Dan Jones, born in Wales in August 1811 and baptized in St. Louis, MO at age 32, had this to say:
In the summer of 1842, I entered into an arrangement with a Mr. Moffat of Augusta, Iowa, to build a boat which we named the “Maid of Iowa.” That winter I was baptized at St. Louis, Missouri. In the spring, I took a load of Saints from St. Louis to Nauvoo, Illinois where I first saw the Prophet. Patting me on the shoulder from behind, in the midst of the crowd on board, he said, “God bless this little man.”
The news of my embracing Mormonism injured my influence as a steamboat captain, so Mr. Moffat finally complained of this to Joseph. That touched the fibers of his noble and generous soul, and Joseph soon informed me that the unkind conduct of Mr. Moffat had won me his friendship, and that he had concluded to buy Mr. Moffat’s interest in the boat, if I would take him for a partner.
On June 12, 1844 with two weeks remaining to live, Joseph was standing on the portico of the Mansion House, awaiting the remains of my little son who had died, to be brought out to be buried. He was accosted by the sheriff of Hancock County with a writ to appear before a magistrate in Carthage, and expostulated in vain for the privilege of paying the last debt of honor to the sacred dead. He was honorably acquitted but continued attempts were made to take him to Carthage.
On June 25th I carried some documents to Carthage to be used in a new trial for him, and overheard mob leaders say they did not expect to prove anything against Joseph, but had 18 accusations to be used one after another to detain him, because they’d worked too hard to get him there to let him get out alive. Joseph asked me to get inside the prison with them, and some of us preached to the guards, after which several became convinced of our innocence, and were relieved of duty.
(Dan became one of the greatest of the early Mormon missionaries, and was recognized as the founder of the Welsh Mission.)
Dan Jones Manuscript “The Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith;” Hyrum L. Andrus, They Knew the Prophet, 177.