[ Full-text transcription of: Letter from George Miller, St. Louis, Mo to Governor Reynolds, Jefferson City, Mo. ]
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To His Excellency Thos Reynolds
Dr Sir
I hope you will
not think it a persecution, my writing you on the sub=
=ject of the late requisition by yourself, on the Executive
of
O P Rockwell as principal, & Joseph Ù Smith as accessory before the
fact for an attempt to commit murder upon the body
of Said Boggs in the county of Jackson State of Missouri)
First I will briefly sate the sircumstances of the arrest
of said Smith & Rockwell by the officers Mr. King &
Pitman of
a rumour that a writ had been issued upon your
demand for Rockwell & Smith, as fugitives having
fled the justice of your State and taken shelter in
fact that said Smith has not been in
last three and a half years past. Therefore could not
have been guilty of the charges alledged, and further, on
the day the deed was committed he attended an officer
drill, and the day after reviewed the Militia in the
City of
justice of your State is a matter impossible, the distance being
about 300 miles, And with these facts before him, he sued
out a write of Habeas Corpus, under a provision of the
City Charter, and an ordinance growing out of the
same, passed by the City Council. The officers that ap=
prehended them (Smith & Rockwell) preemtorilly refused
to acknowledge the validity of any city ordinance in the
case—but however left the prisoners in charge of the
City
Legal advise. The
the prisoners let them go. And having learned that Gov.
Carlin was determined to have them delivered to your
agent regardless of habeas corpus. The counsel for the prisoners
advised them not to be found on the return of the officers
from
would fall victims to the fury of the populace of
or
be able to protect them, or could they get an impartial trial
by due course of Law, prejudice running so high, on account
of our peculiar religious tenets, which my dear sir you are
very well aware of.—The above is an unvarnished account
of the facts in the case. It is now rumoured that the agents
you sent to receive Smith &Rockwell have again returned
to
Ù The illegalities of the former being amended, whether it be true or
not, I can not tell. I now beg the patience of your
Excellency whilst I indulge my feeling in stating things
as they are, and I will do so more freely knowing who
you are, and I feel assured you will believe
me. I have known Joseph Smith intimately for
near three & a half years, having been a great portion of
that time in his society every day,there being an intimacy
between us like that of Brothers, he having frequently unbosomed
himself to me, and I unhesitatingly aver that in every Sense
of the terms, a more generous, liberal, honorable, high
toned virtuous man, never existed on the footsool of
the great Jehovah, than Joseph Smith. And why
let me ask you, should inocence be hunted and sacrificed
to the caprice of popular prejudice & phrenzy, and
we as a religious community denied the liberty of conscience
and the common constitutional rights of citizens.
I make this appeal to your Excellency, having learned
from good sources that you are a learned jurist,
a good man, & honorable patriot, therefore I am the
more free to speak my sentiments.—Now in regard
to our peculiar religious Tenets, we believe and teach
nothing other than the doctrine, the Prophets, Jesus
Christ,
and the Apostles taught, and should that, in the
nineteenth century, be esteemed criminal, Surely
your Excellency will say with me, it can not, but
if those Tenets be wrong, then we as religionists are guil
=ty of error. I do hope that your Excellency will
not permit your mind to be prejudiced by the
foul slanders of those amonst us, as also those who
are opposed to us, on account of our religious notions
but that you will rather exert an influence to avert
the growing prejudice, and also the daily persecutions
that are continually heaped upon our religious
community.—I have seen forty nine winters, and
have no recollection of any religious body in
these
persecuted as we have been; and not a [person],
[illegible] in our behalf, nor an influence
exerted. Should such a state of things be
allowed in a Government where the liberty of
conscience is garanteed to all its citizens and
all religions said to be tolerated, It nevertheless
is so, And will you, exert an influence against
such a State of things. In haste
Most Respectfully &c
George Miller
Geo. Miller
The Mormon about
Smith & Rockwell
1842
12th
Sep Thos.
Reynolds
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