[], 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.
The deponent further saith, that no violence was offered to any individual, in his presence, or within his knowledge; and that no insulting language was given by either party; except on the part of Mrs. [Mary Morgan] Black, who, while was engaged in making out the above named writing (which he made with his own hand) gave to this deponent, and others of the society, highly insulting language, and false accusations, which were calculated in their nature, to greatly irritate, if possible, the feelings of the bystanders belonging to said society, in language like this; being asked by the deponent, if she knew any thing in the Mormen people, derogatory to the character of gentlemen, she answered in the negative, but said she did not know, but the object of their visit, was to steal something from them. After had executed the writing deponent asked if he had any unfriendly feelings towards the deponent; and if he had not treated him genteelly. He answered in the affirmative; deponent then took leave of said , and repaired to the house of . The next day we returned to . And further this deponent saith not.
(Signed) JOSEPH SMITH, Jr.
Sworn to, and subscribed, this fifth day of September, A. D. 1838.
(Signed) , J. C. C. C. C.
But the case, having undergone a legal investigation, had no tendency to stop the operations of the mob; but it tended clearly to show how much sincerity there was, in their pretended zeal, for the laws; for in open and vowed violation of them, they went on to collect together, and to gather into , from , Corrill [Carroll], , Clinton, and Platt; and some from : Openly declaring that they would put the law at defiance, and the saints should be driven out. They, in the meantime took their families away from their houses under the pretence of fear: and ran through the country, from County to County, telling how they were driven from their homes—got up County meetings in the surrounding Counties, particularly , , Corrill, and . At these meetings, would be seen preachers of the Gospel, as they called [p. 28]