Show RESPONSE TO A IP A subscriber of the NEWS writ ins from Sp springdale ringdale utah sends toe the following please answer in your columns where can the statement of william M daniels be found outside of church works with regard to the young ruffian who attempted to sever the prophets head when he be fell from the window of the jail there is an article in the december alith 1895 number of the exeter ebeier times clipped from the chicago times b by B W richmond who claims to have been an eyewitness eye eve witness to the tragedy mr richmond went to the nauvoo house where joseph smith was pointed out to him quietly smoking a cigar this is brought as an argument against the word ot of wisdom here by one individual and if we can get some evidence to refute such irom from you it will be a benefit to our young the article in the main is very fair but like satan it seems he has told ninety nine truths in order to make the people believe one lie the letter states that the prophet was a banker kept a hotel and had nearly 1000 acres of land under cultivation at the time of his death it also savis that there was no violence offered his person after the body fell from the window in what year and what hat number of the DESERET NEWS WEEKLY will david chimers Wh imers imers last testimony bo be found also can it be found in any work other than church publications please answer the above and oblige the statement made by william daniel Dan lele which appears in a little work called the martyr was brat airet published in 10 pamphlet term form by mr daniels dimmed bim neli in illinois many years ago its ito chief statements were corroborated in a letter to an illinois paper by wm win web also referred to in the martyrs the probability to is that those these who took any interest in the daniels narrative and who were opposed to the church would prefer to have it tup suppressed pressed rather than otherwise hence there would be nothing unusual in its not being found outside of church publications except in the pamphlet we have referred to te we would have regarded it ati remarkable for any antagonistic paper to give it space apace bince it contains items that the illinois specially desired ah h uld out nut be disseminated among the public As to the B W richmond article referred to dr richmond has written about the martyrdom and the scenes which followed it if he was waa an eyewitness eye witness to mady of the latter but be was not an eye eyewitness to the tragedy in the times article he probo probably bli drew soma somewhat what on his imagination and also relied some on OD be information obtained from others other bu in the main h 9 toll the 09 1114 OR oaf in a fairway fair way As to his statement that no do violence was offered to the body of the prophet after death it Is ie not claimed in any church record that there waa ao AD attempt to sever the head bead of the he prophet was defeated but bat eyewitnesses eye witnesses to and participatory participators in the assassination claim that thai there was waa one act of violence offered prior to the defeated attempt referred to this was wab that a bayonet was wae run into the body the most recently published statement to this effect was made in the people peoris ill journal and reproduced in the MEWS a couple of weeks ago in that one who was with the mob says a bayonet was plunged into the body when it was being set met up against the well and it Is quite possible poe eible that such a wound was regarded in the excitement of the time as aa a bullet wound at AS soy any rate thi i i participant contra dicta dr richmond in that particular as others have done we know vowing further of it ir only that dr richmond WINS waa not at the assassination be ina summoned a regarding hla his assertion about seeing the prophet smoking a cigar if his hie eyewitness eye witness claim la is no better than that which we have just shown to be a mistake then it must be passed by as ae also alao merely a little trick of we the doctor to claim closer acquaintance with events event of that time than he be really bad then there here la Is another point against it cigars were not so easily obtained then sis a row the pipe was the he popular smokers implement since the doctor does doea not dot give the precise time ol of the incident he alleges allege or name any other witness his bis charge is not sufficiently to teke issue with any number or of witnesses familiar with brother joseph may say they never saw him do what to is alleged and do not believe he be ever did such a thing and yet the doctor could respond you errIt there at the time 0 suppose however that dr rich blob wood mood did see what he claims to have done at the nauvoo house what force can that have with a sensible person as aa an argument against the word of wisdom suppose the prophet joseph got angry sometimes and he did does doe that furnish an argument against the advantages of avoiding anger as an commanded in the divine word the prophet never claimed that he be was above all wrongdoing in fact be frankly admits that at times time he had done wrong though he be committed no error of a serious charter abter and was waa rebuked by the lord for it and repented and it if he performed the special not act referred to which we do not admit by any means sod and do not believe it does doea no not change the fact that the word of wisdom was given through him aa a prophet of god and that all scientific advance since ahat time silas has baa gone to show its absolute truth troth brother joseph had bad his tault faulty he be says himself and yet these were comparatively tew few be was an upright virtuous faithful solvent ot of god the greatest pro hot sent to earth by the lord jesus and has done more save gave jesus only for the salvation of men in this thia world than any other man that ever lived in it 0 to our correspondents s lost last inquiry we reply that david last testimony la in recorded ip in the WEEKLY NEWS of feb 8 1888 it can be found in other than church the NEWS obtained it from one such the richmond democrat Dimo D coo crat put jiabek at richmond ray bay couney coudie missouri where mr weltmer died it also appeared in ID other perhaps not many for not auti and publications are not much kiven to items strongly etron gly favorable to tee church for obvious reasons |