Praise to the Man!

June 27, 1844–175 years ago today, which also happened to be a Thursday–the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were brutally murdered by a faceless mob at Carthage Jail in Illinois. My great great grandfather, Gilbert Belnap, was in the entourage of trusted Church members that escorted Joseph Smith and others to Carthage. In Carthage, Gilbert witnessed at least a portion of the legal proceedings against Joseph Smith. On June 26, 1844, approximately ten men, including Gilbert, stayed in the downstairs room of the Carthage Jail all night (Gilbert reportedly slept on the floor), where they remained until two o’clock the next day, while Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, John Taylor, and Willard Richards were upstairs. At 2:00 in the afternoon of June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith came to the upstairs window of the Carthage Jail and admonished Gilbert and the other guards to return home for the sake of their own lives. He said, “Go home, brethren, you can do me no good.” Gilbert and the few remaining brethren in Carthage were expelled at bayonet point after Illinois State Governor Ford had left for Nauvoo. Governor Ford arrived in Nauvoo but without Joseph Smith, as promised. He stayed briefly in Nauvoo, then headed back to Carthage, on the way meeting George D. Grant bearing the news of the martyrdom. Grant was returned to Carthage by Governor Ford to give the Governor more distance between him and the people of Nauvoo. Some time after Governor Ford left Nauvoo, Gilbert and Orrin Porter Rockwell headed back to Carthage on horseback as scouts, concerned about the safety of Joseph Smith. On the road to Carthage they met Brother Grant as he was coming to relay to Nauvoo, now for the second time, the news of the martyrdom. Chasing Grant was a mob, firing to stop him. Gilbert and Porter Rockwell dismounted and took cover and waited for Brother Grant to pass before shooting back. The first man chasing Grant fell and the mob retreated. Gilbert and Porter Rockwell were apparently the first Latter-day Saints who had not been in Carthage at the time of the martyrdom to hear the tragic news. Gilbert witnessed the procession on June 28, 1844 bearing the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum Smith back to Nauvoo. Gilbert deeply loved the Prophet Joseph Smith. It was said that, for the rest of his life on each June 27th at the time of Joseph Smith’s martyrdom, Gilbert would mark the fateful hour in silent remembrance of Joseph Smith. (Gilbert’s mother-in-law, Martha McBride Knight Smith Kimball, requested a lock of Joseph Smith’s hair from the center of the back of the Prophet’s head. This lock of hair, which was placed in a gold locket, remains today in the possession of one of Gilbert’s descendants.) Praise to the Man who communed with Jehovah! Millions shall know “Brother Joseph” again! (Account and photo by Brent J. Belnap.)

Categorised in: History

This post was written by Brent J. Belnap