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
3.15— P.M. The guard have been more severe in their operations— threatening among themselves or telling what they would do when the war was over— one would sell his farm and move out of the state if Smith staid.—— sung. “poor way faring man of grief—” read from Josephus
4. o clock changed guard.—
4.15— Joseph commenced conversing with the guard about Law &c— & & — Convesd [conversed] some till 5–15:— 5–20— — returned from town and said was surrounded— by a mob & had gone to and suggested that they would be safer in the jail Joseph said after supper we will go in— went out.— and Joseph said to — If we go in the jail will you go in with us.— — answered— Bro Joseph you did not ask me to cross the with you— you did not ask me to come to .— you did not ask me to come to Jail with you— and do you think I would forsake you now.— But I will tell you what I will do— if you are condemnd to be hung for treason I will be hung. in your stead & you shall go freee. Joseph you cannot.— said I will.— before the jailor had come in his boy came in to bring some water [p. [36]]
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