FINAL EXPULSION FROM FAR WEST—DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY—ESCAPE OF JOSEPH SMITH AND BRETHREN—ATTEMPT TO VISIT PARLEY P. PRATT AND BRETHREN IN PRISON—FORCED TO FLEE TO ESCAPE MOB VIOLENCE—ASSEMBLY OF APOSTLES AND OTHERS ON TEMPLE SITE ACCORDING TO REVELATION—ARRIVAL IN ILLINOIS—WORD OF THE LORD FULFILLED.

Judge King having ordered the removal of the prisoners from Liberty to Daviess County, fearing that we might get a change of venue to some other place, Brother Daniel Shearer and I were appointed to visit Judge Hughes, who had formerly been an Indian agent, and get him to go to Daviess and attend the sitting of the court there. He expressed himself in friendly terms towards Joseph and the brethren. Being a very rough man in his language, he cursed the judges and the governor and everybody else that would not step forward and help our friends out of the hands of their persecutors, for he did not believe they were guilty of any of the crimes alleged against them. Said he, "There is no proof that these men have committed any crime worthy of imprisonment or death, and the Mormons have been treated mean." Looking us directly in the eye, he said, with an oath, "Look at their eyes; see how bright and keen they are! They are whipped but not conquered; you can see that in their eyes."

There were several men in Liberty who were very friendly to the brethren. I called on them when I went there and they treated me with great civility. Among these were General Doniphan and Atchison and the keeper of the tavern where I put up at, and several of the foremost men who belonged to the masonic fraternity.

Those men whom I have named, and several others, revolted at the scenes enacted against the "Mormons," and would have liberated the brethren, had it not been for the "outside pressure," that is, the strong prejudices imbibed by the people generally against us, and their blood-thirsty desire to kill the Prophets.

I sent one hundred dollars by Brother Stephen Markham to Joseph, and also various sums at different times by other individuals.

The mob continued to threaten the few Saints who remained in Far West, and accordingly on the 14th of April, 1838, the committee, who had been left there to look after the wants of the poor, removed thirty-six of the helpless families into Tenney's grove, about twenty-five miles from Far West. I was obliged to secrete myself in the corn-fields and woods during the day and only venture out in the evening, to counsel the committee and brethren in private houses.

On the morning of the 18th, as I was going to the committee room to tell the brethren to wind up their affairs and be off, or their lives would be taken, I was met on the public square by several of the mob. One of them asked, with an oath, if I was a "Mormon."

I replied, "I am a 'Mormon.'"

With a series of blasphemous expressions, they then threatened to blow my brains out, and also tried to ride over me with their horses, in the presence of Elias Smith, Theodore Turley and others of the committee.

It was but a few minutes after I had notified the committee to leave before the mob gathered at the tithing house, and began breaking clocks, chairs, windows, looking-glasses and furniture, and making a complete wreck of everything they could move, while Captain Bogart, the County judge, looked on and laughed. A mobber named Whittaker threw an iron pot at the head of Theodore Turley and hurt him considerably, when Whittaker jumped about and laughed like a mad man; and all this at the time when we were using our utmost endeavors to get the Saints away from Far West. The brethren gathered up what they could, and fled from Far West in one hour. The mob staid until the committee left, and then plundered thousands of dollars worth of property which had been left by the brethren and sisters to assist the poor to remove.

One mobber rode up, and, finding no convenient place to fasten his horse to, shot a cow that was standing near, while a girl was milking her, and while the poor animal was struggling in death, he cut a strip of her hide from the nose to her tail, to which he fastened his halter.

During the commotion of this day, a great portion of the records of the committee, accounts, history, etc., were destroyed or stolen.

Hearing that Joseph and his brethren had escaped from their guard while they were on their way from Daviess to Boone County, to which place they had obtained a change of venue, I called on Shadrach Roundy, with whom I started immediately towards Quincy, Illinois.

On reaching Keetsville I stopped at the house of Colonel Price. The Colonel hearing of my arrival, came directly into the house, and, discovering who I was, said, "Joseph and Hyrum Smith and the other prisoners have escaped."

I enquired what he knew about them, and he answered, "Their guard took breakfast here this morning. They have turned back, saying they were going back to Richmond, by way of Tenney's grove. I know that the guards have been bribed, or they would evince more interest in pursuing them."

After we had partaken of refreshments, Brother Roundy and I pursued our course towards Quincy about fourteen or fifteen miles, when, being thoroughly satisfied that the prisoners had escaped, we turned back towards Far West.

When we arrived at Tenney's grove, a man came to me and presented an order drawn on me, by Joseph Smith, for five hundred dollars, saying it was for horses furnished him. I immediately raised four hundred dollars and paid him, when he proceeded to Richmond, Ray County, where he paid out the money to secure some of the lands that we had been driven from.

Brother Roundy and I started a few hours afterwards for Richmond, being on our way to Far West, for the purpose of visiting Parley P. Pratt and others in jail.

On our arrival at Richmond, I went directly to the prison to see Parley, but was prohibited by the guard, who said they would blow my brains out if I attempted to go near him. In a few minutes, Sister Morris Phelps came to me in great agitation and advised me to leave forthwith, as Brother Pratt had told her that a large body of men had assembled with tar, feathers and a rail, who swore they would tar and feather me, and ride me on the rail. They suspected I was the one who had assisted Joseph and the other prisoners to escape.

I immediately informed Brother Roundy, and we jumped on our horses and fled towards Far West, which was forty miles distant. We rode all night and reached Far West about the break of day. Expecting Brother Brigham Young and the Twelve to arrive there that day, I kept myself concealed in the woods, and passed around the country notifying the brethren and sisters to be on hand at the appointed time to witness the work upon the temple.

On the night of April 25th, which was pleasant, clear and moonlight, Elders Brigham Young, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith and Alphens Cutler arrived from Quincy, Illinois, and rode into the public square early on the morning of the 26th. All seemed still as death.

We held a conference at the house of Brother Samuel Clark, cut off thirty-one persons from the Church, and then proceeded to the building spot of the Lord's house, where, after singing a hymn on the mission of the Twelve, we recommenced laying the foundation, agreeable to the revelation given July 8th, 1838, by rolling a stone, upwards of a ton in weight, upon or near the south-east corner.

We ordained Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith, who had been previously nominated by the First Presidency, accepted by the Twelve, and acknowledged by the Church at Quincy, members of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We ordained as Seventies, Darwin Chase and Norman Shearer, who had been liberated from Richmond prison two days previously, where they had been confined about six months for the cause of Christ.

The Twelve then, individually called upon the Lord in prayer in the following order: Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith, kneeling on the corner stone; after which "Adam-ondi-Ahman" was sung, when the Twelve took leave of the Saints, agreeable to the revelation.

The brethren wandered among our deserted houses, many of which were in ruins, and saw the streets in many places grown over with grass.

We went to Father Clark's, got breakfast, and before sunrise we departed. We rode thirty miles that day, and camped at night with the families of Elders Clark and Turley.

On arriving at Quincy on the 2nd of May, I found my family well and in good spirits; and on reading the words of inspiration which I had written, my wife bore record to the truth of that part which says, "Trouble not thyself about thy family, for they are in my hands. I will feed them and clothe them and make unto them friends," etc. I learned from her that my family continued with Brother Brigham until they crossed the Mississippi to the town of Atlas, in Illinois, where, through the instrumentality of George Pitkin, my wife got introduced to a Widow Ross, who let her have a comfortably-fitted-up room, and the privilege of cooking by her fire, and who was as kind to her as an own mother or sister. Here my wife tarried seven weeks, and only had to pay fifty cents a week. At the end of that time, John P. Greene came with his wagon and horses and carried my family up to Quincy, forty miles, and rented a good room where I found her.

She had had no lack of friends and had every comfort bestowed upon her that she could have had among her own kindred; and I can say in my heart, God bless all who aided and assisted my family. Jesus says every man shall be rewarded for every good deed that he doeth and even if a man giveth a cup of cold water to a disciple he shall receive a disciple's reward.

In relation to that part of the Lord's word to me which said I should have many sons and daughters, my wife was rather in doubt, as she considered she was too advanced in years, and the thought had never entered our minds that the Lord would establish in this Church the doctrine of plurality of wives in my day; still I believed it would be restored to the earth in some future time.