thirty of
whom were Mormons, and only eight Mormons took part in the fight.
I was an entire stranger to all who were engaged in the affray,
except Stewart, but I had seen the sign, and, like Samson when
loaning against the pillar, I felt the power of God nerve my arm
for the fray. It helps a man a great deal in a fight to know that
God is on his side.

After the violence had ceased Capt. Butler called the Mormons to
him, and as he stood on a pile of building timber he made a
speech to the brethren. He said that his ancestors had served in
the War of the Revolution to establish a free and independent
government - one in which all men had equal rights and privileges;
that he professed to be half white and free born, and claimed a
right to enjoy his constitutional privileges, and would have his
rights as a citizen, if he had to fight for them; that as to his
religion, it was a matter between his God and himself, and no
man's business; that he would vote, and would die before he would
be driven from the polls.

Several of the Gentile leaders then requested us to lay down our
clubs and go and vote. This Capt. Butler refused, saying:

"We will not molest anyone who lets us alone, but we will not
risk ourselves again in that crowd without our clubs."

The result was the Mormons all voted. It is surprising what a few
resolute men can do when united.

It may be well for purposes of explanation to refer back to the
celebration of the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of
July, 1838, at Far West. That day Joseph Smith made known to the
people the substance of a Revelation he had received from God. It
was to the effect that all the Saints throughout the land were
required to sell their possessions, gather all their money
together, and send an agent to buy up all the land in the region
round about Far West, and get a patent for the land from the
Government, then deed it over to the Church; then every man
should come up there to the land of their promised inheritance
and consecrate what he had to the Lord.

In return the Prophet would set apart a tract of land for each
Saint - the amount to correspond with the number of the Saint's
family - and this land should be for each Saint an everlasting
inheritance. In this way the people could, in time, redeem Zion
(Jackson County) without the shedding of blood. It was also
revealed that unless this was done, in accordance with God's
demand, as required by Him in the Revelation