Parley P. Pratt's Witness of Joseph Smith's Prophecy of Deliverance

“In the meantime, we were kept in a small block-house, or log building, at Richmond, under a strong guard. We were all chained together in one room, and were treated with the greatest cruelty. We were often insulted and mocked by the guards, who would boast of their exploits in murdering, ravishing, and plundering the "Mormons," as they called us. One night, after I had been lying on the floor for several days and nights, chained to my brethren, and suffering much from the cold and the cruelty of the guards, I was overcome with a feeling of deep depression and sorrow. I felt as though I could not endure it much longer. I was in a state of great mental agony, and I began to pray to the Lord to deliver me. While I was thus engaged, I felt a sudden change come over me. I felt a spirit of peace and comfort, and I was enabled to look forward with hope. I felt that the Lord would deliver me, and that I should yet be free. I felt that my life was in the hands of the Lord, and that he would protect me. I was comforted by the thought that my wife, who had been dead for some time, was watching over me, and that she would be a guardian angel to me. I felt that I should yet be restored to my family and friends, and that I should yet be permitted to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations of the earth. On the morning of the 3rd of November, we were all in a state of great anxiety, as we expected to be taken out and shot, or otherwise put to death. The Prophet Joseph, who was with us, and who had been in a state of great calmness and composure, suddenly rose up, and with a loud voice, and a countenance beaming with the light of the Spirit of God, said: "Be of good cheer, brethren; the word of the Lord came to me last night that our lives should be given us, and that whatever we may suffer during this captivity, not one of our lives shall be taken." This prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. We were all preserved, and in due time, we were all set at liberty, and returned to our families and friends in Illinois.”

— Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt