The mob then broke loose, yelling like a band of wild Indians.  They went to the house and printing office of W.W.  Phelps, forced Mrs. Phelps and the children, one of whom was sick, out of the house and threw the furniture out in the street.  They then destroyed the printing press and tore the office down.  Then they went through the town hunting for the leading brethren.  They caught Bishop Edward Partridge and Charles Allen, dragged them to the public square, stripped most of their clothes off, and then smeared tar all over their bodies.  This ended that day’s work, and the frightened women and children who had fled to the woods came back to their homes.

The third day after this a mob of five hundred men came into Independence.  They were armed with guns, knives, and whips, and they swore they would kill or whip all who would not agree to leave.  The leading brethren, seeing that it was no longer of any use to plead or resist, made an agreement with the mob that they with their families would leave the county by the first of January, and that they would use their influence in trying to induce the rest of the Saints to leave, one-half by January 1st, the rest by April 1st, 1834.  They were also to use all the means they could to prevent more of the Saints from settling in the county.  The mob for their part agreed not to persecute the Saints while this was being done.

The mob, however, did not keep this promise, but daily broke into houses and abused the inmates.

The Saints now appealed to the highest officer of the state, Governor Dunklin, for protection.  He told them that the laws were able to protect everybody in their rights, and advised the Saints to have those arrested who threatened them, and have them tried in court for their misdeeds.

This, seemingly, was very good advice, and would have worked all right under other circumstances; but when it is remembered that the very officers—­the constable who would have to do the arresting, the judge who would try the cases, and in fact all concerned—­were men who were themselves leaders of the mob, you will see how useless such a course would be.  However, the Saints engaged four lawyers to protect them in the courts.

This made the mobbers more angry than ever, and they made preparation for further action against the Saints.

“We will rid Jackson county of the “Mormons",” they said, “peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must.  If they will not go without, we will whip and kill the men; we will destroy the children, and abuse their women.”

The Saints now resolved to defend themselves, and the men gathered in small bodies, armed with guns.

On the night of October 31, 1833, a mob marched to the Whitmer settlement of the Saints where they whipped several of the brethren to death, drove the women and children into the woods, and tore the roofs from about a dozen houses.