[For the letter on page 1, see Letter, John C. Bennett to Sidney Rigdon and Orson Pratt, 10 Jan. 1843, George Q. Cannon Copy.]

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We are very sorry that our old, & long esteemed friend , should be holding correspondence with such a notorious scoundrel as : & more especially that he of all others, should not acquaint Joseph Smith with a circumstance of this kind, which threatened (in his opinion) to destroy him, & other innocent men.

Are we indeed forced from evidence to believe that who was charged with, & imprisoned for the same crimes, that those gentlemen mentioned in the letter ostensibly were, can countenance cloak over, & virtually leave his companions in tribulation exposed to destruction, when he had it in his power to prevent it— & that he did believe that this was the case is evident from some remarks that he made to Mr Smith, “that he would not take upon himself the responsibility of making it known” fearful of the consequences of exposing villainy; & hiding himself under the iniquitous shade of their unhallowed protection. “How is the gold become dim? & the fine gold how is it changed!”

We are however happy to inform our readers that this letter is all vain glorying & empty boast; it is a tissue of falsehoods intended to intimidate. informed Mr Smith, when at , that such a requisition had been made from , but that he knew that a had been entered & refused to issue a writ