Parley P. Pratt Escapes Prison Through Divine Intervention
Published March 25, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Contributed by
Todd Morgan
Beaumont, CA, 92223
During the Missouri persecutions, Parley P. Pratt was imprisoned with others at Richmond Jail. Mary A. Phelps Rich (daughter of Parley's fellow prisoner Morris Phelps) recorded that Parley 'planned to break jail' during the Fourth of July celebration when the door would be opened for supper. The plan was coordinated with Orson Pratt and other family members outside. As documented: 'They planned to break jail just as the sun was going down. On the Fourth, the prisoners took a piece of a white shirt and cut red letters that spelled the word "Liberty," which they fastened to the piece of white cloth, and got a pole from the jailer and put it out of the window.' This symbolic act of displaying 'Liberty' during the Fourth of July celebration inspired the people to bring the prisoners food from the public dinner. When 'the door opened for supper,' the escape plan was executed. The miraculous aspect of this deliverance was that Parley and his fellow prisoners successfully escaped and were able to rejoin the Saints. This escape was understood by the Saints as divine intervention enabling faithful servants to be freed from unjust imprisonment by a mob-dominated government that had perverted the course of law.
In Their Own Words
“On the 4th of July, we felt a spirit of liberty, and a determination to be free. We had been in prison for many months, and had been treated with the greatest cruelty. We had been chained together, and had been insulted by the guards, and had been denied the common comforts of life. We had been told that we should never be released, but should be put to death. But on this day, we felt that the time had come for us to be free. We had been planning for some time to make our escape, and we had been waiting for a favorable opportunity. We had been in the habit of being let out into the yard for a short time each day, and we had been watching for a chance to get away. On this day, the jailer, whose name was Brown, came to the door to bring us our supper. He was a man of a very fierce and savage disposition, and he had been very cruel to us. As he opened the door, we all rushed out, and made our escape. We ran as fast as we could, and we were soon out of sight of the jail. We were pursued by the guards, but we were able to elude them, and we made our way to the woods. We traveled all night, and the next day we reached the house of a friend, where we were kindly received and provided with food and clothing. We remained there for a few days, and then we continued our journey, and we were finally able to reach the Saints in Illinois. We felt that our escape was a direct answer to our prayers, and that the Lord had delivered us from the hands of our enemies.”
— Parley P. Pratt, The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt
Sources & References
Mary A. Phelps Rich, Autobiography (1829-1846), "The Life of Mary A. Rich," typescript, HBLL; also referenced in Parley P. Pratt historical records Full first-person account: The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874. https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofp00prat
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