Bishop Edward Partridge, Tarred and Feathered on the Independence Public Square, So Meek the Mob Ceases Its Violence (1833)

During the height of anti-LDS persecution in Jackson County, Missouri, on July 20, 1833, a violent mob forced their way into the Independence home of Bishop Edward Partridge. At the time, Partridge was sitting quietly with his wife, Lydia, and their three-week-old infant son, Edward Partridge Jr. The mob forcibly abducted him and escorted him about half a mile to the courthouse on the public square in Independence. There, they stripped him of his hat, coat, and vest and daubed him with tar from head to foot, covering him with a layer of feathers. The violence was specifically motivated by his refusal to renounce his faith or agree to leave the county and the home he had lived in for two years. Throughout the brutal ordeal, Partridge maintained such profound resignation and meekness that the surrounding multitude was visibly astounded; many looked on in silence as their sympathies were touched, and they eventually permitted him to retire without further harm. Partridge later noted that he felt so filled with the Spirit and love of God during the assault that he harbored no hatred toward his persecutors. Three days later, as the mob gathered once more to threaten further bloodshed against the Saints, Partridge and five other men voluntarily offered their own lives as a ransom for the rest of the congregation. Their offer was rejected, and the men were forced to agree to leave Jackson County.