Monday, June 24, 2013

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.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Martyrdom (cont)

Sunday, June 23, 1844
This morning at about 2 am, Joseph and Hyrum  began to carry out a plan they devised, to go west, by going down Water St. from the Mansion house to Aaron Johnson's home (which is still standing today in 2013 on its same location) and they borrowed his rowboat.  Porter Rockwell rowed them across the Mississippi river to Montrose. (We have a senior missionary now here in our mission district, who is a direct descendant  of Aaron Johnson).
This is a most interesting account, but too lengthy to recite here.  Suffice it to say, that some were calling Joseph a coward, when they found him gone later this morning. Even Emma was party to this plea, for him to come back, and face what would come.  It is now, that he makes the famous statement: "If my life is of no value to my friends, then it is of none to myself."
He returned to Nauvoo this afternoon, but he was now a "different man", resigned to his fate. From that point   on, he was not the boyant,  optimistic person that he used to be.  Those around him definitely noticed this change.
He then, will, this afternoon, write a letter to Gov. Ford saying that he would come to Carthage tomorrow, Monday, June 24, 1844.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Martyrdom (cont.)

Saturday, June 22, 1844
John Taylor and John Bernhisel, met with Governor Ford, but it was not a private meeting that they expected. Instead the Gov. allowed about 20 other men to  attend as well.  John Taylor describes them as " some of the vilest and unprincipled men in creation. .. . .  .recreant to virtue, honor, integrity, and everything that is considered honorable among men".
As they tried to give their side, they were constantly heckled and interrupted  "in the rudest manner and foul language".  Throughout, Gov. Ford sat "straight faced in silence", without any effort to curb the interruptions.
Gov. Ford then pushed the affidavits aside, and demanded the Joseph and the others responsible come to Carthage and surrender to the Sheriff who had issued the original warrant.
John Taylor warned the Governor that he would be putting these men's lives in danger if they came.  The Governor "pledged his faith as governor, and the faith of the state, that he would guarantee our perfect safety". He made them wait over 4 hrs, while he wrote a letter  for them to take to Joseph.
It was late tonight that they returned to Nauvoo to report to Joseph.  He gathered some of his closest associates to discuss what to do.  Reading the letter,  he stated "there is no mercy, no mercy here".  "If I and Hyrum are ever taken again we will be massacred, or I am not a Prophet of God".
They met until early tomorrow morning.

Martyrdom (cont.)

Friday, June 21, 1844  --
Governor Ford arrived today in Carthage.  The first thing he did was activate the town militias under his command from all the surrounding communities in the County.
Next he wrote Joseph Smith and requested that one or more "well informed persons who will be capable of laying before me your version of the matter" come to Carthage immediately.
The two selected to go were John Taylor and John Bernhisel.  They arrived at the Hamilton Hotel late in the evening and spent the night with pistols under their pillows.
Friday, June 21, 2013.
Today, we went to Iowa City for the first time.  Went to Costco, visited a colleague of mine at the Univ. of Iowa Dental School who is the head of the Grad Perio Department, and went to the Mormon Handcart Park which is on the Univ. of Iowa campus. This was the staging area for building the handcarts and getting everyone outfitted as they got off the train in Iowa City, from 1856 through 1860.  It is a nice small park with "reader boards" describing the campsites, cemetery,  and how they left for Utah.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Martyrdom (cont.)

Wednesday, June 19, 1844
Today, the day of the planned attack came and went without incident.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Martyrdom (cont.)

Today, Tuesday, June 18, 1844
Joseph Smith, acting in his official capacity as Lt. General of the Nauvoo Legion decided that the best way to avoid a confrontation of the planned attack on the city, was to demonstrate a "show of force", hoping that spies from the mobs would see it and think twice about coming against the city tomorrow.
Today, he assembled the entire Nauvoo Legion, some 3,000, in full uniform on the block across the street from the Mansion house.  He stood on some scaffolding and address the troops for an hour and a half, saying among other things: "Greater love hath no man than that he should lay down his life for his friends.  You have stood by me in the hour of trouble, and I am willing to sacrifice my life for your preservation."

Today, Tuesday, June 18, 2013
This was a special day. Vibeka Hansen, the mother of our investigator, was baptized in Denmark in April.  While here in Nauvoo she has wanted to do baptisms for the dead but didn't know how to go about it. She was walking down the street near the Temple the other day and the Stake President drove past her and recognized her as the lady he had seen at Church last Sunday, and the Spirit told him to stop and talk to her. He pulled over and talked to her and found out of her desire to do baptisms, before she goes back to Denmark this week.  He took her and called her Bishop in Denmark on the phone, and told her he would have her recommend at the Temple Desk today.  Sis. Ririe got off her shift in "tickets and tours" a little early and picked her up at her home and she told her of this experience. Dubiously, she took her to the Temple and sure enough, there was her recommend for baptisms at the Recommend Desk. They went in and performed several baptisms. Wonderful things continue to happen here! We then had her and her daughter, Anne over for dinner.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Masrtyrdom (cont)

Sunday, June 16, 1844
In spite of all of the very stressful circumstances of these days, Joseph still dedicated himself to observing the Sabbath.  He gave his usual Sunday discourse at the Grove by the Temple.  Excerpts may be found in the Priesthood/Relief Society manual Teachings of the Presidents of the Church --Joseph Smith, p. 220, middle of the page starting "Go and read the vision. . . , and p. 222, middle of the page starting with "they who obtain. . . and p. 510 top of the page starting with "it is in the order. . . .
His talk was interrupted by a heavy rainstorm.