“Alone in a State which was wholly governed by an open banditti of murderers and robbers, we seemed abandoned to our fate, and doomed to suffer that full weight of vengeance and fury which seemed in reserve for an entire people; but that people were now beyond their reach; all the fury of the storm, therefore, seemed now to beat upon our heads. We were daily threatened with assassination, without the form of a trial; and were repeatedly told that we never should escape alive from the State.” — Parley P. Pratt¹

On October 31, 1838, Parley P. Pratt was imprisoned for his involvement in the Battle of Crooked River. After being held in both Independence and Richmond, Pratt and his fellow prisoners were transported to Columbia, Missouri on May 22, 1839. After learning that their trial would not occur until September 23, they successfully petitioned for a special court session to be held on July 1. Pratt described the humane and compassionate treatment they received from local authorities and citizens, contrasted with the hostility they faced in northern Missouri. Optimism waned, however, when the trial commenced with no defense witnesses present. The hearing was postponed to September 23, prolonging the ordeal. Despite their captivity, Pratt's account highlights faith and resilience.²

1. The Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, 260, archive.org

2. “Pratt, Parley Parker,” josephsmithpapers.org; Alexander L. Baugh, "Parley P. Pratt's Missouri Imprisonment," Pioneer Magazine, Fall 2015, archive.org