Prostscript to the Petition.

This letter was directed to James M. Hughes, Esq., member of the House of Representatives, Jefferson City, with the following request:

Will you be so kind as to present this to the House. The community here would, I believe, have no objection for the trial of these men being transferred to St. Louis.

P. H. B.[[3]]

Saturday, 26.—

Minutes of a Public Meeting at Far West.

A meeting of a respectable number of the citizens of Caldwell county, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was held in Far West, according to previous notice, to devise and take into consideration such measures as might be thought necessary in order to comply with the orders of the Executive to remove from the state of Missouri immediately, as made known by General Clark to the citizens of said county, in the month of November last.

The meeting was called to order by Don C. Smith; and on motion, John Smith was unanimously called to the chair, and Elias Smith appointed secretary.

The object of the meeting was then stated by the chairman, who briefly adverted to the causes which had brought about the present state of affairs, and called for an expression of sentiment on the best course to be pursued in the present emergency.

Several gentlemen addressed the meeting on the subject of our removal from the state and the seeming impossibility of complying with the orders of the governor of Missouri, in consequence of the extreme poverty of many, which had come upon them by being driven from place to place, deprived of their constitutional rights and privileges, as citizens of this, and the United States, and were of the opinion that an appeal to the citizens of Upper Missouri ought to be made, setting forth our condition, and claiming their assistance towards furnishing means for the removal of the poor of this county out of the state, as being our right and our due in the present case.

On motion, resolved: That a committee of seven be appointed to make a draft of a preamble and resolutions in accordance with the foregoing sentiments to be presented to a future meeting for their consideration.

The following were then appointed. viz.,—John Taylor, Alanson Ripley, Brigham Young, Theodore Turley, Heber C. Kimball, John Smith and Don C. Smith.

Resolved: That the committee be further instructed to ascertain the number of families who are actually destitute of means for their removal, and report at the next meeting.

Resolved: That it is the opinion of this meeting that an exertion should be made to ascertain how much can be obtained from individuals of the society [the Church], and that it is the duty of those who have, to assist those who have not, that thereby we may, as far as possible, within and of ourselves, comply with the demands of the Executive.

Adjourned to meet again on Tuesday, the 29th instant, at twelve o'clock, m.

John Smith, Chairman.

Elias Smith, Secretary.

Tuesday, 29.—

Minutes of the Second Meeting at Far West.

The brethren met again according to adjournment. John Smith was again called to the chair, and Elias Smith appointed secretary.

The committee appointed to draw up a preamble and resolutions to be presented to the meeting for consideration, presented by their chairman, John Taylor, a memorial of the transactions of the people of Missouri towards us since our first settlement in this state, in which was contained some of our sentiments and feelings on the subject of our persecutions by the authority of the state, and our deprivation of the rights of citizenship guaranteed to us by the Constitution. The document under preparation by the committee was yet in an unfinished state, owing to causes which were stated by the committee; and they further apologized for not drawing it up in the form of resolutions, agreeable to the vote of the former meeting.

The report was accepted as far as completed, and by a vote of the meeting, the same committee were directed to finish it, and prepare it for and send it to the press for publication, and they were instructed to dwell minutely on the subject relating to our arms, and the fiend-like conduct of the officers of the militia in sequestering all the best of them after their surrender on condition of being returned to us again, or suffering them to be exchanged for others, not worth half their value, in violation of their bond, and of the honor of the commander of the forces sent against us by the state.

On motion of President Brigham Young, it was resolved that we this day enter into a covenant to stand by and assist each other to the utmost of our abilities in removing from this state, and that we will never desert the poor who are worthy, till they shall be out of the reach of the exterminating order of General Clark, acting for and in the name of the state.

After an expression of sentiments by several who addressed the meeting on the propriety of taking efficient measures to remove the poor from the state, it was resolved, that a committee of seven be appointed to superintend the business of our removal, and to provide for those who have not the means of moving, till the work shall be completed.

The following were then appointed, viz., William Huntington, Charles Bird, Alanson Ripley, Theodore Turley, Daniel Shearer, Shadrach Roundy, and Jonathan H. Hale.

Resolved: That the secretary draft an instrument expressive of the sense of the covenant entered into this day, by those present, and that those who were willing to subscribe to the covenant should do it, that their names might be known, which would enable the committee more expeditiously to carry their business into effect.

The instrument was accordingly drawn, and by vote of the meeting the secretary attached the names of those who were willing to subscribe to it.

Adjourned to meet again on Friday, the 1st of February next, at twelve o'clock, m.

John Smith, Chairman.

Elias Smith, Secretary.

The following is the covenant referred to in the preceding minutes, with the names which were then and afterwards attached to it, as far as they have been preserved:

We, whose names are hereunder written, do for ourselves individually hereby covenant to stand by and assist one another, to the utmost of our abilities, in removing from this state in compliance with the authority of the state; and we do hereby acknowledge ourselves firmly bound to the extent of all our available property, to be disposed of by a committee who shall be appointed for the purpose of providing means for the removing from this state of the poor and destitute who shall be considered worthy, till there shall not be one left who desires to remove from the state: with this proviso, that no individual shall be deprived of the right of the disposal of his own property for the above purpose, or of having the control of it, or so much of it as shall be necessary for the removing of his own family, and to be entitled to the over-plus, after the work is effected; and furthermore, said committee shall give receipts for all property, and an account of the expenditure of the same.

Far West, Missouri, January 29, 1839.

List of Names Subscribed to the Foregoing.

John Smith,

Wm. Huntington,

James Mcmillan,

Chandler Holbrook,

Charles Bird,

Alanson Ripley,

Theodore Turley,

Daniel Shearer,

Shadrach Roundy,

Jonathan H. Hale,

Elias Smith,

Brigham Young,

James Burnham,

Leicester Gaylord,

Samuel Williams,

John Miller,

Aaron M. York,

George A. Smith,

Daniel Howe,

James Bradin,

Jonathan Beckelshimer,

David Jones,

Wm. M. Fossett,

Charles N. Baldwin,

Jesse N. Reed,

Benjamin Johnson,

Jonathan Hampton,

Anson Call,

Peter Dopp,

Samuel Rolph,

Abel Lamb,

Daniel McArthur,

William Gregory,

Zenas Curtis,

John Reed,

William R. Orton,

Samuel D. Tyler,

John H. Goff,

Thomas Butterfield,

Dwight Hardin,

Norvil M. Head,

Stephen V. Foot,

Jacob G. Bigler,

Eli Bagley,

William Milam,

Lorenzo Clark,

William Allred,

Alexander Wright,

William Taylor,

John Taylor,

Reuben P. Hartwell,

John Lowry,

Welcome Chapman,

Solomon Hancock,

Arza Adams,

Henry Jacobs,

James Carroll,

David Lyons,

John Taylor,

Don Carlos Smith,

William J. Stewart,

Isaac B. Chapman,

Roswell Stephens,

Reuben Headlock,

David Holman,

Joel Goddard,

Phineas R. Bird,

Duncan McArthur,

Allen Talley,

James Hampton,

Sherman A. Gilbert,

James S. Holman,

Andrew Lytle,

Aaron Johnson,

Heber C. Kimball,

George W. Harris,

George W. Davidson,

Harvey Strong,

Elizabeth Mackley,

Sarah Mackley,

Andrew More,

Harvey Downey,

John Maba,

Lucy Wheeler,

John Turpin,

William Earl,

Zenos H. Gurley,

Joseph W. Coolidge,

Anthony Head,

S. A. P. Kelsey,

Wm. Van Ausdall,

Nathan K. Knight,

John Thorp,

Andrew Rose,

John S. Martin,

Albert Sloan,

John D. Lee,

Eliphas Marsh,

Joseph Wright,

John Badger,

Levi Richards,

Erastus Bingham,

Elisha Everett,

John Lytle,

Levi Jackman,

Thomas Guyman,

Nahum Curtis,

Lyman Curtis,

Philip Ballard,

William Gould,

Reuben Middleton,

William Harper,

Seba Joes,

Charles Butler,

Richard Walton,

Isaac Kerron,

Joseph Rose,

David Foot,

L. S. Nickerson,

Moses Daley,

David Sessions,

Perrigrine Sessions,

Alford P. Childs,

James Daley,

Noah T. Guyman,

David Winters,

John Pack,

Sylvanus Hicks,

Horatio N. Kent,

Joseph W. Pierce,

Thomas Gates,

Squire Bozarth,

Nathan Lewis,

Moses Evord,

Ophelia Harris,

Zuba McDonald,

Mary Goff,

Harvey J. Moore,

Francis Chase,

Stephen Markham,

John Outhouse,

Wm. F. Leavens,

Daniel Tyler,

Noah Rogers,

Stephen N. St. John,

Francis Lee,

Eli Lee,

Benjamin Covey,

Michel Borkdull,

Miles Randall,

Horace Evans,

David Dort,

Levi Hancock,

Edwin Whiting,

William Barton,

Elisha Smith,

James Gallaher,

Robert Jackson,

Lemuel Merrick,

James Dunn,

Orin Hartshorn,

Nathan Hawke,

Pierce Hawley,

Thomas J. Fisher,

James Leithead,

Alfred Lee,

Stephen Jones,

Eleazer Harris,

Elijah B. Gaylord,

Thomas Grover,

Alexander Badlam,

Phebe Kellog,

Albert Miner,

William Woodland,

Martin C. Allred,

Jedediah Owen,

Philander Avery,

Benjamin F. Bird,

Charles Squire,

Jacob Curtis,

Rachel Medfo,

Lyman Stevens,

Roswell Evans,

Leonard Clark,

Nehemiah Harmon,

Daniel Cathcart,

Gershom Stokes,

Rachel Page,

Barnet Cole,

William Thompson,

Nathan Cheney,

James Sherry,

David Frampton,

Elizabeth Pettigrew,

Charles Thompson,

Orin P. Rockwell,

Nathan B. Baldwin,

Truman Brace,

Sarah Wixom,

Lewis Zobriski,

Henry Zobriski,

Morris Harris,

Absolom Tidwell,

Alvin Winegar,

Samuel T. Winegar,

John E. Page,

Levi Gifford,

Edmund Durfee,

Josiah Butterfield,

John Killion,

John Patten,

John Wilkins,

Abram Allen,

William Felshaw.

Activity of the Committee on Removal.