The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-05-25
WHO Is PORTER RocKwEILl
Communicated to tho st. Louis Republican,


You will remember that, in the year l842 It was NJ
mored that Joe Smith had received revelation to the
effect that Ex-Governor Lilburn w. Boggs, Of Missouri
who extremely obnoxious to the Saints, would des
violent death during l843. In the spring Of that year
shabbiIy dressed individual to independence eh
then residence Of Gov B. and hired himself to Mr.
Ward, of that place. to perform mental labor, for
month. He gave his name as Grin Porter He had
been thus employed about two weeks when he told Mr.
Ward that he had just heard that his wife, who lived
Platte county, quite ill., and begged to be released
from his engagement that he might visit her. Porter
left that day and the evening holster pistol was
stolen from the bakery Of Mr. p. Uhlinger; the next
night the attempt to assassnate Boggs made the
villain who fired the pistol dropped it, and it was found
and identified the same that stolen from Uhngu
Weeks passed. and all efforts to discover the perpe
TRAITOR failed meanwhile it was thought that GoyernG
Boggs could not At length it rumorcd thai
Of Joe Smiths Destroying Angels who had been
regarded as very poor had made his appearance in War
saw, believe, sporting magnificent ~ turn out and
bran new suit of broad CLOTH and seemed to have
aplenty of money This, it was said, given him By
the " Prophet, in consideration of his aid in fflh
prophecy The of this ''ange reported as Grin
Porter Rockwell and it ascertaned upon inquiry from
Independence, that he had gone East, passing through
ST. Louis, to visit some friends in Massachusetts,. At
that time the writer of this article resided In lndepen
dence. He boarded at the same house with Mr. Ward
and had seen this Mr. Porter Weighing the circum.
stances connected with this sudden disappearance and the
Names he felt almost certain that Grin Porter and Grin
Porter Rockwell and the person, and that
person the attempted assassin A description of Mr.
Porter despatched to the chief Of police here with
injunction to look out for him his return from tho
East. He made his appearance in St. Louis was
spotted, and from the fact that he adopted various
aliases here, finally arrested until parties could be
notified Tho sheriff of Jackson county came down 10
the city, identified him at once aud took him TO hide
pendence for trial Whilst he confined in JAIL another
dyiHu u1cp ipru fed
CELL on charge of forgery These prisoners both
wore the usual prison jeceybnt having been furnished
by means, with an old knife, which they converted
into saw they severed their irons and upon the or
entering their cell to deliver their evening meal they
knocked him down, sprang to the door, locked him
in the cell, and made their escape through the hall
and scaling the prison fence 'brole for the timber The
writer of this the first to discover their flight having
observed them they descended from the wall. With
out waiting to alarm Others he started in pursuit OF inc
ugitives After running for nearly half mile, and
seeing that they pursued flor by this time Others
the trail) they separated the writer following
Rockwell whom he soon overlook and captured. WN
son was also taken. Thcy brought back and heavily
ironed but confident did everybody that Rockwell
was the party who shot Boggs that IL with the W.
most difficulty that the populacc could be resrain
from taking summary vengeance With the subsequent
history OF this affair presume you familiar ln
feeling against Rockwell prccuded the impanneng Oh
jury in Jackson county--a change of venue had
Clayand by legal bubble the prisoner was suffered
to return to his sanity associates.
Since the above occurrences have heard little O
Rockwell, alas Porter until recently He has been h
urng a. ono of Brigham Young's angels and ngb.
hand men Ny object in writing tn is communication
to express the opinion that if this Is the kind OF meD
comprising the e~oH of Gov. Cumming, some reachel!
is 70 he feared do not believe that the Mormons have
submitted in good faith 10 the authority of our govern
ment HTSTORICUs.
ST. LOUIS, May, 1853