Liberty Jail

We all know the importance of Liberty Jail since that is where Joseph received sections 121, 122, and 123 of the Doctrine and Covenants. After visiting Liberty Jail a number of times, one of the questions that came to my mind was, we know of the History of Joseph and Hyrum Smith because they were each played such a significant part in the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but what about the other men that suffered with them in Liberty Jail? 

The men that suffered in Liberty Jail with Joseph and Hyrum Smith were Caleb Baldwin, Alexander McRae, Lyman Wight and Sidney Rigdon. Sidney Rigdon was released early because of health issues, and the name Lyman Wight was somewhat familiar to me from Church History, but I really knew little or nothing of Caleb Baldwin or Alexander McRae. So I did a little Google search and found the following:

Within the Walls of Liberty Jail

D&C 121, 122, 123

Justin R. Bray 10 June 2013

 On December 1, 1838, a little-known Latter-day Saint from Warrensville, Ohio, named Caleb Baldwin was charged with “crimes of high treason” and incarcerated in the lower level of Liberty Jail in Clay County, Missouri. His prison companions included members of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and Sidney Rigdon, as well as Lyman Wight and Alexander McRae. The six detainees’ nearly four-month confinement became the final episode of an eventful and often troubled history of the Latter-day Saints in Missouri.1

Within the walls of Liberty Jail, Baldwin scribed some of Joseph Smith’s most profound reflections in letters to the scattered and destitute Latter-day Saints—portions of which were later canonized as Doctrine and Covenants 121, 122, and 123. Some of these passages have become scriptural gems, often cited in Latter-day Saint discourse over the years.  

While the story of Liberty Jail has been told and retold from the perspective of Joseph Smith, the experience of the other incarcerated men provides additional insight. Baldwin, who was the most senior of the group, struggled physically and emotionally in the dungeon level of Liberty Jail. The inspiring words that came to Joseph as he dictated his letter provided comfort and counsel to the 47-year-old father of ten who longed to be with his family during his four-month confinement.

Early Conflict in Missouri

The Latter-day Saints’ eventful history in Missouri began in 1831, when a revelation to Joseph Smith identified Jackson County as the site of Zion, the New Jerusalem (see D&C 57:1–3). By 1833, the Latter-day Saints in Jackson County numbered nearly a thousand—about a third of the county’s population—and religious, political, and cultural differences created inevitable tension between the new and old settlers. After peaceful requests that the Latter-day Saints relocate their faith and families went unheeded, a large group of organized Missourians raided the home of William W. Phelps, destroyed the printing press of the Evening and Morning Star, and tarred and feathered Edward Partridge and Charles Allen.2

While the Latter-day Saints sought redress through written petitions, they also organized themselves militarily to protect their families in case of armed conflict. Even after the Latter-day Saints moved to Caldwell County, in northwestern Missouri, which had been created by the state legislature exclusively for them, “battles” were fought at Gallatin, DeWitt, Blue River, Crooked River, and Haun’s Mill in what became known as the Missouri Mormon War.3

In October 1838, General Samuel D. Lucas, a leader in the Missouri Militia, imprisoned several prominent Latter-day Saints, including Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, George W. Robinson, and Amasa Lyman. Caleb Baldwin, Lyman Wight, and other indicted Latter-day Saints joined Joseph and his cohorts at a preliminary hearing in Richmond, Missouri, bringing the total number of arraigned Latter-day Saints to sixty. During the hearing, Judge Austin A. King singled out Baldwin and offered him his freedom if he would renounce his religion and forsake the Prophet Joseph—an offer Baldwin rejected. The same deal was then made to the other detainees, all of whom “returned an answer similar to that of Mr. Baldwin.”4

“Judge Austin A. King singled out Baldwin and offered him his freedom if he would renounce his religion and forsake the Prophet Joseph—an offer Baldwin rejected.”

Judge King ultimately found sufficient probable cause to lock away a number of the Latter-day Saint leaders. Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae, and Caleb Baldwin were to be taken to Liberty Jail in Clay County, as there was no jail in the counties where the alleged crimes occurred. On December 1, 1838, Joseph Smith, as he entered the jail, “lifted his hat and said in a distinct voice, ‘Good afternoon, gentlemen,’ and disappeared behind the heavy iron door.”5

Liberty Jail

Spending over four months in the snug jail proved a daunting experience. Four-foot-thick stone walls, a six-foot ceiling, and constant harassment by guards caused Joseph and his companions to describe the structure as “hell surrounded with demons."6 The detainees were placed in the lower-level dungeon, where temperatures dropped, light dimmed, odors reeked, and time slowed. Only “dirty straw couches” prevented the prisoners from sleeping on the stone floor, but even those wore out after a while.7

As was the case in other nineteenth-century county jails, the food sickened the prisoners. Joseph and his companions described their daily meals as “very coarse and so filthy that we could not eat it until we were driven to it by hunger.” When the prisoners finally ate their servings, the food had a life-threatening effect on their systems, causing them to vomit “almost to death.” Some of the detainees suspected the guards of poisoning their food and water or even feeding them human flesh.8

“Joseph and his companions described their daily meals as ‘very coarse and so filthy that we could not eat it until we were driven to it by hunger.’”

As historian Dean Jessee noted, word spread of the Latter-day Saint prisoners at Liberty and “the place took on some aspects of a zoo.” Locals visited the jail in droves to gape at the prisoners, and their taunts and jeers echoed through the stone walls. Hyrum Smith complained, “We are often inspected by fools who act as though we were elephants or dromedarys or sea hogs or some monstrous whale or sea serpents.”9 Day after day the men languished in jail, and the emotional sting slowly and continuously tested their faith.

“Our souls have been bowed down and we have suffered much distress ... and truly we have had to wade through an ocean of trouble,” Joseph wrote.10

The four-month confinement in Liberty Jail also took a heavy physical toll on the prisoners. Sunlight barely crept through two small, iron-barred windows too high to see through, and long hours in the darkness caused the men’s eyes to strain, as one of the jailers later remembered. While a small fire was allowed, without a chimney to channel the smoke the prisoners’ eyes became even more irritated. Their ears ached, their nerves trembled, and Hyrum Smith even went into shock at one point. Sidney Rigdon, the second oldest member of the company next to Baldwin, was in such poor health that, lying in an inclined bed, he petitioned for an early release. His eloquent speech and severe infirmity caused the judge to discharge Rigdon ahead of schedule.11

Perhaps most disheartening to the remaining prisoners was the idea of Latter-day Saint families, including their own, scattered, destitute, and driven throughout the state of Missouri. Baldwin, in particular, felt loneliness and separation in Liberty Jail. While the other inmates were regularly reassured of their friends’ and families’ well-being through visits and letters, Baldwin received only one brief visit from his wife, Nancy, just before Christmas in 1838, and there is no record of further communication with her or their ten children for the next three months.12

Seemingly helpless, the prisoners twice attempted to flee the jail, on February 6 and March 3, 1839, but watchful guards put a stop to their daring getaways. Two weeks later, on March 15, the five men petitioned to be released for unlawful detention. Baldwin’s two-page appeal evidenced his desperate desire to be reunited with his family, who had “been driven out of the state since his confinement without any means for their support.”13 Baldwin had also learned that his son, also named Caleb, had been “beaten nearly to death by Missourians with hickory sticks.”14 Thus, having been detained “without the least shadow of testimony against him,” Baldwin asked that the “high hand of oppression” cease and he be acquitted of all charges.15 Despite the prisoners’ petitions, sufficient evidence apparently existed to keep them detained.16

Two days later, on March 17, Samuel Tillery, one of the jailers, inspected the lower-level dungeon and found an auger handle, which he believed was being used by the prisoners to chisel their way through the thick walls. Tillery ordered twenty-five men downstairs to finish the search, then ordered his contingent to chain Joseph Smith and the prisoners to the floor. Having already bottled up three and a half months of stress, anguish, and frustration, Baldwin furiously rose to his feet, looked the jailer in the eye, and affirmed, “Tillery, if you put those chains on me I will kill you, so help me God!”17 In the words of Hyrum Smith, Tillery “soon calmed down and agreed to call again and settle the matter.”18 While Baldwin’s fiery threat temporarily settled the dispute, the prisoners were put under even heavier guard.

Just three days after the scuffle with Samuel Tillery, Baldwin still on edge, wondering if he would ever see or hear from his family again, Joseph Smith began dictating a letter that undoubtedly lifted Baldwin’s spirit—a letter that has since brought comfort and counsel to millions of Latter-day Saints. 

Letter to the Saints

Alexander McRae scribed most of the letter addressed to “the church of Latterday saints at Quincy Illinois and scattered abroad and to Bishop Partridge in particular,” although Baldwin helped pen two of the letter’s twenty-nine pages. As historians Dean Jessee and John Welch noted, Joseph Smith’s lengthy missive is a Pauline-like epistle. For example, Joseph called himself “a prisoner for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake” and wrote that “nothing therefore can seperate us from the love of God,” language similar to the Apostle Paul’s writings to the Ephesians and Romans.19 Joseph then detailed the sufferings of the “poor and much injured saints,” including the families wandering helplessly and hopelessly between Missouri and Illinois, as well as the dismal experience he and his companions were having in Liberty Jail.20

' alt="d&c 121 on josephsmithpapers.org" test=test caption="D&C 121 on JosephSmithPapers.org" data-id=38179474020722321780-eng class="float-right media-item" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" v:shapes="_x0000_i1026"> D&C 121 on JosephSmithPapers.org

After rendering a soul-wrenching account of the callous and merciless acts of some of their Missouri neighbors, Joseph uttered the first words of what is now Section 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants: “O God where art thou and where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place how long shall thy hand be stayed and thine eye yea thy pure eye behold from from the etearnal heavens the rongs of thy people and of thy servants and thine ear be penetrated with their c[r]yes yea o Lord how long shall they suffer these rongs and unlawfull oppressions before thine hart shall be softened towards them and thy bowels be moved with compassion to-words them” (see D&C 121:1–3).21

Joseph’s heavenly plea was not immediately answered. He continued to reflect on the violent acts against the Latter-day Saints and wondered when justice would come upon his oppressors. Finally, after narrating seven pages of misery and angst, a consoling reassurance came to the Prophet Joseph: “my son pease be unto thy soul thine advirsity and thy afflictions shall be but a small moment and then if thou indure it well God shall exalts the[e] on high thou shalt tryumph over all they foes” (see D&C 121:7–8).22 The Lord also assured Joseph that “if the verry jaws of hell shall gap[e] open her mouth wide after know thou my son that all these things shall give thee experiance and shall be for thy good. The son of man hath desended below them all art thou greater than he?” (see D&C 122:7–8).   

D&C 122 on JosephSmithPapers.org

These comforting words triggered a sense of confidence in Joseph. He said that God “would have a tried people” and that the Latter-day Saints’ experience in Missouri was “a tryal of our faith equal to that of Abraham.” Inasmuch as Abraham was saved from sacrificing his son Isaac, so would the Latter-day Saints be delivered from their trials if they remained faithful.23

Joseph then provided instructions on a number of additional matters. First, he directed how to conduct upcoming conferences and council meetings, giving his prison companions hope that they would soon convene again with the Saints. Another item of business was the purchase of property in Iowa Territory. Joseph believed the land would “be of grate benefeit to the church” and counseled Edward Partridge and others on how to properly negotiate the transaction, emphasizing the importance of doing so without greed or self-indulgence. He also advised Church leaders to remember those in need and “bare the infermities of the weak."24

The letter then turned to why many are called but few chosen, words Jesus used in the New Testament (Matthew 22:14). Joseph lamented that he and the Latter-day Saints had learned “by sad experience” of the destructive power of pride (see D&C 121:39). Joseph may have been reflecting on some of his close friends, like William W. Phelps and Frederick G. Williams, who had recently apostatized and aided in his imprisonment. (Both would eventually return to full fellowship in the Church.) Joseph laid out attributes that holders of the priesthood and all Latter-day Saints should seek to attain if they hope to have influence with others: gentleness, meekness, persuasion, long-suffering, kindness, charity, virtue, and love (see D&C 121:41–46).

D&C 123 on JosephSmithPapers.org

Near the end of the letter, Joseph returned to the persecution the Latter-day Saints had suffered in Missouri. Believing the Constitution of the United States to be “a glorious standard” that ensured freedom of worship, Joseph asked the Saints to sign affidavits detailing their grievances and maltreatment (see D&C 123:1–6). Without a guarantee of receiving anything in return, Joseph and the Saints were determined nonetheless to “present [their affidavits] to the heads of government,” fulfilling a commandment given by the Lord (see D&C 123:6).

Joseph Smith’s lengthy letter has had a lasting impact. It not only counseled poor Baldwin in prison and the Saints suffering mayhem in Missouri, but was continually republished for many years in the Times and Seasons, Millennial Star, and the Deseret News.25 Eventually, extracts were canonized as Doctrine and Covenants 121 through 123, and those passages continue to provide comfort and direction to anyone mining the scriptures for meaning.

The prison companions eventually managed to “escape” legal authorities while being escorted to a hearing in Boone County, Missouri, in April 1839. Their guards turned a blind eye and allowed the prisoners to flee from custody after leading them away from enemies of the Latter-day Saints in Clay County. Baldwin became separated from Joseph and the others on several occasions after their getaway, but all the prisoners ultimately crossed into Illinois, finally reuniting with family, friends, and the rest of the Latter-day Saint refugees.26

Lyman Wight

Lyman Wight was ordained an Apostle in 1841 but was a strong personality and very loyal to Joseph Smith. However after Joseph Smith was assassinated he led a small group to Texas and never joined the Saints in Utah. Brigham attempted to persuade him to join the Saints in the west, eventually he was excommunicated. However he was always loyal to the Prophet Joseph Smith. The following describes  several of his more positive moments.

In October, 1838, after learning that Far West was surrounded by a mob, he raised fifty-three volunteers in Adam-ondi-Ahman (25 miles distant,) and repaired immediately to Far West to aid in its defense, where, with Joseph and Hyrum Smith and others, he was betrayed into the hands of his enemies, by Colonel George M. Hinkle, on the 31st; and was sentenced by a court martial to be shot the next morning (November 1) [1838] at 8 o'clock. During the evening, General Moses Wilson took him out by himself, and tried to induce him to betray Joseph Smith, and swear falsely against him; at which time the following conversation took place. General Wilson said, "Colonel Wight, we have nothing against you, only that you are associated with Joseph Smith. He is our enemy and a damned rascal, and would take any plan he could to kill us. You are a damned fine fellow; and if you will come out and swear against him, we will spare your life, and give you any office you want; and if you don't do it, you will be shot tomorrow at 8 o'clock." Colonel Wight replied, "General Wilson, you are entirely mistaken in your man, both in regard to myself and Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith is not an enemy to mankind, he is not your enemy; but is as good a friend as you have got. Had it not been for him, you would have been in hell long ago, for I should have sent you there by cutting your throat, and no other man but Joseph Smith could have prevented me and you may thank him for your life. And, now, if you will give me the boys I brought from Adam-ondi-Ahman yesterday, I will whip your whole army." Wilson said, "Wight, you are a strange man; but if you will not accept my proposal, you will be shot tomorrow morning at 8." Colonel Wight replied, "Shoot and be damned."

This was the true character of Lyman Wight; he was true as the sun to Joseph Smith, and would die for his friends. He was taken to Jackson County with Joseph, Hyrum and other prisoners. They were chained together, and fed on human flesh in prison by their Christian guards, and he continued to suffer with his brethren until the 15th day of April, 1839, when he started with Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Alexander McRae and Caleb Baldwin and guard, to go to jail in Columbia, Boone County; but on the night of the 16th, the sheriff fell asleep, the guard got drunk, and the prisoners left them, and went to their families and friends in Illinois.

Alexander McRae

Here are several short stories from a history of Alexander McRae, he went to Utah with the Saints and served as Bishop for 25 years, he had a large family and eventful life:

http://piercesweb.com/individuals/alexander-mcrae/biography-of-alex-eunice/index.html

Soon after their marriage, Alexander and Eunice moved across the Ohio River to Ripley County, Indiana, where Alexander established himself on a farm. [11]  Their first child, John, was born there January 30, 1836. [12]
In 1837, they were visited on their farm by missionaries (Who???)  of the L.D.S. Church. [13]  "Alexander was a Baptist, but upon hearing that the Mormons believed in baptism by immersion, he became interested." [14]  They had to walk eight miles to hear the elders preach, and would make the return journey the same night on foot, carrying their young baby in their arms. [15]  Perhaps their conversion was a quick one, [16] but it must have also represented a difficult choice.  Alexander's parents would have nothing to do with him after he joined the Mormon Church.  But at any rate, Alexander and Eunice decided that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God [17] and that they would be baptized into the Mormon Church.  In June of 1837 they walked the sixteen miles to the place of baptism, carrying John in their arms all the way.  When they arrived they found a mob of 200 men who had gathered to prevent any baptisms from taking place.  The mormon elders told Alexander and Eunice that they had better postpone the ceremony and wait for a more favorable time.  Alexander asked if he was worthy of baptism.  The elder told him that he was.  "Then I demand baptism, and as for these men, I am not afraid of all the devils out of hell."  He and Eunice were baptized by Elisha P. Davis, [18] and none of the 200 moved to stop them.  Then they walked sixteen miles home. [19] 
Eunice later said, "Alexander was a very profane man, and was addicted to the use of tobacco, but he made a complete reversal of his life." [20]

Eunice McRae said, "I visited my husband several times while he was in Liberty Jail.  I carried letters to and from the Prophet, that were sent by his family. . . I took him (their second child Joseph, born March 3, 1838, at Far West [31]) to the jail to have him blessed.  The prophet blessed him and gave him the name of Joseph." [32]  Once the guards searched her before admitting her, [33] but usually they failed to take this precaution.  Once she took a pistol in without being detected. [34]  On another of her visits she fastened a butcher knife to the inside of her leg and carried that in with her.  Joseph told her that that was just the kind of excuse the Missourians wanted to kill them, so she took the knife home with her. [35]  When she carried letters in or out, she put them inside her stockings.  Eunice also told this of her experiences in the Liberty Jail, "Several times when I visited, I sat down at the table and ate with them.  The food was brought in and we all sat down together.  The Prophet always deferred to his brother Hyrum, and as he was the eldest he had Hyrum sit at the head of the table and serve.  Any meat that was to be carved was carved by Hyrum.  One day a piece of roast meat was brought in that looked very dark, as though it had been burned.  Brother Hyrum took the carving knife and fork, put the fork into the meat and they fell from his hands.  He picked up the tools again and attempted to carve the meat and they fell from his hands again.  After the second attempt, the Prophet said, 'Do not touch it, for it is human flesh!'  It was afterwards told that the guards boasted they had cut a piece of the flesh from the thigh of an old negro and had fed it to the Mormons." [36]

As earlier mentioned, Eunice had already gone to Quincy.  Before she had gone, she had had a visit at her home from four men who came there to search for counterfeit money and for dies for making it.  She gave them accesss to all parts of the house and they searched every part of the cupboards and dresser drawers without success.  Then they tore a hole in the log floor and two of them got down and began to dig and throw dirt out.  When they found nothing they turned to the door, to be confronted by Mrs. McRae with a pistol in her hand.  She said, "Gentlemen, you have had your fun, now put all that dirt back in the hole you took it from, and put the floor down as it was, and clean the floor.  The first man who attempts to leave before it is completed with get killed."  They had only to look at her to see she meant what she said and they complied. [50]

The family left Indiana and moved to Nauvoo, where Alexander set up shop as a tailor.  He was active in building up the city, and became a Captain in the Nauvoo Legion.  He also served as aide-de-camp to General Don Carlos Smith. [56]  His fourth son, Alexander, was born in Nauvoo October 22, 1842. [57]

In June, 1843, it was reported that there were state writs in Nauvoo to arrest Lyman Wight, Parley P. Pratt, and Alexander, probably to take them back to Missouri.  The case in the Boone County court had been dismissed when the defendants failed to appear [58] but this didn't seem to make much difference.  The three men who were threatened by this action armed themselves to prevent being kidnapped. [59]
On April 15, 1844, Alexander McRae was called to labor as a missionary, and to preside over the Church in North Carolina.
At 3 p.m., September 17, 1,500 of the mob marched into the city. [80]  Charles Middleton said he was an eye-witness to the surrender of various companies of the Nauvoo Legion.  Of Captain Alexander McRae he said, "He marched his company up, then drew his sword from the scabbard and drove it into the ground.  (He was a giant of a man).  He twisted the handle from the blade and threw it on the ground in front of the receiving officer and said, 'Take it if it will do you any good!'  He was ordered shot.  Several guns were snapped, but none of them went off, and he escaped." [81]  He was a hunted man for a long while, while his wife and family were wondering what had become of him.  Eunice had to take care of the family, which probably included getting them across the river into Iowa. [82]

Alexander was sheriff of Pottawattamie County. Served in many capacities in Utah and as Bishop for 25 years.