sought to comfort them. she did not see her noble husband again until after she had passed through the trial and pain of maternity; for her son, joseph fielding smith, was born eleven days after, and while his father was still a captive in the hands of the mob.
to moan and weep over the captive prophet came his wife and babes, and his aged father and mother. he had begged to have a moment in which to comfort his wife, for she was utterly overpowered with fear for his life. he wanted to reassure her that the sentence of death was not to be executed that morning and to promise her that they should meet again in this life. but the mob guards with their swords rudely thrust his wife and little ones away from joseph's side, and threatened to kill him if he should speak.
joseph gazed upon the overwhelming scene at far west as he was being marched forth a captive. he commended the city and its people to the care of that god whose kindness had always followed them into the dark valley of tribulation, and who alone could protect them from death and defilement.
that night the prophet with hyrum smith, sidney rigdon, parley p. pratt, lyman wight, amasa m. lyman and george w. robinson, were started for independence. under a strong guard, commanded by generals lucas and wilson, they camped at night on crooked river.
a vision of hope and security came to joseph that night, and when he arose in the morning he spoke to his brethren in a low and cheerful tone, saying:
be of good cheer, my brethren, the word of the lord came to me last night that our lives should be given us, and that whatever else we might suffer during this captivity, not one of us should die.
an express from general clark demanding the august prisoners reached lucas at this point. this commanding general had so far achieved little, the triumphs of the cruel contest being with his subordinates. he was therefore determined that the prisoners should be dragged at his chariot wheels and that their slaughter should be under his personal direction, to show boggs and the populace that he was worthy of the truculent enterprise entrusted to him. but lucas was no less determined that, having won the victory, he himself should enjoy the spoils and the plaudits; and with all possible speed he hastened forward with the captives.
leaving the prophet and his companions advancing toward their unknown fate, we must return with their anxious thoughts to the proceedings at far west; as general clark was marching upon that place, and the prisoners feared for their unprotected families.
lucas had sent several companies of the mob militia including neal gilliam's band of painted wretches under general parks to adam-ondi-ahman with instructions to disarm the militia at that place and to take prisoners. by his orders also a large body of troops had been left to guard some eighty brethren held captive at far west.
general clark did not arrive at the beleaguered city until the 4th of november, 1838; but on that day he came at the head of two thousand troops. in the interval of two days the people in the town had been subjected to every possible indignity. apostates prowled through the streets pointing out to the mob all the men of influence or station in the church, and aiding to put them in irons. at first it had been ordered that all who were not held as prisoners should flee the city on the instant. but finally the mob concluded to keep the people within the town until general clark's arrival.
it was a joy to the sectarian ministers of the neighborhood to see this work of ruin; and many of them visited far west to exult over the prisoners and their suffering families.
many privations and tortures were endured. the captives were kept without food until they were on the verge of starvation. the mob continued their work of ruin, hunting and shooting human beings like wild beasts; and ravishing and murdering women.
upon clark's arrival at far west he selected fifty-six of the leading men and held them under a strong guard for trial, for what offense neither he nor they could tell. he also sent a messenger to the commander of the troops advancing to assault adam-ondi-ahman, requiring him to take all of the "mormons" prisoners and to secure all their property to pay the damages of other citizens.
on the 6th day of november, 1838, clark assembled the people and delivered an address to them as follows:
gentlemen:
you whose names are not attached to this list of names will now have the privilege of going to your fields and of providing corn, wood, etc., for your families. those who are now taken will go from this to prison, be tried and receive the due demerit of their crimes; but you (except such as charges may hereafter be preferred against), are at liberty, as soon as the troops are removed that now guard the place, which i shall cause to be done immediately.
it now devolves upon you to fulfill a treaty that you have entered into, the leading items of which i shall now lay before you. the first requires that your leading men be given up to be tried according to law; this you already have complied with. the second is, that you deliver up your arms: this has been attended to. the third stipulation is that you sign over your properties to defray the expenses of the war. this you have also done. another article yet remains for you to comply with—and that is, that you leave the state forthwith. and whatever may be your feelings concerning this, or whatever your innocence, it is nothing to me. general lucas (whose military rank is equal with mine), has made this treaty with you, i approve of it. i should have done the same had i been here. i am therefore determined to see it executed.
the character of this state has suffered almost beyond redemption, from the character, conduct and influence that you have exerted; and we deem it an act of justice to restore her character to its former standing among the states by every proper means. the orders of the governor to me were, that you should be exterminated, and not allowed to remain in the state. and had not your leaders been given up, and the terms of the treaty complied with, before this time you and your families would have been destroyed and your houses in ashes.
there is a discretionary power vested in my hands, which, considering your circumstances, i shall exercise for a season. you are indebted to me for this clemency. i do not say that you shall go now, but you must not think of staying here another season or of putting in crops; for the moment you do this the citizens will be upon you; and if i am called here again in case of a non-compliance of a treaty made, do not think that i shall do as if i have done now. you need not expect any mercy, but extermination, for i am determined the governor's order shall be executed.
as for your leaders, do not think, do not imagine for a moment, do not let it enter into your minds, that they will be delivered and restored to you again, for their fate is fixed, their dye is cast, their doom is sealed.
i am sorry, gentlemen, to see so many apparently intelligent men found in the situation that you are; and oh! if i could invoke that great spirit, the unknown god to rest upon and deliver you from that awful chain of superstition, and liberate you from those fetters of fanaticism with which you are bound—that you no longer do homage to a man.
i would advise you to scatter abroad, and never again organize yourselves with bishops, presidents, etc., lest you excite the jealousies of the people and subject yourselves to the same calamities that have now come upon you. you have always been the aggressors—you have brought upon yourselves these difficulties, by being disaffected, and not being subject to rule. and my advice is, that you become as other citizens, lest by a recurrence of these events you bring upon yourselves irretrievable ruin.
the prisoners whom he had taken were sent by him to richmond, in ray county, for trial.
about this same time boggs wrote a letter requiring clark to finish the awful work which had been begun. he directed a movement against the saints at adam-ondi-ahman and said:
my instructions to you are to settle this whole matter completely, if possible, before you disband your forces.
to fulfill this edict, clark ordered general wilson with his brigade to adam-ondi-ahman, although there were enough mob troops already there to furnish a special guard and a special executioner for every man, woman and child in the place. on the 8th of november a cordon was drawn about adam-ondi-ahman. a court of inquiry was instituted with the notorious adam black on the bench, and with a man from general clark's army as prosecuting attorney. not a thing could be proved against any of the brethren, except that they had been long-suffering victims of senseless hate, and they were acquitted; but not until a military order was prepared requiring them, one and all to vacate the place in ten days and to be outside of the state as early as the next spring or to be exterminated.
