[ Full-text transcription of: Affidavit of Thomas B. March, Richmond, Ray County, MO ]
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Evidence of
March
copied
At the request of a committee of the Citizenz of
Ray county I make the following statement
in relation to the recent movements, plans & intentionz
of the mormonz in the Countiez of Caldwell & Daviesz –
Shortly after the settlement of the difficultiez
at Dewitt in
by the Mormons at Far West, in
volunteers to go to
as they said. on the day before this Joseph Smith
the prophet, had preached in which he said, that
all the Mormonz, who refused to take up armz, if
necessary, in difficulties with the citizenz, should be
shot, or otherwise put to death; and as I was there
with my family, I thought it most prudent
to go, and did go with my wagon, and as the driver-
We marched to Adamondeomon, and
found no troops or mob in
Scouting parties frequently went out & brought
in intelligence that they had seen from three
to five men- We got to Diamon on tuesday even:
:ing, & on the next day a company of about
eighty of the mormons, commanded by a
man, fictitiously name Captain Fearnot,
marched to
had run off from
and had taken
and another had joined the company. I afterwardz
learned from the mormonz, that they had
burned Gallatin, and that it was done by the
aforesaid company that marched there. The
mormonz informed me that they had hauled
away all the goods from the store in
and deposited them at the Bishop’s store houses.
at Adam on diahmon- On the same day Lyman
Wight marched about eighty horsemen for Mills-
-Port- He returned before night and called for
Joseph Smith & Hiram Smith, to report to them (said
Hiram being counsellorof said Joseph the prophet)
and Said Wight reported that he had been in sight
of Millport- saw no one to fight, but that the
people generally had gone & left their housez
and property- The prophet on hearing the prop:
:erty was left, commenced a reply & said “We
had better see to it”, When Wyght stopped him
by saying never mind, we will have a private
counsel, and Smith replied very well. The pri:
:vate counsel. I did not hear- The men were
dismissed to go to their campz- The same even:
:ing a number of footmen came up from the
direction of Millport, laden with property,
which, I was informed, consisted of beds, clockz,
& other household furniture- The same night,
I think, about three wagons were despatched
for about forty bee gumz, & the next day saw several
gumz, where they were splitting them up & taking the
honey & burning the gumz, in which businesz
of taking out the honey, but few were engaged,
for fear, as they said, they would be called on as witnesz
against them. When Wyght returned from Millport
& informed Smith that the people were gone & the
property left, Smith asked him if they had left any
of the negroes for them & Wyght replied no. Upon which
some one laughed and said to Smith, you have lost your
negroe [ ]- During the same time a company, called
the fur company, were sent out to bring in fat hogz
& cattle-calling the hogz, bears & the cattle, buffaloe.
They brought in at one time seven cattle, & at another
time four or five belonging to the people of Daviesz-
2 hogs were brought in dead, but I know not how many,
I saw only two-
They have among them a company consist:
:ing of all that and considered true mormonz, called the
Danites, who have taken an oath to support the leader
of the Church in all thingz, that they say or do, whether
right or wrong, many however of this band are much
dissatisfied with this oath, as being against moral and
religious principlez. On Saturday last I am informed
by the mormons, that they had a meeting at Far West
at which they appointed a company of twelve by
the name of the destruction company, for the pur:
:pose of burning & destroying & that if the people of Bun:
:combe came to do mischief upon the people of Cald:
:well. & committed depredationz on the mormonz.
they were to burn Buncombe & if the people of Clay
& Ray made any movements against them, this
destroying company were to burn
This burning was to be done secretly by going as incendiariz.
At the same meeting I was informed they passed a decree
that no mormon dissenter should leave
alive & that such as attempted to do it should be shot down
& sent to tell their tale in eternity. In a conversation between
Doct. Avard & other mormonz, said Avard proposed to start
a pestilence among the gentiles as he called them by poison:
:ing their corns, fruit &c. and saying it was the work
of the Lord- and said Avard advocated lying for the
support of their religion, & said it was no harm to
lie for the Lord. The plan of said Smith, the prophet,
is to take this State, & he professez to his people to intend
taking the
the belief of the Church & my own opinion of the proph:
:et’s plan & intentions-
It is my opinion that neither said Joseph
Smith the prophet nor any one of the principal men
who is firm in the faith, could be indicted for any offence
in the
notion, & it is believed by every true mormon, that Smithz
propheciez are superior to the law of the land.
I have heard the prophet say that he should yet
tread down his enemiez & walk over their dead bodiez-
That if he was not let alone he would be a Ma:
:hamet to this generation, & that he would make it
(see page 5)
it one gore of blood, from the Rocky
mountains to the
Mahamet, whose motto, in treating for peace was
the Alcoran, or the sword. So should it be eventually
with uz. Jo Smith or the sword-
These last statements were
made during the last summer. The number of armed
men at Adamondiamon, was between three & four
hundred
Thomas B. Marsh
the day herein written
Henry Jacobs.
The most of the Statements in the foregoing des:
:closures of Thomas B. March, I know to be true-
the remainder I believe to be true.
sworn to and subscribed before
me on the day above written
Henry Jacobs J. P.
The undersigned committee on the part of the
Citizensz of Ray County have no doubt, but that
Thomas B. Marsh & Orson Hide, whose names are
signed to the foregoing certificates have been memberz
of the Mormon church, in full fellowship until very
recently, when they voluntarily abandoned the mormon