Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-03-07
THE ASSASSINATION.
Tho Story Of Carthage Jail Related b.
An Eye Witness.
SAW rnr PROPHET JOSEPH suOr
Statement ofCol. Darnell, Who Mingled
with ttc Mob While They Were Mur.
dcrIug Joseph and ilyrum.

]
California Tor i've monihs, aud
came 20 salt Lake on the same train
with W. "A. Gunner, Eiqr 0i this city,
who has been on q visit to California.
Col Darncll is an interesting nyI,e 60
the people of Utah, from the fact that
be Is probably the ouly living eye wit.
ness Of the assassina,ion u the Prophet
Joseph Smith. at Carthage, llli40is, ou
the 25,h " June, 1874
Col. DArnoll was met by NEws
representative tubs Afternoon, and 90
response to inquiries made d statement
" what he personally knew regarding
that awful deed. Ho said,
"You know Il IL long tins since
then. It's atty years ago, nnI my
memory may be faulty Ia some par.
tlculars. but viii relate that only
which / remember diftlucUy. When
the MOrmOnH came 20 Commerce, 'hcy
changed the name 90 NauvuU,lul quilt
the plncr up rapidly until tuufr were
about l5,0JU people Ia the city. The
inhabitants Of That part ui the state
Wufo OF the rOugbuf element g. u great
extent the county offices were profit.
ablc positions, because there was big
opportunity fOr stealing, 20 there was
considerable rivalry between Whlgt
nud Democrats ns 10 who should yet 10.
"lho Mofmons were not In it us a
political party but they held the bal.
nnce 81 p1wobuud OF CuuIH, they voted
Tor those they considered the best mon.
This caused great hostility toward the
MUrmuns on part u the nuiis. They
wa tied 10 get rii Of the MUrm1ub, Tor
political fcas1as, 20 they irI tue r. ol.
log against them. There was lois Uf
stealing going on, anu II was charged
10 tue Mormons. The women aud
childfcn we're taught 10 believe the
Nor mons guilty. but do not. / know
that stealing WAS done by OthCru, anu
that tue NJ Ifm0na "a community
were not chargcublc with II. o.
course there may have been
some Mofmons who stole, nut II
was mostly tue rough element, and
the ffu'caiing auti.M0rmonr accused
the Mofm0ns sO as 20 ret them driven
cut The 'law and 0Tieti men, as we
called them, wanted tho courts to
settle all matters, ami -ete called Jack
Mofmons by the ants.
81 was student under General NJ.
II. DBuiug. lie got me a commission
~ lieutenant, from Gov. Fora. lie
commanded the mob tnat arrested the
smiths at Nauvoo, but he was there NJ
a friend % order. call the pose
oOHiifdtus that made the arrest n mot,
because that was what II really was.
lhoy went through thu process OF law
merely for forms sake. II was called
war at that time. When tho posse was
called by the sheriff, John Carlin,
was Ia the crowd aud con.
aldefei myself summoned, ~ II were,
10 assist In making that arrest
"Aiy recollection h gu were there In
Carthage a week. We vent lust out
side tho town and pitched our tents.
We oamped there AuI played soldiers
a. well ~ We knew now.
"SOme way pf other / DO not know
how, commune alton was had by
which the Smiths agreed 90 give them.
selves up,and the uilluru went out aud
met them about hall way Ia the prairie
aud brought them la. They took them
10 the Hamilton house, u hotel, anu
held them there Tor "a couple OF days,
probably determining iu their oWa
mind what they were going To do.
LAS an officer on dru. Domingo
stan II was my duty 10 take this com.
pAny called the Carthage Greys, down
TO the hotel and form hollow square,
anu they had man with them by the
name, think, OF Scribling. He was
attorney or counselor Tor tho prisoners,
| UNDERSTOOD. They put thu prisoners
In theoenter Of the square aud matche
them down 10 the general hvadquaTlefs
wheie they hal their conference.
"The pOssv had the Smiths In their
power and seemed disposed to make
terms Of sOmr Kind 10 determine what
course would 10 pursued, At the emu
OF about n couple Of days they were
placed in jail, which was two story
stone structure and oyerlcal were very
nice rooms, IN one OF which there was
n bed. They were called tue debtors
rooms.
avery soon ailor the prisoners were
placed IN Jail, II might nave been the
same day, the troops ~ We called them
were all called together aud Governor
Ford addressed them. la bis speech he
stated that the object OF their Assem-
bling had been accomplished that the
writ had been executed AMI tue parties
were In jail. lie cOmmaudei the troops
TO uisbaud anu 80 60 tlpir several
places OF abode, and most " them did
90,
"On the afternoon Of the day OF the
assassination, the mob who did the |
killing came up. They lad their faces
painted a sort 0i brown color. |
| saw thls crowd Of men coming up
from the direction II the creek At the |
northwest corner Of the pasture. l was
standing within ten VI twenty stepe Of |
the pasture gate east VI tue Jail. |
The crowd was coming single file, ana |
STOPPING down. They had on blue
hunting shirts. / knew something |
terrible was going 10 happen.
was youth 90 the tine
and became traushKgd 80 the spot
AZ the crowd turned tho southwest
corner OF the jail, about onu'half Of
lhem went right up the stairway, the
other half came Tia ht against me- /
gol out OF their way, aud a moment
afterwards heard tue report oiagun la
lle house. That wac supposed 10 be
Nc shot which kilIul Hyfum smith.
Joseph started 10 jump through the
window, anu the moo fred NJ him
Ito oame out on the east side Of the
building. There wnsa large wen Just
underneath there AMI hu irll Just out
side tho curb. Joseph was KILLED while
paslng out OF the window.
"ihe Carthage Greys, u Is eald-and
nave no doubt with tga.hiloF look ~