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An Authentic Account of the Massacre of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, and Hyrum Smith, His Brother
Excerpt from An Authentic Account of the Massacre of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, and Hyrum Smith, His Brother
Gov. Ford, in his address to the citizens of Illinois, after the death of the Smiths, does not intimate that he had any knowledge of the design of any person or persons to attack the Smiths; but_he states unequivocally, that he was satisfied of a design on the part of some of the troops, if an opportunity Offered, to 'attack Nauvoo. The following is the passage in the Governor's address, to which I allude On the morning of the day the deed was committed, we had proposed to march the army, under my command, into Nauvoo; I, however, discovered, on the evening before, that nothing but utter de struction of the city, would satisfy a portion of the troops and that if We marched into the city, pretexts would not be wanting for com mencing hostilities. The above extracts are given simply for the purpose of showing the state of feeling that existed in the community at large, at Car thage, and to maintain the position assumed by me, that if the vox populi was any criterion to judge by, an attack upon the Smiths Was an inevitable consequence. Less than this, I could not say, in redeeming the pledge made in the commencement of this publica tion, to give a full and fair exposition of all the facts attending the death of the two Imposters.
Gov. Ford, in his address to the citizens of Illinois, after the death of the Smiths, does not intimate that he had any knowledge of the design of any person or persons to attack the Smiths; but_he states unequivocally, that he was satisfied of a design on the part of some of the troops, if an opportunity Offered, to 'attack Nauvoo. The following is the passage in the Governor's address, to which I allude On the morning of the day the deed was committed, we had proposed to march the army, under my command, into Nauvoo; I, however, discovered, on the evening before, that nothing but utter de struction of the city, would satisfy a portion of the troops and that if We marched into the city, pretexts would not be wanting for com mencing hostilities. The above extracts are given simply for the purpose of showing the state of feeling that existed in the community at large, at Car thage, and to maintain the position assumed by me, that if the vox populi was any criterion to judge by, an attack upon the Smiths Was an inevitable consequence. Less than this, I could not say, in redeeming the pledge made in the commencement of this publica tion, to give a full and fair exposition of all the facts attending the death of the two Imposters.
51 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 2012
2 people want to read
About the author
George Turnbull Moore Davis
2 booksObituary from Find a Grave:
St. Louis Republic Newspaper
St. Louis, Missouri
Sunday, 23 Dec 1888
Col. George T.M. Davis, a former resident of St. Louis, died last Tuesday in New York City of apoplexy in his 80th year. Col. Davis was educated under the guardianship of his uncle, Matthew L. Davis, a friend of Aaron Burr, and subsequently practiced law in Alton, Ill. He was on the staff of Gen. James Shields during the Mexican war, and after the fall of the City of Mexico served as secretary to Gen. Quitman. He afterward edited the Union, a St. Louis Newspaper, and also followed the Journalistic career in Louisville until accepted a position in the pension bureau, when he removed to Washington, D.C. Later he has been engaged in business in New York. He was married twice and leaves a son and daughter by his first wife, the daughter being the wife of George Francis Train.
St. Louis Republic Newspaper
St. Louis, Missouri
Sunday, 23 Dec 1888
Col. George T.M. Davis, a former resident of St. Louis, died last Tuesday in New York City of apoplexy in his 80th year. Col. Davis was educated under the guardianship of his uncle, Matthew L. Davis, a friend of Aaron Burr, and subsequently practiced law in Alton, Ill. He was on the staff of Gen. James Shields during the Mexican war, and after the fall of the City of Mexico served as secretary to Gen. Quitman. He afterward edited the Union, a St. Louis Newspaper, and also followed the Journalistic career in Louisville until accepted a position in the pension bureau, when he removed to Washington, D.C. Later he has been engaged in business in New York. He was married twice and leaves a son and daughter by his first wife, the daughter being the wife of George Francis Train.
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July 5, 2017
Admittedly, the history of Mormons and Mormonism is not a great subject of interest on this particular blog [1]. Even so, as a student of 19th century history, the history of the Mormon movement in the United States forms at least some part of that study and is something which has an occasional relevance on my own readings. As such, I was pleased to find this particular classic reprint of a long-forgotten work which provides a detailed if ferociously anti-Mormon account of the acts of vigilantism which led to the death of Joseph Smith and his brother Hiram. What makes this particular pamphlet notable is the way that the author is relentlessly hostile to the Mormons, but also is hostile to the vigilantes who killed the two Smiths and precipitated the flight of the surviving Mormons of Navoo to Utah shortly thereafter. As the author takes considerable pains to cite his sources but not to hide his own bias, this book is an interesting account and a worthwhile primary document to a contentious period of history.
This book consists of a short pamphlet of about 48 pages or so, give or take, that is all in one section. The author includes various contents including the accounts of those who left the Mormons (whom he calls in the language of the 19th century seceeders), as well as letters from the political and military leadership of Illinois, and this work certainly qualifies as a critical work of the highest order. Included are hostile accounts of the religious practices and beliefs of the Mormons, the way that they used their numbers to have corrupt influence over the government by demanding charters as well as in corrupting the legal processes of their areas, including cases of perjury and the denial of the freedom of the press. Likewise, the author shows himself to be hostile to the craven behavior of the political leadership and critical of the way that many Mormons were deceived into believing that Governor Ford of Illinois was their friend. No less unsparing of the enemies of the Mormons, the author also notes that the vigilante posse that killed the Smith brothers was also in the wrong and that the soldiers sent to guard the Mormon prisoners were derelict in their duty. Overall, the author makes similar points about the downsides of irregular justice that Lincoln did in his own Lyceum speech, and even cites the examples of Lovejoy and the mulatto burned in St. Louis that Lincoln did, even if he ends up being very unsympathetic to the Mormons.
Overall, this particular work is of value in a variety of ways. For one, it provides a detailed if hostile account of the death of Joseph Smith and the growing hostility to the Mormons that accompanied their increase of numbers and their rise of political power in Illinois. The author's citation of early people who left the Mormons gives a picture of early Mormon beliefs and practices and contains heavy criticism of the mythology of Mormon views of Israelite origin that were already extant, as well as the tendency for many Mormon leaders to engage in the vain search for objects of plunder in the area of the old Mississippian culture centered in the region. As a historical source of unquestionable bias but also considerable even-handedness in its relentless criticism of civil and political elites as well as local vigilantes, the account provides a first-hand but hostile picture of the Mormons in Illinois from a witness of that period of history and provides a resource of worth in looking at the troubled nature of the rule of law in 19th century America, the history of religion as it relates to the Latter Day Saints, and an account of the troubled connection between church and state that remains relevant today.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
This book consists of a short pamphlet of about 48 pages or so, give or take, that is all in one section. The author includes various contents including the accounts of those who left the Mormons (whom he calls in the language of the 19th century seceeders), as well as letters from the political and military leadership of Illinois, and this work certainly qualifies as a critical work of the highest order. Included are hostile accounts of the religious practices and beliefs of the Mormons, the way that they used their numbers to have corrupt influence over the government by demanding charters as well as in corrupting the legal processes of their areas, including cases of perjury and the denial of the freedom of the press. Likewise, the author shows himself to be hostile to the craven behavior of the political leadership and critical of the way that many Mormons were deceived into believing that Governor Ford of Illinois was their friend. No less unsparing of the enemies of the Mormons, the author also notes that the vigilante posse that killed the Smith brothers was also in the wrong and that the soldiers sent to guard the Mormon prisoners were derelict in their duty. Overall, the author makes similar points about the downsides of irregular justice that Lincoln did in his own Lyceum speech, and even cites the examples of Lovejoy and the mulatto burned in St. Louis that Lincoln did, even if he ends up being very unsympathetic to the Mormons.
Overall, this particular work is of value in a variety of ways. For one, it provides a detailed if hostile account of the death of Joseph Smith and the growing hostility to the Mormons that accompanied their increase of numbers and their rise of political power in Illinois. The author's citation of early people who left the Mormons gives a picture of early Mormon beliefs and practices and contains heavy criticism of the mythology of Mormon views of Israelite origin that were already extant, as well as the tendency for many Mormon leaders to engage in the vain search for objects of plunder in the area of the old Mississippian culture centered in the region. As a historical source of unquestionable bias but also considerable even-handedness in its relentless criticism of civil and political elites as well as local vigilantes, the account provides a first-hand but hostile picture of the Mormons in Illinois from a witness of that period of history and provides a resource of worth in looking at the troubled nature of the rule of law in 19th century America, the history of religion as it relates to the Latter Day Saints, and an account of the troubled connection between church and state that remains relevant today.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
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