State of Illinois)

City of Nauvoo)

To the Honorable Municipal Court of the City of Nauvoo

The undersigned your Petitioners most respectfully represent that they are now under arrest <​in the City of Nauvoo​> and in the Coustody of one David Bettisworth a constable in and for the county of Hancock <​in​> State of Illinois— That they are held by Virtue of a Warrant <​a copy of Which was before the Court​> issued by Thomas Morrison as Justice of the Peace in and for the County & State aforesaid— upon the oath of F[rancis] M. Higbee chargeing your Petitioners with having commited a riot in the said county of Hancock on the 10th Inst by unlawfully burning & destroying the printing press Type & fixtures of the Nauvoo Expositor Your Petitioners further aver that the proceedigs against them in this prosecution have been instituted through malice, private pique and corruption— and with a design not to promote the Ends of Justic but to gratify feelings of revenge, produce Excitement and bring your Petitioners into collission with them that they may have some pretext for carrying out their designs to bring strife, discord & confusion in our beautiful an peaceful city and also to bring if possible a mob ruthless Mob into this city for the hellish purpose of satiating their bloody thirsty feelings against the peacable citizens of Nauvoo—

Your Petitioners further aver that they are not guilty of the charge prefered against them they are therefore anxious for a trial upon— said <​a writ of Habeas corpus​>to be issued by your honorable body— and your Petitioners will ever pray

Hyrum Smith

W[illiam] W Phelps

O P [Orrin Porter] Rockwell

Joseph W Coolidge

Stephen Markham

D H[arvey] Redfield

John Lytle

D[imick] B Huntington

John Taylor

J[ohn] P Greene

Levi Richards

Steph[e]n Perry

J[onathan] H Holmes

J[onathan] Dunham

S[amuel] Bennett

W[illiam] h Edwards

Subs

Sworn to and Subscribed before this 13d day of Jun 1844 befor me

W[illard] Richards Clrk of Municpal C. C. N.