Some of them shouted, "God damn you, old Joe Smith, we have got you now." Others cried, "Where is the damned Prophet!" "Stand away, you McDonough boys, and let us shoot the damned Mormons." "Clear the way and let us have a view of Joe Smith, the Prophet of God. He has seen the last of Nauvoo. We'll use him up now, and kill all the damned Mormons."
The profanity of the mob was an avalanche. Such ravings and cursings were scarcely ever before heard from civilized men. The governor was an ear witness to it all and leaned from his tavern window to say in a fawning voice to the rabble:
Gentlemen, I know your great anxiety to see Mr. Smith, which is natural enough, but it is quite too late tonight for you to have that opportunity; but I assure you, gentlemen, you shall have that privilege tomorrow morning, as I will cause him to pass before the troops upon the square, and I now wish you, with this assurance, quietly and peaceably to return to your quarters.
At this there was a hurrah for Tom Ford, and the mob obeyed his wish.
The prisoners were quartered at the tavern of Hamilton, who had threatened Brother Hodge that the Carthage Greys would settle the "Mormons." At the same inn was a party of apostates. One of them, John A. Hicks, formerly president of the elders' quorum, stated to Brother Cyrus H. Wheelock that it was determined to shed the blood of Joseph Smith, whether he was cleared by the law or not. Hicks talked freely and unreservedly upon the subject, as if he were discoursing upon the most common occurrence of life; and boldly declared that the Laws, the Higbees and the Fosters were all agreed upon this course.
Elder Wheelock carried this information to Governor Ford, but that craven wretch treated it with perfect indifference and suffered Hicks and his associates to go on with their plans for murder.
A few hours later the most prominent enemies of the Prophet at Carthage declared:
There is nothing against these men; the law cannot reach them, but powder and ball shall. They will never get out of Carthage alive.
Footnotes
[1]. Sixteen years after Ford had acquiesced in the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, he said in his history of Illinois: