Kishkumen wrote: ↑Thu Mar 18, 2021 10:41 am
Brother Brigham’s appropriation of Brother Joseph’s work does indeed roll on. There have been no Mormon prophets since
Joseph was assassinated.
I believe that you are right. I think that "Assassination" is probably a more forensically correct term than "Martyrdom". Were I, a nobody, to meet a similar demise, then it could be said that I was "murdered". But one must be regarded as something of a public "mover and a shaker" to earn the right to be "assassinated".
My problem with the martyrdom scenario was Joseph's use of that damn gun. Even though I grew up LDS and was "native here and to the manner born", the gun always seemed to be incongruent with the whole "I go like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am calm as a morning lake" scenario.
But now, thanks to the Joseph Smith Papers Project we have the handwritten drafts of the first official account of Joseph Smith's Martyrdom recorded in 1856 under the supervision of George A. Smith,
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper ... New Testament-draft/1. It is fascinating reading. It is interesting to see all the raw, seemingly contradictory original material from which the historians tried to hammer out a plausible martyrdom narrative. The photos of the original manuscripts are riddled from beginning to end with strikeouts (sometimes including whole paragraphs and even pages) as well as insertions. And these were *definitely* not just grammar or diction issues.
Now take the issue of the gun. What was written (but apparently not included in the final draft) is that there were two guns involved and that Joseph had acquired a single shooter previously to Cyrus Wheelock's visit to the jail, which he then gave to his brother Hyrum.
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/historians-office-martyrdom-account-draft/16 wrote: After receiving these assurances <he> prepared to visit the prison, the morning being a little rainy, favored his wearing an overcoat, in the side pocket of which he was enabled to carry a revolver six shooter, he passed the guard unmolested— during his visit in the prison he slipped the Revolver into Josephs pocket unobserved by any other individual Joseph examined it & asked Wheelock if he had not better retain it for his own protection it was a providential circumstance getting the pistol into the prison as every other person who had previously entered, had been very rigidly searched. Joseph then handed a single barrel pistol (which had been given him by John S. Fullmer who passed the guard with it concealed in the top of his boots) to his brother Hyrum and said “you may have use for this” Brother Hyrum observed “I hate to use such things or to see them used”— “So do I” said Joseph “but we may want to help the guard defend the prison” upon this Hyrum took the pistol.
Also, before going to Carthage Joseph had a rather curious conversation with Emma, pleading with her to come with him.
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/historians-office-martyrdom-account-draft/6 wrote:Joseph rode down home <twice> to bid his family farewell. He appeared solemn and thoughtful, and expressed himself to several individuals that he expected to be murdered. There appeared no alternative, but that he must either give himself up, or the inhabitants of the City would be massacred by a lawless mob under the sanction of the Governor. <He urged upon Emma to go with him which she refused; he repeatedly and vehemently urged it upon her but she pointedly refused alledging that she would have the ague. He even wished her to run the risk of the ague but she persisted in her refusal. He then said “well if they don’t hang me I don’t care how they kick me
In the "Lamb to the slaughter" scenario, why would Joseph ask his wife to come with him to join in on the festivities at Carthage?
There are so many odd curiosities about the events leading to Joseph's death in this account that it would take too long to provide a source for each one. So, I will summarise. From this account, it is obvious that Joseph was working overtime to use every possible legal maneuver he could to keep from being assassinated. (One could be charitable and say that he possessed the cardinal virtue of prudence in this matter. After all, going like a lamb to the slaughter does not necessarily preclude that one should not try to make good use of one's time in the interim).
And from this account, it is also perfectly clear that the destruction of The Nauvoo Expositor was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. And we learn that although Joseph justified the Nauvoo City Council's ordinance as perfectly legal, while on the way (or in) Carthage, Joseph *did* send off a quick note to some government official or other to say that, of course, the Church offers to financially reimburse the Law Brothers for their inconvenience and loss of property.
We also are informed of a somewhat humorous (to me, anyway) conversation between Joseph and Hyrum in the Carthage jail where they were discussing the merits and demerits of potential witnesses for their defense in the upcoming trial (ie, Brother So-and-so doesn't know anything, Brother What's-his-name talks too much, Brother Milqtoast would probably crack under pressure, etc.)
Joseph also sent a Brother Dan Jones to have a chit-chat with Governer Ford (where it is related that Dan Jones informed the governor that both Joseph and Hyrum were Master Masons and that the governor might want to keep that fact in mind if he intends to engage in any funny business).
There is a ton of other interesting stuff in this account that I had never heard of before but I will close for now.
This is my speculation, for what it's worth: Joseph wanted Emma to go with him to Carthage as his One Wife and a human shield to put the kibosh on the spiritual "bimbo eruptions" described in the Nauvoo Expositor. Also, since this account states that Joseph said that he was going "like a lamb to the slaughter" a number of times to a number of different groups of people (including to some of the soldiers in the Nauvoo Legion), I believe that he was actually dog-whistling for an intervention in the ironic hope that this prophecy would go unfulfilled.
