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We actually got a virtual tour from the sister missionaries at the Carthage jail memorial site that day, which was pretty neat!

Here's the original page tracing

Transcript:

Today the mission had an online devotional to commemorate the anniversary of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, the first prophet of Christ's Restored Church & the translator of The Book Of Mormon into English by the gift & power of God. A summary of the event:

  • Joseph Smith & his brother Hyrum turned themselves in after being falsely charged and summoned for a legal hearing against them.
  • They were held in Carthage Jail along with two other church leaders who chose to keep them company while waiting for the hearing.
  • There is evidence that Joseph and Hyrum both sensed they were at the end of their lives.
  • On June 27th 1844, a large mob stormed the jail and murdered Joseph and Hyrum by gunfire. The two other church leaders lived to tell the tale.
  • Not long after the bodies were returned to the saints and their families, another church leader wrote the iconic church song "Praise To The Man", honoring Joseph Smith.

If they indeed felt that it was God's will for them to die and still obeyed, I admire their courage in doing so.