The “Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account, Draft,” and the “Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account” are the two complete, extant iterations of efforts by later church historians to record the murder of JS and , including the events leading up to their deaths and the immediate aftermath. As stated at the beginning of both accounts, the information was compiled from a number of different sources, including other journals, letters, and various other documents. It was put into a cohesive narrative during the 1850s by Church Historian’s Office clerks , Jonathan Grimshaw, and , presumably under the direction of the church historian, .
was the initial scribe for approximately the first half of “Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account, Draft,” and Grimshaw was the primary scribe for the remainder. Sometimes slips of paper were attached to pages of the draft with additional or alternative text to be included with a specific page. Page 12 of the draft has a notation by Grimshaw indicating that previously drafted text was to be added to the draft; instead of copying the text, he simply inserted a whole leaf into the draft. This leaf, in ’s handwriting, contains various numbered vignettes. It appears to be part of a larger collection of vignettes, as it is paginated “5” and “6,” and is likely the surviving portion of an earlier iteration of the martyrdom account by Thomas Bullock. The remainder of Bullock’s effort is not extant.
“Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account,” which is a more final copy written primarily by Grimshaw in the mid-1850s, similarly has slips of papers attached. It also includes several leaves that were physically removed from “Martyrdom Account, Draft”; these leaves were renumbered to match the pagination of the copy: pages 7–10 in the draft became pages 11–14 in the more final copy; pages 13–14 became 19–20; most extensively, pages 19–52 became 27–60; and finally, page 57, the last page of the draft, became page 73 in the new version. Although these leaves are cataloged with the more final copy, this website presents the pages both in the draft, as originally paginated, and in the more final copy, with the new pagination. Two additional items were added at the end of the more final copy. A bifolium paginated as “75” and “2” and written on the back of a printed Utah Territory legal form gives an account of the arrival of the bodies of JS and Hyrum Smith in Nauvoo as well as the funeral and burial. It was written by Grimshaw and edited by from information given by . On the final leaf, which is torn and is paginated “76,” Bullock drafted an introduction to a passage from ’s History of Illinois, with instructions to include the passage from Ford’s history in the martyrdom account.
Both the draft and the more final copy were edited by , Grimshaw, and . It is not clear when the edits were made. The more final copy of the account appears to be what was used in 1856 when the final version was copied into the last volume of the Joseph Smith’s multivolume manuscript history (JS History, vol. F-1, 147, 151–204).
Page 14
, , , , <Orin> and , gave bonds with , <>, , , and other unexceptionable sureties, <for their appearance at the next term of the Circuit Court <for >> in the sum of $500 <for> each <of the defendants, Total $7,500> which was 2½ times the amount of the extreme penalty required by the Statutes of : in such cases of conviction. <and more than four times the entire cost of the Expositor Press and fixtures.> It was evident that the Magistrate intended to overreach the pile <wealth> of the <the defendants> brethren <and their friends>, so as to imprison those on trial <them> for want of bail; but it happened that there was strength to cover the demand. <for> , and others <some of the brethren> went <security> to the full extent of their worth <property>. and Justice [Robert F.] Smith adjourned his Court over, and left <the Court House>, without calling on Joseph and to answer to the charge of treason, or even intimating to the <those> prisoners, or their Council, that they were expected to enter into an examination this <that> night.
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<Capt. Smith, the only Magistrate who could grant subpoenas for witnesses, disappeared until a late hour, as if purposely to prevent the appearing of the defendants’ witnesses, and in keeping with the conviction expressed by them <Joseph’s enemies> the previous day “that the law cannot touch him <them>, but that powder and ball will”.>
June 25. About 6½ P. M. heard , while endeavoring to get a <another> warrant against Joseph Smith for Treason, declare, that while he was once preaching from Daniel 1 ch. 44 v. Mr Smith said that the kingdom referred to, was already set up; and that he was the King over it. He also heard
Insertion written vertically over the preceding paragraph in the center of the page, apparently indicating that this information came from John S. Fullmer; handwriting of Leo Hawkins.
Insertion in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.
Cancellation and insertion in the handwriting of Thomas Bullock.
Insertion written vertically over the preceding paragraph in the center of the page, apparently indicating that this information came from Dan Jones; handwriting of Leo Hawkins.