[ Full-text transcription of: Witness Maurice Phelps, a Mormon who was present at Crooked River Battle ]
[ view finding aid | view image ]
did not return, I fled & turned my head to
look & saw the man with his gun in a shooting
position & shortly after, while running I was shot
by him, & I made my way to Ray Cty. Parley P
Pratt was in the battle_ Moses Rawlans one of
Capt. Bogarts men, & several of the mormons
was Killed in that battle, 5 of Bogarts company
including myself were wounded, and further
this deponent saith not_ C Wiatt Cravens
Maurice Phelps a witness produced Sworn and exe
amined for the State deposeth and Saith, that Parley, that Parley P
Pratt was in the
was one of the expedition but not in the battle Lyman Gibbs
was in the battle thinks Benjamin Jones was in the
a Norman Shearer was also & wounded. I was Called
upon by Charles C Rich to go down to
to help releeve some Mormons prisoners who it was
said had been taken by a mob. I first refused to go but
being threatened with force I consented to go we proceeded
to McDaniels field in Ray Cony. where we were comnond
ed to hitch our horses and we proceeded down to where
Capt Bogart was encamped myself in the extreme
rear the fight was brought on but I was not in it
On our return from the battle ground near log creek
timber in Caldwell Cony. we met Jos. Smith Jr Lyman
Wight & others who went to the wounded and pronounced blessings
on them & prayed for them to be healed & saved, when we started
from McDaniel field fences the only command given that I
heard was boys follow me given by commander by. I
have been in two daniete meetings the first I did not make
any exception to, & in the Second the following exception
=able was inculcated. “that we should take spoil or plun
=”der in some cases ”but it was Objected to and I have never
attended a danite meeting Since, the day before the mor
mons, went to Adam on diahmon J. Smith Jr in an address
told an anecdote of a Dutchman who had been applead
to by a Capt to purchase Potatoes. & Rigdon in speaking
of dissenters who were unwilling to fight mobs. Said
that they ought to be pitched upon their horses with
pitchforks & Bayonets And forced into the front of the
battle & their property confiscated to the use of the army
the anecdote spoken of above about the dutchman was
told by Smith after Rigdon address and without any
application of it by him & further this deponent saith
not Morris Phelps
John Corrill a witness produced sworn &
examined in behalf the State deposeth & saith that about last
June I was invited to a private meeting in which an ef
=fort was made to adopt some plan to get rid of the dis
=Senters. there were some things I did not like and opposed
it with others & it failed. after that I met Prest Rigdon.
& he told me I ought not to have any thing to do with it
that they would do as they pleased. I took his advise. I learned
afterwards that they had Secret meetings. but I was never
invited none of the 1st Presidency was present at the meet
=ing above refered to , we have a rule in the church au
-thorizing any member to consecrate or give voluntarily
his suiplies property to the church for charitable purpo
=ses. Prest. Rigdon last Summer preached a Sermon
commonly called the Salt Sermon, which Seemed to have
for it’s object to produce a feeling among the people to
get rid of the dissenters for crimes alleged & because they
disagreed with them, in a few days there seemed considerable
excitement among the people. & the dissenters left. as I
adresed them, they were in danger. I was afterwards, invited
to one of those meetings where an oath in substance the
same as testified to by Dr Avard was administered. The
Society was ultimately organized into companies and
captains of tens & 50’s were appointed. I took exceptions
only (“so” crossed out) to the teachings as to the duties’ of that society where-
=in it was said if one brother got into any Kind of a dif
=ficulty it was the duty of the rest to help him out right or
wrong, at the Second or at least the last meeting I attended
the presidency to wit Jos. Smith Jr Hiram Smith & Sidney
Rigdon & also Geo W. Robertson was there, there was at this
meeting a ceremony of introducing the officers of the Socieity
to the presidency, who pronounced blessings on each of them
As introduced according to faithfulness in their Calling &
they should have blessings, after this Prest Smith got up &
made general remarks about in Substance as follows. rela
-ting the oppussions the society had Suffered and they wanted to
be prepared for further events but said he wished to do nothing
unlawful & if the people would let him alone they would
preach the gospel & live in peace, towards the close he
observed to the people that they should obey the presi=