Even though it was a hot July day, Mary Elizabeth Rollins and
her sister Caroline lay shivering on top of several large pieces
of paper. The thick rows of 150- to 180-centimeters-high corn
hid the two girls from the angry men who were hunting for them.
The girls held their breath, praying for the men to stop their
search and leave the cornfield. It was 1833, and there was a lot
of unrest in Independence, Missouri. More and more converts had
settled in the area, and nonmember neighbors wanted the Saints
to leave Jackson County, Missouri. Instead, the little community
was growing. There was even a printing press in Brother William
Phelps’s house, and the whole town knew that he was printing
revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith and preparing
them for publication. It was some of those same revelations that
the girls were lying on. A mob of angry men had become outraged
at an editorial written by Brother Phelps that was printed in
the Church newspaper. Fifteen-year-old Mary Elizabeth and
thirteen-year-