Joseph Smith fired a gun at Carthage Jail


Joseph Smith fired a gun at Carthage Jail

Summary: It is claimed that the Church has tried to hide the fact that Joseph fired a pepperbox pistol at the mob which murdered Hyrum and was soon to kill him, despite numerous mentions of the gun in Church literature, and the fact that the very gun itself is on display at the museum of Church History in Salt Lake City.

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Joseph Smith fired a gun at Carthage Jail

Summary: It is claimed that the Church has tried to hide the fact that Joseph fired a pepperbox pistol at the mob which murdered Hyrum and was soon to kill him, despite numerous mentions of the gun in Church literature, and the fact that the very gun itself is on display at the museum of Church History in Salt Lake City.

Jump to Subtopic:


Joseph Smith fired a gun at Carthage Jail

Summary: It is claimed that the Church has tried to hide the fact that Joseph fired a pepperbox pistol at the mob which murdered Hyrum and was soon to kill him, despite numerous mentions of the gun in Church literature, and the fact that the very gun itself is on display at the museum of Church History in Salt Lake City.

Jump to Subtopic:


Joseph Smith fired a gun at Carthage Jail

Summary: It is claimed that the Church has tried to hide the fact that Joseph fired a pepperbox pistol at the mob which murdered Hyrum and was soon to kill him, despite numerous mentions of the gun in Church literature, and the fact that the very gun itself is on display at the museum of Church History in Salt Lake City.

Jump to Subtopic:


Joseph Smith fired a gun at Carthage Jail

Summary: It is claimed that the Church has tried to hide the fact that Joseph fired a pepperbox pistol at the mob which murdered Hyrum and was soon to kill him, despite numerous mentions of the gun in Church literature, and the fact that the very gun itself is on display at the museum of Church History in Salt Lake City.

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The FAIR Blog responds to these questions

Roger Nicholson,"The Prophet and the Pistol: A Perspective on the Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith", FAIR Blog, (November 7, 2013)


In the Church History Museum near Temple Square, located inside a glass case, resides a pair of 19th century pistols and a walking stick. The placard reads, in part, as follows,

Joseph’s Pepperbox Pistol and Hyrum’s Single Shot Pistol. These guns were used by both men for their defense during the attack at Carthage

These were the guns that were smuggled into the Carthage Jail while Joseph Smith, Hyrum and their friends awaited their fate. On the morning of June 27, 1844, Cyrus Wheelock visited the jail.

The morning being a little rainy, favoured his wearing an overcoat, in the side pocket of which he was enabled to carry a six-shooter, and he passed the guard unmolested. During his visit in the prison he slipped the revolver into Joseph’s pocket. Joseph examined it, and asked Wheelock if he had not better retain it for his own protection.
This was a providential circumstance, as most other persons had been very rigidly searched. Joseph then handed the single barrel pistol, which had been given him by John S. Fullmer, 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 have to, to defend ourselves;” upon this Hyrum took the pistol. [i]

Although it was referred to as a “six shooter,” the pepper-box pistol was not a revolver in the normal sense. It incorporated six individual barrels, it was difficult to aim and tended to be unreliable. The June 2013 Ensign features a painting Greater Love Hath No Man, by Casey Childs. [ii] The artwork features all three items in the display case. Joseph, Hyrum and Willard Richards are attempting to hold the door shut as the mob attempts to enter the room. John Taylor is holding his walking stick. In Hyrum’s left pocket is the single shot pistol brought into the jail by Fullmer, and in Joseph’s left pocket, clearly visible, is the pepper-box pistol given to him by Wheelock.

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To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, [[../CriticalSources|click here]]

Notes


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