Lucius Scovil and his family traveled with a large group of Saints from Kirtland to Adam-ondi-Ahman. They arrived on 6 October 1838. Despite the many sufferings they experienced, Lucius wrote, “I feel very grateful for the privilege I had in traveling with so large a body of Saints as we had a good opportunity to observe and learn human nature.”
Lucius learned a little more about human nature during a hair-raising experience fleeing from a mob soon after his arrival in Missouri.
At Diahman, Lucius Scovil, with the help of Oliver Snow, an uncle of his wife, found a lot in town and immediately set to work getting materials for building and buying provisions for the approaching winter.
The mobs were still busy and some two weeks after their arrival at Diahman, the mob again started to stir up trouble, threatening all who were in any way connected with the Church. They began their actual depredations in Dewitt. And the Saints upon being driven from their homes in that town came to Far West. But it was not long before the mob continued their hostilities against those living in Far West, in fact, all the Saints in Daviess County.
This persecution was carried so far as the burning of homes and the destroying of property in various ways. Conditions at last became so bad it was necessary for a guard to be placed night and day. As all members were required to take their turn at this guard duty, Lucius Scovil in company with Noah Rogers was one day doing picket guard duty about four or five miles from town.
They had been riding through the timber most of the time but had left it. They were about a mile and a half from it when they suddenly found themselves confronted by a large mob which had seen them leave the timber and had ridden into a gully to hide until the two men approached.
Mr. Scovil and Mr. Rogers were almost upon the mob when they rode into view and told them to halt. Instead of doing as the mob ordered, the two turned their mounts and rode hard for the timberline. Two members of the mob had much faster horses than the others and had drawn steadily away and were rapidly overtaking the two men who were riding for their lives, because it was known by them that if they allowed themselves to be caught, the mob might shoot them down in cold blood. All members of the mob were heavily armed and it was the practice of the mobs to fire upon the Saints whenever the opportunity arose.
And now, as Scovil and Rogers were about to ride into the timber and safety, they were confronted by a deep ravine with perpendicular walls. This ravine was fully sixteen feet wide. The horses were running with such speed that stopping was almost out of the question. But it was not left for the riders to decide. The horses kept straight on, and, making a tremendow leap, spanned the ravine landing safely on the other side.
Members of the mob who were close behind them at once started to fire on them. None of the shots took effect, but were so close they could be heard whistling by their heads. One shot, just before they rode out of range, grazed Mr. Scovil’s ear, which caused a slight deafness he was to suffer all his life.
They were soon in the timber out of range and, for the present, safe. After winding their way through the heavily wooded country in order to lose anyone that might be following, they at last arrived back in town thankful to have escaped the assassins who would have taken their lives for no other reason than that they believed in a different faith.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In