There was a meeting in eeach ward of the city
to get signers to a petition to Gov Cummings to remove
the Troops from Provo & report to Congress or to the Presid[en]t
affairs as they are and the course the Judges have Persued
thousands signed the petition. I spent the Evening at
^23^ President Youngs. John Kay & John KW^m Hornor aarived
from Provo with an express at 9 oclok Judge Cradlebaugh
is full of the devil He has dismissed both Juries Grand

March

and Pettit & he gave a wicked Hellish speech to the Jury when
He dismissed them. Wall the Marshall & sheriff of the county
went by order of the court with the Marshall of the court to
arest President WJames C. Snow & Aaron Johnson as the
court wish to secure all the Leading men he could, but they
did not arest them Wall reported to the court that He could
not find them Judge Cradlebaugh told him he was a dam-
ed liar he had help[ed] them to get away and all the Community
were ingaged in the murders he had a800 soldiers around
him and he is holding a military inquisition around his court
and will not let a mormon go into court except the Lawyiers
ownly such men as they arest the[y] subpena men as witnesses then
as soon as they come into court arest them with Bench warrants
and put them under military guard without food or Blankets to
lie on at night it is another Missouri Military mob court
soon another Messenger arived from Rush valley B[r]inging News
that Howard Spencer the son of Orson Spencer was nearly
or quite Killed by a soldier in that Place under the following
circumstances. Alfred Cliff made the following report He went
to rush valley with Howard Spencer to see about their
cattle when they arived there on the ground at the House of
Daniel Spencers they met 5 soldiers they told Spencer He
could not stay there over night this appeared to be an officer
Howard Spencer told him that the House belonged to him
& he should stay there over night The soldiers then went
away & returned with about a dozen men in all the
officer told Spencer He should not stay there over night
Spencer said He would & got off his horse & went through
the first carrall into another carrall whare his feed
was & the man that seemed to command the soldiers
rode up to him on Horsback & took the gun by the brich
& struck him over the Head by the barrel with all his
might across the head side of the head and laid his [head] open
and he fell dead to all appearance he straitened himself
out as he fell soon Luke Johnson came up to him apparently
to take care of him But Cliff then left for this City
& reported not knowing what followed, or whether Spencer
was dead or not. Daniel Spencer & some others started
right away to get him whether Dead or alive. Unless
the Lord wards off the blow it looks as though we was
to have war & Bloodshed our Enemies are determined on
our over throw as far as possible But I have faith to believe
that the Lord will protect us as he has done.

Judge Cradlebaugh revised his speech to the Jury before
Long sent it to this city we had a copy of it read & the
procedings of the court