Alexander McRae — Divine Protection from Mob Violence

“A short time before we were to go to Daviess County for trial, word came to us that either General Atchison or Doniphan would raise a military force and go with us to protect us from the wrath of the mob, who had gathered in large numbers to kill us. We were soon informed that the mob had collected in great numbers, and were determined to kill us before we could get out of the town. We were then told that the guard had been doubled, and that we were to be taken to Daviess County, where the mob was collected, and where we would have no chance of escape. I could see no chance for escape, unless we could fight our way through. And we had nothing to do it with. At this, Brother Joseph, at whom all seemed to rush, rose up and said, 'We are in your hands; if we are guilty, we refuse not to be punished by the law.' Hearing these words, two of the most bitter mobocrats in the country—one by the name of William Peniston and the other Kinney, or McKinney, I do not remember which—got up on benches and began to speak to the people, saying, 'Yes, gentlemen, these men are in our hands; let us not use violence, but let the law have its course; the law will condemn them, and they will be punished by it. We do not want to stain our hands with the blood of these men.' This had the desired effect; the mob was quieted, and we were taken to Daviess County without further molestation.”

— Alexander McRae, in a letter to the Deseret News, October 9, 1854