Wife of Don Carlos Smith's Escape from Mob Violence in Missouri

On October 18, 1838, at 10:30 p.m., a mob arrived at the home of Agnes Coolbrith Smith in Millport, Daviess County, Missouri, after sunset. They forced Agnes out of her house, proceeded to loot the property, and then burned the building and all of its contents to the ground. Agnes, the wife of Don Carlos Smith, was forced to flee the scene with her two young children: two-year-old Agnes and six-month-old Sophronia. She carried both children in her arms while traveling three miles through snow that was over 'shoe mouth' deep to reach the safety of Adam-ondi-Ahman. During her escape, she was forced to wade through the Grand River, which was icy and waist-deep at the time. After her harrowing journey, she finally found refuge on the other side of the river at the home of Lyman Wight. This account, as corroborated by historical research and primary documentation, illustrates the severe mob violence directed against the Saints in Missouri during the fall of 1838.