| Show 3 OF JOSEPH AND SMITH tim TIIE following narrative of the murder in cold coid blood of the prophet joseph smith and his brother flyr hyrum tim and the severe wounding T of president john taylor while they were under the pledged protection of the state of illinois through governor ford is so far as it goes pretty nearly correct being in tile tiie main in unison with wl ith the accounts of the affair already published being the narrative of an eyewitness to the incidents detailed it will be read with interest editor deseret news A business man now a resident of tucson who was raised in the vicinity of nauvoo ill III today to day gave me mb the details ot the assassination of joseph and hyrum smith at the carthage jail he having been an eyewitness eye witness to the murder it may be an inte interesting scrap of history to your community he states that after the surrender of the smiths the governor stated that he was going to show the mormons cormons at nauvoo he was not afraid of them ile he ordered out the of militia stationed there and went with them to nauvoo during his ids absence ayin formant who wasa was mere boy at the time and employed To carry dispatches arrived with a dispatch for the governor not finding him there he tied his horse down at the jail which which was a twos two s story tor one n he lle then sauntered around town town returning to tile the jail about 5 as near as he can remember when within a few feir feet of the jail he heard shooting and yelling yellin 11 the first thing he saw was wag a manai man who played a fife in one of the companies with his face painted black standing in the lower door with a gun the th next instant joseph smith flung his leg out of the upper window windows grasping gr aspin 1 the casing and swung his body out preparatory to jumping when a bullet from the inside struck him in the leg and he let go and fell to the ground grounds a distance of 12 feet striking on his head and shoulders ile he had raised himself on oll one arm half dazed when three men rushed out of the jail and putting utting their guns to his body fired yio ylo so close were they that the smoke from the guns was blown clear through his body they then turned to my informant and asked him if that was joe smith he answered yes they then asked him if he knew it was and h he L acain answered yes and that he had bad h ad seen men ken smith a hundred times I 1 lian llan aan zan instant the assassins disappeared Mr m every direction my informant states that he then went up stairs and found hyrum smith dead soaked in blood lying upon the floor with a bullet hole through his body and another man nan r who he e thinks was john taylor either shot through the leg or side he does docs not remember which welch president taylor received three bullets in his body and another struck lils his watch and was thus prevented from penetrating penetration ratin him E D N ile he states the murderers were disguised iby having their faces painted black rack after viewing hyrum smiths body he went down stairs and on the street and found everybody in a perfect panic they were running for the cornfields and hiding in every conceivable place declaring that the mormons cormons would murder the whole town as soon as they heard of the killing of smith inside of ten minutes from the time of the murder he states the whole town yas was vas de populated getting scared himself he jumped upon his horse and sought safety iu in flight he states that two of the assassins he recognized as men belonging to a company stationed there abut but never ascertained their names the reputation my informant enjoys for fon being a reliable and truthful man places the statement beyond question respectfully yours F tucson arizona march |
