Carthage Conspiracy: Trial of Joseph’s Assassins
I’ve recently been invited to a website called StayLDS.com. Let me quote the mission of StayLDS:
StayLDS.com is dedicated to helping people who are struggling in some way to remain involved in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after a major shift in (or challenge to) their faith. We are committed to being a supportive, positive environment in which people with any difficulty can commune openly and honestly in a spirit of love and support.
I think I was invited there since I deal with many of the topics in church history that people find problematic. I think it is ok to deal with these tougher issues. I don’t always have orthodox responses, but I strive to put them in proper historical context, and I want to help people stay in the church. In a way, I feel like a missionary. In addition to the resources on the front page, there is a forum where most anybody can ask a question and create a discussion.
One of the people there took great issue with the fact that a gun was smuggled into the Carthage Jail, and he felt like the church was covering up this fact. I’ve known a gun was smuggled to Joseph for years from visits to the Carthage Jail in Illinois, and the tour guides do not try to hide this fact. Anyway, I’ve already promised to post on the book called Carthage Conspiracy by Dallin H Oaks. The writer at StayLDS inspired me to detail the fact that Elder Oaks had already published about the smuggled gun in 1975.
The writer also learned that John Taylor believed that Joseph may have killed one or two of the assailants with this gun. So, I wrote the paragraphs below to refute this fact, though Joseph did wound 3 men, who never were tried for the murder. While this information may be surprising to some, I just don’t think there is a cover up of this, as evidenced by Elder Oaks book which came out more than 30 years ago.
I highly recommend Carthage Conspiracy. Dallin Oaks clerked for Chief Justice Earl Warren of the United States Supreme Court from 1957 to 1958. After his clerkship he practiced at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago. Oaks left Kirkland & Ellis to become a professor at the University of Chicago Law School. During part of his time on the faculty of the Law School, Oaks served as interim dean. Oaks left the Law School upon being appointed President at Brigham Young University. Oaks served as president of Brigham Young University from 1971–1980. Currently, Elder Oaks is an apostle, and is fourth in line to become the next prophet, behind Packer, Perry, and Nelson.
The book was first published in 1975 by the University of Illinois Press, and Oaks goes into great detail of the trial of the accused assassins. There are plenty of details in there that aren’t well known or discussed. You can find it for as cheap as $5.29 plus shipping at Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/025200 … d_i=507846
Page 20 discusses the actual events of the mob at the jail. I am including most of his footnotes below.
In the Carthage jail on the morning of June 27 Joseph Smith wrote a letter to his wife, reassuring her that, if there was an attack, some of the militia would remain loyal. Later he and Hyrum entertained several visitors, including Cyrus H. Wheelock, who, fearing an attack on the jail, slipped a pistol into Joseph’s pocket.
Further down on the page (pages 20-21), (I’ve created another paragraph for readability)
“While there were guards around the jail,” eyewitness William Hamilton recalled later, “they were guards that did not guard and in fact I think understood the whole matter.” [Quoted in Berry, "The Mormon Settlement in Illinois", 88, 89] The guards fired directly into the attackers from a distance of twenty feet, but no one fell. Scuffling briefly with the guards, the mob tossed them aside and stormed up the stairs toward the room where the prisoners were held. Upon hearing the guns firing below, Joseph and Hyrum seized their pistols and ran to the door to hold it shut against the attackers. Some of the mob fired shots through the wooden door, hitting Hyrum in the face. He fell upon his back, dead, his head toward an open window on the east. Joseph, seeing his fallen brother at his feet, stepped up beside the door and began firing his pistol at the men in the hallway. After attempting to fire all six barrels (three misfired) he ran to the window. Outside were more of the mob, who fired at him from below as bullets struck him from behind. [This account is based on the recollections of eyewitnesses Willard Richard, John Taylor, and John H. Sherman. Joseph Smith's Journal kept by Willard Richards, June 27, 1844; Times and Seasons 5 (August 1, 1844), 598; Smith, History of the Church, VII, 102-4; VI, 617,19; Scofield, History of Hancock County, 846-47.]He teetered on the sill, with one leg and an arm out the window, and then fell to the ground, landing on his left side. [Hamilton and Sherman agree on this. Se also testimony of Thomas Dixon in "Minutes of Trial," 60] An examination of his body showed he had been hit four times, once in the right collar bone, once in the breast, and twice in the back. Accounts differ as to whether he was dead before he hit the ground, [See Willard Richards to Brigham Young, June 30, 1844, Richards Papers, Church Archives] but Thomas Dixon, who was standing near the jail, said that while there was blood on his pants when he came to the window, “he was not dead when he fell–he raised himself up against the well curb.” [Cf. Ford, History of Illinois, 354, and Marsh, "Mormons in Hancock County," 53, with the recollection of William H. Hamilton in Scofield, History of Hancock County, 845.] He then “drew up one leg and stretched out the other and died immediately.” [This recollection is attributed to Thomas Dixon in "Documents relating to the Mormon Troubles," 26, handwritten notes on the trial testimony, Chicago Historical Society.] William R. Hamilton confirmed Dixon’s statement that the body was not molested after it hit the ground.[Scofield, History of Hancock County, 845; "Minutes of Trial," 60. Another eyewitness states that Joseph was stabbed with a bayonet while on the ground. Samuel Otho Williams to John A. Prickett, July 10, 1844.]
A Hancock County historian has stated that the grand jury was presented with the names of about sixty persons for indictment. They voted first on the entire sixty, but the evidence was so inconclusive that the number of grand jurors who voted to indict was less that the required twelve. The grand jury then struck off the ten names with the least evidence and voted once more, but again failed to secure the minimum votes. They continued in this manner until the list of potential defendants contained only the nine persons with the strongest evidence against them. In this last instance the requisite twelve votes were finally obtained, and the nine defendants were accordingly indicted or formally charged with the murders of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.[Gregg, Prophet of Palmyra, 301-2. The Warsaw Signal, October 30, 1844, maintains that no indictment could be obtained from Tuesday through Friday, but that on Saturday the Mormons "smuggled" in two additional witnesses who provided the basis for the indictment.]There were separate indictments for the two murders. Each charged the same nine defendents: John Wills,[A Mormon Source gives this as "John Patrick Wells." Smith, History of the Church, VII, 162] William Voras,[So in indictment. Other sources often show it as "Voorhees."] William N. Grover, Jacob C. Davis, Mark Aldrich, Thomas C. Sharp, Levi Williams, and two men named Gallaher and Allen, whose first names were not given.[There were three Gallahers in the Warsaw militia units: Charles, Patrick, and William. "Muster Roll of the Commissioned and Non-Commissioned Officers, Musicians and Privates belonging to the 59th Regiment 4th Brigade and 5th Division, Illinois Militia, under the command of Levi Williams," Chicago Historical Society.]
From page 52, please note the 3 wounded:
Wills, Voras, and Gallaher were probably named in the indictment because their wounds, which testimony showed were received at the jail, were irrefutable evidence that they had participated in the mob. They undoubtedly recognized their vulnerability and fled the county. A contemporary witness reported these three as saying that they were the first men at the jail, that one of them shot through the door killing Hyrum, that Joseph wounded all three with his pistol, and that Gallaher shot Joseph as he ran to the window.[Hay, "The Mormon Prophet's Tragedy," 675] According to Hay, Wills, whom the Mormon prophet had shot in the arm, was an Irishman who had joined the mob from “his congenital love of a brawl.”[Statement of Jeremiah Willey, August 13, 1844, Brigham Young correspondence, Church Archives.] Gallaher was a young man from Mississippi who was shot in the face.[Hay, "The Mormon Prophet's Tragedy," 669, 675. Another source says Wills was a former Mormon elder who had left the Church. Davis, An Authentic Account, 24.] Hay described Voras (Voorhees) as a “half-grown hobbledehoy from Bear Creek” whom Joseph shot in the shoulder. The citizens of Green Plains were said to have given Gallaher and Voras new suits of clothes for their parts in the killing.[Statement of Jeremiah Willey, August 13, 1844]
While it’s never been a problem for me, I can see where other people might have problems with it for two reasons. One, he said he was going like a lamb to the slaughter. This is usually treated in church lesson manuals like he knew he was going to die. A gun battle is the opposite of that.
Second, the gun battle, while openly discussed in history books, isn’t discussed where most mormons learn their church history — in sunday school classes.
It’s as simple as that.
Well, there is the oft-quoted statement where Joseph does seem to act like he knew he would die. Paraphrasing, he said something like “If my life is of no value to my friends, it is of no value to me. I go like a lamb to the slaughter…”
Still, I don’t think anyone would try to escape death in his situation. I don’t think it was his time to die–he could have done so much more.
Yes, I guess many people do get their church history lessons in Sunday School, but I don’t understand why they think they know the whole story from a 1 hour lesson.
Perhaps it bothers some people because it’s easy to get the impression from the official manuals that Joseph went to his death with a Christlike submission. Christ never put up a fight when people spit on him, whipped him, or when he was being nailed to the cross. We do put Joseph on a very high pedestal and we always talk of him as a martyr. Perhaps he wasn’t a true martyr in the sense that he wasn’t going down willingly while turning the other cheek. But I personally have no problem with the idea of Joseph defending himself in a gun battle. It seems like common sense to me and I would have done the same. Really, it’s common sense that we would expect someone in his position to defend himself. It only becomes problematic when we have perceptions of him that are either untrue or inaccurate, which often happens when we only the standard textbook answers.
I’m with FD. The fact that Joseph shot back is no big deal, really… but too many people (like myself) grow up in the church thinking that Josephs death was some sort of submissive christ experience – or that Kind & Loving Joseph wouldn’t dream of physically injuring anyone. This is a very naive and ill-informed view of Joseph, but it’s all too common…
It’s true, though, that of all the historical issues surrounding Mormonism’s foundational stories, this one is cakewalk…
Are we real sure that Christ’s experience/attitude was totally submissive?
Of course, he was overpowered by Romans but are we positive that there was no resistance?
Is this summation scriptural or is it a tradition?
Since the arrest of Jesus in at least one of the gospels involves him healing a soldier after Peter did violently resist, the account is about as scriptural as anything in the NT can get. Jesus, knew what what coming in a broad sense, because he’d been preparing his disciples for his arrest.
JS, however, thought he had a chance to escape — or he wouldn’t have gone to the window. So, its a problem if you are a pacifist, but not necessarily for either a just war or Christian realist advocate.
It makes me wonder more and more if the discomfort with the BofM in my denomination and with JS is that the can’t reconcile the early LDS church with their increasingly pacifist beliefs. Keep an eye out for developments there.
Yes, FD, perhaps you’re right. I wonder if these people who have this naive image of a lamb going to slaughter, also think George Washington really did chop down a cherry tree. It just seems strange to me that people have such naive impressions of events like this.
Bruce, I’d have to agree with FireTag–it does seem to be scriptural that Jesus offered no resistance to the Romans. I will say that John Dominic Crossan says the gospel accounts differ. In Mark, Jesus is alone, but in Matthew, Jesus is surrounded by followers. (Crossan says the original Mark doesn’t have the same ending as our current Bible.)
FireTag, whenever I hear about anti-Mormon literature, it seems to refer to the LDS. Do CoC people also encounter anti-Mormon materials and try to refute them? Would a CoC member be troubled to learn that Joseph had a gun? There are plenty of things that wouldn’t bother a CoC member, I would think, such as the Word of Wisdom, belief in exaltation (Nauvoo period revelations that the CoC rejects), so I’m just wondering how much this stuff would bother a typical CoC member.
Many people in the CofChrist are rather bothered by Joseph’s association with anything violent BEFORE Carthage — that was the basis for my statement about pacifism being bothersome.
We are too small a target to get much attention from anti-Mormon evangelicals. They tend to contrast us with you guys and say, “See, even the RLDS think this is wrong.” And we get less flack from the liberal side because we are a liberal denomination. (I’m not quite the last conservative standing, but we are clearly moving toward the peace and justice wing of American Christianity.
I suppose the Nauvoo Legion and Zion’s Camp are real sources of discomfort for the pacifists….
Maybe he wasn’t trying to protect himself but the other men with him that he loved and cared for. Maybe he was trying to protect them.
MH: You bet they are. They might well be able to make a case for their discomfort, but largely, there is an assumption that the case is self-evident and therefore need not be made.
Lee: Good point.
Lee, you’ve made an excellent point. Certainly Joseph was trying to protect his friends as well as himself.
This all happened so fast, that I don’t think JS had time to think. I think his actions were instinct. He watched his brother fall to the floor, but instead of going to his aide (perhaps the wound was obviously fatal) he fired into the mob and then tried to escape. He didn’t stop to see if the others were OK or to assist them in escaping. His brother was his closest male companion. I believe that if he had time to think, he would have gone to Hyrum’s side, if for no other reason than to grieve and pay respects, or tried to assist the others. Everything we know about this event points to instinctual reaction.
Bishop Rick, I agree whole-heartedly.
Thanks so much for clarifying these shots as ‘injuring’ and not killing these assailants. I agree, who would argue ‘self defense’? and yet I have to say, it was unexpected when Cyrus Wheelock slipped the gun in Joseph’s pocket. The anxiety and adrenalin were beginning to mix with prayers for calm as the pounding footsteps and angry voices drew near. I believe when shots fired through the closed door(cowards!) and Hyrum was killed, Joseph in his incredible sense of love and loss for his brother wielded the gun as a tangible ‘CRY OF INJUSTICE’… who could fault the heart of this wonderful man… called of God to be His Prophet and mouthpiece… who gave it all?! Where is your heart to question, if you truly have looked at the circumstances of this man’s life? Let your questions come in the form of a prayer FROM YOUR HEART… “and it shall be given unto you…” and ‘the TRUTH shall set you free.”
Wow, I didn’t realise this is an ongoing opportunity to voice… I think Joseph went to the window to, ‘give the mob what they wanted’ and hopefully, ‘appease the beast’, allowing his friends in the room a possible chance to be spared. I have a profound witness that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and a man of wonderful, heartfelt passions. Thinking about the circumstances makes me appreciate him even more… May Heavenly Father bless us all with greater understanding…
Lisa, thanks for stopping by. I just posted ay updated version of this post slightlagain over at Mormon Matters, so you may want to follow a new, ongoing conversation I’ve started over there.
Just wanted to add that my great^4 grandfather, Cyrus Wheelock, gave JS the gun he used.
I learned of the gun in my church history glass in high school
where have you been
Hi, all, thank you for this enlightening “conversation.” I came across these postings while researching my husband’s family history, many of whom lived in Nauvoo and Carthage at the time, but none of them were Morman. I was VERY relieved to read that none of my husband’s family were among the accused, but the Samuel Otho Williams mentioned in the eyewitness accounts is one of my husband’s direct ancestors. Does anyone know where the full text of his letter is? I’ve only encountered snippets of it when I googled his name. He was a member of the Carthage Greys at the time, and I would like to know the full extent of his involvement. (ASAP after the evening in question, he moved his family out of Carthage…was he fearful or ashamed? I don’t know.)
It is so interesting to me that so many people have relatives dating to this event. Thanks for stopping by Sheila!