Appendix 3: Willard Richards, Journal Excerpt, 23–27 June 1844
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Source Note
, Journal Excerpt, 23–27 June 1844; handwriting of ; nineteen pages; in Willard Richards, Journal, CHL. Portions of some entries were written in pencil before they were overwritten in ink.
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Historical Introduction
JS’s journal, kept by , ended with the entry of 22 June 1844, just before JS left , Illinois, in company with Richards, , and . Richards, who remained with JS until the moment of JS’s death on 27 June, evidently left JS’s journal in Nauvoo when the four men departed for , Illinois. Richards, however, recorded in his own journal many of the events of the last five days of JS’s life. These events include JS’s arrival on the bank in on the morning of 23 June and his trip to Carthage, during which JS and Hyrum gave themselves up to authorities on the charge of treason. Richards’s journal also recounts JS’s activities in Carthage during the days preceding his and Hyrum’s deaths. The material Richards recorded in his own journal during this time is in the same format and style as the record he had been keeping for JS. Richards’s hasty, terse notations and precise attention to details—illustrated by his practice of recording the specific times events occurred—indicate that he continuously carried his journal with him and recorded many of the events as he witnessed them, possibly with the intention of using the record to fill in JS’s journal at a later date. Richards’s journal entries for 23–27 June 1844 provide a contemporaneous firsthand account of JS’s activities during the last five days of his life, and they are reproduced here in full. Richards first inscribed portions of these entries in pencil and then rewrote them in ink. In a few cases, while overwriting, he skipped or altered the original penciled text. The transcription here reproduces the final ink version and does not capture the slight variations in the penciled text.
Footnotes
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1
For additional details on the events leading to the deaths of JS and Hyrum Smith, see Oaks and Hill, Carthage Conspiracy.
Oaks, Dallin H., and Marvin S. Hill. Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1975.
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1
Robinson P. M postmaster said on report of martial Law he had stoppd the mail.— & notified the Post officce gen of the state of things. from the general’s— quarters. went in front of the lines under a hollow square of a company of Greys— 7 befor 10 arrivd in front of the lines. and passed before the whole line— Joseph on the right of — & on his left.— & behind— & and J & was introduced by about 20 times along the line the walking in front on the left & returned to lodgings 5 past 12.—
10.30. [a.m.] news arrivd by woods that the grays had revolted— & were put under guard by— — and Gen Smith told all the brethrn to stay in doors in the two rooms
10 minutes 11 o clock. Quietness was restord among Greys.—
11.15 minutes news arrivd that the troops were near by.— of their own accord.—— and Mr Prentise called to see Joseph.— [p. [22]]
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