Nauvoo Expositor

Single 1844 newspaper in Illinois, US

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The Nauvoo Expositor

The Nauvoo Expositor was a newspaper in Nauvoo, Illinois, United States, that published only one issue. Its publication, and the destruction of the printing press ordered by Mayor Joseph Smith and the city council, set off a chain of events that led to Smith's arrest for treason and subsequent killing at the hands of a lynch mob.

Smith, leader of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, had a practice of secretly marrying his followers, including other men's wives. Smith is estimated to have married nearly fifty wives. While promoting polygamy in private, Smith publicly denied the practice of polygamy. In response, a handful of high-ranking church leaders denounced Smith as a fallen prophet, founded a reformed church, and announced plans to publish a newspaper—acts that resulted in their excommunication from Smith's church. Based on their testimony, Smith was indicted on state criminal charges of perjury and "fornication and adultery".

The Nauvoo Expositor, published on June 7, 1844, exposed Smith's practice of polygamy and accused him of promoting polytheism by teaching that church members can become gods.[1] Smith and the Nauvoo City Council declared the paper a public nuisance and ordered the press to be destroyed.[2][3][4] The town marshal carried out the order during the evening of June 10.[5] Smith and other members of the council were charged with inciting a riot; after an arrest warrant was issued for Smith, he declared martial law and mobilized the city militia, the Nauvoo Legion, of which he was the commander-in-chief holding the rank of Lieutenant General.[6] In response, Governor Ford raised a militia, peacefully entering Nauvoo to search for Joseph Smith, who had fled the state.

On June 25, after he received guarantees of safety, Smith surrendered on the riot charges expecting to be freed on bail. Once in Carthage, Smith was also charged with treason against Illinois for declaring martial law. Treason, a capital crime, was not a bailable offense. Smith, Hyrum, and other leaders were incarcerated in the Carthage Jail, guarded by only seven men. Though expecting to be rescued by his followers, Smith and Hyrum were killed by a lynch mob on June 27.[7]

## Background

[edit]

Daguerreotype allegedly of Joseph Smith in 1844

In 1830, Joseph Smith, age 24, published the Book of Mormon, which he described as an English translation of ancient golden plates he received from an angel. The same year he organized the Church of Christ, calling it a restoration of the early Christian Church. Members of the church were later called "Latter Day Saints" or "Mormons". Smith and his followers sought to assemble together in a theocratic community under Smith's leadership, or 'Zion', first in Kirtland, Ohio and later in Independence, Missouri.[8]

In 1833, a mob of settlers attacked a Mormon newspaper's printing office, destroyed the press, and tarred and feathered two Mormon leaders. Mormons were driven from Jackson county.[9][4] After losing the 1838 Mormon War, Smith was jailed and his followers were forced out of Missouri.

After Smith escaped custody, he fled to Illinois, where he founded a new settlement that he named Nauvoo. After the Nauvoo City Charter passed both houses of the state legislature, Illinois governor Thomas Carlin signed it into law on December 16, 1849. The charter allowed the Nauvoo city council to pass laws 'not in conflict with the state and federal constitutions'; Chicago and Alton charters had similar provisions. The charter also empowered the Nauvoo Municipal Court to issue writs of habeas corpus. The power would later enable Joseph Smith to elude authorities from Missouri, where he was wanted on charges of treason. Nauvoo was not the only city with such a power; in 1839, Alton had been granted the same power to issue habeas corpus writs.[10]

William Law, a wealthy immigrant from Ireland, and his wife had joined the Church of Christ in 1836 in Canada. In 1839, Law led a group of Canadian LDS members to Nauvoo. In 1841, Joseph Smith chose him to be a member of the First Presidency.[11] He was also a member of the Nauvoo city council.[12]

Francis M. Higbee had joined the church in 1832. In the aftermath of the 1838 Mormon War, Francis Higbee was arraigned along with Smith, in Richmond, Missouri on November 11, 1838. He was released 18 days later.[13] On June 30, 1842, Francis Higbee gave a sworn statement that "Joseph Smith told [him] that John C. Bennett could be easily put aside or drowned, and no person would be the wiser for it".[14] On January 15, 1844, the Nauvoo Municipal Court issued a warrant for Higbee's arrest on the affidavit of Orson Pratt.[15] Chauncey Higbee had also joined the church in 1832. In November 1841, he had been appointed aide-de-camp to Major General John C. Bennett of the Nauvoo Legion.[16]

## Origins

[edit]

See also: Origin of Latter Day Saint polygamy

Oliver Cowdery (left) and John C. Bennett (right) both accused Smith of polygamy.

Although he had been married since 1827 and polygamy was criminal, Smith had been secretly marrying his followers and faced accusations of adultery.[17][18][19]

On July 17, 1831, Smith dictated a revelation that "foreshadowed" the practice of plural wives.[20][21][22][23][24] On December 8, former member Ezra Booth publicly alleged that a married member of the church, though fearful of civil authorities, espoused his religious liberty to take a second wife.[25] On March 24, 1832, an Ohio mob stripped Smith naked with an eye to castrate him, but the doctor refused to carry out the procedure at the last minute; some suggest this incident may have stemmed from intimacies with a girl or woman not his wife.[26] In January 1838, original Book of Mormon witness Oliver Cowdery was excommunicated, in part because he "seemed to insinuate" that Smith was guilty of adultery.[27][28]

In 1842, after church leader and Nauvoo mayor John C. Bennett was excommunicated for adultery, Bennett published a book-length exposé revealing Smith's own practice of polygamy.[29] On August 31, a broadsheet was published featuring affidavits defending Joseph Smith from Bennett's charges; among his defenders were William Law, his brother Wilson Law, Francis Higbee and his brother Chauncey Higbee.[30]

In public, Joseph Smith repeatedly denied adultery and polygamy throughout his lifetime. In 2014, the Church admitted Smith had married about 40 of his female followers, including a 14-year-old and others who were already married.[31][32][33]

### Other men's wives

[edit]

Joseph Smith ultimately married at least eleven women who were already married, and made proposals to others.[34]

On June 1, 1843, Austin Cowles's daughter Elvira, recently wed to another man, had married Joseph Smith. On September 12, Cowles resigned his seat in the high council. Afterwards, Cowles "was far more outspoken and energetic in his opposition to polygamy than almost any other man in Nauvoo."[35] On July 12, 1843, Joseph Smith dictated a revelation about polygamy. Later that day, Joseph and Hyrum presented it to Joseph's first wife Emma, who rejected it.[36][37][38] On August 12, 1843, Hyrum Smith read Smith's revelation concerning plural marriage to the Nauvoo High Council.[39][40] On November 5, Smith became sick and was suspected of having been poisoned, perhaps by wife Emma.[41]

Joseph Smith made several proposals to William Law's wife Jane, under the premise that she would enter a polyandrous marriage with Smith.[1][42] Law's wife later described Smith's proposals, saying that Smith had "asked her to give him half her love; she was at liberty to keep the other half for her husband."[43][44] Upon learning of the proposal, Law threatened[when?] to expose Smith unless he went before the High Council to confess and repent.[42] On January 8, 1844, Smith removed Law from the First Presidency. On February 1, the Times and Season announced that Hiram Brown had been excommunicated for preaching polygamy in Michigan.[45]

In early 1844,[when?] Dr. Robert D. Foster returned home to find his wife being visited by Joseph Smith. She later confessed that Smith had preached polygamy and attempted to seduce her.[46]

In March 1844,[when?] Emma organized a series of meetings, and publicly denounced polygamy as evil and destructive; though she did not directly disclose Smith's secret practice of plural marriage, she insisted that people should heed only what he taught publicly—implicitly challenging his private promulgation of polygamy.[47]

### Key Stone Store meeting

[edit]

Chauncey Higbee, one of the attendees of the meeting. On May 29, the high council claimed Chauncey had been tried for adultery two years prior. He later became one of the publishers of the Expositor.[48]

In mid-March 1844, Joseph Jackson attempted to recruit two Nauvoo men, Marenus G. Eaton and Abiathar Williams, with stories about "men tied hand and foot and runthrough the heart with a sword, and there heads taken off, and then buried."[49] The pair attended a meeting in the back room of a grocery store; in attendance were the Laws, the Higbees, and Robert D. Foster.

At the meeting, Robert Foster told about Joseph Smith's attempt to seduce Robert's wife.[46] Chauncey Higbee confirmed the practice of polygamy among Smith and other church leaders.[46] Jackson suggested he had knowledge of a conspiracy to kill the Smiths.[46]

Eaton and Williams reported the events of the meeting to Joseph Smith. On March 24, Joseph Smith told his congregation that a group planned to "destroy all the Smith family in a few weeks", naming the members as: Chauncey Higbee, Robert Foster, Joseph Jackson, and William and Wilson Law.[50][51]

### General conference and exaltation

[edit]

On April 6,[better source needed] Law notified Smith and some members of the Twelve that he desired an investigation before the Church General Conference.[52][53]

On April 7, Smith addressed the Church's annual general conference in Nauvoo in a speech known as the King Follett sermon (named for a Mormon who had recently died in an accident).[54] Smith reported he was "never in any nearer relationship to God than at the present time".[55] Smith elaborated, saying he wanted to "refute the idea that God was God from all eternity". Smith explain that God was "once was a man like us".[55] He advised followers that "You have got to learn how to make yourselves God, king and priest, by going from a small capacity to a great capacity to the resurrection of the dead to dwelling in everlasting burnings."[55]

William Law later reported that the conference featured "some of the most blasphemous doctrines... ever heard of," such as "other gods as far above our God as he is above us."[55]

### Continued strife

[edit]

On April 13, Smith questioned Robert Foster in Municipal Court. When Foster declined to testify, Joseph brought charges against him "for abusing my character privately, for throwing out slanderous insinuation against me, for conspiring against my peace and Safety, for conspiring against my life, for conspiring against the peace of my family."[56]

Sworn statements by the witnesses to the Key Stone Store were published in the Nauvoo Neighbor on April 17.[46][57]

On April 18, four dissenters were excommunicated from the church: William Law, his wife Jane, his brother William, and Robert D. Foster; contrary to standard protocol in Church courts, they were given no opportunity to defend themselves or bring witnesses, nor were the defendants present at their church trial.[50][58] Also excommunicated was Howard Smith.[59] Joseph charged Foster with "immorality and apostasy", character defamation, lying, and endangering his life in the Nauvoo High Council.[60][61][62] Decades later, Law recalled having been invited to a 'reconciliation dinner' but declining amid fears of poisoning.[63]

### Expositor announced

[edit]

The Nauvoo Expositor building in Nauvoo, Illinois

On April 28, the anti-polygamist dissenters held a meeting. William Law and Charles Ivins were variously reportedly to have been named to leadership.[64]

On May 1, Francis M. Higbee filed a legal complaint in the Fifth Judicial District of Illinois, suing Smith for slander and requesting damages of five thousand dollars.[4] On May 4, William Law, his wife Jane, and Austin Cowles appeared before a Justice of the Peace and gave a sworn statement about Smith's polygamy.[65][4] On May 7, Charles Ivin, in association with the Laws, Higgbees, and Fosters, set up a print shop in Nauvoo [66][better source needed] On May 8, the Warsaw Signal reported a new church had been organized under the leadership of William Law, who preached that Joseph Smith was a fallen prophet; the Signal reported that a press had been obtained and a paper would soon be published.[67] On May 10, a newspaper prospectus was circulated, announcing the creation of the Nauvoo Expositor.[68][69] The Expositor was planned as an exposé of church practices which Law and his associates opposed.[1]

On May 15, the Signal reported Law had preached to an audience of 300, while other speakers included Francis Higbee and James Blakesley. On May 18, the church excommunicated Francis M. Higbee, Blakesley, Charles Ivins, and Austin Cowles for apostasy.[70][71]

### Criminal indictment of Joseph Smith

[edit]

After Joseph Smith's proposal to his wife Jane, William Law revealed Smith's polygamy and Smith was indicted for 'fornication and adultery'. Law then became one of the publishers of the Expositor.

On May 23, a grand jury from the Hancock County Circuit Court issued a criminal indictment against Smith on the charges of perjury based on the statements of Joseph Jackson and Robert Foster. A second indictment, for "fornication and adultery", was issued based on the statements of William and Wilson Law who swore Smith had been living with Maria Lawrence "in an open state of adultery" since the prior October 12.[72]

On May 26, Smith again denied polygamy, preaching: "What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one. I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago; and I can prove them all perjurers."[73][44] On May 29, 1844, the church's high council ordered the publication of testimony and affidavits which purported to be accounts of Chauncey Higbee's trial before the high council two years earlier.[48] According to the documents, Chauncey Higbee had been accused of "adulterous sins" and tried on May 24, 1842. Included were statements from women claiming he had committed adultery by telling them that Joseph Smith secretly preached the practice of polygamy. In response, Chauncey Higbee was excommunicated from the church.[when?]

## Contents

[edit]

English Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Nauvoo Expositor

The only issue of the Nauvoo Expositor, dated June 7, 1844, was a four-page publication. In addition to more mundane content such as poetry and marriage announcements, it contained a statement from the "Seceders from the Church at Nauvoo" and sworn statements from multiple individuals attesting to the teaching of "the plurality of wives".[74]

### Prospectus from publishers

[edit]

Lead type from Nauvoo Expositor that was dumped onto Mulholland Street in Nauvoo

In their prospectus, the publishers advocate for major reforms including the repeal of the Nauvoo City Charter. They vow to "decry moral imperfections" wherever found, "whether in the Plebeian, Patrician, or self-constituted monarch".[74]

### Statement from seceders

[edit]

The preamble establishes that despite the schism, the authors maintain their belief in "the religion of the Latter Day Saints, as originally taught by Joseph Smith".[74]

The statement discusses the schism, attributed to "many items of doctrine, as now taught, some of which, however, are taught secretly, and denied openly" which they declare "heretical and damnable". They cite the practice of plural marriage, accusing Smith and other church leaders of using their ecclesiastical position to coerce recently arrived female converts into becoming Smith's "spiritual wi[ves]". They also cite the "false doctrine of many Gods", saying "[i]t is contended that there are innumerable Gods as much above the God that presides over this universe, as he is above us; and if he varies from the law unto which he is subjected, he, with all his creatures, will be cast down as was Lucifer". The statement criticizes the process behind the recent excommunication, writing "Smith has established an inquisition"—a process they "contend is contrary to the book of Doctrine and Covenants, for our law condemnest no man until he is heard".[74]

The statement suggests that their struggle will be on-going, writing: "We most solemnly and sincerely declare that the sword of truth shall not depart from the thigh, nor the buckler from the arm, until we can enjoy those glorious privileges which nature's God and our country's laws have guarantied to us—freedom of speech, the liberty of the press, and the right to worship God as seemeth us good." The authors resolve not to "acknowledge any man as king or law-giver to the church" and vow to oppose "every attempt to unite church and state". They accuse Smith and other church officials of introducing "false and damnable doctrines into the Church, such as a plurality of Gods above the God of this universe, and his liability to fall with all his creations; the plurality of wives, for time and eternity, the doctrine of unconditional sealing up to eternal life, against all crimes except that of shedding innocent blood".[74]

### Affidavits

[edit]

The Expositor contained affidavits alleging the teaching of a revelation from Smith which "authorized certain men to have more wives than one at a time". Statements were made by William Law, his wife Jane, and Austin Cowles.[74]

## Reception and destruction

[edit]

Destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor

Joseph Smith issued dual orders to destroy the Expositor. One order (left) to the Nauvoo Legion was sent in his capacity as Lt. General of the Legion, while a second order (right) was sent to the town marshall in his capacity of Nauvoo Mayor.

Date| June 10, 1844
Location|

Nauvoo

Parties

City Council[75][better source needed]

* Joseph Smith (Mayor-General)
* Hyrum Smith
* Benjamin Warrington
* Samuel C. Bennett
* Elias Smith
* John Taylor
* Jonhnson
* Hunter
* Sylvester Emmons

Publishers[76]

* William Law
* Wilson Law
* Charles Ivins
* Francis M. Higbee
* Chauncey L. Higbee
* Robert Foster
* Charles Foster

|

Lead figures

John P. Greene (Marshall)

Sylvester Emmons (Editor)

Casualties
Charged| Joseph Smith, Samuel Bennett, John Taylor, William W. Phelps, Hyrum Smith, John P. Greene, Stephen Perry, Dimick B. Huntington, Jonathan Dunham, Stephen Markham, William Edwards, Jonathan Holmes, Jesse P. Harmon, John Lytle, Joseph W. Coolidge, Harvey D. Redfield, Porter Rockwell, and Levi Richards.

Smith called a meeting of the City Council, where "he proceeded to put the Expositor and its editors on trial, as if that body was of a judicial instead of a legislative character." The trial "lasted all of Saturday, June 8, and a part of Monday, June 10".[77][4]

After the city council declared the Expositor a public nuisance, Smith issued two orders for the Expositor's destruction.[2][better source needed] City Marshall John P. Greene, accompanied by a hundred-man posse, carried out the destruction.[78]

## Aftermath of the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor

[edit]

Seeking relief from the state courts, Francis M. Higbee, one of the Expositors publishers, gave a sworn statement about the events of June 10\. Non-Mormons in Hancock County were infuriated when they heard of the news of the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor, believing that it was an example of Mormon disregard for their laws. Many of them, including the neighboring newspapers Quincy Whig and Warsaw Signal, called for the arrest of the Mormon leaders.[79]: 15 On June 12, the Hancock County Justice of the Peace issued a warrant for the arrest of Smith and 17 other named individuals under the jurisdiction of the Hancock County Court.[80][better source needed]

### First arrest attempt

[edit]

See also: Joseph Smith and the criminal justice system

Constable David Bettisworth was tasked with arresting Smith and conveying him to the Hancock County Court. On June 12, Bettisworth served Smith with the warrant. Rather than return with Bettisworth to the Hancock County Court, Smith instead petitioned the Municipal Court of Nauvoo to dismiss the charges.[81][82]

On June 12, a hearing was held in the Municipal Court of Nauvoo.[83][84] The Court dismissed the charges against Smith. The following day, Smith presided over the Municipal Court of Nauvoo when it dismissed the charges against the others named in the Hancock County Court warrant.[85][84] Unable to compel Smith to return, Bettisworth left Nauvoo without Smith or any of the others named in the arrest warrant.[82] On June 13, citizens of Hancock County gathered in the county seat for a mass-meeting in response to the destruction of the Expositor. The meeting resolved to seek help from the Governor, writing:[86][87]

> And WHEREAS, Hiram Smith did in presence of the City Council, and the citizens of Nauvoo, offer a reward for the destruction of the printing press and materials of the Warsaw Signal, -- a newspaper also opposed to his interest. ... And.. WHEREAS, Hiram Smith has within the last week publicly threatened the life of one of our valued citizens -- Thos. C. Sharp, the editor of the Signal...

> Whereas said Smith and others refuse to obey the mandate of said writ; and whereas in the opinion of this meeting, it is impossible for said officer so raise a posse of sufficient strength to execute said writ; ... it is the opinion of this meeting that the circumstances of the case require the interposition of executive power. Therefore,
>  Resolved, that a deputation of two discreet men be sent to Springfield to solicit such interposition.

On June 14, the Signal published reports that Hyrum Smith had called the Signal press also libelous and issued a reward for its destruction.[88][better source needed] The following day, the Warsaw Signal published the resolutions, editorializing that "[r]epeated attempts have been made to arrest Smith, but he has been uniformly screened from the officers of Justice, by the aid of the Municipal Court [of Nauvoo], which is the tool and echo of himself."[86][89]

On June 14, Smith defended the destruction of the Expositor to Governor Thomas Ford, writing:

> In the investigation it appeared evident to the council that the proprietors were a set of unprincipled men, lawless, debouchees, counterfeiters, Bogus Makers, gamblers, peace disturbers, and that the grand object of said proprietors was to destroy our constitutional rights and chartered privileges; to overthrow all good and wholesome regulations in society; to strengthen themselves against the municipality; to fortify themselves against the church of which I am a member, and destroy all our religious rights and privileges, by libels, slanders, falsehoods, perjury & sticking at no corruption to accomplish their hellish purposes. and that said paper of itself was libelous of the deepest dye, and very injurious as a vehicle of defamation,—tending to corrupt the morals, and disturb the peace, tranquillity and happiness of the whole community, and especially that of Nauvoo.[90]

### Martial law in Nauvoo

[edit]

Lt. General Joseph Smith's last public address was to the Nauvoo Legion.

Smith declared martial law on June 18[6] and called out the Nauvoo Legion, an organized city militia of about 5,000 men.[6][91] On June 20, the Warsaw Signal reported that recent travelers had been told they could not leave the city without a pass.[92][better source needed]

On June 21, Governor Ford arrived at the Hancock County seat in Carthage. On June 21, Joseph H. Jackson swore two affidavits about recent events in Nauvoo.[93][94] On June 22, Ford wrote to the mayor and city council of Nauvoo:

> I now express to you my opinion that your conduct in the destruction of the press was a very gross outrage upon the laws and the liberties of the people. It may have been full of libels, but this did not authorize you to destroy it.
>  There are many newspapers in this state which have been wrongfully abusing me for more than a year, and yet such is my regard for the liberty of the press and the rights of a free people in a republican government that I would shed the last drop of my blood to protect those presses from any illegal violence.
>  ...
>  The owners of the press obtained ... a warrant against the authors of this destruction for a riot;
>  ...
>  They [the Defendants] have ever since refused to be arrested or to submit to a trial at any other place or before any other court, except in the city and before the Municipal Court [of Nauvoo].

Smith fled the jurisdiction to avoid arrest, crossing the Mississippi River into Iowa. On June 23, a posse under the command of the governor entered Nauvoo to execute an arrest warrant, but they were unable to locate Smith.[95]

### Surrender and killing of the Smiths

[edit]

Main article: Killing of Joseph Smith

On June 25, 1844, Joseph and Hyrum Smith, along with the other fifteen co-defendants, surrendered to Bettisworth on the original charge of inciting a riot. An arraignment was held on the rioting charge and Justice Robert F. Smith granted bail of $500 for each of the defendants.[96][4]

After the defendants were granted bail on the riot charge, Justice R. F. Smith heard testimony from Augustine Spencer and issued a writ for the arrest of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on the charge of treason against Illinois. The Smiths were placed under arrest and transported to Carthage Jail.[96]

Early on June 27, Smith authored an order to Nauvoo Legion commander Jonathan Dunham instructing him to bring the Legion to Carthage and stage a jailbreak.[97] Smith and the other prisoners were guarded only by six members of the Carthage Grays, led by Sgt. Frank Worrell.[98][99][100][101]

A division of militia began marching away from Carthage, but soon received orders to disband.[102] Learning that the Governor had dismissed the troops, a group from Warsaw set out to Carthage to see the Governor. En route, a messenger informed the group that the Governor had gone to Nauvoo and "there is nobody in Carthage [that] you can [depend on]".[103][104] When the group approached the building, jailers became alarmed, but Smith, mistaking the mob for the Nauvoo Legion, told a jailer: "Don't trouble yourself ... they've come to rescue me."[7] The mob attacked the jail and killed both Joseph and Hyrum Smith; John Taylor was wounded in the attack.

### Succession

[edit]

Main article: Succession crisis (Latter Day Saints)

Sometime between June 23 and June 27, 1844, Smith reportedly stated that "if he and Hyrum were taken away, Samuel H. Smith would be his successor".[105][better source needed] In a meeting on July 10, 1844, Samuel H. Smith reminded the group that he was Joseph's designee as president if both Joseph and Hyrum had died.[106] Samuel died on July 30; Smith's brother, William, later stated that he had good reason to believe that Smith was poisoned by Hosea Stout on orders from Brigham Young and Willard Richards.[106][107][108][109] Hosea Stout was suspected in part because, as reported by Smith's wife, Stout had been administering a white powder to Smith daily as treatment for his illness.[106] Smith's sole remaining brother, William Smith, later argued Samuel had been poisoned.[106] On October 6, 1845, William Smith was removed from the offices of apostle and patriarch, and was disfellowshipped. He was excommunicated on October 19.[110][111][112]

### Murder trial

[edit]

Main article: Killing of Joseph Smith § Responsibility and trial

Five individuals were indicted for Smith's death: Thomas C. Sharp, publisher of the Warsaw Signal; Levi Williams, commander of 59th Regiment of the Illinois militia; Mark Aldrich, commander of the Warsaw Independent Battalion; William N. Grover, captain of the Warsaw Rifle Company; and Jacob C. Davis, commander of the Warsaw Cadets. All were acquitted.

### Repeal of Nauvoo Charter and Exodus

[edit]

At the next session of the Illinois state legislature the following December, the Nauvoo Charter was repealed by a vote of 25–14 in the Senate and 75–31 in the House. This disincorporated the City of Nauvoo and dissolved its municipal institutions.[113] Nauvoo municipal assets were court-ordered to be placed in receivership.[114]

The winter of 1845–46 saw the enormous preparations for the Mormon Exodus via the Mormon Trail. In early 1846, the majority of the Latter Day Saints left the city.

## Mormon views

[edit]

This article may relate to a different subject or has undue weight on an aspect of the subject. Please help relocate relevant information and remove irrelevant content. (August 2024)

|

Mormon leader and former Utah Supreme Court Judge Dallin Harris Oaks, a descendant of Book of Mormon witness Martin Harris

While most scholars agree that the destruction of the press was illegal, some Mormons have defended the destruction of the Expositor by Smith and the council, while other Mormons view the destruction as illegal.[115]

In her 1945 biography of Smith, No Man Knows My History, dissident Mormon historian Fawn Brodie described the destruction of the press as a "violation of the holy Constitution", opining that "It was a greater breach of political and legal discipline than the anti-Mormons could have hoped for."[116][117] The following year, Brodie was excommunicated.

In 1963, Dallin H. Oaks, after serving as stake mission president in Chicago, was called as Second Counselor in the Stake Presidency.[118][119] In 1965, Oaks, then a law professor at the University of Chicago Law School, published an article in the Utah Law Review in which he argued that while the destruction of the Expositor's printing press was legally questionable, under the law of the time the newspaper could have been declared libelous and therefore a public nuisance by the Nauvoo City Council. Oaks concludes it would have been legally permissible under the common law of the time for city officials to destroy, or "abate", the actual printed newspapers. However, he notes that there "was no legal justification in 1844 for the destruction of the Expositor press as a nuisance" and that its owners could have sued for damages;[120] Oaks was president of Brigham Young University until 1980, when he was appointed to the Utah Supreme Court.[121] In 1984, he resigned from the Court to be "called" to high levels of LDS Church leadership, as a member of both the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and, later, First Presidency. The official church website cites the opinion of Oaks, asserting that "The Nauvoo City Council had reason to believe their actions were legal."[122]

Other Mormon legal scholars, such as Edwin Firmage and R. Collin Mangrum, similarly concluded that "Whether or not the suppression of the Expositor was justified, such action may have exceeded the council's authority."[123]

Grant H. Palmer was a Mormon historian who authored the 2002 book An Insider's View of Mormon Origins; he was disfellowshipped two years later. After resigning in 2010, Palmer published an article on William Law in which he opined that Law was "the most credible and important person to have ever left the First Presidency".[124] Palmer argues that William and Jane Law opposed Joseph Smith because he ordered the death of his enemies, married other men's wives, and sought to establish a kingdom within the United States.[124]

## Timeline

[edit]

1843

* July 12 - Joseph Smith dictates revelation on Polygamy
* August 12 - Hyrum Smith reads Polygamy revelation
* September 12 - Austin Cowles resigns from High Council

1844

* January 8 - William Law removed from First Presidency
* March 24 - Smith publicly accuses dissenters (C. Higbee, R. Foster, Jackson and Laws) of conspiring to murder him and family
* April 18 - Laws and R. Foster excommunicated
* April 28 - New church organized
* May 7 - Print shop set up
* May 23 - Smith indicted by Hancock grand jury for perjury, 'fornication and adultery'
* June 1 - Jackson expose published in Warsaw Signal
* June 7 - Expositor published
* June 10 - Expositor destroyed
* June 12 - Arrest warrants issued for Smith and 17 others; Smith apprehended but released by Municipal court
* June 13 - Mass meeting of Hancock county citizens
* June 18 - Smith declares martial law
* June 23 - Gov. Ford and state militia enter Nauvoo
* June 25 - Smith and defendants surrender
* June 27:
* Ford departs Carthage [when?]
* Joseph authors order to Nauvoo Legion calling for jailbreak [when?]
* Davis contingent receives order to disband[when?]
* Joseph and Hyrum Smith killed by lynch mob[when?]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Polygamy, Persecution And Power", The Salt Lake Tribune, June 16, 1996, paragraph 16, 17
2. ^ a b Linder, Douglas O. "'Better to Smash Than to Live': The Order to Destroy the Nauvoo Expositor". Famous Trials. University of Missouri - Kansas City. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
3. ^ History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints volume VI (1912), pp. 430-432. The council met on June 8 and June 10 to discuss the matter.
4. ^ a b c d e f Brodie, Fawn M. (1963). No Man Knows My History. Knopf. p. 129\. "A mob had stormed into Independence, burned the printing house, smashed the press, carried off the newly printed collections of revelations, tarred and feathered Bishop Partridge, and ordered the whole colony to leave the county."
5. ^ History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints volume VI (1912), p. 432: "The Council passed an ordinance declaring the Nauvoo Expositor a nuisance, and also issued an order to me to abate the said nuisance. I immediately ordered the Marshall to destroy it without delay." – Joseph Smith
6. ^ a b c Firmage, Edwin Brown; Mangrum, Richard Collin (2001). Zion in the courts. University of Illinois: University of Illinois Press. pp. 114 & 115 of 430 pages. ISBN 0-252-06980-3.
7. ^ a b Dr. Quinn, D. Michael (1992). "On Being a Mormon Historian (And Its Aftermath)". In Smith, George D. (ed.). Faithful History: Essays on Writing Mormon History. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. p. 141\. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
8. ^ Taysom, Stephen C. (2010). "Imagination and Reality in the Mormon Zion". Shakers, Mormons, and Religious Worlds: Conflicting Visions, Contested Boundaries. Religion in North America. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 61\. ISBN 978-0-253-35540-9. LCCN 2010012634.
9. ^ "Uncle Dale's Old Mormon Articles: Missouri, 1831–1837".[full citation needed]
10. ^ Bushman, p. 412
11. ^ Jessee, Dean C., editor The Papers of Joseph Smith Vol. 2, p. 565.
12. ^ McCune, George M. (1991). Personalities in the Doctrine and Covenants and Joseph Smith–History. Salt Lake City, Utah: Hawkes Publishing. p. 71\. ISBN 9780890365182.
13. ^ "Higbee, Francis Marion - Details". josephsmithpapers.org. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
14. ^ Bennett, J.C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joseph Smith and Mormonism. Lulu.com. p. 288\. ISBN 9781435751835. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
15. ^ "Mormon Church History: Mormon History, Jan 15, 1844". mormon-church-history.blogspot.com. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
16. ^ "Higbee, Chauncey Lawson - Details". Josephsmithpapers.org. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
17. ^ Jenson, A. Historical Record 6 [May 1887]: 233–34.
18. ^ Hales, Brian C. (February 26, 2013). "Joseph Smith's Polygamy, Volume 1: History".
19. ^ Bushman p. 323: "There is evidence that Joseph was a polygamist by 1835."
20. ^ Brodie 1971, p. 184 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFBrodie1971 (help)
21. ^ Tanner 1987, p. 91 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFTanner1987 (help)
22. ^ Foster 1981 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFFoster1981 (help)
23. ^ Marquardt 1999 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFMarquardt1999 (help)
24. ^ Tanner 1987 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFTanner1987 (help)
25. ^ Ezra Booth, letter dated December 6, 1831, Ohio Star (Ravenna, OH), December 8, 1831. Text at Saints Without Halos, archived from the original on June 7th, 2011. Reprinted in Howe 1834 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFHowe1834 (help).
26. ^ Bushman, p.179
27. ^ Bushman 2005, p. 324–25. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBushman2005 (help)
28. ^ Cowdery also expressed his concerns of Smith's relationship with Alger, a teenage maid living with the Smiths in Kirtland in a January 1838 letter to his brother Warren:

> "[We] had some conversation in which in every instance I did not fail to affirm that which I had said was strictly true. A dirty, nasty, filthy affair of his and Fanny Alger's was talked over in which I strictly declared that I had never deserted from the truth in the matter, and as I supposed was admitted by himself."

29. ^ Newell, Linda King (1994), Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith (2d ed.), University of Illinois Press, pp. 111–113, ISBN 978-0-252-06291-9
30. ^ "Affidavits and Certificates, Disproving the Statements and Affidavits Contained in John C. Bennett's Letters".
31. ^ "Mormon church admits founder Joseph Smith had about 40 wives". Reuters. November 12, 2014.
32. ^ "Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo".
33. ^ Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo quote: "Fragmentary evidence suggests that Joseph Smith acted on the angel’s first command by marrying a plural wife, Fanny Alger, in Kirtland, Ohio, in the mid-1830s. Several Latter-day Saints who had lived in Kirtland reported decades later that Joseph Smith had married Alger, who lived and worked in the Smith household, after he had obtained her consent and that of her parents. Little is known about this marriage."
34. ^ https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V29N02_21.pdf[page needed]
35. ^ Hales, Brian C. (February 26, 2013). "Joseph Smith's Polygamy, Volume 2: History".
36. ^ William Clayton journal:"Wednesday 12th This A.M, I wrote a Revelation consisting of 10 pages on the order of the priesthood, showing the designs in Moses, Abraham, David and Solomon having many wives & concubines &c. After it was wrote Prests. Joseph & Hyrum presented it and read it to [Emma] who said she did not believe a word of it and appeared very rebellious. [Joseph]...appears much troubled about [Emma.]"
37. ^ Smith 1995, pp. 94–101 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFSmith1995 (help)
38. ^ Brodie (1971, pp. 340–341) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFBrodie1971 (help); Hill (1989, p. 119) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFHill1989 (help); Bushman (2005, pp. 495–496) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFBushman2005 (help); Ulrich (2017, pp. 92–93) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFUlrich2017 (help); Park (2020, pp. 152–154) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFPark2020 (help)
39. ^ "Mormon Church History". Retrieved January 3, 2014.
40. ^ Hales, Brian C.; Hales, Laura Harris (2015). Joseph Smith's Polygamy: Toward a Better Understanding. Greg Kofford Books. ISBN 978-1-58958-723-6.
41. ^ Hales, Brian C. (February 26, 2013). "Joseph Smith's Polygamy, Volume 2: History".
42. ^ a b Brodie, p.369
43. ^ Young, Ann Eliza (1875). Wife no. 19. Hartford, Connecticut: Dustin, Gilman & Co. p. 61.
44. ^ a b Van Wagoner, Richard S. (1989). Mormon Polygamy: A History. Signature Books. ISBN 978-0-941214-79-7.
45. ^ Bushman, p. 527
46. ^ a b c d e Brodie, p.371
47. ^ Park (2020, pp. 195–196) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFPark2020 (help)
48. ^ a b "Nauvoo Neighbor" (PDF). Boap.org. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
49. ^ Bushman, p. 530
50. ^ a b Bushman p.531
51. ^ "24 March 1844 (Sunday). At Temple Stand | Religious Studies Center".
52. ^ Expositor
53. ^ Cook, Lyndon W. (1994). William Law: Biographical Essay, Nauvoo Diary, Correspondence, Interview. Grandin Book Company. p. 18\. ISBN 978-0-910523-01-1. "William Law requested his case be heard at the April 1844 general conference but was denied because of the explosive nature of things at Nauvoo resulting from the mounting opposition of the dissenters."
54. ^ Bushman p.533-4
55. ^ a b c d Bushman p.537
56. ^ Bushman, p.531
57. ^ John Taylor (1843). Nauvoo Neighbor, 1843–1845.
58. ^ Cook, Lyndon W. "William Law, Nauvoo Dissenter". (10.2 MB) BYU Studies. Winter, 1982. Vol. 22, no. 1, p. 47-72.
59. ^ "Foster, Robert D. – Biography". The Joseph Smith Papers. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
60. ^ Black, Susan Easton. "Robert D. Foster". Doctrine and Covenants Central. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
61. ^ Doctrine and Covenants 124:115.
62. ^ McCune, George M. (1991). Personalities in the Doctrine and Covenants and Joseph Smith–History. Salt Lake City, Utah: Hawkes Publishing. p. 40\. ISBN 9780890365182.
63. ^ Hales, Brian C. (February 26, 2013). "Joseph Smith's Polygamy, Volume 2: History".
64. ^ "Joseph Smith Fought Polygamy, Vision Articles -- the Conspirators Organized a New Church at Nauvoo". Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
65. ^ Nauvoo Expositor
66. ^ Bruno, Cheryl L.; Dinger, John S. (June 11, 2024). "Come up Hither to Zion: William Marks and the Mormon Concept of Gathering".
67. ^ "Uncle Dale's Old Mormon Articles: Warsaw Signal (1844: Jan.-June)".
68. ^ "21: The Destruction of the "Nauvoo Expositor"—Proceedings of the Nauvoo City Council and Mayor". History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
69. ^ Launius, Roger D.; Hallwas, John E. (1996). Kingdom on the Mississippi Revisited: Nauvoo in Mormon History. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-06494-4.
70. ^ "19: Charges against President Smith before the Circuit Court—His Voluntary Appearances at Court—Treatment—Return to Nauvoo". History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
71. ^ Wicks, Robert; Foister, Fred R. (2005). Junius And Joseph: Presidential Politics and the Assassination of the First Mormon Prophet. Utah State University Press. ISBN 0874216087.[page needed]
72. ^ Bushman p.538
73. ^ History of the Church, vol 6, p. 411
74. ^ a b c d e f "Full text of Nauvoo Expositor".
75. ^ "June 8–10 Meeting of the Nauvoo City Council Concerning the Nauvoo Expositor". Retrieved January 3, 2014.
76. ^ Roberts, B. H. (May 15, 2018). The Rise and Fall of Nauvoo. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-7326-7258-5.
77. ^ Linn, William. "William Alexander Linn: The Story of the Mormons". Chapter 12. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
78. ^ Newell, Coke; Newell, Clayton (May 4, 2001). Latter Days: An Insider's Guide to Mormonism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-28043-7.
79. ^ Oaks, Dallin H; Hill, Marvin S (1979). Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-00762-0.
80. ^ "Warrant for the Arrest of Joseph Smith and Others for the Destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor (June 12, 1844)". Retrieved January 3, 2014.
81. ^ "Hearing on the Expositor Affair (June 12, 1844) Habeas Corpus Action Brought in Nauvoo Municipal Court by Joseph Smith". Retrieved January 3, 2014.
82. ^ a b Oaks, Dallin H.; Hill, Marvin S. (May 1979). Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-00762-0.
83. ^ "Hearing on the Nauvoo Expositor Affair in Auvoo Municipal Court".
84. ^ a b Firmage, Edwin Brown; Mangrum, Richard Collin (2001). Zion in the Courts: A Legal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-06980-2.
85. ^ "President Smith Arrested for Riot in Relation to "Expositor" Affair—Habeas Corpus Proceedings before Municipal Court—A Call from Arkansas—The Prophets's Dreams—Mass Meeting at Warsaw—Letters to Governor Ford on "Expositor" Affair". Chapter 22. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
86. ^ a b "The Warsaw Signal". Retrieved January 3, 2014.
87. ^ Anderson, Nels (1966). Desert Saints: The Mormon Frontier in Utah. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-01782-2.
88. ^ "Minutes, 10 June 1844, Page 20". Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
89. ^ Hallwas, John; Launius, Roger (April 1995). Cultures in Conflict: A Documentary History of the Mormon War in Illinois. Utah State University Press. ISBN 978-0-87421-186-3.
90. ^ Letter from Joseph Smith to Thomas Ford (14 June 1844)
91. ^ "Military Service Records of LDS Men". Genealogy Gateway. 1995. Retrieved June 15, 2009. Paragraph 6.
92. ^ Signal, June 20, 1844
93. ^ "Affidavit from Joseph H. Jackson, 21 June 1844–A". Archived from the original on December 11, 2023.
94. ^ "Affidavit from Joseph H. Jackson, 21 June 1844–B". Archived from the original on May 21, 2024.
95. ^ Kappler, Kathryn J. (January 29, 2015). My Own Pioneers 1830-1918: Volume I, Pioneering the Borders: The New Saints 1830-1847. Outskirts Press. ISBN 978-1-4787-3700-1.
96. ^ a b "Arrest of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on a Charge of Treason—False Imprisonment—Elder Taylor's Protest—False Imprisonment". Chapter 30. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
97. ^ Brodie, p.392
98. ^ Worrell would later by shot and killed by Porter Rockwell in September 1945.
99. ^ Schindler, Benita N. Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God Son of Thunder (p. 66, 133). University of Utah Press. 1993
100. ^ Bennett, R. E., Black, S. E., & Cannon, D. Q. (2010). The Nauvoo Legion in Illinois: A history of the Mormon Militia, 1841-1846. Arthur H. Clark Co./University of Oklahoma Press. pgs 106, 204-208, 247
101. ^ Prince, Stephen L. Hosea Stout: Lawman, Legislator, Mormon Defender. Utah State University Press. 2016 pp. 90-110
102. ^ Testimony of Benjamin Brackenbury, 26 May 1845
103. ^ "Account of Trial, 24–28 May 1845–A [State of Illinois v. Williams et al.]". Archived from the original on August 28, 2024.
104. ^ "Now is the time to rush on, the Governor is gone to Nauvoo and there is nobody in Carthage but what you can put dependence in", per Carthage Conspiracy p.152
105. ^ Smith, An Intimate Chronicle, p. 138; William Clayton Diary, typescript, 12 July 1844, original in First Presidency's Archives
106. ^ a b c d Anderson, p. 750 n. 122.
107. ^ Jon Krakauer (2003). Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith (New York: Doubleday) p. 194.
108. ^ D. Michael Quinn (1994). The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books) pp. 152–153.
109. ^ William Smith, "Mormonism: A Letter from William Smith, Brother of Joseph the Prophet", New-York Daily Tribune, 1857-05-28.
110. ^ B. H. Roberts (ed.), History of the Church 7:457–59.
111. ^ Hosea Stout journal, October 6, 1845.
112. ^ B. H. Roberts (ed.), History of the Church 7:483.
113. ^ Flanders, Robert B. (1965). Nauvoo : Kingdom on Mississippi. University of Illinois Press. p. 324. ISBN 978-0252005619.
114. ^ "Title Page".
115. ^ Gordon, Sarah Barringer (September 2015). "Mormons and the Law". In Barlow, Philip L.; Givens, Terryl L. (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Mormonism. Oxford University Press. p. 595.
116. ^ Brodie, Fawn M. (August 1, 1995). No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 377\. ISBN 978-0-679-73054-5.
117. ^ Wolverton, Susan Stansfield (2004). Having Visions: The Book of Mormon Translated and Exposed in Plain English. Algora. p. 48\. ISBN 978-0-87586-310-8. "In a critical biography of Joseph Smith that challenged the truth of The Book of Mormon, entitled No Man Knows My History, Mormon historian Fawn Brodie wrote..."
118. ^ "A look at President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency". Deseret News. December 21, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
119. ^ In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks" p.106
120. ^ Oaks, Dallin (Winter 1965). "The Suppression of the Nauvoo Expositor". Utah Law Review. 9 (4): 862–903. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
121. ^ Bergera, Gary James; Priddis, Ronald (1985). Brigham Young University: A House of Faith. Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books. ISBN 0941214346.
122. ^ "Nauvoo Expositor". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
123. ^ Firmage, Edwin Brown; Mangrum, Richard Collin (2001). Zion in the Courts: A Legal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1830-1900. University of Illinois Press. pp. 109–113.
124. ^ a b Palmer, Grant H. (Fall–Winter 2012). "Why William and Jane Law Left the LDS Church in 1844" (PDF). John Whitmer Historical Association Journal. 32 (2): 43–51\. JSTOR 43201313. Archived from the original on March 11, 2013.

## External links

[edit]

* Latter Day Saint movement portal

English Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Nauvoo Expositor

* Nauvoo Expositor (wikisource)
* Nauvoo Expositor: facsimile of the Expositor, with original columns and formatting
* 1840 Nauvoo Charter (wikisource)
* Illinois Constitution of 1818 (wikisource)
* Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints article on the Nauvoo Expositor