leading men proved themselves false to Joseph and the Church. They even
planned with Joseph's enemies to have him killed. They were also proved
guilty of other sins and were therefore cut off from the Church. After
this, these men said Joseph was a fallen prophet, and so they organized a
church of their own. It did not amount to anything, however.

Joseph's periods of peace were not many. Apostates were his worst enemies,
and they were all the time annoying him by having him arrested on all
manner of false charges. These men were very bitter, and they howled around
him like a pack of wolves, eager to devour him; but Joseph trusted in the
Saints and they in him, for those who were faithful to their duties knew by
the Spirit of God that Joseph was not a fallen prophet.

In June, 1844, the enemies of the Saints began to publish a paper in
Nauvoo, called the _Expositor_. Its purpose was to deprive the people of
Nauvoo of their rights, so it boldly said. One paper was printed, and that
was so full of false statements and abuse against the city officials that
the city council declared it a nuisance and had the press, type, etc.,
destroyed.

This raised great excitement among the enemies of the Church. Joseph and
seventeen others were arrested, tried before a court in Nauvoo, and
acquitted; but this did not satisfy the mobbers. On the advice of the
United States judge for that district, Joseph and his brethren allowed
themselves to be arrested again and have a trial before Justice Daniel H.
Wells, then not a "Mormon." They were again discharged as innocent of
crime.

Now mobs began to threaten again, but the Nauvoo Legion was ready to defend
the city. As the Legion was drawn up in front of Joseph's house one day--it