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Mike Riggs, Far West, Cultural, Center, FWCC, Farwesthistory.com, MICHAEL L.L.C., Missouri, Mormon
Period, Log, House, Charles, C., Rich, 1836, 1837, 1838,
1839, Caldwell County map, Mormon Settlements, Caldwell County, MISSOURI, Mormon
Sites, ca. 1838, mmff.net
Roland J. Britton, "Early Days on the Grand River and the Mormon War. Sixth Article"
Liberty Jail, Liberty, Clay County, Missouri, Thursday, 24 January 1839
To the Honorable the Legislature of Missouri:
Your memorialists, having a few days since solicited your attention to the same subject, would now respectfully submit to your honorable body a few additional facts in support of their prayer.
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They are now imprisoned under a charge of treason against the State of Missouri and their lives and fortunes and characters being suspended upon the result of the criminal charges prefered [sic] against them.
Your honorable body will excuse them for manifesting the deep concern they feel in relation to their trials for a crime so enormous as that of treason.
It is not our object to complain—to asperse anyone. All we ask is a fair and impartial trial. We ask the sympathies of no one. We ask sheer justice; 'tis all we expect, and all we merit, but we merit that. We know the people of no county in this State to which we would ask our final trials to be sent are prejudiced in our favor. But they believe that the state of excitement existing in most of the upper counties is such that a jury would be improperly influenced by it. But that excitement and the prejudice against us in the counties comprising the fifth judicial circuit are not the only obstacles we are compelled to meet. We know that much of that prejudice against us is not so much to be attributed to a want of honest motives amongst the citizens as it is to wrong information.
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But it is a difficult task to change opinions once formed. The other obstacle which we candidly consider one of the most weighty is the feeling which we believe is entertained by the Honorable A. A. King against us, and the consequent incapacity to do us impartial justice. It is from no disposition to speak disrespectfully of that high officer that we lay before your honorable body the facts we do; but simply that the legislature may be apprised of our real conditions. We look upon Judge King as like all other mere men, liable to be influenced by his feelings, his prejudices, and his previously formed opinions. We consider his reputation as being partially if not entirely committed against us. He has written much upon the subject of our late difficulties, in which he has placed us in the wrong. These letters have been published to the world.
He has also presided at an excited public meeting, as chairman, and no doubt sanctioned all the proceedings. We do not complain of the citizens who held that meeting, they were entitled to that privilege. But for the judge before whom the very men were to be tried for a capital offense to participate in an expression of condemnation of these same individuals is to us at least apparently wrong; and we cannot think that we should after such a course on the part of the judge, have the same chance of a fair and impartial trial as all admit we ought to have.
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We believe that the foundation of the feeling against us which we have reason to think Judge King entertains may be traced to the unfortunate troubles which occurred in Jackson County some few years ago. In a battle between the "Mormons" and a portion of the citizens of that county, Mr. Brazeale, the brother-in-law of Judge King, was killed.
It is natural that the judge should have some feeling against us, whether we were right or wrong in that controversy.
We mention these facts, not to disparage Judge King; we believe that from the relation he bears to us he would himself prefer that our trials should be had in a different circuit and before a different court. Many other reasons we might mention, but we forbear.
-Joseph Smith, Jr.[Source: Rolin J. Briton, "Early Days on the Grand River and the Mormon War. Sixth Article," JOURNAL OF HISTORY, 13 (July 1920): 391-393].
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