The Fate of the Persecutors of the Prophet Joseph Smith

by N.B. Lundwall

Book by

Genres: Religion, History, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Church, Church History, Lds

363 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1952

Reviews

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are into LDS history, this is an awesome book. Not only is it great at retelling what happened to the members of the LDS church in Nauvoo and the marturdom of Joseph Smith it also gives detailed explanations on what happened to those who took part in the persecution of the saints as well as the murder of Joseph Smith. Very Very hard to find book, it is not in print anymore.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was interesting, sometimes sad, sometimes long winded. I think a better title for the book would be: comments by various people leading up to the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, comments of various people of the martyrdom, and then on page 293 the fate of the persecutors of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Don't forget to read the addenda, that includes what will happen in the future. I felt sad for all of the hardships they all suffered, and no help from anyone or retribution for the persecutors. What courageous people.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book my parents have had on their bookshelf for as long as I can remember. I had been wanting to read it for years and I finally decided to dig in. I was able to track down a used one online so I could have my own copy. Truthfully I am proud of myself for actually finishing it; at times it seemed rather redundant and difficult to get through. Most of the people I know that have also read it just skipped to the end. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though it was a difficult read.

The book is mostly just a compilation of accounts, testimonies and newspaper stories surrounding the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. At the very end are the stories of what happened to the people that persecuted and killed the Prophet. I am really glad I finally read it, it was a very interesting book with great nuggets throughout. For example, as is often the case, the book reports that before the mob killed Joseph Smith, the government unarmed and disbanded the militia. With no means to defend themselves, they were at the mercy (or lack thereof) of the violent mobs. My ancestors lived in Nauvoo and were themselves victims of the brutality of these hateful people. The actual trial of these men that so clearly murdered in cold blood, was a mock and a joke of a trial. The mobocrats were allowed in the courtroom and they harassed and threatened the jurors and judge. The books says they screamed and yelled throughout the trial. It was made clear that if the murderers were found guilty, there would be more bloodshed.

The entire story is an account of a very dark time in US history. Even for those not of our faith, we should all be alarmed at the trampling of rights that took place. A quote from the book, “Mr. Warren, of counsel for the defense, argued, it is said, in the course of his plea, that if the prisoners (murderers of the Prophet) were guilty of murder, then he himself was guilty; that it was the public opinion that the Smiths ought to be killed, and public opinion made the law, consequently it was not murder to kill them.” Much more could be said on the topic of the persecution and the killing of the Prophet and the LDS people, but I am not writing my own book so I will just stop there. For those interested in early church history, this is a must read.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strength of this book is what it is--It is NOT a narrative history of the persecution and murder of this remarkable man. The book does tell those historical incidents and facts--through primary sources, eye witness accounts, and accounts of those who lived in the relevant areas when the events took place, and also includes personal reactions of these participants and those directly affected by the events treated. Some of the accounts are secondary sources--individuals telling what their parent or relative or friend or acquaintance, who were participants, told them about what happened. A few are accounts compiled by people who descended from or knew the participants, and were assigned or took it upon themselves to put together complete and factual accounts. The book includes accounts by participants on both sides of the conflicts--church members who suffered persecution and the officials opposed to members of the church who settled the relevant areas, who later wrote histories or who wrote documents that affected the events (included in the book), and even some of the participants in the persecution. The book does not claim to judge the accounts' accuracy, but tries to present evidence on all sides of each event.

[Gwen Ruebush · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few quotes that were nice to read. I enjoyed reading Joseph Smith's brother's experiences and others. But the title and the end of the book suggest that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is just watching and waiting for bad things to happen to people who have hurt them. That's not what I see in the Church as a whole and not really a great focus for a book.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot more church history from this book.

[Nalene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a tough book to get a hold of... I put it on hold at the library in April of 07, and I finally got to pick it up at the end of January 08! It was published around 1954, so I don't know that it's even available other than at the library, and may only be available in Utah libraries (one copy in the Salt Lake County Library system).

It's a compilation of experiences (journal entries, newspaper articles, notarized memories) of Joseph Smith's life and the man himself. It covered the time from the first vision to years later with the fate of various persecutors, and includes prophecies of persecutors, and some proofs of their fulfillments. It's a very interesting book... I liked it because it was all told from historical documents compiled into one place to see that it is not worth the pain and suffering to ever persecute the Lord's anointed.

[Shirley Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this book only 2 stars. I was quite disappointed in that I don't think it was written very well. It was interesting to see the fate of those who persecuted Joseph Smith as well as the other Saints. I think it was difficult to present all the facts and articles and there were many repetitions of the same story. How can anyone state this is a book of "false doctrine." Where are your facts? I have a copy of this book and it was copyrighted in 1952. I would be happy to lend it to others who wish to read it, but are having a difficult time locating a copy.

[A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

So...I think this book is mis-named. It is not really about the fate of the persecutors of the Prophet Joseph Smith. There is one little chapter about that, but that's it. I was expecting a more-or-less detrailed look at the poeple involved (Thomas Sharp, William Law, etc) and did not get it. The book is made up of chapters that only contain quotes about Joseph from other people about various aspects of his life. Still interesting and all, but not really new to me and not at all what the book advertised.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book. It was terribly misnamed. It should have been called The Life and Persecutions of Joseph Smith. Only the last chapter was about the fate of the persecutors. There were some very interesting stories and things that I didn't know, those are the only reasons I am giving it three stars instead of two. But anyone who reads it should know that the title is misleading.

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last chapter deals with the fate of the persecutors. I read the first few chapters and then read the last chapter. Lots of anecdotes both from published and less available sources. It was interesting to read the various accounts. Some of the accounts were second or third hand.

Alas, historians give it low marks for for use of secondary and tertiary sources of dubious accuracy.

[Julie Johanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What you don't know about the rest of the story. A sad tale about those who broke the laws and persecuted and eventually killed a religious leader in the United States of America. Shouldn't have happened here in this land of liberty.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't make this stuff up. It is an amazing follow-up to a tragic part of American and Church history.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING!!!

[Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

skimmed through this. too sad to read all of it. more thankful, again, for the perseverance of Joseph and Hyrum, and the faithful saints.

[Ernie Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hard book to find. Only one of it's kind. Maybe it shouldn't have been written (since it is politically incorrect).

[Jen Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. I learned a lot about what happened with the some of the events leading up to the Martyrdom and of what happened after. All told from personal accounts.

[Jeff Pierson · Rating 1 out of 5]

False Doctrine...don't waste your time!