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Show THE CARTHAGE MASSACRE. Selected Carthage, Illinois, April tt, 1887. The remarkable vision at the execution of the Mormon Prophet, Pro-phet, Joseph Smith, which some people, still in the land of the living, liv-ing, claim to have witnessed at that, grim spectacle, is among the singular singu-lar "spook lore" of Hancock county, coun-ty, and is even recalled with terror forty-four years afterward. It is a matter of common history that Joseph Jos-eph Smith had gotten into serious trouble at Nauvoo with the civil authorities for having ordered a newspaper office called the Nauvoo . Expositor demolished. and the ype and presses thrown into in-to the river. For this act Smith, his brother Hyrum, Dr. Taylor, recent president of the Mormon Church at Salt Lake, and a Mr. Richards, all Mormon dignitaries, were arrested and brought to Carthage on June 26,1844. They were accotnpained by an armed posse under orders from Governor Ford, more for protection pro-tection to the prisoners than through any fear that t tey would escape. While crossing the then trackless prairies to Carthage, Smith suddenly drew rein and turning in his saddle, addressed his fellow-prisioncrs, fellow-prisioncrs, in substance as follows: "Brothers, I have had a vision, and I am sorely troubled. Governor Gover-nor Ford h is promised us due pro tection in the Carthage jail and a fair trial; but alas, we are doomed. An angel has told me that my days and Hyrum's are numbered. We 1 shall be murdered before sunset ! to-morr w. It is written. " j He then turned toward Nauvoo ! and gazed with earnest longing in that direction for several minutes. Then he exclaimed: "Zion, my love, my joy my people fare welll" ' The prisioners arrived in Carthage that day and were placed in the debtor's room of the old stone jail which now stands in good condition. On the nexi afternoon, June 17, 1844, about 4 o'clock, a mob of armed men, wearing hideous disguises, dis-guises, emerged from a strip of timber tim-ber near the jail and made a furious assault upon the guards, who fled in confusion. It was the work of but a few moments to send a shower of bullets into tht struggling bodies of I the prisioners. Smith defended himself nobly, but, finding bimseif appearance was the signal for a volley of bullets from determined men in the yard below. With a heavy groan the prophet fell to the earth a d expired. In the meantime mean-time th ! mob had fled and most of the inhabitants of the town, also. A fe remained and went to ti e jail dec are that as Smith's body 1. y torn and bleeding, on the ground, a most beautiful vision appeared, which cast a dai.ling light upon them, blinding their sight for a moment. Then, as they declare, the yision took a clearer form, it being that of an ai.gel arrayed in spotless white. In the hand she carried a flaming sword, while in the other swung a basket of incense, theoders of which filled the air with strangely sweet perfume. The angel approached the prostrate form of the prophet. Then the light became be-came more dazzling, when amidst a cloud of great glory and beauty,the vision disappeared. The bodies of the murdered Mormons Mor-mons were carred for by a citizen and taken the next day to Nauoo. Here they were received with great sorrow and lamentations by the striken people. Both bodies were secretly buried and their restine place is now unknow save to but one or two. At the trial or those supposed to have been connected with this murder, mur-der, at least one witness for the prosecution swore that a great light decended from heaven when tht attack waj made, The testimony had little weight, however, with the jury; who acquitted the dtfendents after a short consultation. There are a few persons living today to-day who claim to have been eye witnesses to this great tragedy. Some members of the old Carthagj Greys who were there guarding the jail, yet live, as do one or two who resided near the jail at the time. So great was th terror of the people, fearing vengeance at the hands of the Mormons, that few remained to "uuess me oeauniui vision wnicn as some of the faithful believe, came to bear away the spirit rf their pro phet to its new Zion, where trouble come'h not. Globe Democrat. |