No Man Knows My History (Arkosh History)

by Fawn M. Brodie

In mid-September 1840 the first sheriff materialized, bearing a writ for Joseph from Governor Reynolds of Missouri, reinforced by a demand from the Illinois Governor, Thomas Carlin. When Joseph learned of the sheriffs approach, he immediately went into hiding. The sheriff returned the writ to Carlin and made no further effort to catch his prey. Thereafter Joseph appointed a bodyguard of twelve men, his toughest fighters and most devoted friends. Among them were Porter Rockwell, William Hickman, Hosea Stout, Jonathan Holmes, and John D. Lee. The bodyguard, dressed in white uniforms, made a pretty sight marching and wheeling about the uniformed figure of their chief in Legion parades. Apparently this group was the sole remnant of the Danite band, though not all of the bodyguard had been Danites in Missouri. Lee, who called himself the Seventh Danite, was appointed to guard Joseph’s home. “It was my duty to do as I was ordered,” he wrote in his autobiography, “and not ask questions.”