[], An Appeal to the American People: Being an Account of the Persecutions of the Church of Latter Day Saints; and of the Barbarities Inflicted on Them by the Inhabitants of the State of Missouri; 1–84 pp.; Cincinnati, OH: Glezen and Shepard, stereotypers and printers, 1840. The copy used herein is held at Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
Historical Introduction
While incarcerated at , Missouri, in March 1839, JS addressed a letter to the church “at Illinois and scattered abroad and to in particular,” instructing the Saints to gather up “a knoledge of all the facts and sufferings and abuses put upon them by the people of this .” Edward Partridge responded with an account that became the three opening installments of “A History, of the Persecution, of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in Missouri,” an eleven-part series published in the church’s newspaper, Times and Seasons, between December 1839 and October 1840. “A History, of the Persecution” receives comprehensive treatment in volume 2 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers and is available on this website.
may have intended to tell the entire story himself, but he fell ill shortly after publication of “A History, of the Persecution” began and died on 27 May 1840. Prompted by Partridge’s illness and subsequent death, the editors of the Times and Seasons, and , sought elsewhere for source materials to continue the series. It is probable that they composed the fourth installment to provide a brief transition from Partridge’s account, which ends in 1836, and the conflicts in and adjoining counties in 1838. The fifth and seventh installments reprinted passages from ’s History of the Late Persecutions Inflicted by the State of Missouri upon the Mormons (Detroit: Dawson and Bates, 1839). In May 1840, the sixth installment reprinted passages from ’s eighty-four page pamphlet, An Appeal to the American People: Being an Account of the Persecutions of the Church of Latter Day Saints; and of the Barbarities Inflicted on Them by the Inhabitants of the State of Missouri (Cincinnati: Glezan and Shepard, 1840). More of Rigdon’s work was reprinted in the eighth through tenth installments, published from July to September 1840. The series concluded with an eleventh installment in the October 1840 issue, featuring General ’s callous speech to the Saints after their surrender at , Missouri, in November 1838.
A manuscript version of ’s Appeal to the American People, referred to as the “petition draft” titled “To the Publick” and endorsed by JS, Rigdon, and , was read to a conference of Saints in , Illinois, on 1 November 1839. The conference voted to approve its publication in the name of the church. and then collaborated to arrange for publication of the text in late 1839 and early 1840. Though no author is named on the title page, Rigdon was acknowledged as author when the pamphlet was advertised in the Times and Seasons in 1840 and 1841. JS and Elias Higbee had some expectation that funds from the sale of the publication would help defray costs of their trip to in late 1839. In July 1840, a second edition was printed by Shepard & Stearns in to raise funds for Orson Hyde and ’s mission to .
Although many of the events reported in ’s pamphlet can be corroborated from other sources, his chronology is often inaccurate. (Consult the annotation in Histories, Volume 2 for correction to portions published as part of “A History, of the Persecutions.”) However, his account contains the text of several significant documents. Among these are JS’s 5 September 1838 affidavit concerning the 7 August 1838 visit to and those of and and regarding the massacre. Consequently, though in many respects Rigdon’s document is more advocacy than history, it offers access to some material not readily found elsewhere.
ing of the said affray; are substantially true to the best of our knowledge.
(Signed) .
ABRAHAM NELSON.
JOHN DALEY.
WILLIAM W. PATTEN.
Sworn to, and subscribed, this 5th day of September, A. D. 1838.
(Signed) , J. C. C. C. C.
After the election, threatenings were made in the most daring manner, declaring that the Saints should leave the ; that they would raise a mob and drive them out, and take all their lands and other property as spoil. Indeed this was the secret which was working in their hearts all the time; and what they were determined to do. It was the property of the Saints, they wanted, and what they were determined to have. They boasted that the authorities of the , would not interfere to assist the Mormons, as they called them. They said it had been fairly proven, in the case of both and counties, that the Government would not assist them; and they said, they might as well drive them off and take their property as not; for they could not help themselves. With such language did they provoke one another, to acts of violence.
It will be seen by the above affidavits, that had prohibited the Saints from voting, when they resided there; and this circumstance tended to encourage others in their wickedness. All these things were done in the face of the authorities; and it will be seen how far they regarded their oaths of office.
, the candidate for senator and who was elected, came to , either the evening before the election commenced, or the first morning of the election. He staid that day, and until the next morning. Early, the second morning of the election, he said that a gentleman, who lived in , had left late the preceding evening, ( was the County seat of , and the place where the election was held) and that there had been a serious affray, at the election in ; that the mob had tried to stop the saints [p. 22]