President Young and the Twelve
now began preparing to carry this plan out. They could plainly see that it
was useless to try to live in peace in Illinois. The mobs grew larger and
fiercer. The people living in the counties surrounding Hancock county,
threatened to drive the "Mormons" from the state; and the officers whose
duty it was to enforce the laws would not do so if it was to protect the
"Mormons."
So in August, 1845, it was decided to select three thousand men who, with
their families, were to go to Upper California. All this western country
was then called Upper California. The authorities of the Church promised
the mob leaders that if they would not molest them they would all leave the
state early the next spring.
But the mobbing did not cease at this; so the sheriff of the county, a Mr.
Backenstos, organized a posse, that is, a company of men to help him
enforce the laws and keep order. The sheriff kept after the mob to prevent
them from burning houses, etc., and this made the mobbers very angry. One
day some of them tried to kill the sheriff, but he was saved by two
"Mormons" coming to his rescue. Thus during the summer and fall of 1845
there was much trouble between the mobs, the "Mormons," and the militia.
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