Sidney Rigdon's Escape from Liberty Jail — The Sheriff's Feigned Scuffle and Flight Through the Night (1839)

Sidney Rigdon was imprisoned in the Clay County jail at Liberty, Missouri, alongside Joseph Smith and others for approximately four months during the winter of 1838–1839. In February 1839, as anti-Mormon sentiment intensified and the Saints were being driven from the state, Rigdon secured his release on bail. According to Rigdon's own account of the event, the sheriff acted with deliberate sympathy to facilitate his departure. To avoid raising suspicion among onlookers, the sheriff took Rigdon by the arm and initiated an apparent scuffle, pushing him toward the jail door as if they were engaged in a real struggle. This ruse successfully prevented those nearby from identifying the nature of their interaction. Once they reached the exit, the door was quickly opened, and they stepped out into the street. The sheriff then grasped Rigdon's hand, bid him a hurried farewell, and instructed him to flee for his life. Rigdon complied immediately, escaping into the night with a pistol for protection. He eventually met a pilot and navigated his way to Tenny's Grove, where he successfully reunited with his wife, Phebe Brooks, and his family after completing the perilous journey in an open carriage.