The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-04 00:00:00

THE DEATH OF JOE SMITH, THE
MORMONITE LEADER.
(From the Naiwoo Neighbor.)
Possibly the following events occupied near three
minutes, but I think only about two, and have penned
them for the gratification of many friends.
CARTHAGE, JUNE 27, 1844.—A shower of musket
balls were thrown up the stairway against the door of
the prison in the second story, followed by many rapid
footsteps. While Generals Joseph and Hyrum Smith,
Mr. Taylor, and myself, who were in the front cham-
ber, closed the door of our room against the entry at
the head of the stairs, and placed ourselves against
it, there being no lock on the door and no
ketch that was useable. The door is a common panel,
and as soon as we heard the feet at the stairs head, a
ball was sent through the door, which passed between
us, and showed that our enemies were desperadoes,
and we must change our position. General Joseph
Smith, Mr. Taylor, and myself, sprang back to the
front part of the room, and General Hyrum Smith
retreated two-thirds across the chamber directly in
front of and facing the door. A ball was sent through
the door which hit Hyrutn on the side of his nose,
when he fell backwards extended at length without
moving his feet. From the holes in his vest (the day
was warm, and no one had their coats on but myself)
pantaloons, drawers, and shirt, it appears evident that
a ball must have been thrown from without, through
the window, which entered his back on the right side,
and passing through, lodged against his watch, which
was in his right vest pocket, completely pulverising
the crystal and face, tearing off the hands, and mash-
ing the whole body of the watch, at the same instant
the ball from the door entered his nose. As he
struck the floor he exclaimed emphatically, " I'm
a dead man." Joseph looked towards him, and
responded, " 0 dear ! Brother Hyrum!" and opening
the door two or three inches with his left hand, dis-
charged one barrel of a six shooter (pistol) at random
in the entry, from whence a ball grazed Hyrum's
breast, and entering his throat, passed into his head,
while other muskets were aimed at him, and some
balls hit him. Joseph continued snapping his re-
solver, round the casing of the door into the
space as before, three barrels of which missed
fire, while Mr. Taylor with a walking-
stick stood by his side and knocked down
the bayonets and muskets, which were con-
stantly dischargirig through the door-way, while
I stood by him ready to lend any assistance with
another stick, but could not come within striking
distance, without going directly before the muzzle of
the guns. When the revolver failed, we had no more
fire-arms, and expecting an immediate rush of the
mob, and the doorway full of muskets—half way in
the room, and no hope but instant death from within
—Mr. Taylor rushed into the window, which is some
fifteen or twenty feet from the ground. When his body
was nearly on a balance, a ball from the door within
entered his leg, and a ball from without struck
his watch, a patent lever, in his vest pocket, near
the left breast, and smashed it in " pie," leaving the
hands standing at five o'clock, 16 minutes, and 26
seconds—the force of which ball threw him back on
the floor, and he rolled under the bed which stood by
his side, where he lay motionless, the mob from the
door continuing to fire upon him, cutting away a
piece of flesh from his left hip as large as a man's
hand, and were hindered only by my knocking down
their muzzles with a stick ; while they continued to
reach their guns into the room, probably left handed,
and aimed their discharge so far around as almost
to reach us in the corner of the room to where we re-
treated and dodged, and then I re-commenced the
attack with my stick again. Joseph attempted as the
last resort, to leap the same window from whence Mr.
Taylor fell, when two balls pierced from the door,
and one entered his right breast from without, and he
tell outward, exclaiming, " 0 Lord my God !" As
his feet went out of the window my head went in,
the balls whistling all around. He fell on his
left side a dead man. At this instant the cry was
raised, " He's leaped the window," and the
mob on the stairs and in the entry ran out. I with-
drew from the window, thinking it of no use to leap
out on a hundred bayonets, then around Gen. Smith's
body. Not satisfied with this I again reached my
head out of the window and watched some seconds to
see if there were any signs of life, regardless of my
own, determined to see the end of him I loved ; being
fully satisfied that he was dead, with a hundred men
near the body, and more coining round the corner of
the gaol, and expecting a return to our room, I
rushed towards the prison door at the head of the stairs,
and through the entry from whence the firing had
proceeded, to learn if the doors into the prison were
open. When near the entry, Mr. Taylor called
out, "Take me." I pressed my way till I found
all the doors unbarred ; returning instantly,
caught Mr. Taylor under my arm, and rushed
by the stairs into the dungeon, or inner prison,
stretched him on the floor and covered him with a bed
in such a manner as not likely to beperceived, expecting
an immediate return of the mob. I said to Mr. Tay-
lor, this is a hard case to lay you on the floor, but if
your wounds are not fatal I want you to live to tell
the story. I expected to be shot the next moment,
and stood before the door awaiting the onset.

WILLARD RICHARDS.

AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR
SEPTEMBER.
(From the Farmer's Magazine.)
It is certainly a most pleasing task for us to have
to report, this month, most favourably of the weather
for harvest work. Notwithstanding some few showers
have fallen in most parts of England, the atmosphere
has proved, taken as a whole, as fine as could have
been desired. This fortunate circumstance has, as
our readers must be aware, produced benefits of no
ordinary nature to the British husbandman, whose
time, during the month, has been actively occupied in
the field. Such was the rapidity with which cutting
and carrying were carried on in its early part, that a
general conclusion of those highly important opera-
tions, so far as regards wheat, barley, and oats, was
arrived at by or very shortly after the 15th, while by
the 20th the beans and peas had been all secured. In
those districts north of the Humber, though a few
patches of oats and Leans are still out, the crops may
now be considered as safely stacked.
A difference of opinion, as is almost invariably the
case at this season, appears to have sprung up as to
the quality of the present year's produce ; but this, in
our opinion, is a question speedily set at rest. It is quite
evident that, at the commencement of cutting, a time
marked with considerable humidity in the southern
counties, large quantities of wheat and barley were
carried too hurriedly ; hence reached the stack-yard in
a condition alike unsatisfactory to the growers as well
as to the dealers. This, however, was an exception to
the general rule ; for general we may consider it when
the resplendent weather which followed is taken into
consideration. As might be expected, the farmer's
care is that of wisely disposing, at the earliest possible
period, of his damp wheats, apprehensive as he may
be of their not improving in stack ; hence the primary
cause of so many out-of-condition parcels having been
brought forward in the different markets. Taking,
therefore, this year's produce of the grain crops from
one end of the country to the other, we maintain, and
we think, upon the very best authority, that it has
never been exceeded, though it might have been
equalled in quality, in any previous year. Thus much
as relates to quality, and we shall now briefly revert
to produce.
It is admitted on all hands, though, of course, partial
deficiencies are to be met with, that the yield of wheat
this year for England is a very large one—consider-
ably above an average of years. At to barley, there
is certainly a deficiency in it, and, to supply the fall-
ing off, a steady importation of foreign will, we think,
be required. Oats, again, are not to say abundant, yet
the produce is very nearly an average one. A slight
falling off is also observed in beans and peas. In con-
sequence of the want of moisture in the early part of
the season, the straw of all descriptions of Frain is
unusually short. That circumstance has continued to
operate most prejudicially to the interests of the
grazing community, whose supplies of pasture herbage
have been smaller than have been known for a series
of years past ; consequently very great exertions are
now being made, by sowing winter tares and vetches
to provide food for the stock.
For the time of year—arising chiefly from the
comparative sluggishness in the demand for wheat
here, and the low price at which that article has been
disposed of—the imports of foreign wheat have not
proved large, though they have quite equalled our
necessities. Of Canadian flour, however, from the
premium offered for its importation by the new Flour
Bill, the receipts have been large beyond all precedent,
and no doubt will continue so while the present legis-
lative enactment continues in force. Our advices
from Quebec and Montreal inform us that not less
than 370,000 barrels of flour have been exported this
season against about 180,000 at the same time last
year.
A new species of disease has now appeared amongst
cattle in various parts of the country, and which has,
we find, produced most serious, most extensive losses.
The beasts seem to be suddenly seized with a violent
cold ; and unless immediate remedies are adopted,
they are lost in a short time.
The shortness of keep has produced some un-
usually large stock fairs in different quarters, which
has caused the trade to be unusually dull, at miser-
ably low prices.
Although the turnip crop is not expected to be a
productive one, a very great improvement is noticed
in it, yet moisture is still much required to increase
the bulb.
As the working of the new tariff is a matter in
which our readers are so immediately interested, we
shall here devote some space to its consideration. On
its first passing into law, the greatest anxiety was
manifested by our graziers and others as to its proba-
ble effect upon the value of stock in this country, from
large importations. Speculators of all classes were
speedily abroad in the principal markets to purchase
cattle for our markets, and riot a few of them were ,