David Lewis Deposition

A first-hand account by David Lewis of the incidents involved in the Haun’s Mill Massacre, October 30, 1838. This is a sworn deposition, which was later presented to the State of Missouri for redress of grievances. (Note: The spelling is left in its original context.)

[Sworn to before H. Kimball, J.P. Hancock Co., IL, 11 Mar 1840.]

LEWIS, David JSC fn

Settled with the rest we felt to rejoice we had neither Spyes nor guards out nor was aprehending danger, when about three hundred mounted men came in atack and fell upon us without Showing us any mercy what ever we never saw them until they was as near as one hundred & fifty yards of us we then amediately ran into ablacksmith Shop, they began fyering on us without asking us to Surrender without giving us the chance to Surrender when we called up on them to Spare our lives when men ran out & held up there handkerchiefs & hats for peace they Shot them down when they attempted to run they was Shot down & when they Stood Still they Shot them down threw the cracks in the Shop there was also a window in the end & another in the Side of the Shop, the Shop was neither chinked nor daubed So they had all chances to make a Speedy Slaughter of us, we Saw that they would Show us no murcy we then begun fyering at them but in this time our number was but few and the enemy mostly behind trees & logs So that there was but few of them killed or wounded.

I think that I could venture to Say that neither ancient or modern times have ever witnessed Sutch a cenery of things as was thare witnessed, there was a few men women & children in consequence of threts & the abuse that they had received had guethered themselves toguether in defence of there own lives & there property when they was fell upon by a lawless band, without being Shown the least murcy without Spareing men women or children there was one woman Shot threw the hand othe[rs] had holes Shot threw there clothes, they continued there bloody works until 17 was killed and 15 wounded I must here remark that this woman that was wounded was not in the Shop but was in a tent & when they commenced fyering at hur She run & hid hurself behind a long & it is Said that there was 12 or 14 bullets Shot in the log that She was behind, the other women that was Shot threw there clothes ran out of the houses that was near the shop knowing that there husbands was in the Shop & Screamed for murcy but instead of haveing murcy Shown to there husbands & friend they had to make a quick retreat to Save there own lives, there was one Small boys branes was Shot out, there was too other little boys during the fray consealed themselves under the Bellas & those cruel harted retches after killing both of there fathers came & Stuck there guns threw a crack of the Shop & Shot them both One dyed & the other recovered, they then came in to the Shop among those that was dyining & struggleing in there blood & them all that they could perceive life in they blown there branes out curseing them as loud as Screams could yell, there was too men that laid among the Slain that passed for dead men that escaped being Shot again one of them was wounded & the other was not.

And after these cruel retches had found out that these men had escaped there notice I heard them Sware that if they ever got in another engagement that they would enspect more closer by Sticking there k[n]ife in there toes, this barberous work commenced on TueSday evening about an hour by Sun, they kep on Shootin as long as they could find any to Shoot untill Sun down, it would be miraculous to tell how them escaped that did escape & also to tell how Some was Shot that did recover, how painful it is, when I think upon it my heart is filled & my eyes is ready to drip with tears to See my friend & near neighbors a falling around me, groaning & dying Struggleing in there blood, & to See the widows tears & to hear the orphants cry, to See the helpless babes a weeping Standing by, there was Thomas Mc bride a verry old man & justice of the [——] after he had gave up his gun & Surrendered himself a prisner he was Shot dow & after laying a little while he attempted to rise he was hewn down with an oald peace of a Sythe blade after a while he attempted to rise again he then was hacked down and hacked into peaces this was done by Jacob Roggers.

I had one brother killed & an other wounded I escaped myself but had Several holes Shot threw my clothes, the dead was thrown into a well about 8 or ten feet deep, because there was no one left that was able to burry them, this was too days before the Surrender at Far West, and the Second day after the masacre took place a large company of them came back and fyered there guns & blowed there bugle & frightened the neighbourhood, but did not kill any more, I had forgot to mention there Stealing & robing the houses on the day after the masacre, there was Several that was on there way to Far West from the east that in consequence of the way being guarded by the mob Stoped at the mill five of them was killed & after they was done Shooting the wounded over they then went into the houses & tents & robed the widows of there beds & clothing & left them to perish with the cold they als[o] took off those movers waggons & teams in order to hall off the goods that they had taken they took Several valuable horses they robed the women of there mantles & the men of there clothes, they Striped the boots off of the dead & Sold them, Steaven Runels boasted of Shooting the too little boys, Some of them thou[ght] it was not right others said a littl Sprout would be a big tree afte the mob had left the ground & it began to get dark I crep from my hideing place & went down near the mill & found my brother which was ga[s]peing & groaning in his blood I brought him to my house which was in a few hundred yards of the Shop he lived a few hours & dyed & while he was dying his wife loaned a young man his noble gildon to go to Far West to get assistance to burry the dead, the young man Started in haste & got in too or three miles of Far West & thare he met a company of men they ast him where he was from & where he was going he told them they then ast him where the militia was, he told them he did not know of any. they then told him to turnabout & go with them & they would Show him where they was, for they Said that there was 5 or 6 thosand out here a little piece, they then took him to ray county to Samuel McCristens & Stay all night. they thare robed him of a fine fur cap & threatened to take his over coat telling him that it was too fine for a mormon they thereatened to Shoot him & disputed among themselves who Should have the horse, in the morning Sashel Woods the Same that took his cap & threttened to take his coat & Shoot him Saddled up his horse & rode him round the lot & then Stoped & couneled with his company & then put his Saddle on an other horse and Samuel McCriStin Saddled up the horse & rode him off the young man told them that the horse belonged to a woman that hur husband was dying, this company then took the young man to Richmon & kep him a prisner this companys, names was as follows Sashel Woods Joseph Ewen Jacob Snordan Wiley Brewer John Hille and four more there names not recollected,

I Shall next proceede to give an account of the treatment that we had to endure after our friends was Slain, capt. Nehemiah Cumstock with 40, or 50 men came to the mills & located themselves for too or three weeks & took possession of the mille, dureing this time they lived on the best that the neighbourhood could afford, the industry of the mormons had procured to them Selves a plenty of that which was palatable & good, the capt & his company went from house to hous & plundered & Stold & burnt Some books they robed Some houses of every thing that belonged thare to, they, killed our hogs robe[d] beegams they ground the wheat that was in the mill & mad[e] use of it ther was ten widows in the neighbourhood, whoos husband they had killed & many helpless orphants whoo was dependent on gooing to these wicked retches for there meal & flower there was many exposed to the cold that was left destitute of meanes to Subsist on, there was many laying wounded & no one Scarcely to attend to there wants & there lives was day threattened, it was dreadfull to tell the awfullness of our Situation.

And this abuse we received from men of our own coular & of our own nation & we now not but our four fathers have fought Side and Side for our liberty, they told all manner of lyes & falsehoods against us in order to justify the evil conduct that they done, if we had done any crime we never refused to have the law put in force against us but they new that we had not violated the law & new that takeing us to the law would not accomplish the object that they had in view, for they had not forgot the Spoil that they had gained by driveing the mormons from jackson county, it was our farmes & our Stock & our property that they wanted, I Stand in defyance of the State of Misourie to proove one acusation against us that they So cruely treated that was worthy of the notice of the law for there was many of us in consequence of Sickness had bin confined dureing all of the difficultys & there was five that was killed that had jus came to the country too days before they was killed. Now those wicked retches went from house to house on Search of gunes & other other things that they wanted I was at the house of Jacob Foutz who was laying wounded when capt comstock with a company came in with there faces painted black with a half moon painted under each eye they begun to question Mr. Foutz if he knew where Sutch & Sutch of his neighbours was he told them that he did not.

I then got up & Started out I was ammediately followed out by Some of his company they told me to not go away until the capt Seen me they then went in and Saw the capt & he came out & told me that I must begaune or on the act of Starting by Tuesday evening this was on Sunday evening or denounce mormonism or go to richmond & Stand a trial I ast him what it was I must deny, he Said I must deny Jo Smyths being a prophet, I told him as for going to richman & Standing a triel I did not regard Standing a trial according to law for any thing that I had done, but to be tried by a mob law I did not like it for they heaped the mormons all in a lump & what they had against one they had against all, & as for moveing I thought it quite a Short notice for aman to have to move in when the weather was So cold & had neither waggon or team I told him that my wife was Sick & I did not know how I Should go So Soon I told him that the road was Said to be guarded that none was allowed to pass must I be drove off by one company and another to kill me as I went I told him that I thought the conditions of the treaty was that we might Stay untill Spring, he said that, that was the first conclusion but that he just had received new orders from the General & that was that all mormons Should be driven out forthwith, I then ast him if the way was not guarded So I could not go Safely he Said that he would give me a ticket that would take me Safely I then went my way & we parted, on the next day I hapened at the mill where the capt & his company was he the[n] rote a pass & gave it to me which reads as follows, November the 13th 1838 this is to certify that David Lewis a mormon is permitted to leave and pass through the State of Misourie in an Eastward direction unmolested during good behaviour Nehemiah Comstock, Capt Militia

on the next day after I got my pass Hiram comstock the capts brother came with too or three others men to my house & brought with them a prisoner, they told me that they had a prisner they ast me if I new him I told them that I had Saw him but did not know his name, they after asking Several questions, told me to go with them to there c[a]mp, I went down with them they told me that the prisner Said that he was well acquainted with me they then told me that I might considder my Self a prisner they then gave me plenty to eat & drink but kep me until next day & Set me at liberty

-- David Lewis

I was born Aprile the 10th 1814 in the State of Kentucky Simpson County & remained in the Same Stat & County untill Aprile the 22th 1837 I then went to the State of Missouri I there witnessed thos horred Senes of which I have Spoken, & my real losses, besides my difficulty troubles & vexations is not les than, 400 dollars all accasioned by those difficultys & those difficultys was accasioned by mobs

this March the 14th, 1839 David Lewis

(Clark V. Johnson, ed., The Mormon Redress Petitions: Documents of the 1833-1838 Missouri Conflict [Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1992], 276 - 278.)