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Two Minutes In Jail

Two Minutes In Jail image
Parent Issue
Day
28
Month
October
Year
1844
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

rossibly the following events occupied near three minutes, hut I think about two, and I have penned them for the ' tion of manv friends. V , CarlJiage, June 27, 1844. . A shower of musket. halls were tlirown up the stairway against the door of the prison in the second story, followed by many rapid foótsteps. While Generáis Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Mr. Taylor, and myself; who were in the front chamber, closed the door of our room against the entry at the head of the stairs, and placed ourselves against it, therebeing no lock on the door, nndno keich that is unsealable. The door is a common panel, and as soon as we hcard the feet at the stairs head, a ball was sent through the door, which passed between us, and showed that our enemies were desperadoes, and we must change our position. Gen. Joseph Smith, Mr. Taylor, and myself, sprang back to the front part of the room, and Gen. Hyrum Smith retreiited twethirds across the chamber directly in front and facing the door. A ball was sent through the door which hit Hyrum n the sideof his nose, when he fellbackwards extended at lengfh without moving his feet. From the holes in his vest, (theday bemg warm and no one having thei coats on but myself) pantaloons. drawer and shirt, it appears evident that a bal must have been thrown from. without through tie window, which en te red hii back on the rightsideand passing througl: lodged against bis watch, which was in his right vest pocket, completely pulverizing the christal and face, tearin'g off the hands and smashingthe whole body of the watch, at the same instant the bal] from the door entered his nose. Ás he struck the floor he exclaimed emphatically: !I am a dead man.' Joseph looked towards him and responded, 'O dear! brother Hyrum." and opening the door two or three inches witli his ]eft hand, üiseharged one barrel of a six-shooter (pistol) at random in the ontry from whonce a ball grazed HyrtioVs breast, and entered his thront, passed into his head, while other muskets were aimed at him, and some balls hit him, Joseph continued snapping his revolver round the casing of the door into the spiice as before, threë barrels of which missed fire, while Mr, Taylor with a wnlking stick stood by hissideand knockcd dowiï the bayonets and muskets. which were constantly disöharging through the doorway, while I stood by him ready ío' lehd my assístánce with another stick, but could not come wifhin striking distance, without goingdirectly before the muzzle of the guns.-vv non the revolver íhiled, we had no more fire arms, and expccted an immediate rush of the mob, and the door was full oi muskets-and no hope but instant death within. Mr. Taylor rushed info the window, which is some iifteen or twenty feet Trom the ground. VVhen his body was nearly on a balance, n ball frottl the door within entered his leg, and a bal! from without struck his walch, a patent lever, in his vest pocket, near the left breast, and ¦smashed it in "pi," leaving the hands 'standing at 5 o'clock, 16 minutes, and 2ö seconds - the force of which ball threw hira back on the floor, and he rolled under the bed which stood by his side, where he lay ïuotionlcss, the mob from the door continuing to fire upon hun, cuttingaway a piece of flesh from hi.s left hip as Iarge as a man's hand, and werc hindered onlv by my knockingdown their muzzles with a stick; whilc thcy continued to reach their guns nto ihe room, probably left handed, and aimed their discharges so far around as almost to reach us in the corner of the room to where we retreated and dodged, and ihen I re-commenced the attack with my stick again. Joseph attemptcd ns the last resort, to lean the same winuow from whence Taylor feil, when two balls pierced him from the door, and one entered his right breast from without, and he feil outward, exclaiming, 'O Lord my God!5 As his feet went out of the window my head went in, the balls whistling all around. tte feil on his left side a dead man. At this instant the crywas raised, lle's baped the window," and the mob on thestairsand in the entraran out. I withdrcw from the window, thinking it of no use toloap out on a hundred bayonets, then around General Smith's body. Not satisfied with thïs, I ngain reached my hoad out of the window and watched some seconds, to seeif tnere rere any signs of life, regardless of my own, determined to see the eiid'of Hm I loved; being fully satisfied ihat he was dead, with a hundred men ncar the body, aod more coming round the corner of the jai!, and expecttng a return room, I rushed towards the prison door at the head of the stairs, and through the entry from whence the firing had proceeded, to learn if tlie doors into the prison were open. When near the entry, Mr. Taylorcalledout -talte me." I pressed my way till I found all the doors unbarred; returning instantly, I caught Mr. Taylor under my arm, and rushed up stairs into the dungcon, or inner prison, laid him on the floor and covered with a bed in such a marmer as not likely to be perceived, expecting an mmediate return of the mob. Isaid toMr. Taylor.thisisa hard case to lay you on the üoor, but if your wounds are not fatal I want you to live and teil me the story. I expected to be shot the ne.xt moment, and stood before the door awaiting the onset.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News