[], An Appeal to the American People: Being an Account of the Persecutions of the Church of Latter Day Saints; and of the Barbarities Inflicted on Them by the Inhabitants of the State of Missouri, second edition; i-vi, 7–60 pp.; Cincinnati, OH: Shepard and Stearns, 1840. The copy used herein is held at CHL.
A manuscript draft of this pamphlet, simply titled “To the Publick” was presented to a conference of church members at , Illinois, on 1 November 1839. The conference voted to approve the manuscript and authorized its publication on behalf of the church. The pamphlet, when published, carried the endorsement of JS, , and as “Presidents of said Church.”
and collaborated on the publication of the text, which was available in print by May 1840. Though no author is named on the title page, was acknowledged as author in an 1840 Times and Seasons newspaper article, and when the pamphlet was advertised in that church periodical in 1841. JS and held some expectation that funds from the sale of An Appeal would eventually help defray costs of their late-1839 trip to .
By July 1840, and had been authorized to produce a second, revised edition to be published by Shepard & Stearns in . Page related some of the circumstances surrounding its publication and circulation in a letter sent to JS, “. . . at [Ohio] we parted for a few days . . . Elder Hyde went to Cincinnati where in my absince he published a second Edition of the ‘Apeal to the American people’ (2000 copies)[.] when I arrived the work was about completed[.] after disposing of as many of them as posible and suplying the market about cincinnati and the adjacient country he left me with some fourteen or fifteen hundred on hand, to dispose of” (John E. Page, Philadelphia, PA, to JS et al., Nauvoo, IL, 1 Sept. 1841, JS Collection, CHL). Funds from this printing were to be for the express purpose of subsidizing Hyde and Page’s imminent mission to in Palestine.
The second edition was essentially a lightly edited reprint of the first, with a four-page “Publisher’s Preface” added. In the preface, and noted the purpose of the publication, explained the severe hardships imposed by the persecutions upon Page’s own family, provided a detailed account of a vision experienced by Hyde, and expressed enthusiasm about the prospects of the mission. The preface also contained a copy of an official letter of appointment and commendation for Hyde and Page from an April 1840 church conference at , Illinois, signed by JS, and a letter of reference from , governor of .
Although many of the events reported in both editions of ’s pamphlet can be corroborated from other sources, his chronology of events is often inaccurate. However, Rigdon’s account does contain the texts of several significant documents. Among these are JS’s September 1838 affidavit concerning the 7 August 1838 visit to and those of and regarding the massacre. Consequently, though in many respects Rigdon’s document from a historical perspective is more advocacy than history, it offers access to some important material not readily found elsewhere.
Before me, , one of the Justices of the County Court, within and for the aforesaid, personally appeared and James Nelson, who, being duly sworn according to law, deposeth and saith, “that the aforesaid deposition of Samuel Brown, relative to the aforesaid transaction, of the affray in , on the day of election, with all the circumstances and conversation mentioned therein, are substantially true, to the best of our knowledge; and that we, the said deponents, were standing within three or four feet of said Brown, when said conversation took place, and said affray began:” and further, the deponents saith not.
(Signed) ,
JOHN NELSON.
Sworn and subscribed, this 5th day of September, A. D. 1838.
(Signed) , J. C. C. C. C.
State of ,)
ss:
County of ,)
Before me, , one of the Justices of the County Court, within and for aforesaid, personally apeared , Abraham Nelson, , John Daley, and William W. Patten, who, being duly sworn according to law, deposeth and saith, that the aforesaid statement made by Samuel Brown, in his deposition of the late affray in , on the day of election, concerning the speech of , and the beginning of the said affray, are substantially true to the best of our knowledge.
(Signed) ,
ABRAHAM NELSON,
JOHN DALEY,
WILLIAM W. PATTEN.
Sworn to and subscribed, this 5th day of September, A. D. 1838.
(Signed) , J. C. C. C. C.
After the election, threatenings were made in the most daring manner, declaring that the Saints should leave the ; that they would raise a mob and drive them out, and take all their lands and other property as spoil. Indeed this was the secret which was working in their hearts all the time; and what they were determined to do. It was the property of the Saints they wanted, and what they were determined to have. They boasted that the authorities of the would not interfere to assist the Mormons, as they called them. They said it had been fairly proven, in the case of both and counties, that the Government would not assist them; and they said they might as well drive them off and take their property as not; for they could not help themselves. With such language did they provoke one another to acts of violence.
It will be seen by the above affidavits, that had prohibited the Saints from voting when they resided there; and this circumstance tended to encourage others in their wickedness. All these things were done in the face of the authorities, and it will be seen how far they regarded their oaths of office. [p. 18]