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Illinois. General Assembly. Senate. JOURNAL
OF THE SENATE OF THE FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, at
Their Regular Session, Begun and Held at Springfield, December, 2, 1844.
Springfield: Walters & Weber, Public Printers., 1844.
21½ cm. 469 pages (Index, pp. [457]-469). Original plain printers' boards expertly rebacked in appropriate plain calf.
A very good copy indeed, generally bright and clean. No tears or writing; a few minor stains & moderate foxing, primarily to the first leaves. The first gathering was bound somewhat askew, so that in the original 1840s trimming, slight text loss occurred to the fore-edges of pages 3-4 and 6. Preserved in a handsome custom leather-backed archival folding box.
STILL PASTED
to the inside front cover is a charming contemporary Illinois State Library
bookplate in fine, clean condition . . .
Shown
greatly enlarged here, the text of the label suggests that this volume was available
only to the most elite Illinois political figures of that time.
If Governor Ford himself had chosen to check it out of the State Library to review the Mormon difficulties, he would have had but two weeks to return it, or else pay three times its value in fines. Should he dare to take it without the librarian's permission, Ford would be "prosecuted for larceny, without distinction of persons."
It would thus seem that this book has been protected from the day it was printed, helping perhaps to explain its unusually fresh condition and unsophisticated binding.
HERE then, is a HIGHLY SCARCE and little-known source for Mormon and Nauvoo history during this crucial period, offering the important Message of Governor Ford (below), and many other entries of considerable Mormon interest.
FLAKE mentions this volume in his entry 4195 as containing an alternate printing of Gov. Thomas Ford's crucial MESSAGE OF THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS . . . regarding the shooting of Joseph and Hyrum Smith and attendant events.
The text of that MESSAGE appears in the present volume on pages 91-110, submitted by Governor Ford to the Illinois Senate or legislature, apparently in manuscript, on Monday, December 23, 1844. It would have been Joseph Smith's thirty-ninth birthday . . .
A message from the Governor by T. Campbell, Esq., Secretary of State. Mr. Speaker: I am directed by the Governor to lay before the Senate a communication in writing. . . . . . Mr. Speaker laid before the Senate the communication just received from the Governor; which was read as follows. Executive Department,
Springfield, Dec. 23, 1844.
To the Senate: I have the honor to lay before the Senate, a special message in relation to the disturbances in Hancock county. I am most respectfully, &c. THOMAS FORD.
To the Honorable, the Senate, and House of Representatives:
Then follows the text of Ford's Message. At the end, p. 110, immediately following Ford's signature in type, it was recorded that . . .
On motion of Mr. Nunnally, Said message was laid on the table and 2500 copies of the same ordered to be printed for the use of the two Houses. Ordered, That the Secretary inform the House of Representatives thereof. [Journal, p. 110]
THE MESSAGE TEXT is virtually identical to the version printed in the two-volume Reports Made to the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Illinois, at their session begun and held at Springfield, December 2, 1844 (Springfield: Walters & Weber, Public Printers, 1845, I:[65]-85, also paged individually, [1]-21); see Flake 4185. However, the relevant Journal pages are not printed from the same forms, as seen by a different breaking of paragraphs from page to page, and occasional differences in line breaks (hyphenation differences, etc.). In addition, this Journal version offers a few typographical changes or corrections, suggested by the following example:
Page
4, line 16, as printed in Reports Made to the Senate and House . . .
(volume 1, page 68). Note "defendin" and the large space between in
and rem.
Page
92, line 44, as printed in the Journal of the Senate . . . offered
here. "defend in" is correct, and in and rem are placed
in better juxtaposition.
For a detailed analysis of Ford's Message, see my presentation for the separate version as printed in the Reports, offered eleswhere. Below are a few highlights from the Message as they appear typeset in the pages of the Journal volume offered here . . .
DESTRUCTION OF THE NAUVOO EXPOSITOR : Page 93 embodies Ford's most compelling argument, for example, to explain why Joseph Smith and others had to be arrested. He also attempts to help readers appreciate sociological factors which contributed to a general denigration - fair or not - of the Mormons:
ANTI-MORMON LIES : Ford did not take sides, contrary to some later Mormon claims. Indeed, he argued in this Message that the anti-Mormons spread unfounded rumors against the Saints. Note his restrained irony . . .
THE CARTHAGE JAIL : Here is Ford's defense for allowing the Smiths to be confined in the Carthage Jail, followed by his description of the building itself:
THE HIGHLIGHT OF FORD'S MESSAGE - perhaps of this entire Journal volume, came as the governor and his party travelled from Nauvoo to Carthage on the evening of June 27, 1844:
FORD'S FEARS : Contrary to some Mormon accounts, Governor Ford hardly favored the anti-Mormons. He feared them as much as any party and dared not take sides at all . . .
LEGISLATION RELATING TO THE MORMONS and their Immediate Foes. The JOURNAL of the Illinois Senate contains at least thirty additional entries of interest to Mormon history. I have prepeared a summary of pages which the fortunate future owner of this rare volume may wish to consult:
NAUVOO: 35, 70-71 (issues of habeus corpus), 76 (entire page), 80-81 (Senate revokes the Nauvoo Charter), 224 (the House concurs), 237, 247 (revocation of the Nauvoo Charter approved by the Council of Revision, January 30, 1845, at 2:00 p.m.), 299 (House passes a new act to incorporate Nauvoo), 357 (Senate tables the act).
JACOB C. DAVIS (one of the five defendants indicted in the murder of the Smiths; Illinois state senator): 117-18 (Davis arrested), 121-2 (Davis freed); efforts on behalf of the "old citizens" of Hancock County, pp. 167, 180, 209.
THOMAS C. SHARP (editor of the Warsaw Signal and influential foe of Joseph Smith; one of the five defendants indicted for the murder of the Smiths): 177-8 (itemized votes for and against his election as State Printer; failed); Hannah G. SHARP to operate a ferry at Warsaw, pp. 155, 196-7, 201, 217, 260, 271, 279, 358, 404.
The CARTHAGE GREYS (militia who murdered or allowed the murder of the Smiths at the jail): Petition of Jacob C. Davis to help them reclaim the cannon and other munitions, p. 227.
ILLINOIS MILITIA PAYMENTS legislated for handling the Mormon difficulties, pp. 372, 377, 383-4, 387-8, 405, 412.
W. W. PHELPS nominated by Governor Ford to serve as a Notary Public "in and for Nauvoo . . . ," p. 405
ADDITIONAL ENTRIES: Disturbances in Hancock County, p. 236-7; [Mark?] Aldrich mentioned as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, pp. 434, 450 & elsewhere.
Below are illustrations of some of the most interesting entries from this listing.
LEGISLATION TO REVOKE THE NAUVOO CHARTER :
. . . and more on page 80:
JACOB C. DAVIS, a State Senator, has been arrested for the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith!
DAVIS is a friend of the Carthage Greys, who were also complicit in the Smiths' death (p. 227) . . .
. . . and, of course, Davis will support the pre-Mormon settlers (p. 209):
HERE is one of many legislative actions to pay the for the costs of the Mormon difficulties (p. 405) . . .
MANY OF OUR ANCESTORS' DEEDS signing over land as they fled Nauvoo were transacted and signed by W. W. PHELPS. Here is an important detail which allowed for those documents (p. 405):
