| 449 translated, as they were exhibited by an angel from heaven. He talked quite freely in regard to his experience in the church, and we were favorably impressed with his manner, and his evident love of truth. His frank, open countenance not only shows him to be one of nature's noblemen, but impresses one that he is not of the type of men who could be coaxed, or bribed into a system of intrigue or deception.
He informed us that at one time he was told by five hundred armed men that if he did not renounce his testimony he should die; but in the face of death he affirmed the truth of his former testimony. He was with Oliver Cowdery in his last illness, and was by him admonished to never falter in his testimony of the Book of Mormon; for it was true. We saw and examined the original manuscript, and noticed particularly the capitals and punctuation marks, which so far as we examined are correctly inserted.
Leaving Father Whitmer, we called on General Doniphan, who received us kindly, and expressed himself as being glad to meet us. He said the Mormons lived neighbors to him while they were in Clay County, and they were a moral people. Not an indictment was found against one of them in Clay County. The General is a large, fine looking man; and though his physical powers are weakened by age, his mental powers, which by nature would rank among the great men of the age, are unimpaired. After meeting and talking with him, I am not surprised that he played such a noble part in the Missouri troubles. Just the kind of a man to whom we would look for noble deeds. The General informed us that he had examined the original manuscript, and being acquainted with Oliver Cowdery's handwriting, was positive it was principally written by him.
We had another interview in the afternoon with Father Whitmer and his son, and found them quite willing to do right and fair. Bro. Kelley had no trouble in arranging his business with them. We examined the manuscript and were satisfied that it is the identical one which passed through the printer's hands; for it contains the printer's marks.
In connection with this reference to General Doniphan we insert the following from the pen of President Joseph Smith:
We met General A. W. Doniphan, at his hotel in Richmond, whither we went to see, and shake the hand of the man, who had the courage and manhood under strange and trying circumstances, where death from unauthorized violence threatened Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Alexander McRae and others of the elders, to face the consequences of stemming the torrent of bigoted prejudice and murderous clamor, and say: "I will have nothing to do with such business; my men are soldiers, not murderers. I shall march from camp with my men to-morrow morning at daylight." It is undoubtedly owing to the outspoken stand taken by General Doniphan on that occasion, that those men were not shot upon the public square the next morning, as had been decided on by Generals Clark and Lucas, and others of the council of war.
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