Martyrdom (cont.)

Monday, June 24, 1844      As I begin writing this, Monday, June 24, 2013, it is 6:10 a. m..  Joseph is about to come out of the Mansion House to join the members of the City Council (some 24 men)who will travel with him to Carthage.  He will come out of his house in 20 minutes (6:30), dressed in his Nauvoo Militia  military uniform, mount up on his horse and they will all start going north on Main St.  They will turn east on Mulholand St, and will stop at the Temple to look at it (it is now finished up to the level of the circle windows), and to look over the City below and comment: "This is the loveliest place and the best people under the heavens; little do they know the trials that await them."

They will then continue east on Mulholand and stop again at the home (the original home, above)of Squire Daniel Wells, a non-member  Justice of the peace and say goodbye to him "Squire Wells, I wish you to cherish my memory, and not think me the worst man in the world either."  (He later will join the Church and become a counselor to Brigham Young in Utah).

He will continue again east and cross south to Parley St. and continue east until he comes to a small stream just west of the burial ground and after crossing the stream will turn  right, taking the road along the stream ( this road is still here today, just as it was in 1844, and is the only part of the original  Nauvoo road remaining today).

This road continues a little less than a mile, curving its way along the stream and up onto the prairie farmlands to continue on to Carthage.

As it gets up onto the prairie it now dissapears. In about 1850 the local farmers petitioned the State to realign all county roads to go along their farm property lines, instead of the diagonal, the way the original road did to Carthage.  The rest of the road was obliterated from this point on, until just before it enters Carthage.

Joseph again stopped to see his farm for what he thought would be his last.  (Above, is the actual Joseph Smith Farm house, still standing, on his farm property, now owned by non members. The rear portions were later added to the original front part.)

At ten a. m., and four miles from Carthage, was the Albert G. Fellows farm, and at that point the group saw a company of 60 militia (called up by Gov. Ford), under the command of Captain Dunn coming to meet them. Some in the group were frightened to which Joseph counselled: "Do not be alarmed, bretheren, for they cannot do more to you than the enemies of truth did to the ancient saints - -- they can only kill the body".

The Carthage road is in the foreground and and the little road is the driveway that goes back to the house. 

This is the driveway. The house in the back is today a private, more modern home that was rebuilt on the same place as the original, that was then owned by Fellows, a member of the Church. 

They went inside the farm house to talk with Captain Dunn, who was sent to disarm the entire Nauvoo legion.  They told Joseph  he would have to return with them, as they felt the Legion would not relenquish their guns with out Joseph being with them.

Joseph, of course now knew very well how these events would conclude and knew it was futile to attempt any other course,  and did not even argue.

The entire group returned to Nauvoo and Joseph went home to Emma, Lucy and the family one last time, while Capt. Dunn collected all the arms.

When  they again left Nauvoo, Joseph had changed out of his military uniform, since the Nauvoo militia was now disbanded.  They left about 4 p.m.and arrived in Carthage at midnight, staying in the Hamilton Hotel.

There are a great many interesting events that occurred today that are not included here, such as Joseph talking to several bretheren about the trip they would be making west to the rocky mountains, saying he would not go with them, as he would be dead within the week.  Emma was now realizing the same thing.