June 18th. 1844 Personally appeared before me, , Recorder of the city of , and after being duly sworn deposeth and saith, that on or about the first day of June 1842, while passing up the Ohio River on Steemboat to Massachusets, overheard Two men, one a resident of , and the other of , as reported, conversing together concerning incidents on the upper , when one said to the other “if could have succeeded in getting an introduction of us to “Jo” Smith. Damn him, we would have gagged him, or nabbed him, and damn him all hell could not have rescued him from our hands”— The next morning, got in conversation with the man before mentioned, from , who stated that he “had been on the upper on business, that he stopped at on his way down with some twelve or fourteen other men, who laid a plan to kidnap Jo Smith, that some of the company querried about getting access to him, but one of them said he knew they could if he could find . they called on in the evening to get an interview to their great Prophets, and went with them to the gate when they were stopped by the police and it was well for him that we did not succeed in getting an introduction to him. said did know your business?— and he replied, Yes! [p. [1]]