vain appeals of the jackson county saints for protection—the approach of zion's camp—attempts to raise an opposing army—james campbell's prophecy and its fulfillment—a providential storm—remarkable rise of fishing river—joseph states the object of zion's camp—a comforting revelation.
while the prophet was encountering and overcoming many difficulties to bring succor to the saints, the latter were engaged in a vain struggle to secure their rights. correspondence passed between their leaders and the civil officers from the judges up to the president of the united states. many of the appeals brought polite replies, but they resulted in no effective aid. governor dunklin sent several communications recognizing and deploring the wrongs inflicted, but stating he could not, without transcending his power, order a military force to maintain the saints in their jackson county possessions. the latter sentiment was also the substance of the reply from the secretary of war in behalf of the president of the united states. it is worthy of note that in all of the correspondence upon this question not a single charge is made against the saints. it proves that in all things they were the sufferers from wrong, and not the doers of wrong; because the men to whom they appealed would have been quick to offer an excuse for their failure to extend redress.
possibly the governor thought he had done enough when he filled his correspondence with high-minded and sympathetic sentiments; but of what avail was it to the saints for him to say to them as follows?
on the subject of civil injuries, i must refer you to the courts; such questions rest with them exclusively. the laws are sufficient to afford a remedy for every injury of this kind, and, whenever you make out a case, entitling you to damages, there can be no doubt entertained of their ample award. justice is sometimes slow in its progress, but it is not less sure on that account.
this is but a repetition practically of what he had said before without avail. was not this almost a mockery of the people's disasters? it was at least a satire upon the persistent denial of the judicial officers in jackson county to do justice. later a court of inquiry was convened at independence, under military guard; but the mob defied all the authority of law, scoffed at the governor's order, subdued the court into a state of terror, and laughed at the troops as they were withdrawn. a court martial was convened and it found colonel pitcher guilty of calling upon the militia to repress an insurrection where there was no insurrection, and decided that he had taken arms from the citizens who were lawfully seeking to defend themselves against unlawful aggression; but the governor in vain commanded the officers to restore the arms to the people from whom they had been stolen. although repeated orders were issued by his excellency those arms never were and to this day have not been returned.
the assaults of the mob on the scattered saints and their property in jackson county continued. in the latter part of april, 1834, one hundred and fifty houses were torn to the ground by the rabble.
joseph and his party found a branch of the church at salt river, in the state of missouri, where they encamped to spend sunday, the 8th of june. here they were joined by hyrum smith and lyman wight with another party which had been gathered in the state of michigan and surrounding regions; and the camp of zion with this addition now numbered two hundred and five men and twenty-five wagons well laden. several days were devoted to much needed recuperation, for the greater part of this devoted band of men had traveled nine hundred miles in a little more than a month's time, the journey being largely made on foot amidst all the natural hardships of a wild country where constant watchfulness had to be exercised.
on the 18th of june they pitched their tents within one mile of richmond in ray county. two days previous to this time a mass meeting had been held at the court house in liberty, clay county, to consider propositions made by the people of jackson county to the exiled saints. flaming war speeches were delivered by civil officers and by sectarian priests from jackson county, who had hoped to arouse the hospitable people of clay against their inoffensive guests, the saints. because general doniphan and the chairman of the meeting, a mr. turnham, counseled peace and decency, the old spirit of savage violence broke loose with all its virulence on the part of the representatives from independence, and the meeting ended with a stabbing affray between two members of the former mob, in which one of them was dangerously wounded. the leading men among the saints presented an answer in which they asked for time and in which they deprecated any hostilities upon either side during the pendency of the negotiation. it was at once manifest that the proposition of the mobocrats had been but a sham to cover further violence. the news of the approach of the prophet and his brethren in an organized camp had reached the ears of these infuriated men, and they felt that he was putting himself in their power. they counted with entire certainty upon the inability of the officers of the law to prevent their carrying out any fell purpose which they might adopt against the latter-day saints. if there was an official who did not justify them in their attacks upon the believers in this unpopular religion, they expected to overawe him; but from the governor down they knew they had secret sympathy if not their active aid. with all their innocence and excellence, therefore, the latter-day saints could place no reliance upon the laws and the safeguards of civilized society to protect them if these desperadoes chose to attack them.
the sole purpose of joseph and his brethren was to bring succor to their suffering friends; but this their inhuman enemies were determined they should not do. fifteen of the most violent mobocrats, with samuel c. owens and james campbell at their head started to raise an army to meet and overpower the camp of zion. james campbell swore as he adjusted his pistols in the holsters, "the eagles and turkey buzzards shall eat my flesh if i do not fix joe smith and his army so that their skins will not hold shucks, before two days are past." that night as twelve of these mobocrats were attempting to cross the missouri river their boat was sunk and seven of them were drowned. among the lost was campbell, whose corpse floated down the river several miles and lodged upon a pile of driftwood, where ravenous birds did indeed pick his flesh from his bones, leaving the hideous bare skeleton to be discovered three weeks later by one mr. purtle.
on the night of the 19th, unobserved by a large party of their enemies who intended to fall upon them and murder them, the members of zion's camp passed through richmond in the darkness, and pitched their tents between two branches of fishing river.
while the members of the camp were making preparations for the night five armed desperadoes appeared before them and, with many blasphemies, said: "you will see hell before morning. sixty men are coming from richmond, and seventy more from clay county to utterly destroy you." more than three hundred bloodthirsty men had engaged to concentrate at this point and attack joseph. but to the subsequent unbounded thankfulness of the members of the camp, the lord interposed. when night came a mighty hurricane arose, throwing the plans of these savages into confusion, scattering them in the utmost disorder, and melting their courage into abject fright in the presence of the awful elemental strife. the severity of the storm was not felt to the same extent where joseph and the camp had rested, but around them hail fell like grapeshot, spreading terror among the people and devastation amidst all the work of human hands.
while the surrounding region was in this state of consternation, joseph and his party took refuge in a log meeting house near their camp, being compelled to enter the building through a window. when the commotion was over and they emerged from their retreat, the prophet gave orders that the parties to whom the house belonged should be visited and tendered an explanation of the intrusion and remuneration for any fancied damage. so scrupulous was he not to trespass upon the rights of others.
when the tornado burst only forty of the mob had been able to cross fishing river. they afterwards swore that the little fishing river rose thirty feet in thirty minutes, separating them from their companions, and making them glad to flee back among their lawless friends in jackson county. the larger party of the mob, thus foiled in their purpose to cross the river, also fled. the big fishing river had risen nearly forty feet in one night. one of the mob had been killed by lightning.
on saturday, the 21st of june, colonel scounce and two other leading men of ray county visited joseph, and begged to know his intentions, stating: "we see that there is an almighty power that protects this people." colonel scounce confessed that he had been leading a company of armed men to fall upon the prophet, but had been driven back by the storm. the prophet with all the mildness and dignity which ever sat so becomingly upon him, and which always impressed his hearers, answered that he had come to administer to the wants of his afflicted friends and did not wish to molest or injure anybody. he then made a full and fair statement of the difficulties as he understood them; and when he had closed the three ambassadors, melted into compassion, offered their hands and declared that they would use every endeavor to allay the excitement.
on the 22nd day of june, 1834, while encamped on fishing river, joseph received a revelation in which the lord declared that the elders should wait for a season for the redemption of zion; that he did not require at their hands to fight the battles of zion, for he would fight their battles; and this he addressed to the camp which had come up from kirtland and other places into missouri to do his will and with the hope that they might contribute to the redemption of his afflicted people. the lord rebuked many among the saints in the branches of the church in the different states for their failure to join the camp of zion in response to the call which he had made upon them. the lord had required the churches abroad to send up wise men with their moneys to purchase lands in missouri, and thus assist in the redemption of zion; but they had not hearkened unto his words. after renewing the promise that the day of redemption should surely come, and promising those who had hearkened to his words that he had prepared a blessing and an endowment for them if they would continue faithful, the revelation concluded:
and inasmuch as they [the saints] follow the counsel which they receive, they shall have power after many days to accomplish all things pertaining to zion.
and again i say unto you, sue for peace, not only the people that have smitten you; but also to all people;
and lift up an ensign of peace, and make a proclamation of peace unto the ends of the earth;
and make proposals for peace unto those who have smitten you, according to the voice of the spirit which is in you, and all things shall work together for your good;
therefore be faithful, and, behold, and lo, i am with you even unto the end. even so. amen.